From September 2020 to December 2020, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Mississippi were 69,255, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 42,918, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 26,337 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2020. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 27,209. (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 Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the fourth quarter of 2020, gross job gains represented 7.9 percent of private-sector employment in Mississippi; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 7.4 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 Mississippi, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 57,758 in the fourth quarter of 2020, a decrease of 4,965 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 11,497 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2020, an increase of 411 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2020, gross job losses represented 4.9 percent of private-sector employment in Mississippi; 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 Mississippi, contracting establishments lost 34,672 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2020, a decrease of 4,384 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 8,246 jobs, an increase of 702 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in all 10 industry sectors in Mississippi in the fourth quarter of 2020. Professional and business services had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 9,247 jobs. This was the result of 15,356 gross job gains and 6,109 gross job losses. The leisure and hospitality industry had a net gain of 6,059 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 www.bls.gov/bdm/.

The Business Employment Dynamics for the First Quarter 2021 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 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. Most employers in the U.S. are required to file quarterly reports on the employment and wages of workers covered by unemployment insurance (UI) laws, and to pay quarterly UI taxes. The QCEW is based largely on quarterly UI reports which are sent by businesses to the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). These UI reports are supplemented by two additional BLS data collections to render administrative data into economic statistics. Together these data comprise the QCEW and form the basis of the Bureau’s establishment universe sampling frame.

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 units and jobs lost at closing and contracting units.

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

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

The full Technical Note for the Business Employment Dynamics program, which includes information on coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the current quarterly news release online at www.bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.htm.

