January 6, 2026
RICHMOND Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) October 2025 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports increased numbers of job openings with slower movement from job to job.
On the last business day in October, there were 255,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 23,000 from September s figure of 232,000. Job openings were six percent lower than October 2024 s figure. Nationwide, the number of job openings was unchanged at 7.7 million, in October. The Virginia job openings rate rose to 5.6 percent, its highest level since January of 2025. Nationwide, the job openings rate was unchanged at 4.6 percent.
The number of hires in Virginia was 126,000 in October, a 17,000 decrease from October s figure and 13 percent lower over the year. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. In October, the number of U.S. hires was little changed at 5.1 million. In Virginia, the 2.9 percent hires rate was lower 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 was one hire for every two job openings, which was lower over the
month. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a
proxy for time to fill positions. October s unemployed per job opening figure
was not collected.
Total job separations in Virginia fell to 111,000, 38,000 lower over the month. Nationwide, total job separations in October was little changed at 5.1 million. The number of total separations significantly decreased in health care and social assistance (-111,000) and in federal government (-34,000). The Virginia total separations rate fell to 2.6 percent. Nationwide, the total separations rate remained little changed at 3.2 percent.
An estimated 64,000 workers quit jobs ( quits ) from Virginia employers in October. Nationwide in October, the number of quits was little changed at 2.9 million. Nationwide, the number of quits was down by 276,000 over the year. In October, the number of quits significantly decreased in accommodation and food services (-136,000), health care and social assistance (-114,000), and federal government (-25,000). Quits in federal government in September saw a series high of 46,000. In October, quits increased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (+38,000) and in information (+21,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth declined to 1.5 percent. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate was little changed at 1.8 percent. Nationwide, the quits rate significantly increased in establishments with 5,000 or more employees.
The
October churn rate (the sum of the hires and total separations rates)
in Virginia decreased by 1.3 percentage points from September s figure to 5.5 percent and was driven by decreases in hires, job quits,
and layoffs. It fell to below the U.S. churn rate, which was little changed
over the month.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 40,000 in October, a decrease of 5,000 from September s estimate. In October, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges was little changed at 1.9 million. Layoffs and discharges increased in accommodation and food services (+130,000) and in state and local government, excluding education (+23,000). The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate fell to 0.9 percent. In October, the U.S. rate of layoffs and discharges was little changed at 1.2 percent.
On the last business day of October, JOLTS data could be characterized as a ‘no hire, no fire’ labor market, as movement from job to job slowed to a multi-year low pace. This was driven by over-the-month decreases in hires, quits, and layoffs. However, the number of job openings rose to their highest level since the beginning of the year.
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. |
Virginia Works plans to release the November 2025 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Friday, January 30, 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/. BLS is scheduled to release the November JOLTS data for states on Tuesday, January 27, 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 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*
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