Layoffs & Discharges (JOLTS)
Layoffs and discharges, from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, count monthly involuntary separations initiated by employers across the nonfarm economy — layoffs, downsizings, closings, and firings. The survey samples about 21,000 establishments, making this a direct gauge of how aggressively businesses are shedding workers.
Latest reading
As of May 2026, Layoffs (Layoffs & discharges) stands at 1.71M — up from 1.67M the prior reading. Below 1.7M signals a healthy market where employers are holding onto staff; 1.7M-2.0M is normal turnover, and readings above 2.0M point to mounting stress. Sharp spikes often mark recession onset. Because the data carries a one-month lag and runs noisy, the rising multi-month trend matters far more than any single elevated reading. Series history runs from 2000 to present.
Sources, methodology & freshnessLast updated 2026-07-24 · Open ↓Close ↑
Layoffs & discharges
Next release: Aug 4, 2026
Full history
Methodology & data
Layoffs is sourced from BLS via the Federal Reserve's FRED service (BLS via FRED (JTSLDL), monthly, seasonally adjusted). We pull the complete history, chart it on a monthly basis, overlay SPY for context, and generate a dated plain-English reading from the latest release — with no smoothing or adjustment beyond what the chart legend states.
Every reading is stamped with its release date, last updated 2026-07-24. Maintained and reviewed by Yuriy Matso; see our methodology for the standards every series on the site is held to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Layoffs & Discharges (JOLTS)?
Layoffs and discharges, from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, count monthly involuntary separations initiated by employers across the nonfarm economy — layoffs, downsizings, closings, and firings. The survey samples about 21,000 establishments, making this a direct gauge of how aggressively businesses are shedding workers.
How do you read Layoffs?
Below 1.7M signals a healthy market where employers are holding onto staff; 1.7M-2.0M is normal turnover, and readings above 2.0M point to mounting stress. Sharp spikes often mark recession onset. Because the data carries a one-month lag and runs noisy, the rising multi-month trend matters far more than any single elevated reading.
Where does the Layoffs data come from?
BLS via FRED (JTSLDL), monthly, seasonally adjusted. We chart the full history and publish a dated, plain-English reading with every release; the raw series is downloadable as CSV at /data/indicators/layoffs.csv.
How often is Layoffs updated?
Layoffs is a monthly series from BLS, refreshed here as soon as a new release posts to FRED.
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