Business Employment Dynamics in Maine — First Quarter 2025

From December 2024 to March 2025, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Maine were 40,436, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 34,390, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Michael G. Phinney noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 6,046 jobs in the private sector during first quarter of 2025. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 923. (See chart 1.)

Line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in Maine, March 2020 to March 2025, seasonally adjusted. An 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 Maine, March 2020–March 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Mar 2020	34,634	39,056
Jun 2020	25,755	106,528
Sep 2020	58,612	28,342
Dec 2020	42,185	31,160
Mar 2021	45,260	32,799
Jun 2021	38,886	38,888
Sep 2021	39,816	39,390
Dec 2021	43,528	35,835
Mar 2022	44,937	33,221
Jun 2022	38,543	41,518
Sep 2022	40,039	37,812
Dec 2022	39,929	36,182
Mar 2023	42,338	33,570
Jun 2023	41,302	41,297
Sep 2023	37,544	41,942
Dec 2023	40,209	37,644
Mar 2024	40,267	33,770
Jun 2024	39,381	38,871
Sep 2024	33,985	38,390
Dec 2024	37,679	38,602
Mar 2025	40,436	34,390

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 first quarter of 2025, gross job gains represented 7.4 percent of private-sector employment in Maine; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.6 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 Maine, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 29,030 in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 61 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 11,406 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 2,818 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Maine, March 2020–March 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Maine	United States
Mar 2020	6.6	5.5
Jun 2020	5.2	4.8
Sep 2020	12.3	9.4
Dec 2020	8.5	7.4
Mar 2021	8.9	7.0
Jun 2021	7.6	6.8
Sep 2021	7.8	7.3
Dec 2021	8.4	7.7
Mar 2022	8.6	6.7
Jun 2022	7.3	6.5
Sep 2022	7.6	6.9
Dec 2022	7.5	6.3
Mar 2023	7.9	6.3
Jun 2023	7.7	6.2
Sep 2023	7.0	5.9
Dec 2023	7.5	6.0
Mar 2024	7.4	5.9
Jun 2024	7.2	5.8
Sep 2024	6.2	5.8
Dec 2024	7.0	5.9
Mar 2025	7.4	5.6

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 6.3 percent of private-sector employment in Maine; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.4 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 Maine, contracting establishments lost 27,708 jobs in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 2,967 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 6,682 jobs, a decrease of 1,245 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Maine, March 2020–March 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Maine	United States
Mar 2020	7.5	6.3
Jun 2020	21.5	16.8
Sep 2020	5.9	5.9
Dec 2020	6.3	5.7
Mar 2021	6.5	5.5
Jun 2021	7.7	5.9
Sep 2021	7.7	6.0
Dec 2021	6.9	5.4
Mar 2022	6.3	5.5
Jun 2022	7.8	6.2
Sep 2022	7.2	5.9
Dec 2022	6.8	5.9
Mar 2023	6.3	5.5
Jun 2023	7.6	5.9
Sep 2023	7.8	5.9
Dec 2023	7.0	5.7
Mar 2024	6.3	5.5
Jun 2024	7.1	5.9
Sep 2024	7.1	5.8
Dec 2024	7.1	5.7
Mar 2025	6.3	5.4

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 4 of the 9 published industry sectors in Maine in the first quarter of 2025. Retail trade had the largest over-the-quarter net job gain, with an increase of 1,823 jobs. This was the result of 5,184 gross job gains and 3,361 gross job losses. Construction had a net gain of 1,059 jobs, and education and health services had a net gain of 758 jobs. The professional and business services industry showed a net loss of 1,172 jobs.

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

Data in this release contain annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. These revisions include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.

Federal Government Shutdown

Publication of first quarter 2025 data was delayed by more than 6 weeks because of a lapse in federal appropriations. Collection of first quarter Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data – which Business Employment Dynamics data is based upon – had been completed in accordance with our normal schedule prior to the federal government shutdown.

