Business Employment Dynamics in Arkansas — Second Quarter 2023

From March 2023 to June 2023, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Arkansas were 65,458, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 63,471, 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 loss of 1,987 jobs in the private sector during the second quarter of 2023. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 7,285. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses in Arkansas, June 2018–June 2023 by quarter, seasonally adjusted

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Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Arkansas, June 2018–June 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job losses	Gross job gains
Jun. 2018	56,936	51,792
Sep. 2018	56,346	60,904
Dec. 2018	50,927	58,519
Mar. 2019	52,904	54,538
Jun. 2019	58,171	52,010
Sep. 2019	58,858	56,332
Dec. 2019	49,668	64,817
Mar. 2020	57,931	53,180
Jun. 2020	119,599	47,713
Sep. 2020	54,748	73,228
Dec. 2020	51,681	70,382
Mar. 2021	51,413	62,860
Jun. 2021	57,305	57,712
Sep. 2021	67,161	68,268
Dec. 2021	48,826	79,669
Mar. 2022	58,403	65,839
Jun. 2022	58,012	63,722
Sep. 2022	55,294	67,914
Dec. 2022	55,695	66,289
Mar. 2023	54,248	61,533
Jun. 2023	65,458	63,471

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 Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the second quarter of 2023, gross job gains represented 5.8 percent of private-sector employment in Arkansas; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 6.2 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 Arkansas, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 51,246 in the second quarter of 2023, an increase of 2,133 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 12,225 jobs gained in the second quarter of 2023, a decrease of 195 jobs from the previous quarter.

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Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Arkansas, June 2018–June 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Arkansas
Jun. 2018	6.2	5.1
Sep. 2018	6.0	6.0
Dec. 2018	6.2	5.7
Mar. 2019	6.0	5.3
Jun. 2019	6.1	5.1
Sep. 2019	5.9	5.6
Dec. 2019	6.2	6.4
Mar. 2020	5.5	5.1
Jun. 2020	4.8	4.8
Sep. 2020	9.4	7.5
Dec. 2020	7.4	7.1
Mar. 2021	7.0	6.3
Jun. 2021	6.8	5.8
Sep. 2021	7.3	6.7
Dec. 2021	7.7	7.8
Mar. 2022	6.7	6.3
Jun. 2022	6.6	6.1
Sep. 2022	6.9	6.5
Dec. 2022	6.3	6.2
Mar. 2023	6.2	5.8
Jun. 2023	6.2	5.8

Gross job losses

In the second quarter of 2023, gross job losses represented 6.0 percent of private-sector employment in Arkansas; 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 Arkansas, contracting establishments lost 54,147 jobs in the second quarter of 2023, an increase of 9,761 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 11,311 jobs, an increase of 1,449 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Arkansas, June 2018–June 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Arkansas
Jun. 2018	5.8	5.6
Sep. 2018	6.0	5.6
Dec. 2018	5.6	5.0
Mar. 2019	5.5	5.1
Jun. 2019	5.9	5.7
Sep. 2019	5.8	5.8
Dec. 2019	5.6	4.9
Mar. 2020	6.2	5.6
Jun. 2020	16.9	12.1
Sep. 2020	6.0	5.6
Dec. 2020	5.7	5.2
Mar. 2021	5.5	5.1
Jun. 2021	5.9	5.7
Sep. 2021	6.1	6.7
Dec. 2021	5.4	4.8
Mar. 2022	5.5	5.6
Jun. 2022	6.2	5.5
Sep. 2022	5.9	5.2
Dec. 2022	5.9	5.2
Mar. 2023	5.4	5.0
Jun. 2023	5.9	6.0

