BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

02/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/27/2026 10:28

Wisconsin Job Openings and Labor Turnover — December 2025

News Release Information

26-306-CHI
Friday, February 27, 2026

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Wisconsin Job Openings and Labor Turnover - December 2025

Wisconsin had 119,000 job openings in December 2025, compared to 124,000 openings in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the job openings rate in Wisconsin was 3.8 percent in December and 3.9 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 3.9 percent in December and 4.2 percent in November. (See table 3.) All data in this release are seasonally adjusted.

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Job openings rates for the United States and Wisconsin, seasonally adjusted
Month Wisconsin United States

Dec 2021

6.8 7.1

Jan 2022

7.2 7.0

Feb 2022

7.2 7.2

Mar 2022

7.1 7.4

Apr 2022

7.4 7.3

May 2022

6.9 7.0

Jun 2022

7.0 6.9

Jul 2022

6.4 7.1

Aug 2022

5.9 6.2

Sep 2022

6.3 6.6

Oct 2022

7.8 6.4

Nov 2022

8.0 6.4

Dec 2022

7.4 6.6

Jan 2023

6.8 6.3

Feb 2023

5.8 6.0

Mar 2023

6.0 5.8

Apr 2023

6.7 6.0

May 2023

5.3 5.6

Jun 2023

5.7 5.6

Jul 2023

6.1 5.2

Aug 2023

6.2 5.6

Sep 2023

6.3 5.6

Oct 2023

5.8 5.2

Nov 2023

6.1 5.2

Dec 2023

5.3 5.2

Jan 2024

5.3 5.1

Feb 2024

5.0 5.1

Mar 2024

4.9 4.9

Apr 2024

4.6 4.6

May 2024

4.8 4.8

Jun 2024

4.5 4.5

Jul 2024

4.4 4.5

Aug 2024

4.5 4.6

Sep 2024

4.1 4.3

Oct 2024

4.9 4.6

Nov 2024

4.2 4.8

Dec 2024

4.3 4.5

Jan 2025

4.8 4.7

Feb 2025

4.3 4.5

Mar 2025

4.6 4.3

Apr 2025

4.2 4.4

May 2025

4.4 4.6

Jun 2025

4.3 4.4

Jul 2025

4.4 4.3

Aug 2025

4.3 4.3

Sep 2025

4.1 4.6

Oct 2025

4.3 4.5

Nov 2025

3.9 4.2

Dec 2025

3.8 3.9

The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in Wisconsin was 0.8 in December. Nationwide, 28 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in December that were lower than the national measure of 1.1 unemployed persons per job opening; 13 states had ratios that were higher than the national ratio, and 9 states had ratios equal to the national measure. (See map 1.)

Map 1. Number of unemployed persons per job opening by state, December 2025, seasonally adjusted

(U.S. ratio = 1.1)


In December, Wisconsin had 107,000 hires and 115,000 separations, compared to 96,000 hires and 92,000 separations in November. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in December, hires have averaged 99,000 per month and separations have averaged 98,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Hires and total separations in Wisconsin, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Month Hires Total separations

Dec 2021

120 125

Jan 2022

112 108

Feb 2022

117 115

Mar 2022

120 105

Apr 2022

102 117

May 2022

108 99

Jun 2022

110 112

Jul 2022

118 108

Aug 2022

115 106

Sep 2022

113 109

Oct 2022

103 105

Nov 2022

107 99

Dec 2022

110 119

Jan 2023

117 101

Feb 2023

113 100

Mar 2023

98 101

Apr 2023

122 119

May 2023

122 108

Jun 2023

105 108

Jul 2023

98 108

Aug 2023

115 106

Sep 2023

96 108

Oct 2023

99 94

Nov 2023

92 108

Dec 2023

92 88

Jan 2024

115 104

Feb 2024

93 103

Mar 2024

87 100

Apr 2024

92 96

May 2024

107 99

Jun 2024

97 88

Jul 2024

99 84

Aug 2024

87 94

Sep 2024

97 91

Oct 2024

108 87

Nov 2024

109 81

Dec 2024

102 93

Jan 2025

97 100

Feb 2025

94 93

Mar 2025

102 95

Apr 2025

103 93

May 2025

92 96

Jun 2025

92 100

Jul 2025

92 90

Aug 2025

95 98

Sep 2025

107 105

Oct 2025

110 104

Nov 2025

96 92

Dec 2025

107 115

Among the December separations in Wisconsin, 76,000 were quits and 35,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 64,000 quits and 23,000 layoffs and discharges in November. (See chart 3.) Over the year, quits averaged 61,000 per month, ranging from 52,000 to 76,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 32,000 per month, ranging from 23,000 to 38,000.

