Business Employment Dynamics in North Carolina — Second Quarter 2025

From March 2025 to June 2025, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in North Carolina were 234,654, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 229,071, 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 5,583 jobs in the private sector during the second quarter of 2025. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 3,261. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Line chart of gross job gains and losses in North Carolina, June 2020 to June 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 North Carolina, June 2020–June 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Jun 2020	178,505	530,700
Sep 2020	309,580	195,237
Dec 2020	284,177	183,602
Mar 2021	258,533	202,528
Jun 2021	244,270	218,904
Sep 2021	258,090	242,784
Dec 2021	309,608	194,148
Mar 2022	259,523	213,414
Jun 2022	255,586	241,017
Sep 2022	267,036	232,759
Dec 2022	266,921	231,359
Mar 2023	268,255	216,337
Jun 2023	249,286	236,139
Sep 2023	237,068	252,233
Dec 2023	260,448	203,394
Mar 2024	229,846	229,239
Jun 2024	236,425	230,500
Sep 2024	228,393	245,726
Dec 2024	255,168	232,265
Mar 2025	227,385	230,646
Jun 2025	234,654	229,071

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 2025, gross job gains represented 5.6 percent of private-sector employment in North Carolina; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.7 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 North Carolina, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 186,225 in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 4,183 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 48,429 jobs gained in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 3,086 jobs from the previous quarter.

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Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and North Carolina, June 2020–June 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	North Carolina
Jun 2020	4.8	4.9
Sep 2020	9.4	8.7
Dec 2020	7.4	7.7
Mar 2021	7.0	6.9
Jun 2021	6.8	6.4
Sep 2021	7.3	6.8
Dec 2021	7.7	8.0
Mar 2022	6.7	6.5
Jun 2022	6.5	6.4
Sep 2022	6.9	6.7
Dec 2022	6.3	6.6
Mar 2023	6.3	6.6
Jun 2023	6.2	6.1
Sep 2023	5.9	5.7
Dec 2023	6.0	6.3
Mar 2024	5.9	5.5
Jun 2024	5.8	5.6
Sep 2024	5.8	5.5
Dec 2024	5.9	6.1
Mar 2025	5.6	5.4
Jun 2025	5.7	5.6

Gross job losses

In the second quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 5.4 percent of private-sector employment in North Carolina; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 6.0 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 North Carolina, contracting establishments lost 185,712 jobs in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 1,878 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 43,359 jobs, a decrease of 3,453 jobs from the previous quarter.

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Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and North Carolina, June 2020–June 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	North Carolina
Jun 2020	16.8	14.5
Sep 2020	5.9	5.4
Dec 2020	5.7	5.0
Mar 2021	5.5	5.5
Jun 2021	5.9	5.8
Sep 2021	6.0	6.4
Dec 2021	5.4	5.0
Mar 2022	5.5	5.4
Jun 2022	6.2	6.1
Sep 2022	5.9	5.8
Dec 2022	5.9	5.7
Mar 2023	5.5	5.3
Jun 2023	5.9	5.7
Sep 2023	5.9	6.1
Dec 2023	5.7	4.9
Mar 2024	5.5	5.4
Jun 2024	5.9	5.5
Sep 2024	5.8	5.8
Dec 2024	5.7	5.5
Mar 2025	5.4	5.5
Jun 2025	6.0	5.4

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 7 of the 11 published industry sectors in North Carolina in the second quarter of 2025. Education and health services had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 5,009 jobs. This was the result of 33,181 gross job gains and 28,172 gross job losses. The leisure and hospitality industry had a net gain of 4,808 jobs. Professional and business services showed a net loss of 2,889 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state. North Carolina’s manufacturing industry sector had a net loss of 1,806 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 Third Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 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.