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 6 of the 10 industry sectors in Arkansas in the second quarter of 2023. Transportation and warehousing had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 2,003 jobs. This was the result of 3,210 gross job gains and 5,213 gross job losses. The professional and business services industry had a net loss of 1,588 jobs, and leisure and hospital had a net loss of 1,202 jobs. Education and health services showed a net gain of 2,120 jobs, the largest gain of any sector in the state. Arkansas’ construction industry sector had a net gain of 1,332 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 Third Quarter 2023 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 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, Arkansas, 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	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	63,722	67,914	66,289	61,533	63,471	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.8	5.8
At expanding establishments	49,860	55,528	54,137	49,113	51,246	4.8	5.3	5.1	4.6	4.7
At opening establishments	13,862	12,386	12,152	12,420	12,225	1.3	1.2	1.1	1.2	1.1
Gross job losses	58,012	55,294	55,695	54,248	65,458	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.0	6.0
At contracting establishments	50,225	44,543	45,650	44,386	54,147	4.8	4.2	4.3	4.1	5.0
At closing establishments	7,787	10,751	10,045	9,862	11,311	0.7	1.0	0.9	0.9	1.0
Net employment change (2)	5,710	12,620	10,594	7,285	-1,987	0.6	1.3	1.0	0.8	-0.2
Construction
Gross job gains	4,834	5,768	5,370	5,303	5,945	8.4	10.0	9.0	8.6	9.4
At expanding establishments	3,578	4,573	4,039	4,269	4,618	6.2	7.9	6.8	6.9	7.3
At opening establishments	1,256	1,195	1,331	1,034	1,327	2.2	2.1	2.2	1.7	2.1
Gross job losses	4,446	4,206	3,937	3,941	4,613	7.7	7.3	6.6	6.4	7.3
At contracting establishments	3,744	3,149	3,225	3,059	3,720	6.5	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.9
At closing establishments	702	1,057	712	882	893	1.2	1.8	1.2	1.4	1.4
Net employment change (2)	388	1,562	1,433	1,362	1,332	0.7	2.7	2.4	2.2	2.1
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	5,239	5,190	4,964	3,971	5,008	3.3	3.2	3.0	2.5	3.0
At expanding establishments	4,961	4,879	4,655	3,723	4,804	3.1	3.0	2.8	2.3	2.9
At opening establishments	278	311	309	248	204	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1
Gross job losses	4,290	4,155	4,379	4,347	5,098	2.6	2.5	2.6	2.6	3.1
At contracting establishments	4,110	3,789	3,983	4,130	4,600	2.5	2.3	2.4	2.5	2.8
At closing establishments	180	366	396	217	498	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.3
Net employment change (2)	949	1,035	585	-376	-90	0.7	0.7	0.4	-0.1	-0.1
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	2,954	3,511	3,032	3,164	3,360	5.9	6.9	5.9	6.1	6.4
At expanding establishments	2,201	2,829	2,434	2,494	2,565	4.4	5.6	4.7	4.8	4.9
At opening establishments	753	682	598	670	795	1.5	1.3	1.2	1.3	1.5
Gross job losses	2,792	2,253	2,586	2,732	2,985	5.6	4.5	5.0	5.3	5.7
At contracting establishments	2,409	1,660	1,933	2,016	2,452	4.8	3.3	3.7	3.9	4.7
At closing establishments	383	593	653	716	533	0.8	1.2	1.3	1.4	1.0
Net employment change (2)	162	1,258	446	432	375	0.3	2.4	0.9	0.8	0.7
Retail trade
Gross job gains	7,430	8,535	6,535	8,011	7,468	5.2	6.0	4.5	5.6	5.2
At expanding establishments	6,161	7,118	5,476	6,291	6,524	4.3	5.0	3.8	4.4	4.5
At opening establishments	1,269	1,417	1,059	1,720	944	0.9	1.0	0.7	1.2	0.7
Gross job losses	9,422	7,722	7,987	6,640	7,972	6.5	5.4	5.6	4.6	5.6
At contracting establishments	8,206	6,701	7,104	5,764	6,565	5.7	4.7	5.0	4.0	4.6
