Job Openings And Labor Turnover: January 2007 — 2007-03-13

The job openings, hires, and total separations rates were unchanged in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Despite little month-to-month change in the hires and separations rates, there continues to be considerable churning in the la- bor market with large numbers of hires and separations every month. This release includes monthly estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by industry and geo- graphic region. This release also includes annual estimates for hires and separations. The annual hires rate rose slightly in 2006 while the turnover, or separations, rate held steady. On the last business day of January 2007, there were 4.4 million job openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 3.1 percent. The job openings rate was little changed during the first half of 2006 but trended upward in the latter part of the year.