Hiring and separation data can put staffing pressure into context without pretending that one turnover rate predicts one assistant. A small business may consider outside support because recruiting feels slow, expensive, or uncertain. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 63.0 million hires and 62.8 million total separations in 2025 across the U.S. labor market. That national flow is not a virtual-assistant benchmark, but it shows why a buyer should compare the full cost of filling and supervising a role.
VA hiring and retention findings from labor data
JOLTS counts job openings, hires, and separations by month and year. Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by employees, while layoffs and discharges are employer-initiated. The survey describes flows, not the quality of a hire or the reason a particular person leaves.
Key stats
Verified August 11, 2026Key takeaways
- The labor market processed large volumes of hires and separations in 2025.
- Quits were the majority of separations, but a national count cannot identify the cause of a specific departure.
- A staffing comparison should include manager time, vacancy exposure, and knowledge transfer, not just an hourly price.
Why turnover changes the comparison
When a role turns over, a business can lose context, spend time recruiting, repeat access setup, and carry unfinished work. Those costs may matter even when the wage line looks lower. The JOLTS totals support looking at the whole staffing system, not treating an hourly rate as the only variable.
Limits for virtual-assistant buyers
JOLTS is a broad U.S. employer survey. It does not isolate virtual assistants, agencies, independent contractors, or remote roles. Use it to frame labor-market conditions, then use role-specific evidence to make the decision.
Consolidated statistics
| Measure | Finding | Limit or use |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 JOLTS measure | Annual result | Reading |
| Hires | 63.0 million | Labor-market entry flow |
| Total separations | 62.8 million | All separation types |
| Quits | 38.0 million | Voluntary separations, 60.6% of total |
For a related buyer context, read the retention research. For a second comparison, see the staffing research.
Methodology and limits
Facts were checked against the linked public sources on August 11, 2026. Findings include the unit, period, population, and source context available in each register. Survey and incident datasets can be revised or sampled, and none predicts an individual provider, worker, or buyer outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Does 38 million quits mean a role is likely to turn over?
No. It is a national total across industries and employers. It cannot predict a specific role.
Why include turnover in a staffing decision?
A replacement can require recruitment, training, access changes, and manager time. Those are real costs even when they are not on a wage quote.
What evidence should a buyer request?
Ask how the provider evaluates role fit, communicates performance concerns, and preserves business context if a staffing change occurs.
Sources
10 visible sources, verified August 11, 2026
- BLS annual JOLTS 2025 release
- BLS JOLTS news
- BLS JOLTS benchmark
- BLS JOLTS methods
- BLS employee tenure 2024
- BLS occupational outlook handbook
- SBA hiring employees
- DOL hiring and retention resources
- IRS worker classification
- Census business dynamics
A practical next step
Use the evidence as a starting point, then compare one defined role with a safe work sample and a named review owner. A free consultation can help scope that comparison without treating a public statistic as a promise.
