Prarthana Magon, EBRC Undergraduate Research Assistant
Learn more about the latest trends in the Arizona JOLTS data
JOLTS, or Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, is a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to track job openings, hires, and separations in the United States. The JOLTS survey is an essential tool for anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of the U.S. job market. These data are available by ownership, region, super sector, and select industry sectors. While the survey produces monthly and annual estimates of job openings, hires, and separations for the nation that can be broken down by industry levels, the state data are produced monthly at the total nonfarm level only. The data breaks down separations further to quits, layoffs and discharges, and total separations.
Exhibit 1 depicts the progression of total job openings over time for the state of Arizona, measured in thousands. Similarly, Exhibit 2 shows the change in total number of hires over time in Arizona.
As depicted in Exhibit 1, Arizona witnessed a substantial decline in job openings, reporting 181,000 vacancies in February 2023, representing a 23.6% decrease from the same period in the prior year. Correspondingly, Exhibit 2 highlights that the state recorded 136,000 hires in February 2023, a 9.9% decrease from February 2022, where there were 151,000 hires.
Exhibit 1: Seasonally Adjusted Total Job Openings in Arizona Over Time, in Thousands
Exhibit 2: Seasonally Adjusted Total Hires in Arizona Over Time, in Thousands
Exhibit 3 shows the progression of total job separations in Arizona over time. Total job separations in JOLTS are the aggregate of quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Per Exhibit 3 below, in January there was a decline in Arizona job separations of 9.5% from the previous year, with a total of 124,000. The preliminary data suggested that the decrease in separations was primarily due to a decrease in total quits, which amounted to 87,000, reporting a year over year decrease of 15.6%, as seen in Exhibit 4. This implies that employees have become less likely to voluntarily leave their jobs than in the past.
In contrast, per Exhibit 5, layoffs and discharges increased in the state of Arizona, with a total of 31,000 layoffs reported, representing an increase of 14.8% over the year. This suggests that Arizona’s businesses and organizations have been making significant workforce reductions.
Exhibit 3: Seasonally Adjusted Total Job Separations in Arizona Over Time, in Thousands
Exhibit 4: Seasonally Adjusted Total Quits in Arizona Over Time, in Thousands
Exhibit 5: Seasonally Adjusted Total Layoffs & Discharges in Arizona Over Time, in Thousands
Exhibit 6 below displays the changes at the national level in Hires, Job Openings, Separations, and Unemployment Levels.
Exhibit 6: U.S. Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Data, Seasonally Adjusted, Thousands
Use your cursor to switch on between the different values to compare how job openings, hires and separations change over time. The JOLTS data for hires minus separations can be used to derive a measure of net employment change. This change should be comparable to the net employment change from the much larger Current Employment Survey (CES) survey. However, definitional differences between the two surveys, as well as sampling and non-sampling errors, cause JOLTS to diverge from CES in the short term but track well over time. The BLS provides a detailed comparison between JOLTS and CES data.
In Exhibit 7 below, the rates for each data element are stated as a monthly rate. These rates are computed by dividing the JOLTS published levels for each data element by the employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The data represented below is seasonally adjusted. Exhibit 8 shows the same trends at the national level.
Exhibit 7: Arizona Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Rates Per Job and Year Over Year Changes, Seasonally Adjusted, Thousands
Exhibit 8: U.S. Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Rates Per Job and Year Over Year Changes, Seasonally Adjusted, Thousands
