PlainLabor

Methodology & Data Sources

Data Source

All data on PlainLabor comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). JOLTS is published monthly by the BLS and is one of the most closely watched economic indicators, used by the Federal Reserve and policymakers to assess labor market health. Data is accessed via the BLS public API.

Supporting context cited throughout PlainLabor is drawn from a small number of authoritative open sources, each linked inline at point of use. The primary references are the BLS JOLTS program homepage, the monthly JOLTS news release archive, the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration) historical statistics, and the U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey. We do not blend in proprietary or paid data sources.

Coverage

PlainLabor covers JOLTS data for all 50 US states plus the District of Columbia, organized by state and by major industry sector. JOLTS provides state-level data for job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and total separations.

JOLTS Metrics Defined

  • Job openings: Positions that are open (not filled) at the end of the reference month, with active recruitment and availability to start within 30 days
  • Hires: All additions to the payroll during the reference month, including new hires, rehires, and recalls from layoff
  • Quits: Voluntary separations initiated by the employee, including resignations and retirements
  • Layoffs and discharges: Involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including permanent layoffs, temporary layoffs without recall, terminations for cause, and plant closures
  • Total separations: All separations from employment, including quits, layoffs, retirements, transfers, deaths, and other reasons

Processing Pipeline

  1. Pull monthly JOLTS data from the BLS public API for each state and industry series
  2. Parse time-series data and store each metric (openings, hires, quits, layoffs) as reported by BLS
  3. Flag data points marked as preliminary by BLS, these are updated in subsequent releases
  4. Compute 12-month rolling trends for each metric and state
  5. Update the database automatically each month when new JOLTS figures are published (typically the first Tuesday of each month, covering data from two months prior)

Data Vintage and Update Frequency

JOLTS is released monthly by the BLS, typically on the first Tuesday of each month. Each release covers data from two months prior, for example, a release in early March covers January data. This reporting lag exists because the BLS must collect survey responses from approximately 21,000 sample establishments, validate the submissions, and apply seasonal adjustment before publication. Preliminary estimates are published first and then revised in subsequent months as more complete data becomes available. PlainLabor updates its database automatically with each new BLS JOLTS release, and preliminary data points are replaced with revised figures when published.

Accuracy Commitment

PlainLabor reproduces BLS JOLTS data exactly as published through the BLS public API. Monthly figures, rates, and trend calculations are presented without editorial modification. Data points that the BLS flags as preliminary are clearly identified on PlainLabor. When the BLS publishes revised figures that supersede preliminary estimates, PlainLabor updates its records accordingly. Seasonal adjustment factors applied by the BLS are preserved, PlainLabor presents seasonally adjusted data as reported by the BLS, not raw unadjusted figures.

Limitations

  • JOLTS data is derived from a sample survey of approximately 21,000 nonfarm business and government establishments. As a sample survey, estimates are subject to sampling error and non-sampling error (including response error and nonresponse bias).
  • State-level estimates have wider confidence intervals than national figures due to smaller sample sizes at the state level. Month-to-month changes in state data should be interpreted with caution, especially for smaller states.
  • Preliminary data is revised when final figures are released in subsequent months. Initial estimates may differ from final figures, particularly during periods of rapid labor market change.
  • JOLTS covers the nonfarm sector only. Agricultural employment, private household workers, and self-employment are not included in the survey.
  • This data is for informational purposes only. It reflects aggregate labor market conditions and does not predict outcomes for individual job seekers. PlainLabor is not affiliated with the BLS or any government agency.

Editorial Pipeline

Raw data from BLS JOLTS, CPS, and CES programs, the U.S. Department of Labor's public datasets, and the Census Bureau Current Population Survey is pulled in automatically on the day of each upstream release. Narrative framing, guide text, rankings commentary, and methodology writeups are drafted by the PlainLabor Editorial team against the raw figures, fact-checked against the source release, and reviewed line-by-line before publication. No page on PlainLabor ships without human editorial review. We do not accept payment for coverage, placement, or rankings, state and industry comparisons are computed directly from BLS JOLTS survey records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does PlainLabor's data come from?

All figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), a monthly sample survey of approximately 21,000 nonfarm business and government establishments covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Supporting context is drawn from BLS CPS and CES releases, the Department of Labor's public datasets, and Census CPS ASEC.

How often is the data updated?

BLS publishes new JOLTS data monthly, typically on the first Tuesday of each month, covering data from two months prior. PlainLabor's pipeline can pull and rebuild from the latest BLS release on demand; refreshes typically land within days to a few weeks, not on a guaranteed same-day schedule. Preliminary estimates are revised in subsequent months as late-arriving survey responses are incorporated, PlainLabor replaces preliminary figures with revised ones on its next refresh.

Why do state-level figures sometimes differ from national totals?

BLS publishes JOLTS data at the national level as both seasonally adjusted and not-seasonally-adjusted, but state-level data is only published not-seasonally-adjusted. State figures also have wider confidence intervals than national figures due to smaller sample sizes. Differences between state totals and national totals reflect these methodological differences, not errors in the data. State-level data is also released on a slower schedule than the national aggregate, typically several months behind, so a state page's "latest" month is usually earlier than the month shown on national pages like the homepage or Trends.

Does PlainLabor modify, rank, or commercially rate the underlying data?

No. PlainLabor reproduces BLS JOLTS figures unchanged. We receive no payment from any employer, agency, or labor-market entity. Rankings (e.g., which states lead in job openings or quits rate) are computed directly from the BLS survey and are not editorially adjusted.

Reuse and Citation

PlainLabor's state and industry pages are freely citable and linkable. If you reference our figures in a report, article, or dataset, please link back to the specific page you drew from (e.g., a state or industry page) rather than a screenshot, since the underlying BLS JOLTS numbers are revised month to month. The BLS JOLTS series itself is a U.S. government work in the public domain; PlainLabor's presentation (narrative text, computed trends, and page design) is not licensed for wholesale republication or scraping. Each state and industry page carries structured Dataset markup so search engines and research tools can identify it as a data source in its own right.

Contact

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