Washington recorded 133,000 job openings in August 2025, down from 139,000 in July, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job openings rate for the state was 3.5 percent in August, a slight decrease from July’s 3.6 percent. Nationally, the job openings rate remained steady at 4.3 percent during the same period.
Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund stated that the number of unemployed persons per job opening in Washington was 1.4 in August. In comparison, across the country, 34 states and the District of Columbia had lower ratios than the national average of 1.0 unemployed persons per job opening; 13 states reported higher ratios and three states matched the national measure.
In terms of labor movement within Washington, there were 102,000 hires and 99,000 separations in August. This compares to July’s figures of 101,000 hires and 101,000 separations. Over the past year ending in August, monthly averages for hires stood at 111,000 while separations averaged 104,000.
Breaking down separations for August: there were 58,000 quits and 31,000 layoffs or discharges. The previous month saw slightly more quits at 64,000 but an unchanged number of layoffs and discharges at 31,000. On average over the year, quits ranged between 57,000 and 68,000 per month while layoffs and discharges varied from 30,000 to 45,000 monthly.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program collects these statistics to provide insights into labor demand and workforce turnover patterns. State estimates are developed using a combination of JOLTS samples along with data from other employment surveys such as the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) and Current Employment Statistics (CES).
According to BLS definitions provided with this release: “Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month.” The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening is calculated using state-level unemployment estimates modeled by programs like Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS). A ratio below one indicates more jobs available than people seeking work; a higher ratio suggests greater competition among job seekers.
Definitions for “hires” include all additions to payroll during a given month while “separations” account for all departures—categorized as quits or involuntary exits like layoffs—from payrolls within that period.
Further technical details about how these figures are determined can be found through resources provided by BLS.
Information from this release can be made accessible to individuals with sensory impairments upon request by contacting voice phone: 202-691-5200 or Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
