From September 2023 to December 2023, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Alaska were 25,198, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 24,637, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 561 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2023. During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 5,107. (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 2023, gross job gains represented 10.1 percent of private-sector employment in Alaska; 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 Alaska, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 20,973 in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of 3,427 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 4,225 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of 439 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2023, gross job losses represented 9.9 percent of private-sector employment in Alaska; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.6 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 Alaska, contracting establishments lost 20,962 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2023, a decrease of 1,353 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 3,675 jobs, a decrease of 449 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 4 of the 7 industry sectors in Alaska in the fourth quarter of 2023. Construction had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 659 jobs. This was the result of 3,358 gross job gains and 2,699 gross job losses. The professional and business services industry had a net job increase of 576, followed by the education and health services industry with a net gain of 111 jobs. Retail trade showed a net loss of 333 jobs, the largest loss 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 First Quarter 2024 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

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, Alaska, 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. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	26,395	25,502	27,627	21,332	25,198	10.9	10.4	11.0	8.5	10.1
At expanding establishments	22,461	21,182	23,799	17,546	20,973	9.3	8.6	9.5	7.0	8.4
At opening establishments	3,934	4,320	3,828	3,786	4,225	1.6	1.8	1.5	1.5	1.7
Gross job losses	22,355	19,548	22,186	26,439	24,637	9.2	8.0	8.9	10.5	9.9
At contracting establishments	18,378	16,451	17,910	22,315	20,962	7.6	6.7	7.2	8.9	8.4
At closing establishments	3,977	3,097	4,276	4,124	3,675	1.6	1.3	1.7	1.6	1.5
Net employment change (2)	4,040	5,954	5,441	-5,107	561	1.7	2.4	2.1	-2.0	0.2
Construction
Gross job gains	2,885	2,917	2,887	2,331	3,358	18.1	17.1	16.8	13.9	19.2
At expanding establishments	2,485	2,393	2,493	1,814	2,958	15.6	14.0	14.5	10.8	16.9
At opening establishments	400	524	394	517	400	2.5	3.1	2.3	3.1	2.3
Gross job losses	2,514	2,019	2,659	2,588	2,699	15.7	11.8	15.5	15.4	15.4
At contracting establishments	2,098	1,674	2,150	2,065	2,295	13.1	9.8	12.5	12.3	13.1
At closing establishments	416	345	509	523	404	2.6	2.0	3.0	3.1	2.3
Net employment change (2)	371	898	228	-257	659	2.4	5.3	1.3	-1.5	3.8
Retail trade
Gross job gains	2,045	2,839	1,972	2,037	2,029	5.9	8.0	5.6	5.8	5.8
At expanding establishments	1,843	2,521	1,663	1,748	1,858	5.3	7.1	4.7	5.0	5.3
