For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Wednesday, July 25, 2018 USDL-18-1210
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 2017
From September 2017 to December 2017, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector
establishments were 7.8 million, an increase of 537,000 jobs gained over the quarter, the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported today. Over this period, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-
sector establishments were 6.8 million, a decrease of 602,000 jobs lost 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 999,000 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2017. (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 2017, gross job gains represented 6.4 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
6.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, an increase of 426,000 compared to the previous quarter.
Opening establishments accounted for 1.4 million of the jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2017, an
increase of 111,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See tables A, 1, 2, and 3.)
Gross Job Losses
In the fourth quarter of 2017, gross job losses represented 5.5 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 5.5 million jobs in the fourth quarter of
2017, a decrease of 576,000 jobs from the prior quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2017, closing
establishments lost 1.3 million jobs, a decrease of 26,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See tables A,
1, 2, and 3.)
Establishment Births and Deaths
In the fourth quarter of 2017, the number of establishment births (a subset of the openings data)
increased by 4,000, to a total of 244,000 establishments. These new establishments accounted for
849,000 jobs, an increase of 12,000 jobs from the previous quarter. Data for establishment deaths (a
subset of the closings data) are available through the first quarter of 2017, when 660,000 jobs were lost
at 202,000 establishments, a decrease of 69,000 jobs from the fourth quarter of 2016. (See Technical
Note and table 8.)
Industries
Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 12 of 13 industries in the fourth quarter of 2017. The
service-providing industries experienced a net job increase of 802,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Within service-providing industries, professional and business services had the largest over-the-quarter
net job increase, with a gain of 175,000 jobs. The net job increase in professional and business services
was the result of 1.5 million gross job gains and 1.3 million gross job losses. The utilities industry had
the smallest net job increase over the quarter, with an increase of 1,000 jobs. The goods-producing
industries experienced a net job increase of 197,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2017. Of the goods-
producing industries, construction added 105,000 jobs, manufacturing added 94,000 jobs, and natural
resources and mining experienced a net decrease of 2,000 jobs. (See table 3.)
Table A. Three-month private sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3 months ended
Category | Dec. | Mar. | June | Sept. | Dec.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2017 | 2017
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------
Gross job gains......................... | 7,455 | 7,328 | 7,604 | 7,256 | 7,793
At expanding establishments...... | 6,040 | 6,019 | 6,246 | 5,935 | 6,361
At opening establishments........ | 1,415 | 1,309 | 1,358 | 1,321 | 1,432
| | | | |
Gross job losses........................ | 7,065 | 6,674 | 7,128 | 7,396 | 6,794
At contracting establishments.... | 5,760 | 5,521 | 5,879 | 6,082 | 5,506
At closing establishments........ | 1,305 | 1,153 | 1,249 | 1,314 | 1,288
| | | | |
Net employment change (1)............... | 390 | 654 | 476 | -140 | 999
| | | | |
|--------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------
Gross job gains......................... | 6.2 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 6.4
At expanding establishments...... | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.2
At opening establishments........ | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2
| | | | |
Gross job losses........................ | 5.9 | 5.4 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 5.5
At contracting establishments.... | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.5
At closing establishments........ | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.0
| | | | |
Net employment change (1)............... | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.4 | -0.1 | 0.9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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 2017, firms with 1-49 employees had a net employment gain of 245,000. Firms
with 50-249 employees had a net employment gain of 165,000. Firms with 250 or more employees had a
net employment gain of 501,000. Of the 1.9 million net jobs created over the last four quarters, firms
with 1-49 employees contributed 30.4 percent of net job growth, while firms with 50-249 employees
contributed 24.0 percent, and firms with 250 or more employees contributed 45.6 percent. (See tables 4
and 5.)
States
Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 49 states and the District of Columbia in the fourth quarter
of 2017. Alaska had the highest rate of gross job gains as a percent of employment at 9.4 percent, above
the U.S. rate of 6.4 percent. Hawaii had the lowest rate of gross job gains as a percent of employment at
5.1 percent. The Virgin Islands had the highest rate of gross job losses as a percent of employment at
24.1 percent, above the national rate of 5.5 percent. Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee had the lowest
rate of gross job losses as a percent of employment at 4.9 percent each. (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 on the levels and rates of gross job gains and gross job losses by firm
size, not seasonally adjusted data and other seasonally adjusted time series not presented in this release,
charts of gross job gains and gross job losses by industry and firm size, and frequently asked questions
on firm size data. 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 2018 are scheduled to be released on
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. (EST).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data |
| |
| |
| Data in the next release, published on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, will incorporate annual revisions |
| to the BED series. Annual revisions are published each year with the release of first quarter data. |
| These revisions will cover the last 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 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 (QCEW), Business
Employment Dynamics (BED), and Current Employment Statistics (CES)—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.
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- | 634,000 establish-
| submitted by 9.9 | ministrative records| ments
| million establish- | submitted by 7.9 |
| ments | million private sec-|
| | tor establishments |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Coverage |--UI and UCFE cover- |--UI Coverage, exclud-|Nonfarm wage and salary
| age: all employers| ing government, pri-| jobs:
| subject to state | vate households, and|--UI Coverage, exclud-
| and federal UI Laws| establishments with | ing agriculture, pri-
| | 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
| end of each quar- | end of each quarter| Friday after the end
| ter | | of 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 level by
| at the county, MSA,| and contractions at | industry
| State, and national| the national level |
| levels by detailed | by NAICS super- |
| industry | sectors,3-digit |
| | NAICS, and by size |
| | 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 level |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
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 | | |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 7.9
million private sector employer reports out of 9.9 million total reports of employment and wages
submitted by states to BLS in the first quarter of 2017. 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 2017.
Number of active establishments included in
Business Employment Dynamics data at the national level
Total establishments QCEW program.................................................... 9.9
Excluded: Public sector............................................................ 0.3
Private households......................................................... 0.2
Zero employment............................................................ 1.5
Total establishments included in Business
Employment Dynamics data............................................................. 7.9
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 are used for the measurement of the 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 either units with positive third month employment in the previous quarter, with
no employment or zero employment reported 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 an establishment 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), telephone (202) 691-6567; (www.bls.gov/cew/);
(e-mail: QCEWInfo@bls.gov).
The Current Employment Statistics (CES) 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 (JOLTS) program provides monthly measures of
job openings, as well as employee hires and separations.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.
Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1 (800) 877-8339.
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
2007 March 584 7,815 6,331 1,484 7,231 5,894 1,337
June 132 7,647 6,205 1,442 7,515 6,084 1,431
September -209 7,376 5,870 1,506 7,585 6,190 1,395
December 268 7,687 6,181 1,506 7,419 6,040 1,379
2008 March -199 7,320 5,860 1,460 7,519 6,111 1,408
June -593 7,281 5,833 1,448 7,874 6,363 1,511
September -913 6,944 5,535 1,409 7,857 6,436 1,421
December -1,838 6,738 5,345 1,393 8,576 7,056 1,520
2009 March -2,680 5,918 4,675 1,243 8,598 7,142 1,456
June -1,667 6,425 5,080 1,345 8,092 6,674 1,418
September -849 6,399 5,139 1,260 7,248 5,854 1,394
December -264 6,665 5,308 1,357 6,929 5,605 1,324
2010 March -247 6,325 5,108 1,217 6,572 5,324 1,248
June 698 6,995 5,674 1,321 6,297 5,090 1,207
September 237 6,741 5,438 1,303 6,504 5,231 1,273
December 566 7,052 5,639 1,413 6,486 5,219 1,267
2011 March 334 6,540 5,322 1,218 6,206 5,025 1,181
June 582 6,966 5,625 1,341 6,384 5,115 1,269
September 841 7,205 5,810 1,395 6,364 5,172 1,192
December 335 6,865 5,503 1,362 6,530 5,273 1,257
2012 March 948 7,080 5,746 1,334 6,132 5,005 1,127
June 616 7,051 5,724 1,327 6,435 5,266 1,169
September 252 6,881 5,571 1,310 6,629 5,430 1,199
December 695 7,110 5,753 1,357 6,415 5,225 1,190
2013 March 560 6,933 5,701 1,232 6,373 5,194 1,179
June 674 7,155 5,834 1,321 6,481 5,275 1,206
September 476 7,048 5,708 1,340 6,572 5,425 1,147
December 717 7,267 5,936 1,331 6,550 5,346 1,204
2014 March 433 6,947 5,680 1,267 6,514 5,365 1,149
June 884 7,459 6,118 1,341 6,575 5,355 1,220
September 522 7,226 5,900 1,326 6,704 5,516 1,188
December 1,084 7,642 6,268 1,374 6,558 5,323 1,235
2015 March 226 7,032 5,722 1,310 6,806 5,606 1,200
June 833 7,589 6,245 1,344 6,756 5,563 1,193
September 414 7,324 5,964 1,360 6,910 5,695 1,215
December 1,010 7,851 6,387 1,464 6,841 5,573 1,268
2016 March 256 7,139 5,855 1,284 6,883 5,685 1,198
June 296 7,453 6,083 1,370 7,157 5,847 1,310
September 681 7,689 6,232 1,457 7,008 5,760 1,248
December 390 7,455 6,040 1,415 7,065 5,760 1,305
2017 March 654 7,328 6,019 1,309 6,674 5,521 1,153
June 476 7,604 6,246 1,358 7,128 5,879 1,249
September -140 7,256 5,935 1,321 7,396 6,082 1,314
December 999 7,793 6,361 1,432 6,794 5,506 1,288
(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
2007 March .5 6.9 5.6 1.3 6.4 5.2 1.2
June .1 6.7 5.4 1.3 6.6 5.3 1.3
September -.2 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.6 5.4 1.2
December .2 6.7 5.4 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2
2008 March -.1 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2
June -.5 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.9 5.6 1.3
September -.9 6.1 4.9 1.2 7.0 5.7 1.3
December -1.7 6.0 4.8 1.2 7.7 6.3 1.4
2009 March -2.4 5.4 4.3 1.1 7.8 6.5 1.3
June -1.5 6.0 4.7 1.3 7.5 6.2 1.3
September -.8 6.0 4.8 1.2 6.8 5.5 1.3
December -.3 6.3 5.0 1.3 6.6 5.3 1.3
2010 March -.2 6.0 4.8 1.2 6.2 5.0 1.2
June .7 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1
September .2 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.1 4.9 1.2
December .5 6.6 5.3 1.3 6.1 4.9 1.2
2011 March .3 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.8 4.7 1.1
June .5 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.9 4.7 1.2
September .8 6.7 5.4 1.3 5.9 4.8 1.1
December .4 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.0 4.8 1.2
2012 March .8 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.6 4.6 1.0
June .5 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1
September .2 6.2 5.0 1.2 6.0 4.9 1.1
December .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1
2013 March .5 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.7 4.6 1.1
June .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1
September .5 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0
December .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1
2014 March .4 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0
June .7 6.5 5.3 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1
September .4 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0
December .9 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.7 4.6 1.1
2015 March .2 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0
June .7 6.4 5.3 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0
September .4 6.2 5.0 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0
December .8 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1
2016 March .3 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0
June .2 6.2 5.1 1.1 6.0 4.9 1.1
September .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0
December .3 6.2 5.0 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1
2017 March .6 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.4 4.5 0.9
June .4 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0
September -.1 6.0 4.9 1.1 6.1 5.0 1.1
December .9 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.5 4.5 1.0
(1) The rates measure gross job gains and gross job losses as a percentage
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.
2016 2017 2017 2017 2017 2016 2017 2017 2017 2017
Total private(1)
Gross job gains 7,455 7,328 7,604 7,256 7,793 6.2 6.0 6.2 6.0 6.4
At expanding establishments 6,040 6,019 6,246 5,935 6,361 5.0 4.9 5.1 4.9 5.2
At opening establishments 1,415 1,309 1,358 1,321 1,432 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2
Gross job losses 7,065 6,674 7,128 7,396 6,794 5.9 5.4 5.8 6.1 5.5
At contracting establishments 5,760 5,521 5,879 6,082 5,506 4.8 4.5 4.8 5.0 4.5
At closing establishments 1,305 1,153 1,249 1,314 1,288 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.0
Net employment change 390 654 476 -140 999 0.3 0.6 0.4 -0.1 0.9
Goods-producing
Gross job gains 1,319 1,394 1,394 1,257 1,419 6.3 6.6 6.6 5.9 6.6
At expanding establishments 1,126 1,206 1,207 1,079 1,218 5.4 5.7 5.7 5.1 5.7
At opening establishments 193 188 187 178 201 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.9
Gross job losses 1,297 1,191 1,277 1,326 1,222 6.2 5.7 6.0 6.3 5.7
At contracting establishments 1,101 1,009 1,081 1,121 1,032 5.3 4.8 5.1 5.3 4.8
At closing establishments 196 182 196 205 190 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 0.9
Net employment change 22 203 117 -69 197 0.1 0.9 0.6 -0.4 0.9
Natural resources and mining
Gross job gains 252 287 270 251 254 13.6 15.3 14.3 13.4 13.4
At expanding establishments 220 253 238 219 222 11.9 13.5 12.6 11.7 11.7
At opening establishments 32 34 32 32 32 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7
Gross job losses 269 232 258 240 256 14.6 12.4 13.7 12.8 13.5
At contracting establishments 238 199 221 210 226 12.9 10.6 11.7 11.2 11.9
At closing establishments 31 33 37 30 30 1.7 1.8 2.0 1.6 1.6
Net employment change -17 55 12 11 -2 -1.0 2.9 0.6 0.6 -0.1
Construction
Gross job gains 654 707 680 613 708 9.7 10.3 9.8 8.9 10.2
At expanding establishments 533 584 562 501 577 7.9 8.5 8.1 7.3 8.3
At opening establishments 121 123 118 112 131 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.9
Gross job losses 635 582 634 662 603 9.5 8.5 9.1 9.6 8.7
At contracting establishments 515 474 521 537 488 7.7 6.9 7.5 7.8 7.0
At closing establishments 120 108 113 125 115 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.7
Net employment change 19 125 46 -49 105 0.2 1.8 0.7 -0.7 1.5
Manufacturing
Gross job gains 413 400 444 393 457 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.2 3.7
At expanding establishments 373 369 407 359 419 3.0 3.0 3.3 2.9 3.4
At opening establishments 40 31 37 34 38 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
Gross job losses 393 377 385 424 363 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.0
At contracting establishments 348 336 339 374 318 2.8 2.7 2.7 3.0 2.6
At closing establishments 45 41 46 50 45 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4
Net employment change 20 23 59 -31 94 0.1 0.3 0.5 -0.2 0.7
Service-providing(1)
Gross job gains 6,136 5,934 6,210 5,999 6,374 6.1 5.9 6.2 5.9 6.3
At expanding establishments 4,914 4,813 5,039 4,856 5,143 4.9 4.8 5.0 4.8 5.1
At opening establishments 1,222 1,121 1,171 1,143 1,231 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2
Gross job losses 5,768 5,483 5,851 6,070 5,572 5.8 5.5 5.8 6.0 5.5
At contracting establishments 4,659 4,512 4,798 4,961 4,474 4.7 4.5 4.8 4.9 4.4
At closing establishments 1,109 971 1,053 1,109 1,098 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.1
Net employment change 368 451 359 -71 802 0.3 0.4 0.4 -0.1 0.8
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains 272 263 282 265 280 4.6 4.4 4.8 4.5 4.8
At expanding establishments 225 220 236 223 235 3.8 3.7 4.0 3.8 4.0
At opening establishments 47 43 46 42 45 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.8
Gross job losses 256 249 246 268 247 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.5 4.2
At contracting establishments 201 196 194 213 193 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.3
At closing establishments 55 53 52 55 54 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9
Net employment change 16 14 36 -3 33 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.0 0.6
Retail trade
Gross job gains 895 927 920 875 899 5.6 5.9 5.8 5.5 5.7
At expanding establishments 777 805 797 754 789 4.9 5.1 5.0 4.7 5.0
At opening establishments 118 122 123 121 110 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.7
Gross job losses 923 881 924 977 887 5.9 5.6 5.8 6.1 5.6
At contracting establishments 803 775 799 849 774 5.1 4.9 5.0 5.3 4.9
At closing establishments 120 106 125 128 113 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.7
Net employment change -28 46 -4 -102 12 -0.3 0.3 0.0 -0.6 0.1
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains 383 245 266 305 388 7.8 5.0 5.4 6.2 7.7
At expanding establishments 339 215 231 266 343 6.9 4.4 4.7 5.4 6.8
At opening establishments 44 30 35 39 45 0.9 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Gross job losses 232 323 253 232 228 4.8 6.6 5.2 4.6 4.5
At contracting establishments 194 290 216 195 188 4.0 5.9 4.4 3.9 3.7
