From September 2025 to December 2025, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in North Carolina were 251,507, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 212,979, 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 38,528 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 13,662. (See chart 1.)

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 6.0 percent of private-sector employment in North Carolina; 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 North Carolina, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 196,821 in the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 21,104 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 54,686 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 5,039 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 5.1 percent of private-sector employment in North Carolina; 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 North Carolina, contracting establishments lost 172,673 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025, a decrease of 12,048 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 40,306 jobs, a decrease of 13,999 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 10 of the 11 published industry sectors in North Carolina in the fourth quarter of 2025. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 13,171 jobs. This was the result of 50,478 gross job gains and 37,307 gross job losses. North Carolina’s retail trade industry sector had a net loss of 4,004 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).

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.

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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)
	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	255,168	227,385	234,654	225,364	251,507	6.1	5.4	5.6	5.4	6.0
At expanding establishments	196,179	182,042	186,225	175,717	196,821	4.7	4.3	4.4	4.2	4.7
At opening establishments	58,989	45,343	48,429	49,647	54,686	1.4	1.1	1.2	1.2	1.3
Gross job losses	232,265	230,646	229,071	239,026	212,979	5.5	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.1
At contracting establishments	181,522	183,834	185,712	184,721	172,673	4.3	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.1
At closing establishments	50,743	46,812	43,359	54,305	40,306	1.2	1.1	1.0	1.3	1.0
Net employment change (2)	22,903	-3,261	5,583	-13,662	38,528	0.6	-0.1	0.2	-0.3	0.9
Construction
Gross job gains	18,907	19,886	17,801	17,608	21,017	7.0	7.2	6.4	6.3	7.5
At expanding establishments	13,774	15,432	13,969	13,456	15,987	5.1	5.6	5.0	4.8	5.7
At opening establishments	5,133	4,454	3,832	4,152	5,030	1.9	1.6	1.4	1.5	1.8
Gross job losses	17,455	15,860	16,712	19,073	16,278	6.4	5.8	6.0	6.9	5.8
At contracting establishments	13,004	11,761	13,037	13,359	11,996	4.8	4.3	4.7	4.8	4.3
At closing establishments	4,451	4,099	3,675	5,714	4,282	1.6	1.5	1.3	2.1	1.5
Net employment change (2)	1,452	4,026	1,089	-1,465	4,739	0.6	1.4	0.4	-0.6	1.7
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	13,207	12,721	12,983	11,388	13,801	2.9	2.7	2.8	2.5	3.0
At expanding establishments	11,871	11,604	11,888	9,769	12,382	2.6	2.5	2.6	2.1	2.7
At opening establishments	1,336	1,117	1,095	1,619	1,419	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.3
Gross job losses	15,701	14,493	14,789	15,456	13,693	3.4	3.1	3.1	3.4	3.0
At contracting establishments	13,787	12,701	13,175	13,606	12,285	3.0	2.7	2.8	3.0	2.7
At closing establishments	1,914	1,792	1,614	1,850	1,408	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.3
Net employment change (2)	-2,494	-1,772	-1,806	-4,068	108	-0.5	-0.4	-0.3	-0.9	0.0
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	9,810	9,173	9,486	8,740	9,064	4.8	4.4	4.5	4.2	4.4
At expanding establishments	7,608	7,498	7,371	7,116	7,056	3.7	3.6	3.5	3.4	3.4
At opening establishments	2,202	1,675	2,115	1,624	2,008	1.1	0.8	1.0	0.8	1.0
Gross job losses	9,079	8,797	9,122	9,089	7,861	4.4	4.3	4.3	4.4	3.8
At contracting establishments	6,641	6,572	6,754	6,853	6,280	3.2	3.2	3.2	3.3	3.0
At closing establishments	2,438	2,225	2,368	2,236	1,581	1.2	1.1	1.1	1.1	0.8
Net employment change (2)	731	376	364	-349	1,203	0.4	0.1	0.2	-0.2	0.6
Retail trade
Gross job gains	25,882	28,523	27,396	26,111	24,413	4.9	5.5	5.1	5.0	4.7
At expanding establishments	21,581	23,980	22,977	22,111	20,775	4.1	4.6	4.3	4.2	4.0
At opening establishments	4,301	4,543	4,419	4,000	3,638	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.7
