From December 2024 to March 2024, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 172,535 while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Washington were 160,252 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 12,283 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2024. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 16,134. (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 2024, gross job gains represented 5.7 percent of private-sector employment in Washington; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.7 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 Washington, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 148,679 in the first quarter of 2024, a decrease of 6,716 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 23,856 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 655 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 5.3 percent of private-sector employment in Washington; 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 Washington, contracting establishments lost 145,711 jobs in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 720 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 14,541 jobs, a decrease of 2,930 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 8 of the 11 industry sectors in Washington in the first quarter of 2024. Education and health services had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 5,754 jobs. This was the result of 21,320 gross job gains and 15,566 gross job losses. The leisure and hospitality industry had a net gain of 3,611 jobs, followed by the retail trade industry sector with a net gain of 3,568 jobs. Transportation and warehousing showed a net loss of 825 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state. Washington’s information industry sector had a net loss of 481 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 Home.

The Business Employment Dynamics for First Quarter 2024 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 29, 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, Washington, 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. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	195,738	182,877	171,735	178,596	172,535	6.6	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.7
At expanding establishments	169,811	157,252	143,036	155,395	148,679	5.7	5.2	4.8	5.2	4.9
At opening establishments	25,927	25,625	28,699	23,201	23,856	0.9	0.9	1.0	0.8	0.8
Gross job losses	189,054	170,039	180,958	162,462	160,252	6.3	5.7	6.0	5.4	5.3
At contracting establishments	146,246	150,260	159,296	144,991	145,711	4.9	5.0	5.3	4.8	4.8
At closing establishments	42,808	19,779	21,662	17,471	14,541	1.4	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.5
Net employment change (2)	6,684	12,838	-9,223	16,134	12,283	0.3	0.4	-0.2	0.6	0.4
Construction
Gross job gains	20,726	17,860	15,020	18,041	18,945	9.2	8.0	6.9	8.3	8.5
At expanding establishments	18,429	15,923	13,093	15,564	16,434	8.2	7.1	6.0	7.2	7.4
At opening establishments	2,297	1,937	1,927	2,477	2,511	1.0	0.9	0.9	1.1	1.1
Gross job losses	19,671	19,279	20,709	16,783	16,769	8.7	8.7	9.6	7.8	7.6
At contracting establishments	15,416	17,150	18,312	15,126	15,435	6.8	7.7	8.5	7.0	7.0
At closing establishments	4,255	2,129	2,397	1,657	1,334	1.9	1.0	1.1	0.8	0.6
Net employment change (2)	1,055	-1,419	-5,689	1,258	2,176	0.5	-0.7	-2.7	0.5	0.9
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	9,971	11,395	9,372	9,741	9,039	3.7	4.2	3.4	3.6	3.3
At expanding establishments	9,264	10,657	9,038	9,201	8,529	3.4	3.9	3.3	3.4	3.1
At opening establishments	707	738	334	540	510	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.2
Gross job losses	9,422	9,633	9,451	8,994	8,069	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.3	2.9
At contracting establishments	8,328	8,811	8,710	8,391	7,701	3.1	3.2	3.2	3.1	2.8
At closing establishments	1,094	822	741	603	368	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.1
Net employment change (2)	549	1,762	-79	747	970	0.2	0.7	-0.1	0.3	0.4
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	6,914	5,430	5,895	5,809	5,817	5.0	3.9	4.3	4.2	4.2
At expanding establishments	6,062	4,879	5,167	5,007	4,878	4.4	3.5	3.8	3.6	3.5
At opening establishments	852	551	728	802	939	0.6	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.7
Gross job losses	6,114	6,093	5,249	5,557	5,794	4.5	4.4	3.8	4.0	4.2
At contracting establishments	4,623	5,215	4,579	4,983	5,057	3.4	3.8	3.3	3.6	3.7
At closing establishments	1,491	878	670	574	737	1.1	0.6	0.5	0.4	0.5
