From March 2025 to June 2025, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Colorado were 170,250, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 156,569, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 13,681 jobs in the private sector during the second quarter of 2025. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 10,387. (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 losses

In the second quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 7.1 percent of private-sector employment in Colorado; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 6.0 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 Colorado, contracting establishments lost 125,236 jobs in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 144 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 45,014 jobs, an increase of 7,204 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job gains

In the second quarter of 2025, gross job gains represented 6.4 percent of private-sector employment in Colorado; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.7 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 Colorado, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 121,562 in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 6,256 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 35,007 jobs gained in the second quarter of 2025, a decrease of 2,202 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 7 of the 11 published industry sectors in Colorado in the second quarter of 2025. Construction had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 4,721 jobs. This was the result of 17,396 gross job losses and 12,675 gross job gains. The retail trade industry had a net loss of 3,984 jobs. Education and health services showed a net gain of 1,614 jobs, the largest gain of any sector in the state. Colorado’s leisure and hospitality industry sector had a net gain of 1,065 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 homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Third Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. (MT).

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.

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

Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	159,919	153,836	150,476	152,515	156,569	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.4
At expanding establishments	123,716	122,238	115,117	115,306	121,562	5.1	5.0	4.7	4.7	5.0
At opening establishments	36,203	31,598	35,359	37,209	35,007	1.5	1.3	1.5	1.5	1.4
Gross job losses	141,328	157,315	158,090	162,902	170,250	5.8	6.4	6.5	6.8	7.1
At contracting establishments	112,116	117,737	123,346	125,092	125,236	4.6	4.8	5.1	5.2	5.2
At closing establishments	29,212	39,578	34,744	37,810	45,014	1.2	1.6	1.4	1.6	1.9
Net employment change (2)	18,591	-3,479	-7,614	-10,387	-13,681	0.8	-0.1	-0.3	-0.6	-0.7
Construction
Gross job gains	12,967	11,708	14,503	14,023	12,675	6.9	6.3	7.8	7.4	6.8
At expanding establishments	10,671	9,619	11,111	10,966	10,120	5.7	5.2	6.0	5.8	5.4
At opening establishments	2,296	2,089	3,392	3,057	2,555	1.2	1.1	1.8	1.6	1.4
Gross job losses	13,535	13,584	13,619	14,318	17,396	7.2	7.3	7.3	7.6	9.4
At contracting establishments	10,906	10,407	10,289	11,151	13,535	5.8	5.6	5.5	5.9	7.3
