Business Employment Dynamics in Arkansas — Second Quarter 2024

From March 2024 to June 2024, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Arkansas were 64,586, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 58,006, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 6,580 jobs in the private sector during the second quarter of 2024. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 3,501. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses in Arkansas, June 2019–June 2024 by quarter, seasonally adjusted

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Arkansas, June 2019–June 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job losses	Gross job gains
Jun 2019	57,889	51,917
Sep 2019	58,734	56,476
Dec 2019	49,832	64,642
Mar 2020	58,027	53,244
Jun 2020	118,910	47,648
Sep 2020	54,610	73,424
Dec 2020	51,814	70,202
Mar 2021	51,509	62,927
Jun 2021	57,097	57,630
Sep 2021	66,966	68,465
Dec 2021	48,977	79,442
Mar 2022	58,500	65,907
Jun 2022	57,734	63,624
Sep 2022	55,168	68,107
Dec 2022	55,912	66,075
Mar 2023	54,583	62,668
Jun 2023	64,817	64,041
Sep 2023	61,852	61,366
Dec 2023	54,535	67,364
Mar 2024	57,049	60,550
Jun 2024	64,586	58,006

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 2024, gross job gains represented 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Arkansas; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 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 Arkansas, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 46,558 in the second quarter of 2024, a decrease of 1,281 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 11,448 jobs gained in the second quarter of 2024, a decrease of 1,263 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Arkansas, June 2019–June 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Arkansas
Jun 2019	6.1	5.1
Sep 2019	5.9	5.6
Dec 2019	6.2	6.4
Mar 2020	5.5	5.1
Jun 2020	4.8	4.8
Sep 2020	9.5	7.6
Dec 2020	7.4	7.1
Mar 2021	6.9	6.3
Jun 2021	6.8	5.8
Sep 2021	7.3	6.8
Dec 2021	7.7	7.8
Mar 2022	6.7	6.3
Jun 2022	6.5	6.1
Sep 2022	6.9	6.5
Dec 2022	6.3	6.2
Mar 2023	6.3	5.8
Jun 2023	6.2	5.9
Sep 2023	5.9	5.6
Dec 2023	6.0	6.2
Mar 2024	5.7	5.6
Jun 2024	5.8	5.2

Gross job losses

In the second quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 5.8 percent of private-sector employment in Arkansas; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.9 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 Arkansas, contracting establishments lost 53,148 jobs in the second quarter of 2024, an increase of 8,180 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 11,438 jobs, a decrease of 643 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Arkansas, June 2019–June 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Arkansas
Jun 2019	5.9	5.7
Sep 2019	5.8	5.8
Dec 2019	5.5	4.9
Mar 2020	6.3	5.6
Jun 2020	16.8	12.0
Sep 2020	5.9	5.6
Dec 2020	5.7	5.2
Mar 2021	5.5	5.2
Jun 2021	5.9	5.7
Sep 2021	6.1	6.7
Dec 2021	5.4	4.8
Mar 2022	5.5	5.7
Jun 2022	6.2	5.5
Sep 2022	5.9	5.2
Dec 2022	5.9	5.2
Mar 2023	5.5	5.1
Jun 2023	5.9	6.0
Sep 2023	6.0	5.8
Dec 2023	5.7	5.0
Mar 2024	5.4	5.2
Jun 2024	5.9	5.8

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 8 of the 10 published industry sectors in Arkansas in the second quarter of 2024. Professional and business services had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 2,012 jobs. This was the result of 13,371 gross job losses and 11,359 gross job gains. The leisure and hospitality industry had a net loss of 1,535 jobs, followed by retail trade with a net loss of 1,318 jobs. Education and health services showed a net gain of 758 jobs, the largest gain of any sector in the state.

