From March 2017 to June 2017, gross job losses in private sector establishments in Arkansas totaled 56,758, while gross job gains numbered 52,890, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 3,868. In the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 5,378. (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 businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private business establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment from expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Technical Note for more information.)

Gross job losses in Arkansas decreased in each of the three quarters prior to June 2017. In the latest quarter, gross job losses increased by nearly 6,000, to the highest level since June 2016. (See chart 1.) Gross job gains fell for the third consecutive quarter, down by 3,261 in the three months ended in June 2017, to 52,890, the lowest quarterly gain since March 2015.

Gross job losses represented 5.6 percent of private sector employment in Arkansas in the quarter ended in June 2017, while nationally gross job losses accounted for 5.8 percent of private sector employment. (See chart 2.) With few exceptions, Arkansas’s rate of gross job losses has been below the national rate since the series began in September 1992. The state’s rate of gross job gains fell to 5.2 percent in June 2017, the lowest rate of job gains since the series inception. Nationally, the rate of gross job gains accounted for 6.2 percent of private sector employment in the latest quarter.

During the second quarter of 2017, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 6 of the 10 industry sectors in Arkansas. The professional and business services sector had the largest net job loss during the quarter. This sector created 9,504 jobs at opening and expanding establishments, but lost 12,363 jobs at closing and contracting establishments, for a net loss of 2,859 jobs. In leisure and hospitality, opening and expanding establishments created 8,790 jobs, while closing and contracting establishments lost 9,761 jobs, resulting in a net loss of 971 jobs. (See table 1.)

In contrast, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in four industry sectors in Arkansas. Education and health services had a net employment gain of 1,741, with 7,879 jobs added at opening and expanding establishments and 6,138 jobs lost at closing and contracting establishments. Net job gains were less than 150 in transportation and warehousing, manufacturing, and financial activities.

Additional statistics and other information

BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. For more information on the Business Employment Dynamics data, visit the BED web site at www.bls.gov/bdm/.

The Business Employment Dynamics release for Third Quarter 2017 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).

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), or the ES-202 program. The BED data are compiled from existing QCEW records. The QCEW reports are sent by the State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) to BLS and form the basis of the Bureau’s QCEW program and establishment universe sampling frame. These reports are also used to produce the QCEW data on total employment and wages. Other important Bureau uses of the QCEW reports are in the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES program produces monthly estimates of employment, net changes, and earnings by detailed industry.

In the BED program, the QCEW records are linked across quarters to provide a longitudinal history for each establishment. The linkage process allows the tracking of net employment changes at the establishment level, which in turn allows the estimation of jobs gained at opening and expanding establishments and jobs lost at closing and contracting establishments.

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all businesses in the economy. BED statistics track these changes in employment at private business establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment from expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross jobs lost is the net change in employment.

Gross job gains and gross job losses are expressed as rates by dividing their levels by the average of employment in the current and previous quarters. The rates are calculated for the components of gross job gains and gross job losses and then summed to form their respective totals. These rates can be added and subtracted just as their levels can. For instance, the difference between the gross job gains rate and the gross job losses rate is the net growth rate.

The formal definitions of employment changes are as follows:

Openings. These are either establishments with positive third month employment for the first time in the current quarter, with no links to the prior quarter, or with positive third month employment in the current quarter following zero employment in the previous quarter.

Expansions. These are establishments with positive employment in the third month in both the previous and current quarters, with a net increase in employment over this period.

Closings. These are either establishments with positive third month employment in the previous quarter, with no employment or zero employment reported in the current quarter.

Contractions. These are establishments with positive employment in the third month in both the previous and current quarters, with a net decrease in employment over this period.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request: voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Arkansas, seasonally adjusted

