Business Employment Dynamics in Alabama — Fourth Quarter 2024

From September 2024 to December 2024, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Alabama were 98,242, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 92,388, 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 5,854 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2024. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 3,096. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in Alabama, December 2019 to December 2024, seasonally adjusted. An accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Alabama, December 2019–December 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Dec 2019	100,053	89,903
Mar 2020	89,096	97,036
Jun 2020	74,163	195,795
Sep 2020	118,714	90,100
Dec 2020	118,339	84,652
Mar 2021	106,158	92,239
Jun 2021	100,427	93,885
Sep 2021	107,020	100,686
Dec 2021	122,786	84,641
Mar 2022	105,920	97,265
Jun 2022	108,864	102,217
Sep 2022	114,976	97,467
Dec 2022	111,180	101,217
Mar 2023	109,836	93,815
Jun 2023	102,681	96,418
Sep 2023	102,525	101,092
Dec 2023	105,481	98,028
Mar 2024	97,926	94,618
Jun 2024	95,330	96,686
Sep 2024	97,896	100,992
Dec 2024	98,242	92,388

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 Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the fourth quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 5.7 percent of private-sector employment in Alabama; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 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 Alabama, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 78,537 in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 892 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 19,705 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2024, a decrease of 546 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Alabama, December 2019–December 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Alabama
Dec 2019	6.2	6.2
Mar 2020	5.5	5.5
Jun 2020	4.8	4.7
Sep 2020	9.5	7.8
Dec 2020	7.4	7.6
Mar 2021	6.9	6.7
Jun 2021	6.8	6.3
Sep 2021	7.3	6.7
Dec 2021	7.7	7.6
Mar 2022	6.7	6.4
Jun 2022	6.5	6.6
Sep 2022	6.9	6.9
Dec 2022	6.3	6.6
Mar 2023	6.3	6.5
Jun 2023	6.2	6.0
Sep 2023	5.9	6.0
Dec 2023	6.0	6.2
Mar 2024	5.7	5.7
Jun 2024	5.8	5.6
Sep 2024	5.8	5.7
Dec 2024	5.8	5.7

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 5.3 percent of private-sector employment in Alabama; 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 Alabama, contracting establishments lost 74,600 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2024, a decrease of 5,297 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 17,788 jobs, a decrease of 3,307 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Alabama, December 2019–December 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Alabama
Dec 2019	5.5	5.5
Mar 2020	6.3	6.0
Jun 2020	16.8	12.5
Sep 2020	5.9	5.9
Dec 2020	5.7	5.5
Mar 2021	5.5	5.9
Jun 2021	5.9	6.0
Sep 2021	6.1	6.3
Dec 2021	5.4	5.2
Mar 2022	5.5	5.9
Jun 2022	6.2	6.2
Sep 2022	5.9	5.9
Dec 2022	5.9	6.1
Mar 2023	5.5	5.6
Jun 2023	5.9	5.7
Sep 2023	6.0	6.0
Dec 2023	5.7	5.7
Mar 2024	5.4	5.5
Jun 2024	5.9	5.6
Sep 2024	5.8	5.9
Dec 2024	5.7	5.3

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 5 of the 10 published industry sectors in Alabama in the fourth quarter of 2024. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 4,403 jobs. This was the result of 18,772 gross job gains and 14,369 gross job losses. The transportation and warehousing industry had a net gain of 2,754 jobs followed by the professional and business services industry with a net gain of 1,513 jobs. Retail trade showed a net loss of 1,874 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 the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for First Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

The release of First Quarter 2025 Business Employment Dynamics data, scheduled for October 29, 2025, will incorporate annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. The revisions will include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.

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, Alabama, 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	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	105,481	97,926	95,330	97,896	98,242	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	5.7
At expanding establishments	85,248	78,880	77,310	77,645	78,537	5.0	4.6	4.5	4.5	4.6
At opening establishments	20,233	19,046	18,020	20,251	19,705	1.2	1.1	1.1	1.2	1.1
Gross job losses	98,028	94,618	96,686	100,992	92,388	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.9	5.3
At contracting establishments	79,316	75,362	78,775	79,897	74,600	4.6	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.3
At closing establishments	18,712	19,256	17,911	21,095	17,788	1.1	1.1	1.0	1.2	1.0
Net employment change (2)	7,453	3,308	-1,356	-3,096	5,854	0.5	0.2	0.0	-0.2	0.4
Construction
Gross job gains	9,575	8,581	8,658	8,639	7,993	9.4	8.2	8.1	8.0	7.4
At expanding establishments	7,883	6,879	7,340	7,373	6,498	7.7	6.6	6.9	6.8	6.0
At opening establishments	1,692	1,702	1,318	1,266	1,495	1.7	1.6	1.2	1.2	1.4
Gross job losses	8,033	7,267	6,937	8,527	8,233	7.8	6.9	6.5	7.9	7.6
At contracting establishments	6,190	5,772	5,761	6,815	6,722	6.0	5.5	5.4	6.3	6.2
At closing establishments	1,843	1,495	1,176	1,712	1,511	1.8	1.4	1.1	1.6	1.4
Net employment change (2)	1,542	1,314	1,721	112	-240	1.6	1.3	1.6	0.1	-0.2
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	8,035	8,713	8,365	7,992	7,201	2.8	3.1	2.9	2.8	2.6
At expanding establishments	7,453	7,872	7,675	7,101	6,176	2.6	2.8	2.7	2.5	2.2
At opening establishments	582	841	690	891	1,025	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.4
Gross job losses	7,879	7,121	7,404	8,626	8,174	2.8	2.5	2.6	3.1	2.9
At contracting establishments	7,096	6,417	6,542	7,557	7,057	2.5	2.3	2.3	2.7	2.5
At closing establishments	783	704	862	1,069	1,117	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.4
Net employment change (2)	156	1,592	961	-634	-973	0.0	0.6	0.3	-0.3	-0.3
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	4,120	3,800	3,668	3,431	3,475	5.2	4.8	4.5	4.3	4.4
At expanding establishments	3,250	2,953	2,920	2,699	2,705	4.1	3.7	3.6	3.4	3.4
At opening establishments	870	847	748	732	770	1.1	1.1	0.9	0.9	1.0
Gross job losses	3,138	3,447	3,734	3,847	3,243	3.9	4.4	4.7	4.8	4.1
At contracting establishments	2,474	2,665	2,878	2,854	2,625	3.1	3.4	3.6	3.6	3.3
At closing establishments	664	782	856	993	618	0.8	1.0	1.1	1.2	0.8
Net employment change (2)	982	353	-66	-416	232	1.3	0.4	-0.2	-0.5	0.3
Retail trade
Gross job gains	12,419	12,939	13,122	14,086	11,964	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.9	5.0
At expanding establishments	10,442	10,964	11,209	11,740	10,046	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.9	4.2
At opening establishments	1,977	1,975	1,913	2,346	1,918	0.8	0.8	0.8	1.0	0.8
Gross job losses	14,322	11,293	13,992	13,583	13,838	6.0	4.8	5.8	5.6	5.8
At contracting establishments	12,468	9,693	12,033	11,599	11,898	5.2	4.1	5.0	4.8	5.0
At closing establishments	1,854	1,600	1,959	1,984	1,940	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.8	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-1,903	1,646	-870	503	-1,874	-0.8	0.6	-0.3	0.3	-0.8
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	5,670	3,781	3,261	3,755	5,873	7.5	5.0	4.4	5.1	7.9
At expanding establishments	5,086	3,272	2,674	3,236	5,219	6.7	4.3	3.6	4.4	7.0
At opening establishments	584	509	587	519	654	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.9
Gross job losses	3,611	5,835	3,949	4,392	3,119	4.8	7.8	5.4	5.9	4.1
At contracting establishments	2,715	5,105	3,448	3,419	2,501	3.6	6.8	4.7	4.6	3.3