At opening establishments	202	318	309	289	171	0.6	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.5
Gross job losses	1,925	1,630	2,618	2,441	2,362	5.5	4.6	7.4	7.0	6.7
At contracting establishments	1,637	1,466	2,346	2,068	2,066	4.7	4.1	6.6	5.9	5.9
At closing establishments	288	164	272	373	296	0.8	0.5	0.8	1.1	0.8
Net employment change (2)	120	1,209	-646	-404	-333	0.4	3.4	-1.8	-1.2	-0.9
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	2,149	2,399	2,654	1,685	2,429	10.5	11.8	12.6	7.9	11.5
At expanding establishments	1,962	2,086	2,343	1,129	2,214	9.6	10.3	11.1	5.3	10.5
At opening establishments	187	313	311	556	215	0.9	1.5	1.5	2.6	1.0
Gross job losses	2,386	1,943	1,359	2,314	2,553	11.7	9.5	6.5	10.9	12.0
At contracting establishments	2,015	1,693	1,023	1,939	2,228	9.9	8.3	4.9	9.1	10.5
At closing establishments	371	250	336	375	325	1.8	1.2	1.6	1.8	1.5
Net employment change (2)	-237	456	1,295	-629	-124	-1.2	2.3	6.1	-3.0	-0.5
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	2,797	2,395	2,897	2,360	3,057	10.2	8.6	10.4	8.3	10.9
At expanding establishments	2,196	1,835	2,365	1,784	2,496	8.0	6.6	8.5	6.3	8.9
At opening establishments	601	560	532	576	561	2.2	2.0	1.9	2.0	2.0
Gross job losses	2,360	2,743	2,237	2,730	2,481	8.6	10.0	8.0	9.6	8.8
At contracting establishments	1,823	2,285	1,628	2,158	1,917	6.6	8.3	5.8	7.6	6.8
At closing establishments	537	458	609	572	564	2.0	1.7	2.2	2.0	2.0
Net employment change (2)	437	-348	660	-370	576	1.6	-1.4	2.4	-1.3	2.1
Education and health services
Gross job gains	2,058	2,499	2,465	2,617	2,158	4.1	5.0	4.9	5.2	4.2
At expanding establishments	1,839	2,078	2,152	2,435	1,696	3.7	4.2	4.3	4.8	3.3
At opening establishments	219	421	313	182	462	0.4	0.8	0.6	0.4	0.9
Gross job losses	2,227	1,826	2,002	1,999	2,047	4.5	3.6	4.0	3.9	4.0
At contracting establishments	1,718	1,509	1,712	1,630	1,575	3.5	3.0	3.4	3.2	3.1
At closing establishments	509	317	290	369	472	1.0	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-169	673	463	618	111	-0.4	1.4	0.9	1.3	0.2
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	5,608	5,151	5,902	4,549	5,399	16.0	14.4	16.2	12.4	14.9
At expanding establishments	4,805	3,994	4,737	3,478	4,333	13.7	11.2	13.0	9.5	12.0
At opening establishments	803	1,157	1,165	1,071	1,066	2.3	3.2	3.2	2.9	2.9
Gross job losses	5,107	3,826	5,411	5,779	5,556	14.6	10.7	14.9	15.7	15.3
At contracting establishments	4,048	3,141	3,894	4,590	4,467	11.6	8.8	10.7	12.5	12.3
At closing establishments	1,059	685	1,517	1,189	1,089	3.0	1.9	4.2	3.2	3.0
Net employment change (2)	501	1,325	491	-1,230	-157	1.4	3.7	1.3	-3.3	-0.4
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	1,055	888	1,259	920	959	10.8	8.9	12.2	8.8	9.3
At expanding establishments	867	771	1,145	841	785	8.9	7.7	11.1	8.0	7.6
At opening establishments	188	117	114	79	174	1.9	1.2	1.1	0.8	1.7
Gross job losses	907	774	830	1,281	893	9.3	7.8	8.1	12.2	8.6
At contracting establishments	675	674	667	1,111	785	6.9	6.8	6.5	10.6	7.6
At closing establishments	232	100	163	170	108	2.4	1.0	1.6	1.6	1.0
Net employment change (2)	148	114	429	-361	66	1.5	1.1	4.1	-3.4	0.7
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)
	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023
United States(1)	6.3	6.2	6.2	5.8	5.9	5.9	5.4	5.9	5.9	5.6