Gross job losses	28,748	23,827	26,741	27,088	28,417	5.5	4.6	5.1	5.1	5.4
At contracting establishments	24,099	20,326	23,093	22,775	25,196	4.6	3.9	4.4	4.3	4.8
At closing establishments	4,649	3,501	3,648	4,313	3,221	0.9	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.6
Net employment change (2)	-2,866	4,696	655	-977	-4,004	-0.6	0.9	0.0	-0.1	-0.7
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	13,468	6,801	9,995	9,978	14,645	7.2	3.7	5.5	5.4	7.9
At expanding establishments	12,159	5,558	8,560	8,091	12,757	6.5	3.0	4.7	4.4	6.9
At opening establishments	1,309	1,243	1,435	1,887	1,888	0.7	0.7	0.8	1.0	1.0
Gross job losses	7,851	13,653	9,700	10,167	9,212	4.2	7.3	5.3	5.5	4.9
At contracting establishments	6,308	12,166	8,455	8,802	7,503	3.4	6.5	4.6	4.8	4.0
At closing establishments	1,543	1,487	1,245	1,365	1,709	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.9
Net employment change (2)	5,617	-6,852	295	-189	5,433	3.0	-3.6	0.2	-0.1	3.0
Information
Gross job gains	3,672	3,528	3,943	4,023	4,351	4.3	4.1	4.6	4.6	5.0
At expanding establishments	2,590	2,774	3,164	2,444	3,219	3.0	3.2	3.7	2.8	3.7
At opening establishments	1,082	754	779	1,579	1,132	1.3	0.9	0.9	1.8	1.3
Gross job losses	4,079	3,923	4,044	4,683	4,252	4.8	4.6	4.7	5.4	4.9
At contracting establishments	2,924	2,987	2,784	3,559	3,192	3.4	3.5	3.2	4.1	3.7
At closing establishments	1,155	936	1,260	1,124	1,060	1.4	1.1	1.5	1.3	1.2
Net employment change (2)	-407	-395	-101	-660	99	-0.5	-0.5	-0.1	-0.8	0.1
Financial activities
Gross job gains	15,206	12,268	14,038	13,218	15,685	5.0	4.0	4.6	4.3	5.1
At expanding establishments	9,994	9,294	10,692	9,898	11,344	3.3	3.0	3.5	3.2	3.7
At opening establishments	5,212	2,974	3,346	3,320	4,341	1.7	1.0	1.1	1.1	1.4
Gross job losses	13,434	11,882	13,718	13,133	10,732	4.4	3.9	4.5	4.3	3.5
At contracting establishments	9,090	8,745	9,659	9,283	7,880	3.0	2.9	3.2	3.0	2.6
At closing establishments	4,344	3,137	4,059	3,850	2,852	1.4	1.0	1.3	1.3	0.9
Net employment change (2)	1,772	386	320	85	4,953	0.6	0.1	0.1	0.0	1.6
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	54,544	47,931	49,648	49,676	51,404	7.4	6.5	6.8	6.7	7.0
At expanding establishments	40,381	37,047	38,917	38,455	39,780	5.5	5.0	5.3	5.2	5.4
At opening establishments	14,163	10,884	10,731	11,221	11,624	1.9	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.6
Gross job losses	54,119	48,815	52,537	50,371	47,744	7.3	6.7	7.2	6.9	6.5
At contracting establishments	42,028	38,056	42,563	36,492	37,460	5.7	5.2	5.8	5.0	5.1
At closing establishments	12,091	10,759	9,974	13,879	10,284	1.6	1.5	1.4	1.9	1.4
Net employment change (2)	425	-884	-2,889	-695	3,660	0.1	-0.2	-0.4	-0.2	0.5
Education and health services
Gross job gains	34,597	32,649	33,181	33,005	33,888	5.0	4.7	4.8	4.7	4.7
At expanding establishments	26,455	27,155	25,662	26,570	26,567	3.8	3.9	3.7	3.8	3.7
At opening establishments	8,142	5,494	7,519	6,435	7,321	1.2	0.8	1.1	0.9	1.0
Gross job losses	28,635	29,654	28,172	29,122	27,203	4.2	4.3	4.1	4.2	3.8
At contracting establishments	21,900	22,209	22,729	21,697	21,634	3.2	3.2	3.3	3.1	3.0
At closing establishments	6,735	7,445	5,443	7,425	5,569	1.0	1.1	0.8	1.1	0.8
Net employment change (2)	5,962	2,995	5,009	3,883	6,685	0.8	0.4	0.7	0.5	0.9
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	52,522	41,396	44,962	39,818	50,478	9.7	7.7	8.3	7.4	9.3
At expanding establishments	40,113	32,387	34,691	29,562	37,502	7.4	6.0	6.4	5.5	6.9
At opening establishments	12,409	9,009	10,271	10,256	12,976	2.3	1.7	1.9	1.9	2.4
Gross job losses	41,590	47,819	40,154	48,844	37,307	7.6	8.8	7.4	9.1	6.9
At contracting establishments	33,205	39,036	33,006	39,671	31,348	6.1	7.2	6.1	7.4	5.8
At closing establishments	8,385	8,783	7,148	9,173	5,959	1.5	1.6	1.3	1.7	1.1
Net employment change (2)	10,932	-6,423	4,808	-9,026	13,171	2.1	-1.1	0.9	-1.7	2.4
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	9,928	9,237	8,792	9,420	9,333	8.1	7.5	7.2	7.7	7.5
At expanding establishments	6,962	6,702	6,367	6,611	6,624	5.7	5.4	5.2	5.4	5.3
At opening establishments	2,966	2,535	2,425	2,809	2,709	2.4	2.1	2.0	2.3	2.2
Gross job losses	9,677	9,051	9,611	8,967	8,583	7.9	7.3	7.8	7.3	7.0
At contracting establishments	6,944	6,775	7,315	6,337	6,507	5.7	5.5	5.9	5.2	5.3
At closing establishments	2,733	2,276	2,296	2,630	2,076	2.2	1.8	1.9	2.1	1.7
Net employment change (2)	251	186	-819	453	750	0.2	0.2	-0.6	0.4	0.5
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)
	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.