Business Employment Dynamics in Kentucky — Second Quarter 2024

From March 2024 to June 2024, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Kentucky were 99,857, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 88,544, 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 decline of 11,313 jobs in the private sector during the second quarter of 2024. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 14,479. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Line chart of gross job changes in jobs for Kentucky, June 2019 to June 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 Kentucky, June 2019–June 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job losses	Gross job gains
Jun 2019	93,881	93,331
Sep 2019	91,653	94,198
Dec 2019	89,484	100,163
Mar 2020	99,680	88,063
Jun 2020	230,877	70,787
Sep 2020	75,179	132,681
Dec 2020	93,600	111,662
Mar 2021	83,730	115,166
Jun 2021	99,191	101,046
Sep 2021	100,203	105,943
Dec 2021	78,269	117,564
Mar 2022	92,105	108,302
Jun 2022	106,107	102,721
Sep 2022	87,822	108,583
Dec 2022	87,579	98,066
Mar 2023	82,454	103,666
Jun 2023	98,508	93,641
Sep 2023	92,584	95,598
Dec 2023	87,816	95,856
Mar 2024	83,470	97,949
Jun 2024	99,857	88,544

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 second quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Kentucky; 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 Kentucky, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 72,165 in the second quarter of 2024, a decrease of 8,323 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 16,379 jobs gained in the second quarter of 2024, a decrease of 1,082 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 2019–June 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Kentucky
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	9.5	8.9
Dec 2020	7.4	7.3
Mar 2021	6.9	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	6.5	6.3
Sep 2022	6.9	6.6
Dec 2022	6.3	6.0
Mar 2023	6.3	6.1
Jun 2023	6.2	5.6
Sep 2023	5.9	5.7
Dec 2023	6.0	5.7
Mar 2024	5.7	5.7
Jun 2024	5.8	5.2

Gross job losses

In the second quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 5.9 percent of private-sector employment in both Kentucky and the U.S. (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 79,725 jobs in the second quarter of 2024, an increase of 9,196 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 20,132 jobs, an increase of 7,191 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 2019–June 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Kentucky
Jun 2019	5.9	5.8
Sep 2019	5.8	5.7
Dec 2019	5.5	5.5
Mar 2020	6.3	6.2
Jun 2020	16.8	15.0
Sep 2020	5.9	5.0
Dec 2020	5.7	6.1
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	5.5	4.9
Jun 2023	5.9	5.9
Sep 2023	6.0	5.6
Dec 2023	5.7	5.2
Mar 2024	5.4	5.0
Jun 2024	5.9	5.9

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 9 of the 11 published industry sectors in Kentucky in the second quarter of 2024. Professional and business services had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 4,590 jobs. This was the result of 21,441 gross job losses and 16,851 gross job gains. Education and health services showed a net gain of 1,955 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 2024 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 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 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	93,641	95,598	95,856	97,949	88,544	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.2
At expanding establishments	76,588	78,482	79,517	80,488	72,165	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.2
