Business Employment Dynamics in Alabama — Fourth Quarter 2025

From September 2025 to December 2025, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Alabama were 105,062, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 93,120, 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 11,942 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2025. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 1,692. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Line chart of gross job gains and losses in Alabama, December 2020 to December 2025, 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 2020–December 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Dec 2020	118,140	84,790
Mar 2021	106,225	92,194
Jun 2021	100,526	93,863
Sep 2021	106,955	100,415
Dec 2021	122,613	84,802
Mar 2022	105,974	97,170
Jun 2022	108,964	102,203
Sep 2022	114,933	97,194
Dec 2022	111,016	101,393
Mar 2023	109,854	93,712
Jun 2023	102,771	96,410
Sep 2023	102,456	100,817
Dec 2023	105,335	98,203
Mar 2024	101,248	95,836
Jun 2024	96,032	94,915
Sep 2024	99,198	101,412
Dec 2024	98,916	92,228
Mar 2025	92,217	95,520
Jun 2025	94,286	95,829
Sep 2025	93,102	94,794
Dec 2025	105,062	93,120

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 2025, gross job gains represented 6.1 percent of private-sector employment in Alabama; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.9 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 85,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 10,561 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 20,062 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 1,399 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 2020–December 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Alabama	United States
Dec 2020	7.6	7.4
Mar 2021	6.7	7.0
Jun 2021	6.3	6.8
Sep 2021	6.7	7.3
Dec 2021	7.5	7.7
Mar 2022	6.4	6.7
Jun 2022	6.6	6.5
Sep 2022	6.9	6.9
Dec 2022	6.6	6.3
Mar 2023	6.5	6.3
Jun 2023	6.0	6.2
Sep 2023	6.0	5.9
Dec 2023	6.2	6.0
Mar 2024	5.9	5.9
Jun 2024	5.6	5.8
Sep 2024	5.8	5.8
Dec 2024	5.8	5.9
Mar 2025	5.3	5.6
Jun 2025	5.5	5.7
Sep 2025	5.4	5.6
Dec 2025	6.1	5.9

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 5.4 percent of private-sector employment in Alabama; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.5 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 77,087 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025, a decrease of 3,499 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 16,033 jobs, an increase of 1,825 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 2020–December 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Alabama
Dec 2020	5.7	5.5
Mar 2021	5.5	5.8
Jun 2021	5.9	6.0
Sep 2021	6.0	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	5.9	6.0
Dec 2023	5.7	5.8
Mar 2024	5.5	5.6
Jun 2024	5.9	5.6
Sep 2024	5.8	5.9
Dec 2024	5.7	5.3
Mar 2025	5.4	5.6
Jun 2025	6.0	5.6
Sep 2025	5.7	5.5
Dec 2025	5.5	5.4

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 9 of the 10 published industry sectors in Alabama in the fourth quarter of 2025. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 4,515 jobs. This was the result of 20,307 gross job gains and 15,792 gross job losses. The transportation and warehousing industry had a net gain of 2,510 jobs, followed by education and health services with a net gain of 2,012 jobs. Retail trade showed a net loss of 2,488 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 First Quarter 2026 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

The release of First Quarter 2026 Business Employment Dynamics data, scheduled for October 28, 2026, 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.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

