How Many People Fired or Hired in 2013? (December 2013 update - released in February 2014)

The LOWEST number of people were laid off in 2013 since 2000 when the JOLTS (Job Openings, Layoffs, and Turnover Survey) was first published.

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Number of people hired, fired, number of jobs for 2014 HERE.

Jobs Numbers for 2015 HERE!

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How many people have lost or gained their jobs so far in 2013?  How many people have been fired or hired so far in 2013?

• In net numbers, NO jobs have been lost in 2013 so far.
• In net numbers, 2,322,000 jobs were ADDED in 2013.

The number of jobs reported as created or lost the first Friday of each month is a NET number:  In other words, the number of jobs gained after all jobs lost are subtracted, or the number of jobs lost after all jobs gained are added. Remember that, in good times and bad, jobs are lost and jobs are added every month.  In good times and bad, millions of people quit, millions of people are hired, and millions of people are laid off or fired every month.

NET jobs lost or gained as reported monthly can be found HERE:  How Many Jobs Were Created or Lost in 2013 to date?

How Many People Are Fired Each Year in the United States? HERE!

The monthly JOLTS report (Jobs Openings, Layoffs, Turnover Survey), breaks down the number of people hired, laid off, and or who quit.  It is published a month behind the regular monthly jobs report.  Over time, the monthly report and the JOLTS report provide very similar numbers.  The following numbers are based on the latest report for December 2013, which was released in February 2014.  The next JOLTS report, for January 2014, will not be released until March. 

How many people have been LAID OFF or FIRED in total in 2013 so far?

• January:                               1,520,000
• February:                              1,572,000
• March:                                     1,686,000
• April:                                   1,741,000
• May:                                    1,752,000
• June:                                   1,602,000  
• July:                                    1,589,000
• August:                                1,676,000
• September:                           1,756,000
• October:                                1,504,000
• November:                            1,499,000
• December:                            1,608,000 
• Total 2013:                        19,505,000
  
  
  Note:  This is the LOWEST number of people laid off in a year going back to the year 2000 when the JOLTS report was first published.
  
  

How many people have been laid off or fired each day in 2013 so far?

• An average of 53,438 people have been laid off or fired each day in 2013.  This is the lowest number of people laid off or fired per day for any year since 2000.

How many people have QUIT their jobs in 2013 so far?

• January:            2,260,000            
• February:           2,286,000
• March:               2,099,000
• April:                 2,185,000
• May:                  2,233,000
• June:                 2,205,000
• July:                  2,342,000
• August:              2,364,000
• September:         2,327,000
• October:             2,382,000
• November:          2,414,000
• December:          2,373,000
• Total 2013:       27,470,000

Note:  An average of 75,260 people quit their jobs EACH DAY in 2013.  This is the highest number of quits in a year in five years, since 2008.  Increasing numbers of quits are a good thing, as they indicate both that people are willing to take a chance and quit an old job to take a new job and that people are finding new jobs and, as a result, quitting their old jobs.  Notice that many more people are now quitting their jobs vs. being laid off or fired.     

How many people have left their work for OTHER reasons (like retirement) in 2013 so far?

• January:            393,000
• February:           323,000
• March:               338,000
• April:                 360,000
• May:                  396,000
• June:                 420,000  
• July:                  342,000
• August:              365,000
• September:         394,000
• October:             319,000
• November:          365,000
• December:          390,000
• Total 2013:      4,405,000    
  
  Note:  An average of 12,100 people left their jobs for "other reasons" like retirement EACH DAY in 2013.

How many total separations in 2013 so far?

• January:           4,173,000
• February:          4,180,000
• March:              4,123,000
• April:                4,287,000
• May:                 4,381,000
• June:                4,228,000
• July:                 4,273,000
• August:             4,405,000
• September:        4,477,000
• October:            4,205,000
• November:         4,278,000
• December:         4,370,000
• Total 2013:      51,380,000 

Note:  An average of 140,767 people left their jobs for any reason EACH DAY in 2013. 

How many people have been hired in 2013 so far?

• January:            4,298,000 
• February:           4,451,000
• March:               4,227,000
• April:                 4,395,000
• May:                  4,490,000
• June:                    4,318,000
• July:                  4,497,000
• August:              4,559,000
• September:         4,632,000
• October:             4,484,000
• November:          4,529,000
• December:          4,437,000
• Total 2013:       53,317,000
  
  

Note:  An average of 146,073 people were HIRED EACH DAY in 2013.  That means that, on average, 6,000 MORE people were hired each day in 2013 than left their jobs for any reason.  

How many jobs have been gained or lost (NET:  Hires minus Separations) in 2013 so far?

• January:            +125,000
• February:           +271,000           
• March:               +104,000
• April:                 +108,000
• May:                  +109,000
• June:                 +  90,000 
• July:                  +224,000
• August:              +154,000
• September:         +155,000
• October:             +279,000  
• November:          +251,000
• December:          +  67,000
• Total 2013:      +1,937,000  
  
  
  Net job growth reported in 2013 through December 2013 from the CES (Current employment survey):  +2,322,000.  
  Over time, as more complete data is received, the numbers from JOLTS and CES tend to become very close.
  
  
  how many fired series

How Many Jobs Lost Per Week?

Let's get something straight:  Jobs are lost every week and every month.  People are fired, people are laid off, businesses or locations are closed and everybody is let go.  

Also people quit every week.  You yourself, dear reader,  may have quit a job at some point in time. 

But people are also HIRED every week and every month.  New businesses open, businesses expand, businesses replace people who have left or been fired.  Every week.  You yourself, dear reader, may have been hired for a job at some point in time. 

This happens in good times and bad.

Yes, even in bad times, people are getting hired.  Even in good times, people are let go.  

Now:  The monthly jobs report presents estimates based on surveys as to how many jobs are gained or lost in a given month.  Those numbers are based on the number of new jobs (people getting hired, businesses opening) MINUS the number of jobs that have been cut (people getting fired, people quitting, businesses closing or cutting back).  The monthly jobs report therefore reports NET job growth or loss.  

For 30 months in this country, we have had MORE jobs being added than we have had jobs being cut.  For 37 months in the private sector (not counting federal workers, state or local workers such as teachers, firemen, cops, or people who staff the DMV, only counting people who work for private businesses), we have had MORE jobs added than we have had jobs being cut.

The weekly unemployment claims number is not a NET number.

It is a GROSS number of the number of people who filed an initial first time claim for unemployment benefits for that week.  Some of these people, people working in construction and other seasonal jobs, may have been placed on temporary layoffs, meaning that their companies have told them that they will be rehired.  But they are still eligible for unemployment benefits.  Remember also that, as these people are being let go, either permanently or temporarily, other people in other places and business are being hired.  But there is NO weekly report of the number of people who are being hired.

The number of people filing for first time claims for unemployment is a somewhat volatile number, as it may be impacted by the weather, by the time of the year of certain holidays, and even by the day of the week of holidays.  The number of people filing for first time claims for unemployment has been going down since mid 2009, and it is now approaching the levels of late 2007 or early 2008.  Here's the latest report on weekly claims with a chart showing claims this year compared to claims over the last three years:  Weekly Initial Claims Jump.   

Also remember that not all people who are laid off or discharged file for unemployment claims.  So we don't have a NET number of jobs that were lost or gained per week.  We do have a NET monthly number of jobs that were lost or gained per month; and we have a GROSS number of people filing for unemployment claims for any given week.

So... If you want to know how many jobs are lost per week, are you asking for gross or net jobs loss numbers?

Your question can only be answered if you know what kind of information you are seeking.