From December 2015 to March 2016, gross job gains in private sector establishments in Missouri totaled 131,177, while gross job losses numbered 124,222, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 6,955. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that during the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 23,990.

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. Business Employment Dynamics (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 job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Technical Note for more information.)

Gross job gains in Missouri declined by 13,834 from December 2015 to March 2016 and the number of gross job losses was 3,201 higher. Even so, the number of gross job gains exceeded the number of gross job losses as it has in 22 of the past 24 quarters. (See chart 1.)

Gross job gains represented 5.7 percent of private sector employment in Missouri in the quarter ended March 2016, while nationally gross job gains accounted for 5.8 percent of private sector employment. (See chart 2.) Missouri’s rate of gross job losses as a percent of private sector employment was 5.3 percent in the first quarter of 2016, lower than the national rate of 5.7 percent. Generally, the state’s rates of gross job gains and gross job losses have been the same as or below the U.S. rate in each quarter since the series began in 1992.

During the first quarter of 2016, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in nine industry sectors in Missouri. For example, within leisure and hospitality, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 3,279. While 25,954 jobs in the industry were created by opening and expanding establishments, 22,675 jobs were lost in closing and contracting establishments in the three months ended in March 2016. In education and health services, 18,929 jobs were created in opening and expanding establishments while 16,853 jobs were lost in closing and contracting establishments. One additional industry had gross job gains that exceeded gross job losses by more than 1,000–retail trade (1,759). (See table 1.)

In contrast, two industry sectors had gross job losses that exceeded gross job gains in the first quarter of 2016. Professional and business services had a net decrease 1,747 jobs and transportation and warehousing had a net loss of 1,026 jobs.

Additional statistics and other information

BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. For more information on the Business Employment Dynamics data, visit the BED web site at www.bls.gov/bdm/.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2016 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. (EST).

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), or the ES-202 program. The BED data are compiled from existing quarterly QCEW  records. The QCEW reports are sent by the State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) to BLS and form the basis of the Bureau’s QCEW program and establishment universe sampling frame. These reports are also used to produce the QCEW data on total employment and wages. Other important Bureau uses of the QCEW reports are in the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES program produces monthly estimates of employment, net changes, and earnings by detailed industry.

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 establishments and jobs lost at closing and contracting establishments.

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 establishments 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 establishments 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 establishments with positive third month employment in the previous quarter, with no employment or zero employment reported in the current quarter.

Contractions.  These are establishments with positive employment in the third month in both the previous and current quarters, with a net decrease in employment over this period.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Missouri, seasonally adjusted

