Business Employment Dynamics in Pennsylvania — Third Quarter 2025

From June 2025 to September 2025, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Pennsylvania were 276,261, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 266,124, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Lori Keller noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 10,137 jobs in the private sector during the third quarter of 2025. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 19,211. (See chart 1.)

A line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in Pennsylvania, from September 2020 to September 2025, seasonally adjusted. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Pennsylvania, September 2020–September 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job losses	Gross job gains
Sep 2020	232,336	486,263
Dec 2020	259,083	297,514
Mar 2021	230,142	323,884
Jun 2021	262,377	280,660
Sep 2021	252,717	312,787
Dec 2021	243,462	344,336
Mar 2022	249,610	325,958
Jun 2022	289,745	284,639
Sep 2022	267,071	316,426
Dec 2022	269,940	288,754
Mar 2023	244,409	292,991
Jun 2023	289,183	279,877
Sep 2023	271,557	273,849
Dec 2023	257,726	277,491
Mar 2024	244,819	274,483
Jun 2024	274,879	263,353
Sep 2024	265,818	272,006
Dec 2024	256,763	278,325
Mar 2025	253,024	265,984
Jun 2025	281,003	261,792
Sep 2025	276,261	266,124

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job losses

In the third quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Pennsylvania; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.7 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In Pennsylvania, contracting establishments lost 235,235 jobs in the third quarter of 2025, a decrease of 6,502 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 41,026 jobs, an increase of 1,760 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Pennsylvania, September 2020–September 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Pennsylvania
Sep 2020	5.9	5.0
Dec 2020	5.7	5.3
Mar 2021	5.5	4.7
Jun 2021	5.9	5.3
Sep 2021	6.0	5.0
Dec 2021	5.4	4.8
Mar 2022	5.5	4.8
Jun 2022	6.2	5.6
Sep 2022	5.9	5.1
Dec 2022	5.9	5.2
Mar 2023	5.5	4.7
Jun 2023	5.9	5.4
Sep 2023	5.9	5.1
Dec 2023	5.7	4.8
Mar 2024	5.5	4.6
Jun 2024	5.9	5.2
Sep 2024	5.8	5.0
Dec 2024	5.7	4.8
Mar 2025	5.4	4.7
Jun 2025	6.0	5.2
Sep 2025	5.7	5.2

Gross job gains

In the third quarter of 2025, gross job gains represented 5.0 percent of private-sector employment in Pennsylvania; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.6 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In Pennsylvania, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 229,539 in the third quarter of 2025, an increase of 5,817 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 36,585 jobs gained in the third quarter of 2025, a decrease of 1,485 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Pennsylvania, September 2020–September 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Pennsylvania
Sep 2020	9.4	10.3
Dec 2020	7.4	6.2
Mar 2021	7.0	6.6
Jun 2021	6.8	5.7
Sep 2021	7.3	6.3
Dec 2021	7.7	6.8
Mar 2022	6.7	6.3
Jun 2022	6.5	5.5
Sep 2022	6.9	6.1
Dec 2022	6.3	5.5
Mar 2023	6.3	5.5
Jun 2023	6.2	5.3
Sep 2023	5.9	5.2
Dec 2023	6.0	5.2
Mar 2024	5.9	5.1
Jun 2024	5.8	4.9
Sep 2024	5.8	5.1
Dec 2024	5.9	5.2
Mar 2025	5.6	5.0
Jun 2025	5.7	4.9
Sep 2025	5.6	5.0

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 8 of the 11 published industry sectors in Pennsylvania in the third quarter of 2025. Manufacturing had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 5,578 jobs. This was the result of 12,609 gross job gains and 18,187 gross job losses. The leisure and hospitality industry had a net loss of 5,329 jobs. Education and health services showed a net gain of 6,777 jobs, the largest gain of any sector in the state.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Fourth Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

