Business Employment Dynamics in Rhode Island — Fourth Quarter 2024

From September 2024 to December 2024, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Rhode Island were 31,503, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 27,276, 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 gain of 4,227 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2024. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 1,139. (See chart 1.)

Line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in Rhode Island, December 2019–December 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, December 2019–December 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Dec 2019	27,371	25,124
Mar 2020	25,361	27,825
Jun 2020	17,724	97,849
Sep 2020	48,738	19,607
Dec 2020	29,296	27,579
Mar 2021	38,455	22,083
Jun 2021	28,491	25,674
Sep 2021	30,686	28,503
Dec 2021	34,429	26,969
Mar 2022	32,827	24,876
Jun 2022	29,777	28,129
Sep 2022	28,009	30,774
Dec 2022	28,990	27,245
Mar 2023	31,697	25,230
Jun 2023	29,039	29,333
Sep 2023	27,420	28,999
Dec 2023	28,835	27,265
Mar 2024	29,862	24,846
Jun 2024	28,453	29,251
Sep 2024	27,098	28,237
Dec 2024	31,503	27,276

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 fourth quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 7.2 percent of private-sector employment in Rhode Island; 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 Rhode Island, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 24,435 in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 4,744 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 7,068 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2024, a decrease of 339 jobs from the previous quarter.

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Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Rhode Island, December 2019–December 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Rhode Island	United States
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
Dec 2024	7.2	5.8

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 6.3 percent of private-sector employment in Rhode Island; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.7 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 Rhode Island, contracting establishments lost 20,825 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2024, a decrease of 1,173 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 6,541 jobs, an increase of 212 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Rhode Island, December 2019–December 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Rhode Island	United States
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
Dec 2024	6.3	5.7

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 6 of the 8 published industry sectors in Rhode Island in the fourth quarter of 2024. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 1,994 jobs. This was the result of 8,152 gross job gains and 6,158 gross job losses. The professional and business services industry had a net gain of 1,677 jobs. In contrast, retail trade had 2,635 gross job gains and 2,673 gross job losses, yielding a net loss of 38 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 at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for First Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

The release of First Quarter 2025 Business Employment Dynamics data, scheduled for October 29, 2025, will incorporate annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. The revisions will include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.