Category	Gross job gains and job losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	June 2016	Sept. 2016	Dec. 2016	Mar. 2017	June 2017	June 2016	Sept. 2016	Dec. 2016	Mar. 2017	June 2017
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	54,032	61,522	58,062	56,151	52,890	5.4	6.2	5.9	5.6	5.2
At expanding establishments	44,812	49,704	47,550	46,382	43,437	4.5	5.0	4.8	4.6	4.3
At opening establishments	9,220	11,818	10,512	9,769	9,453	0.9	1.2	1.1	1.0	0.9
Gross job losses	57,902	54,893	53,892	50,773	56,758	5.9	5.6	5.4	5.0	5.6
At contracting establishments	49,467	46,272	44,060	41,543	48,613	5.0	4.7	4.4	4.1	4.8
At closing establishments	8,435	8,621	9,832	9,230	8,145	0.9	0.9	1.0	0.9	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-3,870	6,629	4,170	5,378	-3,868	-0.5	0.6	0.5	0.6	-0.4
Construction
Gross job gains	5,136	4,999	4,907	5,730	4,379	10.2	10.0	9.7	11.2	8.4
At expanding establishments	4,190	4,157	3,933	4,251	3,529	8.3	8.3	7.8	8.3	6.8
At opening establishments	946	842	974	1,479	850	1.9	1.7	1.9	2.9	1.6
Gross job losses	5,310	5,170	4,986	3,960	4,742	10.5	10.3	9.9	7.7	9.1
At contracting establishments	4,440	4,157	4,083	3,142	3,835	8.8	8.3	8.1	6.1	7.4
At closing establishments	870	1,013	903	818	907	1.7	2.0	1.8	1.6	1.7
Net employment change (2)	-174	-171	-79	1,770	-363	-0.3	-0.3	-0.2	3.5	-0.7
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	4,385	4,859	4,700	3,836	4,341	2.9	3.1	3.0	2.4	2.7
At expanding establishments	4,130	4,555	4,509	3,673	4,129	2.7	2.9	2.9	2.3	2.6
At opening establishments	255	304	191	163	212	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.1
Gross job losses	4,381	4,102	3,796	3,597	4,230	2.9	2.6	2.5	2.3	2.7
At contracting establishments	3,951	3,906	3,512	3,345	4,081	2.6	2.5	2.3	2.1	2.6
At closing establishments	430	196	284	252	149	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.1
Net employment change (2)	4	757	904	239	111	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.1	0.0
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	2,074	2,603	2,560	2,434	2,331	4.5	5.7	5.5	5.2	5.0
At expanding establishments	1,676	2,023	1,956	1,917	1,819	3.6	4.4	4.2	4.1	3.9
At opening establishments	398	580	604	517	512	0.9	1.3	1.3	1.1	1.1
Gross job losses	2,619	2,278	2,147	2,164	2,828	5.6	4.9	4.6	4.6	6.1
At contracting establishments	2,135	1,809	1,717	1,776	2,274	4.6	3.9	3.7	3.8	4.9
At closing establishments	484	469	430	388	554	1.0	1.0	0.9	0.8	1.2
Net employment change (2)	-545	325	413	270	-497	-1.1	0.8	0.9	0.6	-1.1
Retail trade
Gross job gains	7,760	7,731	7,782	8,229	7,057	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.8	5.0
At expanding establishments	6,813	6,511	6,542	7,073	6,169	4.8	4.6	4.6	5.0	4.4
At opening establishments	947	1,220	1,240	1,156	888	0.7	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.6
Gross job losses	8,094	8,097	8,681	7,949	7,792	5.6	5.6	6.1	5.7	5.5
At contracting establishments	7,194	7,182	7,425	6,883	6,697	5.0	5.0	5.2	4.9	4.7
At closing establishments	900	915	1,256	1,066	1,095	0.6	0.6	0.9	0.8	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-334	-366	-899	280	-735	-0.1	-0.1	-0.6	0.1	-0.5
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	2,216	2,421	2,428	2,282	2,320	4.2	4.6	4.5	4.3	4.4
At expanding establishments	2,016	2,000	2,149	2,005	1,934	3.8	3.8	4.0	3.8	3.7
