From December 2020 to March 2021, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Tennessee were 144,611, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 128,007, 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 16,604 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2021. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 72,482. (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 first quarter of 2021, gross job gains represented 5.6 percent of private-sector employment in Tennessee; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 6.8 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 Tennessee, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 123,464 in the first quarter of 2021, a decrease of 39,859 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 21,147 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2021, a decrease of 4,329 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2021, gross job losses represented 5.0 percent of private-sector employment in Tennessee; 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 Tennessee, contracting establishments lost 115,080 jobs in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 16,112 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 12,927 jobs, a decrease of 4,422 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 10 of the 11 industry sectors in Tennessee in the first quarter of 2021. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 4,805 jobs. This was the result of 25,861 gross job gains and 21,056 gross job losses. The professional and business services industry had a net gain of 3,535 jobs. The transportation and warehousing industry had a net loss of 4,001 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 Second Quarter 2021 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Tennessee, 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)
	Mar. 2020	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	Mar. 2020	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	137,825	110,734	200,135	188,799	144,611	5.2	4.4	8.1	7.5	5.6
At expanding establishments	116,124	92,553	175,302	163,323	123,464	4.4	3.7	7.1	6.5	4.8
At opening establishments	21,701	18,181	24,833	25,476	21,147	0.8	0.7	1.0	1.0	0.8
Gross job losses	142,837	350,743	133,250	116,317	128,007	5.5	13.9	5.5	4.6	5.0
At contracting establishments	128,223	317,714	114,316	98,968	115,080	4.9	12.6	4.7	3.9	4.5
At closing establishments	14,614	33,029	18,934	17,349	12,927	0.6	1.3	0.8	0.7	0.5
Net employment change (2)	-5,012	-240,009	66,885	72,482	16,604	-0.3	-9.5	2.6	2.9	0.6
Construction
Gross job gains	10,299	8,888	10,609	12,048	10,890	7.8	6.8	8.3	9.2	8.1
At expanding establishments	8,749	7,688	8,663	10,326	9,286	6.6	5.9	6.8	7.9	6.9
At opening establishments	1,550	1,200	1,946	1,722	1,604	1.2	0.9	1.5	1.3	1.2
Gross job losses	9,848	14,376	9,698	7,657	8,558	7.3	10.9	7.6	5.8	6.3
At contracting establishments	8,859	12,759	8,511	6,732	7,554	6.6	9.7	6.7	5.1	5.6
