January 30, 2026
RICHMOND Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) November 2025 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports increased numbers of job hires with faster movement from job to job.
On the last business day in November, there were 216,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, a decrease of 15,000 from October s figure of 231,000. Job openings were 15 percent lower than November 2024 s figure. Nationwide, the number of job openings was little changed at 7.1 million in November but was down by 885,000 over the year. The number of job openings decreased in accommodation and food services (-148,000), transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-108,000); and wholesale trade (-63,000). Job openings increased in construction (+90,000). Nationwide, the job openings rate was little changed at 4.3 percent.
The number of hires in Virginia was 142,000 in November, a 5,000 increase from October s figure and 13 percent lower over the year. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. In November, the number of U.S. hires was little changed at 5.1 million. The number of hires decreased in state and local government, excluding education (-39,000) and in state and local government education (-31,000). Hires
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increased in federal government (+11,000). In Virginia, the 3.3 percent hires rate was higher over the month. The U.S. rate of hires nationwide was little changed at 3.2 percent.
The Virginia hires-per-job-opening (HPJO) ratio were two hires for every three job openings, which was higher over the month. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions. There were seven unemployed for every ten job openings in November. That relationship was over one nationwide, with eleven unemployed for every ten job openings.
Total job separations in Virginia rose to 156,000, 37,000 higher over the month. Nationwide, total job separations in November was little changed at 5.1 million. The Virginia total separations rate rose to 3.7 percent. Nationwide, the total separations rate remained little changed at 3.2 percent. The number of total separations decreased in state and local government, excluding education (-27,000).
An estimated 93,000 workers quit jobs (quits ) from Virginia employers in November. Nationwide in November, the number of quits was little changed at 3.2 million. The number of quits increased in accommodation and food services (+208,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth rose to 2.2 percent. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate was little changed at 2.0 percent.
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The November churn rate (the sum of the hires and total separations rates) in Virginia increased by a percentage point from October s figure to 7.0 percent and was driven by increases in hires, job quits, and layoffs. It rose above the U.S. churn rate, which was little changed over the month.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 56,000 in November, an increase of 12,000 from October s estimate. In November, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges was little changed at 1.7 million. The number of layoffs and discharges decreased in accommodation and food services (-107,000); health care and social assistance (-52,000); and state and local government, excluding education (-26,000). The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate rose to 1.3 percent. In November, the U.S. rate of layoffs and discharges was little changed at 1.1 percent.
On the last business day of November, JOLTS data indicated the pace of job change accelarated, with increases in hiring and job separations. Comparing estimates of unemployment with job openings indicated continued resilience in the Commonwealth s labor market.
BLS s JOLTS data provides information on all the components that make up the net change in the number of jobs over a month, including job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (including retirements and worker deaths). Together, these components attempt to reveal the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. The current month s data is preliminary and the previous month s data has been revised.
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Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs. Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. *Excerpted from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, "Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Concepts," https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/concepts.htm. |
The State Job Openings and Labor Turnover news release will move from a monthly news release to an annual news release, according to a BLS announcement. The last monthly news release will occur with the December 2025 data published in February 2026. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/.
Technical note:
Effective with the release of May 2025 data, the Job Openings and Labor
Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates have been benchmarked and revised to
include the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, the Current
Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of
Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally
adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces
monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and
discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000
establishments. For more information on the program s concepts
and methodology, see Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods (Washington,
DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS state JOLTS
estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm. Definitions of JOLTS
terms*