At closing establishments 38 33 37 37 40 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.8
Net employment change 151 -78 13 73 160 3.0 -1.6 0.2 1.6 3.2
Utilities
Gross job gains 12 11 12 11 12 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.0 2.2
At expanding establishments 10 10 11 10 11 1.8 1.8 2.0 1.8 2.0
At opening establishments 2 1 1 1 1 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Gross job losses 13 10 13 13 11 2.4 1.8 2.4 2.4 2.0
At contracting establishments 11 9 12 12 10 2.0 1.6 2.2 2.2 1.8
At closing establishments 2 1 1 1 1 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Net employment change -1 1 -1 -2 1 -0.2 0.2 -0.2 -0.4 0.2
Information
Gross job gains 142 142 157 151 150 5.1 5.1 5.6 5.4 5.3
At expanding establishments 115 120 132 125 124 4.1 4.3 4.7 4.5 4.4
At opening establishments 27 22 25 26 26 1.0 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9
Gross job losses 150 139 191 153 142 5.3 4.9 6.8 5.5 5.1
At contracting establishments 121 116 166 129 114 4.3 4.1 5.9 4.6 4.1
At closing establishments 29 23 25 24 28 1.0 0.8 0.9 0.9 1.0
Net employment change -8 3 -34 -2 8 -0.2 0.2 -1.2 -0.1 0.2
Financial activities
Gross job gains 382 353 390 370 384 4.8 4.4 4.8 4.6 4.8
At expanding establishments 298 289 315 298 298 3.7 3.6 3.9 3.7 3.7
At opening establishments 84 64 75 72 86 1.1 0.8 0.9 0.9 1.1
Gross job losses 356 336 343 362 368 4.4 4.2 4.2 4.5 4.6
At contracting establishments 274 262 267 283 282 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.5 3.5
At closing establishments 82 74 76 79 86 1.0 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.1
Net employment change 26 17 47 8 16 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.1 0.2
Professional and business services
Gross job gains 1,395 1,285 1,437 1,363 1,480 7.0 6.3 7.0 6.7 7.2
At expanding establishments 1,121 1,058 1,185 1,120 1,206 5.6 5.2 5.8 5.5 5.9
At opening establishments 274 227 252 243 274 1.4 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3
Gross job losses 1,359 1,265 1,331 1,390 1,305 6.7 6.3 6.6 6.8 6.4
At contracting establishments 1,075 1,026 1,074 1,117 1,022 5.3 5.1 5.3 5.5 5.0
At closing establishments 284 239 257 273 283 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.4
Net employment change 36 20 106 -27 175 0.3 0.0 0.4 -0.1 0.8
Education and health services
Gross job gains 966 948 983 981 980 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.5 4.4
At expanding establishments 774 786 812 814 802 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.6
At opening establishments 192 162 171 167 178 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8
Gross job losses 905 813 901 903 861 4.1 3.7 4.1 4.1 3.8
At contracting establishments 709 656 729 724 676 3.2 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.0
At closing establishments 196 157 172 179 185 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8
Net employment change 61 135 82 78 119 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.6
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains 1,308 1,321 1,333 1,277 1,371 8.4 8.4 8.4 8.0 8.6
At expanding establishments 1,016 1,054 1,054 1,003 1,085 6.5 6.7 6.6 6.3 6.8
At opening establishments 292 267 279 274 286 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.8
Gross job losses 1,240 1,149 1,324 1,424 1,212 8.0 7.2 8.3 9.0 7.6
At contracting establishments 1,027 955 1,106 1,187 993 6.6 6.0 6.9 7.5 6.2
At closing establishments 213 194 218 237 219 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.4
Net employment change 68 172 9 -147 159 0.4 1.2 0.1 -1.0 1.0
Other services
Gross job gains 281 286 306 278 292 6.8 6.9 7.4 6.7 7.1
At expanding establishments 219 228 243 220 231 5.3 5.5 5.9 5.3 5.6
At opening establishments 62 58 63 58 61 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5
Gross job losses 293 272 281 304 272 7.1 6.6 6.8 7.3 6.6
At contracting establishments 231 212 220 238 210 5.6 5.1 5.3 5.7 5.1
At closing establishments 62 60 61 66 62 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.5
Net employment change -12 14 25 -26 20 -0.3 0.3 0.6 -0.6 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(2,3) gains losses change gains losses change gains losses change gains losses
2007 March 478 6,333 5,855 173 3,445 3,272 98 1,158 1,060 207 1,730 1,523
June 163 6,239 6,076 -33 3,330 3,363 99 1,171 1,072 97 1,738 1,641
September -215 5,920 6,135 -116 3,263 3,379 -34 1,079 1,113 -65 1,578 1,643
December 270 6,251 5,981 10 3,317 3,307 56 1,139 1,083 204 1,795 1,591
2008 March -274 5,831 6,105 -152 3,235 3,387 -11 1,079 1,090 -111 1,517 1,628
June -548 5,850 6,398 -287 3,174 3,461 -44 1,090 1,134 -217 1,586 1,803
September -956 5,532 6,488 -343 3,051 3,394 -140 1,020 1,160 -473 1,461 1,934
December -1,886 5,338 7,224 -689 2,910 3,599 -375 947 1,322 -822 1,481 2,303
2009 March -2,638 4,617 7,255 -983 2,721 3,704 -616 810 1,426 -1,039 1,086 2,125
June -1,763 5,169 6,932 -474 2,946 3,420 -281 950 1,231 -1,008 1,273 2,281
September -906 5,164 6,070 -372 2,826 3,198 -110 932 1,042 -424 1,406 1,830
