From March 2021 to June 2021, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Alabama were 98,458, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 94,344, 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 4,114 jobs in the private sector during the second quarter of 2021. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 270. (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 second quarter of 2021, gross job gains represented 6.2 percent of private-sector employment in Alabama; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 6.7 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 Alabama, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 77,743 in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of 3,465 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 20,715 jobs gained in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of 2,616 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the second quarter of 2021, gross job losses represented 6.0 percent of private-sector employment in Alabama; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.9 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 Alabama, contracting establishments lost 82,154 jobs in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of 5,925 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 12,190 jobs, a decrease of 3,688 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 6 of the 10 industry sectors in Alabama in the second quarter of 2021. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 5,157 jobs. This was the result of 19,144 gross job gains and 13,987 gross job losses. The education and health services industry had a net gain of 2,684 jobs. Professional and business services showed a net loss of 2,136 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state. Alabama’s transportation and warehousing industry sector had a net loss of 1,675 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 Third Quarter 2021 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 27, 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, Alabama, 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)
	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	73,891	119,278	119,294	92,377	98,458	4.7	7.8	7.6	5.9	6.2
At expanding establishments	59,415	103,815	98,626	74,278	77,743	3.8	6.8	6.3	4.7	4.9
At opening establishments	14,476	15,463	20,668	18,099	20,715	0.9	1.0	1.3	1.2	1.3
Gross job losses	196,681	90,585	84,720	92,107	94,344	12.6	5.9	5.5	5.9	6.0
At contracting establishments	175,322	71,650	66,510	76,229	82,154	11.2	4.7	4.3	4.9	5.2
At closing establishments	21,359	18,935	18,210	15,878	12,190	1.4	1.2	1.2	1.0	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-122,790	28,693	34,574	270	4,114	-7.9	1.9	2.1	0.0	0.2
Construction
Gross job gains	7,346	7,937	9,571	7,679	7,142	7.9	8.6	10.3	8.1	7.6