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	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	28,835	29,862	28,453	27,098	31,503	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.2	7.2
At expanding establishments	21,679	23,381	22,427	19,691	24,435	5.1	5.4	5.2	4.5	5.6
At opening establishments	7,156	6,481	6,026	7,407	7,068	1.7	1.5	1.4	1.7	1.6
Gross job losses	27,265	24,846	29,251	28,237	27,276	6.3	5.7	6.7	6.5	6.3
At contracting establishments	21,529	19,183	21,866	21,998	20,825	5.0	4.4	5.0	5.1	4.8
At closing establishments	5,736	5,663	7,385	6,239	6,451	1.3	1.3	1.7	1.4	1.5
Net employment change (2)	1,570	5,016	-798	-1,139	4,227	0.5	1.2	-0.1	-0.3	0.9
Construction
Gross job gains	2,383	3,170	2,070	2,580	2,531	11.3	14.2	9.2	11.7	11.5
At expanding establishments	1,485	2,142	1,557	1,652	1,810	7.0	9.6	6.9	7.5	8.2
At opening establishments	898	1,028	513	928	721	4.3	4.6	2.3	4.2	3.3
Gross job losses	2,222	1,746	2,294	2,414	2,483	10.6	7.9	10.2	11.0	11.2
At contracting establishments	1,577	1,199	1,669	1,770	1,684	7.5	5.4	7.4	8.1	7.6
At closing establishments	645	547	625	644	799	3.1	2.5	2.8	2.9	3.6
Net employment change (2)	161	1,424	-224	166	48	0.7	6.3	-1.0	0.7	0.3
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	802	750	849	873	821	4.9	4.6	5.2	5.4	5.0
At expanding establishments	556	518	664	582	584	3.4	3.2	4.1	3.6	3.6
At opening establishments	246	232	185	291	237	1.5	1.4	1.1	1.8	1.4
Gross job losses	904	769	914	749	813	5.5	4.7	5.6	4.5	4.9
At contracting establishments	652	527	622	514	531	4.0	3.2	3.8	3.1	3.2
At closing establishments	252	242	292	235	282	1.5	1.5	1.8	1.4	1.7
Net employment change (2)	-102	-19	-65	124	8	-0.6	-0.1	-0.4	0.9	0.1
Retail trade
Gross job gains	2,526	2,606	2,734	2,420	2,635	5.4	5.5	5.7	5.1	5.5
At expanding establishments	2,062	2,202	2,251	2,030	2,234	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.3	4.7
At opening establishments	464	404	483	390	401	1.0	0.9	1.0	0.8	0.8
Gross job losses	2,567	2,379	2,796	2,829	2,673	5.5	5.0	5.8	6.0	5.6
At contracting establishments	2,140	1,978	2,363	2,410	2,190	4.6	4.2	4.9	5.1	4.6
At closing establishments	427	401	433	419	483	0.9	0.8	0.9	0.9	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-41	227	-62	-409	-38	-0.1	0.5	-0.1	-0.9	-0.1
Financial activities
Gross job gains	1,749	1,265	1,597	1,469	1,311	5.5	4.0	5.0	4.6	4.2
At expanding establishments	1,366	990	1,175	980	976	4.3	3.1	3.7	3.1	3.1
At opening establishments	383	275	422	489	335	1.2	0.9	1.3	1.5	1.1
Gross job losses	1,702	1,401	1,465	1,575	1,334	5.4	4.4	4.6	4.9	4.2
At contracting establishments	1,326	993	1,062	1,216	1,083	4.2	3.1	3.3	3.8	3.4
At closing establishments	376	408	403	359	251	1.2	1.3	1.3	1.1	0.8
Net employment change (2)	47	-136	132	-106	-23	0.1	-0.4	0.4	-0.3	0.0
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	5,471	4,688	5,647	5,731	7,487	7.9	6.8	8.2	8.3	10.7
At expanding establishments	3,606	3,260	4,089	3,383	5,884	5.2	4.7	5.9	4.9	8.4
At opening establishments	1,865	1,428	1,558	2,348	1,603	2.7	2.1	2.3	3.4	2.3
Gross job losses	5,566	5,060	5,700	5,679	5,810	8.0	7.3	8.3	8.2	8.2
At contracting establishments	3,969	3,546	3,503	3,901	3,874	5.7	5.1	5.1	5.6	5.5
At closing establishments	1,597	1,514	2,197	1,778	1,936	2.3	2.2	3.2	2.6	2.7
Net employment change (2)	-95	-372	-53	52	1,677	-0.1	-0.5	-0.1	0.1	2.5
Education and health services
Gross job gains	4,519	5,498	4,827	4,917	4,444	4.3	5.2	4.5	4.6	4.1
At expanding establishments	3,808	4,911	4,055	4,091	3,654	3.6	4.6	3.8	3.8	3.4
At opening establishments	711	587	772	826	790	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.7
Gross job losses	4,087	3,321	3,982	3,777	4,161	3.9	3.1	3.8	3.5	3.8
At contracting establishments	3,475	2,748	2,848	3,186	3,502	3.3	2.6	2.7	3.0	3.2
At closing establishments	612	573	1,134	591	659	0.6	0.5	1.1	0.5	0.6
Net employment change (2)	432	2,177	845	1,140	283	0.4	2.1	0.7	1.1	0.3
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	6,799	7,698	6,624	5,293	8,152	11.4	12.6	10.8	8.7	13.4
At expanding establishments	5,202	5,823	5,281	4,120	6,023	8.7	9.5	8.6	6.8	9.9
At opening establishments	1,597	1,875	1,343	1,173	2,129	2.7	3.1	2.2	1.9	3.5
Gross job losses	6,381	6,063	7,710	6,848	6,158	10.6	9.9	12.6	11.4	10.1
At contracting establishments	5,333	4,892	6,246	5,424	4,976	8.9	8.0	10.2	9.0	8.2
At closing establishments	1,048	1,171	1,464	1,424	1,182	1.7	1.9	2.4	2.4	1.9
Net employment change (2)	418	1,635	-1,086	-1,555	1,994	0.8	2.7	-1.8	-2.7	3.3
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	1,518	1,346	1,579	1,331	1,418	8.8	7.9	9.1	7.6	8.2
At expanding establishments	1,123	1,075	1,211	958	1,073	6.5	6.3	7.0	5.5	6.2
At opening establishments	395	271	368	373	345	2.3	1.6	2.1	2.1	2.0