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 Second Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

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, Maine, 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	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	40,267	39,381	33,985	37,679	40,436	7.4	7.2	6.2	7.0	7.4
At expanding establishments	30,855	30,529	26,747	29,091	29,030	5.7	5.6	4.9	5.4	5.3
At opening establishments	9,412	8,852	7,238	8,588	11,406	1.7	1.6	1.3	1.6	2.1
Gross job losses	33,770	38,871	38,390	38,602	34,390	6.3	7.1	7.1	7.1	6.3
At contracting establishments	26,957	31,419	30,913	30,675	27,708	5.0	5.7	5.7	5.6	5.1
At closing establishments	6,813	7,452	7,477	7,927	6,682	1.3	1.4	1.4	1.5	1.2
Net employment change (2)	6,497	510	-4,405	-923	6,046	1.1	0.1	-0.9	-0.1	1.1
Construction
Gross job gains	4,620	2,988	2,916	3,723	3,600	13.0	8.4	8.4	10.7	9.8
At expanding establishments	3,489	2,284	2,079	2,979	2,945	9.8	6.4	6.0	8.6	8.0
At opening establishments	1,131	704	837	744	655	3.2	2.0	2.4	2.1	1.8
Gross job losses	2,814	3,703	3,411	3,022	2,541	7.8	10.3	9.9	8.7	6.9
At contracting establishments	2,156	2,794	2,544	2,179	2,022	6.0	7.8	7.4	6.3	5.5
At closing establishments	658	909	867	843	519	1.8	2.5	2.5	2.4	1.4
Net employment change (2)	1,806	-715	-495	701	1,059	5.2	-1.9	-1.5	2.0	2.9
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	2,011	1,983	1,375	1,357	1,403	3.9	3.8	2.7	2.6	2.7
At expanding establishments	1,670	1,773	1,191	1,132	1,297	3.2	3.4	2.3	2.2	2.5
At opening establishments	341	210	184	225	106	0.7	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.2
Gross job losses	1,986	1,961	1,742	1,991	1,778	3.9	3.8	3.3	3.9	3.5
At contracting establishments	1,647	1,713	1,562	1,707	1,562	3.2	3.3	3.0	3.3	3.1
At closing establishments	339	248	180	284	216	0.7	0.5	0.3	0.6	0.4
Net employment change (2)	25	22	-367	-634	-375	0.0	0.0	-0.6	-1.3	-0.8
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	932	841	647	749	899	4.8	4.4	3.4	4.0	4.8
At expanding establishments	675	651	558	625	812	3.5	3.4	2.9	3.3	4.3
At opening establishments	257	190	89	124	87	1.3	1.0	0.5	0.7	0.5
Gross job losses	751	828	836	919	855	3.9	4.3	4.4	4.8	4.5
At contracting establishments	570	656	669	709	629	3.0	3.4	3.5	3.7	3.3
At closing establishments	181	172	167	210	226	0.9	0.9	0.9	1.1	1.2
Net employment change (2)	181	13	-189	-170	44	0.9	0.1	-1.0	-0.8	0.3
Retail trade
Gross job gains	5,810	4,570	4,369	3,976	5,184	7.1	5.5	5.3	4.9	6.4
At expanding establishments	5,145	3,809	3,812	3,482	4,732	6.3	4.6	4.6	4.3	5.8
At opening establishments	665	761	557	494	452	0.8	0.9	0.7	0.6	0.6
Gross job losses	3,829	5,838	4,924	4,895	3,361	4.7	7.0	6.0	6.0	4.2
At contracting establishments	3,270	5,284	4,382	4,294	2,884	4.0	6.3	5.3	5.3	3.6
At closing establishments	559	554	542	601	477	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.6
Net employment change (2)	1,981	-1,268	-555	-919	1,823	2.4	-1.5	-0.7	-1.1	2.2
Financial activities
Gross job gains	1,227	1,426	1,338	1,674	1,188	3.9	4.6	4.4	5.5	3.9
At expanding establishments	967	983	1,015	1,269	980	3.1	3.2	3.3	4.2	3.2
At opening establishments	260	443	323	405	208	0.8	1.4	1.1	1.3	0.7
Gross job losses	1,510	1,415	1,462	1,469	1,352	4.9	4.6	4.8	4.9	4.5
At contracting establishments	1,090	1,125	1,117	1,140	1,030	3.5	3.7	3.7	3.8	3.4
At closing establishments	420	290	345	329	322	1.4	0.9	1.1	1.1	1.1