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, Mississippi, 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)
	Dec. 2019	Mar. 2020	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Dec. 2019	Mar. 2020	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	56,241	49,812	43,906	73,809	69,255	6.2	5.6	5.1	8.7	7.9
At expanding establishments	46,927	41,021	36,154	62,723	57,758	5.2	4.6	4.2	7.4	6.6
At opening establishments	9,314	8,791	7,752	11,086	11,497	1.0	1.0	0.9	1.3	1.3
Gross job losses	50,181	56,733	111,502	46,600	42,918	5.6	6.2	12.9	5.5	4.9
At contracting establishments	39,763	49,081	97,670	39,056	34,672	4.4	5.4	11.3	4.6	4.0
At closing establishments	10,418	7,652	13,832	7,544	8,246	1.2	0.8	1.6	0.9	0.9
Net employment change (2)	6,060	-6,921	-67,596	27,209	26,337	0.6	-0.6	-7.8	3.2	3.0
Construction
Gross job gains	4,863	5,200	3,309	5,042	4,299	10.8	11.3	7.6	11.7	9.8
At expanding establishments	4,054	4,490	2,670	4,021	3,389	9.0	9.8	6.1	9.3	7.7
At opening establishments	809	710	639	1,021	910	1.8	1.5	1.5	2.4	2.1
Gross job losses	3,625	4,893	6,793	3,249	3,725	8.0	10.7	15.4	7.6	8.5
At contracting establishments	3,074	3,979	5,631	2,782	3,171	6.8	8.7	12.8	6.5	7.2
At closing establishments	551	914	1,162	467	554	1.2	2.0	2.6	1.1	1.3
Net employment change (2)	1,238	307	-3,484	1,793	574	2.8	0.6	-7.8	4.1	1.3
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	4,841	3,410	2,501	8,593	5,810	3.2	2.3	1.8	6.2	4.1
At expanding establishments	4,629	3,227	2,349	8,294	5,622	3.1	2.2	1.7	6.0	4.0
At opening establishments	212	183	152	299	188	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.1
Gross job losses	3,977	4,660	12,290	4,044	3,126	2.7	3.1	8.7	2.9	2.2
At contracting establishments	3,499	4,305	11,889	3,839	2,887	2.4	2.9	8.4	2.8	2.0
At closing establishments	478	355	401	205	239	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.2
Net employment change (2)	864	-1,250	-9,789	4,549	2,684	0.5	-0.8	-6.9	3.3	1.9
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	1,631	1,677	1,185	1,857	2,148	4.8	4.8	3.6	5.6	6.5
At expanding establishments	1,332	1,384	965	1,546	1,610	3.9	4.0	2.9	4.7	4.9
At opening establishments	299	293	220	311	538	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.9	1.6
Gross job losses	1,594	1,515	2,889	1,974	1,363	4.7	4.4	8.6	6.0	4.1
At contracting establishments	1,188	1,162	2,566	1,596	1,187	3.5	3.4	7.6	4.9	3.6
At closing establishments	406	353	323	378	176	1.2	1.0	1.0	1.1	0.5
Net employment change (2)	37	162	-1,704	-117	785	0.1	0.4	-5.0	-0.4	2.4
Retail trade
Gross job gains	7,843	7,709	10,763	10,902	7,992	5.8	5.7	8.0	8.1	5.9
At expanding establishments	6,996	6,801	9,837	9,640	6,523	5.2	5.0	7.3	7.2	4.8
At opening establishments	847	908	926	1,262	1,469	0.6	0.7	0.7	0.9	1.1
Gross job losses	8,493	7,590	14,223	7,786	7,483	6.3	5.7	10.6	5.8	5.6
At contracting establishments	6,567	6,829	12,861	6,546	6,308	4.9	5.1	9.6	4.9	4.7
At closing establishments	1,926	761	1,362	1,240	1,175	1.4	0.6	1.0	0.9	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-650	119	-3,460	3,116	509	-0.5	0.0	-2.6	2.3	0.3
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	5,099	2,575	3,658	5,637	5,523	9.8	5.0	7.2	10.9	10.0
At expanding establishments	4,639	2,181	2,594	5,122	5,170	8.9	4.2	5.1	9.9	9.4
At opening establishments	460	394	1,064	515	353	0.9	0.8	2.1	1.0	0.6
Gross job losses	2,845	4,141	4,896	2,615	1,993	5.5	7.9	9.6	5.0	3.6
At contracting establishments	2,073	3,703	4,426	2,341	1,815	4.0	7.1	8.7	4.5	3.3
At closing establishments	772	438	470	274	178	1.5	0.8	0.9	0.5	0.3
Net employment change (2)	2,254	-1,566	-1,238	3,022	3,530	4.3	-2.9	-2.4	5.9	6.4
Financial activities
Gross job gains	1,966	1,733	1,489	1,997	2,094	4.6	4.1	3.6	4.8	5.0
At expanding establishments	1,540	1,311	1,079	1,524	1,509	3.6	3.1	2.6	3.7	3.6
At opening establishments	426	422	410	473	585	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.1	1.4
Gross job losses	2,057	1,784	3,112	2,120	1,698	4.8	4.1	7.4	5.1	4.1
At contracting establishments	1,368	1,478	2,489	1,524	1,344	3.2	3.4	5.9	3.7	3.2
At closing establishments	689	306	623	596	354	1.6	0.7	1.5	1.4	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-91	-51	-1,623	-123	396	-0.2	0.0	-3.8	-0.3	0.9
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	9,774	9,705	8,287	12,698	15,356	9.1	8.9	7.8	12.1	13.7
At expanding establishments	8,085	7,775	6,676	10,354	12,889	7.5	7.1	6.3	9.9	11.5
At opening establishments	1,689	1,930	1,611	2,344	2,467	1.6	1.8	1.5	2.2	2.2
Gross job losses	8,712	9,641	15,646	7,062	6,109	8.0	8.8	14.8	6.7	5.5
At contracting establishments	7,317	8,551	12,677	5,489	4,799	6.7	7.8	12.0	5.2	4.3
At closing establishments	1,395	1,090	2,969	1,573	1,310	1.3	1.0	2.8	1.5	1.2
Net employment change (2)	1,062	64	-7,359	5,636	9,247	1.1	0.1	-7.0	5.4	8.2
Education and health services
Gross job gains	6,099	5,727	4,123	6,637	8,373	4.2	3.9	2.9	4.9	6.1
At expanding establishments	4,826	4,831	3,298	5,459	7,157	3.3	3.3	2.3	4.0	5.2
At opening establishments	1,273	896	825	1,178	1,216	0.9	0.6	0.6	0.9	0.9
Gross job losses	6,649	6,850	10,536	6,101	6,681	4.5	4.7	7.4	4.4	4.8
At contracting establishments	4,852	5,989	9,074	5,101	4,339	3.3	4.1	6.4	3.7	3.1
At closing establishments	1,797	861	1,462	1,000	2,342	1.2	0.6	1.0	0.7	1.7
Net employment change (2)	-550	-1,123	-6,413	536	1,692	-0.3	-0.8	-4.5	0.5	1.3
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	9,597	8,263	5,804	16,412	13,226	7.0	6.1	4.8	14.3	10.9
At expanding establishments	7,442	6,107	4,612	13,562	10,761	5.4	4.5	3.8	11.8	8.9
At opening establishments	2,155	2,156	1,192	2,850	2,465	1.6	1.6	1.0	2.5	2.0
Gross job losses	8,563	11,326	33,867	8,138	7,167	6.3	8.4	27.6	7.1	5.9
At contracting establishments	7,245	9,714	30,143	7,084	6,280	5.3	7.2	24.6	6.2	5.2
At closing establishments	1,318	1,612	3,724	1,054	887	1.0	1.2	3.0	0.9	0.7
Net employment change (2)	1,034	-3,063	-28,063	8,274	6,059	0.7	-2.3	-22.8	7.2	5.0
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	1,656	1,370	1,115	1,958	1,738	8.3	6.9	5.8	10.4	9.0
At expanding establishments	1,283	1,076	820	1,503	1,312	6.4	5.4	4.3	8.0	6.8
At opening establishments	373	294	295	455	426	1.9	1.5	1.5	2.4	2.2
Gross job losses	1,382	1,570	2,757	1,256	1,312	6.9	7.9	14.3	6.7	6.8
At contracting establishments	1,042	1,198	2,161	897	1,006	5.2	6.0	11.2	4.8	5.2
At closing establishments	340	372	596	359	306	1.7	1.9	3.1	1.9	1.6
Net employment change (2)	274	-200	-1,642	702	426	1.4	-1.0	-8.5	3.7	2.2
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.