From September 2022 to December 2022, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Georgia were 267,138, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 242,334, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 24,804 in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2022. In the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 42,989. (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 the Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the fourth quarter of 2022, gross job gains represented 6.5 percent of private-sector employment in Georgia; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 6.2 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 Georgia, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 207,979 in the fourth quarter of 2022, a decrease of 20,605 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 59,159 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2022, an increase of 1,522 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2022, gross job losses represented 5.9 percent of private-sector employment in Georgia; nationally, gross job losses also 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 Georgia, contracting establishments lost 188,520 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2022, an increase of 3,339 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 53,814 jobs, a decrease of 4,237 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 8 of 11 industry sectors in Georgia in the fourth quarter of 2022. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 8,519 jobs. This was the result of 43,464 gross job gains and 34,945 gross job losses. Transportation and warehousing had a net gain of 4,720 jobs. Retail trade showed a net loss of 3,836 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state.   

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 First Quarter 2023 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 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 units with positive third month employment in the previous quarter and either not reported, or reported with zero employment, 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Georgia, seasonally adjusted

Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Dec. 2021	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Dec. 2021	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	309,130	268,652	265,027	286,221	267,138	7.9	6.8	6.6	7.0	6.5
At expanding establishments	245,095	210,352	203,450	228,584	207,979	6.3	5.3	5.1	5.6	5.1
At opening establishments	64,035	58,300	61,577	57,637	59,159	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.4	1.4
Gross job losses	216,525	226,310	267,349	243,232	242,334	5.5	5.7	6.7	6.0	5.9
At contracting establishments	164,416	178,580	207,844	185,181	188,520	4.2	4.5	5.2	4.6	4.6
At closing establishments	52,109	47,730	59,505	58,051	53,814	1.3	1.2	1.5	1.4	1.3
Net employment change (2)	92,605	42,342	-2,322	42,989	24,804	2.4	1.1	-0.1	1.0	0.6
Construction
Gross job gains	16,842	15,214	15,332	14,828	15,983	8.2	7.3	7.2	7.0	7.4
