August 18, 2025
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ June 2025 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports a decrease in job separations, driven by reduced job quitting.
On the last business day in June, there were 246,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 8,000 from May’s revised figure and one of the largest increases among states. Job openings were 14 percent higher than June 2024’s figure. Nationwide, the number of job openings was little changed at 7.4 million in June. The number of job openings increased in retail trade (+190,000), information (+67,000), and state and local government education (+61,000). The number of U.S. job openings decreased in accommodation and food services (-308,000), health care and social assistance (-244,000), and finance and insurance (-142,000).
The number of hires in Virginia was 147,000 in June, down by 41,000 from May’s revised figure but up 19 percent over the year. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. In June, the number of U.S. hires was little changed at 5.2 million. Nationwide, the number of hires decreased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-42,000). In June 2025, there were 0.7 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to 0.9 unemployed per job opening nationwide.
Total job separations in Virginia decreased by 25,000 to 127,000. Nationwide, total separations in June were little changed at 5.1 million. Total separations significantly decreased in state and local government education (-39,000) and in federal government (-20,000). An estimated 81,000 workers quit jobs (‘quits’) from Virginia employers in June, a decrease of 19,000 over the month. Nationwide in June, the number of quits was little changed at 3.1 million. The number of U.S. quits decreased in professional and business services (-114,000), state and local government education (-20,000), and federal government (-5,000).
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 37,000 in June, an increase of 1,000 from May’s revised estimate. In June, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges was unchanged at 1.6 million. Layoffs and discharges decreased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-35,000) and in state and local government education (-19,000). The number of layoffs and discharges increased in mining and logging (+5,000).
| 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. |
Virginia Works plans to release the July 2025 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Friday September 19, 2025. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the July JOLTS data for states on Wednesday September 17, 2025.
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
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