At expanding establishments	5,877	6,541	7,867	6,324	5,561	6.3	7.1	8.5	6.7	5.9
At opening establishments	1,469	1,396	1,704	1,355	1,581	1.6	1.5	1.8	1.4	1.7
Gross job losses	9,308	9,005	6,934	8,374	7,684	9.9	9.8	7.5	8.9	8.2
At contracting establishments	7,979	7,466	5,609	7,082	6,398	8.5	8.1	6.1	7.5	6.8
At closing establishments	1,329	1,539	1,325	1,292	1,286	1.4	1.7	1.4	1.4	1.4
Net employment change (2)	-1,962	-1,068	2,637	-695	-542	-2.0	-1.2	2.8	-0.8	-0.6
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	5,011	13,621	11,400	9,074	8,288	2.0	5.3	4.4	3.5	3.2
At expanding establishments	4,340	13,055	10,395	8,057	7,600	1.7	5.1	4.0	3.1	2.9
At opening establishments	671	566	1,005	1,017	688	0.3	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.3
Gross job losses	23,342	8,703	7,444	7,872	9,466	8.9	3.4	2.9	2.9	3.6
At contracting establishments	22,541	7,601	6,256	7,224	8,739	8.6	3.0	2.4	2.7	3.3
At closing establishments	801	1,102	1,188	648	727	0.3	0.4	0.5	0.2	0.3
Net employment change (2)	-18,331	4,918	3,956	1,202	-1,178	-6.9	1.9	1.5	0.6	-0.4
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	2,678	3,747	4,452	3,270	3,500	3.6	5.3	6.2	4.5	4.8
At expanding establishments	1,937	3,067	3,456	2,767	2,900	2.6	4.3	4.8	3.8	4.0
At opening establishments	741	680	996	503	600	1.0	1.0	1.4	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	5,974	3,944	2,819	3,080	3,379	8.2	5.5	3.9	4.2	4.6
At contracting establishments	5,190	2,736	2,162	2,435	2,708	7.1	3.8	3.0	3.3	3.7
At closing establishments	784	1,208	657	645	671	1.1	1.7	0.9	0.9	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-3,296	-197	1,633	190	121	-4.6	-0.2	2.3	0.3	0.2
Retail trade
Gross job gains	16,453	17,180	13,734	13,695	14,172	7.2	7.6	6.1	6.0	6.1
At expanding establishments	14,840	15,694	11,789	11,541	11,824	6.5	6.9	5.2	5.1	5.1
At opening establishments	1,613	1,486	1,945	2,154	2,348	0.7	0.7	0.9	0.9	1.0
Gross job losses	24,469	13,470	14,530	12,770	13,471	10.7	5.9	6.4	5.6	5.9
At contracting establishments	22,395	11,793	12,426	10,787	12,405	9.8	5.2	5.5	4.7	5.4
At closing establishments	2,074	1,677	2,104	1,983	1,066	0.9	0.7	0.9	0.9	0.5
Net employment change (2)	-8,016	3,710	-796	925	701	-3.5	1.7	-0.3	0.4	0.2
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	3,662	4,782	6,367	3,673	3,724	6.0	7.8	9.9	5.5	5.6
At expanding establishments	3,111	4,308	5,648	2,917	2,738	5.1	7.0	8.8	4.4	4.1
At opening establishments	551	474	719	756	986	0.9	0.8	1.1	1.1	1.5
Gross job losses	5,533	3,227	3,075	4,569	5,399	9.0	5.2	4.8	6.9	8.2
At contracting establishments	4,908	2,675	2,502	3,731	4,995	8.0	4.3	3.9	5.6	7.6
At closing establishments	625	552	573	838	404	1.0	0.9	0.9	1.3	0.6
Net employment change (2)	-1,871	1,555	3,292	-896	-1,675	-3.0	2.6	5.1	-1.4	-2.6
Financial activities
Gross job gains	3,983	4,782	5,014	5,207	5,132	4.2	5.1	5.4	5.4	5.3
At expanding establishments	3,055	3,869	3,830	4,220	4,054	3.2	4.1	4.1	4.4	4.2