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 losses by industry, Pennsylvania, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	272,006	278,325	265,984	261,792	266,124	5.1	5.2	5.0	4.9	5.0
At expanding establishments	232,701	236,229	229,795	223,722	229,539	4.4	4.4	4.3	4.2	4.3
At opening establishments	39,305	42,096	36,189	38,070	36,585	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.7
Gross job losses	265,818	256,763	253,024	281,003	276,261	5.0	4.8	4.7	5.2	5.2
At contracting establishments	228,180	219,725	212,602	241,737	235,235	4.3	4.1	3.9	4.5	4.4
At closing establishments	37,638	37,038	40,422	39,266	41,026	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.8
Net employment change (2)	6,188	21,562	12,960	-19,211	-10,137	0.1	0.4	0.3	-0.3	-0.2
Construction
Gross job gains	17,410	21,460	22,142	19,647	17,185	6.8	8.3	8.3	7.4	6.6
At expanding establishments	14,278	18,276	18,515	16,832	14,346	5.6	7.1	6.9	6.3	5.5
At opening establishments	3,132	3,184	3,627	2,815	2,839	1.2	1.2	1.4	1.1	1.1
Gross job losses	20,053	19,517	17,355	19,008	19,677	7.8	7.6	6.5	7.1	7.6
At contracting establishments	17,314	16,228	13,979	15,575	16,314	6.7	6.3	5.2	5.8	6.3
At closing establishments	2,739	3,289	3,376	3,433	3,363	1.1	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3
Net employment change (2)	-2,643	1,943	4,787	639	-2,492	-1.0	0.7	1.8	0.3	-1.0
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	13,115	14,876	13,721	14,320	12,609	2.4	2.7	2.5	2.6	2.3
At expanding establishments	12,215	13,888	12,843	13,353	11,985	2.2	2.5	2.3	2.4	2.2
At opening establishments	900	988	878	967	624	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1
Gross job losses	16,580	15,559	15,386	16,725	18,187	2.9	2.8	2.7	3.0	3.2
At contracting establishments	15,249	14,391	13,990	15,852	16,938	2.7	2.6	2.5	2.8	3.0
At closing establishments	1,331	1,168	1,396	873	1,249	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Net employment change (2)	-3,465	-683	-1,665	-2,405	-5,578	-0.5	-0.1	-0.2	-0.4	-0.9
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	8,111	7,694	8,471	7,920	7,550	3.7	3.5	3.9	3.7	3.5
At expanding establishments	6,785	6,518	7,284	6,665	6,193	3.1	3.0	3.4	3.1	2.9
At opening establishments	1,326	1,176	1,187	1,255	1,357	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.6
Gross job losses	7,836	7,921	7,597	8,422	7,765	3.7	3.6	3.5	3.9	3.6
At contracting establishments	6,420	6,593	6,189	7,078	6,326	3.0	3.0	2.9	3.3	2.9
At closing establishments	1,416	1,328	1,408	1,344	1,439	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.7
Net employment change (2)	275	-227	874	-502	-215	0.0	-0.1	0.4	-0.2	-0.1
Retail trade
Gross job gains	27,855	25,944	29,387	29,346	30,773	4.7	4.4	5.1	5.0	5.2
At expanding establishments	24,855	22,462	26,626	25,867	27,007	4.2	3.8	4.6	4.4	4.6
At opening establishments	3,000	3,482	2,761	3,479	3,766	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.6
Gross job losses	30,956	30,629	24,141	33,664	34,395	5.2	5.2	4.2	5.7	5.8
At contracting establishments	27,964	27,645	20,803	29,353	28,949	4.7	4.7	3.6	5.0	4.9
At closing establishments	2,992	2,984	3,338	4,311	5,446	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.7	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-3,101	-4,685	5,246	-4,318	-3,622	-0.5	-0.8	0.9	-0.7	-0.6
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	19,806	23,451	12,019	11,686	16,389	6.7	7.6	3.8	3.8	5.4
At expanding establishments	17,846	19,746	11,006	10,461	15,521	6.0	6.4	3.5	3.4	5.1
At opening establishments	1,960	3,705	1,013	1,225	868	0.7	1.2	0.3	0.4	0.3
Gross job losses	11,922	11,788	18,834	19,390	14,642	4.0	3.8	6.1	6.4	4.8
At contracting establishments	10,756	10,325	17,307	17,670	13,407	3.6	3.3	5.6	5.8	4.4
At closing establishments	1,166	1,463	1,527	1,720	1,235	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.4
