From December 2025 to March 2026, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in West Virginia were 36,187, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 30,435, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. 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 gain of 5,752 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2026. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 1,064. (See chart 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 the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the first quarter of 2026, gross job gains represented 6.4 percent of private-sector employment in West Virginia; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.5 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In West Virginia, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 28,766 in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 1,525 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 7,421 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 869 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2026, gross job losses represented 5.4 percent of private-sector employment in West Virginia; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.5 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In West Virginia, contracting establishments lost 24,572 jobs in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 1,365 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 5,863 jobs, a decrease of 3,057 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 7 of the 9 published industry sectors in West Virginia in the first quarter of 2026. Construction had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 2,261 jobs. This was the result of 4,878 gross job gains and 2,617 gross job losses. Financial activities showed a net loss of 75 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state. This was the result of 1,454 gross job gains and 1,529 gross job losses.

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 Second Quarter 2026 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 27, 2027, 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, West Virginia, seasonally adjusted

Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025	Mar. 2026	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025	Mar. 2026
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	37,511	31,909	33,668	33,793	36,187	6.7	5.6	6.1	6.1	6.4
At expanding establishments	31,351	26,066	27,158	27,241	28,766	5.6	4.6	4.9	4.9	5.1
At opening establishments	6,160	5,843	6,510	6,552	7,421	1.1	1.0	1.2	1.2	1.3
Gross job losses	33,009	35,851	34,413	34,857	30,435	5.9	6.4	6.2	6.2	5.4
At contracting establishments	26,758	28,201	27,818	25,937	24,572	4.8	5.0	5.0	4.6	4.4
At closing establishments	6,251	7,650	6,595	8,920	5,863	1.1	1.4	1.2	1.6	1.0
Net employment change (2)	4,502	-3,942	-745	-1,064	5,752	0.8	-0.8	-0.1	-0.1	1.0
Construction
Gross job gains	4,882	3,790	3,889	3,777	4,878	14.0	10.6	11.2	10.7	12.9
At expanding establishments	4,163	3,286	3,236	3,037	3,926	11.9	9.2	9.3	8.6	10.4
At opening establishments	719	504	653	740	952	2.1	1.4	1.9	2.1	2.5
Gross job losses	2,491	4,141	3,667	3,607	2,617	7.1	11.5	10.5	10.2	6.9
At contracting establishments	2,049	3,098	2,969	2,855	2,099	5.8	8.6	8.5	8.1	5.5
At closing establishments	442	1,043	698	752	518	1.3	2.9	2.0	2.1	1.4
Net employment change (2)	2,391	-351	222	170	2,261	6.9	-0.9	0.7	0.5	6.0
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	1,116	855	869	1,037	948	5.7	4.3	4.5	5.4	4.9
At expanding establishments	851	630	603	826	674	4.3	3.2	3.1	4.3	3.5
At opening establishments	265	225	266	211	274	1.4	1.1	1.4	1.1	1.4
Gross job losses	858	958	980	1,110	876	4.3	4.9	5.0	5.8	4.6
At contracting establishments	596	699	702	747	610	3.0	3.6	3.6	3.9	3.2
At closing establishments	262	259	278	363	266	1.3	1.3	1.4	1.9	1.4
