Business Employment Dynamics in Kentucky — Second Quarter 2023

From March 2023 to June 2023, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Kentucky were 99,073, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 93,576, 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 loss of 5,497 jobs in the private sector during the second quarter of 2023. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 20,852. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Kentucky, June 2018–June 2023, seasonally adjusted

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Kentucky, June 2018–June 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job losses	Gross job gains
Jun. 2018	88,884	95,401
Sep. 2018	96,285	90,434
Dec. 2018	88,187	97,153
Mar. 2019	89,553	93,363
Jun. 2019	94,094	93,253
Sep. 2019	91,689	94,204
Dec. 2019	89,501	100,258
Mar. 2020	99,456	88,097
Jun. 2020	231,642	70,688
Sep. 2020	75,175	132,679
Dec. 2020	93,716	111,736
Mar. 2021	83,589	115,143
Jun. 2021	99,462	100,941
Sep. 2021	100,274	105,949
Dec. 2021	78,293	117,726
Mar. 2022	91,963	108,348
Jun. 2022	106,356	102,628
Sep. 2022	87,882	108,606
Dec. 2022	87,574	98,218
Mar. 2023	82,015	102,867
Jun. 2023	99,073	93,576

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 2023, gross job gains represented 5.6 percent of private-sector employment in Kentucky; 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 Kentucky, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 76,653 in the second quarter of 2023, a decrease of 9,069 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 16,923 jobs gained in the second quarter of 2023, a decrease of 222 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Kentucky, June 2018–June 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Kentucky
Jun. 2018	6.2	6.0
Sep. 2018	6.0	5.7
Dec. 2018	6.2	6.1
Mar. 2019	6.0	5.8
Jun. 2019	6.1	5.9
Sep. 2019	5.9	5.9
Dec. 2019	6.2	6.2
Mar. 2020	5.5	5.5
Jun. 2020	4.8	4.6
Sep. 2020	9.4	8.9
Dec. 2020	7.4	7.3
Mar. 2021	7.0	7.4
Jun. 2021	6.8	6.5
Sep. 2021	7.3	6.7
Dec. 2021	7.7	7.4
Mar. 2022	6.7	6.7
Jun. 2022	6.6	6.3
Sep. 2022	6.9	6.6
Dec. 2022	6.3	6.0
Mar. 2023	6.2	6.1
Jun. 2023	6.2	5.6

Gross job losses

In the second quarter of 2023, gross job losses in both Kentucky and nationally represented 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 Kentucky, contracting establishments lost 85,577 jobs in the second quarter of 2023, an increase of 15,135 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 13,496 jobs, an increase of 1,923 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Kentucky, June 2018–June 2023, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Kentucky
Jun. 2018	5.8	5.6
Sep. 2018	6.0	6.1
Dec. 2018	5.6	5.5
Mar. 2019	5.5	5.6
Jun. 2019	5.9	5.9
Sep. 2019	5.8	5.7
Dec. 2019	5.6	5.6
Mar. 2020	6.2	6.1
Jun. 2020	16.9	15.1
Sep. 2020	6.0	5.1
Dec. 2020	5.7	6.2
Mar. 2021	5.5	5.4
Jun. 2021	5.9	6.4
Sep. 2021	6.1	6.4
Dec. 2021	5.4	4.9
Mar. 2022	5.5	5.7
Jun. 2022	6.2	6.5
Sep. 2022	5.9	5.4
Dec. 2022	5.9	5.3
Mar. 2023	5.4	4.9
Jun. 2023	5.9	5.9