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 Home.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Third Quarter 2024 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

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, Arkansas, 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 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	64,041	61,366	67,364	60,550	58,006	5.9	5.6	6.2	5.6	5.2
At expanding establishments	51,259	50,112	53,258	47,839	46,558	4.7	4.6	4.9	4.4	4.2
At opening establishments	12,782	11,254	14,106	12,711	11,448	1.2	1.0	1.3	1.2	1.0
Gross job losses	64,817	61,852	54,535	57,049	64,586	6.0	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8
At contracting establishments	54,192	49,158	43,880	44,968	53,148	5.0	4.6	4.0	4.1	4.8
At closing establishments	10,625	12,694	10,655	12,081	11,438	1.0	1.2	1.0	1.1	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-776	-486	12,829	3,501	-6,580	-0.1	-0.2	1.2	0.4	-0.6
Construction
Gross job gains	6,019	5,039	5,995	5,807	5,137	9.5	8.0	9.3	8.7	7.6
At expanding establishments	4,609	3,969	4,575	4,678	3,992	7.3	6.3	7.1	7.0	5.9
At opening establishments	1,410	1,070	1,420	1,129	1,145	2.2	1.7	2.2	1.7	1.7
Gross job losses	4,675	4,913	4,006	4,414	5,434	7.4	7.8	6.2	6.6	8.1
At contracting establishments	3,775	3,865	3,142	3,306	4,147	6.0	6.1	4.9	4.9	6.2
At closing establishments	900	1,048	864	1,108	1,287	1.4	1.7	1.3	1.7	1.9
Net employment change (2)	1,344	126	1,989	1,393	-297	2.1	0.2	3.1	2.1	-0.5
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	5,012	3,977	4,526	3,837	4,169	3.0	2.5	2.8	2.3	2.6
At expanding establishments	4,789	3,682	4,231	3,452	3,906	2.9	2.3	2.6	2.1	2.4
At opening establishments	223	295	295	385	263	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Gross job losses	5,101	4,970	4,740	4,208	4,803	3.1	3.0	2.9	2.6	2.9
At contracting establishments	4,640	4,631	4,461	3,493	4,427	2.8	2.8	2.7	2.2	2.7
At closing establishments	461	339	279	715	376	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.2
Net employment change (2)	-89	-993	-214	-371	-634	-0.1	-0.5	-0.1	-0.3	-0.3
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	3,173	2,811	2,992	3,013	2,870	6.0	5.4	5.7	5.6	5.4
At expanding establishments	2,416	2,339	2,261	2,413	2,168	4.6	4.5	4.3	4.5	4.1
At opening establishments	757	472	731	600	702	1.4	0.9	1.4	1.1	1.3
Gross job losses	2,953	2,564	2,276	2,840	2,908	5.7	4.9	4.3	5.3	5.5
At contracting establishments	2,440	1,793	1,862	2,178	2,330	4.7	3.4	3.5	4.1	4.4
At closing establishments	513	771	414	662	578	1.0	1.5	0.8	1.2	1.1
Net employment change (2)	220	247	716	173	-38	0.3	0.5	1.4	0.3	-0.1
Retail trade
Gross job gains	7,626	8,256	6,900	7,474	6,765	5.3	5.8	4.8	5.2	4.7
At expanding establishments	6,646	7,018	5,927	6,059	5,888	4.6	4.9	4.1	4.2	4.1
At opening establishments	980	1,238	973	1,415	877	0.7	0.9	0.7	1.0	0.6
Gross job losses	7,770	7,257	7,516	6,490	8,083	5.4	5.0	5.2	4.5	5.6
At contracting establishments	6,631	6,222	6,313	5,574	6,618	4.6	4.3	4.4	3.9	4.6
At closing establishments	1,139	1,035	1,203	916	1,465	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.6	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-144	999	-616	984	-1,318	-0.1	0.8	-0.4	0.7	-0.9
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	3,306	2,129	4,212	2,761	3,331	5.2	3.5	6.9	4.5	5.4
At expanding establishments	2,847	1,755	3,785	2,224	2,940	4.5	2.9	6.2	3.6	4.8
At opening establishments	459	374	427	537	391	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.9	0.6
Gross job losses	5,224	3,615	2,324	3,907	3,138	8.3	5.9	3.8	6.3	5.1
At contracting establishments	4,784	3,036	1,884	3,461	2,545	7.6	5.0	3.1	5.6	4.1
