Issues in Labor Statistics, March 2010: “As a labor market contracts, workers experience job loss and can have a difficult time finding a new job. Job availability declines because many establishments are forced to slow or freeze hiring and others have to go out of business. In order to remain in business, many establishments resort to layoffs and discharges to decrease the number of employees on their payrolls. Thus, the number of available job openings decreases and the number of people looking for a job may increase.”