From December 2024 to March 2025, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in South Carolina were 117,725, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 107,863, 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 9,862 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2025. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 10,381. (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 first quarter of 2025, gross job gains represented 6.1 percent of private-sector employment in South Carolina; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.6 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 South Carolina, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 90,348 in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 10,729 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 27,377 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 4,124 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 5.5 percent of private-sector employment in South Carolina; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.4 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 South Carolina, contracting establishments lost 89,787 jobs in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 5,392 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 18,076 jobs, a decrease of 11,478 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 7 of the 11 published industry sectors in South Carolina in the first quarter of 2025. Professional and business services had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 4,528 jobs. This was the result of 25,140 gross job gains and 20,612 gross job losses. The retail trade industry had a net gain of 4,157 jobs. Leisure and hospitality showed a net loss of 3,980 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state. South Carolina’s transportation and warehousing industry sector had a net loss of 1,321 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 Second Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 26, 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.

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, South 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)
	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	123,985	117,273	119,009	124,330	117,725	6.5	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.1
At expanding establishments	95,690	88,842	97,660	101,077	90,348	5.0	4.6	5.1	5.2	4.7
At opening establishments	28,295	28,431	21,349	23,253	27,377	1.5	1.5	1.1	1.2	1.4
Gross job losses	119,862	114,953	112,351	113,949	107,863	6.3	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.5
At contracting establishments	93,944	98,577	91,934	84,395	89,787	4.9	5.1	4.8	4.4	4.6
At closing establishments	25,918	16,376	20,417	29,554	18,076	1.4	0.9	1.1	1.5	0.9
Net employment change (2)	4,123	2,320	6,658	10,381	9,862	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.5	0.6
Construction
Gross job gains	8,534	9,118	8,115	10,297	9,853	7.3	7.8	6.8	8.6	8.1
At expanding establishments	6,524	6,809	6,581	8,253	7,577	5.6	5.8	5.5	6.9	6.2
At opening establishments	2,010	2,309	1,534	2,044	2,276	1.7	2.0	1.3	1.7	1.9
Gross job losses	7,781	6,679	7,848	8,045	7,711	6.7	5.7	6.6	6.7	6.3
At contracting establishments	5,702	5,645	6,227	5,038	5,581	4.9	4.8	5.2	4.2	4.6
At closing establishments	2,079	1,034	1,621	3,007	2,130	1.8	0.9	1.4	2.5	1.7
Net employment change (2)	753	2,439	267	2,252	2,142	0.6	2.1	0.2	1.9	1.8
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	10,341	9,182	6,966	7,225	7,853	3.9	3.4	2.6	2.7	3.0
At expanding establishments	8,387	7,499	6,431	6,356	6,480	3.2	2.8	2.4	2.4	2.5
At opening establishments	1,954	1,683	535	869	1,373	0.7	0.6	0.2	0.3	0.5
Gross job losses	8,446	7,789	8,487	8,193	7,968	3.2	2.9	3.2	3.1	3.0
At contracting establishments	6,642	6,917	7,491	6,954	7,311	2.5	2.6	2.8	2.6	2.8
At closing establishments	1,804	872	996	1,239	657	0.7	0.3	0.4	0.5	0.2
Net employment change (2)	1,895	1,393	-1,521	-968	-115	0.7	0.5	-0.6	-0.4	0.0
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	4,354	4,351	3,191	3,833	4,829	5.3	5.2	3.8	4.6	5.7
At expanding establishments	3,305	3,243	2,770	3,182	3,921	4.0	3.9	3.3	3.8	4.6
At opening establishments	1,049	1,108	421	651	908	1.3	1.3	0.5	0.8	1.1
Gross job losses	4,018	3,652	3,519	3,711	3,587	4.8	4.4	4.2	4.4	4.3
At contracting establishments	2,881	2,991	2,824	2,761	2,751	3.4	3.6	3.4	3.3	3.3
At closing establishments	1,137	661	695	950	836	1.4	0.8	0.8	1.1	1.0