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, North Carolina, 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 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	236,425	228,393	255,168	227,385	234,654	5.6	5.5	6.1	5.4	5.6
At expanding establishments	185,116	179,369	196,179	182,042	186,225	4.4	4.3	4.7	4.3	4.4
At opening establishments	51,309	49,024	58,989	45,343	48,429	1.2	1.2	1.4	1.1	1.2
Gross job losses	230,500	245,726	232,265	230,646	229,071	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.4
At contracting establishments	183,303	181,167	181,522	183,834	185,712	4.4	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.4
At closing establishments	47,197	64,559	50,743	46,812	43,359	1.1	1.5	1.2	1.1	1.0
Net employment change (2)	5,925	-17,333	22,903	-3,261	5,583	0.1	-0.3	0.6	-0.1	0.2
Construction
Gross job gains	17,923	18,305	18,907	19,886	17,801	6.6	6.7	7.0	7.2	6.4
At expanding establishments	13,862	13,687	13,774	15,432	13,969	5.1	5.0	5.1	5.6	5.0
At opening establishments	4,061	4,618	5,133	4,454	3,832	1.5	1.7	1.9	1.6	1.4
Gross job losses	17,571	18,711	17,455	15,860	16,712	6.5	6.9	6.4	5.8	6.0
At contracting establishments	13,495	12,891	13,004	11,761	13,037	5.0	4.8	4.8	4.3	4.7
At closing establishments	4,076	5,820	4,451	4,099	3,675	1.5	2.1	1.6	1.5	1.3
Net employment change (2)	352	-406	1,452	4,026	1,089	0.1	-0.2	0.6	1.4	0.4
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	13,706	11,578	13,207	12,721	12,983	2.9	2.5	2.9	2.7	2.8
At expanding establishments	12,193	10,525	11,871	11,604	11,888	2.6	2.3	2.6	2.5	2.6
At opening establishments	1,513	1,053	1,336	1,117	1,095	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2
Gross job losses	14,507	14,718	15,701	14,493	14,789	3.1	3.1	3.4	3.1	3.1
At contracting establishments	12,533	12,241	13,787	12,701	13,175	2.7	2.6	3.0	2.7	2.8
At closing establishments	1,974	2,477	1,914	1,792	1,614	0.4	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.3
Net employment change (2)	-801	-3,140	-2,494	-1,772	-1,806	-0.2	-0.6	-0.5	-0.4	-0.3
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	9,652	8,913	9,810	9,173	9,486	4.6	4.2	4.8	4.4	4.5
At expanding establishments	7,332	7,152	7,608	7,498	7,371	3.5	3.4	3.7	3.6	3.5
At opening establishments	2,320	1,761	2,202	1,675	2,115	1.1	0.8	1.1	0.8	1.0
Gross job losses	9,113	9,466	9,079	8,797	9,122	4.4	4.5	4.4	4.3	4.3
At contracting establishments	7,017	6,512	6,641	6,572	6,754	3.4	3.1	3.2	3.2	3.2
At closing establishments	2,096	2,954	2,438	2,225	2,368	1.0	1.4	1.2	1.1	1.1
Net employment change (2)	539	-553	731	376	364	0.2	-0.3	0.4	0.1	0.2
Retail trade
Gross job gains	26,173	25,423	25,882	28,523	27,396	4.9	4.9	4.9	5.5	5.1
At expanding establishments	22,255	21,914	21,581	23,980	22,977	4.2	4.2	4.1	4.6	4.3
At opening establishments	3,918	3,509	4,301	4,543	4,419	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.9	0.8
Gross job losses	27,383	28,107	28,748	23,827	26,741	5.1	5.3	5.5	4.6	5.1
At contracting establishments	23,566	23,135	24,099	20,326	23,093	4.4	4.4	4.6	3.9	4.4
At closing establishments	3,817	4,972	4,649	3,501	3,648	0.7	0.9	0.9	0.7	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-1,210	-2,684	-2,866	4,696	655	-0.2	-0.4	-0.6	0.9	0.0
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	7,496	10,772	13,468	6,801	9,995	4.1	5.9	7.2	3.7	5.5
At expanding establishments	5,988	8,028	12,159	5,558	8,560	3.3	4.4	6.5	3.0	4.7
At opening establishments	1,508	2,744	1,309	1,243	1,435	0.8	1.5	0.7	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	8,954	8,644	7,851	13,653	9,700	4.9	4.7	4.2	7.3	5.3
At contracting establishments	7,266	6,557	6,308	12,166	8,455	4.0	3.6	3.4	6.5	4.6
At closing establishments	1,688	2,087	1,543	1,487	1,245	0.9	1.1	0.8	0.8	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-1,458	2,128	5,617	-6,852	295	-0.8	1.2	3.0	-3.6	0.2