Net employment change (2)	800	-663	646	252	23	0.5	-0.5	0.5	0.2	0.0
Retail trade
Gross job gains	17,887	15,631	14,789	14,990	17,165	5.3	4.6	4.4	4.5	5.2
At expanding establishments	16,729	13,836	13,409	13,535	15,238	5.0	4.1	4.0	4.1	4.6
At opening establishments	1,158	1,795	1,380	1,455	1,927	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.6
Gross job losses	14,223	17,038	20,252	18,482	13,597	4.3	5.0	6.1	5.6	4.1
At contracting establishments	11,881	15,550	18,240	16,811	12,264	3.6	4.6	5.5	5.1	3.7
At closing establishments	2,342	1,488	2,012	1,671	1,333	0.7	0.4	0.6	0.5	0.4
Net employment change (2)	3,664	-1,407	-5,463	-3,492	3,568	1.0	-0.4	-1.7	-1.1	1.1
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	11,253	6,801	13,137	8,656	6,039	8.6	5.2	9.8	6.3	4.3
At expanding establishments	6,430	6,123	5,256	7,691	5,291	4.9	4.7	3.9	5.6	3.8
At opening establishments	4,823	678	7,881	965	748	3.7	0.5	5.9	0.7	0.5
Gross job losses	9,219	6,862	6,866	6,253	6,864	7.1	5.3	5.2	4.5	4.9
At contracting establishments	7,669	5,987	6,095	5,544	6,433	5.9	4.6	4.6	4.0	4.6
At closing establishments	1,550	875	771	709	431	1.2	0.7	0.6	0.5	0.3
Net employment change (2)	2,034	-61	6,271	2,403	-825	1.5	-0.1	4.6	1.8	-0.6
Information
Gross job gains	6,826	6,896	3,734	3,692	4,500	3.9	4.0	2.2	2.3	2.8
At expanding establishments	5,878	6,161	3,019	2,922	3,693	3.4	3.6	1.8	1.8	2.3
At opening establishments	948	735	715	770	807	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.5
Gross job losses	9,411	10,290	6,922	5,803	4,981	5.4	6.1	4.1	3.5	3.1
At contracting establishments	7,990	9,809	6,400	5,261	4,541	4.6	5.8	3.8	3.2	2.8
At closing establishments	1,421	481	522	542	440	0.8	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
Net employment change (2)	-2,585	-3,394	-3,188	-2,111	-481	-1.5	-2.1	-1.9	-1.2	-0.3
Financial activities
Gross job gains	7,965	7,905	6,445	6,653	6,405	5.1	5.1	4.2	4.3	4.2
At expanding establishments	6,545	6,601	5,351	5,372	5,202	4.2	4.3	3.5	3.5	3.4
At opening establishments	1,420	1,304	1,094	1,281	1,203	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.8
Gross job losses	7,829	7,435	7,519	7,142	6,409	5.1	4.8	4.9	4.7	4.1
At contracting establishments	5,846	6,104	6,310	5,938	5,571	3.8	3.9	4.1	3.9	3.6
At closing establishments	1,983	1,331	1,209	1,204	838	1.3	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.5
Net employment change (2)	136	470	-1,074	-489	-4	0.0	0.3	-0.7	-0.4	0.1
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	29,481	31,051	30,178	30,844	28,633	5.5	5.8	5.6	5.7	5.3
At expanding establishments	24,846	24,455	25,463	25,922	23,387	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.8	4.3
At opening establishments	4,635	6,596	4,715	4,922	5,246	0.9	1.2	0.9	0.9	1.0
Gross job losses	36,140	26,118	30,437	27,452	27,143	6.7	4.9	5.7	5.1	5.0
At contracting establishments	27,045	22,379	26,691	24,711	23,453	5.0	4.2	5.0	4.6	4.3
At closing establishments	9,095	3,739	3,746	2,741	3,690	1.7	0.7	0.7	0.5	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-6,659	4,933	-259	3,392	1,490	-1.2	0.9	-0.1	0.6	0.3
Education and health services
Gross job gains	21,896	22,953	22,553	20,302	21,320	4.4	4.6	4.5	4.0	4.1
At expanding establishments	19,141	18,439	19,549	17,394	18,184	3.8	3.7	3.9	3.4	3.5
At opening establishments	2,755	4,514	3,004	2,908	3,136	0.6	0.9	0.6	0.6	0.6
Gross job losses	19,798	16,685	18,089	16,807	15,566	4.0	3.4	3.5	3.3	3.0
At contracting establishments	14,752	14,797	15,453	13,752	13,518	3.0	3.0	3.0	2.7	2.6
At closing establishments	5,046	1,888	2,636	3,055	2,048	1.0	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.4
Net employment change (2)	2,098	6,268	4,464	3,495	5,754	0.4	1.2	1.0	0.7	1.1
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	31,508	30,742	25,031	27,794	28,529	9.4	9.0	7.4	8.2	8.3
At expanding establishments	27,164	25,925	20,775	23,336	23,803	8.1	7.6	6.1	6.9	6.9
At opening establishments	4,344	4,817	4,256	4,458	4,726	1.3	1.4	1.3	1.3	1.4
Gross job losses	27,566	26,347	29,231	25,196	24,918	8.2	7.8	8.6	7.4	7.2
At contracting establishments	19,706	22,712	24,790	22,310	22,877	5.9	6.7	7.3	6.6	6.6
At closing establishments	7,860	3,635	4,441	2,886	2,041	2.3	1.1	1.3	0.8	0.6
Net employment change (2)	3,942	4,395	-4,200	2,598	3,611	1.2	1.2	-1.2	0.8	1.1
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	7,787	6,785	6,062	6,477	6,742	8.2	7.1	6.3	6.7	6.9
At expanding establishments	6,642	5,995	5,000	5,340	5,643	7.0	6.3	5.2	5.5	5.8
At opening establishments	1,145	790	1,062	1,137	1,099	1.2	0.8	1.1	1.2	1.1
Gross job losses	6,299	5,580	6,837	5,473	5,392	6.6	5.8	7.2	5.6	5.5
