BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

02/26/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/26/2026 10:14

Illinois Job Openings and Labor Turnover — December 2025

News Release Information

26-297-CHI
Thursday, February 26, 2026

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

Illinois Job Openings and Labor Turnover - December 2025

Illinois had 219,000 job openings in December 2025, compared to 231,000 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 Illinois was 3.4 percent in December and 3.6 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 Illinois, seasonally adjusted
Month Illinois United States

Dec 2021

7.2 7.1

Jan 2022

7.5 7.0

Feb 2022

7.4 7.2

Mar 2022

7.2 7.4

Apr 2022

7.4 7.3

May 2022

6.6 7.0

Jun 2022

6.8 6.9

Jul 2022

6.9 7.1

Aug 2022

6.3 6.2

Sep 2022

6.7 6.6

Oct 2022

5.5 6.4

Nov 2022

6.3 6.4

Dec 2022

6.8 6.6

Jan 2023

6.8 6.3

Feb 2023

6.1 6.0

Mar 2023

5.8 5.8

Apr 2023

6.0 6.0

May 2023

6.2 5.6

Jun 2023

5.7 5.6

Jul 2023

5.4 5.2

Aug 2023

6.4 5.6

Sep 2023

6.1 5.6

Oct 2023

4.9 5.2

Nov 2023

6.1 5.2

Dec 2023

5.7 5.2

Jan 2024

5.4 5.1

Feb 2024

5.9 5.1

Mar 2024

6.0 4.9

Apr 2024

4.8 4.6

May 2024

5.3 4.8

Jun 2024

4.9 4.5

Jul 2024

4.9 4.5

Aug 2024

4.6 4.6

Sep 2024

4.3 4.3

Oct 2024

4.3 4.6

Nov 2024

4.3 4.8

Dec 2024

4.5 4.5

Jan 2025

4.4 4.7

Feb 2025

4.5 4.5

Mar 2025

4.6 4.3

Apr 2025

4.3 4.4

May 2025

4.6 4.6

Jun 2025

4.4 4.4

Jul 2025

4.3 4.3

Aug 2025

4.9 4.3

Sep 2025

4.9 4.6

Oct 2025

4.4 4.5

Nov 2025

3.6 4.2

Dec 2025

3.4 3.9

The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in Illinois was 1.4 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, Illinois had 217,000 hires and 194,000 separations, compared to 215,000 hires and 181,000 separations in November. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in December, hires have averaged 209,000 per month and separations have averaged 195,000 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 Illinois, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Month Hires Total separations

Dec 2021

273 227

Jan 2022

258 243

Feb 2022

260 242

Mar 2022

262 217

Apr 2022

270 236

May 2022

271 230

Jun 2022

243 211

Jul 2022

258 208

Aug 2022

260 204

Sep 2022

265 258

Oct 2022

237 215

Nov 2022

232 243

Dec 2022

238 228

Jan 2023

252 217

Feb 2023

238 207

Mar 2023

235 214

Apr 2023

228 223

May 2023

249 196

Jun 2023

240 205

Jul 2023

212 205

Aug 2023

221 231

Sep 2023

184 190

Oct 2023

215 188

Nov 2023

222 190

Dec 2023

216 207

Jan 2024

216 204

Feb 2024

185 195

Mar 2024

221 210

Apr 2024

242 215

May 2024

256 217

Jun 2024

209 206

Jul 2024

219 177

Aug 2024

181 217

Sep 2024

204 184

Oct 2024

208 189

Nov 2024

205 178

Dec 2024

200 175

Jan 2025

170 196

Feb 2025

200 197

Mar 2025

196 203

Apr 2025

228 190

May 2025

206 200

Jun 2025

199 189

Jul 2025

199 200

Aug 2025

199 214

Sep 2025

227 193

Oct 2025

248 177

Nov 2025

215 181

Dec 2025

217 194

Among the December separations in Illinois, 124,000 were quits and 63,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 124,000 quits and 51,000 layoffs and discharges in November. (See chart 3.) Over the year, quits averaged 120,000 per month, ranging from 99,000 to 136,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 67,000 per month, ranging from 51,000 to 74,000.

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

Dec 2021

165 50

Jan 2022

156 70

Feb 2022

166 62

Mar 2022

149 55

Apr 2022

171 54

May 2022

143 71

Jun 2022

135 67

Jul 2022

138 62

Aug 2022

134 57

Sep 2022

175 72

Oct 2022

133 69

Nov 2022

136 98

Dec 2022

146 71

Jan 2023

138 69

Feb 2023

134 63

Mar 2023

131 76

Apr 2023

136 75

May 2023

125 63

Jun 2023

138 53

Jul 2023

121 71

Aug 2023

117 103

Sep 2023

125 57

Oct 2023

133 49

Nov 2023

138 40

Dec 2023

132 63

Jan 2024

118 66

Feb 2024

120 58

Mar 2024

126 70

Apr 2024

131 70

May 2024

133 73

Jun 2024

129 70

Jul 2024

105 63

Aug 2024

131 77

Sep 2024

96 77

Oct 2024

116 66

Nov 2024

101 66

Dec 2024

90 76

Jan 2025

120 67

Feb 2025

118 71

Mar 2025

136 58

Apr 2025

118 66

May 2025

126 64

Jun 2025

110 73

Jul 2025

121 73

Aug 2025

131 70

Sep 2025

110 74

Oct 2025

99 70

Nov 2025

124 51

Dec 2025

124 63
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 Illinois, 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

287 319 285 231 219 -12

Hires

200 227 248 215 217 2

Total separations

175 193 177 181 194 13

Quits

90 110 99 124 124 0

Layoffs & discharges

76 74 70 51 63 12

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.

Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for Illinois, 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 4.9 4.4 3.6 3.4 -0.2

Hires(2)

3.2 3.7 4.0 3.5 3.5 0.0

Total separations(3)

2.8 3.1 2.9 2.9 3.1 0.2

Quits(3)

1.5 1.8 1.6 2.0 2.0 0.0

Layoffs & discharges(3)

1.2 1.2 1.1 0.8 1.0 0.2

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.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on February 26, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 26, 2026 at 16:14 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]