Category	Gross job gains and job losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Mar. 2015	June 2015	Sept. 2015	Dec. 2015	Mar. 2016	Mar. 2015	June 2015	Sept. 2015	Dec. 2015	Mar. 2016
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	127,847	138,899	131,354	145,011	131,177	5.6	6.0	5.7	6.3	5.7
At expanding establishments	106,295	115,057	108,704	119,529	109,016	4.7	5.0	4.7	5.2	4.7
At opening establishments	21,552	23,842	22,650	25,482	22,161	0.9	1.0	1.0	1.1	1.0
Gross job losses	123,610	120,074	126,763	121,021	124,222	5.4	5.2	5.5	5.3	5.3
At contracting establishments	102,514	101,151	106,203	101,353	105,113	4.5	4.4	4.6	4.4	4.5
At closing establishments	21,096	18,923	20,560	19,668	19,109	0.9	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.8
Net employment change (2)	4,237	18,825	4,591	23,990	6,955	0.2	0.8	0.2	1.0	0.4
Construction
Gross job gains	11,442	11,791	12,229	13,123	12,038	10.1	10.4	10.8	11.2	10.1
At expanding establishments	9,544	9,790	10,206	11,139	10,046	8.4	8.6	9.0	9.5	8.4
At opening establishments	1,898	2,001	2,023	1,984	1,992	1.7	1.8	1.8	1.7	1.7
Gross job losses	11,741	11,087	10,399	9,300	11,382	10.4	9.8	9.1	7.9	9.4
At contracting establishments	9,490	9,414	8,568	7,776	9,551	8.4	8.3	7.5	6.6	7.9
At closing establishments	2,251	1,673	1,831	1,524	1,831	2.0	1.5	1.6	1.3	1.5
Net employment change (2)	-299	704	1,830	3,823	656	-0.3	0.6	1.7	3.3	0.7
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	7,856	8,606	7,328	8,003	7,867	3.0	3.3	2.8	3.0	3.0
At expanding establishments	7,506	8,107	6,883	7,415	7,410	2.9	3.1	2.6	2.8	2.8
At opening establishments	350	499	445	588	457	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Gross job losses	7,021	6,883	8,069	8,664	7,357	2.7	2.7	3.1	3.3	2.8
At contracting establishments	6,361	6,191	7,547	7,711	6,780	2.4	2.4	2.9	2.9	2.6
At closing establishments	660	692	522	953	577	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.4	0.2
Net employment change (2)	835	1,723	-741	-661	510	0.3	0.6	-0.3	-0.3	0.2
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	5,683	6,094	4,954	5,482	5,170	4.7	5.0	4.1	4.5	4.3
At expanding establishments	4,673	5,225	4,196	4,481	4,275	3.9	4.3	3.5	3.7	3.6
At opening establishments	1,010	869	758	1,001	895	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.8	0.7
Gross job losses	5,495	4,877	5,324	5,045	4,957	4.6	4.0	4.5	4.1	4.1
At contracting establishments	4,300	3,924	4,287	4,042	3,957	3.6	3.2	3.6	3.3	3.3
At closing establishments	1,195	953	1,037	1,003	1,000	1.0	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.8
Net employment change (2)	188	1,217	-370	437	213	0.1	1.0	-0.4	0.4	0.2
Retail trade
Gross job gains	16,677	19,079	16,764	17,081	17,630	5.4	6.1	5.3	5.4	5.6
At expanding establishments	14,587	17,229	14,428	15,200	15,732	4.7	5.5	4.6	4.8	5.0
At opening establishments	2,090	1,850	2,336	1,881	1,898	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.6	0.6
Gross job losses	16,617	14,319	18,137	15,304	15,871	5.3	4.5	5.7	4.9	5.1
At contracting establishments	14,336	12,649	16,416	13,530	14,354	4.6	4.0	5.2	4.3	4.6
At closing establishments	2,281	1,670	1,721	1,774	1,517	0.7	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.5
Net employment change (2)	60	4,760	-1,373	1,777	1,759	0.1	1.6	-0.4	0.5	0.5
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	5,318	5,044	4,806	6,151	4,707	6.1	5.7	5.4	6.8	5.2
At expanding establishments	4,469	4,121	4,237	5,593	3,979	5.1	4.7	4.8	6.2	4.4
At opening establishments	849	923	569	558	728	1.0	1.0	0.6	0.6	0.8
Gross job losses	5,343	4,224	4,152	3,826	5,733	6.1	4.8	4.7	4.2	6.3
At contracting establishments	4,667	3,617	3,508	3,285	5,116	5.3	4.1	4.0	3.6	5.6
