Understanding JOLTS Data, What BLS Measures and Why It Matters
A plain-language guide to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, how it is collected, what each metric means, and what it tells us about the U.S. labor market.
Key Takeaway
JOLTS is the only federal survey that simultaneously tracks job openings, hires, and separations at the industry and state level. Together, these three numbers tell us whether employers are growing or shrinking, whether workers are confident enough to quit, and how tight the labor market really is, beyond what the headline unemployment rate captures.
What JOLTS Measures
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey tracks labor market flow, not just how many people have jobs, but how many jobs employers are trying to fill, how many workers are being hired, and how many are leaving (voluntarily or not). The five core metrics are:
- Job openings: Unfilled positions on the last business day of the month that employers are actively trying to fill from outside the organization. This is a measure of employer demand for labor.
- Hires: All additions to payroll during the month, new employees, rehires, and recall from temporary layoff. This is a measure of actual labor market flow, not just intent.
- Quits: Voluntary separations initiated by employees. The quits rate is considered a measure of worker confidence, people quit when they believe they can find better jobs.
- Layoffs and discharges: Involuntary separations initiated by employers, including temporary layoffs and permanent terminations. Rising layoffs signal employer-side stress.
- Total separations: All employee exits, quits, layoffs, retirements, transfers, and deaths combined. Over time, total separations and hires must be roughly equal.
What JOLTS Tells You That the Jobs Report Does Not
The monthly Employment Situation report (the "jobs report") provides the net change in payroll employment and the unemployment rate. These are headline numbers, but they hide the churn beneath. JOLTS reveals what is actually happening inside that headline:
| Question | Jobs Report Answers | JOLTS Answers |
|---|---|---|
| How many net jobs added? | Yes (CES payrolls) | No |
| How many positions are unfilled? | No | Yes (job openings) |
| Are workers choosing to quit? | No | Yes (quits rate) |
| Are employers laying off workers? | Partially (UI claims) | Yes (layoff rate) |
| Which industries are tightest? | Partially (payrolls by sector) | Yes (openings + hires by industry) |
Example: If the jobs report shows +180,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, JOLTS might reveal 5.4 million hires and 5.22 million separations, an enormous amount of churn that produced a modest net gain. Understanding that gross flow is essential for reading wage pressure, worker bargaining power, and where shortages are deepest.
How BLS Collects the Data
The BLS surveys approximately 20,700 business establishments monthly, selected using a probability-based sample from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. The sample is stratified by industry and state, ensuring coverage across all major sectors and geographies.
Respondents report counts as of the last business day of the month (for openings) or totals for the entire month (for hires and separations). The survey covers all nonfarm industries, private sector firms, state and local government, and federal agencies, across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Results are released on a two-month lag. January data appears in early March; December data in early February. PlainLabor updates monthly when BLS releases new figures. Browse the latest national picture on our trends page.
Reading JOLTS Numbers: A Practical Example
Consider a month where national JOLTS data shows the following (approximate figures from a recent tight-market period):
| Metric | Count (thousands) | Rate | What It Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job Openings | 10,824 | 6.6% | Employers want to fill many positions |
| Hires | 6,665 | 4.5% | Gap vs. openings = tight market |
| Quits | 4,478 | 3.0% | Workers confident, seeking better jobs |
| Layoffs | 1,441 | 1.0% | Low, employers holding on to workers |
| Total Separations | 6,267 | 4.2% | Slightly below hires, employment growing |
Approximate figures representative of 2021–2022 peak tight-market conditions. Source: BLS JOLTS.
Compiled by the " research team.
Reading this table together: openings (10.8M) far exceed hires (6.7M), meaning employers cannot fill positions even though they are trying. Quits at 3.0% are near all-time highs, workers are confident. Layoffs at 1.0% are near historic lows, employers are holding on to staff. This is the picture of peak labor market tightness.
JOLTS Rates vs. Counts
BLS publishes both raw counts (number of openings, hires, etc.) and rates (as a percentage of total employment). Rates are more useful for comparing across industries and states with very different workforce sizes.
A state with 5,000 openings and 100,000 workers has a 5% openings rate, much more informative than the raw number alone. When comparing Wyoming to Texas, always use rates, the absolute numbers are not comparable given the large difference in workforce size.
PlainLabor displays both counts and rates. Browse state profiles or industry pages to compare metrics using the same base.
What JOLTS Reveals About Labor Market Health
The unemployment rate tells us how many people are looking for work and cannot find it. JOLTS tells us the other side: how many jobs are available and going unfilled. Comparing these two numbers, the job openings count versus the unemployed worker count, gives economists a cleaner picture of labor market tightness than either statistic alone.
During the 2021–2022 post-pandemic labor market, JOLTS data showed an unprecedented condition: more job openings than unemployed workers. This ratio, openings divided by unemployed, reached nearly 2.0, meaning two openings for every person actively seeking work. This contributed to wage inflation and the Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates aggressively. JOLTS was the key dataset making that tightness legible to policymakers.