At closing establishments	2,629	3,177	3,330	3,167	3,861	1.4	1.7	1.8	1.7	2.1
Net employment change (2)	-568	-1,876	884	-295	-4,721	-0.3	-1.0	0.5	-0.2	-2.6
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	5,563	4,605	5,530	4,972	4,846	3.7	3.0	3.7	3.4	3.3
At expanding establishments	4,896	3,943	4,730	4,432	4,194	3.3	2.6	3.2	3.0	2.9
At opening establishments	667	662	800	540	652	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.4	0.4
Gross job losses	5,151	5,944	5,838	5,557	6,468	3.4	4.0	3.9	3.8	4.4
At contracting establishments	4,349	4,881	4,750	4,652	5,096	2.9	3.3	3.2	3.2	3.5
At closing establishments	802	1,063	1,088	905	1,372	0.5	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.9
Net employment change (2)	412	-1,339	-308	-585	-1,622	0.3	-1.0	-0.2	-0.4	-1.1
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	5,259	4,971	4,796	4,907	5,275	4.4	4.2	4.1	4.2	4.6
At expanding establishments	4,202	3,912	3,581	3,729	3,549	3.5	3.3	3.1	3.2	3.1
At opening establishments	1,057	1,059	1,215	1,178	1,726	0.9	0.9	1.0	1.0	1.5
Gross job losses	5,830	5,856	5,777	5,535	6,908	4.9	5.0	4.9	4.8	6.0
At contracting establishments	4,360	4,098	4,362	4,018	4,847	3.7	3.5	3.7	3.5	4.2
At closing establishments	1,470	1,758	1,415	1,517	2,061	1.2	1.5	1.2	1.3	1.8
Net employment change (2)	-571	-885	-981	-628	-1,633	-0.5	-0.8	-0.8	-0.6	-1.4
Retail trade
Gross job gains	15,852	15,992	14,124	16,852	14,388	5.7	5.8	5.1	6.2	5.3
At expanding establishments	13,603	13,684	12,086	14,844	12,271	4.9	5.0	4.4	5.5	4.5
At opening establishments	2,249	2,308	2,038	2,008	2,117	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	15,537	17,902	17,160	14,606	18,372	5.6	6.5	6.3	5.3	6.8
At contracting establishments	13,412	15,065	14,117	12,031	15,436	4.8	5.5	5.2	4.4	5.7
At closing establishments	2,125	2,837	3,043	2,575	2,936	0.8	1.0	1.1	0.9	1.1
Net employment change (2)	315	-1,910	-3,036	2,246	-3,984	0.1	-0.7	-1.2	0.9	-1.5
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	6,102	6,430	7,167	4,216	6,173	5.8	6.0	6.5	3.9	5.8
At expanding establishments	5,520	6,019	6,573	3,680	5,368	5.2	5.6	6.0	3.4	5.0
At opening establishments	582	411	594	536	805	0.6	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.8
Gross job losses	4,404	4,466	4,735	8,188	5,612	4.2	4.1	4.3	7.5	5.3
At contracting establishments	3,771	3,582	3,861	7,534	4,868	3.6	3.3	3.5	6.9	4.6
At closing establishments	633	884	874	654	744	0.6	0.8	0.8	0.6	0.7
Net employment change (2)	1,698	1,964	2,432	-3,972	561	1.6	1.9	2.2	-3.6	0.5
Information
Gross job gains	2,490	2,672	2,159	2,484	2,486	3.3	3.7	3.0	3.5	3.5
At expanding establishments	2,010	2,183	1,493	1,773	1,988	2.7	3.0	2.1	2.5	2.8
At opening establishments	480	489	666	711	498	0.6	0.7	0.9	1.0	0.7
Gross job losses	3,461	3,454	3,507	3,099	3,848	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.4	5.5
At contracting establishments	2,883	2,479	2,770	2,371	2,677	3.9	3.4	3.8	3.4	3.8
At closing establishments	578	975	737	728	1,171	0.8	1.3	1.0	1.0	1.7
Net employment change (2)	-971	-782	-1,348	-615	-1,362	-1.4	-1.0	-1.8	-0.9	-2.0
Financial activities
Gross job gains	8,969	8,303	8,916	8,455	10,775	5.3	5.0	5.3	5.0	6.4
At expanding establishments	6,360	6,015	5,887	5,967	6,929	3.8	3.6	3.5	3.5	4.1
At opening establishments	2,609	2,288	3,029	2,488	3,846	1.5	1.4	1.8	1.5	2.3
