Business Employment Dynamics in Utah — Third Quarter 2023

From June 2023 to September 2023, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Utah were 97,547, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 92,500, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 5,047 jobs in the private sector during the third quarter of 2023. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 8,629. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1: Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Utah, September 2018-September 2023, seasonally adjusted

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Utah, September 2018–September 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Sep. 2018	90,749	79,701
Dec. 2018	87,495	78,839
Mar. 2019	93,255	79,715
Jun. 2019	89,242	84,157
Sep. 2019	87,310	80,006
Dec. 2019	87,779	81,949
Mar. 2020	85,422	84,447
Jun. 2020	83,482	138,165
Sep. 2020	114,455	78,127
Dec. 2020	104,822	71,477
Mar. 2021	95,463	75,126
Jun. 2021	93,150	81,530
Sep. 2021	98,586	92,913
Dec. 2021	102,399	80,687
Mar. 2022	109,373	82,249
Jun. 2022	97,708	92,051
Sep. 2022	106,005	95,500
Dec. 2022	97,694	93,248
Mar. 2023	100,736	87,902
Jun. 2023	97,876	89,247
Sep. 2023	97,547	92,500

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the third quarter of 2023, gross job gains represented 6.8 percent of private-sector employment in Utah; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In Utah, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 75,087 in the third quarter of 2023, an increase of 224 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 22,460 jobs gained in the third quarter of 2023, a decrease of 553 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Utah, September 2018–September 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	Utah	United States
Sep. 2018	7.2	6.0
Dec. 2018	6.9	6.2
Mar. 2019	7.3	6.0
Jun. 2019	7.0	6.1
Sep. 2019	6.8	5.9
Dec. 2019	6.8	6.2
Mar. 2020	6.6	5.5
Jun. 2020	6.6	4.8
Sep. 2020	9.1	9.4
Dec. 2020	8.2	7.4
Mar. 2021	7.3	7.0
Jun. 2021	7.0	6.8
Sep. 2021	7.3	7.3
Dec. 2021	7.5	7.7
Mar. 2022	7.9	6.7
Jun. 2022	7.0	6.6
Sep. 2022	7.5	6.9
Dec. 2022	6.9	6.3
Mar. 2023	7.0	6.2
Jun. 2023	6.8	6.2
Sep. 2023	6.8	5.8

Gross job losses

In the third quarter of 2023, gross job losses represented 6.5 percent of private-sector employment in Utah; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.9 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In Utah, contracting establishments lost 72,755 jobs in the third quarter of 2023, an increase of 1,030 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 19,745 jobs, an increase of 2,223 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Utah, September 2018–September 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	Utah	United States
Sep. 2018	6.4	6.0
Dec. 2018	6.2	5.6
Mar. 2019	6.2	5.5
Jun. 2019	6.6	5.9
Sep. 2019	6.2	5.8
Dec. 2019	6.3	5.6
Mar. 2020	6.5	6.2
Jun. 2020	10.9	16.9
Sep. 2020	6.2	6.0
Dec. 2020	5.6	5.7
Mar. 2021	5.7	5.5
Jun. 2021	6.1	5.9
Sep. 2021	6.9	6.1
Dec. 2021	6.0	5.4
Mar. 2022	5.9	5.5
Jun. 2022	6.6	6.2
Sep. 2022	6.8	5.9
Dec. 2022	6.6	5.9
Mar. 2023	6.2	5.4
Jun. 2023	6.2	5.9
Sep. 2023	6.5	5.9

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 6 of the 11 industry sectors in Utah in the third quarter of 2023. Education and health services had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 2,835 jobs. This was the result of 12,405 gross job gains and 9,570 gross job losses. The professional and business services industry had the second largest over-the-quarter change, gaining 1,311 jobs. Information showed a net loss of 582 jobs, followed by the construction and financial activities industries, which had net losses of 408 jobs and 329 jobs, respectively.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics Home.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Fourth Quarter 2023 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.

Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Utah, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	106,005	97,694	100,736	97,876	97,547	7.5	6.9	7.0	6.8	6.8
At expanding establishments	86,051	75,324	78,719	74,863	75,087	6.1	5.3	5.5	5.2	5.2
At opening establishments	19,954	22,370	22,017	23,013	22,460	1.4	1.6	1.5	1.6	1.6
Gross job losses	95,500	93,248	87,902	89,247	92,500	6.8	6.6	6.2	6.2	6.5
At contracting establishments	74,877	74,306	69,463	71,725	72,755	5.3	5.3	4.9	5.0	5.1
At closing establishments	20,623	18,942	18,439	17,522	19,745	1.5	1.3	1.3	1.2	1.4
Net employment change (2)	10,505	4,446	12,834	8,629	5,047	0.7	0.3	0.8	0.6	0.3
Construction
Gross job gains	11,380	12,324	11,817	12,047	9,962	8.8	9.4	8.8	9.0	7.5
At expanding establishments	9,264	9,589	9,203	9,665	7,575	7.2	7.3	6.9	7.2	5.7
At opening establishments	2,116	2,735	2,614	2,382	2,387	1.6	2.1	1.9	1.8	1.8
Gross job losses	10,858	11,012	10,659	10,718	10,370	8.4	8.4	8.0	7.9	7.8
At contracting establishments	8,424	8,221	8,279	8,543	7,934	6.5	6.3	6.2	6.3	6.0
At closing establishments	2,434	2,791	2,380	2,175	2,436	1.9	2.1	1.8	1.6	1.8
Net employment change (2)	522	1,312	1,158	1,329	-408	0.4	1.0	0.8	1.1	-0.3
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	6,311	6,174	5,921	6,144	5,154	4.2	4.1	3.9	4.1	3.4
At expanding establishments	5,556	5,444	5,030	5,142	4,393	3.7	3.6	3.3	3.4	2.9
At opening establishments	755	730	891	1,002	761	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.7	0.5
Gross job losses	5,634	5,883	5,769	5,649	5,166	3.8	3.9	3.8	3.8	3.4
At contracting establishments	4,775	5,150	4,881	5,109	4,497	3.2	3.4	3.2	3.4	3.0
At closing establishments	859	733	888	540	669	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.4	0.4
Net employment change (2)	677	291	152	495	-12	0.4	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.0
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	3,327	3,160	3,096	3,385	2,849	5.6	5.3	5.2	5.6	4.7
At expanding establishments	2,720	2,547	2,479	2,518	2,168	4.6	4.3	4.2	4.2	3.6
At opening establishments	607	613	617	867	681	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.4	1.1
Gross job losses	3,029	2,912	2,662	2,616	2,732	5.2	4.9	4.5	4.3	4.5
At contracting establishments	2,410	2,249	2,035	2,167	2,047	4.1	3.8	3.4	3.6	3.4
At closing establishments	619	663	627	449	685	1.1	1.1	1.1	0.7	1.1
Net employment change (2)	298	248	434	769	117	0.4	0.4	0.7	1.3	0.2
Retail trade
Gross job gains	11,647	9,257	11,246	10,286	11,431	6.4	5.1	6.2	5.6	6.2
At expanding establishments	9,809	7,873	9,573	7,831	9,189	5.4	4.3	5.3	4.3	5.0
At opening establishments	1,838	1,384	1,673	2,455	2,242	1.0	0.8	0.9	1.3	1.2
Gross job losses	11,417	11,707	8,657	11,784	11,481	6.2	6.4	4.8	6.4	6.3
At contracting establishments	10,256	10,409	7,163	10,134	9,521	5.6	5.7	4.0	5.5	5.2
At closing establishments	1,161	1,298	1,494	1,650	1,960	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.9	1.1
Net employment change (2)	230	-2,450	2,589	-1,498	-50	0.2	-1.3	1.4	-0.8	-0.1
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	3,857	5,207	3,698	4,172	3,505	5.7	7.7	5.4	6.0	5.0
At expanding establishments	3,244	4,483	3,182	3,595	2,721	4.8	6.6	4.6	5.2	3.9
At opening establishments	613	724	516	577	784	0.9	1.1	0.8	0.8	1.1
Gross job losses	4,059	3,331	4,825	2,964	3,422	6.0	4.9	7.0	4.4	4.9
At contracting establishments	3,442	2,730	4,223	2,102	2,925	5.1	4.0	6.1	3.1	4.2
At closing establishments	617	601	602	862	497	0.9	0.9	0.9	1.3	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-202	1,876	-1,127	1,208	83	-0.3	2.8	-1.6	1.6	0.1