At opening establishments	928	913	1,184	987	1,078	1.0	1.0	1.3	1.0	1.1
Gross job losses	5,788	4,355	5,113	4,317	4,634	6.1	4.6	5.4	4.5	4.8
At contracting establishments	4,926	3,018	4,122	3,358	3,646	5.2	3.2	4.4	3.5	3.8
At closing establishments	862	1,337	991	959	988	0.9	1.4	1.0	1.0	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-1,805	427	-99	890	498	-1.9	0.5	0.0	0.9	0.5
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	13,031	27,432	26,594	17,650	18,441	5.4	11.7	10.8	7.0	7.4
At expanding establishments	10,010	23,752	21,996	13,339	13,736	4.1	10.1	8.9	5.3	5.5
At opening establishments	3,021	3,680	4,598	4,311	4,705	1.3	1.6	1.9	1.7	1.9
Gross job losses	38,821	15,898	15,516	17,955	20,577	16.1	6.8	6.3	7.2	8.3
At contracting establishments	34,746	11,255	11,366	15,072	17,649	14.4	4.8	4.6	6.0	7.1
At closing establishments	4,075	4,643	4,150	2,883	2,928	1.7	2.0	1.7	1.2	1.2
Net employment change (2)	-25,790	11,534	11,078	-305	-2,136	-10.7	4.9	4.5	-0.2	-0.9
Education and health services
Gross job gains	7,249	11,996	13,800	10,684	12,145	3.1	5.3	6.1	4.7	5.3
At expanding establishments	5,554	10,430	10,862	8,608	9,608	2.4	4.6	4.8	3.8	4.2
At opening establishments	1,695	1,566	2,938	2,076	2,537	0.7	0.7	1.3	0.9	1.1
Gross job losses	21,208	10,962	10,534	12,143	9,461	9.2	4.9	4.6	5.3	4.1
At contracting establishments	18,645	8,520	7,702	9,462	8,341	8.1	3.8	3.4	4.1	3.6
At closing establishments	2,563	2,442	2,832	2,681	1,120	1.1	1.1	1.2	1.2	0.5
Net employment change (2)	-13,959	1,034	3,266	-1,459	2,684	-6.1	0.4	1.5	-0.6	1.2
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	9,811	21,723	21,846	15,149	19,144	5.3	12.7	12.2	8.2	10.3
At expanding establishments	7,057	18,167	17,729	12,143	14,849	3.8	10.6	9.9	6.6	8.0
At opening establishments	2,754	3,556	4,117	3,006	4,295	1.5	2.1	2.3	1.6	2.3
Gross job losses	52,251	15,301	12,174	15,323	13,987	28.0	9.0	6.8	8.3	7.5
At contracting establishments	45,731	12,295	9,643	12,705	11,896	24.5	7.2	5.4	6.9	6.4
At closing establishments	6,520	3,006	2,531	2,618	2,091	3.5	1.8	1.4	1.4	1.1
Net employment change (2)	-42,440	6,422	9,672	-174	5,157	-22.7	3.7	5.4	-0.1	2.8
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	2,300	3,371	3,796	3,444	3,786	5.5	8.5	9.4	8.4	9.1
At expanding establishments	1,620	2,788	2,863	2,570	2,616	3.9	7.0	7.1	6.3	6.3
At opening establishments	680	583	933	874	1,170	1.6	1.5	2.3	2.1	2.8
Gross job losses	5,812	2,813	2,958	3,113	2,859	14.0	7.1	7.3	7.6	6.9
At contracting establishments	4,722	2,024	2,171	2,214	2,439	11.4	5.1	5.4	5.4	5.9
At closing establishments	1,090	789	787	899	420	2.6	2.0	1.9	2.2	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-3,512	558	838	331	927	-8.5	1.4	2.1	0.8	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.

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)
	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	June 2020	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021