View Chart Data
Chart 3. Quits and layoffs and discharges in Wisconsin, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Month Quits Layoffs & discharges

Dec 2021

96 23

Jan 2022

77 24

Feb 2022

85 24

Mar 2022

77 23

Apr 2022

86 26

May 2022

71 22

Jun 2022

71 35

Jul 2022

75 28

Aug 2022

71 28

Sep 2022

78 24

Oct 2022

70 29

Nov 2022

68 25

Dec 2022

75 38

Jan 2023

70 26

Feb 2023

67 27

Mar 2023

66 31

Apr 2023

74 40

May 2023

72 32

Jun 2023

69 31

Jul 2023

68 30

Aug 2023

70 31

Sep 2023

70 34

Oct 2023

64 26

Nov 2023

74 27

Dec 2023

58 25

Jan 2024

70 23

Feb 2024

62 35

Mar 2024

65 31

Apr 2024

60 29

May 2024

67 26

Jun 2024

58 25

Jul 2024

50 29

Aug 2024

60 29

Sep 2024

57 29

Oct 2024

60 22

Nov 2024

48 28

Dec 2024

54 31

Jan 2025

59 34

Feb 2025

62 27

Mar 2025

63 27

Apr 2025

58 28

May 2025

60 31

Jun 2025

61 34

Jul 2025

52 32

Aug 2025

55 38

Sep 2025

63 36

Oct 2025

63 37

Nov 2025

64 23

Dec 2025

76 35
Upcoming Change to the JOLTS State Estimates

The national 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.


Technical Note

This news release presents statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The JOLTS program provides information on labor demand and turnover. The state estimates produced by JOLTS are model-based, incorporating JOLTS sample, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates. For more information see the JOLTS State Estimates Methodology.

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 all three of these conditions:

  • A specific position exists and there is work available for that position.
  • The job could start within 30 days.
  • The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position.

The number of unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio of the level of unemployed persons and the level of job openings. The number of unemployed persons at the national level is an estimate from the Current Population Survey (CPS), while state-level unemployment estimates are modeled by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. A ratio of 1.0 means there is a job available for every unemployed person. Lower ratios signal tighter labor markets, where firms have more job openings than there are unemployed persons available to work. Higher ratios indicate there are more unemployed persons competing for each job opening.

Hires. Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month.

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.
  • Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths.

Levels and rates of other separations represent a small portion of total separations and are not published with the release of state estimates.

Complete definitions, including exclusions, and additional information about the State JOLTS data presented in this release are available in the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Technical Note.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Job openings and labor turnover for Wisconsin, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Estimate December 2024 September 2025 October 2025 November 2025 December 2025(p) Change from November 2025 to December 2025(p)

Openings

136 130 138 124 119 -5

Hires

102 107 110 96 107 11

Total separations

93 105 104 92 115 23

Quits

54 63 63 64 76 12

Layoffs & discharges

31 36 37 23 35 12

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.

Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for Wisconsin, seasonally adjusted
Estimate December 2024 September 2025 October 2025 November 2025 December 2025(p) Change from November 2025 to December 2025(p)

Openings(1)

4.3 4.1 4.3 3.9 3.8 -0.1

Hires(2)

3.3 3.5 3.6 3.2 3.5 0.3

Total separations(3)

3.1 3.4 3.4 3.0 3.8 0.8

Quits(3)

1.8 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.5 0.4

Layoffs & discharges(3)

1.0 1.2 1.2 0.8 1.1 0.3

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
(1) The job openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job openings and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(2) The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(3) The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits and layoffs and discharges rates are computed similarly.

Table 3. Job openings and labor turnover rates for the United States, seasonally adjusted
Estimate December 2024 September 2025 October 2025 November 2025 December 2025(p) Change from November 2025 to December 2025(p)

Openings(1)

4.5 4.6 4.5 4.2 3.9 -0.3

Hires(2)

3.4 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.3 0.1

Total separations(3)

3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.3 0.1

Quits(3)

1.9 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.0 0.0

Layoffs & discharges(3)

1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 0.0

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
(1) The job openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job openings and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(2) The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(3) The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits and layoffs and discharges rates are computed similarly.

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