At contracting establishments	4,557	4,688	5,725	4,762	4,801	4.8	4.9	6.0	4.9	4.9
At closing establishments	1,742	892	1,112	711	591	1.8	0.9	1.2	0.7	0.6
Net employment change (2)	1,488	1,205	-775	1,004	1,350	1.6	1.3	-0.9	1.1	1.4
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. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024
United States(1)	6.3	6.2	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.4
Alabama	6.5	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.5
Alaska	10.5	11.0	8.5	10.2	10.5	8.6	8.9	10.5	9.9	8.6
Arizona	6.0	7.0	6.8	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	5.7	6.6	6.4
Arkansas	5.8	5.9	5.6	6.2	5.6	5.1	6.0	5.8	5.0	5.2
California	6.3	6.8	6.4	6.4	5.8	6.6	6.4	6.5	6.4	5.6
Colorado	7.2	7.3	5.4	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.1	7.6	7.7
Connecticut	6.2	6.4	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.1	5.7	6.2	5.7	5.2
Delaware	6.7	6.4	6.0	6.1	6.0	5.2	5.8	6.5	5.8	5.1
District of Columbia	6.0	5.4	5.4	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.3	5.4	5.6	4.9
Florida	6.3	6.8	6.5	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.4
Georgia	6.5	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.0	6.0	6.4	6.1	5.7	5.7
Hawaii	5.6	5.7	5.3	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.3	6.8	5.0	5.1
Idaho	7.9	7.8	7.2	8.5	7.9	7.3	7.4	7.9	5.8	8.3
Illinois	5.8	5.4	4.8	5.0	5.1	4.8	5.2	5.3	5.1	4.8
Indiana	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.1	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.0
Iowa	6.1	6.0	5.6	6.1	6.1	5.4	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.6
Kansas	6.1	6.1	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.4	6.0	6.0	5.3	5.6
Kentucky	6.1	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	4.9	5.9	5.6	5.2	5.0
Louisiana	6.5	6.0	6.2	6.3	6.2	5.5	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.7
Maine	7.8	7.6	7.0	7.4	7.2	6.3	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.1
Maryland	7.2	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.8	6.0	6.6	6.4	5.8	5.7
Massachusetts	5.8	5.9	5.4	5.5	5.2	4.9	5.6	5.9	5.5	5.1
Michigan	5.8	5.9	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.2
Minnesota	5.8	6.0	3.3	6.9	5.8	4.8	5.5	4.3	6.9	5.7
Mississippi	6.5	6.4	6.2	6.1	5.7	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.7	6.1
Missouri	6.5	5.8	5.6	6.0	5.7	5.1	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.3
Montana	8.7	7.8	7.7	8.8	8.1	7.2	8.4	8.4	7.2	7.5
Nebraska	6.5	6.2	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.2	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.1
Nevada	6.2	6.5	6.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.4	6.2
New Hampshire	7.0	6.7	5.8	6.2	6.5	5.9	6.3	6.7	5.9	5.8
New Jersey	6.3	6.4	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.8	6.0	6.0	5.8	5.4
New Mexico	7.0	6.6	6.4	6.9	6.0	5.8	6.3	6.8	5.8	6.0
New York	6.5	6.2	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.2	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.0
North Carolina	6.6	6.1	5.7	6.3	5.4	5.3	5.7	6.1	4.9	5.5
North Dakota	7.6	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.9	5.7	6.7	6.6	6.3	6.1
Ohio	6.0	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	4.8	5.6	5.6	5.2	4.8
Oklahoma	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.1	5.6	5.4	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.2
Oregon	7.6	6.4	6.1	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.6	6.7	6.2	6.1
Pennsylvania	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.1	4.7	5.5	5.1	4.8	4.6
Rhode Island	7.4	6.7	6.4	6.8	6.9	5.9	6.8	6.7	6.3	5.7
South Carolina	6.8	6.4	6.6	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.6	5.7	5.3	6.3
South Dakota	7.3	6.7	6.3	6.6	6.3	5.9	6.0	6.3	5.8	5.8
Tennessee	5.9	5.8	5.6	6.2	5.5	5.0	5.5	5.7	5.5	4.9
Texas	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.1	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1
Utah	7.0	6.9	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.3	6.4	6.6	6.5	6.0
Vermont	8.4	7.4	6.4	7.3	7.2	6.0	7.5	7.9	6.6	6.3
Virginia	6.2	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.2	5.9	6.0	5.5	5.2
Washington	6.6	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.7	6.3	5.7	6.0	5.4	5.3
West Virginia	7.3	6.1	6.5	6.5	6.9	5.5	6.4	6.6	5.8	5.7
Wisconsin	6.1	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.5	4.8	5.8	5.8	5.2	4.8
Wyoming	9.0	8.4	8.3	8.9	8.4	7.8	8.7	8.2	8.4	8.3
Puerto Rico	5.1	5.9	5.7	4.9	5.4	5.8	5.0	5.3	4.8	4.6
Virgin Islands	7.9	7.5	8.2	6.0	5.6	7.4	6.5	6.8	5.9	4.5
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.