Business Employment Dynamics in Rhode Island — Third Quarter 2024

From June 2024 to September 2024, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Rhode Island were 28,237, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 27,098, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Mark J. Maggi noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 1,139 jobs in the private sector during the third quarter of 2024. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 798. (See chart 1.)

Line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in Rhode Island, September 2019–September 2024, seasonally adjusted. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Rhode Island, September 2019–September 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job losses	Gross job gains
Sep 2019	26,351	25,002
Dec 2019	25,124	27,371
Mar 2020	27,825	25,361
Jun 2020	97,849	17,724
Sep 2020	19,607	48,738
Dec 2020	27,579	29,296
Mar 2021	22,083	38,455
Jun 2021	25,674	28,491
Sep 2021	28,503	30,686
Dec 2021	26,969	34,429
Mar 2022	24,876	32,827
Jun 2022	28,129	29,777
Sep 2022	30,774	28,009
Dec 2022	27,245	28,990
Mar 2023	25,230	31,697
Jun 2023	29,333	29,039
Sep 2023	28,999	27,420
Dec 2023	27,265	28,835
Mar 2024	24,846	29,862
Jun 2024	29,251	28,453
Sep 2024	28,237	27,098

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 third quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 6.5 percent of private-sector employment in Rhode Island; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.8 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 Rhode Island, contracting establishments lost 21,998 jobs in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 132 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 6,239 jobs, a decrease of 1,146 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Rhode Island, September 2019–September 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Rhode Island	United States
Sep 2019	6.2	5.8
Dec 2019	5.9	5.5
Mar 2020	6.6	6.3
Jun 2020	24.9	16.8
Sep 2020	5.2	5.9
Dec 2020	7.1	5.7
Mar 2021	5.7	5.5
Jun 2021	6.3	5.9
Sep 2021	7.1	6.1
Dec 2021	6.6	5.4
Mar 2022	6.0	5.5
Jun 2022	6.6	6.2
Sep 2022	7.3	5.9
Dec 2022	6.4	5.9
Mar 2023	5.9	5.5
Jun 2023	6.8	5.9
Sep 2023	6.7	6.0
Dec 2023	6.3	5.7
Mar 2024	5.7	5.4
Jun 2024	6.7	5.9
Sep 2024	6.5	5.8

Gross job gains

In the third quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 6.2 percent of private-sector employment in Rhode Island; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 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 Rhode Island, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 19,691 in the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 2,736 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 7,407 jobs gained in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 1,381 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Rhode Island, September 2019–September 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Rhode Island	United States
Sep 2019	5.9	5.9
Dec 2019	6.4	6.2
Mar 2020	6.0	5.5
Jun 2020	4.5	4.8
Sep 2020	13.0	9.5
Dec 2020	7.6	7.4
Mar 2021	9.8	6.9
Jun 2021	7.0	6.8
Sep 2021	7.6	7.3
Dec 2021	8.5	7.7
Mar 2022	7.9	6.7
Jun 2022	7.0	6.5
Sep 2022	6.7	6.9
Dec 2022	6.9	6.3
Mar 2023	7.4	6.3
Jun 2023	6.7	6.2
Sep 2023	6.4	5.9
Dec 2023	6.8	6.0
Mar 2024	6.9	5.7
Jun 2024	6.6	5.8
Sep 2024	6.2	5.8

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 4 of the 8 published industry sectors in Rhode Island in the third quarter of 2024. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job decline, with a loss of 1,555 jobs. This was the result of 6,848 gross job losses and 5,293 gross job gains. Education and health services showed a net gain of 1,140 jobs, the largest gain of any sector in the state.