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. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	98,916	92,217	94,286	93,102	105,062	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.4	6.1
At expanding establishments	78,957	74,521	75,613	74,439	85,000	4.6	4.3	4.4	4.3	4.9
At opening establishments	19,959	17,696	18,673	18,663	20,062	1.2	1.0	1.1	1.1	1.2
Gross job losses	92,228	95,520	95,829	94,794	93,120	5.3	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.4
At contracting establishments	74,727	77,418	76,973	80,586	77,087	4.3	4.5	4.5	4.7	4.5
At closing establishments	17,501	18,102	18,856	14,208	16,033	1.0	1.1	1.1	0.8	0.9
Net employment change (2)	6,688	-3,303	-1,543	-1,692	11,942	0.5	-0.3	-0.1	-0.1	0.7
Construction
Gross job gains	8,067	8,535	9,137	8,838	8,983	7.4	7.8	8.3	8.0	8.1
At expanding establishments	6,533	6,979	7,559	7,402	7,600	6.0	6.4	6.9	6.7	6.9
At opening establishments	1,534	1,556	1,578	1,436	1,383	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.2
Gross job losses	8,178	8,264	7,433	8,331	7,580	7.6	7.6	6.8	7.6	6.9
At contracting establishments	6,685	6,743	5,985	7,480	6,397	6.2	6.2	5.5	6.8	5.8
At closing establishments	1,493	1,521	1,448	851	1,183	1.4	1.4	1.3	0.8	1.1
Net employment change (2)	-111	271	1,704	507	1,403	-0.2	0.2	1.5	0.4	1.2
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	7,295	7,609	6,902	6,202	8,201	2.6	2.6	2.4	2.2	2.9
At expanding establishments	6,261	6,957	6,006	5,326	7,221	2.2	2.4	2.1	1.9	2.6
At opening establishments	1,034	652	896	876	980	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3
Gross job losses	8,152	7,738	7,588	8,473	6,905	2.9	2.7	2.7	3.0	2.5
At contracting establishments	7,070	7,167	7,002	7,690	6,184	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.7	2.2
At closing establishments	1,082	571	586	783	721	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3
Net employment change (2)	-857	-129	-686	-2,271	1,296	-0.3	-0.1	-0.3	-0.8	0.4
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	3,496	3,389	3,182	3,188	3,597	4.4	4.2	4.0	4.1	4.6
At expanding establishments	2,713	2,719	2,467	2,587	2,904	3.4	3.4	3.1	3.3	3.7
At opening establishments	783	670	715	601	693	1.0	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.9
Gross job losses	3,257	3,537	3,389	3,457	3,276	4.1	4.5	4.3	4.4	4.2
At contracting establishments	2,627	2,691	2,826	2,990	2,316	3.3	3.4	3.6	3.8	3.0
At closing establishments	630	846	563	467	960	0.8	1.1	0.7	0.6	1.2
Net employment change (2)	239	-148	-207	-269	321	0.3	-0.3	-0.3	-0.3	0.4
Retail trade
Gross job gains	11,975	12,413	13,749	12,058	11,257	5.0	5.2	5.8	5.1	4.7
At expanding establishments	10,021	10,630	11,679	10,230	9,374	4.2	4.5	4.9	4.3	3.9
At opening establishments	1,954	1,783	2,070	1,828	1,883	0.8	0.7	0.9	0.8	0.8
Gross job losses	14,088	11,525	13,103	12,455	13,745	5.9	4.8	5.4	5.2	5.8
At contracting establishments	11,953	9,781	10,927	10,754	11,653	5.0	4.1	4.5	4.5	4.9
At closing establishments	2,135	1,744	2,176	1,701	2,092	0.9	0.7	0.9	0.7	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-2,113	888	646	-397	-2,488	-0.9	0.4	0.4	-0.1	-1.1
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	5,907	3,452	3,660	3,811	6,498	7.9	4.6	5.1	5.3	8.8
At expanding establishments	5,193	2,830	2,883	3,327	5,524	6.9	3.8	4.0	4.6	7.5
At opening establishments	714	622	777	484	974	1.0	0.8	1.1	0.7	1.3
Gross job losses	3,188	6,328	4,249	4,497	3,988	4.2	8.5	5.9	6.2	5.4
At contracting establishments	2,551	5,582	3,255	4,062	3,467	3.4	7.5	4.5	5.6	4.7
