For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, July 24, 2024 USDL-24-1472
Technical information: (202) 691-6553 * BDMInfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/bdm
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS – FOURTH QUARTER 2023
From September 2023 to December 2023, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector
establishments were 7.8 million, an increase of 264,000 jobs from the previous quarter, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over this period, gross job losses from closing and
contracting private-sector establishments were 7.5 million, a decrease of 272,000 jobs from the
previous quarter. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross
job losses yielded a net employment gain of 344,000 jobs in the private sector during the fourth
quarter of 2023. (See tables A and 1.)
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.) 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.
Gross Job Gains
In the fourth quarter of 2023, gross job gains represented 5.9 percent of private-sector employment. 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. Gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 6.2
million in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of 201,000 jobs compared to the previous quarter.
Opening establishments accounted for 1.6 million of the jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2023, an
increase of 63,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See tables A, 1, 2, and 3.)
Gross Job Losses
In the fourth quarter of 2023, gross job losses represented 5.6 percent of private-sector employment.
Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of
jobs at closing establishments. Contracting establishments lost 6.0 million jobs in the fourth quarter
of 2023, a decrease of 202,000 jobs from the prior quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2023, closing
establishments lost 1.5 million jobs, a decrease of 70,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See
tables A, 1, 2, and 3.)
Establishment Births and Deaths
In the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of establishment births (a subset of the openings data)
increased by 11,000 to a total of 322,000 establishments. These new establishments accounted for
1.0 million jobs, an increase of 41,000 jobs from the previous quarter. Data for establishment deaths (a
subset of the closings data) are available through the first quarter of 2023, when 822,000 jobs were
lost at 292,000 establishments, a decrease of 77,000 jobs from the fourth quarter of 2022. (See
Technical Note and table 8.)
Table A. Three-month private-sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3 months ended
Category | Dec. | Mar. | June | Sept. | Dec.
| 2022 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------
Gross job gains......................... | 8,108 | 8,041 | 8,120 | 7,559 | 7,823
At expanding establishments...... | 6,447 | 6,515 | 6,511 | 6,001 | 6,202
At opening establishments........ | 1,661 | 1,526 | 1,609 | 1,558 | 1,621
| | | | |
Gross job losses........................ | 7,630 | 7,065 | 7,788 | 7,751 | 7,479
At contracting establishments.... | 6,113 | 5,646 | 6,296 | 6,174 | 5,972
At closing establishments........ | 1,517 | 1,419 | 1,492 | 1,577 | 1,507
| | | | |
Net employment change (1)............... | 478 | 976 | 332 | -192 | 344
| | | | |
|--------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------
Gross job gains......................... | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.9
At expanding establishments...... | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.7
At opening establishments........ | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2
| | | | |
Gross job losses........................ | 5.9 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 5.6
At contracting establishments.... | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.5
At closing establishments........ | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.1
| | | | |
Net employment change (1)............... | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | -0.1 | 0.3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross
job losses. See the Technical Note for further information.
Firm Size
In the fourth quarter of 2023, firms with 1 to 49 employees had a net employment increase of 221,000. Firms
with 50 to 249 employees had a net employment gain of 112,000. Firms with 250 or more employees had a net
employment decline of 41,000. (See tables 4 and 5.)
Industries
Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 7 out of the 13 industry sectors in the fourth quarter of
2023. The service-providing industries experienced a net job gain of 348,000. The goods-producing
industries had a net job decrease of 4,000. (See table 3.)
States
Gross job gains surpassed gross job losses in 41 states, and Puerto Rico, in the fourth quarter of 2023.
(See tables 6 and 7.)
For More Information
Additional information on gross job gains and gross job losses is available online at www.bls.gov/bdm.
This information includes data for the levels and rates of gross job gains and gross job losses by firm
size, not seasonally adjusted data and seasonally adjusted time series not presented in this release,
charts of gross job gains and gross job losses by industry and firm size, and answers to frequently asked
questions. Additional information about the Business Employment Dynamics data can be found
in the Technical Note of this release or can be obtained by emailing BDMinfo@bls.gov.
_____________
The Business Employment Dynamics for First Quarter 2024 are scheduled to be released on
Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data |
| |
| The release of First Quarter 2024 Business Employment Dynamics data, scheduled for October 30, |
| 2024, will incorporate annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. The revisions |
| will include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of |
| seasonally adjusted data. |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Note
The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative
program known as the 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. Most
employers in the U.S. are required to file quarterly reports on the employment and wages of
workers covered by unemployment insurance (UI) laws and to pay quarterly UI taxes. The QCEW
is based largely on quarterly UI reports which are sent by businesses to the State Workforce
Agencies (SWAs). These UI reports are supplemented by two additional BLS data collections to
render administrative data into economic statistics. Together these data comprise the QCEW and
form the basis of the Bureau’s establishment universe sampling frame.
These reports are used to produce the quarterly QCEW data on total employment and wages and
the longitudinal BED data on gross job gains and losses. The QCEW is also the employment
benchmark for the Current Employment Statistics (CES), Occupational Employment Statistics
(OES), and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) programs and is a major input to
the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Personal Income Accounts.
In the BED program, the quarterly QCEW records are linked across quarters to provide a
longitudinal history for each establishment. The linkage process allows the tracking of net
employment changes at the establishment level, which in turn allows the estimation of jobs gained
at opening and expanding units and jobs lost at closing and contracting units.
Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures
The Bureau publishes three different establishment-based employment measures for any given
quarter. Each of these measures—Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business
Employment Dynamics, and Current Employment Statistics—makes use of the
quarterly UI employment reports in producing data; however, each measure has a somewhat
different universe coverage, estimation procedure, and publication product.
Differences in coverage and estimation methods can result in somewhat different measures of
employment change over time. It is important to understand program differences and the intended
uses of the program products. (See table.) Additional information on each program can be obtained
from the program websites shown in the table.
Coverage
Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI and Unemployment Compensation for
Federal Employees (UCFE) laws are compiled from quarterly contribution reports submitted to the
SWAs by employers. In addition to the quarterly contribution reports, employers who operate
multiple establishments within a state complete a questionnaire, called the “Multiple Worksite
Report,” which provides detailed information on the location of their establishments. These reports
are based on place of employment rather than place of residence. UI and UCFE coverage is broad
and basically comparable from state to state.
Major exclusions from UI coverage are self-employed workers, religious organizations, most
agricultural workers on small farms, all members of the Armed Forces, elected officials in most
states, most employees of railroads, some domestic workers, most student workers at schools, and
employees of certain small nonprofit organizations.
Gross job gains and gross job losses in this release are derived from longitudinal histories of 9.1
million private-sector employer reports out of 11.6 million total reports of employment and wages
submitted by states to BLS in the first quarter of 2023. Gross job gains and gross job losses data in
this release do not report estimates for government employees or private households (NAICS
814110) and do not include establishments with zero employment in both previous and current
quarters. Data from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are also excluded from the national data.
The table below shows, in millions of establishments, the number of establishments excluded from
the national gross job gains and gross job losses data in the first quarter of 2023.
