Business Employment Dynamics in Georgia — Third Quarter 2024

From June 2024 to September 2024, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Georgia were 256,335, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 239,213 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 17,122 jobs in the private sector during the third quarter of 2024. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in Georgia, September 2019–September 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 Georgia, September 2019–September 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job losses	Gross job gains
Sep 2019	230,606	239,056
Dec 2019	215,668	252,367
Mar 2020	245,387	223,081
Jun 2020	549,379	198,709
Sep 2020	229,802	330,321
Dec 2020	192,938	289,343
Mar 2021	215,584	256,002
Jun 2021	235,644	263,830
Sep 2021	235,838	284,872
Dec 2021	216,866	309,388
Mar 2022	234,764	309,422
Jun 2022	249,060	274,142
Sep 2022	240,876	291,243
Dec 2022	243,390	273,130
Mar 2023	246,010	270,796
Jun 2023	265,285	262,324
Sep 2023	251,559	253,474
Dec 2023	236,746	259,589
Mar 2024	236,982	251,318
Jun 2024	239,487	239,513
Sep 2024	256,335	239,213

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 losses

In the third quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 6.1 percent of private-sector employment in Georgia; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.8 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) 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 193,425 jobs in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 837 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 62,910 jobs, an increase of 16,011 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Georgia, September 2019–September 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Georgia
Sep 2019	5.8	6.0
Dec 2019	5.5	5.6
Mar 2020	6.3	6.3
Jun 2020	16.8	14.8
Sep 2020	5.9	6.3
Dec 2020	5.7	5.2
Mar 2021	5.5	5.7
Jun 2021	5.9	6.2
Sep 2021	6.1	6.2
Dec 2021	5.4	5.5
Mar 2022	5.5	5.8
Jun 2022	6.2	6.1
Sep 2022	5.9	5.9
Dec 2022	5.9	5.9
Mar 2023	5.5	6.0
Jun 2023	5.9	6.4
Sep 2023	6.0	6.1
Dec 2023	5.7	5.7
Mar 2024	5.4	5.7
Jun 2024	5.9	5.7
Sep 2024	5.8	6.1

Gross job gains

In the third quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 5.7 percent of private-sector employment in Georgia; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) 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 186,943 in the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 4,454 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 52,270 jobs gained in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 4,154 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Georgia, September 2019–September 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Georgia
Sep 2019	5.9	6.2
Dec 2019	6.2	6.5
Mar 2020	5.5	5.7
Jun 2020	4.8	5.3
Sep 2020	9.5	9.2
Dec 2020	7.4	7.8
Mar 2021	6.9	6.8
Jun 2021	6.8	6.9
Sep 2021	7.3	7.4
Dec 2021	7.7	7.9
Mar 2022	6.7	7.8
Jun 2022	6.5	6.8
Sep 2022	6.9	7.1
Dec 2022	6.3	6.7
Mar 2023	6.3	6.5
Jun 2023	6.2	6.3
Sep 2023	5.9	6.1
Dec 2023	6.0	6.2
Mar 2024	5.7	6.0
Jun 2024	5.8	5.7
Sep 2024	5.8	5.7

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 8 of the 11 published industry sectors in Georgia in the third quarter of 2024. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 8,712 jobs. This was the result of 37,494 gross job gains and 46,206 gross job losses. The retail trade industry had a net loss of 5,955 jobs. Education and health services had a net gain of 1,363 jobs, followed by transportation and warehousing with a net gain of 1,149 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 the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Fourth Quarter 2024 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