United States(1)	4.8	9.5	7.4	6.8	6.7	17.0	6.0	5.7	5.4	5.9
Alabama	4.7	7.8	7.6	5.9	6.2	12.6	5.9	5.5	5.9	6.0
Alaska	6.6	12.2	13.4	11.0	9.5	24.3	9.8	7.7	9.4	9.2
Arizona	5.8	7.8	7.3	6.3	6.8	11.8	6.1	5.0	5.5	6.0
Arkansas	4.8	7.6	7.2	5.9	5.5	12.1	5.7	5.2	5.1	5.6
California	5.3	8.9	8.5	7.7	7.8	18.6	7.1	6.1	5.9	6.4
Colorado	5.7	10.1	7.5	8.6	7.8	15.1	6.4	7.2	5.6	6.4
Connecticut	4.3	11.4	6.6	6.3	6.6	19.5	5.1	5.9	5.3	5.9
Delaware	4.9	10.3	6.8	6.8	6.4	17.0	6.4	6.0	6.0	6.4
District of Columbia	3.3	8.2	5.3	5.5	7.0	22.3	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.4
Florida	6.0	9.5	8.0	6.9	7.8	14.1	6.7	6.0	5.8	6.2
Georgia	5.3	9.3	7.9	6.7	6.9	14.9	6.5	5.2	5.7	6.2
Hawaii	3.6	7.5	14.7	8.5	10.7	30.3	12.2	4.6	5.9	5.6
Idaho	6.3	8.4	8.7	8.1	7.2	11.2	6.4	6.1	5.7	7.2
Illinois	4.5	9.7	6.5	7.2	6.0	18.2	5.6	6.1	4.9	5.6
Indiana	4.6	8.3	6.8	6.0	5.7	13.5	5.2	5.0	5.1	6.0
Iowa	4.4	7.5	6.8	6.1	6.0	13.0	5.5	5.1	5.4	6.0
Kansas	5.0	7.9	7.0	6.2	6.2	13.3	5.9	5.9	5.5	6.1
Kentucky	4.6	9.0	7.3	7.3	6.4	15.2	5.1	6.1	5.1	6.5
Louisiana	4.4	9.1	8.7	6.4	6.8	16.8	7.0	5.6	5.9	6.2
Maine	5.2	12.3	8.5	9.0	7.7	21.9	6.0	6.3	6.3	7.8
Maryland	4.8	11.2	7.3	6.3	6.6	21.5	5.5	5.8	5.5	6.6
Massachusetts	3.7	12.4	7.0	6.6	6.9	24.2	5.4	5.5	5.0	5.7
Michigan	4.0	10.9	6.7	8.5	6.2	20.5	4.8	6.9	4.9	5.6
Minnesota	4.2	9.0	6.9	9.2	6.1	17.6	5.4	6.8	4.9	5.5
Mississippi	5.0	8.7	8.0	5.6	6.4	12.9	5.5	4.9	6.6	6.5
Missouri	4.6	8.5	7.1	6.3	6.0	14.4	5.7	5.2	5.3	6.3
Montana	6.8	9.9	9.4	8.8	8.3	13.9	7.2	6.8	6.9	8.1
Nebraska	4.8	8.2	6.8	6.5	6.2	12.2	5.8	5.5	6.2	6.0
Nevada	5.3	12.9	8.8	7.3	9.5	29.5	6.4	5.7	5.5	5.7
New Hampshire	4.5	11.8	7.4	7.4	7.0	18.8	5.3	6.4	5.4	6.4
New Jersey	4.8	15.7	8.1	7.0	7.2	28.3	5.6	5.9	5.6	5.7
New Mexico	4.5	8.5	7.3	8.5	7.1	17.7	6.1	7.5	5.7	6.6
New York	3.9	13.3	7.4	6.9	7.1	26.9	5.9	6.3	5.4	5.7
North Carolina	4.9	8.7	7.9	6.6	6.4	14.6	5.6	5.0	5.4	5.8
North Dakota	5.3	8.9	7.2	7.8	6.9	17.1	6.9	7.1	6.5	6.5
Ohio	4.5	7.8	6.6	6.1	5.9	14.4	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.8
Oklahoma	5.5	7.1	7.9	6.1	6.5	12.3	6.6	5.8	6.1	6.0
Oregon	5.0	9.0	7.4	8.5	6.6	18.2	6.3	6.5	5.6	6.6
Pennsylvania	3.6	10.3	6.2	6.4	5.6	18.3	4.9	5.3	4.6	5.3
Rhode Island	4.5	13.0	7.6	9.8	7.0	25.1	5.3	7.1	5.5	6.4
South Carolina	5.0	8.8	8.0	6.2	6.3	14.6	5.9	5.2	6.1	6.5
South Dakota	5.1	8.6	7.2	7.3	6.8	11.5	5.5	6.2	6.0	5.8
Tennessee	4.4	8.1	7.5	5.6	5.9	13.9	5.5	4.6	5.0	5.8
Texas	4.7	7.3	7.6	5.7	6.7	13.8	6.1	4.8	5.0	5.4
Utah	6.6	9.1	8.1	7.1	6.9	10.9	6.3	5.6	6.1	6.0
Vermont	4.6	12.9	7.6	8.2	8.4	18.4	5.8	8.0	6.1	6.8
Virginia	4.6	10.4	7.0	6.0	6.2	18.3	5.4	5.3	5.4	6.0
Washington	4.8	8.9	7.2	7.9	6.7	17.4	6.3	6.1	5.4	5.8
West Virginia	5.1	8.9	7.4	7.2	6.5	14.1	6.9	6.2	5.8	6.4
Wisconsin	4.3	7.6	6.3	5.8	5.8	14.4	5.1	5.1	4.7	5.4
Wyoming	6.4	10.8	10.0	9.1	8.8	17.9	7.7	7.7	8.3	8.5
Puerto Rico	4.1	11.1	6.6	6.6	7.7	16.9	5.1	4.9	5.0	5.0
Virgin Islands	5.3	7.8	9.9	7.4	10.6	18.8	12.5	5.8	10.8	6.2
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.