Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)

What JOLTS is

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) is a monthly BLS report that measures job vacancies, hires, and separations in the U.S. labor market. It provides data on:

• Job openings (vacancies)
• Hires
• Separations, broken into quits (voluntary), layoffs and discharges, and other separations (retirements, deaths, etc.)

Why it matters

JOLTS is a key gauge of labor demand and turnover. Vacancies indicate employer demand for labor, while the quits rate is a signal of worker confidence and labor-market fluidity. Policymakers, economists, and businesses use JOLTS to assess how tight or loose the labor market is.

How the data are collected and reported

• Sample and frequency: The BLS surveys a representative sample of roughly 21,000 nonfarm businesses and government employers each month.
• Reporting formats: Data are published both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted, and broken out by region, industry, and employer size.
• Vacancy definition: A job is counted as a vacancy if the position exists with work available, could start within 30 days, and the employer is actively recruiting from outside the organization. Part‑time and temporary openings are included.
• Benchmarking and revisions: JOLTS employment estimates are ratio‑adjusted (benchmarked) to the Current Employment Statistics (CES) monthly employment totals and are revised annually in line with CES. New businesses may take about a year to appear in the survey sample.
• Timing: JOLTS is released roughly a month after the monthly Employment Situation (jobs) report for the same reference period.

Key takeaways

• JOLTS complements the monthly Employment Situation report by offering detailed measures of openings, hires, and separations.
• Vacancies measure labor demand; the quits rate and quit counts measure voluntary turnover and worker confidence.
• JOLTS is closely watched during periods of rapid labor‑market change because it reveals dynamics (hiring difficulty, churn) not shown in headline payrolls or unemployment rates.

JOLTS and the “Great Resignation”

Beginning in 2021, the quits rate and quit counts rose sharply as the U.S. economy recovered from the COVID‑19 downturn. Notable datapoints:

• Quits reached a series high of about 4.5 million in March 2022.
• Job openings peaked at roughly 11.55 million at the end of March 2022.
• By April 2023, quits had eased to about 3.8 million with a 2.4% quits rate; job openings were approximately 10.1 million (about 6.1% of filled plus unfilled jobs).

Explanations for the surge in quits include stronger labor demand (making it easier to find new jobs), tighter labor supply, deteriorated working conditions during the pandemic, and widespread reassessment of career and life priorities. As the labor market softened in 2023, quit rates and openings moderated but JOLTS remains a critical source for monitoring turnover and employer hiring pressures.

Relation to the Employment Situation report

The Employment Situation report (the monthly “jobs report”) estimates payroll employment, average hours, average hourly earnings, and the unemployment rate using household and employer surveys. JOLTS supplements that report by detailing where job opportunities and separations are occurring and the intensity of labor turnover.

How BLS field collection works (brief)

BLS field economists and survey staff collect data via employer questionnaires and follow‑up contacts. Employment and turnover responses come directly from the surveyed establishments.

Bottom line

JOLTS delivers a detailed, timely view of labor demand and turnover that complements headline employment statistics. Its vacancy and quits measures are especially useful for assessing labor‑market tightness, hiring difficulty, and worker mobility during economic expansions and contractions.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED).