Business Employment Dynamics in Maine — Third Quarter 2023

From June 2023 to September 2023, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Maine were 41,735, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 36,676, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 5,059 jobs in the private sector during the third quarter of 2023. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 77. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Maine, September 2018–September 2023, seasonally adjusted

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Maine, September 2018–September 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job losses	Gross job gains
Sep. 2018	38,533	31,734
Dec. 2018	34,471	37,011
Mar. 2019	35,493	38,292
Jun. 2019	38,053	39,121
Sep. 2019	37,786	33,815
Dec. 2019	36,185	38,283
Mar. 2020	38,830	34,561
Jun. 2020	107,288	25,788
Sep. 2020	28,600	58,193
Dec. 2020	31,156	41,822
Mar. 2021	32,627	45,197
Jun. 2021	39,110	38,684
Sep. 2021	39,700	39,696
Dec. 2021	35,792	42,850
Mar. 2022	33,056	44,354
Jun. 2022	41,809	37,916
Sep. 2022	38,150	40,046
Dec. 2022	36,063	39,221
Mar. 2023	32,865	41,777
Jun. 2023	41,017	41,094
Sep. 2023	41,735	36,676

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 Maine; 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 Maine, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 29,092 in the third quarter of 2023, a decrease of 1,991 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 7,584 jobs gained in the third quarter of 2023, a decrease of 2,427 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Maine, September 2018–September 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	Maine	United States
Sep. 2018	6.1	6.0
Dec. 2018	7.1	6.2
Mar. 2019	7.3	6.0
Jun. 2019	7.4	6.1
Sep. 2019	6.5	5.9
Dec. 2019	7.3	6.2
Mar. 2020	6.6	5.5
Jun. 2020	5.2	4.8
Sep. 2020	12.2	9.4
Dec. 2020	8.4	7.4
Mar. 2021	8.9	7.0
Jun. 2021	7.5	6.8
Sep. 2021	7.8	7.3
Dec. 2021	8.3	7.7
Mar. 2022	8.5	6.7
Jun. 2022	7.2	6.6
Sep. 2022	7.6	6.9
Dec. 2022	7.4	6.3
Mar. 2023	7.7	6.2
Jun. 2023	7.6	6.2
Sep. 2023	6.8	5.8

Gross job losses

In the third quarter of 2023, gross job losses represented 7.8 percent of private-sector employment in Maine; 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 Maine, contracting establishments lost 32,053 jobs in the third quarter of 2023, a decrease of 170 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 9,682 jobs, an increase of 888 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Maine, September 2018–September 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	Maine	United States
Sep. 2018	7.5	6.0
Dec. 2018	6.7	5.6
Mar. 2019	6.8	5.5
Jun. 2019	7.2	5.9
Sep. 2019	7.2	5.8
Dec. 2019	6.9	5.6
Mar. 2020	7.4	6.2
Jun. 2020	21.6	16.9
Sep. 2020	6.0	6.0
Dec. 2020	6.3	5.7
Mar. 2021	6.4	5.5
Jun. 2021	7.7	5.9
Sep. 2021	7.8	6.1
Dec. 2021	6.9	5.4
Mar. 2022	6.3	5.5
Jun. 2022	8.0	6.2
Sep. 2022	7.3	5.9
Dec. 2022	6.8	5.9
Mar. 2023	6.2	5.4
Jun. 2023	7.6	5.9
Sep. 2023	7.8	5.9

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 8 of the 9 published industry sectors in Maine in the third quarter of 2023. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job loss, with a decrease of 3,350 jobs. This was the result of 11,989 gross job losses and 8,639 gross job gains. Retail trade had a net loss of 1,433 jobs, and manufacturing had a net loss of 1,190 jobs. The education and health services industry showed a net gain of 2,515 jobs.

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, Maine, 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	40,046	39,221	41,777	41,094	36,676	7.6	7.4	7.7	7.6	6.8
At expanding establishments	31,538	30,911	32,429	31,083	29,092	6.0	5.8	6.0	5.7	5.4
At opening establishments	8,508	8,310	9,348	10,011	7,584	1.6	1.6	1.7	1.9	1.4
Gross job losses	38,150	36,063	32,865	41,017	41,735	7.3	6.8	6.2	7.6	7.8
At contracting establishments	29,302	28,165	25,568	32,223	32,053	5.6	5.3	4.8	6.0	6.0
At closing establishments	8,848	7,898	7,297	8,794	9,682	1.7	1.5	1.4	1.6	1.8
Net employment change (2)	1,896	3,158	8,912	77	-5,059	0.3	0.6	1.5	0.0	-1.0
Construction
Gross job gains	2,772	3,645	3,482	2,633	2,857	8.8	11.3	10.2	7.7	8.7
At expanding establishments	2,164	2,868	2,549	2,091	2,129	6.9	8.9	7.5	6.1	6.5
At opening establishments	608	777	933	542	728	1.9	2.4	2.7	1.6	2.2
Gross job losses	3,211	2,614	2,450	3,269	3,273	10.2	8.2	7.2	9.6	10.1
At contracting establishments	2,287	1,849	1,839	2,407	2,403	7.3	5.8	5.4	7.1	7.4
At closing establishments	924	765	611	862	870	2.9	2.4	1.8	2.5	2.7
Net employment change (2)	-439	1,031	1,032	-636	-416	-1.4	3.1	3.0	-1.9	-1.4
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	2,217	1,858	1,819	2,128	1,725	4.1	3.4	3.4	3.9	3.3
At expanding establishments	1,979	1,630	1,704	1,836	1,426	3.7	3.0	3.2	3.4	2.7
At opening establishments	238	228	115	292	299	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.5	0.6
Gross job losses	1,931	2,057	2,030	2,440	2,915	3.6	3.8	3.8	4.5	5.5
At contracting establishments	1,683	1,878	1,771	2,178	2,438	3.1	3.5	3.3	4.0	4.6
At closing establishments	248	179	259	262	477	0.5	0.3	0.5	0.5	0.9
Net employment change (2)	286	-199	-211	-312	-1,190	0.5	-0.4	-0.4	-0.6	-2.2
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	981	818	919	943	726	5.0	4.2	4.7	4.9	3.8
At expanding establishments	786	736	797	787	587	4.0	3.8	4.1	4.1	3.1
At opening establishments	195	82	122	156	139	1.0	0.4	0.6	0.8	0.7
Gross job losses	847	901	888	902	925	4.3	4.7	4.6	4.7	4.8
At contracting establishments	684	712	699	713	752	3.5	3.7	3.6	3.7	3.9
At closing establishments	163	189	189	189	173	0.8	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.9
Net employment change (2)	134	-83	31	41	-199	0.7	-0.5	0.1	0.2	-1.0
Retail trade
Gross job gains	5,069	4,676	6,158	4,966	4,838	6.4	5.9	7.6	6.1	6.0
At expanding establishments	4,516	4,052	5,183	4,318	4,276	5.7	5.1	6.4	5.3	5.3
At opening establishments	553	624	975	648	562	0.7	0.8	1.2	0.8	0.7
Gross job losses	5,235	4,635	3,748	5,723	6,271	6.5	5.9	4.6	7.0	7.7
At contracting establishments	4,404	3,953	3,111	5,021	5,352	5.5	5.0	3.8	6.1	6.6
At closing establishments	831	682	637	702	919	1.0	0.9	0.8	0.9	1.1
Net employment change (2)	-166	41	2,410	-757	-1,433	-0.1	0.0	3.0	-0.9	-1.7
Financial activities
Gross job gains	1,889	1,488	1,185	1,496	1,077	6.1	4.8	3.8	4.9	3.5
At expanding establishments	1,507	1,219	1,027	1,198	899	4.9	3.9	3.3	3.9	2.9