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, 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)
Category	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	253,474	259,589	251,318	239,513	239,213	6.1	6.2	6.0	5.7	5.7
At expanding establishments	198,625	200,940	194,960	191,397	186,943	4.8	4.8	4.7	4.6	4.5
At opening establishments	54,849	58,649	56,358	48,116	52,270	1.3	1.4	1.3	1.1	1.2
Gross job losses	251,559	236,746	236,982	239,487	256,335	6.1	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.1
At contracting establishments	193,890	181,616	186,450	192,588	193,425	4.7	4.4	4.5	4.6	4.6
At closing establishments	57,669	55,130	50,532	46,899	62,910	1.4	1.3	1.2	1.1	1.5
Net employment change (2)	1,915	22,843	14,336	26	-17,122	0.0	0.5	0.3	0.0	-0.4
Construction
Gross job gains	16,496	17,234	17,446	15,637	16,187	7.5	7.8	7.7	6.8	7.1
At expanding establishments	12,587	13,472	13,435	12,582	12,363	5.7	6.1	5.9	5.5	5.4
At opening establishments	3,909	3,762	4,011	3,055	3,824	1.8	1.7	1.8	1.3	1.7
Gross job losses	16,633	13,943	14,769	15,691	15,879	7.6	6.3	6.5	6.8	6.9
At contracting establishments	12,301	10,244	11,152	11,713	11,904	5.6	4.6	4.9	5.1	5.2
At closing establishments	4,332	3,699	3,617	3,978	3,975	2.0	1.7	1.6	1.7	1.7
Net employment change (2)	-137	3,291	2,677	-54	308	-0.1	1.5	1.2	0.0	0.2
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	16,064	14,868	14,593	13,880	13,740	3.7	3.4	3.5	3.3	3.2
At expanding establishments	14,200	13,011	13,074	12,348	12,106	3.3	3.0	3.1	2.9	2.8
At opening establishments	1,864	1,857	1,519	1,532	1,634	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
Gross job losses	14,411	16,926	12,733	14,077	15,616	3.4	3.9	3.0	3.3	3.6
At contracting establishments	12,203	14,609	10,703	12,498	13,013	2.9	3.4	2.5	2.9	3.0
At closing establishments	2,208	2,317	2,030	1,579	2,603	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.6
Net employment change (2)	1,653	-2,058	1,860	-197	-1,876	0.3	-0.5	0.5	0.0	-0.4
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	10,441	11,175	9,116	9,576	9,552	4.6	4.9	4.0	4.2	4.2
At expanding establishments	8,822	9,032	7,578	7,743	8,326	3.9	4.0	3.3	3.4	3.7
At opening establishments	1,619	2,143	1,538	1,833	1,226	0.7	0.9	0.7	0.8	0.5
Gross job losses	10,117	9,315	10,174	9,938	9,917	4.5	4.1	4.5	4.4	4.3
At contracting establishments	7,731	7,457	7,920	8,156	7,340	3.4	3.3	3.5	3.6	3.2
At closing establishments	2,386	1,858	2,254	1,782	2,577	1.1	0.8	1.0	0.8	1.1
Net employment change (2)	324	1,860	-1,058	-362	-365	0.1	0.8	-0.5	-0.2	-0.1
Retail trade
Gross job gains	27,741	25,483	26,676	26,244	24,272	5.4	5.0	5.2	5.0	4.8
At expanding establishments	23,750	21,136	23,142	22,511	21,360	4.6	4.1	4.5	4.3	4.2
At opening establishments	3,991	4,347	3,534	3,733	2,912	0.8	0.9	0.7	0.7	0.6
Gross job losses	31,110	28,168	23,533	28,537	30,227	6.0	5.5	4.6	5.5	5.9
At contracting establishments	26,227	24,188	20,064	24,703	26,013	5.1	4.7	3.9	4.8	5.1
At closing establishments	4,883	3,980	3,469	3,834	4,214	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-3,369	-2,685	3,143	-2,293	-5,955	-0.6	-0.5	0.6	-0.5	-1.1
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	11,976	21,068	10,760	12,675	13,578	4.4	7.7	3.9	4.8	5.1
At expanding establishments	9,987	18,367	9,012	11,186	11,935	3.7	6.7	3.3	4.2	4.5
At opening establishments	1,989	2,701	1,748	1,489	1,643	0.7	1.0	0.6	0.6	0.6
Gross job losses	12,916	11,883	21,414	11,344	12,429	4.8	4.3	7.9	4.2	4.6
At contracting establishments	10,940	9,143	19,249	9,407	10,244	4.1	3.3	7.1	3.5	3.8
At closing establishments	1,976	2,740	2,165	1,937	2,185	0.7	1.0	0.8	0.7	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-940	9,185	-10,654	1,331	1,149	-0.4	3.4	-4.0	0.6	0.5
Information
Gross job gains	5,698	7,049	13,500	7,207	7,309	5.0	6.3	11.6	6.1	6.2
At expanding establishments	4,212	5,698	12,426	6,134	5,629	3.7	5.1	10.7	5.2	4.8