At closing establishments	896	730	501	973	618	1.2	1.0	0.7	1.3	0.8
Net employment change (2)	2,059	-2,054	-688	-637	2,754	2.7	-2.8	-1.0	-0.8	3.8
Financial activities
Gross job gains	5,825	5,468	5,178	4,802	4,445	5.8	5.4	5.1	4.8	4.4
At expanding establishments	4,731	4,245	4,064	3,727	3,243	4.7	4.2	4.0	3.7	3.2
At opening establishments	1,094	1,223	1,114	1,075	1,202	1.1	1.2	1.1	1.1	1.2
Gross job losses	6,073	5,188	4,723	4,738	4,781	6.0	5.2	4.6	4.7	4.7
At contracting establishments	4,655	3,998	3,475	3,640	3,644	4.6	4.0	3.4	3.6	3.6
At closing establishments	1,418	1,190	1,248	1,098	1,137	1.4	1.2	1.2	1.1	1.1
Net employment change (2)	-248	280	455	64	-336	-0.2	0.2	0.5	0.1	-0.3
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	20,965	17,901	18,422	16,949	19,109	7.8	6.7	7.0	6.5	7.3
At expanding establishments	16,322	14,381	14,485	13,042	15,373	6.1	5.4	5.5	5.0	5.9
At opening establishments	4,643	3,520	3,937	3,907	3,736	1.7	1.3	1.5	1.5	1.4
Gross job losses	19,139	18,839	20,640	21,012	17,596	7.2	7.1	7.7	8.0	6.8
At contracting establishments	15,530	15,102	17,081	16,073	14,037	5.8	5.7	6.4	6.1	5.4
At closing establishments	3,609	3,737	3,559	4,939	3,559	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.9	1.4
Net employment change (2)	1,826	-938	-2,218	-4,063	1,513	0.6	-0.4	-0.7	-1.5	0.5
Education and health services
Gross job gains	14,143	13,438	12,607	11,909	12,964	5.7	5.4	5.0	4.7	5.1
At expanding establishments	10,730	10,749	9,994	9,321	9,902	4.3	4.3	4.0	3.7	3.9
At opening establishments	3,413	2,689	2,613	2,588	3,062	1.4	1.1	1.0	1.0	1.2
Gross job losses	13,518	13,209	11,304	12,684	12,880	5.3	5.2	4.5	5.0	5.0
At contracting establishments	10,443	8,612	8,144	9,144	9,465	4.1	3.4	3.2	3.6	3.7
At closing establishments	3,075	4,597	3,160	3,540	3,415	1.2	1.8	1.3	1.4	1.3
Net employment change (2)	625	229	1,303	-775	84	0.4	0.2	0.5	-0.3	0.1
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	18,092	16,621	16,074	19,367	18,772	8.8	8.0	7.8	9.3	8.9
At expanding establishments	14,203	12,716	12,591	14,589	14,351	6.9	6.1	6.1	7.0	6.8
At opening establishments	3,889	3,905	3,483	4,778	4,421	1.9	1.9	1.7	2.3	2.1
Gross job losses	15,893	16,323	18,209	17,725	14,369	7.6	7.8	8.7	8.5	6.8
At contracting establishments	12,913	13,242	14,781	14,301	11,828	6.2	6.3	7.1	6.9	5.6
At closing establishments	2,980	3,081	3,428	3,424	2,541	1.4	1.5	1.6	1.6	1.2
Net employment change (2)	2,199	298	-2,135	1,642	4,403	1.2	0.2	-0.9	0.8	2.1
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	3,378	4,052	3,283	3,875	3,573	7.1	8.5	6.9	8.0	7.3
At expanding establishments	2,620	3,039	2,476	2,899	2,699	5.5	6.4	5.2	6.0	5.5
At opening establishments	758	1,013	807	976	874	1.6	2.1	1.7	2.0	1.8
Gross job losses	3,534	3,003	3,263	3,108	3,680	7.4	6.3	6.8	6.4	7.6
At contracting establishments	2,716	2,372	2,558	2,312	2,774	5.7	5.0	5.3	4.8	5.7
At closing establishments	818	631	705	796	906	1.7	1.3	1.5	1.6	1.9
Net employment change (2)	-156	1,049	20	767	-107	-0.3	2.2	0.1	1.6	-0.3
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	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024
United States(1)	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.8	5.7
Alabama	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.9	5.3
Alaska	10.2	10.5	10.2	7.9	10.3	9.9	8.6	9.6	9.7	9.6
Arizona	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.4	6.8	6.5	6.0
Arkansas	6.2	5.6	5.2	5.2	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8	5.2	4.8
California	6.4	5.8	6.1	6.4	6.6	6.4	5.6	6.8	6.1	6.4
Colorado	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.3	6.1	7.6	7.7	6.2	6.7	6.7
Connecticut	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.2	5.6	5.7	5.6
Delaware	6.1	6.0	5.9	6.8	6.1	5.8	5.1	6.5	6.4	6.4
