Table 3.  Number of private sector establishments by direction of employment change, annual March to March

Total private                                

(In thousands)

                                   Establishments gaining jobs             Establishments losing jobs
Year ended    Net change(1)  Total     Expanding     Opening        Total    Contracting    Closing
                                   establishments  establishments          establishments  establishments

March 1994          97       2,309       1,620          689          1,943      1,351          592
March 1995         113       2,391       1,666          725          1,997      1,385          612
March 1996          77       2,364       1,639          725          2,113      1,465          648
March 1997         117       2,460       1,693          767          2,119      1,469          650
March 1998          63       2,472       1,715          757          2,198      1,504          694
March 1999         110       2,540       1,748          792          2,206      1,524          682
March 2000          83       2,581       1,781          800          2,271      1,554          717
March 2001          43       2,523       1,729          794          2,401      1,650          751
March 2002           2       2,417       1,635          782          2,520      1,740          780
March 2003          49       2,433       1,648          785          2,451      1,715          736
March 2004          68       2,532       1,744          788          2,363      1,643          720
March 2005          82       2,593       1,776          817          2,399      1,664          735
March 2006         144       2,707       1,833          874          2,411      1,681          730
March 2007          74       2,671       1,825          846          2,530      1,758          772
March 2008           5       2,585       1,767          818          2,655      1,842          813
March 2009        -188       2,202       1,468          734          3,028      2,106          922
March 2010        -125       2,224       1,508          716          2,749      1,908          841
March 2011          34       2,506       1,732          774          2,382      1,642          740
March 2012          53       2,605       1,809          796          2,345      1,602          743

(1) Net change is the difference between the number of opening establishments
    and the number of closing establishments.