At closing establishments	637	746	994	435	521	0.8	1.0	1.4	0.6	0.7
Net employment change (2)	2,719	-2,876	-589	-686	2,510	3.7	-3.9	-0.8	-0.9	3.4
Financial activities
Gross job gains	4,582	4,982	4,821	4,654	6,673	4.5	4.9	4.8	4.6	6.5
At expanding establishments	3,315	3,956	3,613	3,225	5,112	3.3	3.9	3.6	3.2	5.0
At opening establishments	1,267	1,026	1,208	1,429	1,561	1.2	1.0	1.2	1.4	1.5
Gross job losses	4,753	4,747	5,147	4,367	5,950	4.7	4.6	5.1	4.3	5.8
At contracting establishments	3,675	3,504	3,873	3,537	5,037	3.6	3.4	3.8	3.5	4.9
At closing establishments	1,078	1,243	1,274	830	913	1.1	1.2	1.3	0.8	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-171	235	-326	287	723	-0.2	0.3	-0.3	0.3	0.7
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	19,308	16,410	18,469	18,109	18,487	7.3	6.3	7.0	6.8	7.0
At expanding establishments	15,521	12,844	15,220	14,036	14,997	5.9	4.9	5.8	5.3	5.7
At opening establishments	3,787	3,566	3,249	4,073	3,490	1.4	1.4	1.2	1.5	1.3
Gross job losses	17,683	17,456	17,718	18,401	18,031	6.7	6.7	6.8	7.0	6.8
At contracting establishments	14,220	13,877	14,883	15,602	15,005	5.4	5.3	5.7	5.9	5.7
At closing establishments	3,463	3,579	2,835	2,799	3,026	1.3	1.4	1.1	1.1	1.1
Net employment change (2)	1,625	-1,046	751	-292	456	0.6	-0.4	0.2	-0.2	0.2
Education and health services
Gross job gains	13,105	13,382	11,714	12,572	14,024	5.2	5.2	4.6	5.0	5.5
At expanding establishments	10,044	10,329	8,889	10,018	10,742	4.0	4.0	3.5	4.0	4.2
At opening establishments	3,061	3,053	2,825	2,554	3,282	1.2	1.2	1.1	1.0	1.3
Gross job losses	12,382	12,380	15,060	11,748	12,012	4.9	4.8	5.9	4.6	4.7
At contracting establishments	9,189	9,222	9,871	9,624	9,457	3.6	3.6	3.9	3.8	3.7
At closing establishments	3,193	3,158	5,189	2,124	2,555	1.3	1.2	2.0	0.8	1.0
Net employment change (2)	723	1,002	-3,346	824	2,012	0.3	0.4	-1.3	0.4	0.8
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	18,664	16,126	16,971	17,343	20,307	8.8	7.6	7.9	8.1	9.3
At expanding establishments	14,303	12,778	12,865	13,478	15,677	6.7	6.0	6.0	6.3	7.2
At opening establishments	4,361	3,348	4,106	3,865	4,630	2.1	1.6	1.9	1.8	2.1
Gross job losses	14,382	16,837	16,348	16,945	15,792	6.8	7.9	7.7	8.0	7.3
At contracting establishments	11,872	13,638	13,996	13,838	12,929	5.6	6.4	6.6	6.5	6.0
At closing establishments	2,510	3,199	2,352	3,107	2,863	1.2	1.5	1.1	1.5	1.3
Net employment change (2)	4,282	-711	623	398	4,515	2.0	-0.3	0.2	0.1	2.0
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	3,628	3,243	3,156	3,650	3,458	7.5	6.7	6.5	7.5	7.1
At expanding establishments	2,723	2,531	2,393	2,777	2,760	5.6	5.2	4.9	5.7	5.7
At opening establishments	905	712	763	873	698	1.9	1.5	1.6	1.8	1.4
Gross job losses	3,666	3,441	3,271	3,379	3,305	7.5	7.1	6.7	7.0	6.8
At contracting establishments	2,819	2,528	2,492	2,700	2,517	5.8	5.2	5.1	5.6	5.2
At closing establishments	847	913	779	679	788	1.7	1.9	1.6	1.4	1.6
Net employment change (2)	-38	-198	-115	271	153	0.0	-0.4	-0.2	0.5	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. (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. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025
United States(1)	5.9	5.6	5.7	5.6	5.9	5.7	5.4	6.0	5.7	5.5
Alabama	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.4	6.1	5.3	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.4
Alaska	10.3	10.0	9.9	7.5	11.8	9.5	8.1	10.3	10.0	9.3
Arizona	6.1	5.8	5.3	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.3	6.3	5.5	5.4