At opening establishments	1,486	1,351	1,074	1,073	1,680	1.3	1.2	0.9	0.9	1.4
Gross job losses	11,792	5,726	6,485	11,660	10,184	10.4	5.1	5.6	9.8	8.8
At contracting establishments	9,746	4,560	5,421	9,922	8,376	8.6	4.1	4.7	8.3	7.2
At closing establishments	2,046	1,166	1,064	1,738	1,808	1.8	1.0	0.9	1.5	1.6
Net employment change (2)	-6,094	1,323	7,015	-4,453	-2,875	-5.4	1.2	6.0	-3.7	-2.6
Financial activities
Gross job gains	14,849	14,893	12,588	13,834	13,374	5.5	5.5	4.6	5.0	4.9
At expanding establishments	11,595	10,849	9,818	10,726	9,810	4.3	4.0	3.6	3.9	3.6
At opening establishments	3,254	4,044	2,770	3,108	3,564	1.2	1.5	1.0	1.1	1.3
Gross job losses	15,163	14,221	14,466	12,101	13,964	5.6	5.3	5.3	4.5	5.2
At contracting establishments	11,077	10,214	10,045	8,957	9,717	4.1	3.8	3.7	3.3	3.6
At closing establishments	4,086	4,007	4,421	3,144	4,247	1.5	1.5	1.6	1.2	1.6
Net employment change (2)	-314	672	-1,878	1,733	-590	-0.1	0.2	-0.7	0.5	-0.3
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	53,572	49,373	45,998	46,931	51,159	7.0	6.5	6.1	6.3	6.9
At expanding establishments	43,059	38,606	35,711	37,437	39,379	5.6	5.1	4.7	5.0	5.3
At opening establishments	10,513	10,767	10,287	9,494	11,780	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.6
Gross job losses	55,335	54,459	50,321	53,883	54,882	7.2	7.1	6.7	7.2	7.3
At contracting establishments	43,071	42,147	39,779	43,357	39,915	5.6	5.5	5.3	5.8	5.3
At closing establishments	12,264	12,312	10,542	10,526	14,967	1.6	1.6	1.4	1.4	2.0
Net employment change (2)	-1,763	-5,086	-4,323	-6,952	-3,723	-0.2	-0.6	-0.6	-0.9	-0.4
Education and health services
Gross job gains	33,908	32,290	36,933	34,136	32,207	5.2	5.0	5.6	5.1	4.8
At expanding establishments	28,033	26,510	30,302	28,374	26,869	4.3	4.1	4.6	4.2	4.0
At opening establishments	5,875	5,780	6,631	5,762	5,338	0.9	0.9	1.0	0.9	0.8
Gross job losses	25,088	25,478	26,409	27,105	30,844	3.8	3.9	4.0	4.0	4.6
At contracting establishments	18,999	19,042	19,748	21,115	22,208	2.9	2.9	3.0	3.1	3.3
At closing establishments	6,089	6,436	6,661	5,990	8,636	0.9	1.0	1.0	0.9	1.3
Net employment change (2)	8,820	6,812	10,524	7,031	1,363	1.4	1.1	1.6	1.1	0.2
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	43,782	44,937	40,382	40,782	37,494	8.7	8.9	7.9	8.0	7.3
At expanding establishments	32,368	32,896	29,324	31,702	28,309	6.4	6.5	5.7	6.2	5.5
At opening establishments	11,414	12,041	11,058	9,080	9,185	2.3	2.4	2.2	1.8	1.8
Gross job losses	41,915	39,495	40,112	38,331	46,206	8.3	7.7	7.8	7.4	9.0
At contracting establishments	32,292	30,305	32,451	31,618	34,562	6.4	5.9	6.3	6.1	6.7
At closing establishments	9,623	9,190	7,661	6,713	11,644	1.9	1.8	1.5	1.3	2.3
Net employment change (2)	1,867	5,442	270	2,451	-8,712	0.4	1.2	0.1	0.6	-1.7
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	8,555	9,903	9,079	9,957	9,484	7.4	8.7	7.8	8.5	8.0
At expanding establishments	6,330	7,063	6,372	7,416	7,072	5.5	6.2	5.5	6.3	6.0
At opening establishments	2,225	2,840	2,707	2,541	2,412	1.9	2.5	2.3	2.2	2.0
Gross job losses	8,836	8,948	8,926	9,116	10,104	7.8	7.8	7.7	7.8	8.6
At contracting establishments	6,146	6,567	6,468	6,570	7,399	5.4	5.7	5.6	5.6	6.3
At closing establishments	2,690	2,381	2,458	2,546	2,705	2.4	2.1	2.1	2.2	2.3
Net employment change (2)	-281	955	153	841	-620	-0.4	0.9	0.1	0.7	-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)
Category	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024
United States(1)	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.8	6.0	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.8
Alabama	6.0	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.9
Alaska	8.5	10.2	10.5	10.2	7.9	10.5	9.9	8.6	9.6	9.7
Arizona	6.8	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	5.7	6.6	6.4	6.8	6.5
Arkansas	5.6	6.2	5.6	5.2	5.2	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8	5.2
California	6.4	6.4	5.8	6.1	6.4	6.5	6.4	5.6	6.8	6.1
