Aggregate labor market tightness and quit rate over the 20th century
| year | Quits manufacturing (JOLTS) | Quits manufacturing (HSUS) | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 3.97 | ||
| 1891 | 4.49 | ||
| 1892 | 4.31 | ||
| 1893 | 6.77 | ||
| 1894 | 9.28 | ||
| 1895 | 8.48 | ||
| 1896 | 9.27 | ||
| 1897 | 8.51 | ||
| 1898 | 7.79 | ||
| 1899 | 5.85 | ||
| 1900 | 5.00 | ||
| 1901 | 4.14 | ||
| 1902 | 3.45 | ||
| 1903 | 3.53 | ||
| 1904 | 4.92 | ||
| 1905 | 3.89 | ||
| 1906 | 2.45 | ||
| 1907 | 3.07 | ||
| 1908 | 7.46 | ||
| 1909 | 5.65 | ||
| 1910 | 5.86 | ||
| 1911 | 7.02 | ||
| 1912 | 5.86 | ||
| 1913 | 5.74 | ||
| 1914 | 8.49 | ||
| 1915 | 9.04 | ||
| 1916 | 6.48 | ||
| 1917 | 5.18 | ||
| 1918 | 1.24 | ||
| 1919 | 5.8 | 2.34 | |
| 1920 | 8.4 | 5.16 | |
| 1921 | 2.2 | 11.33 | |
| 1922 | 4.2 | 8.56 | |
| 1923 | 6.2 | 4.32 | |
| 1924 | 2.7 | 5.29 | |
| 1925 | 3.1 | 4.68 | |
| 1926 | 2.9 | 2.90 | |
| 1927 | 2.1 | 3.90 | |
| 1928 | 2.2 | 4.74 | |
| 1929 | 2.7 | 2.89 | |
| 1930 | 1.9 | 8.94 | |
| 1931 | 1.1 | 15.65 | |
| 1932 | 0.9 | 22.89 | |
| 1933 | 1.1 | 20.9 | |
| 1934 | 1.1 | 16.2 | |
| 1935 | 1.1 | 14.39 | |
| 1936 | 1.3 | 9.97 | |
| 1937 | 1.5 | 9.18 | |
| 1938 | 0.8 | 12.47 | |
| 1939 | 1 | 11.27 | |
| 1940 | 1.1 | 9.51 | |
| 1941 | 2.4 | 5.99 | |
| 1942 | 4.6 | 3.10 | |
| 1943 | 6.3 | 1.77 | |
| 1944 | 6.2 | 1.23 | |
| 1945 | 6.1 | 1.93 | |
| 1946 | 5.2 | 3.95 | |
| 1947 | 4.1 | 4.41 | |
| 1948 | 3.4 | 3.73 | |
| 1949 | 1.9 | 5.92 | |
| 1950 | 2.3 | 5.13 | |
| 1951 | 2.9 | 2.73 | |
| 1952 | 2.8 | 2.89 | |
| 1953 | 2.8 | 3.57 | |
| 1954 | 1.4 | 6.77 | |
| 1955 | 1.9 | 5.22 | |
| 1956 | 1.9 | 4.15 | |
| 1957 | 1.6 | 4.61 | |
| 1958 | 1.1 | 7.13 | |
| 1959 | 1.5 | 5.88 | |
| 1960 | 1.3 | 5.51 | |
| 1961 | 1.2 | 6.49 | |
| 1962 | 1.4 | 5.93 | |
| 1963 | 1.4 | 5.99 | |
| 1964 | 1.5 | 5.18 | |
| 1965 | 1.9 | 4.66 | |
| 1966 | 2.6 | 3.65 | |
| 1967 | 2.3 | 3.30 | |
| 1968 | 2.5 | 3.24 | |
| 1969 | 2.7 | 2.79 | |
| 1970 | 2.1 | 4.18 | |
| 1971 | 1.8 | 5.92 | |
| 1972 | 2.3 | 5.63 | |
| 1973 | 2.8 | 4.87 | |
| 1974 | 2.4 | 5.49 | |
| 1975 | 1.4 | 8.98 | |
| 1976 | 1.7 | 8.27 | |
| 1977 | 1.8 | 7.2 | |
| 1978 | 2.1 | 5.44 | |
| 1979 | 2 | 5.03 | |
| 1980 | 1.5 | 6.77 | |
| 1981 | 1.3 | 7.61 | |
| 1982 | 9.93 | ||
| 1983 | 10.17 | ||
| 1984 | 7.99 | ||
| 1985 | 7.45 | ||
| 1986 | 7.00 | ||
| 1987 | 6.12 | ||
| 1988 | 5.37 | ||
| 1989 | 4.75 | ||
| 1990 | 5.51 | ||
| 1991 | 6.85 | ||
| 1992 | 7.49 | ||
| 1993 | 6.91 | ||
| 1994 | 6.10 | ||
| 1995 | 5.59 | ||
| 1996 | 5.41 | ||
| 1997 | 4.94 | ||
| 1998 | 4.50 | ||
| 1999 | 4.22 | ||
| 2000 | 1.90 | 3.97 | |
| 2001 | 1.24 | 4.74 | |
| 2002 | 1.23 | 5.78 | |
| 2003 | 1.18 | 5.99 | |
| 2004 | 1.30 | 5.54 | |
| 2005 | 1.36 | 5.08 | |
| 2006 | 1.44 | 4.61 | |
| 2007 | 1.47 | 4.62 | |
| 2008 | 1.16 | 5.80 | |
| 2009 | 0.72 | 9.28 | |
| 2010 | 0.81 | 9.61 | |
| 2011 | 0.90 | 8.93 | |
| 2012 | 0.90 | 8.08 | |
| 2013 | 0.93 | 7.36 | |
| 2014 | 0.98 | 6.16 | |
| 2015 | 1.08 | 5.28 | |
| 2016 | 1.20 | 4.88 | |
| 2017 | 1.53 | 4.34 | |
| 2018 | 1.64 | 3.89 | |
| 2019 | 1.61 | 3.67 | |
| 2020 | 1.30 | 8.65 |
Sources: Manufacturing quits from 1920 to 1980 and unemployment from 1890 to 1990 are from Historical Statistics of the United States (HSUS) Millennial Online Edition. Unemployment from 1990 forward are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Manufacturing quits from 2000 forward are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).