December -317 5,403 5,720 -159 2,940 3,099 -45 962 1,007 -113 1,501 1,614
2010 March -234 5,115 5,349 -195 2,863 3,058 -2 914 916 -37 1,338 1,375
June 664 5,805 5,141 235 3,093 2,858 204 1,071 867 225 1,641 1,416
September 226 5,525 5,299 26 2,946 2,920 87 998 911 113 1,581 1,468
December 502 5,781 5,279 92 3,051 2,959 92 1,034 942 318 1,696 1,378
2011 March 340 5,375 5,035 99 2,983 2,884 122 971 849 119 1,421 1,302
June 537 5,746 5,209 190 3,073 2,883 169 1,063 894 178 1,610 1,432
September 852 5,974 5,122 272 3,137 2,865 171 1,066 895 409 1,771 1,362
December 297 5,585 5,288 45 2,970 2,925 44 981 937 208 1,634 1,426
2012 March 972 5,904 4,932 388 3,173 2,785 220 1,054 834 364 1,677 1,313
June 612 5,828 5,216 174 3,039 2,865 158 1,074 916 280 1,715 1,435
September 226 5,581 5,355 55 2,963 2,908 54 1,006 952 117 1,612 1,495
December 637 5,779 5,142 180 3,025 2,845 94 1,014 920 363 1,740 1,377
2013 March 588 5,743 5,155 221 3,078 2,857 155 1,027 872 212 1,638 1,426
June 649 5,912 5,263 221 3,084 2,863 137 1,074 937 291 1,754 1,463
September 439 5,748 5,309 208 3,054 2,846 62 1,017 955 169 1,677 1,508
December 651 5,894 5,243 131 3,026 2,895 108 1,036 928 412 1,832 1,420
2014 March 459 5,662 5,203 248 3,077 2,829 153 1,034 881 58 1,551 1,493
June 888 6,142 5,254 299 3,179 2,880 216 1,123 907 373 1,840 1,467
September 502 5,845 5,343 168 3,051 2,883 102 1,058 956 232 1,736 1,504
December 987 6,166 5,179 225 3,111 2,886 157 1,087 930 605 1,968 1,363
2015 March 237 5,664 5,427 181 3,102 2,921 79 1,022 943 -23 1,540 1,563
June 834 6,256 5,422 316 3,197 2,881 189 1,135 946 329 1,924 1,595
September 381 5,884 5,503 113 3,038 2,925 59 1,038 979 209 1,808 1,599
December 895 6,270 5,375 250 3,183 2,933 101 1,078 977 544 2,009 1,465
2016 March 273 5,743 5,470 220 3,124 2,904 60 1,015 955 -7 1,604 1,611
June 300 6,051 5,751 64 3,125 3,061 116 1,109 993 120 1,817 1,697
September 665 6,229 5,564 147 3,135 2,988 80 1,080 1,000 438 2,014 1,576
December 326 5,920 5,594 88 3,076 2,988 52 1,033 981 186 1,811 1,625
2017 March 686 5,952 5,266 369 3,206 2,837 197 1,077 880 120 1,669 1,549
June 511 6,193 5,682 143 3,135 2,992 153 1,133 980 215 1,925 1,710
September -197 5,786 5,983 -176 2,948 3,124 -57 1,010 1,067 36 1,828 1,792
December 911 6,214 5,303 245 3,174 2,929 165 1,094 929 501 1,946 1,445
(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.
(2) Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses.
(3) Net change totals for firm-level data shown differ from the establishment-level data due to independent seasonal adjustment of the series.
NOTE: See http://www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmfirmsize.htm for additional 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.
2016 2017 2017 2017 2017 2016 2017 2017 2017 2017
Total private by firm(1)
Gross job gains 5,920 5,952 6,193 5,786 6,214 4.9 4.9 5.0 4.7 5.1
At expanding firms 4,976 5,026 5,302 4,933 5,261 4.1 4.1 4.3 4.0 4.3
At opening firms 944 926 891 853 953 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8
Gross job losses 5,594 5,266 5,682 5,983 5,303 4.6 4.4 4.7 4.9 4.3
At contracting firms 4,734 4,442 4,847 5,083 4,434 3.9 3.7 4.0 4.2 3.6
At closing firms 860 824 835 900 869 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7
Net employment change 326 686 511 -197 911 0.3 0.5 0.3 -0.2 0.8
Firm size 1 to 49 employees
Gross job gains 3,076 3,206 3,135 2,948 3,174 9.1 9.4 9.2 8.7 9.3
At expanding firms 2,171 2,316 2,288 2,131 2,258 6.4 6.8 6.7 6.3 6.6
At opening firms 905 890 847 817 916 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.7
Gross job losses 2,988 2,837 2,992 3,124 2,929 8.8 8.3 8.8 9.2 8.6
At contracting firms 2,163 2,042 2,187 2,260 2,096 6.4 6.0 6.4 6.7 6.2
At closing firms 825 795 805 864 833 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.4
Net employment change 88 369 143 -176 245 0.3 1.1 0.4 -0.5 0.7
Firm size 50 to 249 employees
Gross job gains 1,033 1,077 1,133 1,010 1,094 4.8 4.9 5.2 4.5 4.9
At expanding firms 997 1,046 1,095 978 1,061 4.6 4.8 5.0 4.4 4.8
At opening firms 36 31 38 32 33 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1
Gross job losses 981 880 980 1,067 929 4.5 4.0 4.4 4.8 4.2
At contracting firms 951 854 954 1,037 897 4.4 3.9 4.3 4.7 4.1
At closing firms 30 26 26 30 32 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Net employment change 52 197 153 -57 165 0.3 0.9 0.8 -0.3 0.7
Firm size 250 or more employees
Gross job gains 1,811 1,669 1,925 1,828 1,946 2.8 2.5 2.9 2.8 2.9
At expanding firms 1,808 1,664 1,919 1,824 1,942 2.8 2.5 2.9 2.8 2.9
At opening firms 3 5 6 4 4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Gross job losses 1,625 1,549 1,710 1,792 1,445 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.2
At contracting firms 1,620 1,546 1,706 1,786 1,441 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.2
At closing firms 5 3 4 6 4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Net employment change 186 120 215 36 501 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.7
(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.
