From December 2022 to March 2023, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Virginia were 202,603, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 172,074, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 30,529 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2023. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 15,770. (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 Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the first quarter of 2023, gross job gains represented 6.2 percent of private-sector employment both in Virginia and nationally. (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 Virginia, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 157,153 in the first quarter of 2023, a decrease of 4,734 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 45,450 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 1,411 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2023, gross job losses represented 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Virginia; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.4 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 Virginia, contracting establishments lost 135,885 jobs in the first quarter of 2023, a decrease of 5,478 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 36,189 jobs, a decrease of 12,604 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 9 of the 11 industry sectors in Virginia in the first quarter of 2023. Education and health services had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 9,656 jobs. This was the result of 31,081 gross job gains and 21,425 gross job losses. The leisure and hospitality industry had a net gain of 7,940 jobs. Transportation and warehousing showed a net loss of 1,927 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state. This was the result of 8,646 gross job losses and 6,719 gross job gains.

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 www.bls.gov/bdm/.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2023 are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

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.

In the BED program, the 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.

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all businesses in the economy. BED statistics track these changes in employment at private business establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment from expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross jobs lost is the net change in employment.

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. 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.

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.

The full Technical Note for the Business Employment Dynamics program, which includes information on coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the current quarterly news release online at www.bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.htm.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, 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. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	212,051	209,495	242,676	205,926	202,603	6.6	6.5	7.5	6.2	6.2
At expanding establishments	168,719	157,857	179,280	161,887	157,153	5.3	4.9	5.5	4.9	4.8
At opening establishments	43,332	51,638	63,396	44,039	45,450	1.3	1.6	2.0	1.3	1.4