At opening establishments	17,053	17,116	16,339	17,461	16,379	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Gross job losses	98,508	92,584	87,816	83,470	99,857	5.9	5.6	5.2	5.0	5.9
At contracting establishments	85,561	78,142	70,951	70,529	79,725	5.1	4.7	4.2	4.2	4.7
At closing establishments	12,947	14,442	16,865	12,941	20,132	0.8	0.9	1.0	0.8	1.2
Net employment change (2)	-4,867	3,014	8,040	14,479	-11,313	-0.3	0.1	0.5	0.7	-0.7
Construction
Gross job gains	8,019	8,291	9,226	9,332	7,270	8.9	9.3	10.2	9.9	7.7
At expanding establishments	6,827	6,720	7,526	7,660	6,084	7.6	7.5	8.3	8.1	6.4
At opening establishments	1,192	1,571	1,700	1,672	1,186	1.3	1.8	1.9	1.8	1.3
Gross job losses	7,812	7,657	7,102	6,929	8,480	8.7	8.6	7.8	7.4	9.0
At contracting establishments	6,796	6,247	5,747	5,743	6,907	7.6	7.0	6.3	6.1	7.3
At closing establishments	1,016	1,410	1,355	1,186	1,573	1.1	1.6	1.5	1.3	1.7
Net employment change (2)	207	634	2,124	2,403	-1,210	0.2	0.7	2.4	2.5	-1.3
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	7,401	6,847	8,308	8,659	6,424	2.8	2.7	3.2	3.4	2.4
At expanding establishments	6,520	6,344	7,758	7,943	5,776	2.5	2.5	3.0	3.1	2.2
At opening establishments	881	503	550	716	648	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2
Gross job losses	8,005	6,844	6,679	6,396	7,773	3.2	2.7	2.6	2.4	3.0
At contracting establishments	7,596	6,355	6,106	5,797	7,286	3.0	2.5	2.4	2.2	2.8
At closing establishments	409	489	573	599	487	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Net employment change (2)	-604	3	1,629	2,263	-1,349	-0.4	0.0	0.6	1.0	-0.6
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	3,648	4,054	3,362	3,795	3,145	4.6	5.1	4.2	4.7	3.9
At expanding establishments	3,027	3,522	3,031	3,067	2,568	3.8	4.4	3.8	3.8	3.2
At opening establishments	621	532	331	728	577	0.8	0.7	0.4	0.9	0.7
Gross job losses	3,636	3,260	3,845	3,000	3,655	4.5	4.0	4.7	3.7	4.5
At contracting establishments	3,179	2,695	2,841	2,460	3,083	3.9	3.3	3.5	3.0	3.8
At closing establishments	457	565	1,004	540	572	0.6	0.7	1.2	0.7	0.7
Net employment change (2)	12	794	-483	795	-510	0.1	1.1	-0.5	1.0	-0.6
Retail trade
Gross job gains	11,724	12,322	11,477	11,350	10,751	5.6	5.9	5.5	5.4	5.1
At expanding establishments	10,100	10,046	10,028	9,477	9,095	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.5	4.3
At opening establishments	1,624	2,276	1,449	1,873	1,656	0.8	1.1	0.7	0.9	0.8
Gross job losses	11,966	11,999	11,238	10,326	12,570	5.6	5.7	5.4	4.9	5.9
At contracting establishments	10,611	10,460	9,161	9,228	10,598	5.0	5.0	4.4	4.4	5.0
At closing establishments	1,355	1,539	2,077	1,098	1,972	0.6	0.7	1.0	0.5	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-242	323	239	1,024	-1,819	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.5	-0.8
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	4,147	5,445	7,199	5,372	5,144	3.2	4.3	5.5	4.1	4.1
At expanding establishments	3,735	4,961	6,790	4,844	4,808	2.9	3.9	5.2	3.7	3.8
At opening establishments	412	484	409	528	336	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.3
Gross job losses	7,606	5,355	5,075	7,518	7,014	5.9	4.2	3.9	5.8	5.4
At contracting establishments	7,020	4,954	4,429	7,139	6,584	5.4	3.9	3.4	5.5	5.1
At closing establishments	586	401	646	379	430	0.5	0.3	0.5	0.3	0.3
Net employment change (2)	-3,459	90	2,124	-2,146	-1,870	-2.7	0.1	1.6	-1.7	-1.3
Information
Gross job gains	1,211	1,271	880	772	855	5.5	5.8	3.9	3.7	4.1
At expanding establishments	860	1,026	661	519	582	3.9	4.7	2.9	2.5	2.8
At opening establishments	351	245	219	253	273	1.6	1.1	1.0	1.2	1.3
Gross job losses	1,158	1,308	1,264	1,464	1,093	5.3	6.0	5.6	6.9	5.3
At contracting establishments	857	1,007	954	1,190	871	3.9	4.6	4.2	5.6	4.2