Colorado	5.4	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.3	6.1	7.6	7.7	6.2	6.7
Connecticut	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.5	6.2	5.7	5.2	5.6	5.7
Delaware	6.0	6.1	6.0	5.9	6.8	6.5	5.8	5.1	6.5	6.4
District of Columbia	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.4	5.6	4.9	6.0	5.0
Florida	6.5	6.1	5.8	6.0	6.6	5.9	5.9	5.4	5.9	5.7
Georgia	6.1	6.2	6.0	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.1
Hawaii	5.3	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.6	6.8	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.0
Idaho	7.2	8.5	7.9	7.5	7.2	7.9	5.8	8.3	7.4	7.6
Illinois	4.8	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.0	5.3	5.1	4.8	5.3	5.1
Indiana	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.7	5.1	5.0	5.5	5.4
Iowa	5.6	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.2	5.8	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0
Kansas	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.3	6.0	5.3	5.6	5.7	5.6
Kentucky	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.4	5.6	5.2	5.0	5.9	5.5
Louisiana	6.2	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.3	5.8
Maine	7.0	7.4	7.2	7.3	6.2	7.8	7.0	6.1	7.0	7.0
Maryland	6.3	6.2	5.8	7.2	6.1	6.4	5.8	5.7	6.5	6.1
Massachusetts	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.7	4.9	5.9	5.5	5.1	5.6	5.8
Michigan	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.8
Minnesota	3.3	6.9	5.8	5.7	5.1	4.3	6.9	5.7	5.4	5.9
Mississippi	6.2	6.1	5.7	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.3	5.7
Missouri	5.6	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.5	5.8	5.6	5.3	5.8	5.8
Montana	7.7	8.8	8.1	7.9	7.3	8.4	7.2	7.5	7.6	8.1
Nebraska	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.6	5.9	5.7	5.1	5.6	5.6
Nevada	6.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.1	5.6	5.4	6.2	5.7	5.9
New Hampshire	5.8	6.2	6.5	6.1	5.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.7
New Jersey	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.9	5.3	6.0	5.8	5.4	5.4	5.8
New Mexico	6.4	6.9	6.0	6.0	6.2	6.8	5.8	6.0	6.3	6.3
New York	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.6	6.0	5.6	5.0	5.5	5.7
North Carolina	5.7	6.3	5.4	5.6	5.6	6.1	4.9	5.5	5.7	6.1
North Dakota	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.6	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.6
Ohio	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.6	5.2	4.8	5.4	5.4
Oklahoma	6.3	6.1	5.6	5.6	6.0	6.0	5.8	5.2	6.4	5.6
Oregon	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.3	6.7	6.2	6.1	6.4	6.6
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.1	4.8	4.6	5.1	5.1
Rhode Island	6.4	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.2	6.7	6.3	5.7	6.7	6.5
South Carolina	6.6	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.2	5.7	5.3	6.3	6.4	5.9
South Dakota	6.3	6.6	6.3	6.0	5.9	6.3	5.8	5.8	6.3	5.9
Tennessee	5.6	6.2	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.7	5.5	4.9	5.7	5.8
Texas	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.6	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.3	5.3
Utah	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.6	6.6	6.5	6.0	6.6	6.1
Vermont	6.4	7.3	7.2	6.6	6.6	7.9	6.6	6.3	7.5	7.3
Virginia	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.8	6.0	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.5
Washington	5.8	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.4	5.3	5.3	5.4
West Virginia	6.5	6.5	6.9	6.6	5.8	6.6	5.8	5.7	6.8	6.6
Wisconsin	5.2	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.0	5.8	5.2	4.8	5.5	5.4
Wyoming	8.3	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.6	8.2	8.4	8.3	9.0	9.0
Puerto Rico	5.7	4.9	5.4	5.6	5.4	5.3	4.8	4.6	4.9	5.1
Virgin Islands	8.2	6.0	5.6	4.3	4.4	6.8	5.9	4.5	5.1	6.1
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, May 14, 2025

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