Job Openings And Labor Turnover: August 2006 — 2006-10-11

The job openings rate increased in August, while the hires rate de- creased and the total separations rate remained essentially unchanged, 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 August 2006, there were 4.1 million job openings in the United States and the job openings rate was 3.0 percent. The job openings rate increased over the month to the highest level since April 2001, after showing little change since November 2005. In August, the job openings rates increased in trade, transportation, and utilities and in three of the four regions--the Midwest, South, and West. There were no significant over-the-month decreases in the job openings rate in any industry or region.