At opening establishments	382	269	158	298	178	1.2	0.9	0.5	1.0	0.6
Gross job losses	1,400	1,546	1,485	1,711	1,411	4.6	4.9	4.8	5.5	4.6
At contracting establishments	1,003	1,129	1,134	1,211	1,023	3.3	3.6	3.7	3.9	3.3
At closing establishments	397	417	351	500	388	1.3	1.3	1.1	1.6	1.3
Net employment change (2)	489	-58	-300	-215	-334	1.5	-0.1	-1.0	-0.6	-1.1
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	5,978	5,264	4,788	5,223	5,053	7.9	6.9	6.3	6.9	6.7
At expanding establishments	4,257	3,965	4,038	4,136	3,999	5.6	5.2	5.3	5.5	5.3
At opening establishments	1,721	1,299	750	1,087	1,054	2.3	1.7	1.0	1.4	1.4
Gross job losses	5,430	5,633	5,167	7,224	5,137	7.2	7.4	6.8	9.5	6.8
At contracting establishments	3,872	4,057	3,942	5,680	3,656	5.1	5.3	5.2	7.5	4.8
At closing establishments	1,558	1,576	1,225	1,544	1,481	2.1	2.1	1.6	2.0	2.0
Net employment change (2)	548	-369	-379	-2,001	-84	0.7	-0.5	-0.5	-2.6	-0.1
Education and health services
Gross job gains	5,137	4,681	4,801	4,985	6,646	4.4	4.0	4.0	4.3	5.5
At expanding establishments	4,636	4,204	4,397	4,203	6,005	4.0	3.6	3.7	3.6	5.0
At opening establishments	501	477	404	782	641	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.7	0.5
Gross job losses	4,260	3,940	3,671	4,512	4,131	3.6	3.4	3.1	3.8	3.4
At contracting establishments	3,178	3,257	2,935	3,766	3,022	2.7	2.8	2.5	3.2	2.5
At closing establishments	1,082	683	736	746	1,109	0.9	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.9
Net employment change (2)	877	741	1,130	473	2,515	0.8	0.6	0.9	0.5	2.1
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	10,512	10,995	10,887	11,052	8,639	16.2	16.9	16.3	16.3	12.8
At expanding establishments	7,899	8,662	8,461	8,418	6,419	12.2	13.3	12.7	12.4	9.5
At opening establishments	2,613	2,333	2,426	2,634	2,220	4.0	3.6	3.6	3.9	3.3
Gross job losses	10,890	10,073	8,539	10,470	11,989	16.9	15.5	12.8	15.4	17.8
At contracting establishments	8,516	7,790	6,788	7,829	9,293	13.2	12.0	10.2	11.5	13.8
At closing establishments	2,374	2,283	1,751	2,641	2,696	3.7	3.5	2.6	3.9	4.0
Net employment change (2)	-378	922	2,348	582	-3,350	-0.7	1.4	3.5	0.9	-5.0
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	1,344	1,174	1,380	1,397	1,066	8.2	7.2	8.6	8.4	6.4
At expanding establishments	1,098	1,025	1,177	1,227	900	6.7	6.3	7.3	7.4	5.4
At opening establishments	246	149	203	170	166	1.5	0.9	1.3	1.0	1.0
Gross job losses	1,208	1,278	1,069	1,257	1,503	7.4	7.9	6.6	7.6	9.0
At contracting establishments	975	1,056	783	927	1,231	6.0	6.5	4.8	5.6	7.4
At closing establishments	233	222	286	330	272	1.4	1.4	1.8	2.0	1.6
Net employment change (2)	136	-104	311	140	-437	0.8	-0.7	2.0	0.8	-2.6
Footnotes: (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
Footnotes (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: Friday, May 03, 2024

Northeast Information Office

Business Employment Dynamics in Maine — Third Quarter 2023