Chart 1-12. The job openings rate generally has moved in the
opposite direction of the unemployment rate
Percent
7
6
5
Unemployment rate
4
3
Job openings rate
2
1
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
NOTE: Shaded area represents recession. Data are seasonally adjusted.
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Chart 1-12. The job openings rate generally has moved in the
opposite direction of the unemployment rate
• The job openings rate (the number of job openings as a percent of employment
plus job openings) decreased during the 2001 recession. As the job openings
rate edged up from mid-2003 forward, the unemployment rate declined.
• Neither the unemployment rate nor the job openings rate has returned to prerecession levels.
12