Quit, Discharge, and Layoff Rates
Tables/Charts:Annual Quit Rate by Industry, 2008–2010
Monthly Quit Rate, 2008-2010
Annual Discharge and Layoff Rate by Industry, 2008–2010
Monthly Discharge and Layoff Rate, 2008–2010
Summary Points:
- Almost one-fourth (24.6 percent) of all retail employees quit a job in 2010, well above the national average of 16.4 percent.
- The retail industry faces the second-highest quit rate, behind only the leisure and hospitality industry, which includes restaurants and dining establishments.
- Quit rates spike for retailers - as well as the rest of the economy - at the beginning of the year and at the end of each summer.
- In 2010, the discharge and layoff rate for retailers (15.8 percent) was slightly lower than the overall U.S. rate of 16.4 percent.
- Retailer's discharge and layoff rate declined from 19.4 percent in 2009 to 15.8 percent in 2010.
- Discharges and layoffs are highest every year after the holiday season.
| Annual Quit Rate* by Industry, 2008-2010 (NAICS Definitions, Percent of Total Employment) | |||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| All Industries | 21.6% | 15.7% | 16.4% |
| Construction | 21.8 | 14.3 | 15.5 |
| Manufacturing | 14.1 | 8.6 | 9.7 |
| Retail Trade | 31.0 | 23.2 | 24.6 |
| Professional and Business Services | 28.5 | 19.8 | 22.9 |
| Education and Health Services | 18.2 | 15.0 | 14.6 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 47.7 | 33.5 | 32.9 |
| Government | 7.4 | 5.6 | 6.0 |
| *Includes all employees who left voluntarily, excluding those that retire or transfer to other locations. Note: Data are not adjusted for seasonal variations, holiday, and trading day differences. Source: Derived from U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics data. | |||
| Annual Discharge and Layoff Rate* by Industry, 2007-2009 (NAICS Definitions, Percent of Total Employment) | |||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| All Industries | 17.4% | 20.1% | 16.4% |
| Construction | 46.5 | 62.1 | 56.8 |
| Manufacturing | 16.6 | 24.1 | 14.3 |
| Retail Trade | 19.4 | 19.4 | 15.8 |
| Professional and Business Services | 27.5 | 29.2 | 24.6 |
| Education and Health Services | 10.5 | 11.1 | 10.3 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 22.4 | 24.8 | 20.5 |
| Government | 5.2 | 7.1 | 9.3 |
| * Includes involuntary separations initiated by the employer, such as layoffs, discharges resulting from an eliminated position, mergers, downsizing, or plant closings, and firings or other discharges for cause. Note: Data are not adjusted for seasonal variations, holiday, and trading day differences. Source: Derived from U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics data. | |||
 | Retail Industry Indicators 2011 © NRF Foundation www.nrffoundation.com |