Fewer people were voluntarily quitting their jobs in December 2008 compared to December 2006, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says. Quits as a percentage of total separations—an indicator of employees' confidence in their ability to change jobs— has dropped to 40 percent in December 2008.

“Total separations” in the BLS report is made up of three components (quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations); the percentage of total separations attributable to quits is usually the largest component and has varied over time, trending downward from a high of 61 percent in December 2006.