Net employment change (2)	7,884	11,663	-6,815	-7,704	1,747	2.7	3.8	-2.3	-2.6	0.6
Information
Gross job gains	4,195	3,923	4,721	4,933	4,186	4.7	4.3	5.2	5.4	4.6
At expanding establishments	3,309	2,990	3,784	4,108	3,427	3.7	3.3	4.2	4.5	3.8
At opening establishments	886	933	937	825	759	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.9	0.8
Gross job losses	4,073	4,445	4,627	5,366	5,230	4.5	4.9	5.1	5.9	5.8
At contracting establishments	3,101	3,535	3,863	3,931	3,948	3.4	3.9	4.3	4.3	4.4
At closing establishments	972	910	764	1,435	1,282	1.1	1.0	0.8	1.6	1.4
Net employment change (2)	122	-522	94	-433	-1,044	0.2	-0.6	0.1	-0.5	-1.2
Financial activities
Gross job gains	11,221	10,364	10,933	12,011	12,215	3.3	3.1	3.2	3.6	3.6
At expanding establishments	9,343	8,122	9,188	9,742	10,629	2.7	2.4	2.7	2.9	3.1
At opening establishments	1,878	2,242	1,745	2,269	1,586	0.6	0.7	0.5	0.7	0.5
Gross job losses	12,128	10,787	11,475	12,056	12,488	3.6	3.2	3.4	3.5	3.7
At contracting establishments	10,078	8,903	8,859	9,661	10,237	3.0	2.6	2.6	2.8	3.0
At closing establishments	2,050	1,884	2,616	2,395	2,251	0.6	0.6	0.8	0.7	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-907	-423	-542	-45	-273	-0.3	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	-0.1
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	53,666	49,002	46,830	47,167	50,916	6.4	5.9	5.7	5.6	6.1
At expanding establishments	43,417	39,127	38,866	39,417	42,558	5.2	4.7	4.7	4.7	5.1
At opening establishments	10,249	9,875	7,964	7,750	8,358	1.2	1.2	1.0	0.9	1.0
Gross job losses	47,785	49,925	47,622	53,773	49,942	5.7	5.9	5.7	6.5	6.0
At contracting establishments	39,228	41,467	37,901	45,526	40,676	4.7	4.9	4.5	5.5	4.9
At closing establishments	8,557	8,458	9,721	8,247	9,266	1.0	1.0	1.2	1.0	1.1
Net employment change (2)	5,881	-923	-792	-6,606	974	0.7	0.0	0.0	-0.9	0.1
Education and health services
Gross job gains	49,838	48,637	47,537	46,284	49,350	3.8	3.6	3.6	3.5	3.7
At expanding establishments	45,293	44,073	43,453	42,194	44,548	3.5	3.3	3.3	3.2	3.3
At opening establishments	4,545	4,564	4,084	4,090	4,802	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4
Gross job losses	41,741	38,852	38,320	44,974	42,573	3.2	3.0	2.9	3.4	3.2
At contracting establishments	36,428	33,706	32,512	38,764	36,986	2.8	2.6	2.5	2.9	2.8
At closing establishments	5,313	5,146	5,808	6,210	5,587	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.4
Net employment change (2)	8,097	9,785	9,217	1,310	6,777	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.1	0.5
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	48,059	56,765	52,906	51,757	49,746	8.4	10.0	9.2	9.0	8.8
At expanding establishments	39,327	47,282	43,312	41,169	40,233	6.9	8.3	7.5	7.2	7.1
At opening establishments	8,732	9,483	9,594	10,588	9,513	1.5	1.7	1.7	1.8	1.7
Gross job losses	56,785	47,950	51,210	50,969	55,075	10.0	8.4	8.9	8.9	9.7
At contracting establishments	48,031	40,174	43,728	44,270	47,574	8.5	7.0	7.6	7.7	8.4
At closing establishments	8,754	7,776	7,482	6,699	7,501	1.5	1.4	1.3	1.2	1.3
Net employment change (2)	-8,726	8,815	1,696	788	-5,329	-1.6	1.6	0.3	0.1	-0.9
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	15,004	12,231	11,854	12,581	11,553	7.4	6.0	5.8	6.3	5.7
At expanding establishments	12,740	10,404	9,982	10,253	9,767	6.3	5.1	4.9	5.1	4.8
At opening establishments	2,264	1,827	1,872	2,328	1,786	1.1	0.9	0.9	1.2	0.9
Gross job losses	12,027	15,102	12,476	12,220	12,296	5.9	7.4	6.2	6.1	6.1
At contracting establishments	10,265	13,005	10,225	10,029	10,460	5.0	6.4	5.1	5.0	5.2
At closing establishments	1,762	2,097	2,251	2,191	1,836	0.9	1.0	1.1	1.1	0.9
Net employment change (2)	2,977	-2,871	-622	361	-743	1.5	-1.4	-0.4	0.2	-0.4
Footnotes: (1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately. (2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. (3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025