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 5 of the 11 industry sectors in Kentucky in the second quarter of 2023. Transportation and warehousing had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 3,472 jobs. This was the result of 7,593 gross job losses and 4,121 gross job gains. The leisure and hospitality sector had a net loss of 3,018 jobs. Education and health services showed a net gain of 988 jobs, the largest gain 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 the Business Employment Dynamics Home.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Third Quarter 2023 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 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, Kentucky, 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	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	102,628	108,606	98,218	102,867	93,576	6.3	6.6	6.0	6.1	5.6
At expanding establishments	79,840	90,937	82,315	85,722	76,653	4.9	5.5	5.0	5.1	4.6
At opening establishments	22,788	17,669	15,903	17,145	16,923	1.4	1.1	1.0	1.0	1.0
Gross job losses	106,356	87,882	87,574	82,015	99,073	6.5	5.4	5.3	4.9	5.9
At contracting establishments	93,413	73,825	74,763	70,442	85,577	5.7	4.5	4.5	4.2	5.1
At closing establishments	12,943	14,057	12,811	11,573	13,496	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-3,728	20,724	10,644	20,852	-5,497	-0.2	1.2	0.7	1.2	-0.3
Construction
Gross job gains	7,370	8,010	7,849	9,166	7,857	8.8	9.6	9.3	10.4	8.8
At expanding establishments	5,447	6,564	6,505	7,601	6,701	6.5	7.9	7.7	8.6	7.5
At opening establishments	1,923	1,446	1,344	1,565	1,156	2.3	1.7	1.6	1.8	1.3
Gross job losses	7,133	6,386	6,439	5,983	7,735	8.6	7.7	7.6	6.8	8.6
At contracting establishments	6,065	5,225	5,512	4,956	6,752	7.3	6.3	6.5	5.6	7.5
At closing establishments	1,068	1,161	927	1,027	983	1.3	1.4	1.1	1.2	1.1
Net employment change (2)	237	1,624	1,410	3,183	122	0.2	1.9	1.7	3.6	0.2
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	11,629	9,209	8,400	8,329	7,354	4.7	3.6	3.3	3.3	2.8
At expanding establishments	10,484	8,590	7,651	7,829	6,516	4.2	3.4	3.0	3.1	2.5
At opening establishments	1,145	619	749	500	838	0.5	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.3
Gross job losses	8,665	7,757	7,387	5,906	8,090	3.4	3.0	2.9	2.3	3.2
At contracting establishments	8,114	7,133	6,654	5,352	7,670	3.2	2.8	2.6	2.1	3.0
At closing establishments	551	624	733	554	420	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2
Net employment change (2)	2,964	1,452	1,013	2,423	-736	1.3	0.6	0.4	1.0	-0.4
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	4,218	4,386	3,468	4,437	3,636	5.4	5.5	4.3	5.6	4.5
At expanding establishments	3,430	3,887	3,039	3,946	3,080	4.4	4.9	3.8	5.0	3.8
At opening establishments	788	499	429	491	556	1.0	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.7
Gross job losses	3,694	2,942	3,390	2,779	3,716	4.8	3.7	4.3	3.5	4.6
At contracting establishments	3,309	2,295	2,822	2,230	3,122	4.3	2.9	3.6	2.8	3.9
At closing establishments	385	647	568	549	594	0.5	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.7
Net employment change (2)	524	1,444	78	1,658	-80	0.6	1.8	0.0	2.1	-0.1
Retail trade
Gross job gains	12,088	13,427	12,067	11,181	11,377	5.8	6.5	5.8	5.3	5.4
At expanding establishments	9,757	11,345	10,763	9,515	9,791	4.7	5.5	5.2	4.5	4.6
At opening establishments	2,331	2,082	1,304	1,666	1,586	1.1	1.0	0.6	0.8	0.8
Gross job losses	15,496	10,765	11,795	11,314	11,771	7.4	5.2	5.7	5.4	5.6
At contracting establishments	13,975	9,344	10,439	10,273	10,506	6.7	4.5	5.0	4.9	5.0
At closing establishments	1,521	1,421	1,356	1,041	1,265	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.5	0.6
Net employment change (2)	-3,408	2,662	272	-133	-394	-1.6	1.3	0.1	-0.1	-0.2
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	4,789	6,697	8,384	5,196	4,121	3.7	5.2	6.4	3.9	3.2
