February 20, 2026
RICHMOND Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) December 2025 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports lower numbers of layoffs and discharges.
On the last business day in December, there were 210,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 5,000 from November s revised figure. Job openings were eleven percent lower than December 2024 s figure. Nationwide, the number of job openings trended down to 6.5 million (-386,000) in December and was down by 966,000 over the year. The number of job openings decreased in professional and business services (-257,000), retail trade (-195,000), and finance and insurance (-120,000). Nationwide, the job openings rate was 3.9 percent.
The number of hires in Virginia was 136,000 in December, an 8,000 decrease from November s figure but, essentially, unchanged over the year. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. In December, the number of U.S. hires was little changed at 5.3 million. The number of hires increased in real estate
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and rental and leasing (+38,000) and in state and local government, excluding education (+36,000). Hires decreased in federal government (-11,000). The U.S. rate of hires nationwide was little changed at 3.3 percent.
The Virginia hires‑per‑job‑opening (HPJO) ratio remained steady in December at two hires for every three job openings. This metric reflects the pace of hiring relative to available positions and serves as a proxy for the time it takes employers to fill vacancies. Also in December, the unemployed-per-job-opening ratio was eight unemployed individuals for every ten job openings in Virginia, compared to the national ratio of eleven unemployed for every ten job openings.
Total job separations in Virginia fell to 145,000, 17,000 lower over the month. Nationwide, total job separations in December were little changed at 5.3 million. The Virginia total separations rate fell to 3.4 percent. Nationwide, the total separations rate remained little changed at 3.3 percent. The number of total separations decreased in professional and business services (-212,000) and in private educational services (-20,000). Total separations increased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+110,000) and in federal government (+10,000).
An estimated 90,000 workers quit jobs ( quits ) from Virginia employers in December. Nationwide, the number of quits was unchanged at 3.2 million. The number of quits decreased in professional and business services (-151,000) and in private educational services (-19,000). Quits increased in retail trade (+87,000) and in
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information (+28,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth was little changed at 2.1 percent. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate was little changed at 2.0 percent.
The December churn rate (the sum of the hires and total separations rates) in Virginia decreased by 0.6 points from November s revised figure to 6.6 percent and was driven by decreases in hires, job quits, and layoffs. It equaled the U.S. churn rate, which was little changed over the month.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 47,000 in December, a decrease of 13,000 from November s estimate. The number of U.S. layoffs and discharges in December was little changed at 1.8 million. The layoffs and discharges rate was unchanged at 1.1 percent. Layoffs and discharges increased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+103,000) but decreased in finance and insurance (-20,000). The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate fell to 1.1 percent. In December, the U.S. rate of layoffs and discharges was little changed at 1.1 percent.
On the last business day of December, JOLTS data indicated the number of Layoffs and Discharges decreased to 47,000. While this was nearly 40 percent higher than in December 2024, recent years figures remained, on the whole, within the range seen over the last decade.
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 leave 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. |
NOTICE: 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 State Job Openings and Labor Turnover news release will move from a monthly news release to an annual news release. The first annual news release will be in July 2026. Going forward, monthly estimates for the prior calendar year will be published each year along with the annual news release. The annual news release will incorporate benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, updated Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and updated Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/.