Gross job losses	186,166	216,108	196,198	190,156	172,074	5.8	6.7	6.1	5.8	5.2
At contracting establishments	141,664	157,833	151,510	141,363	135,885	4.4	4.9	4.7	4.3	4.1
At closing establishments	44,502	58,275	44,688	48,793	36,189	1.4	1.8	1.4	1.5	1.1
Net employment change (2)	25,885	-6,613	46,478	15,770	30,529	0.8	-0.2	1.4	0.4	1.0
Construction
Gross job gains	16,147	13,962	16,830	15,092	15,123	7.7	6.8	8.2	7.2	7.1
At expanding establishments	12,585	10,539	12,534	11,916	11,743	6.0	5.1	6.1	5.7	5.5
At opening establishments	3,562	3,423	4,296	3,176	3,380	1.7	1.7	2.1	1.5	1.6
Gross job losses	14,840	15,765	13,444	13,642	13,293	7.2	7.6	6.5	6.4	6.3
At contracting establishments	10,979	11,208	10,271	9,981	10,366	5.3	5.4	5.0	4.7	4.9
At closing establishments	3,861	4,557	3,173	3,661	2,927	1.9	2.2	1.5	1.7	1.4
Net employment change (2)	1,307	-1,803	3,386	1,450	1,830	0.5	-0.8	1.7	0.8	0.8
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	8,128	8,094	8,285	7,582	7,364	3.4	3.4	3.5	3.1	3.1
At expanding establishments	7,223	6,953	6,680	6,515	6,500	3.0	2.9	2.8	2.7	2.7
At opening establishments	905	1,141	1,605	1,067	864	0.4	0.5	0.7	0.4	0.4
Gross job losses	5,869	6,950	7,978	8,143	6,445	2.4	2.8	3.3	3.4	2.7
At contracting establishments	4,932	5,395	6,950	6,925	5,553	2.0	2.2	2.9	2.9	2.3
At closing establishments	937	1,555	1,028	1,218	892	0.4	0.6	0.4	0.5	0.4
Net employment change (2)	2,259	1,144	307	-561	919	1.0	0.6	0.2	-0.3	0.4
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	5,806	5,547	7,032	4,975	5,393	5.3	5.1	6.3	4.4	4.8
At expanding establishments	4,911	4,375	5,147	4,109	4,605	4.5	4.0	4.6	3.6	4.1
At opening establishments	895	1,172	1,885	866	788	0.8	1.1	1.7	0.8	0.7
Gross job losses	4,647	5,744	4,565	4,490	4,483	4.3	5.2	4.1	4.0	3.9
At contracting establishments	3,375	3,706	3,615	3,481	3,441	3.1	3.4	3.2	3.1	3.0
At closing establishments	1,272	2,038	950	1,009	1,042	1.2	1.8	0.9	0.9	0.9
Net employment change (2)	1,159	-197	2,467	485	910	1.0	-0.1	2.2	0.4	0.9
Retail trade
Gross job gains	23,847	20,307	23,505	20,041	21,090	6.1	5.1	6.0	5.1	5.4
At expanding establishments	21,515	17,858	20,680	17,313	19,229	5.5	4.5	5.3	4.4	4.9
At opening establishments	2,332	2,449	2,825	2,728	1,861	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.7	0.5
Gross job losses	18,801	26,108	24,788	22,912	18,217	4.8	6.5	6.3	5.8	4.7
At contracting establishments	15,700	22,390	21,216	20,030	15,912	4.0	5.6	5.4	5.1	4.1
At closing establishments	3,101	3,718	3,572	2,882	2,305	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.7	0.6
Net employment change (2)	5,046	-5,801	-1,283	-2,871	2,873	1.3	-1.4	-0.3	-0.7	0.7
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	7,766	6,551	9,988	11,531	6,719	5.5	4.7	7.1	8.0	4.6
At expanding establishments	6,793	5,298	8,676	10,374	5,656	4.8	3.8	6.2	7.2	3.9
At opening establishments	973	1,253	1,312	1,157	1,063	0.7	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.7
Gross job losses	9,329	8,857	6,805	6,860	8,646	6.6	6.4	4.9	4.8	5.9
At contracting establishments	8,447	7,318	5,884	5,635	7,652	6.0	5.3	4.2	3.9	5.2
At closing establishments	882	1,539	921	1,225	994	0.6	1.1	0.7	0.9	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-1,563	-2,306	3,183	4,671	-1,927	-1.1	-1.7	2.2	3.2	-1.3
Information
Gross job gains	3,509	4,059	4,570	3,348	3,145	5.1	5.9	6.6	4.8	4.5
At expanding establishments	2,962	3,303	3,386	2,425	2,541	4.3	4.8	4.9	3.5	3.6