Number of active establishments included in
Business Employment Dynamics data at the national level
Millions
Total establishments QCEW program....................................................11.6
Excluded: Public sector............................................................ 0.3
Private households......................................................... 0.2
Zero employment............................................................ 2.0
Total establishments included in Business
Employment Dynamics data............................................................. 9.1
Summary of Major Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES Employment Measures
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| QCEW | BED | CES
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Source |--Count of UI admini-|--Count of longitudi- |--Sample survey:
| strative records | nally-linked UI ad- | 670,000 establish-
| submitted by 11.6 | ministrative records| ments
| million establish- | submitted by 9.1 |
| ments in first qu- | million private-sec-|
| arter of 2023 | tor establishments |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Coverage |--UI and UCFE cover- |--UI coverage, exclud-|Nonfarm wage and salary
| age, including all | ing government, pri-| jobs:
| employers subject | vate households, and|--UI coverage, exclud-
| to state and feder-| establishments with | ing agriculture, pri-
| ral UI Laws | zero employment | vate households, and
| | | self-employed workers
| | |--Other employment,
| | | including railroads,
| | | religious organiza-
| | | tions, and other non-
| | | UI-covered jobs
| | |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Publication|--Quarterly |--Quarterly |--Monthly
frequency | -6 months after the| -7 months after the | -Usually the 3rd Fri-
| end of each quar- | end of each quarter| day after the end of
| ter | | the week including
| | | the 12th of the month
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Use of UI |--Directly summarizes|--Links each new UI |--Uses UI file as a sam-
file | and publishes each | quarter to longitu- | pling frame and to ann-
| new quarter of UI | dinal database and | ually realign sample-
| data | directly summarizes | based estimates to pop-
| | gross job gains and | ulation counts (bench-
| | losses | marking)
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Principal |--Provides a quarter-|--Provides quarterly |--Provides current month-
products | ly and annual uni- | employer dynamics | ly estimates of employ-
| verse count of es- | data on establish- | ment, hours, and earn-
| tablishments, em- | ment openings, clos-| ings at the MSA, state,
| ployment, and wages| ings, expansions, | and national levels by
| at the county, met-| and contractions at | industry
| ropolitan statisti-| the national level |
| cal area (MSA), st-| by NAICS super- |
| ate, and national | sectors, 3-digit |
| levels by detailed | NAICS, and by size |
| industry | of firm, and at the |
| | state private-sector|
| | total level |
| |--Future expansions |
| | will include |
| | data with greater |
| | industry detail and |
| | data at the county |
| | and MSA levels |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Principal |--Major uses include:|--Major uses include: |--Major uses include:
uses | -Detailed locality | -Business cycle | -Principal federal
| data | analysis | economic indicator
| -Periodic universe | -Analysis of employ-| -Official time series
| counts for bench- | er dynamics under- | for employment change
| marking sample | lying economic ex- | measures
| survey estimates | pansions and con- | -Input into other ma-
| -Sample frame for | tractions | jor economic indi-
| BLS establishment | -Analysis of employ-| cators
| surveys | ment expansion and |
| | contraction by size|
| | of firm |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Program |--www.bls.gov/cew |--www.bls.gov/bdm |--www.bls.gov/ces
web sites | | |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unit of analysis
Establishments are used in the tabulation of the BED statistics by industry, and firms are used in the
tabulation of the BED size class statistics. An establishment is defined as an economic unit that
produces goods or services, usually at a single physical location, and engages in one or
predominantly one activity. A firm is a legal business, either corporate or otherwise, and may
consist of several establishments. Firm-level data are compiled based on an aggregation of
establishments under common ownership by a corporate parent using employer tax identification
numbers. The firm level aggregation, which is consistent with the role of corporations as the
economic decision makers, is used for the measurement of BED data elements by size class.
Because of the difference in the unit of analysis, total gross job gains and gross job losses by size
class are lower than total gross job gains and gross job losses by industry, as some establishment
gains and losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process. However, the total net
changes in employment are the same for not seasonally adjusted data and are similar for seasonally
adjusted data.
Concepts and methodology
The Business Employment Dynamics data measure the net change in employment at the
establishment or firm level. These changes come about in one of four ways. A net increase in
employment can come from either opening units or expanding units. A net decrease in
employment can come from either closing units or contracting units. Gross job gains include the
sum of all jobs added at either opening or expanding units. Gross job losses include the sum of all
jobs lost in either closing or contracting units. The net change in employment is the difference
between gross job gains and gross job losses.
The formal definitions of employment changes are as follows:
Openings. These are either units with positive third month employment for the first time in the
current quarter, with no links to the prior quarter, or with positive third month employment in the
current quarter following zero employment in the previous quarter.
Expansions. These are units with positive employment in the third month in both the previous and
current quarters, with a net increase in employment over this period.
Closings. These are units with positive third month employment in the previous quarter and either
not reported, or reported with zero employment, in the current quarter.
Contractions. These are units with positive employment in the third month in both the previous and
current quarters, with a net decrease in employment over this period.
Births. These are units with positive third month employment for the first time in the current
quarter with no links to the prior quarter, or units with positive third month employment in the
current quarter and zero employment in the third month of the previous four quarters. Births are a
subset of openings not including re-openings of seasonal businesses.
Deaths. These are units with no employment or zero employment reported in the third month of
four consecutive quarters following the last quarter with positive employment. Deaths are a subset
of closings not including temporary shutdowns of seasonal businesses. A unit that closes during the
quarter may be a death, but we wait three quarters to determine whether it is a permanent closing
or a temporary shutdown. Therefore, there is always a lag of three quarters for the publication of
death statistics.
All employment changes are measured from the third month of the previous quarter to the third
month of the current quarter. Not all establishments and firms change their employment levels.
Units with no change in employment count towards estimates of total employment, but not for
levels of gross job gains and gross job losses.
Gross job gains and gross job losses are expressed as rates by dividing their levels by the average
of employment in the current and previous quarters. This provides a symmetric growth rate. The
rates are calculated for the components of gross job gains and gross job losses and then summed to
form their respective totals. These rates can be added and subtracted just as their levels can. For
instance, the difference between the gross job gains rate and the gross job losses rate is the net
growth rate.
Establishment Births and Deaths
For the purpose of BED statistics, births are defined as establishments that appear in the
longitudinal database for the first time with positive employment in the third month of a quarter, or
showed four consecutive quarters of zero employment in the third month followed by a quarter in
which it shows positive employment in the third month. Similarly, deaths are defined as
establishments that either drop out of the longitudinal database or establishments that had
positive employment in the third month of a given quarter followed by four consecutive quarters of
showing zero employment in the third month. Although the data for establishment births and
deaths are tabulated independently from the data for openings and closings, the concepts are not
mutually exclusive. An establishment that is defined as a birth in a given quarter is necessarily an
opening as well, and an establishment defined as a death in a quarter must also be a closing. Since
openings include seasonal and other re-openings, and closings include temporary shutdowns, the
not seasonally adjusted values for births and deaths must be less than those for openings and
closings. However, because some BED series do not have many re-openings or temporary
shutdowns, as well as the fact that births and deaths are independently seasonally adjusted from
openings and closings, there may be instances in which the seasonally adjusted value of the former
is greater than the latter.
Linkage methodology
Prior to the measurement of gross job gains and gross job losses, QCEW records are linked across
two quarters. The linkage process matches establishments' unique SWA identification numbers
(SWA-ID). Between 95 and 97 percent of establishments identified as continuous from quarter to
quarter are matched by SWA-ID. The rest are linked in one of three ways. The first method uses
predecessor and successor information, identified by the states, which relates records with different
SWA-IDs across quarters. Predecessor and successor relations can come about for a variety of
reasons, including a change in ownership, a firm restructuring, or a UI account restructuring. If a
match cannot be attained in this manner, a probability-based match is used. This match attempts to
identify two establishments with different SWA-IDs as continuous. The match is based upon
comparisons such as the same name, address, and phone number. Third, an analyst examines
unmatched records individually and makes a possible match.
In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, SWAs verify with employers and update, if
necessary, the industry, location, and ownership classification of all establishments on a 3-year
cycle. Changes in establishment classification codes resulting from the verification process are
introduced with the data reported for the first quarter of the year. Changes resulting from improved
employer reporting also are introduced in the first quarter.