At closing establishments	301	301	310	274	222	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.1
Net employment change (2)	53	-37	-384	-692	-238	0.2	-0.2	-1.7	-3.2	-1.2
Financial activities
Gross job gains	4,655	5,059	3,794	4,328	3,973	4.9	5.3	4.0	4.6	4.2
At expanding establishments	3,598	4,252	2,936	3,296	2,926	3.8	4.5	3.1	3.5	3.1
At opening establishments	1,057	807	858	1,032	1,047	1.1	0.8	0.9	1.1	1.1
Gross job losses	4,279	5,223	4,402	4,153	4,114	4.5	5.5	4.6	4.4	4.3
At contracting establishments	3,314	4,192	3,151	3,218	3,135	3.5	4.4	3.3	3.4	3.3
At closing establishments	965	1,031	1,251	935	979	1.0	1.1	1.3	1.0	1.0
Net employment change (2)	376	-164	-608	175	-141	0.4	-0.2	-0.6	0.2	-0.1
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	18,349	16,524	14,305	17,861	16,851	7.9	7.2	6.3	7.9	7.3
At expanding establishments	14,620	13,072	10,893	14,677	13,351	6.3	5.7	4.8	6.5	5.8
At opening establishments	3,729	3,452	3,412	3,184	3,500	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.4	1.5
Gross job losses	17,758	18,814	17,910	14,577	21,441	7.7	8.2	7.9	6.4	9.3
At contracting establishments	15,052	15,642	14,534	11,892	14,287	6.5	6.8	6.4	5.2	6.2
At closing establishments	2,706	3,172	3,376	2,685	7,154	1.2	1.4	1.5	1.2	3.1
Net employment change (2)	591	-2,290	-3,605	3,284	-4,590	0.2	-1.0	-1.6	1.5	-2.0
Education and health services
Gross job gains	14,456	14,437	14,944	14,285	14,034	5.0	4.9	5.0	4.7	4.7
At expanding establishments	11,628	11,503	12,132	11,840	11,400	4.0	3.9	4.1	3.9	3.8
At opening establishments	2,828	2,934	2,812	2,445	2,634	1.0	1.0	0.9	0.8	0.9
Gross job losses	13,189	11,506	10,848	9,957	12,079	4.6	3.9	3.7	3.3	4.0
At contracting establishments	10,660	9,038	7,989	7,706	9,011	3.7	3.1	2.7	2.6	3.0
At closing establishments	2,529	2,468	2,859	2,251	3,068	0.9	0.8	1.0	0.7	1.0
Net employment change (2)	1,267	2,931	4,096	4,328	1,955	0.4	1.0	1.3	1.4	0.7
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	15,093	16,078	17,471	17,168	14,993	7.4	8.0	8.6	8.3	7.2
At expanding establishments	11,849	12,662	13,886	13,443	11,879	5.8	6.3	6.8	6.5	5.7
At opening establishments	3,244	3,416	3,585	3,725	3,114	1.6	1.7	1.8	1.8	1.5
Gross job losses	18,290	15,911	14,625	14,572	16,724	9.0	7.8	7.1	7.0	8.1
At contracting establishments	16,457	13,810	12,336	12,491	14,218	8.1	6.8	6.0	6.0	6.9
At closing establishments	1,833	2,101	2,289	2,081	2,506	0.9	1.0	1.1	1.0	1.2
Net employment change (2)	-3,197	167	2,846	2,596	-1,731	-1.6	0.2	1.5	1.3	-0.9
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	3,576	3,859	3,316	3,558	3,413	8.0	8.5	7.2	7.7	7.4
At expanding establishments	2,877	3,232	2,592	2,727	2,624	6.4	7.1	5.6	5.9	5.7
At opening establishments	699	627	724	831	789	1.6	1.4	1.6	1.8	1.7
Gross job losses	3,212	3,238	3,292	3,197	3,238	7.2	7.1	7.2	7.0	7.0
At contracting establishments	2,724	2,613	2,511	2,612	2,558	6.1	5.7	5.5	5.7	5.5
At closing establishments	488	625	781	585	680	1.1	1.4	1.7	1.3	1.5
Net employment change (2)	364	621	24	361	175	0.8	1.4	0.0	0.7	0.4
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 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024
United States(1)	6.2	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.4	5.9
Alabama	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.6
Alaska	11.0	8.5	10.2	10.5	10.2	8.9	10.5	9.9	8.6	9.6
Arizona	7.0	6.8	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	5.7	6.6	6.4	6.8
Arkansas	5.9	5.6	6.2	5.6	5.2	6.0	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8
California	6.8	6.4	6.4	5.8	6.1	6.4	6.5	6.4	5.6	6.8
Colorado	7.3	5.4	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.1	7.6	7.7	6.2
Connecticut	6.4	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.7	5.2	5.6