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.
2016 2017 2017 2017 2017 2016 2017 2017 2017 2017
United States(1)... 7,455,000 7,328,000 7,604,000 7,256,000 7,793,000 7,065,000 6,674,000 7,128,000 7,396,000 6,794,000
Alabama..... 91,681 95,018 87,409 94,500 94,535 90,287 81,340 88,801 91,500 85,499
Alaska..... 24,029 23,211 27,146 21,147 23,051 24,699 24,169 24,590 26,106 25,087
Arizona..... 138,291 136,971 145,129 156,480 150,080 126,313 126,704 134,184 124,785 126,790
Arkansas..... 58,062 56,151 52,890 56,574 59,343 53,892 50,773 56,758 54,500 50,039
California..... 980,183 962,840 1,008,489 945,420 1,012,893 910,192 872,313 963,220 921,087 878,611
Colorado..... 143,107 147,416 154,090 146,525 150,388 140,926 133,241 138,475 142,005 134,785
Connecticut..... 72,719 79,177 82,321 75,866 75,860 75,033 73,288 73,239 81,660 73,737
Delaware..... 23,338 24,976 25,141 24,514 27,053 23,351 22,313 26,277 25,233 24,440
District of Columbia 28,788 29,705 29,308 28,084 29,872 28,695 24,377 28,802 27,580 25,951
Florida..... 487,710 445,222 487,806 417,099 601,026 445,725 409,290 450,987 550,590 386,654
Georgia..... 239,884 230,965 229,623 224,926 255,553 211,569 212,760 225,490 228,351 205,236
Hawaii..... 26,673 27,379 27,647 28,750 27,120 26,775 25,523 28,656 28,034 26,110
Idaho..... 42,845 45,963 43,250 39,216 44,067 38,897 37,152 39,124 39,172 37,931
Illinois..... 309,191 298,256 295,556 287,491 310,581 290,285 276,590 283,177 309,665 274,431
Indiana..... 142,574 149,579 148,779 143,839 152,373 137,206 131,859 143,482 144,972 133,787
Iowa..... 73,955 78,764 73,448 70,162 76,283 76,993 71,324 73,959 73,416 68,723
Kansas..... 67,413 66,295 61,932 70,689 68,399 64,801 63,041 74,435 64,182 59,348
Kentucky..... 95,679 90,878 95,401 92,556 93,898 90,662 85,832 94,425 91,789 86,067
Louisiana..... 94,259 102,536 98,856 97,543 98,516 103,469 93,274 104,081 96,361 95,548
Maine..... 37,196 36,582 39,612 32,989 36,310 35,905 32,852 39,786 38,313 34,280
Maryland..... 140,769 131,540 137,552 133,359 135,848 131,349 126,358 133,284 134,027 132,634
Massachusetts..... 171,192 168,627 190,672 169,666 179,395 165,880 156,939 161,748 174,731 171,782
Michigan..... 204,720 211,095 214,607 196,743 209,001 200,138 184,414 198,700 221,387 204,433
Minnesota..... 140,520 142,651 140,705 131,688 143,126 138,963 117,302 129,066 140,788 137,173
Mississippi..... 56,611 51,514 52,591 51,045 57,005 50,218 52,216 53,075 52,367 48,701
Missouri..... 134,067 138,174 133,946 140,239 133,861 133,207 116,324 132,611 138,472 126,736
Montana..... 29,076 30,348 29,692 26,807 31,827 27,842 26,801 29,106 29,737 27,761
Nebraska..... 46,158 48,350 45,258 47,480 50,417 49,989 42,036 48,966 47,756 44,572
Nevada..... 71,548 75,922 73,628 73,242 77,451 64,782 59,528 69,752 68,063 61,756
New Hampshire..... 35,405 32,723 37,609 31,928 37,577 33,335 32,020 34,154 37,103 33,658
New Jersey..... 217,599 191,080 231,222 207,174 227,504 200,514 198,940 187,345 213,365 194,773
New Mexico..... 41,275 40,142 42,206 40,887 39,989 40,739 39,132 39,683 39,637 37,870
New York..... 472,712 482,960 512,229 488,700 483,363 461,337 446,567 452,251 485,909 457,296
North Carolina..... 225,601 222,190 228,495 215,246 229,058 205,302 199,056 214,667 218,341 200,335
North Dakota..... 23,021 26,128 23,242 23,088 23,360 26,535 22,998 23,826 23,383 23,106
Ohio..... 260,009 260,122 266,532 239,333 260,248 249,754 236,913 248,853 262,346 240,136