Gross job losses	1,263	1,304	1,492	1,390	1,293	7.3	7.6	8.6	8.0	7.4
At contracting establishments	967	984	1,124	1,153	995	5.6	5.7	6.5	6.6	5.7
At closing establishments	296	320	368	237	298	1.7	1.9	2.1	1.4	1.7
Net employment change (2)	255	42	87	-59	125	1.5	0.3	0.5	-0.4	0.8
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	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024
United States(1)	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.8	5.7
Alabama	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.9	5.3
Alaska	10.2	10.5	10.2	7.9	10.3	9.9	8.6	9.6	9.7	9.6
Arizona	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.4	6.8	6.5	6.0
Arkansas	6.2	5.6	5.2	5.2	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8	5.2	4.8
California	6.4	5.8	6.1	6.4	6.6	6.4	5.6	6.8	6.1	6.4
Colorado	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.3	6.1	7.6	7.7	6.2	6.7	6.7
Connecticut	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.2	5.6	5.7	5.6
Delaware	6.1	6.0	5.9	6.8	6.1	5.8	5.1	6.5	6.4	6.4
District of Columbia	5.2	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.0	5.6	4.9	6.0	5.0	5.5
Florida	6.1	5.8	6.0	6.6	6.0	5.9	5.4	5.9	5.7	6.2
Georgia	6.2	6.0	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.4
Hawaii	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.6	5.3	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.0	4.9
Idaho	8.5	7.9	7.5	7.2	8.2	5.8	8.3	7.4	7.6	6.8
Illinois	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.0	5.1	5.1	4.8	5.3	5.1	5.2
Indiana	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.4	5.1	5.0	5.5	5.4	5.2
Iowa	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.2	5.5	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.6
Kansas	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.3	5.9	5.3	5.6	5.7	5.6	5.2
Kentucky	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.9	5.5	5.5
Louisiana	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.2	5.8	5.7	6.3	5.8	5.4
Maine	7.4	7.2	7.3	6.2	6.7	7.0	6.1	7.0	7.0	7.0
Maryland	6.2	5.8	7.2	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.5	6.1	5.9
Massachusetts	5.5	5.2	5.7	4.9	5.3	5.5	5.1	5.6	5.8	5.6
Michigan	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.8	6.0
Minnesota	6.9	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.5	6.9	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.1
Mississippi	6.1	5.7	5.8	6.1	6.3	5.7	6.1	6.3	5.7	6.4
Missouri	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.5	5.7	5.6	5.3	5.8	5.8	5.3
Montana	8.8	8.1	7.9	7.3	8.4	7.2	7.5	7.6	8.1	7.8
Nebraska	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.1	5.6	5.6	5.5
Nevada	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.4	6.2	5.7	5.9	5.8
New Hampshire	6.2	6.5	6.1	5.5	6.3	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.7	5.9
New Jersey	5.9	5.5	5.9	5.3	6.0	5.8	5.4	5.4	5.8	5.3
New Mexico	6.9	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.8	5.8	6.0	6.3	6.3	5.9
New York	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.0	5.5	5.7	5.5
North Carolina	6.3	5.4	5.6	5.6	6.1	4.9	5.5	5.7	6.1	5.5
North Dakota	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.5	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.6	6.7
Ohio	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.4	5.2	4.8	5.4	5.4	5.1
Oklahoma	6.1	5.6	5.6	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.2	6.4	5.6	5.4
Oregon	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.1	6.4	6.6	6.8
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.2	4.8	4.6	5.1	5.1	4.8
Rhode Island	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.2	7.2	6.3	5.7	6.7	6.5	6.3
South Carolina	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.2	6.5	5.3	6.3	6.4	5.9	6.0
South Dakota	6.6	6.3	6.0	5.9	6.7	5.8	5.8	6.3	5.9	5.9
Tennessee	6.2	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.5	4.9	5.7	5.8	5.0
Texas	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.6	5.8	5.2	5.1	5.3	5.3	5.1
Utah	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.6	6.6	6.5	6.0	6.6	6.1	6.2
Vermont	7.3	7.2	6.6	6.6	6.7	6.6	6.3	7.5	7.3	6.8
Virginia	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.5	5.5
Washington	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.3
West Virginia	6.5	6.9	6.6	5.8	6.4	5.8	5.7	6.8	6.6	6.1
Wisconsin	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.0	5.3	5.2	4.8	5.5	5.4	5.0
Wyoming	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.6	8.8	8.4	8.3	9.0	9.0	8.4
Puerto Rico	4.9	5.4	5.6	5.4	4.4	4.8	4.6	4.9	5.1	5.5
Virgin Islands	6.0	5.6	4.3	4.4	4.0	5.9	4.5	5.1	6.1	12.6
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, August 06, 2025

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Business Employment Dynamics in Rhode Island — Fourth Quarter 2024