At expanding establishments	4,020	6,027	7,780	4,625	3,720	3.1	4.7	5.9	3.5	2.9
At opening establishments	769	670	604	571	401	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.3
Gross job losses	10,735	5,002	4,816	7,197	7,593	8.3	3.9	3.7	5.4	5.8
At contracting establishments	10,269	4,463	4,347	6,882	7,016	7.9	3.5	3.3	5.2	5.4
At closing establishments	466	539	469	315	577	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.4
Net employment change (2)	-5,946	1,695	3,568	-2,001	-3,472	-4.6	1.3	2.7	-1.5	-2.6
Information
Gross job gains	1,308	1,774	1,546	1,039	1,183	6.2	8.2	6.9	4.6	5.4
At expanding establishments	968	1,328	1,118	674	848	4.6	6.1	5.0	3.0	3.9
At opening establishments	340	446	428	365	335	1.6	2.1	1.9	1.6	1.5
Gross job losses	1,106	967	1,145	1,177	1,126	5.2	4.5	5.2	5.3	5.2
At contracting establishments	846	694	877	955	839	4.0	3.2	4.0	4.3	3.9
At closing establishments	260	273	268	222	287	1.2	1.3	1.2	1.0	1.3
Net employment change (2)	202	807	401	-138	57	1.0	3.7	1.7	-0.7	0.2
Financial activities
Gross job gains	5,216	4,441	4,134	4,724	4,519	5.4	4.7	4.4	5.0	4.8
At expanding establishments	3,468	3,577	2,952	3,470	3,483	3.6	3.8	3.1	3.7	3.7
At opening establishments	1,748	864	1,182	1,254	1,036	1.8	0.9	1.3	1.3	1.1
Gross job losses	4,921	5,801	4,255	3,604	4,443	5.2	6.1	4.5	3.8	4.6
At contracting establishments	3,683	4,753	3,487	2,741	3,273	3.9	5.0	3.7	2.9	3.4
At closing establishments	1,238	1,048	768	863	1,170	1.3	1.1	0.8	0.9	1.2
Net employment change (2)	295	-1,360	-121	1,120	76	0.2	-1.4	-0.1	1.2	0.2
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	19,594	20,256	15,812	18,514	18,490	8.6	8.9	6.9	8.2	8.0
At expanding establishments	14,879	16,192	12,511	14,924	14,748	6.5	7.1	5.5	6.6	6.4
At opening establishments	4,715	4,064	3,301	3,590	3,742	2.1	1.8	1.4	1.6	1.6
Gross job losses	19,973	18,168	18,970	16,344	18,029	8.7	7.9	8.3	7.2	7.8
At contracting establishments	17,592	14,959	16,083	13,827	15,219	7.7	6.5	7.0	6.1	6.6
At closing establishments	2,381	3,209	2,887	2,517	2,810	1.0	1.4	1.3	1.1	1.2
Net employment change (2)	-379	2,088	-3,158	2,170	461	-0.1	1.0	-1.4	1.0	0.2
Education and health services
Gross job gains	14,506	15,372	13,741	15,150	14,418	5.3	5.5	4.8	5.2	5.0
At expanding establishments	10,732	12,849	11,453	12,792	11,613	3.9	4.6	4.0	4.4	4.0
At opening establishments	3,774	2,523	2,288	2,358	2,805	1.4	0.9	0.8	0.8	1.0
Gross job losses	11,574	9,967	10,530	9,570	13,430	4.2	3.6	3.7	3.3	4.6
At contracting establishments	9,527	8,135	8,580	7,622	10,688	3.5	2.9	3.0	2.6	3.7
At closing establishments	2,047	1,832	1,950	1,948	2,742	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.9
Net employment change (2)	2,932	5,405	3,211	5,580	988	1.1	1.9	1.1	1.9	0.4
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	16,362	19,612	17,250	19,691	15,338	8.3	10.1	8.6	9.7	7.5
At expanding establishments	12,794	16,330	14,380	16,246	12,211	6.5	8.4	7.2	8.0	6.0
At opening establishments	3,568	3,282	2,870	3,445	3,127	1.8	1.7	1.4	1.7	1.5
Gross job losses	18,586	15,997	14,543	13,793	18,356	9.5	8.2	7.3	6.7	9.0
At contracting establishments	16,310	13,469	12,568	12,091	16,488	8.3	6.9	6.3	5.9	8.1
At closing establishments	2,276	2,528	1,975	1,702	1,868	1.2	1.3	1.0	0.8	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-2,224	3,615	2,707	5,898	-3,018	-1.2	1.9	1.3	3.0	-1.5
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	3,961	3,786	3,508	3,820	3,669	9.4	8.8	8.0	8.7	8.1
At expanding establishments	2,738	3,017	2,796	2,985	2,979	6.5	7.0	6.4	6.8	6.6
At opening establishments	1,223	769	712	835	690	2.9	1.8	1.6	1.9	1.5
Gross job losses	2,985	2,905	3,124	2,888	3,202	7.1	6.8	7.2	6.5	7.2
At contracting establishments	2,467	2,317	2,448	2,271	2,680	5.9	5.4	5.6	5.1	6.0
At closing establishments	518	588	676	617	522	1.2	1.4	1.6	1.4	1.2