At closing establishments	989	1,617	1,187	925	1,004	0.7	1.2	0.9	0.7	0.7
Net employment change (2)	451	-5,488	911	4,391	2,332	0.5	-4.1	0.7	3.4	1.8
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	8,081	6,413	21,857	15,112	11,630	2.3	1.9	6.6	4.4	3.4
At expanding establishments	7,381	5,729	20,633	14,327	10,745	2.1	1.7	6.2	4.2	3.1
At opening establishments	700	684	1,224	785	885	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.2	0.3
Gross job losses	10,389	34,587	10,162	9,182	8,471	2.9	10.1	3.1	2.7	2.4
At contracting establishments	9,944	32,534	9,237	8,053	8,079	2.8	9.5	2.8	2.4	2.3
At closing establishments	445	2,053	925	1,129	392	0.1	0.6	0.3	0.3	0.1
Net employment change (2)	-2,308	-28,174	11,695	5,930	3,159	-0.6	-8.2	3.5	1.7	1.0
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	5,329	3,932	5,731	6,412	5,100	4.4	3.3	4.9	5.4	4.3
At expanding establishments	4,590	3,121	4,788	5,534	4,395	3.8	2.6	4.1	4.7	3.7
At opening establishments	739	811	943	878	705	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.6
Gross job losses	4,841	9,862	5,323	4,063	3,688	4.0	8.3	4.6	3.5	3.1
At contracting establishments	4,016	8,471	4,295	3,250	3,049	3.3	7.1	3.7	2.8	2.6
At closing establishments	825	1,391	1,028	813	639	0.7	1.2	0.9	0.7	0.5
Net employment change (2)	488	-5,930	408	2,349	1,412	0.4	-5.0	0.3	1.9	1.2
Retail trade
Gross job gains	20,009	19,969	24,538	21,295	17,773	6.0	6.0	7.6	6.5	5.3
At expanding establishments	18,462	18,228	22,293	19,044	15,022	5.5	5.5	6.9	5.8	4.5
At opening establishments	1,547	1,741	2,245	2,251	2,751	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	16,779	38,316	19,528	17,022	15,697	5.0	11.7	6.0	5.2	4.7
At contracting establishments	15,116	36,103	17,770	14,548	14,334	4.5	11.0	5.5	4.4	4.3
At closing establishments	1,663	2,213	1,758	2,474	1,363	0.5	0.7	0.5	0.8	0.4
Net employment change (2)	3,230	-18,347	5,010	4,273	2,076	1.0	-5.7	1.6	1.3	0.6
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	6,895	11,599	15,175	17,748	8,368	3.8	6.5	8.5	9.4	4.3
At expanding establishments	6,243	10,860	13,988	16,588	7,553	3.4	6.1	7.8	8.8	3.9
At opening establishments	652	739	1,187	1,160	815	0.4	0.4	0.7	0.6	0.4
Gross job losses	10,120	17,952	8,708	6,077	12,369	5.6	10.1	4.9	3.2	6.4
At contracting establishments	9,477	16,804	7,867	5,574	11,733	5.2	9.5	4.4	2.9	6.1
At closing establishments	643	1,148	841	503	636	0.4	0.6	0.5	0.3	0.3
Net employment change (2)	-3,225	-6,353	6,467	11,671	-4,001	-1.8	-3.6	3.6	6.2	-2.1
Information
Gross job gains	2,531	1,607	4,757	3,007	3,963	5.6	3.8	11.2	7.0	9.1
At expanding establishments	1,927	1,104	4,022	2,196	3,123	4.3	2.6	9.5	5.1	7.2
At opening establishments	604	503	735	811	840	1.3	1.2	1.7	1.9	1.9
Gross job losses	2,767	5,715	2,311	3,277	2,773	6.2	13.3	5.5	7.6	6.3
At contracting establishments	2,313	5,112	1,762	2,643	2,275	5.2	11.9	4.2	6.1	5.2
At closing establishments	454	603	549	634	498	1.0	1.4	1.3	1.5	1.1
Net employment change (2)	-236	-4,108	2,446	-270	1,190	-0.6	-9.5	5.7	-0.6	2.8
