The number of job openings increased to 6.3 million on the last business day of January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires and separations were little changed at 5.6 million and 5.4 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits rate and the layoffs and
discharges rate were little changed at 2.2 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by industry and by four geographic regions. The release also includes 2017 annual estimates for hires and
separations. The annual number of hires at 65.3 million and the annual number of quits at 38.2 million increased in 2017. The annual number of layoffs and discharges at 20.7 million edged up in 2017.