Information
Gross job gains	3,953	3,322	2,308	3,094	2,446	9.0	7.4	5.4	7.3	5.8
At expanding establishments	3,119	2,289	1,710	2,665	2,008	7.1	5.1	4.0	6.3	4.8
At opening establishments	834	1,033	598	429	438	1.9	2.3	1.4	1.0	1.0
Gross job losses	3,181	3,233	4,327	2,617	3,028	7.3	7.2	10.1	6.2	7.2
At contracting establishments	2,144	2,417	3,652	2,065	2,432	4.9	5.4	8.5	4.9	5.8
At closing establishments	1,037	816	675	552	596	2.4	1.8	1.6	1.3	1.4
Net employment change (2)	772	89	-2,019	477	-582	1.7	0.2	-4.7	1.1	-1.4
Financial activities
Gross job gains	5,839	5,476	5,393	5,548	4,884	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.7	5.0
At expanding establishments	3,998	3,759	4,019	3,910	3,347	4.1	3.9	4.1	4.0	3.4
At opening establishments	1,841	1,717	1,374	1,638	1,537	1.9	1.8	1.4	1.7	1.6
Gross job losses	6,528	6,701	5,454	4,761	5,213	6.6	6.8	5.5	4.9	5.3
At contracting establishments	5,031	4,997	3,973	3,523	3,748	5.1	5.1	4.0	3.6	3.8
At closing establishments	1,497	1,704	1,481	1,238	1,465	1.5	1.7	1.5	1.3	1.5
Net employment change (2)	-689	-1,225	-61	787	-329	-0.6	-1.1	0.0	0.8	-0.3
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	20,942	17,989	20,749	19,050	19,599	8.5	7.3	8.5	7.7	7.9
At expanding establishments	15,932	11,565	15,670	13,452	13,946	6.5	4.7	6.4	5.4	5.6
At opening establishments	5,010	6,424	5,079	5,598	5,653	2.0	2.6	2.1	2.3	2.3
Gross job losses	18,796	19,862	16,170	18,604	18,288	7.7	8.1	6.6	7.5	7.4
At contracting establishments	13,465	15,201	11,434	14,571	13,261	5.5	6.2	4.7	5.9	5.4
At closing establishments	5,331	4,661	4,736	4,033	5,027	2.2	1.9	1.9	1.6	2.0
Net employment change (2)	2,146	-1,873	4,579	446	1,311	0.8	-0.8	1.9	0.2	0.5
Education and health services
Gross job gains	13,464	10,805	11,763	11,810	12,405	6.5	5.2	5.5	5.5	5.7
At expanding establishments	11,370	8,776	9,097	8,870	9,742	5.5	4.2	4.3	4.1	4.5
At opening establishments	2,094	2,029	2,666	2,940	2,663	1.0	1.0	1.2	1.4	1.2
Gross job losses	10,644	8,926	8,706	9,910	9,570	5.1	4.2	4.1	4.6	4.4
At contracting establishments	6,799	6,771	6,394	7,710	7,574	3.3	3.2	3.0	3.6	3.5
At closing establishments	3,845	2,155	2,312	2,200	1,996	1.8	1.0	1.1	1.0	0.9
Net employment change (2)	2,820	1,879	3,057	1,900	2,835	1.4	1.0	1.4	0.9	1.3
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	20,329	18,204	19,422	17,207	19,586	12.4	10.9	11.5	10.1	11.3
At expanding establishments	17,138	14,736	15,249	13,313	15,839	10.5	8.8	9.0	7.8	9.1
At opening establishments	3,191	3,468	4,173	3,894	3,747	1.9	2.1	2.5	2.3	2.2
Gross job losses	16,988	15,523	16,381	15,613	19,031	10.3	9.3	9.6	9.1	11.0
At contracting establishments	14,780	13,008	14,108	12,804	15,592	9.0	7.8	8.3	7.5	9.0
At closing establishments	2,208	2,515	2,273	2,809	3,439	1.3	1.5	1.3	1.6	2.0
Net employment change (2)	3,341	2,681	3,041	1,594	555	2.1	1.6	1.9	1.0	0.3
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	3,195	4,037	3,785	3,547	3,445	8.5	10.5	9.6	8.8	8.3
At expanding establishments	2,373	2,964	2,279	2,582	2,391	6.3	7.7	5.8	6.4	5.8
At opening establishments	822	1,073	1,506	965	1,054	2.2	2.8	3.8	2.4	2.5
Gross job losses	2,985	2,752	2,952	2,837	2,956	7.8	7.1	7.5	7.0	7.2
At contracting establishments	2,294	1,965	2,211	2,056	2,315	6.0	5.1	5.6	5.1	5.6
At closing establishments	691	787	741	781	641	1.8	2.0	1.9	1.9	1.6
Net employment change (2)	210	1,285	833	710	489	0.7	3.4	2.1	1.8	1.1
(1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately. (2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. See the Technical Note for further information. (3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023