At expanding establishments	13,193	12,298	11,930	11,984	12,708	6.4	5.9	5.6	5.7	5.9
At opening establishments	3,649	2,916	3,402	2,844	3,275	1.8	1.4	1.6	1.3	1.5
Gross job losses	13,547	14,024	15,181	15,593	15,189	6.5	6.7	7.2	7.4	7.2
At contracting establishments	10,040	10,929	11,635	11,390	11,446	4.8	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.4
At closing establishments	3,507	3,095	3,546	4,203	3,743	1.7	1.5	1.7	2.0	1.8
Net employment change (2)	3,295	1,190	151	-765	794	1.7	0.6	0.0	-0.4	0.2
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	19,423	14,733	14,202	16,777	15,160	4.8	3.6	3.5	4.1	3.6
At expanding establishments	17,687	13,628	12,559	14,889	13,380	4.4	3.3	3.1	3.6	3.2
At opening establishments	1,736	1,105	1,643	1,888	1,780	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.5	0.4
Gross job losses	10,571	11,150	12,894	13,592	14,640	2.7	2.7	3.1	3.3	3.5
At contracting establishments	8,629	9,406	11,091	11,421	12,879	2.2	2.3	2.7	2.8	3.1
At closing establishments	1,942	1,744	1,803	2,171	1,761	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.4
Net employment change (2)	8,852	3,583	1,308	3,185	520	2.1	0.9	0.4	0.8	0.1
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	13,463	11,596	11,805	13,181	10,628	6.3	5.4	5.4	5.9	4.7
At expanding establishments	11,205	9,942	10,022	11,574	9,313	5.2	4.6	4.6	5.2	4.1
At opening establishments	2,258	1,654	1,783	1,607	1,315	1.1	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.6
Gross job losses	8,276	8,613	11,174	9,432	8,647	3.9	4.0	5.1	4.2	3.9
At contracting establishments	6,350	6,484	8,277	7,104	6,692	3.0	3.0	3.8	3.2	3.0
At closing establishments	1,926	2,129	2,897	2,328	1,955	0.9	1.0	1.3	1.0	0.9
Net employment change (2)	5,187	2,983	631	3,749	1,981	2.4	1.4	0.3	1.7	0.8
Retail trade
Gross job gains	31,428	33,532	26,569	31,848	27,208	6.2	6.6	5.2	6.2	5.3
At expanding establishments	27,192	29,620	22,605	27,493	22,936	5.4	5.8	4.4	5.4	4.5
At opening establishments	4,236	3,912	3,964	4,355	4,272	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8
Gross job losses	28,078	25,367	33,713	30,741	31,044	5.6	5.0	6.6	6.0	6.1
At contracting establishments	23,657	21,939	29,844	26,576	26,603	4.7	4.3	5.8	5.2	5.2
At closing establishments	4,421	3,428	3,869	4,165	4,441	0.9	0.7	0.8	0.8	0.9
Net employment change (2)	3,350	8,165	-7,144	1,107	-3,836	0.6	1.6	-1.4	0.2	-0.8
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	22,193	14,133	12,549	14,858	16,354	9.4	5.8	4.8	5.7	6.2
At expanding establishments	19,620	11,864	10,225	13,023	12,691	8.3	4.9	3.9	5.0	4.8
At opening establishments	2,573	2,269	2,324	1,835	3,663	1.1	0.9	0.9	0.7	1.4
Gross job losses	7,978	13,827	16,493	12,452	11,634	3.4	5.7	6.4	4.8	4.5
At contracting establishments	6,139	12,370	14,530	10,099	9,361	2.6	5.1	5.6	3.9	3.6
At closing establishments	1,839	1,457	1,963	2,353	2,273	0.8	0.6	0.8	0.9	0.9
Net employment change (2)	14,215	306	-3,944	2,406	4,720	6.0	0.1	-1.6	0.9	1.7
Information
Gross job gains	9,653	14,321	8,068	9,979	7,654	7.8	11.2	6.3	7.9	6.1
At expanding establishments	8,331	13,021	6,936	8,902	6,490	6.7	10.2	5.4	7.0	5.2
At opening establishments	1,322	1,300	1,132	1,077	1,164	1.1	1.0	0.9	0.9	0.9
