Cheezhead Recruiting News and Opinion

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its “Job Openings and Labor Turnover: April 2009” report today. That report found there were 2.5 million job openings as of the end of April, the lowest number of openings since the series began in December 2000.

The job openings rate remained at 1.9 percent during April. The number of job openings has decreased by 2.3 million, or 47 percent, since June 2007. While most industries saw small declines in job opening rates, none were statistically significant. Job openings decreased significantly in almost every industry and in all four regions during the yearlong period ending in April.

On a brighter note, job openings in the government industry saw a significant increase during April, which is mostly due to more job opportunities for temporary workers for the 2010 Census. The rate did not change much for finance or insurance.

In the yearlong period ending in April, hires totaled 53.7 million and separations totaled 58.4 million, making for a net employment loss of 4.7 million.

The hire rate remained at 3.1 percent during April, with 4.2 million hires. The south experienced the most significant increase in hire rate, while the remaining regions saw no big change. The hire rate decreased significantly during the last year in the Midwest and West, but the rate did not change much in the Northeast or South. Overall, monthly hires have decreased by 1.5 million, or 26 percent, since July 2006.

Separations – which include quits, layoffs and discharges – came in at 3.6 percent during April. The separations rate has decreased significantly during the last year. Quits have reached 1.8 million, a decrease of 1.4 million or 44 percent, since December 2006.

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