Oklahoma..... 81,574 78,427 82,854 81,713 80,947 78,496 81,448 74,136 75,734 74,095
Oregon..... 103,156 108,577 103,951 102,766 107,905 96,506 89,507 94,764 99,294 95,339
Pennsylvania..... 274,781 268,559 281,457 279,310 280,880 260,840 254,346 263,822 264,139 250,985
Rhode Island..... 23,989 26,217 27,377 24,892 27,480 23,904 24,785 24,775 26,563 25,372
South Carolina..... 108,676 100,891 102,376 96,040 116,023 90,148 92,823 99,787 106,344 85,962
South Dakota..... 21,044 22,209 21,870 19,852 22,384 21,233 20,656 21,953 20,797 20,129
Tennessee..... 144,675 128,481 136,278 134,472 147,416 126,150 123,277 129,537 128,703 123,782
Texas..... 588,802 580,416 588,070 595,615 641,177 538,726 519,376 539,188 579,631 537,456
Utah..... 79,259 91,646 81,427 82,619 84,690 75,963 72,367 74,004 75,903 70,508
Vermont..... 17,998 16,827 20,084 17,066 18,651 17,636 17,258 17,430 20,080 16,545
Virginia..... 194,325 186,996 196,028 182,441 196,190 180,449 172,727 183,875 193,605 170,840
Washington..... 191,782 185,519 193,086 172,479 188,287 179,259 152,983 167,385 170,855 160,099
West Virginia..... 34,777 34,065 35,135 37,743 34,247 33,887 34,690 35,391 35,798 33,151
Wisconsin..... 134,052 143,931 139,680 122,392 136,582 131,290 116,833 136,434 140,307 121,569
Wyoming..... 17,940 17,837 17,344 17,516 17,948 17,692 16,484 18,378 16,028 17,149
Puerto Rico..... 38,952 34,349 34,820 27,179 45,987 36,267 38,301 35,043 41,788 76,402
Virgin Islands..... 1,644 1,463 1,707 1,132 2,055 1,665 1,497 1,285 2,266 5,918
The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.
(1) 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.
2016 2017 2017 2017 2017 2016 2017 2017 2017 2017
United States1..... 6.2 6.0 6.2 6.0 6.4 5.9 5.4 5.8 6.1 5.5
Alabama..... 5.8 6.1 5.5 6.0 6.0 5.8 5.2 5.6 5.8 5.4
Alaska..... 9.8 9.4 11.0 8.5 9.4 10.0 9.8 9.9 10.5 10.2
Arizona..... 6.0 5.8 6.2 6.6 6.2 5.5 5.4 5.7 5.3 5.3
Arkansas..... 5.9 5.6 5.2 5.7 5.9 5.4 5.0 5.6 5.5 5.0
California..... 6.9 6.7 6.9 6.5 6.9 6.3 6.0 6.6 6.4 6.0
Colorado..... 6.6 6.8 7.1 6.6 6.8 6.5 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.1
Connecticut..... 5.1 5.5 5.7 5.2 5.3 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.7 5.1
Delaware..... 6.2 6.6 6.6 6.5 7.1 6.2 5.9 7.0 6.6 6.4
District of Columbia.. 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.4 5.7 5.6 4.7 5.6 5.3 5.0
Florida..... 6.7 6.1 6.6 5.6 8.1 6.1 5.5 6.1 7.5 5.2
Georgia..... 6.6 6.3 6.2 6.1 6.9 5.8 5.8 6.1 6.2 5.5
Hawaii..... 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.4 5.1 5.0 4.8 5.4 5.3 4.9
Idaho..... 7.5 7.9 7.3 6.7 7.4 6.7 6.3 6.6 6.6 6.4
Illinois..... 6.1 5.8 5.7 5.6 6.0 5.6 5.4 5.5 6.0 5.3
Indiana..... 5.4 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.7 5.2 5.1 5.5 5.5 5.1
Iowa..... 5.7 6.1 5.6 5.4 5.9 5.9 5.5 5.7 5.7 5.3
Kansas..... 5.9 5.8 5.5 6.3 6.1 5.7 5.6 6.6 5.7 5.2
Kentucky..... 6.1 5.7 6.1 5.9 6.0 5.8 5.4 5.9 5.8 5.4
Louisiana..... 5.9 6.4 6.2 6.1 6.2 6.5 5.9 6.5 6.1 6.0
Maine..... 7.4 7.2 7.7 6.5 7.1 7.1 6.4 7.7 7.5 6.7
Maryland..... 6.6 6.1 6.4 6.1 6.2 6.2 5.9 6.2 6.2 6.2
Massachusetts..... 5.6 5.5 6.1 5.5 5.7 5.4 5.1 5.2 5.6 5.6
Michigan..... 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.3 5.6 5.4 5.0 5.3 6.0 5.5
Minnesota..... 5.7 5.8 5.7 5.4 5.8 5.7 4.7 5.3 5.7 5.6
Mississippi..... 6.3 5.7 5.9 5.7 6.3 5.6 5.9 6.0 5.9 5.5
Missouri..... 5.7 5.9 5.6 5.9 5.6 5.6 4.9 5.6 5.9 5.4
Montana..... 7.8 8.1 7.9 7.2 8.5 7.5 7.1 7.7 8.0 7.4
Nebraska..... 5.7 5.9 5.6 5.9 6.2 6.2 5.2 6.1 5.9 5.5