Financial activities
Gross job gains	6,706	5,340	8,700	7,415	7,150	4.2	3.4	5.6	4.7	4.5
At expanding establishments	5,532	4,028	7,018	5,530	5,828	3.5	2.6	4.5	3.5	3.7
At opening establishments	1,174	1,312	1,682	1,885	1,322	0.7	0.8	1.1	1.2	0.8
Gross job losses	6,318	11,725	7,194	6,280	6,589	4.0	7.5	4.7	4.1	4.2
At contracting establishments	5,351	10,280	5,524	5,251	5,470	3.4	6.6	3.6	3.4	3.5
At closing establishments	967	1,445	1,670	1,029	1,119	0.6	0.9	1.1	0.7	0.7
Net employment change (2)	388	-6,385	1,506	1,135	561	0.2	-4.1	0.9	0.6	0.3
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	29,849	22,211	41,264	43,830	31,119	6.9	5.4	10.2	10.4	7.2
At expanding establishments	26,019	18,094	36,248	38,476	27,247	6.0	4.4	9.0	9.1	6.3
At opening establishments	3,830	4,117	5,016	5,354	3,872	0.9	1.0	1.2	1.3	0.9
Gross job losses	28,689	59,379	28,775	21,744	27,584	6.7	14.2	7.1	5.1	6.3
At contracting establishments	25,399	53,781	25,028	18,302	24,394	5.9	12.9	6.2	4.3	5.6
At closing establishments	3,290	5,598	3,747	3,442	3,190	0.8	1.3	0.9	0.8	0.7
Net employment change (2)	1,160	-37,168	12,489	22,086	3,535	0.2	-8.8	3.1	5.3	0.9
Education and health services
Gross job gains	18,063	11,538	20,118	20,524	16,102	4.2	2.7	4.9	4.9	3.8
At expanding establishments	13,669	9,423	17,764	17,717	14,099	3.2	2.2	4.3	4.2	3.3
At opening establishments	4,394	2,115	2,354	2,807	2,003	1.0	0.5	0.6	0.7	0.5
Gross job losses	15,287	33,116	15,261	14,385	15,350	3.5	7.8	3.6	3.4	3.6
At contracting establishments	13,968	30,265	13,012	12,285	13,886	3.2	7.1	3.1	2.9	3.3
At closing establishments	1,319	2,851	2,249	2,100	1,464	0.3	0.7	0.5	0.5	0.3
Net employment change (2)	2,776	-21,578	4,857	6,139	752	0.7	-5.1	1.3	1.5	0.2
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	23,805	14,694	39,417	32,967	25,861	6.8	4.7	14.2	11.3	8.6
At expanding establishments	18,715	10,875	33,652	27,142	20,810	5.3	3.5	12.1	9.3	6.9
At opening establishments	5,090	3,819	5,765	5,825	5,051	1.5	1.2	2.1	2.0	1.7
Gross job losses	30,402	110,857	20,581	21,366	21,056	8.7	35.9	7.4	7.3	7.0
At contracting establishments	27,288	98,747	16,735	18,019	19,179	7.8	32.0	6.0	6.2	6.4
At closing establishments	3,114	12,110	3,846	3,347	1,877	0.9	3.9	1.4	1.1	0.6
Net employment change (2)	-6,597	-96,163	18,836	11,601	4,805	-1.9	-31.2	6.8	4.0	1.6
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	4,960	3,411	6,569	6,762	5,170	6.8	5.0	10.2	10.0	7.5
At expanding establishments	3,862	2,454	5,287	5,388	4,128	5.3	3.6	8.2	8.0	6.0
At opening establishments	1,098	957	1,282	1,374	1,042	1.5	1.4	2.0	2.0	1.5
Gross job losses	5,981	13,010	4,486	4,067	4,822	8.1	19.0	6.9	6.1	7.0
At contracting establishments	5,309	11,151	3,483	3,333	4,202	7.2	16.3	5.4	5.0	6.1
At closing establishments	672	1,859	1,003	734	620	0.9	2.7	1.5	1.1	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-1,021	-9,599	2,083	2,695	348	-1.3	-14.0	3.3	3.9	0.5
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)