Arkansas	5.8	5.1	5.1	5.3	6.0	4.8	5.1	5.5	5.3	5.0
California	6.7	6.0	6.6	6.2	6.8	6.4	6.2	6.7	6.0	6.1
Colorado	6.2	6.2	6.4	6.5	6.2	6.5	6.8	7.1	6.5	6.4
Connecticut	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.8	5.9	5.5
Delaware	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.3	5.5	6.3	5.3	6.1	6.1	5.5
District of Columbia	5.0	4.8	5.7	4.6	5.2	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.9	5.0
Florida	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	6.2	5.5	5.8	6.0	5.7
Georgia	6.0	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.9	5.4	5.7	5.6	5.8	5.5
Hawaii	5.3	4.9	4.8	5.1	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.2	4.8	4.7
Idaho	8.2	7.3	7.7	6.7	8.1	6.8	7.3	7.2	7.6	6.3
Illinois	5.1	5.0	5.2	4.7	5.3	5.1	5.0	5.2	5.0	5.3
Indiana	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.1	5.5	5.1	5.2	5.6	5.1	5.1
Iowa	5.6	5.8	5.6	4.8	6.3	5.6	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.4
Kansas	5.9	5.5	5.4	5.8	5.7	5.2	5.4	6.3	5.8	5.3
Kentucky	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.3	5.2	5.5	4.8	5.4	5.6	5.0
Louisiana	6.2	5.6	5.5	5.9	6.0	5.5	5.6	6.3	6.0	5.9
Maine	7.0	7.4	7.2	6.2	6.8	7.1	6.3	7.4	7.0	7.0
Maryland	6.0	5.9	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.9	5.7	6.2	6.5	5.6
Massachusetts	5.3	5.0	5.5	5.3	5.4	5.5	5.1	5.8	5.9	5.6
Michigan	5.4	5.2	5.8	4.9	5.6	5.9	5.3	5.5	5.9	5.3
Minnesota	5.5	5.1	5.8	5.3	5.6	5.1	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.5
Mississippi	6.3	5.7	6.3	6.4	6.4	6.2	6.1	6.5	6.1	5.8
Missouri	5.7	5.4	5.5	5.6	6.1	5.3	5.2	6.1	5.9	5.5
Montana	8.4	8.0	7.7	7.0	8.4	7.8	7.5	8.3	7.9	7.4
Nebraska	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.5	5.8	5.2
Nevada	6.1	5.4	6.2	6.9	6.2	5.6	5.9	6.3	5.2	5.4
New Hampshire	6.3	6.5	6.3	5.6	6.2	5.9	6.1	6.7	6.8	5.7
New Jersey	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.3	5.7	5.5	5.4	5.5	5.8	5.3
New Mexico	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.8	6.1	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.2	6.0
New York	5.7	6.6	5.9	5.9	5.6	5.5	5.0	7.0	5.8	5.6
North Carolina	6.1	5.4	5.6	5.4	6.0	5.5	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.1
North Dakota	6.5	6.7	6.4	6.2	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.7	6.6	6.4
Ohio	5.4	5.2	5.3	5.1	5.3	5.1	4.9	5.4	5.3	5.0
Oklahoma	6.0	5.5	5.5	6.0	6.2	5.5	5.3	6.2	6.4	5.1
Oregon	6.2	5.8	6.4	5.7	6.0	6.6	6.2	6.5	6.7	6.0
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.0	4.9	5.0	5.1	4.8	4.7	5.2	5.2	4.7
Rhode Island	7.3	6.6	6.3	6.0	6.6	6.3	5.9	6.7	6.7	6.2
South Carolina	6.4	6.1	5.8	6.3	6.7	5.9	5.5	6.6	6.5	5.5
South Dakota	6.7	6.2	6.0	5.9	6.0	5.9	6.5	6.1	6.0	5.6
Tennessee	5.5	5.4	5.1	5.7	6.2	6.2	5.1	5.9	5.2	5.2
Texas	5.8	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.6	5.2	5.1	5.4	5.3	4.9
Utah	6.8	6.6	6.6	6.7	6.5	6.3	6.0	6.6	6.4	6.1
Vermont	6.7	6.9	6.9	6.6	6.9	6.7	6.8	7.5	7.8	7.0
Virginia	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.9	5.8	5.5	5.1	5.8	6.1	5.1
Washington	5.8	5.7	6.0	5.2	5.6	5.7	5.5	5.4	5.6	5.3
West Virginia	6.5	6.4	5.5	5.8	5.9	6.1	5.7	6.3	6.0	6.0
Wisconsin	5.3	5.0	5.3	4.9	5.6	5.2	4.9	5.5	5.6	5.1
Wyoming	8.9	8.1	8.3	7.7	9.0	8.3	8.7	8.9	8.4	8.0
Puerto Rico	4.3	6.3	7.0	5.4	4.4	5.4	5.4	6.1	5.7	5.2
Virgin Islands	5.2	5.4	15.0	7.1	9.1	10.8	7.6	9.5	8.4	7.2
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: Friday, August 07, 2026

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Business Employment Dynamics in Alabama — Fourth Quarter 2025