At opening establishments	200	421	279	277	386	0.4	0.8	0.5	0.5	0.7
Gross job losses	2,312	2,302	1,989	3,201	2,183	4.4	4.4	3.8	6.0	4.2
At contracting establishments	1,958	1,954	1,628	2,810	1,809	3.7	3.7	3.1	5.3	3.5
At closing establishments	354	348	361	391	374	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-96	119	439	-919	137	-0.2	0.2	0.7	-1.7	0.2
Financial activities
Gross job gains	2,222	2,387	2,416	2,430	2,393	4.5	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.8
At expanding establishments	1,786	1,906	1,725	1,874	1,845	3.6	3.9	3.5	3.8	3.7
At opening establishments	436	481	691	556	548	0.9	1.0	1.4	1.1	1.1
Gross job losses	2,357	2,251	2,641	1,996	2,287	4.8	4.6	5.3	4.0	4.6
At contracting establishments	1,786	1,678	1,849	1,492	1,779	3.6	3.4	3.7	3.0	3.6
At closing establishments	571	573	792	504	508	1.2	1.2	1.6	1.0	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-135	136	-225	434	106	-0.3	0.3	-0.4	0.9	0.2
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	9,647	11,951	11,145	9,271	9,504	6.8	8.4	7.8	6.4	6.6
At expanding establishments	7,791	10,090	9,168	7,727	7,985	5.5	7.1	6.4	5.3	5.5
At opening establishments	1,856	1,861	1,977	1,544	1,519	1.3	1.3	1.4	1.1	1.1
Gross job losses	12,446	9,925	9,096	8,356	12,363	8.8	7.0	6.4	5.8	8.5
At contracting establishments	10,736	8,240	7,281	6,782	10,855	7.6	5.8	5.1	4.7	7.5
At closing establishments	1,710	1,685	1,815	1,574	1,508	1.2	1.2	1.3	1.1	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-2,799	2,026	2,049	915	-2,859	-2.0	1.4	1.4	0.6	-1.9
Education and health services
Gross job gains	7,709	9,765	7,995	8,543	7,879	4.3	5.4	4.4	4.7	4.3
At expanding establishments	6,420	6,883	6,319	7,239	6,456	3.6	3.8	3.5	4.0	3.5
At opening establishments	1,289	2,882	1,676	1,304	1,423	0.7	1.6	0.9	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	6,035	6,765	7,417	7,499	6,138	3.5	3.8	4.1	4.2	3.3
At contracting establishments	5,061	5,554	5,506	5,398	5,166	2.9	3.1	3.0	3.0	2.8
At closing establishments	974	1,211	1,911	2,101	972	0.6	0.7	1.1	1.2	0.5
Net employment change (2)	1,674	3,000	578	1,044	1,741	0.8	1.6	0.3	0.5	1.0
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	8,669	10,396	9,466	8,910	8,790	7.5	9.1	8.2	7.6	7.6
At expanding establishments	6,822	8,341	7,642	7,102	6,464	5.9	7.3	6.6	6.1	5.6
At opening establishments	1,847	2,055	1,824	1,808	2,326	1.6	1.8	1.6	1.5	2.0
Gross job losses	9,423	9,317	8,757	7,972	9,761	8.2	8.1	7.5	6.8	8.4
At contracting establishments	8,303	7,936	7,445	6,734	8,674	7.2	6.9	6.4	5.7	7.5
At closing establishments	1,120	1,381	1,312	1,238	1,087	1.0	1.2	1.1	1.1	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-754	1,079	709	938	-971	-0.7	1.0	0.7	0.8	-0.8
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	1,921	2,073	1,808	2,022	1,844	8.1	8.7	7.5	8.4	7.7
At expanding establishments	1,448	1,459	1,438	1,538	1,363	6.1	6.1	6.0	6.4	5.7
At opening establishments	473	614	370	484	481	2.0	2.6	1.5	2.0	2.0
Gross job losses	1,739	1,807	1,936	1,831	1,869	7.3	7.5	8.1	7.6	7.7
At contracting establishments	1,318	1,392	1,600	1,364	1,452	5.5	5.8	6.7	5.7	6.0
At closing establishments	421	415	336	467	417	1.8	1.7	1.4	1.9	1.7
Net employment change (2)	182	266	-128	191	-25	0.8	1.2	-0.6	0.8	0.0
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