Net employment change (2)	258	-103	-111	-73	72	1.4	-0.6	-0.5	-0.4	0.3
Retail trade
Gross job gains	4,843	3,926	4,360	3,405	4,304	6.3	5.0	5.7	4.5	5.7
At expanding establishments	4,321	3,526	3,840	3,034	3,792	5.6	4.5	5.0	4.0	5.0
At opening establishments	522	400	520	371	512	0.7	0.5	0.7	0.5	0.7
Gross job losses	3,429	4,989	4,676	4,542	3,519	4.4	6.4	6.0	5.9	4.6
At contracting establishments	3,058	4,393	3,876	3,786	2,970	3.9	5.6	5.0	4.9	3.9
At closing establishments	371	596	800	756	549	0.5	0.8	1.0	1.0	0.7
Net employment change (2)	1,414	-1,063	-316	-1,137	785	1.9	-1.4	-0.3	-1.4	1.1
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	1,165	790	889	1,654	1,543	6.4	4.5	5.1	9.4	8.6
At expanding establishments	984	656	781	1,361	1,295	5.4	3.7	4.5	7.7	7.2
At opening establishments	181	134	108	293	248	1.0	0.8	0.6	1.7	1.4
Gross job losses	1,466	1,307	1,102	1,066	1,523	8.1	7.3	6.3	6.0	8.5
At contracting establishments	1,320	1,144	982	797	1,290	7.3	6.4	5.6	4.5	7.2
At closing establishments	146	163	120	269	233	0.8	0.9	0.7	1.5	1.3
Net employment change (2)	-301	-517	-213	588	20	-1.7	-2.8	-1.2	3.4	0.1
Financial activities
Gross job gains	1,626	1,227	1,557	1,254	1,454	6.3	4.8	6.1	4.8	5.7
At expanding establishments	1,229	981	1,204	913	1,090	4.8	3.8	4.7	3.5	4.3
At opening establishments	397	246	353	341	364	1.5	1.0	1.4	1.3	1.4
Gross job losses	1,395	1,389	1,244	1,691	1,529	5.4	5.4	4.8	6.5	5.9
At contracting establishments	1,070	1,001	922	1,170	1,160	4.1	3.9	3.6	4.5	4.5
At closing establishments	325	388	322	521	369	1.3	1.5	1.2	2.0	1.4
Net employment change (2)	231	-162	313	-437	-75	0.9	-0.6	1.3	-1.7	-0.2
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	6,032	5,750	5,674	5,248	5,450	8.4	8.0	7.9	7.3	7.7
At expanding establishments	4,757	4,363	4,192	3,735	4,038	6.6	6.1	5.8	5.2	5.7
At opening establishments	1,275	1,387	1,482	1,513	1,412	1.8	1.9	2.1	2.1	2.0
Gross job losses	5,429	5,471	6,044	6,990	5,128	7.5	7.6	8.4	9.8	7.3
At contracting establishments	4,052	3,921	4,476	4,590	3,794	5.6	5.4	6.2	6.4	5.4
At closing establishments	1,377	1,550	1,568	2,400	1,334	1.9	2.2	2.2	3.4	1.9
Net employment change (2)	603	279	-370	-1,742	322	0.9	0.4	-0.5	-2.5	0.4
Education and health services
Gross job gains	6,607	5,583	6,192	6,781	6,206	4.6	3.9	4.3	4.7	4.3
At expanding establishments	5,456	4,573	5,170	5,498	5,170	3.8	3.2	3.6	3.8	3.6
At opening establishments	1,151	1,010	1,022	1,283	1,036	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.9	0.7
Gross job losses	6,803	6,172	4,889	5,347	4,541	4.7	4.3	3.4	3.7	3.2
At contracting establishments	5,034	4,586	4,056	3,749	3,595	3.5	3.2	2.8	2.6	2.5
At closing establishments	1,769	1,586	833	1,598	946	1.2	1.1	0.6	1.1	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-196	-589	1,303	1,434	1,665	-0.1	-0.4	0.9	1.0	1.1
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	6,969	5,586	6,225	6,356	6,598	9.5	7.7	8.6	8.8	9.0
At expanding establishments	5,942	4,511	4,831	5,403	4,885	8.1	6.2	6.7	7.5	6.7
At opening establishments	1,027	1,075	1,394	953	1,713	1.4	1.5	1.9	1.3	2.3
Gross job losses	6,670	6,751	6,530	5,595	6,624	9.1	9.3	9.1	7.8	9.0
At contracting establishments	5,798	5,578	5,395	4,311	5,499	7.9	7.7	7.5	6.0	7.5
At closing establishments	872	1,173	1,135	1,284	1,125	1.2	1.6	1.6	1.8	1.5
Net employment change (2)	299	-1,165	-305	761	-26	0.4	-1.6	-0.5	1.0	0.0
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	1,565	1,505	1,396	1,518	1,618	8.9	8.5	8.0	8.7	9.2
At expanding establishments	1,300	1,227	1,048	1,215	1,334	7.4	6.9	6.0	7.0	7.6
At opening establishments	265	278	348	303	284	1.5	1.6	2.0	1.7	1.6
Gross job losses	1,291	1,576	1,569	1,607	1,368	7.3	8.9	8.9	9.2	7.8
At contracting establishments	1,001	1,163	1,319	1,220	1,135	5.7	6.6	7.5	7.0	6.5
At closing establishments	290	413	250	387	233	1.6	2.3	1.4	2.2	1.3
Net employment change (2)	274	-71	-173	-89	250	1.6	-0.4	-0.9	-0.5	1.4