At closing establishments	1,216	1,021	883	876	1,407	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.6	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-1,992	813	-1,452	1,371	-504	-1.3	0.6	-1.1	1.0	-0.4
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	4,472	3,012	4,116	2,359	3,210	7.1	4.7	6.5	3.7	5.1
At expanding establishments	4,048	2,554	3,662	1,854	2,843	6.4	4.0	5.8	2.9	4.5
At opening establishments	424	458	454	505	367	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.6
Gross job losses	4,150	2,653	3,996	3,149	5,213	6.5	4.2	6.3	5.0	8.3
At contracting establishments	3,818	2,345	3,537	2,837	4,815	6.0	3.7	5.6	4.5	7.7
At closing establishments	332	308	459	312	398	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.5	0.6
Net employment change (2)	322	359	120	-790	-2,003	0.6	0.5	0.2	-1.3	-3.2
Financial activities
Gross job gains	3,377	3,788	3,181	3,217	3,032	6.2	6.9	5.7	5.8	5.4
At expanding establishments	2,348	2,871	2,395	2,386	2,179	4.3	5.2	4.3	4.3	3.9
At opening establishments	1,029	917	786	831	853	1.9	1.7	1.4	1.5	1.5
Gross job losses	3,051	2,522	3,210	2,901	3,268	5.6	4.6	5.8	5.3	5.8
At contracting establishments	2,453	1,809	2,215	2,201	2,349	4.5	3.3	4.0	4.0	4.2
At closing establishments	598	713	995	700	919	1.1	1.3	1.8	1.3	1.6
Net employment change (2)	326	1,266	-29	316	-236	0.6	2.3	-0.1	0.5	-0.4
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	11,982	11,688	12,982	10,984	11,602	7.9	7.6	8.3	6.9	7.4
At expanding establishments	8,842	8,713	10,314	8,416	8,886	5.8	5.7	6.6	5.3	5.7
At opening establishments	3,140	2,975	2,668	2,568	2,716	2.1	1.9	1.7	1.6	1.7
Gross job losses	9,177	11,180	9,950	11,263	13,190	6.0	7.3	6.3	7.2	8.4
At contracting establishments	7,653	9,020	7,709	9,085	11,129	5.0	5.9	4.9	5.8	7.1
At closing establishments	1,524	2,160	2,241	2,178	2,061	1.0	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.3
Net employment change (2)	2,805	508	3,032	-279	-1,588	1.9	0.3	2.0	-0.3	-1.0
Education and health services
Gross job gains	8,821	9,391	8,292	9,483	9,477	4.8	5.1	4.4	4.9	4.9
At expanding establishments	6,811	8,100	6,874	8,081	7,898	3.7	4.4	3.6	4.2	4.1
At opening establishments	2,010	1,291	1,418	1,402	1,579	1.1	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	6,813	6,641	6,871	6,437	7,357	3.7	3.6	3.7	3.4	3.8
At contracting establishments	5,954	5,326	5,643	5,078	5,921	3.2	2.9	3.0	2.7	3.1
At closing establishments	859	1,315	1,228	1,359	1,436	0.5	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7
Net employment change (2)	2,008	2,750	1,421	3,046	2,120	1.1	1.5	0.7	1.5	1.1
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	10,056	11,641	12,497	10,051	9,730	8.3	9.5	10.0	7.9	7.6
At expanding establishments	7,661	9,924	9,986	7,786	7,429	6.3	8.1	8.0	6.1	5.8
At opening establishments	2,395	1,717	2,511	2,265	2,301	2.0	1.4	2.0	1.8	1.8
Gross job losses	9,449	9,406	8,743	8,879	10,932	7.8	7.7	6.9	6.9	8.6
At contracting establishments	8,257	7,341	7,176	7,081	8,902	6.8	6.0	5.7	5.5	7.0
At closing establishments	1,192	2,065	1,567	1,798	2,030	1.0	1.7	1.2	1.4	1.6
Net employment change (2)	607	2,235	3,754	1,172	-1,202	0.5	1.8	3.1	1.0	-1.0
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	2,263	2,677	2,315	2,394	2,353	9.1	10.5	8.9	9.0	8.7
At expanding establishments	1,535	1,856	1,817	1,732	1,743	6.2	7.3	7.0	6.5	6.4
At opening establishments	728	821	498	662	610	2.9	3.2	1.9	2.5	2.3
Gross job losses	1,900	1,934	1,800	1,818	2,224	7.6	7.6	6.9	6.8	8.2
At contracting establishments	1,527	1,370	1,363	1,371	1,616	6.1	5.4	5.2	5.1	6.0
At closing establishments	373	564	437	447	608	1.5	2.2	1.7	1.7	2.2
Net employment change (2)	363	743	515	576	129	1.5	2.9	2.0	2.2	0.5
(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	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023