Gross job losses	12,309	7,459	13,507	9,210	9,239	9.9	5.8	10.5	7.3	7.4
At contracting establishments	9,644	6,289	11,880	7,357	7,990	7.8	4.9	9.2	5.8	6.4
At closing establishments	2,665	1,170	1,627	1,853	1,249	2.1	0.9	1.3	1.5	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-2,656	6,862	-5,439	769	-1,585	-2.1	5.4	-4.2	0.6	-1.3
Financial activities
Gross job gains	19,833	14,660	15,123	16,763	14,192	7.8	5.8	5.8	6.4	5.3
At expanding establishments	15,568	11,953	11,891	14,258	10,966	6.1	4.7	4.6	5.4	4.1
At opening establishments	4,265	2,707	3,232	2,505	3,226	1.7	1.1	1.2	1.0	1.2
Gross job losses	13,982	13,245	14,248	14,249	14,999	5.5	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.6
At contracting establishments	9,955	9,517	10,717	10,239	11,204	3.9	3.7	4.1	3.9	4.2
At closing establishments	4,027	3,728	3,531	4,010	3,795	1.6	1.5	1.4	1.5	1.4
Net employment change (2)	5,851	1,415	875	2,514	-807	2.3	0.6	0.3	1.0	-0.3
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	70,287	52,108	59,205	64,415	57,368	9.4	6.9	7.8	8.3	7.4
At expanding establishments	56,601	43,146	47,639	50,451	47,257	7.6	5.7	6.3	6.5	6.1
At opening establishments	13,686	8,962	11,566	13,964	10,111	1.8	1.2	1.5	1.8	1.3
Gross job losses	45,507	52,740	63,933	56,074	54,764	6.1	7.0	8.4	7.2	7.0
At contracting establishments	33,813	42,327	50,434	44,289	43,130	4.5	5.6	6.6	5.7	5.5
At closing establishments	11,694	10,413	13,499	11,785	11,634	1.6	1.4	1.8	1.5	1.5
Net employment change (2)	24,780	-632	-4,728	8,341	2,604	3.3	-0.1	-0.6	1.1	0.4
Education and health services
Gross job gains	34,971	30,464	32,213	33,253	32,152	6.0	5.2	5.5	5.5	5.3
At expanding establishments	26,673	24,131	25,932	28,398	26,201	4.6	4.1	4.4	4.7	4.3
At opening establishments	8,298	6,333	6,281	4,855	5,951	1.4	1.1	1.1	0.8	1.0
Gross job losses	26,900	26,480	30,173	25,433	29,490	4.7	4.5	5.1	4.3	4.8
At contracting establishments	21,232	20,119	21,094	17,866	22,571	3.7	3.4	3.6	3.0	3.7
At closing establishments	5,668	6,361	9,079	7,567	6,919	1.0	1.1	1.5	1.3	1.1
Net employment change (2)	8,071	3,984	2,040	7,820	2,662	1.3	0.7	0.4	1.2	0.5
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	46,659	38,322	43,884	44,364	43,464	10.2	8.2	9.2	9.2	8.9
At expanding establishments	37,178	28,590	32,389	34,602	33,300	8.1	6.1	6.8	7.2	6.8
At opening establishments	9,481	9,732	11,495	9,762	10,164	2.1	2.1	2.4	2.0	2.1
Gross job losses	34,160	36,738	36,637	39,280	34,945	7.4	7.9	7.7	8.2	7.1
At contracting establishments	26,446	29,938	27,435	30,232	26,645	5.7	6.4	5.8	6.3	5.4
At closing establishments	7,714	6,800	9,202	9,048	8,300	1.7	1.5	1.9	1.9	1.7
Net employment change (2)	12,499	1,584	7,247	5,084	8,519	2.8	0.3	1.5	1.0	1.8
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	10,210	8,206	9,438	10,035	9,235	9.6	7.8	8.9	9.2	8.4
At expanding establishments	7,622	6,126	6,927	7,500	7,278	7.2	5.8	6.5	6.9	6.6
At opening establishments	2,588	2,080	2,511	2,535	1,957	2.4	2.0	2.4	2.3	1.8
Gross job losses	7,789	8,385	9,024	8,441	8,657	7.3	7.9	8.5	7.7	7.8
At contracting establishments	5,528	5,819	5,929	5,494	6,074	5.2	5.5	5.6	5.0	5.5