Gross job losses	8,577	9,389	10,003	10,126	10,295	5.1	5.5	5.9	6.0	6.1
At contracting establishments	6,022	6,000	7,410	6,315	6,398	3.6	3.5	4.4	3.7	3.8
At closing establishments	2,555	3,389	2,593	3,811	3,897	1.5	2.0	1.5	2.3	2.3
Net employment change (2)	392	-1,086	-1,087	-1,671	480	0.2	-0.5	-0.6	-1.0	0.3
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	32,727	31,340	30,616	33,356	33,723	6.7	6.4	6.3	6.9	7.0
At expanding establishments	24,497	24,884	21,512	24,780	24,673	5.0	5.1	4.4	5.1	5.1
At opening establishments	8,230	6,456	9,104	8,576	9,050	1.7	1.3	1.9	1.8	1.9
Gross job losses	30,640	34,658	37,024	33,596	35,877	6.3	7.1	7.6	6.9	7.4
At contracting establishments	22,965	22,945	27,935	23,971	24,607	4.7	4.7	5.7	4.9	5.1
At closing establishments	7,675	11,713	9,089	9,625	11,270	1.6	2.4	1.9	2.0	2.3
Net employment change (2)	2,087	-3,318	-6,408	-240	-2,154	0.4	-0.7	-1.3	0.0	-0.4
Education and health services
Gross job gains	21,239	20,114	20,075	24,232	22,466	5.7	5.4	5.4	6.3	5.8
At expanding establishments	16,044	17,139	15,265	16,108	18,155	4.3	4.6	4.1	4.2	4.7
At opening establishments	5,195	2,975	4,810	8,124	4,311	1.4	0.8	1.3	2.1	1.1
Gross job losses	15,855	17,569	17,454	18,886	20,852	4.3	4.7	4.6	4.9	5.4
At contracting establishments	12,099	12,661	13,324	13,778	14,410	3.3	3.4	3.5	3.6	3.7
At closing establishments	3,756	4,908	4,130	5,108	6,442	1.0	1.3	1.1	1.3	1.7
Net employment change (2)	5,384	2,545	2,621	5,346	1,614	1.4	0.7	0.8	1.4	0.4
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	35,411	33,416	31,642	29,565	34,043	10.0	9.3	8.9	8.5	9.7
At expanding establishments	28,377	27,885	25,357	22,003	27,315	8.0	7.8	7.1	6.3	7.8
At opening establishments	7,034	5,531	6,285	7,562	6,728	2.0	1.5	1.8	2.2	1.9
Gross job losses	28,472	34,662	33,523	37,961	32,978	8.0	9.7	9.4	10.8	9.4
At contracting establishments	23,729	28,401	27,738	31,011	25,019	6.7	7.9	7.8	8.8	7.1
At closing establishments	4,743	6,261	5,785	6,950	7,959	1.3	1.8	1.6	2.0	2.3
Net employment change (2)	6,939	-1,246	-1,881	-8,396	1,065	2.0	-0.4	-0.5	-2.3	0.3
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	6,681	5,827	6,186	5,928	6,263	7.7	6.7	7.1	6.8	7.3
At expanding establishments	5,225	4,366	4,324	4,445	4,556	6.0	5.0	5.0	5.1	5.3
At opening establishments	1,456	1,461	1,862	1,483	1,707	1.7	1.7	2.1	1.7	2.0
Gross job losses	6,114	6,526	6,317	6,945	7,195	7.1	7.5	7.3	8.1	8.3
At contracting establishments	4,419	4,686	4,447	4,903	4,771	5.1	5.4	5.1	5.7	5.5
At closing establishments	1,695	1,840	1,870	2,042	2,424	2.0	2.1	2.2	2.4	2.8
Net employment change (2)	567	-699	-131	-1,017	-932	0.6	-0.8	-0.2	-1.3	-1.0
(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)
	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025
United States(1)	5.8	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.7	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.4	6.0
Alabama	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.6	5.9	5.3	5.6	5.6
Alaska	10.2	8.0	10.3	10.0	9.9	9.6	9.6	9.5	8.1	10.3
Arizona	5.6	6.4	6.1	5.8	5.3	6.5	5.7	5.9	5.3	6.3
Arkansas	5.3	5.5	5.8	5.1	5.1	5.7	5.2	4.8	5.1	5.5
California	6.2	6.3	6.7	6.0	6.6	6.9	6.2	6.4	6.2	6.7
Colorado	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.4	5.8	6.4	6.5	6.8	7.1
Connecticut	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.3	5.8