At closing establishments	440	579	440	446	593	0.7	0.9	0.7	0.7	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-1,918	-1,486	1,888	-1,146	193	-3.1	-2.4	3.1	-1.8	0.3
Financial activities
Gross job gains	3,033	3,162	3,287	3,008	2,590	5.5	5.7	6.0	5.4	4.7
At expanding establishments	2,149	2,172	2,355	2,154	2,062	3.9	3.9	4.3	3.9	3.7
At opening establishments	884	990	932	854	528	1.6	1.8	1.7	1.5	1.0
Gross job losses	3,186	3,284	3,409	2,967	2,995	5.7	5.9	6.1	5.3	5.4
At contracting establishments	2,359	2,424	2,612	2,216	2,196	4.2	4.4	4.7	4.0	4.0
At closing establishments	827	860	797	751	799	1.5	1.5	1.4	1.3	1.4
Net employment change (2)	-153	-122	-122	41	-405	-0.2	-0.2	-0.1	0.1	-0.7
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	11,675	12,993	11,484	11,248	11,359	7.5	8.3	7.3	7.0	7.1
At expanding establishments	8,893	10,357	8,224	8,487	8,604	5.7	6.6	5.2	5.3	5.4
At opening establishments	2,782	2,636	3,260	2,761	2,755	1.8	1.7	2.1	1.7	1.7
Gross job losses	12,967	12,269	9,958	10,019	13,371	8.3	7.8	6.3	6.2	8.4
At contracting establishments	11,104	9,248	7,494	7,398	11,197	7.1	5.9	4.7	4.6	7.0
At closing establishments	1,863	3,021	2,464	2,621	2,174	1.2	1.9	1.6	1.6	1.4
Net employment change (2)	-1,292	724	1,526	1,229	-2,012	-0.8	0.5	1.0	0.8	-1.3
Education and health services
Gross job gains	9,644	8,676	9,728	9,220	8,980	5.0	4.4	5.0	4.7	4.5
At expanding establishments	7,963	7,430	8,189	8,010	7,370	4.1	3.8	4.2	4.1	3.7
At opening establishments	1,681	1,246	1,539	1,210	1,610	0.9	0.6	0.8	0.6	0.8
Gross job losses	7,322	7,992	7,708	7,562	8,222	3.8	4.1	3.9	3.9	4.1
At contracting establishments	5,900	6,404	6,055	5,683	6,762	3.1	3.3	3.1	2.9	3.4
At closing establishments	1,422	1,588	1,653	1,879	1,460	0.7	0.8	0.8	1.0	0.7
Net employment change (2)	2,322	684	2,020	1,658	758	1.2	0.3	1.1	0.8	0.4
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	9,849	10,004	12,833	9,289	9,009	7.7	7.9	10.0	7.1	7.0
At expanding establishments	7,413	7,940	9,633	6,696	6,785	5.8	6.3	7.5	5.1	5.3
At opening establishments	2,436	2,064	3,200	2,593	2,224	1.9	1.6	2.5	2.0	1.7
Gross job losses	10,909	10,145	8,488	10,458	10,544	8.6	8.0	6.6	8.0	8.2
At contracting establishments	8,920	8,010	6,953	8,443	9,009	7.0	6.3	5.4	6.5	7.0
At closing establishments	1,989	2,135	1,535	2,015	1,535	1.6	1.7	1.2	1.5	1.2
Net employment change (2)	-1,060	-141	4,345	-1,169	-1,535	-0.9	-0.1	3.4	-0.9	-1.2
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	2,403	2,184	2,604	2,363	2,194	8.9	8.0	9.4	8.4	7.9
At expanding establishments	1,783	1,682	1,821	1,766	1,549	6.6	6.2	6.6	6.3	5.6
At opening establishments	620	502	783	597	645	2.3	1.8	2.8	2.1	2.3
Gross job losses	2,163	2,143	1,926	2,145	2,258	7.9	7.8	7.0	7.7	8.1
At contracting establishments	1,607	1,447	1,378	1,534	1,730	5.9	5.3	5.0	5.5	6.2
At closing establishments	556	696	548	611	528	2.0	2.5	2.0	2.2	1.9
Net employment change (2)	240	41	678	218	-64	1.0	0.2	2.4	0.7	-0.2
(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)
Category	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024
United States(1)	6.2	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.4	5.9
Alabama	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.6
Alaska	11.0	8.5	10.2	10.5	10.2	8.9	10.5	9.9	8.6	9.6
Arizona	7.0	6.8	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	5.7	6.6	6.4	6.8
Arkansas	5.9	5.6	6.2	5.6	5.2	6.0	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8
California	6.8	6.4	6.4	5.8	6.1	6.4	6.5	6.4	5.6	6.8
Colorado	7.3	5.4	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.1	7.6	7.7	6.2
Connecticut	6.4	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.7	5.2	5.6
