Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey News Release — 2015-10-16

The number of job openings decreased to 5.4 million on the last business day of August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The number of hires and separations was little changed at 5.1 million and 4.8 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits rate was 1.9 percent for the fifth month in a row, and the layoffs and discharges rate was unchanged at 1.2 percent. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by industry and by four geographic regions. Job openings decreased to 5.4 million in August after reaching a series high of 5.7 million in July. The job openings rate for August was 3.6 percent, the same rate as in April, May, and June. The number of job openings decreased in August for total private and government. Job openings declined in state and local government (-33,000) and nondurable goods manufacturing (-25,000).