At opening establishments	547	756	1,184	923	604	0.8	1.1	1.7	1.3	0.9
Gross job losses	2,913	3,919	3,599	3,708	3,286	4.3	5.7	5.2	5.3	4.7
At contracting establishments	2,293	2,712	2,360	2,724	2,631	3.4	3.9	3.4	3.9	3.8
At closing establishments	620	1,207	1,239	984	655	0.9	1.8	1.8	1.4	0.9
Net employment change (2)	596	140	971	-360	-141	0.8	0.2	1.4	-0.5	-0.2
Financial activities
Gross job gains	10,573	10,141	14,156	10,969	10,315	5.3	5.1	7.0	5.4	5.1
At expanding establishments	8,436	8,147	10,307	8,399	8,249	4.2	4.1	5.1	4.1	4.1
At opening establishments	2,137	1,994	3,849	2,570	2,066	1.1	1.0	1.9	1.3	1.0
Gross job losses	9,887	11,233	10,367	11,142	9,359	5.0	5.6	5.1	5.5	4.6
At contracting establishments	7,167	7,872	7,656	8,414	7,398	3.6	3.9	3.8	4.2	3.6
At closing establishments	2,720	3,361	2,711	2,728	1,961	1.4	1.7	1.3	1.3	1.0
Net employment change (2)	686	-1,092	3,789	-173	956	0.3	-0.5	1.9	-0.1	0.5
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	51,367	53,407	59,439	45,470	45,971	6.5	6.8	7.5	5.7	5.8
At expanding establishments	41,167	39,431	43,034	35,467	35,764	5.2	5.0	5.4	4.4	4.5
At opening establishments	10,200	13,976	16,405	10,003	10,207	1.3	1.8	2.1	1.3	1.3
Gross job losses	47,472	52,633	47,815	49,924	42,928	6.0	6.7	6.0	6.2	5.3
At contracting establishments	36,516	36,420	37,220	36,005	33,106	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.5	4.1
At closing establishments	10,956	16,213	10,595	13,919	9,822	1.4	2.1	1.3	1.7	1.2
Net employment change (2)	3,895	774	11,624	-4,454	3,043	0.5	0.1	1.5	-0.5	0.5
Education and health services
Gross job gains	30,277	31,554	35,601	29,922	31,081	6.0	6.2	6.9	5.7	5.9
At expanding establishments	24,295	22,114	25,725	22,619	23,088	4.8	4.3	5.0	4.3	4.4
At opening establishments	5,982	9,440	9,876	7,303	7,993	1.2	1.9	1.9	1.4	1.5
Gross job losses	26,682	27,941	26,762	27,669	21,425	5.3	5.5	5.1	5.2	4.0
At contracting establishments	18,267	20,282	17,306	17,528	15,953	3.6	4.0	3.3	3.3	3.0
At closing establishments	8,415	7,659	9,456	10,141	5,472	1.7	1.5	1.8	1.9	1.0
Net employment change (2)	3,595	3,613	8,839	2,253	9,656	0.7	0.7	1.8	0.5	1.9
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	34,627	36,052	43,050	38,859	37,162	9.0	9.4	11.2	9.9	9.2
At expanding establishments	27,575	28,258	32,621	31,524	28,927	7.2	7.4	8.5	8.0	7.2
At opening establishments	7,052	7,794	10,429	7,335	8,235	1.8	2.0	2.7	1.9	2.0
Gross job losses	31,624	40,579	35,612	27,818	29,222	8.2	10.7	9.3	7.1	7.3
At contracting establishments	24,586	30,361	29,047	21,690	23,737	6.4	8.0	7.6	5.5	5.9
At closing establishments	7,038	10,218	6,565	6,128	5,485	1.8	2.7	1.7	1.6	1.4
Net employment change (2)	3,003	-4,527	7,438	11,041	7,940	0.8	-1.3	1.9	2.8	1.9
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	9,219	9,345	9,824	8,994	8,484	7.7	7.8	8.2	7.4	6.9
At expanding establishments	7,178	6,869	6,592	6,555	6,130	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.4	5.0
At opening establishments	2,041	2,476	3,232	2,439	2,354	1.7	2.1	2.7	2.0	1.9
Gross job losses	8,726	9,898	8,392	7,716	8,121	7.3	8.2	7.0	6.3	6.7
At contracting establishments	6,012	6,141	6,200	5,479	6,086	5.0	5.1	5.2	4.5	5.0
At closing establishments	2,714	3,757	2,192	2,237	2,035	2.3	3.1	1.8	1.8	1.7
Net employment change (2)	493	-553	1,432	1,278	363	0.4	-0.4	1.2	1.1	0.2