United States(1)	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.7	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.4	6.0	5.7
Alabama	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.4	5.9	5.3	5.6	5.6	5.5
Alaska	8.0	10.3	10.0	9.9	7.5	9.6	9.5	8.1	10.3	10.0
Arizona	6.4	6.1	5.8	5.3	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.3	6.3	5.5
Arkansas	5.5	5.8	5.1	5.1	5.3	5.2	4.8	5.1	5.5	5.3
California	6.3	6.7	6.0	6.6	6.2	6.2	6.4	6.2	6.7	6.0
Colorado	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.4	6.5	6.4	6.5	6.8	7.1	6.5
Connecticut	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.3	5.6	5.5	5.3	5.8	5.9
Delaware	6.8	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.3	6.4	6.3	5.3	6.1	6.1
District of Columbia	4.9	5.0	4.8	5.7	4.6	5.0	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.9
Florida	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.7	6.2	5.5	5.8	6.0
Georgia	5.8	6.0	5.5	5.5	5.7	6.1	5.4	5.7	5.6	5.8
Hawaii	5.7	5.3	4.9	4.8	5.1	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.2	4.8
Idaho	7.1	8.2	7.3	7.7	6.7	7.5	6.8	7.3	7.2	7.6
Illinois	4.9	5.1	5.0	5.2	4.7	5.0	5.1	5.0	5.2	5.0
Indiana	5.3	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.1	5.3	5.1	5.2	5.6	5.1
Iowa	5.3	5.6	5.8	5.6	4.8	6.0	5.6	5.5	5.8	5.9
Kansas	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.4	5.8	5.6	5.2	5.4	6.3	5.8
Kentucky	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.3	5.4	5.5	4.8	5.4	5.6
Louisiana	6.1	6.2	5.6	5.5	5.9	5.8	5.5	5.6	6.3	6.0
Maine	6.2	7.0	7.4	7.2	6.2	7.1	7.1	6.3	7.4	7.0
Maryland	5.9	6.0	5.9	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.9	5.7	6.2	6.5
Massachusetts	5.0	5.3	5.0	5.5	5.3	5.8	5.5	5.1	5.8	5.9
Michigan	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.8	4.9	5.8	5.9	5.3	5.5	5.9
Minnesota	5.1	5.5	5.1	5.8	5.3	5.8	5.1	5.5	5.5	5.6
Mississippi	6.3	6.3	5.7	6.3	6.4	5.7	6.2	6.1	6.5	6.1
Missouri	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.3	5.2	6.1	5.9
Montana	7.2	8.4	8.0	7.7	7.0	8.0	7.8	7.5	8.3	7.9
Nebraska	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.3	5.5	5.8
Nevada	6.2	6.1	5.4	6.2	6.9	5.9	5.6	5.9	6.3	5.2
New Hampshire	5.6	6.3	6.5	6.3	5.6	6.7	5.9	6.1	6.7	6.8
New Jersey	5.4	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.3	5.8	5.5	5.4	5.5	5.8
New Mexico	6.3	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.8	6.2	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.2
New York	5.7	5.7	6.6	5.9	5.9	5.8	5.5	5.0	7.0	5.8
North Carolina	5.5	6.1	5.4	5.6	5.4	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.4	5.7
North Dakota	6.5	6.5	6.7	6.4	6.2	6.5	6.6	6.5	6.7	6.6
Ohio	5.2	5.4	5.2	5.3	5.1	5.4	5.1	4.9	5.4	5.3
Oklahoma	6.1	6.0	5.5	5.5	6.0	5.5	5.5	5.3	6.2	6.4
Oregon	6.3	6.2	5.8	6.4	5.7	6.6	6.6	6.2	6.5	6.7
Pennsylvania	5.1	5.2	5.0	4.9	5.0	5.0	4.8	4.7	5.2	5.2
Rhode Island	6.2	7.3	6.6	6.3	6.0	6.4	6.3	5.9	6.7	6.7
South Carolina	6.2	6.4	6.1	5.8	6.3	5.9	5.9	5.5	6.6	6.5
South Dakota	5.9	6.7	6.2	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.9	6.5	6.1	6.0
Tennessee	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.1	5.7	5.7	6.2	5.1	5.9	5.2
Texas	5.7	5.8	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.2	5.1	5.4	5.3
Utah	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.6	6.7	6.2	6.3	6.0	6.6	6.4
Vermont	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.9	6.6	7.1	6.7	6.8	7.5	7.8
Virginia	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.9	5.7	5.5	5.1	5.8	6.1
Washington	5.8	5.8	5.7	6.0	5.2	5.8	5.7	5.5	5.4	5.6
West Virginia	5.9	6.5	6.4	5.5	5.8	6.6	6.1	5.7	6.3	6.0
Wisconsin	5.1	5.3	5.0	5.3	4.9	5.5	5.2	4.9	5.5	5.6
Wyoming	8.9	8.9	8.1	8.3	7.7	8.5	8.3	8.7	8.9	8.4
Puerto Rico	5.4	4.3	6.3	7.0	5.4	5.0	5.4	5.4	6.1	5.7
Virgin Islands	4.7	5.2	5.4	15.0	7.1	7.5	10.8	7.6	9.5	8.4
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Last Modified Date: Friday, May 15, 2026

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