Delaware	5.8	6.8	6.1	5.9	5.9	6.5	6.4	6.3	5.3	6.1
District of Columbia	5.1	4.9	5.0	4.8	5.7	5.4	5.0	5.5	5.8	5.9
Florida	6.1	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.5	5.8
Georgia	5.9	5.8	6.0	5.5	5.5	5.7	6.1	5.4	5.7	5.6
Hawaii	5.2	5.7	5.3	4.9	4.8	5.6	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.2
Idaho	7.5	7.1	8.2	7.3	7.7	7.2	7.5	6.8	7.3	7.2
Illinois	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.0	5.2	5.1	5.0	5.1	5.0	5.2
Indiana	5.2	5.3	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.5	5.3	5.1	5.2	5.6
Iowa	5.6	5.3	5.6	5.8	5.6	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.5	5.8
Kansas	5.9	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.4	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.4	6.3
Kentucky	5.3	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.8	5.4	5.5	4.8	5.4
Louisiana	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.6	5.5	6.2	5.8	5.5	5.6	6.3
Maine	7.2	6.2	7.0	7.4	7.2	7.1	7.1	7.1	6.3	7.4
Maryland	7.1	5.9	6.0	5.9	5.7	5.9	6.1	5.9	5.7	6.2
Massachusetts	5.7	5.0	5.3	5.0	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.1	5.8
Michigan	5.7	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.8	5.4	5.8	5.9	5.3	5.5
Minnesota	5.7	5.1	5.5	5.1	5.8	5.2	5.8	5.1	5.5	5.5
Mississippi	5.7	6.3	6.3	5.7	6.3	6.3	5.7	6.2	6.1	6.5
Missouri	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.5	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.2	6.1
Montana	7.9	7.2	8.4	8.0	7.7	7.6	8.0	7.8	7.5	8.3
Nebraska	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.3	5.5
Nevada	5.8	6.2	6.1	5.4	6.2	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.9	6.3
New Hampshire	6.1	5.6	6.3	6.5	6.3	6.0	6.7	5.9	6.1	6.7
New Jersey	5.9	5.4	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.4	5.5
New Mexico	6.1	6.3	6.1	5.9	5.9	6.5	6.2	5.9	5.8	6.0
New York	5.8	5.7	5.7	6.6	5.9	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.0	7.0
North Carolina	5.6	5.5	6.1	5.4	5.6	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.4
North Dakota	6.6	6.5	6.5	6.7	6.4	6.6	6.5	6.6	6.5	6.7
Ohio	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.1	4.9	5.4
Oklahoma	5.7	6.1	6.0	5.5	5.5	6.4	5.5	5.5	5.3	6.2
Oregon	6.0	6.3	6.2	5.8	6.4	6.3	6.6	6.6	6.2	6.5
Pennsylvania	4.9	5.1	5.2	5.0	4.9	5.2	5.0	4.8	4.7	5.2
Rhode Island	6.6	6.2	7.3	6.6	6.3	6.7	6.4	6.3	5.9	6.7
South Carolina	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.5	6.6
South Dakota	6.0	5.9	6.7	6.2	6.0	6.2	5.9	5.9	6.5	6.1
Tennessee	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.1	5.6	5.7	6.2	5.1	5.9
Texas	5.4	5.7	5.8	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.2	5.1	5.4
Utah	6.5	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.6	6.9	6.2	6.3	6.0	6.6
Vermont	6.7	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.9	7.4	7.1	6.7	6.8	7.5
Virginia	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.1	5.8
Washington	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.7	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.5	5.4
West Virginia	7.0	5.9	6.5	6.4	5.5	6.7	6.6	6.1	5.7	6.3
Wisconsin	5.3	5.1	5.3	5.0	5.3	5.6	5.5	5.2	4.9	5.5
Wyoming	8.2	8.9	8.9	8.1	8.3	8.8	8.5	8.3	8.7	8.9
Puerto Rico	5.5	5.4	4.3	6.3	7.0	4.9	5.0	5.4	5.4	6.1
Virgin Islands	4.9	4.7	5.2	5.4	15.0	5.7	7.5	10.8	7.6	9.5
(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.