Delaware	6.4	6.0	6.1	6.0	5.9	5.8	6.5	5.8	5.1	6.5
District of Columbia	5.4	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.1	5.3	5.4	5.6	4.9	6.0
Florida	6.8	6.5	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.4	5.9
Georgia	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.0	5.7	6.4	6.1	5.7	5.7	5.7
Hawaii	5.7	5.3	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.3	6.8	5.0	5.1	5.4
Idaho	7.8	7.2	8.5	7.9	7.5	7.4	7.9	5.8	8.3	7.4
Illinois	5.4	4.8	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.3	5.1	4.8	5.3
Indiana	5.6	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.0	5.5
Iowa	6.0	5.6	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.6	5.7
Kansas	6.1	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.8	6.0	6.0	5.3	5.6	5.7
Kentucky	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.9	5.6	5.2	5.0	5.9
Louisiana	6.0	6.2	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.3
Maine	7.6	7.0	7.4	7.2	7.3	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.1	7.0
Maryland	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.8	7.2	6.6	6.4	5.8	5.7	6.5
Massachusetts	5.9	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.7	5.6	5.9	5.5	5.1	5.6
Michigan	5.9	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.2	5.6
Minnesota	6.0	3.3	6.9	5.8	5.7	5.5	4.3	6.9	5.7	5.4
Mississippi	6.4	6.2	6.1	5.7	5.8	6.5	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.3
Missouri	5.8	5.6	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.3	5.8
Montana	7.8	7.7	8.8	8.1	7.9	8.4	8.4	7.2	7.5	7.6
Nebraska	6.2	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.1	5.6
Nevada	6.5	6.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.4	6.2	5.7
New Hampshire	6.7	5.8	6.2	6.5	6.1	6.3	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.0
New Jersey	6.4	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.9	6.0	6.0	5.8	5.4	5.4
New Mexico	6.6	6.4	6.9	6.0	6.0	6.3	6.8	5.8	6.0	6.3
New York	6.2	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.0	5.5
North Carolina	6.1	5.7	6.3	5.4	5.6	5.7	6.1	4.9	5.5	5.7
North Dakota	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.6	6.3	6.1	6.6
Ohio	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.6	5.2	4.8	5.4
Oklahoma	6.3	6.3	6.1	5.6	5.6	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.2	6.4
Oregon	6.4	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.6	6.7	6.2	6.1	6.4
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.5	5.1	4.8	4.6	5.1
Rhode Island	6.7	6.4	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.8	6.7	6.3	5.7	6.7
South Carolina	6.4	6.6	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.6	5.7	5.3	6.3	6.4
South Dakota	6.7	6.3	6.6	6.3	6.0	6.0	6.3	5.8	5.8	6.3
Tennessee	5.8	5.6	6.2	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.5	4.9	5.7
Texas	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.3
Utah	6.9	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.4	6.6	6.5	6.0	6.6
Vermont	7.4	6.4	7.3	7.2	6.6	7.5	7.9	6.6	6.3	7.5
Virginia	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.9	6.0	5.5	5.2	5.6
Washington	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.4	5.3	5.3
West Virginia	6.1	6.5	6.5	6.9	6.6	6.4	6.6	5.8	5.7	6.8
Wisconsin	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.8	5.8	5.2	4.8	5.5
Wyoming	8.4	8.3	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.7	8.2	8.4	8.3	9.0
Puerto Rico	5.9	5.7	4.9	5.4	5.6	5.0	5.3	4.8	4.6	4.9
Virgin Islands	7.5	8.2	6.0	5.6	4.3	6.5	6.8	5.9	4.5	5.1
(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: Tuesday, February 11, 2025

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Business Employment Dynamics in Arkansas — Second Quarter 2024