Delaware	6.4	6.0	6.1	6.0	5.9	5.8	6.5	5.8	5.1	6.5
District of Columbia	5.4	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.1	5.3	5.4	5.6	4.9	6.0
Florida	6.8	6.5	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.4	5.9
Georgia	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.0	5.7	6.4	6.1	5.7	5.7	5.7
Hawaii	5.7	5.3	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.3	6.8	5.0	5.1	5.4
Idaho	7.8	7.2	8.5	7.9	7.5	7.4	7.9	5.8	8.3	7.4
Illinois	5.4	4.8	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.3	5.1	4.8	5.3
Indiana	5.6	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.0	5.5
Iowa	6.0	5.6	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.6	5.7
Kansas	6.1	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.8	6.0	6.0	5.3	5.6	5.7
Kentucky	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.9	5.6	5.2	5.0	5.9
Louisiana	6.0	6.2	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.3
Maine	7.6	7.0	7.4	7.2	7.3	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.1	7.0
Maryland	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.8	7.2	6.6	6.4	5.8	5.7	6.5
Massachusetts	5.9	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.7	5.6	5.9	5.5	5.1	5.6
Michigan	5.9	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.2	5.6
Minnesota	6.0	3.3	6.9	5.8	5.7	5.5	4.3	6.9	5.7	5.4
Mississippi	6.4	6.2	6.1	5.7	5.8	6.5	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.3
Missouri	5.8	5.6	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.3	5.8
Montana	7.8	7.7	8.8	8.1	7.9	8.4	8.4	7.2	7.5	7.6
Nebraska	6.2	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.1	5.6
Nevada	6.5	6.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.4	6.2	5.7
New Hampshire	6.7	5.8	6.2	6.5	6.1	6.3	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.0
New Jersey	6.4	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.9	6.0	6.0	5.8	5.4	5.4
New Mexico	6.6	6.4	6.9	6.0	6.0	6.3	6.8	5.8	6.0	6.3
New York	6.2	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.0	5.5
North Carolina	6.1	5.7	6.3	5.4	5.6	5.7	6.1	4.9	5.5	5.7
North Dakota	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.6	6.3	6.1	6.6
Ohio	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.6	5.2	4.8	5.4
Oklahoma	6.3	6.3	6.1	5.6	5.6	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.2	6.4
Oregon	6.4	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.6	6.7	6.2	6.1	6.4
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.5	5.1	4.8	4.6	5.1
Rhode Island	6.7	6.4	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.8	6.7	6.3	5.7	6.7
South Carolina	6.4	6.6	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.6	5.7	5.3	6.3	6.4
South Dakota	6.7	6.3	6.6	6.3	6.0	6.0	6.3	5.8	5.8	6.3
Tennessee	5.8	5.6	6.2	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.5	4.9	5.7
Texas	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.3
Utah	6.9	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.4	6.6	6.5	6.0	6.6
Vermont	7.4	6.4	7.3	7.2	6.6	7.5	7.9	6.6	6.3	7.5
Virginia	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.9	6.0	5.5	5.2	5.6
Washington	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.4	5.3	5.3
West Virginia	6.1	6.5	6.5	6.9	6.6	6.4	6.6	5.8	5.7	6.8
Wisconsin	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.8	5.8	5.2	4.8	5.5
Wyoming	8.4	8.3	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.7	8.2	8.4	8.3	9.0
Puerto Rico	5.9	5.7	4.9	5.4	5.6	5.0	5.3	4.8	4.6	4.9
Virgin Islands	7.5	8.2	6.0	5.6	4.3	6.5	6.8	5.9	4.5	5.1
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: Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Southeast Information Office

Business Employment Dynamics in Kentucky — Second Quarter 2024