Sizing methodology
The method of dynamic sizing is used in calculations for the BED size class data series. Dynamic
sizing allocates each firm’s employment gain or loss during a quarter to each respective size class
in which the change occurred. For example, if a firm grew from 2 employees in quarter 1 to 38
employees in quarter 2, then, of the 36-employee increase, 2 would be allocated to the first size
class, 5 to the size class 5 to 9, 10 to size class 10 to 19, and 19 to size class 20 to 49.
Dynamic sizing provides symmetrical firm-size estimates and eliminates any systematic effects
which may be caused by the transitory and reverting changes in firms’ sizes over time.
Additionally, it allocates each job gain or loss to the actual size class where it occurred.
Annual Data
The annual gross job gains and gross job losses measure the net change in employment at the
establishment level from the third month of a quarter in the previous year to the third month of the
same quarter in the current year. The BLS publishes annual BED data based on March-to-March
changes once a year with the release of the first quarter BED data. The annual data based on over-
the-year changes for other quarters of the year are available upon request. The definitions and
methodology in measuring annual gross job gains and gross job losses are similar to the quarterly
measures. The linkage method considers all predecessor and successor relations that may come
about due to changes in ownership and corporate restructuring over the entire year. At the
establishment level, some of the quarterly job gains and job losses are offset during the estimation
over the year. Therefore, the sum of four quarters of gross job gains and gross job losses are not
equal to annual gross job gains and gross job losses. The net change in employment over the year,
however, is equal to the sum of four quarterly net changes on a not seasonally adjusted basis.
Seasonal adjustment
Over the course of a year, the levels of employment and the associated job flows undergo sharp
fluctuations due to such seasonal events as changes in the weather, reduced or expanded
production, harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The effect of such
seasonal variation can be very large.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year, their influence can
be eliminated by adjusting these statistics from quarter to quarter. These adjustments make
nonseasonal developments, such as declines in economic activity, easier to recognize. For
example, the large number of youths taking summer jobs is likely to obscure other changes that
have taken place in June relative to March, making it difficult to determine if the level of economic
activity has risen or declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in previous
years is known, the statistics for the current year can be adjusted to allow for a comparable change.
The adjusted figures provide a more useful tool with which to analyze changes in economic
activity.
The employment data series for opening, expanding, closing, and contracting units are
independently seasonally adjusted; net changes are calculated based on the difference between
gross job gains and gross job losses. Similarly, for industry data, the establishment counts data
series for opening, expanding, closing, and contracting establishments are independently adjusted,
and the net changes are calculated based on the difference between the number of opening and
closing establishments. Additionally, establishment and employment levels are independently
seasonally adjusted to calculate the seasonally adjusted rates. Concurrent seasonal adjustment is
run using X-13 ARIMA-SEATS. Seasonally adjusted data series for total private are the sum of
seasonally adjusted data of all sectors including the unclassified sector, which is not separately
published.
The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing the BED component series will differ from
the net employment change estimated from the seasonally adjusted total private employment series
from the CES program. The intended use of BED statistics is to show the dynamic labor market
changes that underlie the net employment change statistic. As such, data users interested
particularly in the net employment change and not in the gross job flows underlying this change
should refer to CES data for over-the-quarter net employment changes.
Reliability of the data
Since the data series on Business Employment Dynamics are based on administrative rather than
sample data, there are no issues related to sampling error. Nonsampling error, however, still exists.
Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, such as the employer submitting corrected
employment data after the end of the quarter or typographical errors made by businesses when
providing information. Such errors, however, are likely to be distributed randomly throughout the
dataset.
Changes in administrative data sometimes create complications for the linkage process. This can
result in overstating openings and closings while understating expansions and contractions. The
BLS continues to refine methods for improving the linkage process to alleviate the effects of these
complications.
The BED data series are subject to periodic minor changes based on corrections in QCEW records,
updates on predecessors and successors information, and seasonal adjustment revisions.
Annual revisions are published each year with the release of the first quarter data. These revisions
cover the last four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and 5 years of seasonally adjusted data.
Additional statistics and other information
Several other programs within BLS produce closely related information. The QCEW program
provides both quarterly and annual estimates of employment by state, county, and detailed
industry. News releases on quarterly county employment and wages and the annual bulletin also
are available upon request from the Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover
(Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), phone number: (202) 691-6567; (www.bls.gov/cew/);
(e-mail: QCEWInfo@bls.gov).
The Current Employment Statistics program produces monthly estimates of employment, its
net change, hours, and earnings by detailed industry. These estimates are part of the Employment
Situation report put out monthly by BLS.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey program provides monthly measures of
job openings, as well as employee hires and separations.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access
telecommunications relay services.
Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and job losses, seasonally adjusted
Total private
(In thousands)
Gross job gains Gross job losses
Year 3 months ended Net change(1) Total Expanding Opening Total Contracting Closing
establishments establishments establishments establishments
2013 March 558 6,941 5,705 1,236 6,383 5,201 1,182
June 674 7,152 5,830 1,322 6,478 5,271 1,207
September 507 7,058 5,719 1,339 6,551 5,408 1,143
December 700 7,255 5,926 1,329 6,555 5,353 1,202
2014 March 419 6,953 5,687 1,266 6,534 5,380 1,154
June 895 7,454 6,114 1,340 6,559 5,342 1,217
September 577 7,247 5,918 1,329 6,670 5,487 1,183
December 1,038 7,617 6,248 1,369 6,579 5,346 1,233
2015 March 216 7,046 5,733 1,313 6,830 5,626 1,204
June 849 7,580 6,235 1,345 6,731 5,540 1,191
September 475 7,344 5,983 1,361 6,869 5,657 1,212
December 944 7,817 6,360 1,457 6,873 5,607 1,266
2016 March 249 7,163 5,875 1,288 6,914 5,706 1,208
June 318 7,443 6,070 1,373 7,125 5,820 1,305
September 748 7,710 6,250 1,460 6,962 5,718 1,244
December 308 7,413 6,007 1,406 7,105 5,806 1,299
2017 March 651 7,434 6,090 1,344 6,783 5,599 1,184
June 526 7,639 6,265 1,374 7,113 5,844 1,269
September -39 7,321 5,975 1,346 7,360 6,065 1,295
December 883 7,772 6,344 1,428 6,889 5,593 1,296
2018 March 683 7,494 6,135 1,359 6,811 5,616 1,195
June 498 7,688 6,286 1,402 7,190 5,907 1,283
September 86 7,485 6,113 1,372 7,399 6,083 1,316
December 723 7,719 6,283 1,436 6,996 5,665 1,331
2019 March 494 7,460 6,095 1,365 6,966 5,713 1,253
June 262 7,667 6,280 1,387 7,405 6,049 1,356
September 60 7,383 6,010 1,373 7,323 6,053 1,270
December 738 7,821 6,332 1,489 7,083 5,754 1,329
2020 March -836 7,031 5,711 1,320 7,867 6,394 1,473
June -14,538 5,733 4,441 1,292 20,271 17,349 2,922
September 4,003 10,846 8,800 2,046 6,843 5,471 1,372
December 2,016 8,786 7,095 1,691 6,770 5,417 1,353
2021 March 1,791 8,324 6,778 1,546 6,533 5,386 1,147
June 985 8,211 6,657 1,554 7,226 5,966 1,260
September 1,463 8,862 7,179 1,683 7,399 5,944 1,455
December 2,874 9,565 7,704 1,861 6,691 5,349 1,342
2022 March 1,575 8,553 6,974 1,579 6,978 5,560 1,418
June 382 8,352 6,624 1,728 7,970 6,450 1,520
September 1,341 8,841 7,183 1,658 7,500 5,995 1,505
December 478 8,108 6,447 1,661 7,630 6,113 1,517
2023 March 976 8,041 6,515 1,526 7,065 5,646 1,419
June 332 8,120 6,511 1,609 7,788 6,296 1,492
September -192 7,559 6,001 1,558 7,751 6,174 1,577
December 344 7,823 6,202 1,621 7,479 5,972 1,507
(1) Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses.