Net employment change (2)	336	699	-328	122	1,242	0.5	0.8	-0.4	0.2	1.4
Retail trade
Gross job gains	15,486	14,896	14,368	13,311	16,158	5.8	5.5	5.3	5.0	6.0
At expanding establishments	13,159	11,909	12,649	11,536	13,370	4.9	4.4	4.7	4.3	5.0
At opening establishments	2,327	2,987	1,719	1,775	2,788	0.9	1.1	0.6	0.7	1.0
Gross job losses	13,724	14,136	15,267	15,164	12,001	5.1	5.3	5.6	5.7	4.5
At contracting establishments	11,567	12,645	13,527	12,601	10,494	4.3	4.7	5.0	4.7	3.9
At closing establishments	2,157	1,491	1,740	2,563	1,507	0.8	0.6	0.6	1.0	0.6
Net employment change (2)	1,762	760	-899	-1,853	4,157	0.7	0.2	-0.3	-0.7	1.5
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	4,160	4,358	4,780	5,730	4,257	5.1	5.4	6.0	7.1	5.4
At expanding establishments	3,199	3,487	4,394	4,954	3,378	3.9	4.3	5.5	6.1	4.3
At opening establishments	961	871	386	776	879	1.2	1.1	0.5	1.0	1.1
Gross job losses	6,084	5,859	3,938	5,125	5,578	7.3	7.3	4.9	6.3	7.0
At contracting establishments	5,304	5,157	3,276	3,950	4,931	6.4	6.4	4.1	4.9	6.2
At closing establishments	780	702	662	1,175	647	0.9	0.9	0.8	1.4	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-1,924	-1,501	842	605	-1,321	-2.2	-1.9	1.1	0.8	-1.6
Information
Gross job gains	1,453	1,996	1,558	1,146	1,683	5.1	7.1	5.4	4.0	6.1
At expanding establishments	1,078	1,263	1,211	770	1,075	3.8	4.5	4.2	2.7	3.9
At opening establishments	375	733	347	376	608	1.3	2.6	1.2	1.3	2.2
Gross job losses	2,002	1,471	1,524	2,428	1,782	7.0	5.2	5.3	8.6	6.5
At contracting establishments	1,462	1,153	1,064	1,604	1,504	5.1	4.1	3.7	5.7	5.5
At closing establishments	540	318	460	824	278	1.9	1.1	1.6	2.9	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-549	525	34	-1,282	-99	-1.9	1.9	0.1	-4.6	-0.4
Financial activities
Gross job gains	6,755	6,516	6,672	6,482	6,188	5.7	5.6	5.6	5.4	5.1
At expanding establishments	4,766	4,457	5,236	4,673	4,408	4.0	3.8	4.4	3.9	3.6
At opening establishments	1,989	2,059	1,436	1,809	1,780	1.7	1.8	1.2	1.5	1.5
Gross job losses	7,871	5,068	5,913	5,791	5,637	6.7	4.3	5.0	4.9	4.7
At contracting establishments	5,675	3,988	4,552	3,817	4,210	4.8	3.4	3.8	3.2	3.5
At closing establishments	2,196	1,080	1,361	1,974	1,427	1.9	0.9	1.2	1.7	1.2
Net employment change (2)	-1,116	1,448	759	691	551	-1.0	1.3	0.6	0.5	0.4
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	23,939	22,836	28,231	25,211	25,140	7.7	7.3	9.0	8.0	7.9
At expanding establishments	18,314	16,266	22,964	19,536	18,722	5.9	5.2	7.3	6.2	5.9
At opening establishments	5,625	6,570	5,267	5,675	6,418	1.8	2.1	1.7	1.8	2.0
Gross job losses	23,690	26,189	21,651	26,763	20,612	7.6	8.4	6.9	8.5	6.5
At contracting establishments	17,887	21,464	17,287	19,177	16,228	5.7	6.9	5.5	6.1	5.1
At closing establishments	5,803	4,725	4,364	7,586	4,384	1.9	1.5	1.4	2.4	1.4
Net employment change (2)	249	-3,353	6,580	-1,552	4,528	0.1	-1.1	2.1	-0.5	1.4
Education and health services
Gross job gains	16,139	17,042	15,911	14,418	14,433	6.0	6.2	5.7	5.1	5.1
At expanding establishments	12,993	13,164	12,132	11,558	10,736	4.8	4.8	4.3	4.1	3.8
At opening establishments	3,146	3,878	3,779	2,860	3,697	1.2	1.4	1.4	1.0	1.3
Gross job losses	13,746	11,061	13,948	13,239	11,821	5.1	4.0	5.0	4.7	4.2
At contracting establishments	10,562	9,289	11,338	9,096	10,184	3.9	3.4	4.1	3.2	3.6
At closing establishments	3,184	1,772	2,610	4,143	1,637	1.2	0.6	0.9	1.5	0.6
Net employment change (2)	2,393	5,981	1,963	1,179	2,612	0.9	2.2	0.7	0.4	0.9
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	26,639	21,331	23,365	30,181	20,923	9.3	7.5	8.4	10.6	7.3
At expanding establishments	19,575	16,974	18,589	24,993	16,038	6.8	6.0	6.7	8.8	5.6
At opening establishments	7,064	4,357	4,776	5,188	4,885	2.5	1.5	1.7	1.8	1.7
Gross job losses	26,077	26,917	25,324	19,744	24,903	9.1	9.5	9.1	6.9	8.7
At contracting establishments	21,472	24,427	20,379	15,439	21,758	7.5	8.6	7.3	5.4	7.6
At closing establishments	4,605	2,490	4,945	4,305	3,145	1.6	0.9	1.8	1.5	1.1
Net employment change (2)	562	-5,586	-1,959	10,437	-3,980	0.2	-2.0	-0.7	3.7	-1.4
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	4,649	4,571	4,451	4,835	4,906	7.7	7.7	7.3	7.8	8.0
At expanding establishments	3,139	3,022	3,498	3,830	3,475	5.2	5.1	5.7	6.2	5.7
At opening establishments	1,510	1,549	953	1,005	1,431	2.5	2.6	1.6	1.6	2.3
Gross job losses	4,970	4,583	3,937	4,543	4,133	8.2	7.6	6.4	7.4	6.8
At contracting establishments	3,632	3,551	3,123	2,980	3,469	6.0	5.9	5.1	4.9	5.7