Information
Gross job gains	3,773	4,166	3,672	3,528	3,943	4.4	4.9	4.3	4.1	4.6
At expanding establishments	2,659	3,151	2,590	2,774	3,164	3.1	3.7	3.0	3.2	3.7
At opening establishments	1,114	1,015	1,082	754	779	1.3	1.2	1.3	0.9	0.9
Gross job losses	4,150	4,507	4,079	3,923	4,044	4.9	5.2	4.8	4.6	4.7
At contracting establishments	3,144	3,034	2,924	2,987	2,784	3.7	3.5	3.4	3.5	3.2
At closing establishments	1,006	1,473	1,155	936	1,260	1.2	1.7	1.4	1.1	1.5
Net employment change (2)	-377	-341	-407	-395	-101	-0.5	-0.3	-0.5	-0.5	-0.1
Financial activities
Gross job gains	13,764	13,350	15,206	12,268	14,038	4.5	4.4	5.0	4.0	4.6
At expanding establishments	10,373	10,033	9,994	9,294	10,692	3.4	3.3	3.3	3.0	3.5
At opening establishments	3,391	3,317	5,212	2,974	3,346	1.1	1.1	1.7	1.0	1.1
Gross job losses	12,834	14,572	13,434	11,882	13,718	4.2	4.8	4.4	3.9	4.5
At contracting establishments	8,941	10,179	9,090	8,745	9,659	2.9	3.4	3.0	2.9	3.2
At closing establishments	3,893	4,393	4,344	3,137	4,059	1.3	1.4	1.4	1.0	1.3
Net employment change (2)	930	-1,222	1,772	386	320	0.3	-0.4	0.6	0.1	0.1
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	52,110	50,151	54,544	47,931	49,648	7.0	6.7	7.4	6.5	6.8
At expanding establishments	39,562	38,717	40,381	37,047	38,917	5.3	5.2	5.5	5.0	5.3
At opening establishments	12,548	11,434	14,163	10,884	10,731	1.7	1.5	1.9	1.5	1.5
Gross job losses	50,012	53,309	54,119	48,815	52,537	6.7	7.2	7.3	6.7	7.2
At contracting establishments	39,650	37,468	42,028	38,056	42,563	5.3	5.1	5.7	5.2	5.8
At closing establishments	10,362	15,841	12,091	10,759	9,974	1.4	2.1	1.6	1.5	1.4
Net employment change (2)	2,098	-3,158	425	-884	-2,889	0.3	-0.5	0.1	-0.2	-0.4
Education and health services
Gross job gains	33,960	33,070	34,597	32,649	33,181	5.0	4.8	5.0	4.7	4.8
At expanding establishments	26,625	26,778	26,455	27,155	25,662	3.9	3.9	3.8	3.9	3.7
At opening establishments	7,335	6,292	8,142	5,494	7,519	1.1	0.9	1.2	0.8	1.1
Gross job losses	28,472	29,225	28,635	29,654	28,172	4.2	4.3	4.2	4.3	4.1
At contracting establishments	22,546	20,639	21,900	22,209	22,729	3.3	3.0	3.2	3.2	3.3
At closing establishments	5,926	8,586	6,735	7,445	5,443	0.9	1.3	1.0	1.1	0.8
Net employment change (2)	5,488	3,845	5,962	2,995	5,009	0.8	0.5	0.8	0.4	0.7
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	46,203	41,144	52,522	41,396	44,962	8.5	7.7	9.7	7.7	8.3
At expanding establishments	35,808	30,648	40,113	32,387	34,691	6.6	5.7	7.4	6.0	6.4
At opening establishments	10,395	10,496	12,409	9,009	10,271	1.9	2.0	2.3	1.7	1.9
Gross job losses	45,398	51,467	41,590	47,819	40,154	8.3	9.5	7.6	8.8	7.4
At contracting establishments	35,992	39,998	33,205	39,036	33,006	6.6	7.4	6.1	7.2	6.1
At closing establishments	9,406	11,469	8,385	8,783	7,148	1.7	2.1	1.5	1.6	1.3
Net employment change (2)	805	-10,323	10,932	-6,423	4,808	0.2	-1.8	2.1	-1.1	0.9
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	9,490	9,229	9,928	9,237	8,792	7.8	7.5	8.1	7.5	7.2
At expanding establishments	6,586	7,000	6,962	6,702	6,367	5.4	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.2
At opening establishments	2,904	2,229	2,966	2,535	2,425	2.4	1.8	2.4	2.1	2.0
Gross job losses	8,537	9,604	9,677	9,051	9,611	7.0	7.8	7.9	7.3	7.8
At contracting establishments	6,328	6,046	6,944	6,775	7,315	5.2	4.9	5.7	5.5	5.9
At closing establishments	2,209	3,558	2,733	2,276	2,296	1.8	2.9	2.2	1.8	1.9
Net employment change (2)	953	-375	251	186	-819	0.8	-0.3	0.2	0.2	-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. (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 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025
United States(1)	5.8	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.7	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.4	6.0
Alabama	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.6	5.9	5.3	5.6	5.6