	Mar. 2020	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	Mar. 2020	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021
United States (1)	5.6	4.8	9.5	7.4	6.8	6.2	17.0	6.0	5.7	5.4
Alabama	5.5	4.7	7.8	7.6	5.9	5.9	12.6	5.9	5.5	5.9
Alaska	9.3	6.6	12.2	13.4	11.0	9.9	24.3	9.8	7.7	9.4
Arizona	5.7	5.8	7.8	7.3	6.3	6.0	11.8	6.1	5.0	5.5
Arkansas	5.1	4.8	7.6	7.2	5.9	5.6	12.1	5.7	5.2	5.1
California	6.1	5.3	8.9	8.5	7.7	6.9	18.6	7.1	6.1	5.9
Colorado	6.3	5.7	10.1	7.5	8.6	7.0	15.1	6.4	7.2	5.6
Connecticut	5.9	4.3	11.4	6.6	6.3	6.0	19.5	5.1	5.9	5.3
Delaware	6.1	4.9	10.3	6.8	6.8	6.7	17.0	6.4	6.0	6.0
District of Columbia	5.3	3.3	8.2	5.3	5.5	5.4	22.3	5.7	5.5	5.3
Florida	5.5	6.0	9.5	8.0	6.9	6.2	14.1	6.7	6.0	5.8
Georgia	5.7	5.3	9.3	7.9	6.7	6.3	14.9	6.5	5.2	5.7
Hawaii	5.4	3.6	7.5	14.7	8.5	5.9	30.3	12.2	4.6	5.9
Idaho	7.6	6.3	8.4	8.7	8.1	6.1	11.2	6.4	6.1	5.7
Illinois	5.0	4.5	9.7	6.5	7.2	6.0	18.2	5.6	6.1	4.9
Indiana	4.9	4.6	8.3	6.8	6.0	6.0	13.5	5.2	5.0	5.1
Iowa	5.4	4.4	7.5	6.8	6.1	6.0	13.0	5.5	5.1	5.4
Kansas	5.4	5.0	7.9	7.0	6.2	6.0	13.3	5.9	5.9	5.5
Kentucky	5.5	4.6	9.0	7.3	7.3	6.1	15.2	5.1	6.1	5.1
Louisiana	5.4	4.4	9.1	8.7	6.4	6.5	16.8	7.0	5.6	5.9
Maine	6.7	5.2	12.3	8.5	9.0	7.3	21.9	6.0	6.3	6.3
Maryland	5.7	4.8	11.2	7.3	6.3	6.8	21.5	5.5	5.8	5.5
Massachusetts	5.2	3.7	12.4	7.0	6.6	6.1	24.2	5.4	5.5	5.0
Michigan	5.1	4.0	10.9	6.7	8.5	5.7	20.5	4.8	6.9	4.9
Minnesota	5.0	4.2	9.0	6.9	9.2	5.7	17.6	5.4	6.8	4.9
Mississippi	5.5	5.0	8.7	8.0	5.6	6.4	12.9	5.5	4.9	6.6
Missouri	5.2	4.6	8.5	7.1	6.3	5.9	14.4	5.7	5.2	5.3
Montana	7.5	6.8	9.9	9.4	8.8	7.8	13.9	7.2	6.8	6.9
Nebraska	5.8	4.8	8.2	6.8	6.5	6.1	12.2	5.8	5.5	6.2
Nevada	5.3	5.3	12.9	8.8	7.3	6.4	29.5	6.4	5.7	5.5
New Hampshire	6.1	4.5	11.8	7.4	7.4	6.5	18.8	5.3	6.4	5.4
New Jersey	5.7	4.8	15.7	8.1	7.0	6.5	28.3	5.6	5.9	5.6
New Mexico	6.2	4.5	8.5	7.3	8.5	6.7	17.7	6.1	7.5	5.7
New York	5.5	3.9	13.3	7.4	6.9	6.5	26.9	5.9	6.3	5.4
North Carolina	5.9	4.9	8.7	7.9	6.6	5.8	14.6	5.6	5.0	5.4
North Dakota	6.9	5.3	8.9	7.2	7.8	7.2	17.1	6.9	7.1	6.5
Ohio	5.1	4.5	7.8	6.6	6.1	5.7	14.4	5.3	5.2	5.0
Oklahoma	5.4	5.5	7.1	7.9	6.1	6.6	12.3	6.6	5.8	6.1
Oregon	6.9	5.0	9.0	7.4	8.5	6.5	18.2	6.3	6.5	5.6
Pennsylvania	5.0	3.6	10.3	6.2	6.4	5.7	18.3	4.9	5.3	4.6
Rhode Island	6.0	4.5	13.0	7.6	9.8	6.5	25.1	5.3	7.1	5.5
South Carolina	5.7	5.0	8.8	8.0	6.2	6.6	14.6	5.9	5.2	6.1
South Dakota	6.0	5.1	8.6	7.2	7.3	6.7	11.5	5.5	6.2	6.0
Tennessee	5.2	4.4	8.1	7.5	5.6	5.5	13.9	5.5	4.6	5.0
Texas	5.1	4.7	7.3	7.6	5.7	5.7	13.8	6.1	4.8	5.0
Utah	6.6	6.6	9.1	8.1	7.1	6.5	10.9	6.3	5.6	6.1
Vermont	5.9	4.6	12.9	7.6	8.2	7.7	18.4	5.8	8.0	6.1
Virginia	5.6	4.6	10.4	7.0	6.0	6.1	18.3	5.4	5.3	5.4
Washington	7.7	4.8	8.9	7.2	7.9	7.8	17.4	6.3	6.1	5.4
West Virginia	6.6	5.1	8.9	7.4	7.2	7.0	14.1	6.9	6.2	5.8
Wisconsin	5.1	4.3	7.6	6.3	5.8	5.4	14.4	5.1	5.1	4.7
Wyoming	8.6	6.4	10.8	10.0	9.1	9.6	17.9	7.7	7.7	8.3
Puerto Rico	5.0	4.1	11.1	6.6	6.6	5.6	16.9	5.1	4.9	5.0
Virgin Islands	8.5	5.3	7.8	9.9	7.4	9.0	18.8	12.5	5.8	10.8
Footnotes: (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.