At closing establishments	1,338	1,032	814	1,563	664	2.2	1.7	1.3	2.5	1.1
Net employment change (2)	-321	-12	514	292	773	-0.5	0.1	0.9	0.4	1.2
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)
	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025
United States(1)	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.5	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.4
Alabama	5.9	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.6	5.6	5.9	5.3	5.6
Alaska	10.7	10.2	8.0	10.3	10.0	8.5	9.6	9.6	9.5	8.1
Arizona	8.2	5.6	6.4	6.1	5.8	6.5	6.5	5.7	5.9	5.3
Arkansas	5.6	5.3	5.5	5.8	5.1	5.2	5.7	5.2	4.8	5.1
California	6.0	6.2	6.3	6.7	6.0	5.7	6.9	6.2	6.4	6.2
Colorado	6.4	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.2	7.4	5.8	6.4	6.5	6.8
Connecticut	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.3
Delaware	6.2	5.8	6.8	6.1	5.9	5.0	6.5	6.4	6.3	5.3
District of Columbia	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.0	4.8	5.0	5.4	5.0	5.5	5.8
Florida	5.8	6.1	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.5	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.5
Georgia	6.1	5.9	5.8	6.0	5.5	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.4	5.7
Hawaii	5.6	5.2	5.7	5.3	4.9	5.1	5.6	5.0	5.0	5.0
Idaho	7.9	7.5	7.1	8.2	7.3	8.1	7.2	7.5	6.8	7.3
Illinois	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.0	4.8	5.1	5.0	5.1	5.0
Indiana	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.5	5.4	5.1	5.5	5.3	5.1	5.2
Iowa	6.2	5.6	5.3	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.5
Kansas	5.9	5.9	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.4
Kentucky	5.9	5.3	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.1	5.8	5.4	5.5	4.8
Louisiana	6.3	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.6	5.6	6.2	5.8	5.5	5.6
Maine	7.4	7.2	6.2	7.0	7.4	6.3	7.1	7.1	7.1	6.3
Maryland	6.1	7.1	5.9	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.9	6.1	5.9	5.7
Massachusetts	5.3	5.7	5.0	5.3	5.0	5.1	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.1
Michigan	5.5	5.7	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.8	5.9	5.3
Minnesota	6.1	5.7	5.1	5.5	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.8	5.1	5.5
Mississippi	6.0	5.7	6.3	6.3	5.7	5.8	6.3	5.7	6.2	6.1
Missouri	5.9	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.2
Montana	8.1	7.9	7.2	8.4	8.0	7.6	7.6	8.0	7.8	7.5
Nebraska	5.9	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.1	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.3
Nevada	6.0	5.8	6.2	6.1	5.4	6.1	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.9
New Hampshire	6.4	6.1	5.6	6.3	6.5	5.8	6.0	6.7	5.9	6.1
New Jersey	5.5	5.9	5.4	6.0	5.6	5.5	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.4
New Mexico	6.4	6.1	6.3	6.1	5.9	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.9	5.8
New York	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.7	6.6	5.0	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.0
North Carolina	5.5	5.6	5.5	6.1	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.5
North Dakota	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.5	6.7	6.0	6.6	6.5	6.6	6.5
Ohio	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.2	4.8	5.3	5.4	5.1	4.9
Oklahoma	5.8	5.7	6.1	6.0	5.5	5.3	6.4	5.5	5.5	5.3
Oregon	6.6	6.0	6.3	6.2	5.8	5.9	6.3	6.6	6.6	6.2
Pennsylvania	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.2	5.0	4.6	5.2	5.0	4.8	4.7
Rhode Island	6.8	6.6	6.2	7.3	6.6	5.7	6.7	6.4	6.3	5.9
South Carolina	6.5	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.1	6.3	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.5
South Dakota	6.4	6.0	5.9	6.7	6.2	5.8	6.2	5.9	5.9	6.5
Tennessee	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.6	5.7	6.2	5.1
Texas	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.8	5.1	5.1	5.3	5.3	5.2	5.1
Utah	6.9	6.5	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.3	6.9	6.2	6.3	6.0
Vermont	7.5	6.7	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.3	7.4	7.1	6.7	6.8
Virginia	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.3	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.1
Washington	5.7	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.5
West Virginia	7.1	7.0	5.9	6.5	6.4	6.1	6.7	6.6	6.1	5.7
Wisconsin	5.7	5.3	5.1	5.3	5.0	4.9	5.6	5.5	5.2	4.9
Wyoming	8.4	8.2	8.9	8.9	8.1	8.4	8.8	8.5	8.3	8.7
Puerto Rico	5.3	5.5	5.4	4.3	6.3	4.7	4.9	5.0	5.4	5.4
Virgin Islands	6.4	4.9	4.7	5.2	5.4	5.3	5.7	7.5	10.8	7.6
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.