Table 2. Private sector gross job gains and losses, as a percent of employment(1), seasonally adjusted
Total private
(Percent)
Gross job gains Gross job losses
Year 3 months ended Net change(2) Total Expanding Opening Total Contracting Closing
establishments establishments establishments establishments
2013 March 0.5 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.7 4.6 1.1
June 0.6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1
September 0.5 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0
December 0.6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1
2014 March 0.4 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0
June 0.8 6.5 5.3 1.2 5.7 4.6 1.1
September 0.5 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0
December 0.9 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.7 4.6 1.1
2015 March 0.2 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0
June 0.7 6.4 5.3 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0
September 0.5 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0
December 0.7 6.5 5.3 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1
2016 March 0.2 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0
June 0.2 6.2 5.1 1.1 6.0 4.9 1.1
September 0.6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0
December 0.3 6.2 5.0 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1
2017 March 0.5 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.6 4.6 1.0
June 0.4 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0
September -0.1 6.0 4.9 1.1 6.1 5.0 1.1
December 0.7 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.7 4.6 1.1
2018 March 0.6 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.5 4.5 1.0
June 0.4 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0
September 0.0 6.0 4.9 1.1 6.0 4.9 1.1
December 0.6 6.2 5.0 1.2 5.6 4.5 1.1
2019 March 0.5 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.5 4.5 1.0
June 0.2 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.9 4.8 1.1
September 0.1 5.9 4.8 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0
December 0.6 6.2 5.0 1.2 5.6 4.5 1.1
2020 March -0.7 5.5 4.5 1.0 6.2 5.0 1.2
June -12.1 4.8 3.7 1.1 16.9 14.5 2.4
September 3.4 9.4 7.6 1.8 6.0 4.8 1.2
December 1.7 7.4 6.0 1.4 5.7 4.6 1.1
2021 March 1.5 7.0 5.7 1.3 5.5 4.5 1.0
June 0.9 6.8 5.5 1.3 5.9 4.9 1.0
September 1.2 7.3 5.9 1.4 6.1 4.9 1.2
December 2.3 7.7 6.2 1.5 5.4 4.3 1.1
2022 March 1.2 6.7 5.5 1.2 5.5 4.4 1.1
June 0.4 6.6 5.2 1.4 6.2 5.0 1.2
September 1.0 6.9 5.6 1.3 5.9 4.7 1.2
December 0.4 6.3 5.0 1.3 5.9 4.7 1.2
2023 March 0.8 6.2 5.0 1.2 5.4 4.3 1.1
June 0.3 6.2 5.0 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1
September -0.1 5.8 4.6 1.2 5.9 4.7 1.2
December 0.3 5.9 4.7 1.2 5.6 4.5 1.1
(1) The rates measure gross job gains and job losses as a percentage of the average of the previous and current quarter
employment levels.
(2) Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses.
Table 3. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted
Gross job gains and job losses Gross job gains and job losses
(in thousands) as a percent of employment
Category 3 months ended 3 months ended
Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec.
2022 2023 2023 2023 2023 2022 2023 2023 2023 2023
Total private(1)
Gross job gains 8,108 8,041 8,120 7,559 7,823 6.3 6.2 6.2 5.8 5.9
At expanding establishments 6,447 6,515 6,511 6,001 6,202 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.6 4.7
At opening establishments 1,661 1,526 1,609 1,558 1,621 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
Gross job losses 7,630 7,065 7,788 7,751 7,479 5.9 5.4 5.9 5.9 5.6
At contracting establishments 6,113 5,646 6,296 6,174 5,972 4.7 4.3 4.8 4.7 4.5
At closing establishments 1,517 1,419 1,492 1,577 1,507 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1
Net employment change 478 976 332 -192 344 0.4 0.8 0.3 -0.1 0.3
Goods-producing
Gross job gains 1,341 1,343 1,350 1,214 1,291 6.0 5.9 5.9 5.4 5.7
At expanding establishments 1,124 1,139 1,147 1,015 1,082 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.8
At opening establishments 217 204 203 199 209 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9
Gross job losses 1,288 1,211 1,318 1,312 1,295 5.8 5.3 5.8 5.8 5.7
At contracting establishments 1,073 1,007 1,095 1,085 1,085 4.8 4.4 4.8 4.8 4.8
At closing establishments 215 204 223 227 210 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.9
Net employment change 53 132 32 -98 -4 0.2 0.6 0.1 -0.4 0.0
Natural resources and mining
Gross job gains 204 218 247 221 203 11.1 11.9 13.5 12.1 11.0
At expanding establishments 176 192 217 192 174 9.6 10.5 11.9 10.5 9.4
At opening establishments 28 26 30 29 29 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6
Gross job losses 240 229 204 220 241 13.2 12.5 11.2 12.0 13.1
At contracting establishments 215 198 175 189 214 11.8 10.8 9.6 10.3 11.6
At closing establishments 25 31 29 31 27 1.4 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.5
Net employment change -36 -11 43 1 -38 -2.1 -0.6 2.3 0.1 -2.1
Construction
Gross job gains 667 706 666 607 678 8.6 8.9 8.4 7.7 8.5
At expanding establishments 529 571 541 483 545 6.8 7.2 6.8 6.1 6.8
At opening establishments 138 135 125 124 133 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.7
Gross job losses 630 580 663 642 619 8.1 7.4 8.4 8.1 7.8
At contracting establishments 495 457 522 504 491 6.4 5.8 6.6 6.4 6.2
At closing establishments 135 123 141 138 128 1.7 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.6
Net employment change 37 126 3 -35 59 0.5 1.5 0.0 -0.4 0.7
Manufacturing
Gross job gains 470 419 437 386 410 3.7 3.2 3.4 3.0 3.2
At expanding establishments 419 376 389 340 363 3.3 2.9 3.0 2.6 2.8
At opening establishments 51 43 48 46 47 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4
Gross job losses 418 402 451 450 435 3.2 3.1 3.5 3.5 3.4
At contracting establishments 363 352 398 392 380 2.8 2.7 3.1 3.0 3.0
At closing establishments 55 50 53 58 55 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4
Net employment change 52 17 -14 -64 -25 0.5 0.1 -0.1 -0.5 -0.2
Service-providing(1)
Gross job gains 6,767 6,698 6,770 6,345 6,532 6.3 6.2 6.2 5.9 6.0