Nevada..... 6.2 6.6 6.3 6.3 6.5 5.6 5.2 6.0 5.8 5.2
New Hampshire..... 6.3 5.7 6.6 5.6 6.6 5.9 5.6 5.9 6.5 5.9
New Jersey..... 6.4 5.5 6.7 6.0 6.5 5.9 5.8 5.5 6.2 5.6
New Mexico..... 6.6 6.4 6.7 6.5 6.3 6.5 6.2 6.3 6.3 6.0
New York..... 6.1 6.2 6.5 6.2 6.1 5.9 5.7 5.7 6.1 5.8
North Carolina..... 6.3 6.2 6.3 6.0 6.3 5.7 5.5 5.9 6.0 5.5
North Dakota..... 6.7 7.6 6.8 6.7 6.8 7.7 6.7 6.9 6.8 6.7
Ohio..... 5.7 5.7 5.8 5.1 5.6 5.4 5.1 5.4 5.6 5.2
Oklahoma..... 6.5 6.3 6.6 6.5 6.4 6.3 6.5 5.9 6.0 5.8
Oregon..... 6.6 6.9 6.5 6.5 6.8 6.3 5.7 5.9 6.3 6.0
Pennsylvania..... 5.4 5.2 5.5 5.4 5.5 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.2 4.9
Rhode Island..... 5.7 6.3 6.5 5.9 6.6 5.8 5.9 5.9 6.3 6.0
South Carolina..... 6.5 6.0 6.1 5.7 6.9 5.4 5.6 6.0 6.4 5.1
South Dakota..... 6.0 6.4 6.3 5.7 6.4 6.1 5.9 6.3 6.0 5.7
Tennessee..... 5.8 5.1 5.4 5.4 5.8 5.1 4.9 5.1 5.2 4.9
Texas..... 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.9 6.3 5.4 5.2 5.4 5.7 5.3
Utah..... 6.8 7.7 6.8 6.8 7.0 6.4 6.1 6.2 6.3 5.8
Vermont..... 7.0 6.6 7.9 6.7 7.2 7.0 6.8 6.8 7.8 6.4
Virginia..... 6.2 6.0 6.2 5.8 6.3 5.9 5.6 5.9 6.2 5.5
Washington..... 7.1 6.8 7.1 6.3 6.9 6.7 5.6 6.1 6.3 5.8
West Virginia..... 6.4 6.3 6.4 6.9 6.3 6.2 6.4 6.5 6.5 6.1
Wisconsin..... 5.5 5.9 5.6 5.0 5.6 5.3 4.8 5.5 5.7 5.0
Wyoming..... 8.8 8.8 8.5 8.7 8.8 8.7 8.1 9.0 7.9 8.3
Puerto Rico..... 5.8 5.1 5.2 4.1 7.1 5.4 5.7 5.2 6.2 11.7
Virgin Islands..... 6.0 5.3 6.2 4.2 8.4 6.0 5.5 4.7 8.3 24.1
(1) 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
2007 March 232 3.2 205 2.8 918 0.8 787 0.7
June 225 3.1 215 3.0 898 0.8 859 0.8
September 233 3.2 216 3.0 952 0.8 845 0.7
December 228 3.1 218 3.0 922 0.8 836 0.7
2008 March 226 3.1 224 3.1 919 0.8 832 0.7
June 221 3.0 238 3.3 876 0.8 913 0.8
September 216 3.0 233 3.2 849 0.8 881 0.8
December 211 2.9 253 3.5 819 0.7 951 0.9
2009 March 197 2.7 247 3.4 738 0.7 869 0.8
June 201 2.8 238 3.3 767 0.7 837 0.8
September 192 2.7 227 3.2 725 0.7 793 0.7
December 202 2.8 218 3.1 728 0.7 749 0.7
2010 March 193 2.7 211 3.0 706 0.7 687 0.7
June 193 2.7 202 2.9 730 0.7 665 0.6
September 207 2.9 204 2.9 754 0.7 701 0.7
December 216 3.0 201 2.8 805 0.8 700 0.7
2011 March 204 2.9 200 2.8 715 0.7 632 0.6
June 210 2.9 205 2.9 767 0.7 689 0.6
September 206 2.9 196 2.7 794 0.7 675 0.6
December 214 3.0 198 2.8 800 0.7 700 0.6
2012 March 236 3.3 188 2.6 787 0.7 614 0.6
June 217 3.0 194 2.7 799 0.7 673 0.6
September 210 2.9 196 2.7 804 0.7 692 0.6
December 218 3.0 183 2.5 809 0.7 673 0.6
2013 March 205 2.8 192 2.6 748 0.7 646 0.6
June 222 3.0 215 2.9 791 0.7 696 0.6
September 219 2.9 195 2.6 823 0.7 678 0.6
December 216 2.9 187 2.5 804 0.7 670 0.6
2014 March 221 2.9 189 2.5 782 0.7 633 0.6
June 220 2.9 205 2.7 806 0.7 718 0.6
September 224 3.0 200 2.6 828 0.7 706 0.6
December 223 2.9 197 2.6 837 0.7 708 0.6
2015 March 234 3.1 206 2.7 814 0.7 691 0.6
June 234 3.1 212 2.8 839 0.7 732 0.6
September 242 3.1 207 2.7 880 0.7 704 0.6
December 246 3.2 208 2.7 894 0.8 732 0.6
2016 March 236 3.0 202 2.6 787 0.7 660 0.6
June 242 3.1 214 2.7 838 0.7 724 0.6
September 240 3.1 215 2.7 872 0.7 749 0.6
December 239 3.0 217 2.8 868 0.7 729 0.6
2017 March 240 3.0 202 2.5 800 0.7 660 0.5
June 239 3.0 N/A N/A 846 0.7 N/A N/A
September 240 3.0 N/A N/A 837 0.7 N/A N/A
December 244 3.0 N/A N/A 849 0.7 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 information.
(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
