Business Employment Dynamics in Illinois — Second Quarter 2024

From March 2024 to June 2024, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 273,224, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Illinois were 272,769, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 455 jobs in the private sector during the second quarter of 2024. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 11,755. (See chart 1.)

Line Chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in Illinois from June 2019–June 2024. Data are seasonally adjusted. An accessible version is available in the View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Illinois, June 2019–June 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job losses	Gross job gains
Jun 2019	273,112	291,276
Sep 2019	288,576	258,836
Dec 2019	270,224	287,566
Mar 2020	313,157	260,384
Jun 2020	886,834	221,068
Sep 2020	261,331	457,244
Dec 2020	294,002	311,105
Mar 2021	248,125	351,770
Jun 2021	268,740	300,760
Sep 2021	291,978	325,193
Dec 2021	242,152	378,959
Mar 2022	263,672	320,096
Jun 2022	284,366	301,107
Sep 2022	272,740	303,220
Dec 2022	265,658	279,218
Mar 2023	249,208	305,298
Jun 2023	275,623	284,509
Sep 2023	282,780	250,297
Dec 2023	264,465	257,689
Mar 2024	254,116	265,871
Jun 2024	273,224	272,769

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 second quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Illinois; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 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 Illinois, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 227,063 in the second quarter of 2024, an increase of 2,423 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 45,706 jobs gained in the second quarter of 2024, an increase of 4,475 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Illinois, June 2019–June 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Illinois
Jun 2019	6.1	5.6
Sep 2019	5.9	5.0
Dec 2019	6.2	5.6
Mar 2020	5.5	5.0
Jun 2020	4.8	4.5
Sep 2020	9.5	9.7
Dec 2020	7.4	6.5
Mar 2021	6.9	7.2
Jun 2021	6.8	6.2
Sep 2021	7.3	6.6
Dec 2021	7.7	7.6
Mar 2022	6.7	6.3
Jun 2022	6.5	5.9
Sep 2022	6.9	5.9
Dec 2022	6.3	5.4
Mar 2023	6.3	5.8
Jun 2023	6.2	5.4
Sep 2023	5.9	4.8
Dec 2023	6.0	5.0
Mar 2024	5.7	5.1
Jun 2024	5.8	5.2

Gross job losses

In the second quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 5.3 percent of private-sector employment in Illinois; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.9 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 Illinois, contracting establishments lost 228,410 jobs in the second quarter of 2024, an increase of 23,998 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 44,814 jobs, a decrease of 4,890 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Illinois, June 2019–June 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Illinois
Jun 2019	5.9	5.2
Sep 2019	5.8	5.6
Dec 2019	5.5	5.2
Mar 2020	6.3	6.0
Jun 2020	16.8	18.2
Sep 2020	5.9	5.6
Dec 2020	5.7	6.1
Mar 2021	5.5	5.2
Jun 2021	5.9	5.5
Sep 2021	6.1	5.9
Dec 2021	5.4	4.9
Mar 2022	5.5	5.2
Jun 2022	6.2	5.5
Sep 2022	5.9	5.3
Dec 2022	5.9	5.1
Mar 2023	5.5	4.8
Jun 2023	5.9	5.2
Sep 2023	6.0	5.3
Dec 2023	5.7	5.1
Mar 2024	5.4	4.8
Jun 2024	5.9	5.3

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 6 of the 11 industry sectors in Illinois in the second quarter of 2024. Professional and business services had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 6,438 jobs. This was the result of 56,576 gross job gains and 63,014 gross job losses. The manufacturing industry and had a net loss of 2,511 jobs, followed by wholesale trade with a net loss of 2,329 jobs. Education and health services showed a net gain of 8,208 jobs, the largest gain of any sector in the state. Illinois’s leisure and hospitality industry sector had a net gain of 3,116 jobs.

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 Home.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Third Quarter 2024 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

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.