Net employment change (2)	-283	11	-124	205	-164	-1.0	0.0	-0.4	0.6	-0.6
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	5,523	5,985	6,005	5,163	4,616	7.1	7.6	7.6	6.6	6.0
At expanding establishments	3,841	4,276	4,607	3,851	3,624	4.9	5.4	5.8	4.9	4.7
At opening establishments	1,682	1,709	1,398	1,312	992	2.2	2.2	1.8	1.7	1.3
Gross job losses	5,043	5,510	5,543	7,499	5,788	6.5	7.0	7.0	9.5	7.4
At contracting establishments	3,749	3,843	4,102	5,853	4,364	4.8	4.9	5.2	7.4	5.6
At closing establishments	1,294	1,667	1,441	1,646	1,424	1.7	2.1	1.8	2.1	1.8
Net employment change (2)	480	475	462	-2,336	-1,172	0.6	0.6	0.6	-2.9	-1.4
Education and health services
Gross job gains	5,348	5,253	5,184	5,196	5,606	4.3	4.2	4.2	4.1	4.5
At expanding establishments	4,590	4,525	4,590	4,572	4,651	3.7	3.6	3.7	3.6	3.7
At opening establishments	758	728	594	624	955	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.8
Gross job losses	3,779	4,804	4,542	4,242	4,848	3.0	3.9	3.6	3.4	3.8
At contracting establishments	3,231	4,176	3,644	3,498	4,087	2.6	3.4	2.9	2.8	3.2
At closing establishments	548	628	898	744	761	0.4	0.5	0.7	0.6	0.6
Net employment change (2)	1,569	449	642	954	758	1.3	0.3	0.6	0.7	0.7
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	10,492	11,281	8,230	10,322	8,809	15.1	16.1	11.9	15.0	12.7
At expanding establishments	7,090	8,559	6,014	7,844	6,697	10.2	12.2	8.7	11.4	9.7
At opening establishments	3,402	2,722	2,216	2,478	2,112	4.9	3.9	3.2	3.6	3.0
Gross job losses	9,674	11,089	11,555	10,177	9,489	13.9	15.8	16.8	14.8	13.6
At contracting establishments	7,854	8,882	9,510	7,823	7,797	11.3	12.7	13.8	11.4	11.2
At closing establishments	1,820	2,207	2,045	2,354	1,692	2.6	3.1	3.0	3.4	2.4
Net employment change (2)	818	192	-3,325	145	-680	1.2	0.3	-4.9	0.2	-0.9
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	1,417	1,509	1,198	1,334	1,068	8.2	8.7	6.8	7.6	6.2
At expanding establishments	1,172	1,184	930	1,089	902	6.8	6.8	5.3	6.2	5.2
At opening establishments	245	325	268	245	166	1.4	1.9	1.5	1.4	1.0
Gross job losses	1,191	1,282	1,391	1,230	1,119	6.9	7.4	8.0	7.0	6.5
At contracting establishments	929	1,023	1,130	984	876	5.4	5.9	6.5	5.6	5.1
At closing establishments	262	259	261	246	243	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.4	1.4
Net employment change (2)	226	227	-193	104	-51	1.3	1.3	-1.2	0.6	-0.3
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	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025
United States(1)	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.5	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.4
Alabama	5.9	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.6	5.6	5.9	5.3	5.6
Alaska	10.7	10.2	8.0	10.3	10.0	8.5	9.6	9.6	9.5	8.1
Arizona	8.2	5.6	6.4	6.1	5.8	6.5	6.5	5.7	5.9	5.3
Arkansas	5.6	5.3	5.5	5.8	5.1	5.2	5.7	5.2	4.8	5.1
California	6.0	6.2	6.3	6.7	6.0	5.7	6.9	6.2	6.4	6.2
Colorado	6.4	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.2	7.4	5.8	6.4	6.5	6.8
Connecticut	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.3
Delaware	6.2	5.8	6.8	6.1	5.9	5.0	6.5	6.4	6.3	5.3
District of Columbia	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.0	4.8	5.0	5.4	5.0	5.5	5.8
Florida	5.8	6.1	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.5	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.5
Georgia	6.1	5.9	5.8	6.0	5.5	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.4	5.7