At expanding establishments 5,323 5,376 5,364 4,986 5,120 5.0 5.0 4.9 4.6 4.7
At opening establishments 1,444 1,322 1,406 1,359 1,412 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3
Gross job losses 6,342 5,854 6,470 6,439 6,184 5.9 5.4 6.0 5.9 5.7
At contracting establishments 5,040 4,639 5,201 5,089 4,887 4.7 4.3 4.8 4.7 4.5
At closing establishments 1,302 1,215 1,269 1,350 1,297 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2
Net employment change 425 844 300 -94 348 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.0 0.3
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains 293 280 280 259 271 4.9 4.7 4.6 4.2 4.4
At expanding establishments 239 234 231 210 220 4.0 3.9 3.8 3.4 3.6
At opening establishments 54 46 49 49 51 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8
Gross job losses 253 250 261 259 254 4.2 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.1
At contracting establishments 195 191 204 199 197 3.2 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2
At closing establishments 58 59 57 60 57 1.0 1.0 0.9 1.0 0.9
Net employment change 40 30 19 0 17 0.7 0.6 0.4 -0.1 0.3
Retail trade
Gross job gains 804 880 859 822 756 5.3 5.7 5.5 5.2 4.9
At expanding establishments 687 771 739 709 640 4.5 5.0 4.7 4.5 4.1
At opening establishments 117 109 120 113 116 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.8
Gross job losses 903 729 898 903 867 5.8 4.8 5.7 5.7 5.6
At contracting establishments 789 628 785 771 746 5.1 4.1 5.0 4.9 4.8
At closing establishments 114 101 113 132 121 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8
Net employment change -99 151 -39 -81 -111 -0.5 0.9 -0.2 -0.5 -0.7
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains 473 307 324 330 513 7.3 4.7 5.0 5.2 7.9
At expanding establishments 409 261 277 286 457 6.3 4.0 4.3 4.5 7.0
At opening establishments 64 46 47 44 56 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.9
Gross job losses 332 440 377 340 288 5.1 6.7 5.9 5.3 4.4
At contracting establishments 277 393 324 290 237 4.3 6.0 5.1 4.5 3.6
At closing establishments 55 47 53 50 51 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8
Net employment change 141 -133 -53 -10 225 2.2 -2.0 -0.9 -0.1 3.5
Utilities
Gross job gains 18 16 21 18 19 3.3 2.9 3.6 3.1 3.3
At expanding establishments 16 14 19 16 16 2.9 2.5 3.3 2.8 2.8
At opening establishments 2 2 2 2 3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.5
Gross job losses 14 11 15 13 15 2.5 2.0 2.6 2.2 2.6
At contracting establishments 11 9 13 11 12 2.0 1.6 2.3 1.9 2.1
At closing establishments 3 2 2 2 3 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.5
Net employment change 4 5 6 5 4 0.8 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.7
Information
Gross job gains 166 139 146 130 154 5.4 4.6 4.8 4.4 5.3
At expanding establishments 127 112 115 94 120 4.1 3.7 3.8 3.2 4.1
At opening establishments 39 27 31 36 34 1.3 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.2
Gross job losses 190 179 216 197 159 6.2 5.8 7.2 6.7 5.5
At contracting establishments 151 147 180 158 127 4.9 4.8 6.0 5.4 4.4
At closing establishments 39 32 36 39 32 1.3 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.1
Net employment change -24 -40 -70 -67 -5 -0.8 -1.2 -2.4 -2.3 -0.2
Financial activities
Gross job gains 451 410 448 386 392 5.2 4.8 5.2 4.5 4.5
At expanding establishments 341 325 355 294 290 3.9 3.8 4.1 3.4 3.3
At opening establishments 110 85 93 92 102 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.2
Gross job losses 473 401 413 415 423 5.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9
At contracting establishments 363 297 308 311 320 4.2 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7
At closing establishments 110 104 105 104 103 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
Net employment change -22 9 35 -29 -31 -0.3 0.2 0.5 -0.3 -0.4
Professional and business services
Gross job gains 1,520 1,475 1,497 1,401 1,387 6.7 6.5 6.6 6.2 6.2
At expanding establishments 1,173 1,184 1,181 1,092 1,075 5.2 5.2 5.2 4.8 4.8
At opening establishments 347 291 316 309 312 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4
Gross job losses 1,601 1,422 1,578 1,544 1,544 7.0 6.3 7.0 6.8 6.9
At contracting establishments 1,252 1,112 1,263 1,196 1,213 5.5 4.9 5.6 5.3 5.4
At closing establishments 349 310 315 348 331 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5
Net employment change -81 53 -81 -143 -157 -0.3 0.2 -0.4 -0.6 -0.7
Education and health services
Gross job gains 1,162 1,225 1,275 1,232 1,167 4.9 5.1 5.3 5.0 4.7
At expanding establishments 920 1,013 1,042 1,004 926 3.9 4.2 4.3 4.1 3.7
At opening establishments 242 212 233 228 241 1.0 0.9 1.0 0.9 1.0
Gross job losses 1,012 908 989 985 1,033 4.3 3.8 4.1 4.0 4.2
At contracting establishments 770 690 773 744 763 3.3 2.9 3.2 3.0 3.1
At closing establishments 242 218 216 241 270 1.0 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.1
Net employment change 150 317 286 247 134 0.6 1.3 1.2 1.0 0.5
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains 1,459 1,464 1,423 1,330 1,427 9.1 9.0 8.6 8.1 8.6
At expanding establishments 1,149 1,178 1,126 1,028 1,116 7.2 7.2 6.8 6.3 6.7
At opening establishments 310 286 297 302 311 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9
Gross job losses 1,224 1,182 1,375 1,436 1,271 7.6 7.2 8.4 8.7 7.7
At contracting establishments 996 948 1,113 1,167 1,041 6.2 5.8 6.8 7.1 6.3
At closing establishments 228 234 262 269 230 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.4
Net employment change 235 282 48 -106 156 1.5 1.8 0.2 -0.6 0.9
Other services
Gross job gains 322 327 330 306 312 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.0 7.1
At expanding establishments 246 258 255 233 241 5.8 6.0 5.9 5.3 5.5
At opening establishments 76 69 75 73 71 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.6
Gross job losses 298 284 299 304 289 7.0 6.6 6.9 7.0 6.6
At contracting establishments 223 209 224 227 218 5.2 4.9 5.2 5.2 5.0
At closing establishments 75 75 75 77 71 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.6
Net employment change 24 43 31 2 23 0.6 1.0 0.7 0.0 0.5
(1) Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.