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. See the Technical Note for further information. (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. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023
United States(1)	6.7	6.6	6.9	6.3	6.2	5.5	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.4
Alabama	6.4	6.6	6.9	6.6	6.4	5.9	6.2	5.9	6.1	5.5
Alaska	10.2	10.2	8.5	10.9	10.4	9.5	9.0	10.4	9.2	8.0
Arizona	6.7	6.5	7.1	6.6	5.9	5.7	6.3	5.5	6.0	5.4
Arkansas	6.3	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.8	5.6	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.0
California	7.3	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.1	5.7	6.7	6.2	6.6	6.4
Colorado	7.5	7.3	7.0	7.6	7.2	6.3	6.6	7.1	6.9	6.5
Connecticut	6.3	6.4	6.3	5.9	6.1	5.3	6.3	6.2	5.9	5.3
Delaware	7.3	6.5	8.6	7.0	6.7	5.5	6.9	6.2	7.5	5.2
District of Columbia	6.1	6.1	7.2	5.6	5.9	5.1	6.3	5.0	5.5	4.8
Florida	6.5	7.5	7.8	6.2	6.3	5.7	6.3	5.6	6.0	5.6
Georgia	7.7	6.8	7.1	6.7	6.2	5.8	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.8
Hawaii	6.3	6.0	6.4	6.0	5.5	5.1	5.5	4.9	4.9	5.0
Idaho	8.6	7.1	7.8	8.4	7.9	6.2	8.4	7.5	6.9	7.5
Illinois	6.3	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.8	5.2	5.5	5.3	5.1	4.8
Indiana	5.9	5.7	6.4	5.7	5.5	4.9	5.9	5.5	5.2	5.0
Iowa	6.5	5.9	5.9	6.4	6.0	5.4	6.2	5.9	6.2	5.4
Kansas	6.4	6.5	7.4	6.3	6.1	5.5	7.1	5.5	5.6	5.4
Kentucky	6.7	6.3	6.6	6.0	6.1	5.7	6.5	5.4	5.3	4.9
Louisiana	6.7	6.7	6.9	6.1	6.3	6.3	6.4	5.7	6.2	5.6
Maine	8.5	7.2	7.6	7.4	7.7	6.3	8.0	7.3	6.8	6.2
Maryland	6.7	6.5	7.4	6.6	6.8	6.9	6.9	6.0	6.9	5.6
Massachusetts	6.8	6.1	6.2	5.5	5.8	5.1	5.5	6.1	5.8	4.7
Michigan	6.3	6.0	5.7	5.9	5.7	4.9	5.9	5.8	5.2	4.9
Minnesota	6.2	6.4	6.5	5.9	5.7	5.4	6.4	5.9	5.8	4.9
Mississippi	6.3	6.6	7.2	6.8	6.1	6.2	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.7
Missouri	6.5	6.2	6.8	6.1	6.5	5.4	5.9	6.3	5.8	5.1
Montana	9.3	8.2	8.7	9.2	8.7	7.6	9.1	7.8	7.8	7.1
Nebraska	6.8	6.4	7.1	6.0	6.3	5.9	6.5	6.1	5.7	5.1
Nevada	6.8	6.9	7.4	6.4	6.2	5.5	5.7	5.8	6.1	5.7
New Hampshire	7.7	6.7	6.9	6.7	7.0	5.6	6.7	6.7	6.0	5.9
New Jersey	7.1	6.6	6.8	6.8	6.1	5.7	6.2	6.4	5.9	5.7
New Mexico	7.6	6.7	8.0	6.7	6.8	6.2	7.1	5.9	6.2	5.9
New York	6.8	7.1	6.6	5.9	6.5	5.4	6.1	5.9	6.0	5.1
North Carolina	6.6	6.4	6.7	6.6	6.4	5.4	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.3
North Dakota	7.5	6.9	7.6	6.4	7.6	6.4	6.5	6.3	6.7	5.6
Ohio	6.4	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.8	4.9	5.9	5.5	5.7	4.9
Oklahoma	6.4	6.7	7.4	6.6	6.3	6.0	6.1	5.6	5.9	5.3
Oregon	7.6	6.0	6.7	6.5	7.3	5.6	7.0	6.0	6.2	6.1
Pennsylvania	6.3	5.5	6.1	5.5	5.5	4.8	5.6	5.1	5.2	4.6
Rhode Island	7.9	7.1	6.7	6.9	7.5	6.0	6.7	7.3	6.4	5.9
South Carolina	7.1	6.6	7.3	6.9	6.8	6.1	6.2	5.6	6.2	5.8
South Dakota	7.7	6.6	7.3	6.5	7.2	6.1	6.5	6.4	6.5	5.9
Tennessee	6.6	6.2	7.0	5.8	5.9	4.8	6.2	5.5	5.6	5.0
Texas	6.3	6.6	7.2	6.2	5.9	5.3	5.8	5.3	5.3	5.0
Utah	7.9	7.0	7.5	6.9	7.0	5.9	6.6	6.8	6.6	6.2
Vermont	8.8	7.5	7.2	7.8	8.2	6.4	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.0
Virginia	6.6	6.5	7.5	6.2	6.2	5.8	6.7	6.1	5.8	5.2
Washington	7.3	7.0	7.2	5.9	6.4	5.4	7.2	6.3	5.3	5.5
West Virginia	7.4	6.7	8.1	6.6	7.1	6.1	8.0	6.9	6.4	5.3
Wisconsin	6.6	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	4.8	6.0	5.8	5.5	4.9
Wyoming	9.2	8.4	9.2	9.2	8.9	8.3	9.2	8.4	7.9	7.8
Puerto Rico	7.4	6.7	6.2	6.6	5.1	5.0	6.1	5.3	6.1	5.7
Virgin Islands	7.4	8.0	8.5	5.9	7.5	8.8	9.2	5.5	4.7	6.5
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.