District of Columbia	5.2	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.0	5.6	4.9	6.0	5.0	5.5
Florida	6.1	5.8	6.0	6.6	6.0	5.9	5.4	5.9	5.7	6.2
Georgia	6.2	6.0	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.4
Hawaii	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.6	5.3	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.0	4.9
Idaho	8.5	7.9	7.5	7.2	8.2	5.8	8.3	7.4	7.6	6.8
Illinois	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.0	5.1	5.1	4.8	5.3	5.1	5.2
Indiana	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.4	5.1	5.0	5.5	5.4	5.2
Iowa	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.2	5.5	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.6
Kansas	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.3	5.9	5.3	5.6	5.7	5.6	5.2
Kentucky	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.9	5.5	5.5
Louisiana	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.2	5.8	5.7	6.3	5.8	5.4
Maine	7.4	7.2	7.3	6.2	6.7	7.0	6.1	7.0	7.0	7.0
Maryland	6.2	5.8	7.2	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.5	6.1	5.9
Massachusetts	5.5	5.2	5.7	4.9	5.3	5.5	5.1	5.6	5.8	5.6
Michigan	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.8	6.0
Minnesota	6.9	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.5	6.9	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.1
Mississippi	6.1	5.7	5.8	6.1	6.3	5.7	6.1	6.3	5.7	6.4
Missouri	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.5	5.7	5.6	5.3	5.8	5.8	5.3
Montana	8.8	8.1	7.9	7.3	8.4	7.2	7.5	7.6	8.1	7.8
Nebraska	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.1	5.6	5.6	5.5
Nevada	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.4	6.2	5.7	5.9	5.8
New Hampshire	6.2	6.5	6.1	5.5	6.3	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.7	5.9
New Jersey	5.9	5.5	5.9	5.3	6.0	5.8	5.4	5.4	5.8	5.3
New Mexico	6.9	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.8	5.8	6.0	6.3	6.3	5.9
New York	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.0	5.5	5.7	5.5
North Carolina	6.3	5.4	5.6	5.6	6.1	4.9	5.5	5.7	6.1	5.5
North Dakota	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.5	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.6	6.7
Ohio	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.4	5.2	4.8	5.4	5.4	5.1
Oklahoma	6.1	5.6	5.6	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.2	6.4	5.6	5.4
Oregon	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.1	6.4	6.6	6.8
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.2	4.8	4.6	5.1	5.1	4.8
Rhode Island	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.2	7.2	6.3	5.7	6.7	6.5	6.3
South Carolina	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.2	6.5	5.3	6.3	6.4	5.9	6.0
South Dakota	6.6	6.3	6.0	5.9	6.7	5.8	5.8	6.3	5.9	5.9
Tennessee	6.2	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.5	4.9	5.7	5.8	5.0
Texas	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.6	5.8	5.2	5.1	5.3	5.3	5.1
Utah	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.6	6.6	6.5	6.0	6.6	6.1	6.2
Vermont	7.3	7.2	6.6	6.6	6.7	6.6	6.3	7.5	7.3	6.8
Virginia	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.5	5.5
Washington	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.3
West Virginia	6.5	6.9	6.6	5.8	6.4	5.8	5.7	6.8	6.6	6.1
Wisconsin	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.0	5.3	5.2	4.8	5.5	5.4	5.0
Wyoming	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.6	8.8	8.4	8.3	9.0	9.0	8.4
Puerto Rico	4.9	5.4	5.6	5.4	4.4	4.8	4.6	4.9	5.1	5.5
Virgin Islands	6.0	5.6	4.3	4.4	4.0	5.9	4.5	5.1	6.1	12.6
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: Wednesday, August 06, 2025

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