Table 4. Private sector gross job gains and losses by firm size, seasonally adjusted
(In thousands)
Total private by firm(1) Firm size 1 - 49 employees Firm size 50 - 249 employees Firm size 250 or more employees
Year 3 months Net Gross job Net Gross job Net Gross job Net Gross job
ended change gains losses change gains losses change gains losses change gains losses
2013 March 582 5,743 5,161 212 3,071 2,859 156 1,029 873 214 1,643 1,429
June 650 5,906 5,256 226 3,085 2,859 135 1,071 936 289 1,750 1,461
September 473 5,764 5,291 225 3,063 2,838 69 1,021 952 179 1,680 1,501
December 631 5,886 5,255 122 3,021 2,899 105 1,034 929 404 1,831 1,427
2014 March 442 5,665 5,223 231 3,070 2,839 149 1,035 886 62 1,560 1,498
June 893 6,134 5,241 302 3,178 2,876 214 1,119 905 377 1,837 1,460
September 560 5,865 5,305 197 3,064 2,867 117 1,066 949 246 1,735 1,489
December 951 6,155 5,204 212 3,105 2,893 150 1,085 935 589 1,965 1,376
2015 March 226 5,677 5,451 168 3,098 2,930 75 1,025 950 -17 1,554 1,571
June 846 6,243 5,397 323 3,196 2,873 187 1,128 941 336 1,919 1,583
September 456 5,914 5,458 148 3,057 2,909 79 1,047 968 229 1,810 1,581
December 830 6,245 5,415 227 3,172 2,945 90 1,074 984 513 1,999 1,486
2016 March 254 5,754 5,500 191 3,114 2,923 59 1,022 963 4 1,618 1,614
June 331 6,048 5,717 74 3,123 3,049 114 1,101 987 143 1,824 1,681
September 752 6,266 5,514 192 3,160 2,968 102 1,089 987 458 2,017 1,559
December 245 5,886 5,641 71 3,065 2,994 37 1,026 989 137 1,795 1,658
2017 March 662 6,007 5,345 346 3,236 2,890 191 1,085 894 125 1,686 1,561
June 570 6,216 5,646 145 3,161 3,016 151 1,127 976 274 1,928 1,654
September -90 5,826 5,916 -100 2,999 3,099 -44 1,013 1,057 54 1,814 1,760
December 804 6,185 5,381 235 3,184 2,949 142 1,082 940 427 1,919 1,492
2018 March 729 6,072 5,343 297 3,210 2,913 164 1,071 907 268 1,791 1,523
June 515 6,214 5,699 134 3,194 3,060 162 1,135 973 219 1,885 1,666
September 24 5,967 5,943 -83 3,027 3,110 -34 1,025 1,059 141 1,915 1,774
December 663 6,087 5,424 198 3,171 2,973 138 1,076 938 327 1,840 1,513
2019 March 572 6,016 5,444 260 3,191 2,931 155 1,066 911 157 1,759 1,602
June 269 6,170 5,901 58 3,161 3,103 106 1,124 1,018 105 1,885 1,780
September -10 5,856 5,866 -6 3,044 3,050 -36 1,014 1,050 32 1,798 1,766
December 647 6,192 5,545 205 3,186 2,981 93 1,062 969 349 1,944 1,595
2020 March -653 5,612 6,265 -367 3,026 3,393 -100 969 1,069 -186 1,617 1,803
June -15,093 4,515 19,608 -4,705 2,557 7,262 -2,796 582 3,378 -7,592 1,376 8,968
September 4,020 9,428 5,408 1,515 4,482 2,967 532 1,417 885 1,973 3,529 1,556
December 1,852 7,065 5,213 506 3,488 2,982 348 1,189 841 998 2,388 1,390
2021 March 1,840 6,896 5,056 973 3,641 2,668 224 1,101 877 643 2,154 1,511
June 1,016 6,664 5,648 724 3,523 2,799 220 1,146 926 72 1,995 1,923
September 1,418 7,143 5,725 396 3,526 3,130 247 1,192 945 775 2,425 1,650
December 2,734 7,641 4,907 913 3,769 2,856 468 1,303 835 1,353 2,569 1,216
2022 March 1,671 6,994 5,323 312 3,388 3,076 274 1,163 889 1,085 2,443 1,358
June 329 6,604 6,275 174 3,353 3,179 144 1,157 1,013 11 2,094 2,083
September 1,369 7,105 5,736 71 3,321 3,250 248 1,230 982 1,050 2,554 1,504
December 460 6,291 5,831 206 3,305 3,099 157 1,128 971 97 1,858 1,761
2023 March 1,104 6,556 5,452 317 3,333 3,016 275 1,184 909 512 2,039 1,527
June 283 6,450 6,167 0 3,237 3,237 133 1,170 1,037 150 2,043 1,893
September -246 5,925 6,171 -204 3,019 3,223 -26 1,034 1,060 -16 1,872 1,888
December 292 6,094 5,802 221 3,232 3,011 112 1,099 987 -41 1,763 1,804
(1) Total gross job gains and gross job losses by firm are lower than total gross job gains and gross job losses by establishment, as some
establishment gains and losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process.
NOTE: Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. Net change totals for the firm-level data differ from
the establishment-level data due to independent seasonal adjustment. The unit of analysis section in the technical note provides additional detail.
See www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmfirmsize.htm for more detailed firm size class data.
Table 5. Components of private sector gross job gains and losses by firm size, seasonally adjusted
Gross job gains and job losses Gross job gains and job losses
(in thousands) as a percent of employment
Category 3 months ended 3 months ended
Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec.
2022 2023 2023 2023 2023 2022 2023 2023 2023 2023
Total private by firm(1)
Gross job gains 6,291 6,556 6,450 5,925 6,094 4.8 5.1 5.0 4.6 4.6
At expanding firms 5,229 5,556 5,455 4,926 5,043 4.0 4.3 4.2 3.8 3.8
At opening firms 1,062 1,000 995 999 1,051 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8
Gross job losses 5,831 5,452 6,167 6,171 5,802 4.5 4.2 4.7 4.7 4.4
At contracting firms 4,880 4,473 5,157 5,154 4,871 3.8 3.4 3.9 3.9 3.7
At closing firms 951 979 1,010 1,017 931 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.7
Net employment change 460 1,104 283 -246 292 0.3 0.9 0.3 -0.1 0.2
Firm size 1 to 49 employees
Gross job gains 3,305 3,333 3,237 3,019 3,232 9.3 9.4 9.1 8.5 9.2
At expanding firms 2,278 2,366 2,280 2,065 2,219 6.4 6.7 6.4 5.8 6.3
At opening firms 1,027 967 957 954 1,013 2.9 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.9
Gross job losses 3,099 3,016 3,237 3,223 3,011 8.8 8.5 9.1 9.1 8.4
At contracting firms 2,181 2,066 2,270 2,243 2,109 6.2 5.8 6.4 6.3 5.9
At closing firms 918 950 967 980 902 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.5
Net employment change 206 317 0 -204 221 0.5 0.9 0.0 -0.6 0.8
Firm size 50 to 249 employees
Gross job gains 1,128 1,184 1,170 1,034 1,099 5.0 5.2 5.2 4.6 4.8
At expanding firms 1,095 1,153 1,134 998 1,064 4.9 5.1 5.0 4.4 4.6
At opening firms 33 31 36 36 35 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2
Gross job losses 971 909 1,037 1,060 987 4.3 4.0 4.5 4.6 4.3
At contracting firms 941 884 1,003 1,029 960 4.2 3.9 4.4 4.5 4.2
At closing firms 30 25 34 31 27 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Net employment change 157 275 133 -26 112 0.7 1.2 0.7 0.0 0.5
Firm size 250 or more employees
Gross job gains 1,858 2,039 2,043 1,872 1,763 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.4
At expanding firms 1,856 2,037 2,041 1,863 1,760 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.4
At opening firms 2 2 2 9 3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Gross job losses 1,761 1,527 1,893 1,888 1,804 2.5 2.1 2.6 2.6 2.5
At contracting firms 1,758 1,523 1,884 1,882 1,802 2.5 2.1 2.6 2.6 2.5
At closing firms 3 4 9 6 2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Net employment change 97 512 150 -16 -41 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.0 -0.1
(1) Total gross job gains and gross job losses by firm are lower than total gross job gains and gross job losses by
establishment, as some establishment gains and losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process.
NOTE: Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. Net change totals for
the firm-level data differ from the establishment-level data due to independent seasonal adjustment. The unit of
analysis section in the technical note provides additional detail. See www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmfirmsize.htm for more
detailed firm size class data.
Table 6. Private sector gross job gains and losses by state, seasonally adjusted
Gross job gains Gross job losses
State 3 months ended 3 months ended
Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec.