At closing establishments	2,261	2,566	3,095	2,947	2,583	2.1	2.4	2.9	2.7	2.3
Net employment change (2)	2,421	-179	414	1,594	578	2.3	-0.1	0.4	1.5	0.6
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)
	Dec. 2021	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Dec. 2021	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022
United States(1)	7.7	6.6	6.4	6.8	6.2	5.4	5.4	6.7	5.8	5.9
Alabama	7.6	6.2	6.6	7.1	6.5	5.2	6.0	7.0	6.2	6.0
Alaska	11.8	10.1	10.1	8.6	10.9	8.7	9.3	9.6	10.3	9.3
Arizona	6.8	6.8	6.7	7.9	6.7	5.0	5.7	7.3	5.5	6.1
Arkansas	7.8	5.9	5.6	6.4	6.1	4.8	5.4	6.0	5.5	5.3
California	8.5	7.4	6.6	6.7	6.5	5.5	5.6	7.2	6.1	6.6
Colorado	7.6	7.5	7.3	5.0	7.6	6.1	6.3	6.7	5.8	6.9
Connecticut	6.9	6.3	6.3	6.3	5.9	5.3	5.3	6.5	6.2	6.0
Delaware	8.2	7.3	6.5	8.6	6.7	6.0	5.6	8.2	6.1	7.6
District of Columbia	7.3	6.0	6.0	7.2	5.6	4.9	4.9	6.8	4.8	5.6
Florida	7.7	6.5	7.5	7.8	6.2	6.0	5.7	6.9	5.5	6.1
Georgia	7.9	6.8	6.6	7.0	6.5	5.5	5.7	6.7	6.0	5.9
Hawaii	7.1	6.1	5.9	6.2	6.0	5.1	5.1	5.9	4.8	4.8
Idaho	8.5	8.5	7.1	8.5	8.4	6.3	6.2	9.1	7.5	6.9
Illinois	7.5	6.2	5.9	6.0	5.4	4.9	5.0	5.9	5.3	5.2
Indiana	7.3	6.0	5.6	6.4	5.7	4.7	4.8	6.8	5.5	5.2
Iowa	6.6	6.5	5.8	5.8	6.4	5.4	5.3	6.7	6.0	6.3
Kansas	7.6	6.2	6.5	7.6	6.3	5.3	5.4	7.5	5.6	5.6
Kentucky	7.4	6.6	6.3	6.7	5.9	4.9	5.0	8.7	5.4	5.3
Louisiana	9.6	6.5	6.6	7.3	6.0	5.8	7.1	7.3	5.7	6.5
Maine	8.2	8.0	17.7	7.4	7.3	6.9	6.1	8.1	7.4	6.9
Maryland	7.3	6.6	6.7	7.5	6.4	5.3	5.9	8.1	6.0	6.7
Massachusetts	7.0	6.6	6.1	6.2	5.5	5.7	5.1	5.4	6.1	5.8
Michigan	7.5	6.3	6.0	5.7	5.9	5.2	5.1	6.5	5.9	5.2
Minnesota	7.3	6.0	6.6	6.8	6.2	5.2	5.4	7.1	6.0	6.0
Mississippi	7.9	6.1	6.5	7.2	6.8	5.7	6.0	7.0	6.3	6.2
Missouri	7.4	6.5	6.3	6.8	6.0	5.5	5.4	5.9	6.3	5.8
Montana	9.9	9.3	8.2	8.5	9.2	7.2	8.5	9.4	7.7	7.8
Nebraska	7.0	6.8	6.0	6.9	5.9	5.8	5.9	6.6	6.2	5.7
Nevada	8.3	6.8	6.9	7.6	6.4	4.8	5.2	6.7	5.7	6.2
New Hampshire	7.6	7.7	6.6	6.9	6.7	6.4	5.4	7.9	6.7	6.0
New Jersey	8.7	7.1	6.5	6.8	6.8	5.4	5.5	6.3	6.3	5.9
New Mexico	8.2	7.4	6.5	7.7	6.5	6.3	6.2	7.1	5.9	6.2
New York	7.7	6.7	7.1	6.7	6.0	5.4	5.2	6.6	6.0	6.2
North Carolina	8.1	6.5	6.3	6.6	5.9	5.0	5.3	6.2	5.9	5.4
North Dakota	7.6	7.5	6.8	7.6	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.7	6.4	6.7
Ohio	7.0	6.1	5.7	5.8	5.9	5.2	4.8	6.3	5.6	5.8
Oklahoma	7.6	6.3	6.4	7.1	6.6	5.9	5.7	6.2	5.5	6.0
Oregon	7.8	7.5	6.1	6.7	6.5	6.1	5.7	7.1	8.6	6.4
Pennsylvania	6.8	6.3	5.5	6.1	5.5	4.8	4.9	5.6	5.2	5.1
Rhode Island	8.5	7.9	7.0	6.7	6.9	6.6	5.7	7.3	7.4	6.5
South Carolina	7.9	6.9	6.4	7.3	7.0	5.3	6.2	6.9	5.6	6.2
South Dakota	7.2	7.7	6.6	7.3	6.5	5.9	6.1	6.8	6.4	6.4
Tennessee	7.3	6.6	6.3	7.0	5.8	5.6	4.7	6.4	5.4	5.7
Texas	7.7	6.3	6.5	7.4	6.2	4.8	5.4	6.1	5.2	5.3
Utah	7.5	7.8	7.0	7.9	6.8	6.0	5.9	6.8	6.7	6.6
Vermont	8.1	8.0	7.3	7.2	7.8	6.9	6.3	8.4	8.0	7.1
Virginia	7.2	6.4	6.5	7.5	6.2	5.3	5.8	7.0	6.1	5.8
Washington	7.8	7.3	7.0	7.1	5.9	5.3	5.0	7.1	6.1	5.3
West Virginia	7.9	7.3	6.3	6.8	6.7	6.0	5.9	7.9	6.5	6.6
Wisconsin	6.6	6.5	5.9	6.1	6.1	5.2	4.8	6.8	5.9	5.6
Wyoming	10.1	8.9	8.4	9.2	9.2	7.8	8.3	9.1	8.5	8.0
Puerto Rico	6.4	7.0	6.5	6.2	6.7	5.5	4.9	6.1	5.2	6.1
Virgin Islands	8.0	6.9	8.8	7.9	6.0	9.5	10.3	12.6	4.9	4.3
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.