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, Illinois, 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	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	284,509	250,297	257,689	265,871	272,769	5.4	4.8	5.0	5.1	5.2
At expanding establishments	238,066	207,859	216,832	224,640	227,063	4.5	4.0	4.2	4.3	4.3
At opening establishments	46,443	42,438	40,857	41,231	45,706	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.9
Gross job losses	275,623	282,780	264,465	254,116	273,224	5.2	5.3	5.1	4.8	5.3
At contracting establishments	237,306	243,602	218,665	204,412	228,410	4.5	4.6	4.2	3.9	4.4
At closing establishments	38,317	39,178	45,800	49,704	44,814	0.7	0.7	0.9	0.9	0.9
Net employment change (2)	8,886	-32,483	-6,776	11,755	-455	0.2	-0.5	-0.1	0.3	-0.1
Construction
Gross job gains	25,099	20,890	21,011	25,796	22,993	10.5	8.9	8.9	10.7	9.6
At expanding establishments	20,295	17,092	17,382	21,688	18,728	8.5	7.3	7.4	9.0	7.8
At opening establishments	4,804	3,798	3,629	4,108	4,265	2.0	1.6	1.5	1.7	1.8
Gross job losses	22,780	23,681	24,344	21,218	22,951	9.5	10.1	10.4	8.8	9.6
At contracting establishments	19,435	19,917	20,113	16,650	18,703	8.1	8.5	8.6	6.9	7.8
At closing establishments	3,345	3,764	4,231	4,568	4,248	1.4	1.6	1.8	1.9	1.8
Net employment change (2)	2,319	-2,791	-3,333	4,578	42	1.0	-1.2	-1.5	1.9	0.0
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	17,489	17,410	18,261	18,007	16,508	3.0	3.0	3.2	3.1	2.8
At expanding establishments	15,662	15,568	16,648	16,184	14,608	2.7	2.7	2.9	2.8	2.5
At opening establishments	1,827	1,842	1,613	1,823	1,900	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
Gross job losses	19,194	17,946	16,324	16,029	19,019	3.3	3.1	2.8	2.7	3.3
At contracting establishments	16,543	16,666	13,867	13,579	16,936	2.8	2.9	2.4	2.3	2.9
At closing establishments	2,651	1,280	2,457	2,450	2,083	0.5	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.4
Net employment change (2)	-1,705	-536	1,937	1,978	-2,511	-0.3	-0.1	0.4	0.4	-0.5
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	10,801	10,301	10,598	11,026	9,832	3.6	3.4	3.5	3.6	3.3
At expanding establishments	9,432	8,726	9,194	9,409	8,760	3.1	2.9	3.0	3.1	2.9
At opening establishments	1,369	1,575	1,404	1,617	1,072	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4
Gross job losses	10,019	9,879	9,537	10,412	12,161	3.3	3.3	3.1	3.4	4.0
At contracting establishments	8,503	8,411	7,694	8,274	8,895	2.8	2.8	2.5	2.7	2.9
At closing establishments	1,516	1,468	1,843	2,138	3,266	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.7	1.1
Net employment change (2)	782	422	1,061	614	-2,329	0.3	0.1	0.4	0.2	-0.7
Retail trade
Gross job gains	28,331	27,657	25,236	28,451	27,529	4.9	4.8	4.5	5.0	4.8
At expanding establishments	25,049	24,422	22,082	25,432	24,210	4.3	4.2	3.9	4.5	4.2
At opening establishments	3,282	3,235	3,154	3,019	3,319	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.6
Gross job losses	29,462	32,398	29,039	24,362	28,116	5.1	5.6	5.1	4.3	4.8
At contracting establishments	26,648	28,886	25,618	21,007	24,428	4.6	5.0	4.5	3.7	4.2
At closing establishments	2,814	3,512	3,421	3,355	3,688	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6
Net employment change (2)	-1,131	-4,741	-3,803	4,089	-587	-0.2	-0.8	-0.6	0.7	0.0
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	13,455	12,984	20,217	10,778	13,292	4.3	4.1	6.5	3.5	4.3
At expanding establishments	10,921	11,022	17,864	9,033	10,791	3.5	3.5	5.7	2.9	3.5
At opening establishments	2,534	1,962	2,353	1,745	2,501	0.8	0.6	0.8	0.6	0.8
Gross job losses	14,076	15,798	13,412	18,847	14,351	4.5	5.1	4.2	6.0	4.6
At contracting establishments	12,267	13,731	10,128	16,001	12,230	3.9	4.4	3.2	5.1	3.9
At closing establishments	1,809	2,067	3,284	2,846	2,121	0.6	0.7	1.0	0.9	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-621	-2,814	6,805	-8,069	-1,059	-0.2	-1.0	2.3	-2.5	-0.3
Information
Gross job gains	4,227	3,612	4,763	4,538	3,732	4.4	3.9	5.2	4.9	4.1