2022 2023 2023 2023 2023 2022 2023 2023 2023 2023
United States(1).... 8,108,000 8,041,000 8,120,000 7,559,000 7,823,000 7,630,000 7,065,000 7,788,000 7,751,000 7,479,000
Alabama............. 111,392 107,346 100,702 100,216 104,753 101,269 92,757 95,939 100,987 100,067
Alaska.............. 26,395 25,502 27,627 21,332 25,198 22,355 19,548 22,186 26,439 24,637
Arizona............. 179,255 162,184 192,346 183,856 183,915 162,816 147,769 178,441 162,523 193,895
Arkansas............ 66,289 61,533 63,471 60,444 66,620 55,695 54,248 65,458 61,771 57,045
California.......... 1,023,199 950,611 1,028,190 961,078 976,336 1,014,015 998,801 993,780 999,313 998,218
Colorado............ 179,968 174,762 178,132 135,454 204,859 164,325 157,244 160,978 150,554 184,049
Connecticut......... 84,396 87,749 92,604 82,905 81,715 84,879 75,054 82,681 89,425 82,942
Delaware............ 27,950 26,861 24,278 24,305 24,784 29,640 20,741 22,852 26,130 23,774
District of Columbia 28,958 30,796 28,166 28,605 26,974 28,671 24,750 28,001 28,416 29,160
Florida............. 526,584 536,274 578,080 564,943 512,282 506,776 474,307 496,234 505,174 499,970
Georgia............. 272,908 257,840 265,731 254,774 255,644 243,103 240,875 269,241 252,692 237,057
Hawaii.............. 30,578 28,383 29,151 27,109 31,270 24,784 25,797 26,822 34,974 25,288
Idaho............... 58,731 56,541 56,214 51,518 61,362 48,159 53,049 53,223 57,935 41,658
Illinois............ 277,741 302,001 285,519 249,357 256,291 265,645 252,853 281,545 287,850 264,419
Indiana............. 156,490 152,428 153,357 159,404 152,419 142,752 137,357 166,890 160,437 144,881
Iowa................ 83,521 79,072 79,017 71,800 78,723 80,755 69,866 77,599 76,191 74,153
Kansas.............. 73,945 71,362 71,788 67,090 68,830 65,323 63,683 70,057 71,269 63,379
Kentucky............ 98,218 102,867 93,576 94,807 95,879 87,574 82,015 99,073 91,490 87,018
Louisiana........... 96,340 100,274 95,762 97,306 99,707 98,066 89,594 102,429 96,084 97,350
Maine............... 39,221 41,777 41,094 36,676 39,035 36,063 32,865 41,017 41,735 37,593
Maryland............ 143,112 147,510 145,726 137,846 138,269 148,916 121,490 137,170 140,643 128,529
Massachusetts....... 172,267 185,080 188,783 173,510 171,233 182,910 150,369 181,977 194,523 176,983
Michigan............ 222,363 214,563 226,977 201,709 208,226 195,166 187,424 204,760 226,384 212,563
Minnesota........... 145,971 142,357 152,737 79,408 172,550 144,366 121,788 140,597 107,468 174,726
Mississippi......... 63,543 56,698 58,299 57,651 57,470 57,383 53,845 61,507 57,930 52,682
Missouri............ 146,620 159,576 144,820 138,048 146,728 141,455 126,409 146,711 144,835 138,707
Montana............. 38,144 36,820 33,093 32,253 37,230 32,645 30,286 35,748 35,506 30,526
Nebraska............ 50,331 52,700 51,196 50,601 49,583 47,031 43,272 47,470 49,905 47,481
Nevada.............. 86,046 81,960 89,121 87,646 90,143 80,560 76,372 80,568 74,367 70,277
New Hampshire....... 39,582 41,836 39,844 35,032 37,356 35,447 35,077 37,850 40,220 35,289
New Jersey.......... 245,269 225,314 252,735 218,347 215,434 216,117 206,205 215,082 219,037 211,055
New Mexico.......... 44,263 45,462 43,440 40,926 46,687 40,933 39,692 41,656 45,584 39,135
New York............ 475,568 519,705 505,166 474,709 466,156 477,112 415,967 463,070 493,186 462,312
North Carolina...... 268,628 263,089 248,661 230,670 253,988 230,657 214,252 235,494 253,947 195,372
North Dakota........ 21,763 26,282 23,960 23,154 23,528 22,691 19,560 23,576 22,941 22,045
Ohio................ 278,516 276,221 266,857 244,248 253,142 270,059 229,257 271,213 272,478 247,613
Oklahoma............ 88,157 83,640 82,988 83,010 81,669 78,069 70,808 80,274 80,312 77,731
Oregon.............. 109,234 122,824 109,046 102,505 104,126 104,861 104,113 117,513 116,696 107,375
Pennsylvania........ 289,349 291,327 278,274 274,729 278,168 269,933 246,312 293,852 273,799 260,921
Rhode Island........ 29,058 31,968 28,983 27,524 28,813 27,302 25,190 29,771 29,163 27,200
South Carolina...... 128,661 127,086 120,255 126,620 118,070 115,506 108,926 126,837 107,643 102,775
South Dakota........ 23,909 27,136 25,414 23,793 25,195 23,831 21,836 23,210 23,941 22,395
Tennessee........... 160,803 162,157 165,165 76,516 138,177 155,186 137,669 152,886 116,184 127,186
Texas............... 710,535 693,258 680,662 661,812 675,159 614,067 583,324 631,214 643,035 611,560
Utah................ 97,694 100,736 97,876 97,547 92,386 93,248 87,902 89,247 92,500 89,705
Vermont............. 19,530 20,856 18,909 16,131 18,179 17,641 14,980 19,097 20,331 16,679
Virginia............ 205,926 202,603 199,417 193,148 198,561 190,156 172,074 191,775 200,751 184,565
Washington.......... 178,131 192,039 181,419 161,082 182,034 159,252 164,600 168,647 179,554 154,930
West Virginia....... 35,765 38,724 33,896 35,651 33,938 34,246 29,218 33,964 35,499 35,291
Wisconsin........... 152,533 150,237 144,324 132,988 137,671 138,269 121,931 149,948 147,571 129,671
Wyoming............. 19,402 18,858 17,956 17,439 18,859 16,682 16,565 18,553 17,386 17,859
Puerto Rico......... 48,915 37,998 43,144 42,482 36,480 45,298 42,503 36,754 40,983 35,991
Virgin Islands...... 1,432 1,838 1,841 2,036 1,442 1,153 1,613 1,688 1,782 1,453
(1) The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.
NOTE: Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Table 7. Private sector gross job gains and losses, as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Gross job gains as a percent of employment Gross job losses as a percent of employment
State 3 months ended 3 months ended
Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec.