United States(1)	6.9	6.3	6.2	6.2	5.8	5.9	5.9	5.4	5.9	5.9
Alabama	6.9	6.6	6.4	5.9	5.9	5.9	6.1	5.5	5.7	6.0
Alaska	8.5	10.9	10.4	11.0	8.5	10.4	9.2	8.0	8.9	10.5
Arizona	7.1	6.6	5.9	7.0	6.7	5.5	6.0	5.4	6.5	5.9
Arkansas	6.5	6.2	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.2	5.2	5.0	6.0	5.7
California	6.8	6.6	6.1	6.7	6.2	6.2	6.6	6.4	6.4	6.5
Colorado	7.0	7.6	7.2	7.3	5.5	7.1	6.9	6.5	6.6	6.2
Connecticut	6.3	5.9	6.1	6.4	5.8	6.2	5.9	5.3	5.7	6.2
Delaware	8.6	7.0	6.7	6.0	6.0	6.2	7.5	5.2	5.7	6.5
District of Columbia	7.2	5.6	5.9	5.4	5.5	5.0	5.5	4.8	5.3	5.4
Florida	7.8	6.2	6.3	6.8	6.5	5.6	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.8
Georgia	7.1	6.7	6.2	6.4	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.8	6.5	6.1
Hawaii	6.4	6.0	5.5	5.7	5.3	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.2	6.9
Idaho	7.8	8.4	7.9	7.9	7.3	7.5	6.9	7.5	7.5	8.2
Illinois	5.8	5.4	5.8	5.4	4.8	5.3	5.1	4.8	5.3	5.5
Indiana	6.4	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.2	5.0	6.1	5.8
Iowa	5.9	6.4	6.0	6.0	5.5	5.9	6.2	5.4	5.9	5.8
Kansas	7.4	6.3	6.1	6.1	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.4	6.0	6.0
Kentucky	6.6	6.0	6.1	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.3	4.9	5.9	5.5
Louisiana	6.9	6.1	6.3	6.1	6.2	5.7	6.2	5.6	6.4	6.0
Maine	7.6	7.4	7.7	7.6	6.8	7.3	6.8	6.2	7.6	7.8
Maryland	7.4	6.6	6.8	6.7	6.4	6.0	6.9	5.6	6.3	6.5
Massachusetts	6.2	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.4	6.1	5.8	4.7	5.7	6.1
Michigan	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.9	5.2	5.8	5.2	4.9	5.3	5.9
Minnesota	6.5	5.9	5.7	6.0	3.1	5.9	5.8	4.9	5.6	4.2
Mississippi	7.2	6.8	6.1	6.3	6.2	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.6	6.2
Missouri	6.8	6.1	6.5	5.9	5.6	6.3	5.8	5.1	5.9	5.8
Montana	8.7	9.2	8.7	7.8	7.7	7.8	7.8	7.1	8.4	8.5
Nebraska	7.1	6.0	6.3	6.0	6.0	6.1	5.7	5.1	5.6	5.9
Nevada	7.4	6.4	6.2	6.6	6.5	5.8	6.1	5.7	6.0	5.5
New Hampshire	6.9	6.7	7.0	6.7	5.9	6.7	6.0	5.9	6.3	6.7
New Jersey	6.8	6.8	6.1	6.8	5.9	6.4	5.9	5.7	5.9	5.9
New Mexico	8.0	6.7	6.8	6.4	6.1	5.9	6.2	5.9	6.2	6.7
New York	6.6	5.9	6.5	6.3	5.8	5.9	6.0	5.1	5.7	6.1
North Carolina	6.7	6.6	6.4	6.1	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.3	5.7	6.2
North Dakota	7.6	6.4	7.6	6.9	6.6	6.3	6.7	5.6	6.7	6.6
Ohio	5.8	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.7	4.9	5.7	5.7
Oklahoma	7.4	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.2	5.6	5.9	5.3	6.0	6.0
Oregon	6.7	6.5	7.3	6.4	6.1	6.0	6.2	6.1	6.9	6.9
Pennsylvania	6.1	5.5	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.1	5.2	4.6	5.5	5.2
Rhode Island	6.7	6.9	7.5	6.7	6.5	7.3	6.4	5.9	7.0	6.8
South Carolina	7.3	6.9	6.8	6.4	6.8	5.6	6.2	5.8	6.8	5.7
South Dakota	7.3	6.5	7.2	6.8	6.3	6.4	6.5	5.9	6.2	6.3
Tennessee	7.0	5.8	5.9	5.9	2.7	5.5	5.6	5.0	5.5	4.2
Texas	7.2	6.2	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.3	5.3	5.0	5.4	5.5
Utah	7.5	6.9	7.0	6.8	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.2	6.2	6.5
Vermont	7.2	7.8	8.2	7.4	6.3	7.8	7.0	6.0	7.5	8.0
Virginia	7.5	6.2	6.2	6.0	5.8	6.1	5.8	5.2	5.8	6.0
Washington	7.2	5.9	6.4	6.0	5.4	6.3	5.3	5.5	5.6	6.0
West Virginia	8.1	6.6	7.1	6.1	6.5	6.9	6.4	5.3	6.1	6.5
Wisconsin	6.0	6.0	6.0	5.6	5.2	5.8	5.5	4.9	5.9	5.9
Wyoming	9.2	9.2	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.4	7.9	7.8	8.7	8.2
Puerto Rico	6.2	6.6	5.1	5.8	5.7	5.3	6.1	5.7	4.9	5.4
Virgin Islands	8.5	5.9	7.5	7.4	8.2	5.5	4.7	6.5	6.8	7.1
(1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Mountain-Plains Information Office

Business Employment Dynamics in Utah — Third Quarter 2023