At closing establishments	676	607	644	541	617	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-25	820	654	2,325	-1,026	0.0	0.9	0.7	2.6	-1.1
Information
Gross job gains	1,664	1,860	1,769	2,497	2,089	3.4	3.7	3.5	5.0	4.2
At expanding establishments	1,421	1,604	1,546	1,883	1,801	2.9	3.2	3.1	3.8	3.6
At opening establishments	243	256	223	614	288	0.5	0.5	0.4	1.2	0.6
Gross job losses	1,681	1,851	2,284	2,227	1,959	3.3	3.7	4.6	4.5	3.9
At contracting establishments	1,465	1,692	1,891	1,917	1,703	2.9	3.4	3.8	3.9	3.4
At closing establishments	216	159	393	310	256	0.4	0.3	0.8	0.6	0.5
Net employment change (2)	-17	9	-515	270	130	0.1	0.0	-1.1	0.5	0.3
Financial activities
Gross job gains	6,846	6,931	6,392	7,320	6,616	4.4	4.4	4.0	4.6	4.2
At expanding establishments	5,420	5,524	5,239	5,863	5,210	3.5	3.5	3.3	3.7	3.3
At opening establishments	1,426	1,407	1,153	1,457	1,406	0.9	0.9	0.7	0.9	0.9
Gross job losses	6,455	5,847	6,689	5,947	5,791	4.1	3.7	4.2	3.8	3.6
At contracting establishments	5,299	4,709	5,255	4,912	4,499	3.4	3.0	3.3	3.1	2.8
At closing establishments	1,156	1,138	1,434	1,035	1,292	0.7	0.7	0.9	0.7	0.8
Net employment change (2)	391	1,084	-297	1,373	825	0.3	0.7	-0.2	0.8	0.6
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	23,522	24,965	27,340	29,642	23,740	6.4	6.8	7.4	7.9	6.3
At expanding establishments	19,531	19,930	21,851	23,304	19,156	5.3	5.4	5.9	6.2	5.1
At opening establishments	3,991	5,035	5,489	6,338	4,584	1.1	1.4	1.5	1.7	1.2
Gross job losses	23,249	23,030	21,643	22,669	25,487	6.3	6.3	5.9	6.0	6.7
At contracting establishments	18,870	18,981	16,940	18,560	20,928	5.1	5.2	4.6	4.9	5.5
At closing establishments	4,379	4,049	4,703	4,109	4,559	1.2	1.1	1.3	1.1	1.2
Net employment change (2)	273	1,935	5,697	6,973	-1,747	0.1	0.5	1.5	1.9	-0.4
Education and health services
Gross job gains	17,893	21,423	19,471	19,518	18,929	4.2	5.0	4.5	4.5	4.4
At expanding establishments	13,496	15,886	15,484	14,196	14,210	3.2	3.7	3.6	3.3	3.3
At opening establishments	4,397	5,537	3,987	5,322	4,719	1.0	1.3	0.9	1.2	1.1
Gross job losses	17,295	17,224	18,407	17,783	16,853	4.0	4.0	4.3	4.1	3.9
At contracting establishments	13,354	13,269	14,116	13,316	13,100	3.1	3.1	3.3	3.1	3.0
At closing establishments	3,941	3,955	4,291	4,467	3,753	0.9	0.9	1.0	1.0	0.9
Net employment change (2)	598	4,199	1,064	1,735	2,076	0.2	1.0	0.2	0.4	0.5
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	23,807	26,248	23,864	29,492	25,954	8.2	9.0	8.2	10.0	8.7
At expanding establishments	19,803	21,816	19,263	24,982	21,859	6.8	7.5	6.6	8.5	7.3
At opening establishments	4,004	4,432	4,601	4,510	4,095	1.4	1.5	1.6	1.5	1.4
Gross job losses	22,207	24,980	24,796	23,872	22,675	7.6	8.6	8.5	8.1	7.5
At contracting establishments	19,052	21,841	21,950	20,716	19,877	6.5	7.5	7.5	7.0	6.6
At closing establishments	3,155	3,139	2,846	3,156	2,798	1.1	1.1	1.0	1.1	0.9
Net employment change (2)	1,600	1,268	-932	5,620	3,279	0.6	0.4	-0.3	1.9	1.2
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	5,419	5,081	4,839	5,151	4,811	7.6	7.1	6.8	7.2	6.7
At expanding establishments	4,323	4,249	3,990	4,133	3,969	6.1	5.9	5.6	5.8	5.5
At opening establishments	1,096	832	849	1,018	842	1.5	1.2	1.2	1.4	1.2
Gross job losses	4,631	4,257	5,343	4,544	4,566	6.5	5.9	7.4	6.3	6.3
At contracting establishments	3,681	3,536	4,324	3,875	3,842	5.2	4.9	6.0	5.4	5.3
At closing establishments	950	721	1,019	669	724	1.3	1.0	1.4	0.9	1.0
Net employment change (2)	788	824	-504	607	245	1.1	1.2	-0.6	0.9	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. See the Technical Note for further information. (3) Except public administration.