The JOLTS measure indicating voluntary separations as a percentage of total employment is the quits rate.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, counts employees who leave an establishment voluntarily during the reference month. Retirements and transfers to another location of the same firm are classified separately as other separations. The quits rate divides the number of quits by employment and multiplies by 100.
Because quitting usually reflects a worker’s decision to leave, the rate can signal confidence in finding another job, negotiating better pay or improving working conditions. A high quits rate often accompanies a strong labor market; a falling rate can suggest reduced mobility or greater concern about job security.
The measure is easy to confuse with the job openings rate, which concerns unfilled positions, or the layoffs and discharges rate, which covers employer-initiated involuntary separations. The hires rate measures additions to payroll, not departures. JOLTS reports levels and rates for private nonfarm establishments and government entities across the United States.