Alaska	10.2	8.0	10.3	10.0	9.9	9.6	9.6	9.5	8.1	10.3
Arizona	5.6	6.4	6.1	5.8	5.3	6.5	5.7	5.9	5.3	6.3
Arkansas	5.3	5.5	5.8	5.1	5.1	5.7	5.2	4.8	5.1	5.5
California	6.2	6.3	6.7	6.0	6.6	6.9	6.2	6.4	6.2	6.7
Colorado	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.4	5.8	6.4	6.5	6.8	7.1
Connecticut	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.3	5.8
Delaware	5.8	6.8	6.1	5.9	5.9	6.5	6.4	6.3	5.3	6.1
District of Columbia	5.1	4.9	5.0	4.8	5.7	5.4	5.0	5.5	5.8	5.9
Florida	6.1	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.5	5.8
Georgia	5.9	5.8	6.0	5.5	5.5	5.7	6.1	5.4	5.7	5.6
Hawaii	5.2	5.7	5.3	4.9	4.8	5.6	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.2
Idaho	7.5	7.1	8.2	7.3	7.7	7.2	7.5	6.8	7.3	7.2
Illinois	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.0	5.2	5.1	5.0	5.1	5.0	5.2
Indiana	5.2	5.3	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.5	5.3	5.1	5.2	5.6
Iowa	5.6	5.3	5.6	5.8	5.6	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.5	5.8
Kansas	5.9	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.4	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.4	6.3
Kentucky	5.3	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.8	5.4	5.5	4.8	5.4
Louisiana	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.6	5.5	6.2	5.8	5.5	5.6	6.3
Maine	7.2	6.2	7.0	7.4	7.2	7.1	7.1	7.1	6.3	7.4
Maryland	7.1	5.9	6.0	5.9	5.7	5.9	6.1	5.9	5.7	6.2
Massachusetts	5.7	5.0	5.3	5.0	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.1	5.8
Michigan	5.7	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.8	5.4	5.8	5.9	5.3	5.5
Minnesota	5.7	5.1	5.5	5.1	5.8	5.2	5.8	5.1	5.5	5.5
Mississippi	5.7	6.3	6.3	5.7	6.3	6.3	5.7	6.2	6.1	6.5
Missouri	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.5	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.2	6.1
Montana	7.9	7.2	8.4	8.0	7.7	7.6	8.0	7.8	7.5	8.3
Nebraska	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.3	5.5
Nevada	5.8	6.2	6.1	5.4	6.2	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.9	6.3
New Hampshire	6.1	5.6	6.3	6.5	6.3	6.0	6.7	5.9	6.1	6.7
New Jersey	5.9	5.4	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.4	5.5
New Mexico	6.1	6.3	6.1	5.9	5.9	6.5	6.2	5.9	5.8	6.0
New York	5.8	5.7	5.7	6.6	5.9	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.0	7.0
North Carolina	5.6	5.5	6.1	5.4	5.6	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.4
North Dakota	6.6	6.5	6.5	6.7	6.4	6.6	6.5	6.6	6.5	6.7
Ohio	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.1	4.9	5.4
Oklahoma	5.7	6.1	6.0	5.5	5.5	6.4	5.5	5.5	5.3	6.2
Oregon	6.0	6.3	6.2	5.8	6.4	6.3	6.6	6.6	6.2	6.5
Pennsylvania	4.9	5.1	5.2	5.0	4.9	5.2	5.0	4.8	4.7	5.2
Rhode Island	6.6	6.2	7.3	6.6	6.3	6.7	6.4	6.3	5.9	6.7
South Carolina	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.5	6.6
South Dakota	6.0	5.9	6.7	6.2	6.0	6.2	5.9	5.9	6.5	6.1
Tennessee	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.1	5.6	5.7	6.2	5.1	5.9
Texas	5.4	5.7	5.8	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.2	5.1	5.4
Utah	6.5	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.6	6.9	6.2	6.3	6.0	6.6
Vermont	6.7	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.9	7.4	7.1	6.7	6.8	7.5
Virginia	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.1	5.8
Washington	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.7	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.5	5.4
West Virginia	7.0	5.9	6.5	6.4	5.5	6.7	6.6	6.1	5.7	6.3
Wisconsin	5.3	5.1	5.3	5.0	5.3	5.6	5.5	5.2	4.9	5.5
Wyoming	8.2	8.9	8.9	8.1	8.3	8.8	8.5	8.3	8.7	8.9
Puerto Rico	5.5	5.4	4.3	6.3	7.0	4.9	5.0	5.4	5.4	6.1
Virgin Islands	4.9	4.7	5.2	5.4	15.0	5.7	7.5	10.8	7.6	9.5
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, March 04, 2026

Southeast Information Office

Business Employment Dynamics in North Carolina — Second Quarter 2025