Alabama	6.6	6.4	5.9	5.9	6.2	6.1	5.5	5.7	6.0	5.8
Alaska	10.9	10.4	11.0	8.5	10.1	9.2	8.0	8.9	10.5	9.9
Arizona	6.6	5.9	7.0	6.7	6.6	6.0	5.4	6.5	5.9	6.9
Arkansas	6.2	5.8	5.8	5.6	6.1	5.2	5.0	6.0	5.7	5.3
California	6.6	6.1	6.7	6.2	6.3	6.6	6.4	6.4	6.5	6.5
Colorado	7.6	7.2	7.3	5.5	8.4	6.9	6.5	6.6	6.2	7.5
Connecticut	5.9	6.1	6.4	5.8	5.6	5.9	5.3	5.7	6.2	5.7
Delaware	7.0	6.7	6.0	6.0	6.2	7.5	5.2	5.7	6.5	5.9
District of Columbia	5.6	5.9	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.5	4.8	5.3	5.4	5.6
Florida	6.2	6.3	6.8	6.5	5.9	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.8
Georgia	6.7	6.2	6.4	6.1	6.1	5.9	5.8	6.5	6.1	5.7
Hawaii	6.0	5.5	5.7	5.3	6.1	4.9	5.0	5.2	6.9	5.0
Idaho	8.4	7.9	7.9	7.3	8.5	6.9	7.5	7.5	8.2	5.8
Illinois	5.4	5.8	5.4	4.8	4.9	5.1	4.8	5.3	5.5	5.1
Indiana	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.8	5.6	5.2	5.0	6.1	5.8	5.3
Iowa	6.4	6.0	6.0	5.5	6.0	6.2	5.4	5.9	5.8	5.7
Kansas	6.3	6.1	6.1	5.7	5.8	5.6	5.4	6.0	6.0	5.4
Kentucky	6.0	6.1	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.3	4.9	5.9	5.5	5.2
Louisiana	6.1	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.2	6.2	5.6	6.4	6.0	6.1
Maine	7.4	7.7	7.6	6.8	7.3	6.8	6.2	7.6	7.8	7.0
Maryland	6.6	6.8	6.7	6.4	6.3	6.9	5.6	6.3	6.5	5.9
Massachusetts	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.4	5.3	5.8	4.7	5.7	6.1	5.6
Michigan	5.9	5.7	5.9	5.2	5.5	5.2	4.9	5.3	5.9	5.6
Minnesota	5.9	5.7	6.0	3.1	6.8	5.8	4.9	5.6	4.2	7.0
Mississippi	6.8	6.1	6.3	6.2	6.1	6.2	5.7	6.6	6.2	5.7
Missouri	6.1	6.5	5.9	5.6	6.0	5.8	5.1	5.9	5.8	5.6
Montana	9.2	8.7	7.8	7.7	8.8	7.8	7.1	8.4	8.5	7.2
Nebraska	6.0	6.3	6.0	6.0	5.9	5.7	5.1	5.6	5.9	5.6
Nevada	6.4	6.2	6.6	6.5	6.6	6.1	5.7	6.0	5.5	5.1
New Hampshire	6.7	7.0	6.7	5.9	6.2	6.0	5.9	6.3	6.7	5.9
New Jersey	6.8	6.1	6.8	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.8
New Mexico	6.7	6.8	6.4	6.1	6.9	6.2	5.9	6.2	6.7	5.8
New York	5.9	6.5	6.3	5.8	5.8	6.0	5.1	5.7	6.1	5.7
North Carolina	6.6	6.4	6.1	5.6	6.1	5.7	5.3	5.7	6.2	4.7
North Dakota	6.4	7.6	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.7	5.6	6.7	6.6	6.3
Ohio	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.2	5.3	5.7	4.9	5.7	5.7	5.2
Oklahoma	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.1	5.9	5.3	6.0	6.0	5.7
Oregon	6.5	7.3	6.4	6.1	6.1	6.2	6.1	6.9	6.9	6.3
Pennsylvania	5.5	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	4.6	5.5	5.2	4.9
Rhode Island	6.9	7.5	6.7	6.5	6.8	6.4	5.9	7.0	6.8	6.4
South Carolina	6.9	6.8	6.4	6.8	6.2	6.2	5.8	6.8	5.7	5.4
South Dakota	6.5	7.2	6.8	6.3	6.6	6.5	5.9	6.2	6.3	5.9
Tennessee	5.8	5.9	5.9	2.7	4.9	5.6	5.0	5.5	4.2	4.6
Texas	6.2	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.3	5.0	5.4	5.5	5.2
Utah	6.9	7.0	6.8	6.8	6.4	6.6	6.2	6.2	6.5	6.2
Vermont	7.8	8.2	7.4	6.3	7.2	7.0	6.0	7.5	8.0	6.6
Virginia	6.2	6.2	6.0	5.8	5.9	5.8	5.2	5.8	6.0	5.6
Washington	5.9	6.4	6.0	5.4	6.0	5.3	5.5	5.6	6.0	5.2
West Virginia	6.6	7.1	6.1	6.5	6.1	6.4	5.3	6.1	6.5	6.5
Wisconsin	6.0	6.0	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	4.9	5.9	5.9	5.1
Wyoming	9.2	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.8	7.9	7.8	8.7	8.2	8.3
Puerto Rico	6.6	5.1	5.8	5.7	4.9	6.1	5.7	4.9	5.4	4.8
Virgin Islands	5.9	7.5	7.4	8.2	5.7	4.7	6.5	6.8	7.1	5.8
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.