At expanding establishments	3,372	2,859	3,982	3,238	2,896	3.5	3.1	4.3	3.5	3.2
At opening establishments	855	753	781	1,300	836	0.9	0.8	0.9	1.4	0.9
Gross job losses	6,603	6,169	5,014	4,529	5,183	6.9	6.6	5.4	4.9	5.7
At contracting establishments	5,667	5,131	3,901	3,388	4,022	5.9	5.5	4.2	3.7	4.4
At closing establishments	936	1,038	1,113	1,141	1,161	1.0	1.1	1.2	1.2	1.3
Net employment change (2)	-2,376	-2,557	-251	9	-1,451	-2.5	-2.7	-0.2	0.0	-1.6
Financial activities
Gross job gains	15,758	13,023	12,086	12,847	14,229	4.2	3.4	3.2	3.4	3.7
At expanding establishments	13,232	10,563	9,156	10,697	11,423	3.5	2.8	2.4	2.8	3.0
At opening establishments	2,526	2,460	2,930	2,150	2,806	0.7	0.6	0.8	0.6	0.7
Gross job losses	13,618	13,860	14,905	14,647	12,550	3.6	3.6	4.0	3.9	3.3
At contracting establishments	11,064	11,556	11,975	10,647	9,443	2.9	3.0	3.2	2.8	2.5
At closing establishments	2,554	2,304	2,930	4,000	3,107	0.7	0.6	0.8	1.1	0.8
Net employment change (2)	2,140	-837	-2,819	-1,800	1,679	0.6	-0.2	-0.8	-0.5	0.4
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	58,735	48,074	48,692	52,596	56,576	6.1	5.0	5.2	5.6	6.1
At expanding establishments	47,191	37,514	39,205	42,954	45,619	4.9	3.9	4.2	4.6	4.9
At opening establishments	11,544	10,560	9,487	9,642	10,957	1.2	1.1	1.0	1.0	1.2
Gross job losses	65,280	61,198	63,862	56,769	63,014	6.8	6.5	6.8	6.1	6.7
At contracting establishments	56,099	51,018	51,521	43,507	53,436	5.8	5.4	5.5	4.7	5.7
At closing establishments	9,181	10,180	12,341	13,262	9,578	1.0	1.1	1.3	1.4	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-6,545	-13,124	-15,170	-4,173	-6,438	-0.7	-1.5	-1.6	-0.5	-0.6
Education and health services
Gross job gains	42,802	37,298	33,806	39,191	43,208	4.5	3.9	3.5	4.0	4.5
At expanding establishments	37,898	33,160	29,949	35,209	37,703	4.0	3.5	3.1	3.6	3.9
At opening establishments	4,904	4,138	3,857	3,982	5,505	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.6
Gross job losses	33,398	34,745	31,044	28,840	35,000	3.5	3.6	3.2	3.0	3.6
At contracting establishments	29,380	30,003	26,010	23,919	29,911	3.1	3.1	2.7	2.5	3.1
At closing establishments	4,018	4,742	5,034	4,921	5,089	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5
Net employment change (2)	9,404	2,553	2,762	10,351	8,208	1.0	0.3	0.3	1.0	0.9
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	50,543	44,636	46,816	46,688	48,262	8.5	7.5	7.8	7.7	8.0
At expanding establishments	41,140	36,265	38,375	38,203	39,074	6.9	6.1	6.4	6.3	6.5
At opening establishments	9,403	8,371	8,441	8,485	9,188	1.6	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.5
Gross job losses	46,718	51,346	43,033	43,153	45,146	7.9	8.7	7.2	7.1	7.5
At contracting establishments	40,386	45,621	37,002	35,802	38,383	6.8	7.7	6.2	5.9	6.4
At closing establishments	6,332	5,725	6,031	7,351	6,763	1.1	1.0	1.0	1.2	1.1
Net employment change (2)	3,825	-6,710	3,783	3,535	3,116	0.6	-1.2	0.6	0.6	0.5
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	13,931	11,467	12,101	11,982	13,347	7.1	5.8	6.1	6.1	6.8
At expanding establishments	11,349	8,486	9,678	9,641	10,989	5.8	4.3	4.9	4.9	5.6
At opening establishments	2,582	2,981	2,423	2,341	2,358	1.3	1.5	1.2	1.2	1.2
Gross job losses	11,373	12,539	11,523	11,970	11,596	5.8	6.3	5.8	6.1	5.9
At contracting establishments	8,683	10,096	8,867	9,001	8,666	4.4	5.1	4.5	4.6	4.4
At closing establishments	2,690	2,443	2,656	2,969	2,930	1.4	1.2	1.3	1.5	1.5
Net employment change (2)	2,558	-1,072	578	12	1,751	1.3	-0.5	0.3	0.0	0.9
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)
Category	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024
United States(1)	6.2	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.4	5.9
Alabama	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.6
Alaska	11.0	8.5	10.2	10.5	10.2	8.9	10.5	9.9	8.6	9.6
Arizona	7.0	6.8	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	5.7	6.6	6.4	6.8