2022 2023 2023 2023 2023 2022 2023 2023 2023 2023
United States....... 6.3 6.2 6.2 5.8 5.9 5.9 5.4 5.9 5.9 5.6
Alabama............. 6.6 6.4 5.9 5.9 6.2 6.1 5.5 5.7 6.0 5.8
Alaska.............. 10.9 10.4 11.0 8.5 10.1 9.2 8.0 8.9 10.5 9.9
Arizona............. 6.6 5.9 7.0 6.7 6.6 6.0 5.4 6.5 5.9 6.9
Arkansas............ 6.2 5.8 5.8 5.6 6.1 5.2 5.0 6.0 5.7 5.3
California.......... 6.6 6.1 6.7 6.2 6.3 6.6 6.4 6.4 6.5 6.5
Colorado............ 7.6 7.2 7.3 5.5 8.4 6.9 6.5 6.6 6.2 7.5
Connecticut......... 5.9 6.1 6.4 5.8 5.6 5.9 5.3 5.7 6.2 5.7
Delaware............ 7.0 6.7 6.0 6.0 6.2 7.5 5.2 5.7 6.5 5.9
District of Columbia 5.6 5.9 5.4 5.5 5.2 5.5 4.8 5.3 5.4 5.6
Florida............. 6.2 6.3 6.8 6.5 5.9 6.0 5.6 5.8 5.8 5.8
Georgia............. 6.7 6.2 6.4 6.1 6.1 5.9 5.8 6.5 6.1 5.7
Hawaii.............. 6.0 5.5 5.7 5.3 6.1 4.9 5.0 5.2 6.9 5.0
Idaho............... 8.4 7.9 7.9 7.3 8.5 6.9 7.5 7.5 8.2 5.8
Illinois............ 5.4 5.8 5.4 4.8 4.9 5.1 4.8 5.3 5.5 5.1
Indiana............. 5.7 5.5 5.5 5.8 5.6 5.2 5.0 6.1 5.8 5.3
Iowa................ 6.4 6.0 6.0 5.5 6.0 6.2 5.4 5.9 5.8 5.7
Kansas.............. 6.3 6.1 6.1 5.7 5.8 5.6 5.4 6.0 6.0 5.4
Kentucky............ 6.0 6.1 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.3 4.9 5.9 5.5 5.2
Louisiana........... 6.1 6.3 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.2 5.6 6.4 6.0 6.1
Maine............... 7.4 7.7 7.6 6.8 7.3 6.8 6.2 7.6 7.8 7.0
Maryland............ 6.6 6.8 6.7 6.4 6.3 6.9 5.6 6.3 6.5 5.9
Massachusetts....... 5.5 5.8 5.9 5.4 5.3 5.8 4.7 5.7 6.1 5.6
Michigan............ 5.9 5.7 5.9 5.2 5.5 5.2 4.9 5.3 5.9 5.6
Minnesota........... 5.9 5.7 6.0 3.1 6.8 5.8 4.9 5.6 4.2 7.0
Mississippi......... 6.8 6.1 6.3 6.2 6.1 6.2 5.7 6.6 6.2 5.7
Missouri............ 6.1 6.5 5.9 5.6 6.0 5.8 5.1 5.9 5.8 5.6
Montana............. 9.2 8.7 7.8 7.7 8.8 7.8 7.1 8.4 8.5 7.2
Nebraska............ 6.0 6.3 6.0 6.0 5.9 5.7 5.1 5.6 5.9 5.6
Nevada.............. 6.4 6.2 6.6 6.5 6.6 6.1 5.7 6.0 5.5 5.1
New Hampshire....... 6.7 7.0 6.7 5.9 6.2 6.0 5.9 6.3 6.7 5.9
New Jersey.......... 6.8 6.1 6.8 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.7 5.9 5.9 5.8
New Mexico.......... 6.7 6.8 6.4 6.1 6.9 6.2 5.9 6.2 6.7 5.8
New York............ 5.9 6.5 6.3 5.8 5.8 6.0 5.1 5.7 6.1 5.7
North Carolina...... 6.6 6.4 6.1 5.6 6.1 5.7 5.3 5.7 6.2 4.7
North Dakota........ 6.4 7.6 6.9 6.6 6.7 6.7 5.6 6.7 6.6 6.3
Ohio................ 5.9 5.8 5.6 5.2 5.3 5.7 4.9 5.7 5.7 5.2
Oklahoma............ 6.6 6.3 6.2 6.2 6.1 5.9 5.3 6.0 6.0 5.7
Oregon.............. 6.5 7.3 6.4 6.1 6.1 6.2 6.1 6.9 6.9 6.3
Pennsylvania........ 5.5 5.5 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.2 4.6 5.5 5.2 4.9
Rhode Island........ 6.9 7.5 6.7 6.5 6.8 6.4 5.9 7.0 6.8 6.4
South Carolina...... 6.9 6.8 6.4 6.8 6.2 6.2 5.8 6.8 5.7 5.4
South Dakota........ 6.5 7.2 6.8 6.3 6.6 6.5 5.9 6.2 6.3 5.9
Tennessee........... 5.8 5.9 5.9 2.7 4.9 5.6 5.0 5.5 4.2 4.6
Texas............... 6.2 5.9 5.8 5.7 5.7 5.3 5.0 5.4 5.5 5.2
Utah................ 6.9 7.0 6.8 6.8 6.4 6.6 6.2 6.2 6.5 6.2
Vermont............. 7.8 8.2 7.4 6.3 7.2 7.0 6.0 7.5 8.0 6.6
Virginia............ 6.2 6.2 6.0 5.8 5.9 5.8 5.2 5.8 6.0 5.6
Washington.......... 5.9 6.4 6.0 5.4 6.0 5.3 5.5 5.6 6.0 5.2
West Virginia....... 6.6 7.1 6.1 6.5 6.1 6.4 5.3 6.1 6.5 6.5
Wisconsin........... 6.0 6.0 5.6 5.2 5.4 5.5 4.9 5.9 5.9 5.1
Wyoming............. 9.2 8.9 8.4 8.2 8.8 7.9 7.8 8.7 8.2 8.3
Puerto Rico......... 6.6 5.1 5.8 5.7 4.9 6.1 5.7 4.9 5.4 4.8
Virgin Islands...... 5.9 7.5 7.4 8.2 5.7 4.7 6.5 6.8 7.1 5.8
NOTE: Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Table 8. Private sector establishment births and deaths, seasonally adjusted
Total private
(Levels in thousands)
Number of Establishments Employment
Births Deaths(1) Births Deaths
Year 3 months ended Level Rate(2) Level Rate Level Rate Level Rate
2013 March 205 2.8 193 2.6 748 0.7 648 0.6
June 222 3.0 215 2.9 789 0.7 695 0.6
September 219 2.9 195 2.6 818 0.7 678 0.6
December 215 2.9 187 2.5 803 0.7 670 0.6
2014 March 220 2.9 190 2.5 784 0.7 635 0.6
June 221 2.9 204 2.7 806 0.7 711 0.6
September 225 3.0 199 2.6 825 0.7 703 0.6
December 224 2.9 198 2.6 836 0.7 705 0.6
2015 March 233 3.0 207 2.7 818 0.7 696 0.6
June 234 3.1 211 2.8 838 0.7 728 0.6
September 243 3.2 207 2.7 881 0.7 699 0.6
December 247 3.2 209 2.7 892 0.7 733 0.6
2016 March 236 3.0 204 2.6 789 0.7 671 0.6
June 241 3.1 213 2.7 838 0.7 719 0.6
September 238 3.0 214 2.7 872 0.7 745 0.6
December 238 3.0 217 2.8 865 0.7 729 0.6
2017 March 242 3.0 203 2.6 806 0.7 668 0.5
June 240 3.0 223 2.8 848 0.7 752 0.6
September 244 3.1 225 2.8 851 0.7 760 0.6
December 246 3.1 216 2.7 849 0.7 731 0.6
2018 March 248 3.1 215 2.7 816 0.7 668 0.5
June 263 3.3 228 2.8 879 0.7 769 0.6
September 250 3.1 231 2.8 863 0.7 785 0.6
December 249 3.1 222 2.7 855 0.7 758 0.6
2019 March 260 3.2 220 2.7 812 0.6 698 0.6
June 257 3.1 240 2.9 847 0.7 801 0.6
September 251 3.0 231 2.8 847 0.7 767 0.6
December 269 3.2 234 2.8 903 0.7 784 0.6
2020 March 279 3.3 240 2.9 811 0.6 735 0.6
June 227 2.8 327 4.0 658 0.5 1,152 1.0
September 278 3.4 233 2.9 821 0.7 691 0.6
December 287 3.5 218 2.6 916 0.8 688 0.6
2021 March 308 3.6 210 2.5 833 0.7 604 0.5
June 351 4.1 226 2.6 981 0.8 664 0.5
September 359 4.1 245 2.8 1,026 0.8 736 0.6
December 378 4.3 254 2.9 1,117 0.9 779 0.6
2022 March 349 3.9 255 2.9 960 0.8 744 0.6
June 365 4.1 322 3.6 1,062 0.8 925 0.7
September 349 3.9 294 3.3 1,031 0.8 913 0.7
December 344 3.8 289 3.2 1,045 0.8 899 0.7
2023 March 331 3.6 292 3.2 944 0.7 822 0.6
June 332 3.6 N/A N/A 1,015 0.8 N/A N/A
September 311 3.4 N/A N/A 972 0.7 N/A N/A
December 322 3.5 N/A N/A 1,013 0.8 N/A N/A
(1) Values for deaths are not available for the most recent three quarters by definition. See the
Technical Note for more informations.
(2) The rates measure births and deaths as a percentage of the average of the previous and current
quarter employment levels or total number of establishments.
United States Department of Labor