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 at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Fourth Quarter 2024 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 30, 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, Rhode Island, 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	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	27,420	28,835	29,862	28,453	27,098	6.4	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.2
At expanding establishments	21,230	21,679	23,381	22,427	19,691	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.2	4.5
At opening establishments	6,190	7,156	6,481	6,026	7,407	1.4	1.7	1.5	1.4	1.7
Gross job losses	28,999	27,265	24,846	29,251	28,237	6.7	6.3	5.7	6.7	6.5
At contracting establishments	22,414	21,529	19,183	21,866	21,998	5.2	5.0	4.4	5.0	5.1
At closing establishments	6,585	5,736	5,663	7,385	6,239	1.5	1.3	1.3	1.7	1.4
Net employment change (2)	-1,579	1,570	5,016	-798	-1,139	-0.3	0.5	1.2	-0.1	-0.3
Construction
Gross job gains	2,022	2,383	3,170	2,070	2,580	9.5	11.3	14.2	9.2	11.7
At expanding establishments	1,320	1,485	2,142	1,557	1,652	6.2	7.0	9.6	6.9	7.5
At opening establishments	702	898	1,028	513	928	3.3	4.3	4.6	2.3	4.2
Gross job losses	2,417	2,222	1,746	2,294	2,414	11.4	10.6	7.9	10.2	11.0
At contracting establishments	1,796	1,577	1,199	1,669	1,770	8.5	7.5	5.4	7.4	8.1
At closing establishments	621	645	547	625	644	2.9	3.1	2.5	2.8	2.9
Net employment change (2)	-395	161	1,424	-224	166	-1.9	0.7	6.3	-1.0	0.7
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	959	802	750	849	873	5.9	4.9	4.6	5.2	5.4
At expanding establishments	637	556	518	664	582	3.9	3.4	3.2	4.1	3.6
At opening establishments	322	246	232	185	291	2.0	1.5	1.4	1.1	1.8
Gross job losses	860	904	769	914	749	5.3	5.5	4.7	5.6	4.5
At contracting establishments	556	652	527	622	514	3.4	4.0	3.2	3.8	3.1
At closing establishments	304	252	242	292	235	1.9	1.5	1.5	1.8	1.4
Net employment change (2)	99	-102	-19	-65	124	0.6	-0.6	-0.1	-0.4	0.9
Retail trade
Gross job gains	2,647	2,526	2,606	2,734	2,420	5.6	5.4	5.5	5.7	5.1
At expanding establishments	2,196	2,062	2,202	2,251	2,030	4.6	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.3
At opening establishments	451	464	404	483	390	1.0	1.0	0.9	1.0	0.8
Gross job losses	3,157	2,567	2,379	2,796	2,829	6.7	5.5	5.0	5.8	6.0
At contracting establishments	2,510	2,140	1,978	2,363	2,410	5.3	4.6	4.2	4.9	5.1
At closing establishments	647	427	401	433	419	1.4	0.9	0.8	0.9	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-510	-41	227	-62	-409	-1.1	-0.1	0.5	-0.1	-0.9
Financial activities
Gross job gains	1,342	1,749	1,265	1,597	1,469	4.2	5.5	4.0	5.0	4.6
At expanding establishments	1,054	1,366	990	1,175	980	3.3	4.3	3.1	3.7	3.1
At opening establishments	288	383	275	422	489	0.9	1.2	0.9	1.3	1.5
Gross job losses	1,452	1,702	1,401	1,465	1,575	4.6	5.4	4.4	4.6	4.9
At contracting establishments	1,075	1,326	993	1,062	1,216	3.4	4.2	3.1	3.3	3.8
At closing establishments	377	376	408	403	359	1.2	1.2	1.3	1.3	1.1
Net employment change (2)	-110	47	-136	132	-106	-0.4	0.1	-0.4	0.4	-0.3
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	4,895	5,471	4,688	5,647	5,731	7.0	7.9	6.8	8.2	8.3
At expanding establishments	3,284	3,606	3,260	4,089	3,383	4.7	5.2	4.7	5.9	4.9
At opening establishments	1,611	1,865	1,428	1,558	2,348	2.3	2.7	2.1	2.3	3.4
Gross job losses	6,328	5,566	5,060	5,700	5,679	9.1	8.0	7.3	8.3	8.2
At contracting establishments	4,440	3,969	3,546	3,503	3,901	6.4	5.7	5.1	5.1	5.6
At closing establishments	1,888	1,597	1,514	2,197	1,778	2.7	2.3	2.2	3.2	2.6
Net employment change (2)	-1,433	-95	-372	-53	52	-2.1	-0.1	-0.5	-0.1	0.1
Education and health services
Gross job gains	4,568	4,519	5,498	4,827	4,917	4.4	4.3	5.2	4.5	4.6
At expanding establishments	4,007	3,808	4,911	4,055	4,091	3.9	3.6	4.6	3.8	3.8
At opening establishments	561	711	587	772	826	0.5	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	3,212	4,087	3,321	3,982	3,777	3.1	3.9	3.1	3.8	3.5
At contracting establishments	2,579	3,475	2,748	2,848	3,186	2.5	3.3	2.6	2.7	3.0
At closing establishments	633	612	573	1,134	591	0.6	0.6	0.5	1.1	0.5
Net employment change (2)	1,356	432	2,177	845	1,140	1.3	0.4	2.1	0.7	1.1
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	7,279	6,799	7,698	6,624	5,293	12.1	11.4	12.6	10.8	8.7
At expanding establishments	5,886	5,202	5,823	5,281	4,120	9.8	8.7	9.5	8.6	6.8
At opening establishments	1,393	1,597	1,875	1,343	1,173	2.3	2.7	3.1	2.2	1.9
Gross job losses	6,984	6,381	6,063	7,710	6,848	11.6	10.6	9.9	12.6	11.4
At contracting establishments	5,823	5,333	4,892	6,246	5,424	9.7	8.9	8.0	10.2	9.0
At closing establishments	1,161	1,048	1,171	1,464	1,424	1.9	1.7	1.9	2.4	2.4
Net employment change (2)	295	418	1,635	-1,086	-1,555	0.5	0.8	2.7	-1.8	-2.7
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	1,333	1,518	1,346	1,579	1,331	7.8	8.8	7.9	9.1	7.6
At expanding establishments	988	1,123	1,075	1,211	958	5.8	6.5	6.3	7.0	5.5
At opening establishments	345	395	271	368	373	2.0	2.3	1.6	2.1	2.1
Gross job losses	1,322	1,263	1,304	1,492	1,390	7.8	7.3	7.6	8.6	8.0
At contracting establishments	1,001	967	984	1,124	1,153	5.9	5.6	5.7	6.5	6.6
At closing establishments	321	296	320	368	237	1.9	1.7	1.9	2.1	1.4
Net employment change (2)	11	255	42	87	-59	0.0	1.5	0.3	0.5	-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.