Arkansas	5.9	5.6	6.2	5.6	5.2	6.0	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8
California	6.8	6.4	6.4	5.8	6.1	6.4	6.5	6.4	5.6	6.8
Colorado	7.3	5.4	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.1	7.6	7.7	6.2
Connecticut	6.4	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.7	5.2	5.6
Delaware	6.4	6.0	6.1	6.0	5.9	5.8	6.5	5.8	5.1	6.5
District of Columbia	5.4	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.1	5.3	5.4	5.6	4.9	6.0
Florida	6.8	6.5	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.4	5.9
Georgia	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.0	5.7	6.4	6.1	5.7	5.7	5.7
Hawaii	5.7	5.3	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.3	6.8	5.0	5.1	5.4
Idaho	7.8	7.2	8.5	7.9	7.5	7.4	7.9	5.8	8.3	7.4
Illinois	5.4	4.8	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.3	5.1	4.8	5.3
Indiana	5.6	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.0	5.5
Iowa	6.0	5.6	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.6	5.7
Kansas	6.1	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.8	6.0	6.0	5.3	5.6	5.7
Kentucky	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.9	5.6	5.2	5.0	5.9
Louisiana	6.0	6.2	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.3
Maine	7.6	7.0	7.4	7.2	7.3	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.1	7.0
Maryland	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.8	7.2	6.6	6.4	5.8	5.7	6.5
Massachusetts	5.9	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.7	5.6	5.9	5.5	5.1	5.6
Michigan	5.9	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.2	5.6
Minnesota	6.0	3.3	6.9	5.8	5.7	5.5	4.3	6.9	5.7	5.4
Mississippi	6.4	6.2	6.1	5.7	5.8	6.5	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.3
Missouri	5.8	5.6	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.3	5.8
Montana	7.8	7.7	8.8	8.1	7.9	8.4	8.4	7.2	7.5	7.6
Nebraska	6.2	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.1	5.6
Nevada	6.5	6.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.4	6.2	5.7
New Hampshire	6.7	5.8	6.2	6.5	6.1	6.3	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.0
New Jersey	6.4	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.9	6.0	6.0	5.8	5.4	5.4
New Mexico	6.6	6.4	6.9	6.0	6.0	6.3	6.8	5.8	6.0	6.3
New York	6.2	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.0	5.5
North Carolina	6.1	5.7	6.3	5.4	5.6	5.7	6.1	4.9	5.5	5.7
North Dakota	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.6	6.3	6.1	6.6
Ohio	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.6	5.2	4.8	5.4
Oklahoma	6.3	6.3	6.1	5.6	5.6	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.2	6.4
Oregon	6.4	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.6	6.7	6.2	6.1	6.4
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.5	5.1	4.8	4.6	5.1
Rhode Island	6.7	6.4	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.8	6.7	6.3	5.7	6.7
South Carolina	6.4	6.6	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.6	5.7	5.3	6.3	6.4
South Dakota	6.7	6.3	6.6	6.3	6.0	6.0	6.3	5.8	5.8	6.3
Tennessee	5.8	5.6	6.2	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.5	4.9	5.7
Texas	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.3
Utah	6.9	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.4	6.6	6.5	6.0	6.6
Vermont	7.4	6.4	7.3	7.2	6.6	7.5	7.9	6.6	6.3	7.5
Virginia	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.9	6.0	5.5	5.2	5.6
Washington	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.4	5.3	5.3
West Virginia	6.1	6.5	6.5	6.9	6.6	6.4	6.6	5.8	5.7	6.8
Wisconsin	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.8	5.8	5.2	4.8	5.5
Wyoming	8.4	8.3	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.7	8.2	8.4	8.3	9.0
Puerto Rico	5.9	5.7	4.9	5.4	5.6	5.0	5.3	4.8	4.6	4.9
Virgin Islands	7.5	8.2	6.0	5.6	4.3	6.5	6.8	5.9	4.5	5.1
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.

Last Modified Date: Friday, February 14, 2025

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