United States(1)	6.6	6.9	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.4	5.9
Alabama	6.6	6.9	6.6	6.4	5.9	6.2	5.9	6.1	5.5	5.7
Alaska	10.2	8.5	10.9	10.4	11.0	9.0	10.4	9.2	8.0	8.9
Arizona	6.5	7.1	6.6	5.9	7.0	6.3	5.5	6.0	5.4	6.5
Arkansas	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.0	6.0
California	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.1	6.7	6.7	6.2	6.6	6.4	6.4
Colorado	7.3	7.0	7.6	7.2	7.3	6.6	7.1	6.9	6.5	6.6
Connecticut	6.4	6.3	5.9	6.1	6.4	6.3	6.2	5.9	5.3	5.7
Delaware	6.5	8.6	7.0	6.7	6.0	6.9	6.2	7.5	5.2	5.7
District of Columbia	6.1	7.2	5.6	5.9	5.4	6.3	5.0	5.5	4.8	5.3
Florida	7.5	7.8	6.2	6.3	6.8	6.3	5.6	6.0	5.6	5.8
Georgia	6.8	7.1	6.7	6.2	6.4	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.8	6.5
Hawaii	6.0	6.4	6.0	5.5	5.7	5.5	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.2
Idaho	7.1	7.8	8.4	7.9	7.9	8.4	7.5	6.9	7.5	7.5
Illinois	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.8	5.4	5.5	5.3	5.1	4.8	5.3
Indiana	5.7	6.4	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.9	5.5	5.2	5.0	6.1
Iowa	5.9	5.9	6.4	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.9	6.2	5.4	5.9
Kansas	6.5	7.4	6.3	6.1	6.1	7.1	5.5	5.6	5.4	6.0
Kentucky	6.3	6.6	6.0	6.1	5.6	6.5	5.4	5.3	4.9	5.9
Louisiana	6.7	6.9	6.1	6.3	6.1	6.4	5.7	6.2	5.6	6.4
Maine	7.2	7.6	7.4	7.7	7.6	8.0	7.3	6.8	6.2	7.6
Maryland	6.5	7.4	6.6	6.8	6.7	6.9	6.0	6.9	5.6	6.3
Massachusetts	6.1	6.2	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.5	6.1	5.8	4.7	5.7
Michigan	6.0	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.8	5.2	4.9	5.3
Minnesota	6.4	6.5	5.9	5.7	6.0	6.4	5.9	5.8	4.9	5.6
Mississippi	6.6	7.2	6.8	6.1	6.3	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.6
Missouri	6.2	6.8	6.1	6.5	5.9	5.9	6.3	5.8	5.1	5.9
Montana	8.2	8.7	9.2	8.7	7.8	9.1	7.8	7.8	7.1	8.4
Nebraska	6.4	7.1	6.0	6.3	6.0	6.5	6.1	5.7	5.1	5.6
Nevada	6.9	7.4	6.4	6.2	6.6	5.7	5.8	6.1	5.7	6.0
New Hampshire	6.7	6.9	6.7	7.0	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.0	5.9	6.3
New Jersey	6.6	6.8	6.8	6.1	6.8	6.2	6.4	5.9	5.7	5.9
New Mexico	6.7	8.0	6.7	6.8	6.4	7.1	5.9	6.2	5.9	6.2
New York	7.1	6.6	5.9	6.5	6.3	6.1	5.9	6.0	5.1	5.7
North Carolina	6.4	6.7	6.6	6.4	6.1	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.3	5.7
North Dakota	6.9	7.6	6.4	7.6	6.9	6.5	6.3	6.7	5.6	6.7
Ohio	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.9	5.5	5.7	4.9	5.7
Oklahoma	6.7	7.4	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.1	5.6	5.9	5.3	6.0
Oregon	6.0	6.7	6.5	7.3	6.4	7.0	6.0	6.2	6.1	6.9
Pennsylvania	5.5	6.1	5.5	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.1	5.2	4.6	5.5
Rhode Island	7.1	6.7	6.9	7.5	6.7	6.7	7.3	6.4	5.9	7.0
South Carolina	6.6	7.3	6.9	6.8	6.4	6.2	5.6	6.2	5.8	6.8
South Dakota	6.6	7.3	6.5	7.2	6.8	6.5	6.4	6.5	5.9	6.2
Tennessee	6.2	7.0	5.8	5.9	5.9	6.2	5.5	5.6	5.0	5.5
Texas	6.6	7.2	6.2	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.3	5.0	5.4
Utah	7.0	7.5	6.9	7.0	6.8	6.6	6.8	6.6	6.2	6.2
Vermont	7.5	7.2	7.8	8.2	7.4	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.0	7.5
Virginia	6.5	7.5	6.2	6.2	6.0	6.7	6.1	5.8	5.2	5.8
Washington	7.0	7.2	5.9	6.4	6.0	7.2	6.3	5.3	5.5	5.6
West Virginia	6.7	8.1	6.6	7.1	6.1	8.0	6.9	6.4	5.3	6.1
Wisconsin	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	5.6	6.0	5.8	5.5	4.9	5.9
Wyoming	8.4	9.2	9.2	8.9	8.4	9.2	8.4	7.9	7.8	8.7
Puerto Rico	6.7	6.2	6.6	5.1	5.8	6.1	5.3	6.1	5.7	4.9
Virgin Islands	8.0	8.5	5.9	7.5	7.4	9.2	5.5	4.7	6.5	6.8
(1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Last Modified Date: Thursday, February 08, 2024

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Business Employment Dynamics in Arkansas — Second Quarter 2023