JOLTS data is broken down by industry and region. You can see whether construction or healthcare is driving openings in a given month, or whether a particular region is cooling faster than others. Explore state-level JOLTS data or industry breakdowns on PlainLabor.
Historical Context: JOLTS Through Economic Cycles
JOLTS began in December 2000, which means it has captured several major economic cycles. Each tells a distinct story through the metrics:
| Period | Openings | Quits | Layoffs | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 (Recession trough) | Low (~2.3M) | Very low (~1.5%) | High (~2.0%) | Deep recession |
| 2019 (Pre-pandemic peak) | High (~7.5M) | High (~2.3%) | Low (~1.1%) | Healthy tight market |
| 2020 Q2 (COVID shock) | Collapsed (~5.0M) | Fell sharply | Spiked (~7.5%) | Acute shock |
| 2022 (Great Resignation peak) | Record (~11.9M) | Record (~3.0%) | Near-record low | Unprecedented tightness |
Approximate figures. Source: BLS JOLTS historical series. See national trends for current data.
Compiled by the " research team.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does JOLTS stand for?
JOLTS stands for Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. It is a monthly survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that measures job openings, hires, and separations (quits, layoffs, and other) across nonfarm businesses and government entities in the United States.
How does BLS collect JOLTS data?
The BLS surveys approximately 20,700 business establishments each month. Establishments are selected using a probability-based sample from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). Respondents report the number of job openings, hires, and separations that occurred during the reference month. Data is collected via web, mail, or phone. The survey covers all nonfarm industries including private sector and government, across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
What is a "job opening" according to JOLTS?
A job opening is defined as a position that is open (not filled) on the last business day of the month, that work could start within 30 days, and for which the employer is actively recruiting from outside the establishment. Positions open to transfers or promotions from within are not counted. This definition means JOLTS openings represent genuine external demand for workers, not internal reshuffling.
What are separations in JOLTS?
Separations are all ways an employee leaves a job during the month. JOLTS breaks separations into three categories: quits (voluntary separations initiated by the employee), layoffs and discharges (involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including temporary layoffs), and other separations (retirements, transfers, deaths, and disability separations). Total separations must roughly equal hires over any long period, since employment levels stay relatively stable.
How is JOLTS data used by policymakers?
JOLTS is closely watched by the Federal Reserve as a measure of labor market tightness. A high ratio of job openings to unemployed workers signals that the labor market is tight, which can lead to wage inflation. The Fed uses this data when making decisions about interest rates. Policymakers also use JOLTS to monitor which industries are expanding or contracting, and to detect early signs of economic slowdowns through rising layoffs or falling hires.
When is JOLTS data released?
BLS releases JOLTS data on a two-month lag, typically on the first Tuesday of each month, covering data from two months prior. For example, January JOLTS data is released in early March. This lag exists because collecting and processing the establishment survey takes time. PlainLabor updates its database monthly when new JOLTS data is released.
Explore JOLTS Data on PlainLabor
- Browse all 51 states - job openings, hires, and separations by state
- Browse 22 industries - sector-level JOLTS data across the U.S.
- National trends - how the labor market has shifted over time
- Job openings vs. hires - why the two diverge and what it signals
- Reading labor market indicators - quits, layoffs, and JOLTS context
- The Great Resignation by the numbers - the 2021–2023 quits wave in data
- Which industries are hiring fastest - industry rankings by hire rate
JOLTS in practice, what each number tells you
Reading the openings rate
The openings rate normalizes raw vacancy counts against employment, expressing them per 100 jobs. A rising openings rate during stable employment indicates employers are advertising more positions per existing job, a tightening labor market. Compare against the unemployment-to-vacancy ratio for a complete tightness picture.
Why hires lag openings
Hires reflect actual payroll additions completed in the reference month, while openings reflect current demand. A persistent gap between openings and hires indicates structural friction in matching workers to positions.
Quits as worker confidence
When workers quit voluntarily, they are signaling that better opportunities exist elsewhere. The quits rate is one of the cleanest single reads on labor-market tightness available in the BLS catalog.
Worked example: comparing two months
In a tight month, a state may report 250,000 openings vs 175,000 openings the prior month, that 75% rise in raw openings has to be normalized against a 65% rise in employment to be meaningful. Watch for compositional shifts where hospitality openings jump from 12% to 25% of total, suggesting the rise is sectoral rather than economy-wide.
| Metric | Interpretation low | Interpretation high |
|---|---|---|
| Openings rate | Slack labor market | Tight labor market |
| Hires-to-openings | Friction or shortage | Strong placement velocity |
| Quits rate | Worker uncertainty | Worker confidence |
| Layoffs rate | Stable employment | Cyclical contraction |
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), bls.gov/jlt
- BLS Handbook of Methods, JOLTS chapter
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) - sample frame
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. Labor market data from BLS JOLTS is subject to revision. Always verify current figures at bls.gov. This is not financial or employment advice.