State	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	June 2016	Sept. 2016	Dec. 2016	Mar. 2017	June 2017	June 2016	Sept. 2016	Dec. 2016	Mar. 2017	June 2017
United States(1)	6.2	6.4	6.2	6.0	6.2	6.0	5.8	5.9	5.4	5.8
Alabama	5.8	6.2	5.8	6.1	5.5	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.2	5.6
Alaska	10.4	9.1	9.8	9.4	11.0	11.2	11.2	10.0	9.8	9.9
Arizona	6.2	7.2	6.0	5.8	6.2	6.0	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.7
Arkansas	5.4	6.2	5.9	5.6	5.2	5.9	5.6	5.4	5.0	5.6
California	6.9	6.9	6.9	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.2	6.3	6.0	6.6
Colorado	7.0	7.1	6.6	6.8	7.1	6.5	6.2	6.5	6.2	6.3
Connecticut	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.5	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.1
Delaware	6.8	6.3	6.2	6.6	6.6	6.7	6.6	6.2	5.9	7.0
District of Columbia	5.9	6.2	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.6	4.7	5.6
Florida	6.5	7.4	6.7	6.1	6.6	5.9	5.8	6.1	5.5	6.1
Georgia	6.9	6.7	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.4	5.9	5.8	5.8	6.1
Hawaii	5.4	6.0	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.8	4.8	5.0	4.8	5.4
Idaho	7.2	7.9	7.5	7.9	7.3	7.0	7.3	6.7	6.3	6.6
Illinois	6.0	5.7	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.6	5.4	5.5
Indiana	5.4	5.8	5.4	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.1	5.2	5.1	5.5
Iowa	5.7	6.1	5.7	6.1	5.6	6.2	5.8	5.9	5.5	5.7
Kansas	5.7	6.2	5.9	5.8	5.5	6.3	5.6	5.7	5.6	6.6
Kentucky	6.2	6.8	6.1	5.7	6.1	6.0	6.3	5.8	5.4	5.9
Louisiana	6.0	6.8	5.9	6.4	6.2	6.9	6.5	6.5	5.9	6.5
Maine	7.7	6.7	7.4	7.2	7.7	6.8	7.4	7.1	6.4	7.7
Maryland	6.4	6.6	6.6	6.1	6.4	6.2	5.9	6.2	5.9	6.2
Massachusetts	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.5	6.1	5.2	5.4	5.4	5.1	5.2
Michigan	5.9	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.3
Minnesota	5.9	6.1	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.7	4.7	5.3
Mississippi	5.7	6.3	6.3	5.7	5.9	6.5	5.5	5.6	5.9	6.0
Missouri	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.9	5.6	5.4	5.4	5.6	4.9	5.6
Montana	7.9	7.6	7.8	8.1	7.9	8.6	7.7	7.5	7.1	7.7
Nebraska	5.7	6.4	5.7	5.9	5.6	5.9	5.9	6.2	5.2	6.1
Nevada	6.5	6.8	6.2	6.6	6.3	5.8	5.5	5.6	5.2	6.0
New Hampshire	6.5	6.4	6.3	5.7	6.6	5.9	6.3	5.9	5.6	5.9
New Jersey	6.4	6.3	6.4	5.5	6.7	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.8	5.5
New Mexico	6.4	7.0	6.6	6.4	6.7	6.7	6.2	6.5	6.2	6.3
New York	6.3	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.5	5.8	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.7
North Carolina	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.2	6.3	5.8	5.9	5.7	5.5	5.9
North Dakota	6.8	8.2	6.7	7.6	6.8	8.9	7.1	7.7	6.7	6.9
Ohio	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.1	5.4
Oklahoma	5.8	6.3	6.5	6.3	6.6	6.8	6.0	6.3	6.5	5.9
Oregon	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.9	6.5	6.6	6.4	6.3	5.7	5.9
Pennsylvania	5.3	5.6	5.4	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.1	5.1	5.0	5.2
Rhode Island	6.1	5.6	5.7	6.3	6.5	6.2	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.9
South Carolina	6.3	6.3	6.5	6.0	6.1	5.8	5.6	5.4	5.6	6.0
South Dakota	6.4	6.4	6.0	6.4	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.1	5.9	6.3
Tennessee	5.8	5.9	5.8	5.1	5.4	5.4	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1
Texas	5.8	6.2	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.4	5.2	5.4
Utah	6.7	7.4	6.8	7.7	6.8	6.4	6.7	6.4	6.1	6.2
Vermont	7.4	7.2	7.0	6.6	7.9	7.2	7.4	7.0	6.8	6.8
Virginia	6.5	6.2	6.2	6.0	6.2	6.1	6.1	5.9	5.6	5.9
Washington	7.3	6.7	7.1	6.8	7.1	6.0	6.6	6.7	5.6	6.1
West Virginia	5.8	6.5	6.4	6.3	6.4	6.9	6.4	6.2	6.4	6.5
Wisconsin	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.9	5.6	5.7	5.6	5.3	4.8	5.5
Wyoming	7.7	8.5	8.8	8.8	8.5	10.6	8.8	8.7	8.1	9.0
Puerto Rico	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.1	5.2	5.5	5.7	5.4	5.7	5.2
Virgin Islands	6.5	6.2	6.0	5.3	6.2	5.7	6.8	6.0	5.5	4.7
Footnotes: (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.