The short answer
JOLTS measures job openings, hires and separations. It can show changes in recruiting and payroll turnover across industries, and it also publishes statewide totals. It cannot tell you how many openings match your exact role, how many people applied, or whether you should wait to apply.
The four numbers worth knowing
Keep the counting period in view: openings are a month-end snapshot, while hires and separations cover activity during the whole month.
- Job openings: unfilled positions for which employers are recruiting externally and work could start within 30 days.
- Hires: additions to payroll, including new hires, rehires and certain recalls.
- Quits: voluntary departures, excluding retirements and transfers to other locations.
- Layoffs and discharges: employer-initiated separations, including layoffs and dismissals.
Use the release to ask better questions
Suppose the latest release shows more openings but fewer hires in an industry you are considering. You can say recruiting and hiring moved in different directions. You cannot say employers will ignore your application. Ask about the hiring timeline and look at current vacancies before deciding how much of your search to devote to that industry.
Check the reference month before reading a headline as today’s conditions. Releases arrive after the month they describe, and estimates can be revised. Compare several months on the same seasonal basis to see whether a move persists.
Choose the right level of detail
BLS publishes national industry estimates and separate regional and state estimates. The regional and state figures cover total nonfarm employment; they do not provide the same industry detail as the national release. A state total is not an estimate for one occupation in that state.
- Occupation: JOLTS does not collect job-title or occupation detail.
- Metro: the standard releases do not provide a metro-by-occupation vacancy count.
- Competition: JOLTS does not count applicants per opening.
- Listings: a survey estimate of openings is not a count of online job advertisements.
How JobMarketHealth uses it
Openings, hires and layoffs feed the Current Demand component of the score, with layoffs treated as a negative signal. Industry weights connect those measures to an occupation’s employer mix. Read the result as market context alongside the report’s dates and other measures, rather than a forecast of your own search.
Takeaways
- Read openings alongside actual hiring and separations.
- State estimates exist, but they cover the overall nonfarm market.
- Check the reference month, revisions and level of detail before applying a headline to your search.
Sources behind this guide
- JOLTSJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Employment ProjectionsEmployment Projections, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Put it to use
Look up a specific job to see its Job Market Health score, trend, wage context and outlook. Search occupations, or read how the score is built on the methodology page.
Keep reading
- Job openings vs hires: what the gap meansA vacancy headline can look strong even when hiring has slowed. Reading openings alongside hires helps you see both sides, as long as you keep their different counting periods in mind.
- How to tell if a job market is healthyHealthy is not the same as large or well paid. It means employers are actively adding people, separations are not spiking, and the occupation has room to keep hiring.