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	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024
United States(1)	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.8	6.0	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.8
Alabama	6.0	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.9
Alaska	8.5	10.2	10.5	10.2	7.9	10.5	9.9	8.6	9.6	9.7
Arizona	6.8	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	5.7	6.6	6.4	6.8	6.5
Arkansas	5.6	6.2	5.6	5.2	5.2	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8	5.2
California	6.4	6.4	5.8	6.1	6.4	6.5	6.4	5.6	6.8	6.1
Colorado	5.4	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.3	6.1	7.6	7.7	6.2	6.7
Connecticut	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.5	6.2	5.7	5.2	5.6	5.7
Delaware	6.0	6.1	6.0	5.9	6.8	6.5	5.8	5.1	6.5	6.4
District of Columbia	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.4	5.6	4.9	6.0	5.0
Florida	6.5	6.1	5.8	6.0	6.6	5.9	5.9	5.4	5.9	5.7
Georgia	6.1	6.2	6.0	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.1
Hawaii	5.3	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.6	6.8	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.0
Idaho	7.2	8.5	7.9	7.5	7.2	7.9	5.8	8.3	7.4	7.6
Illinois	4.8	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.0	5.3	5.1	4.8	5.3	5.1
Indiana	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.7	5.1	5.0	5.5	5.4
Iowa	5.6	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.2	5.8	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0
Kansas	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.3	6.0	5.3	5.6	5.7	5.6
Kentucky	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.4	5.6	5.2	5.0	5.9	5.5
Louisiana	6.2	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.3	5.8
Maine	7.0	7.4	7.2	7.3	6.2	7.8	7.0	6.1	7.0	7.0
Maryland	6.3	6.2	5.8	7.2	6.1	6.4	5.8	5.7	6.5	6.1
Massachusetts	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.7	4.9	5.9	5.5	5.1	5.6	5.8
Michigan	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.8
Minnesota	3.3	6.9	5.8	5.7	5.1	4.3	6.9	5.7	5.4	5.9
Mississippi	6.2	6.1	5.7	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.3	5.7
Missouri	5.6	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.5	5.8	5.6	5.3	5.8	5.8
Montana	7.7	8.8	8.1	7.9	7.3	8.4	7.2	7.5	7.6	8.1
Nebraska	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.6	5.9	5.7	5.1	5.6	5.6
Nevada	6.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.1	5.6	5.4	6.2	5.7	5.9
New Hampshire	5.8	6.2	6.5	6.1	5.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.7
New Jersey	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.9	5.3	6.0	5.8	5.4	5.4	5.8
New Mexico	6.4	6.9	6.0	6.0	6.2	6.8	5.8	6.0	6.3	6.3
New York	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.6	6.0	5.6	5.0	5.5	5.7
North Carolina	5.7	6.3	5.4	5.6	5.6	6.1	4.9	5.5	5.7	6.1
North Dakota	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.6	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.6
Ohio	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.6	5.2	4.8	5.4	5.4
Oklahoma	6.3	6.1	5.6	5.6	6.0	6.0	5.8	5.2	6.4	5.6
Oregon	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.3	6.7	6.2	6.1	6.4	6.6
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.1	4.8	4.6	5.1	5.1
Rhode Island	6.4	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.2	6.7	6.3	5.7	6.7	6.5
South Carolina	6.6	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.2	5.7	5.3	6.3	6.4	5.9
South Dakota	6.3	6.6	6.3	6.0	5.9	6.3	5.8	5.8	6.3	5.9
Tennessee	5.6	6.2	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.7	5.5	4.9	5.7	5.8
Texas	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.6	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.3	5.3
Utah	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.6	6.6	6.5	6.0	6.6	6.1
Vermont	6.4	7.3	7.2	6.6	6.6	7.9	6.6	6.3	7.5	7.3
Virginia	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.8	6.0	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.5
Washington	5.8	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.4	5.3	5.3	5.4
West Virginia	6.5	6.5	6.9	6.6	5.8	6.6	5.8	5.7	6.8	6.6
Wisconsin	5.2	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.0	5.8	5.2	4.8	5.5	5.4
Wyoming	8.3	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.6	8.2	8.4	8.3	9.0	9.0
Puerto Rico	5.7	4.9	5.4	5.6	5.4	5.3	4.8	4.6	4.9	5.1
Virgin Islands	8.2	6.0	5.6	4.3	4.4	6.8	5.9	4.5	5.1	6.1
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: Wednesday, May 14, 2025

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Business Employment Dynamics in Rhode Island — Third Quarter 2024