Net employment change (2)	976	881	384	932	467	2.3	2.0	0.8	2.2	0.9
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	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023
United States(1)	6.6	6.9	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.4	5.9
Alabama	6.6	6.9	6.6	6.4	5.9	6.2	5.9	6.1	5.5	5.7
Alaska	10.2	8.5	10.9	10.4	11.0	9.0	10.4	9.2	8.0	8.9
Arizona	6.5	7.1	6.6	5.9	7.0	6.3	5.5	6.0	5.4	6.5
Arkansas	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.0	6.0
California	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.1	6.7	6.7	6.2	6.6	6.4	6.4
Colorado	7.3	7.0	7.6	7.2	7.3	6.6	7.1	6.9	6.5	6.6
Connecticut	6.4	6.3	5.9	6.1	6.4	6.3	6.2	5.9	5.3	5.7
Delaware	6.5	8.6	7.0	6.7	6.0	6.9	6.2	7.5	5.2	5.7
District of Columbia	6.1	7.2	5.6	5.9	5.4	6.3	5.0	5.5	4.8	5.3
Florida	7.5	7.8	6.2	6.3	6.8	6.3	5.6	6.0	5.6	5.8
Georgia	6.8	7.1	6.7	6.2	6.4	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.8	6.5
Hawaii	6.0	6.4	6.0	5.5	5.7	5.5	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.2
Idaho	7.1	7.8	8.4	7.9	7.9	8.4	7.5	6.9	7.5	7.5
Illinois	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.8	5.4	5.5	5.3	5.1	4.8	5.3
Indiana	5.7	6.4	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.9	5.5	5.2	5.0	6.1
Iowa	5.9	5.9	6.4	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.9	6.2	5.4	5.9
Kansas	6.5	7.4	6.3	6.1	6.1	7.1	5.5	5.6	5.4	6.0
Kentucky	6.3	6.6	6.0	6.1	5.6	6.5	5.4	5.3	4.9	5.9
Louisiana	6.7	6.9	6.1	6.3	6.1	6.4	5.7	6.2	5.6	6.4
Maine	7.2	7.6	7.4	7.7	7.6	8.0	7.3	6.8	6.2	7.6
Maryland	6.5	7.4	6.6	6.8	6.7	6.9	6.0	6.9	5.6	6.3
Massachusetts	6.1	6.2	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.5	6.1	5.8	4.7	5.7
Michigan	6.0	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.8	5.2	4.9	5.3
Minnesota	6.4	6.5	5.9	5.7	6.0	6.4	5.9	5.8	4.9	5.6
Mississippi	6.6	7.2	6.8	6.1	6.3	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.6
Missouri	6.2	6.8	6.1	6.5	5.9	5.9	6.3	5.8	5.1	5.9
Montana	8.2	8.7	9.2	8.7	7.8	9.1	7.8	7.8	7.1	8.4
Nebraska	6.4	7.1	6.0	6.3	6.0	6.5	6.1	5.7	5.1	5.6
Nevada	6.9	7.4	6.4	6.2	6.6	5.7	5.8	6.1	5.7	6.0
New Hampshire	6.7	6.9	6.7	7.0	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.0	5.9	6.3
New Jersey	6.6	6.8	6.8	6.1	6.8	6.2	6.4	5.9	5.7	5.9
New Mexico	6.7	8.0	6.7	6.8	6.4	7.1	5.9	6.2	5.9	6.2
New York	7.1	6.6	5.9	6.5	6.3	6.1	5.9	6.0	5.1	5.7
North Carolina	6.4	6.7	6.6	6.4	6.1	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.3	5.7
North Dakota	6.9	7.6	6.4	7.6	6.9	6.5	6.3	6.7	5.6	6.7
Ohio	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.9	5.5	5.7	4.9	5.7
Oklahoma	6.7	7.4	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.1	5.6	5.9	5.3	6.0
Oregon	6.0	6.7	6.5	7.3	6.4	7.0	6.0	6.2	6.1	6.9
Pennsylvania	5.5	6.1	5.5	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.1	5.2	4.6	5.5
Rhode Island	7.1	6.7	6.9	7.5	6.7	6.7	7.3	6.4	5.9	7.0
South Carolina	6.6	7.3	6.9	6.8	6.4	6.2	5.6	6.2	5.8	6.8
South Dakota	6.6	7.3	6.5	7.2	6.8	6.5	6.4	6.5	5.9	6.2
Tennessee	6.2	7.0	5.8	5.9	5.9	6.2	5.5	5.6	5.0	5.5
Texas	6.6	7.2	6.2	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.3	5.0	5.4
Utah	7.0	7.5	6.9	7.0	6.8	6.6	6.8	6.6	6.2	6.2
Vermont	7.5	7.2	7.8	8.2	7.4	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.0	7.5
Virginia	6.5	7.5	6.2	6.2	6.0	6.7	6.1	5.8	5.2	5.8
Washington	7.0	7.2	5.9	6.4	6.0	7.2	6.3	5.3	5.5	5.6
West Virginia	6.7	8.1	6.6	7.1	6.1	8.0	6.9	6.4	5.3	6.1
Wisconsin	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	5.6	6.0	5.8	5.5	4.9	5.9
Wyoming	8.4	9.2	9.2	8.9	8.4	9.2	8.4	7.9	7.8	8.7
Puerto Rico	6.7	6.2	6.6	5.1	5.8	6.1	5.3	6.1	5.7	4.9
Virgin Islands	8.0	8.5	5.9	7.5	7.4	9.2	5.5	4.7	6.5	6.8
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: Tuesday, February 06, 2024

Southeast Information Office

Business Employment Dynamics in Kentucky — Second Quarter 2023