Hawaii	5.6	5.2	5.7	5.3	4.9	5.1	5.6	5.0	5.0	5.0
Idaho	7.9	7.5	7.1	8.2	7.3	8.1	7.2	7.5	6.8	7.3
Illinois	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.0	4.8	5.1	5.0	5.1	5.0
Indiana	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.5	5.4	5.1	5.5	5.3	5.1	5.2
Iowa	6.2	5.6	5.3	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.5
Kansas	5.9	5.9	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.4
Kentucky	5.9	5.3	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.1	5.8	5.4	5.5	4.8
Louisiana	6.3	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.6	5.6	6.2	5.8	5.5	5.6
Maine	7.4	7.2	6.2	7.0	7.4	6.3	7.1	7.1	7.1	6.3
Maryland	6.1	7.1	5.9	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.9	6.1	5.9	5.7
Massachusetts	5.3	5.7	5.0	5.3	5.0	5.1	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.1
Michigan	5.5	5.7	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.8	5.9	5.3
Minnesota	6.1	5.7	5.1	5.5	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.8	5.1	5.5
Mississippi	6.0	5.7	6.3	6.3	5.7	5.8	6.3	5.7	6.2	6.1
Missouri	5.9	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.2
Montana	8.1	7.9	7.2	8.4	8.0	7.6	7.6	8.0	7.8	7.5
Nebraska	5.9	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.1	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.3
Nevada	6.0	5.8	6.2	6.1	5.4	6.1	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.9
New Hampshire	6.4	6.1	5.6	6.3	6.5	5.8	6.0	6.7	5.9	6.1
New Jersey	5.5	5.9	5.4	6.0	5.6	5.5	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.4
New Mexico	6.4	6.1	6.3	6.1	5.9	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.9	5.8
New York	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.7	6.6	5.0	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.0
North Carolina	5.5	5.6	5.5	6.1	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.5
North Dakota	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.5	6.7	6.0	6.6	6.5	6.6	6.5
Ohio	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.2	4.8	5.3	5.4	5.1	4.9
Oklahoma	5.8	5.7	6.1	6.0	5.5	5.3	6.4	5.5	5.5	5.3
Oregon	6.6	6.0	6.3	6.2	5.8	5.9	6.3	6.6	6.6	6.2
Pennsylvania	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.2	5.0	4.6	5.2	5.0	4.8	4.7
Rhode Island	6.8	6.6	6.2	7.3	6.6	5.7	6.7	6.4	6.3	5.9
South Carolina	6.5	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.1	6.3	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.5
South Dakota	6.4	6.0	5.9	6.7	6.2	5.8	6.2	5.9	5.9	6.5
Tennessee	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.6	5.7	6.2	5.1
Texas	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.8	5.1	5.1	5.3	5.3	5.2	5.1
Utah	6.9	6.5	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.3	6.9	6.2	6.3	6.0
Vermont	7.5	6.7	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.3	7.4	7.1	6.7	6.8
Virginia	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.3	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.1
Washington	5.7	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.5
West Virginia	7.1	7.0	5.9	6.5	6.4	6.1	6.7	6.6	6.1	5.7
Wisconsin	5.7	5.3	5.1	5.3	5.0	4.9	5.6	5.5	5.2	4.9
Wyoming	8.4	8.2	8.9	8.9	8.1	8.4	8.8	8.5	8.3	8.7
Puerto Rico	5.3	5.5	5.4	4.3	6.3	4.7	4.9	5.0	5.4	5.4
Virgin Islands	6.4	4.9	4.7	5.2	5.4	5.3	5.7	7.5	10.8	7.6
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, January 07, 2026

Northeast Information Office

Business Employment Dynamics in Maine — First Quarter 2025