The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics developed the monthly
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) which produces data on
job openings, hires, and separations.
These data serve as demand-side indicators of labor shortages at the national
level. Prior to JOLTS, there was no economic indicator of the unmet demand for labor with which to assess the presence or extent of labor shortages in the United States. The availability of unfilled jobs—the
job openings rate—is an important measure of the tightness of
job markets, parallel to existing measures of unemployment.
The JOLTS survey covers all nonagricultural industries in the public and
private sectors for the 50 States and the District of
Columbia.
JOLTS collects data on Total Employment,
Job Openings, Hires, Quits, Layoffs & Discharges, and Other Separations.