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)
	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025	Mar. 2026	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025	Mar. 2026
United States(1)	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.5	5.5	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.5
Alabama	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.9	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.3	5.2
Alaska	10.4	10.0	7.4	11.9	9.6	8.3	9.9	10.0	9.4	9.4
Arizona	5.8	5.2	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.3	6.2	5.3	5.4	5.6
Arkansas	5.1	5.1	5.4	6.0	5.3	5.1	5.6	5.4	5.3	5.4
California	6.1	6.4	6.3	6.9	6.3	6.4	6.7	6.1	6.1	6.0
Colorado	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.3	6.0	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.2	6.5
Connecticut	5.7	5.8	5.4	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.4
Delaware	6.0	6.0	5.3	5.5	5.5	5.4	6.1	6.0	5.6	5.4
District of Columbia	4.9	5.7	4.6	5.5	5.0	5.8	6.1	6.0	5.1	4.9
Florida	5.8	5.7	6.0	5.9	5.3	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.5
Georgia	5.6	5.5	5.7	5.9	5.3	5.7	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.5
Hawaii	5.2	4.9	5.2	5.1	5.0	5.2	5.2	4.8	4.7	5.1
Idaho	7.5	7.6	6.7	8.0	7.7	7.3	7.1	7.6	6.3	7.0
Illinois	5.0	5.2	4.7	5.3	5.1	5.0	5.1	5.0	5.3	5.0
Indiana	5.4	5.1	5.1	5.5	4.9	5.1	5.4	5.1	5.1	5.1
Iowa	6.0	5.5	4.8	6.2	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.9	5.4	5.4
Kansas	5.5	5.4	5.8	5.8	5.4	5.4	6.3	5.8	5.4	5.3
Kentucky	5.3	5.0	5.3	5.3	5.2	4.9	5.3	5.6	5.1	5.3
Louisiana	5.8	5.6	6.0	6.0	5.7	5.7	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.4
Maine	7.3	7.1	6.4	6.8	6.4	6.4	7.3	7.0	7.0	6.3
Maryland	5.9	5.7	5.8	6.1	5.6	5.8	6.6	6.3	5.5	6.0
Massachusetts	5.0	5.5	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.7	5.9	5.5	5.3
Michigan	5.3	5.8	4.9	5.6	5.4	5.3	5.4	5.9	5.3	4.9
Minnesota	5.1	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.6
Mississippi	6.0	6.2	6.4	6.4	5.7	6.1	6.2	6.0	5.9	6.3
Missouri	5.4	5.6	5.7	6.2	5.6	5.2	6.1	5.9	5.4	5.3
Montana	8.0	7.7	7.1	8.4	7.8	7.6	8.3	7.9	7.4	7.0
Nebraska	5.3	5.4	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.3	5.5	6.0	5.3	5.4
Nevada	5.4	6.1	6.9	6.4	5.7	5.9	6.3	5.3	5.4	5.7
New Hampshire	6.6	6.3	5.6	6.3	6.1	6.1	6.7	6.8	5.7	6.3
New Jersey	5.4	5.7	5.3	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.4	5.5
New Mexico	6.1	6.0	6.1	6.3	6.0	5.8	6.0	6.4	6.0	5.9
New York	7.0	6.1	5.9	5.6	5.4	5.2	7.0	5.7	5.5	5.2
North Carolina	5.6	5.7	5.4	6.0	5.8	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.0	5.3
North Dakota	6.7	6.4	6.2	6.9	6.8	6.5	6.8	6.6	6.4	6.7
Ohio	5.2	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.2	4.9	5.4	5.3	5.0	5.1
Oklahoma	5.5	5.6	6.0	6.2	5.3	5.3	6.2	6.3	5.3	5.3
Oregon	6.1	6.1	5.7	5.9	5.7	6.1	6.4	6.6	6.0	5.9
Pennsylvania	5.0	4.9	5.0	5.1	4.7	4.7	5.1	5.1	4.7	4.8
Rhode Island	6.6	6.3	6.0	6.6	5.8	5.9	6.7	6.6	6.2	6.0
South Carolina	6.1	5.9	6.3	6.6	6.0	5.6	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.7
South Dakota	6.3	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.9	6.4	6.0	5.9	6.1
Tennessee	5.5	5.3	5.8	6.0	5.4	5.3	6.5	5.5	5.3	4.9
Texas	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.8	5.4	5.1	5.3	5.2	4.9	5.4
Utah	6.8	6.9	6.9	6.6	6.4	6.2	6.8	6.5	6.2	6.1
Vermont	7.0	6.9	6.7	7.0	6.6	6.8	7.4	7.7	7.0	6.5
Virginia	5.6	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.2	5.8	6.1	5.2	5.4
Washington	5.7	6.0	5.2	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.5
West Virginia	6.7	5.6	6.1	6.1	6.4	5.9	6.4	6.2	6.2	5.4
Wisconsin	5.1	5.3	4.9	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.4	5.6	5.1	4.9
Wyoming	8.1	8.3	7.7	9.0	8.8	8.8	8.9	8.4	8.0	8.2
Puerto Rico	6.5	7.0	5.2	4.6	4.6	5.2	6.0	5.4	5.3	4.6
Virgin Islands	6.1	11.9	6.9	8.4	7.3	8.8	9.2	7.5	5.7	7.1
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.