Job Openings And Labor Turnover: July 2005 — 2005-09-07

The job openings and hires rates were little changed in July, while the total separations rate decreased to 3.1 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by industry and geographic region. On the last business day of July 2005, there were 3.5 million job openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.6 percent. (See table 1.) The job openings rate was little changed in July, but has generally trended upward since September 2003. In July, the job openings rate increased in the manufacturing industry and decreased in the leisure and hospitality industry and in the Northeast region. The hires rate was little changed at 3.4 percent in July. (See table 2.) Hires are any additions to the payroll during the month.