1

Technical information: (202) 691-6467

 http://www.bls.gov/bdm/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 07-1244

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, August 16, 2007

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS: FOURTH QUARTER 2006

From September 2006 to December 2006, the number of job gains from opening and expanding

private sector establishments was 7.7 million, and the number of job losses from closing and contracting

establishments was 7.2 million, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the

U.S. Department of Labor. (See charts 1 and 2 and table 3.) Over this period, firms with 1,000 or more

employees accounted for the largest share of gross job gains (19.5 percent) and firms with 1 to 4 employees

had the largest share of gross job losses (16.0 percent). (See tables D and 4 and charts 3 and 4.)

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data series include gross job gains and gross job losses at

the establishment level by major industry sector, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm

level by employer size class.

On August 30, 2007, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release for the first time new Business

Employment Dynamics (BED) data for all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the

Virgin Islands. The news release will contain data from the third quarter of 1992 through the

fourth quarter of 2006. Thereafter, state data will be included in each regular quarterly BED

news release.

New Business Employment Dynamics State Level Data
2

 3 months ended

Category

Table A. Three-month private sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted

Rates (percent)

 1 The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. See the

Technical Note for further information.

June

2006

Dec.

2005

March

Levels (in thousands)

Dec.

2006

Sept.

2006

Gross job gains ........................................ 7,818 7,556 7,761 7,364 7,734

At expanding establishments ............ 6,293 6,205 6,286 5,985 6,255

At opening establishments ............... 1,525 1,351 1,475 1,379 1,479

Gross job losses ....................................... 7,267 6,772 7,295 7,345 7,218

At contracting establishments .......... 5,888 5,536 5,937 6,010 5,885

At closing establishments ................. 1,379 1,236 1,358 1,335 1,333

Net employment change ...................... 551 784 466 19 516

Gross job gains ........................................ 7.1 6.7 6.9 6.5 6.8

At expanding establishments ............ 5.7 5.5 5.6 5.3 5.5

At opening establishments ............... 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3

Gross job losses ....................................... 6.5 6.0 6.5 6.5 6.4

At contracting establishments .......... 5.3 4.9 5.3 5.3 5.2

At closing establishments ................. 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2

Net employment change ......................... .6 .7 .4 .0 .4 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. BED statistics track these changes in employment at private

business units 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 units and the addition of new jobs at opening

units. Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing units and the loss of jobs at

closing units. The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross jobs lost is

the net change in employment. (See the Technical Note for more information.)

Private Sector Establishment-Level Gross Job Gains and Job Losses

Opening and expanding private sector business establishments gained 7.7 million jobs in the fourth quarter

of 2006, an increase of 370,000 from the previous quarter. Over the fourth quarter, expanding establishments added 6.3 million jobs while opening establishments added 1.5 million jobs.

Gross job losses totaled 7.2 million, a decrease of 127,000 from the previous quarter. During the

quarter, contracting establishments lost 5.9 million jobs while closing establishments lost 1.3 million jobs.

(See tables A, 1, and 3 and chart 2.)

The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross jobs lost yielded a net

change of 516,000 jobs in the private sector for fourth quarter 2006.

From September 2006 to December 2006, gross job gains represented 6.8 percent of private sector

employment while gross job losses represented 6.4 percent of private sector employment. (See tables A and

2006

 1
3

 Gross job gains

Industry

Table B. Three-month private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Gross job losses

(3 months ended)

March June Sept. Dec. Dec. March Sept.

2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006

(3 months ended)

 1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.

 June

2006

Dec.

 2006

Dec.

 Total private ............................... 7,818 7,556 7,761 7,364 7,734 7,267 6,772 7,295 7,345 7,218

Goods-producing ..................................... 1,722 1,713 1,673 1,537 1,616 1,606 1,545 1,644 1,706 1,697

Natural resources and mining ........... 279 279 286 261 283 265 275 265 258 261

Construction ......................................... 862 910 828 771 809 774 742 830 848 835

Manufacturing ...................................... 581 524 559 505 524 567 528 549 600 601

Service-providing ................................ 6,096 5,843 6,088 5,827 6,118 5,661 5,227 5,651 5,639 5,521

Wholesale trade 320 311 328 304 318 302 288 288 302 299

Retail trade ............................................ 1,058 1,048 1,053 1,010 1,070 1,015 971 1,074 1,063 1,003

Transportation and

 warehousing ..................................... 268 232 242 236 266 231 228 227 221 223

Utilities ................................................... 14 11 13 13 17 16 11 13 12 16

Information ............................................ 152 139 146 148 156 156 142 140 167 142

Financial activities ............................... 472 408 447 436 452 434 404 432 435 442

Professional and business

 services .............................................. 1,432 1,279 1,428 1,305 1,409 1,303 1,169 1,272 1,259 1,297

Education and health services .......... 766 771 776 772 785 699 645 713 670 675

Leisure and hospitality ....................... 1,175 1,194 1,200 1,154 1,205 1,165 1,046 1,169 1,168 1,095

Other services ...................................... 289 293 307 285 293 296 281 284 302 288

2.) These gross job gain and loss statistics demonstrate that a sizable number of jobs appear and disappear

in the relatively short time frame of one quarter.

Major Industry Sector Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses

Goods-producing. Expanding and opening establishments in the goods-producing sector accounted for

1,616,000 jobs gained, and contracting and closing establishments accounted for 1,697,000 jobs lost. This

net loss of 81,000 jobs is the second consecutive quarter of net loss in this sector. (See tables B and 3.)

Construction. In construction, gross job gains over the quarter rose to 809,000 and gross job losses

fell to 835,000, resulting in a net loss of 26,000 jobs. This is the third consecutive quarter of net losses in

this industry.

Manufacturing. Gross job gains in manufacturing increased to a level of 524,000 jobs in the fourth

quarter of 2006 and gross job losses inched up to 601,000, resulting in a net loss of 77,000 jobs.

Service-providing. In the service-providing sector, gross job gains totaled 6,118,000 and gross job

losses totaled 5,521,000 in the fourth quarter of 2006, resulting in a net gain of 597,000 jobs.

Retail trade. Gross job gains in the retail trade sector rose to 1,070,000 and gross job losses fell to

1,003,000, resulting in a net gain of 67,000 jobs. This net gain followed two consecutive quarters of net

losses in this sector.

1

1
4

 (In thousands)

 3 months ended

Category

 1 The net establishment change is the difference between the number of opening establishments and the number of

closing establishments. See the Technical Note for further information.

Table C. Number of private sector establishments by direction of employment change, seasonally adjusted

1

Dec.

2005

March

 2006

June

2006

Sept.

2006

Dec.

2006

Establishments gaining jobs .................... 1,921 1,938 1,918 1,865 1,939

Expanding establishments .................... 1,546 1,585 1,558 1,524 1,558

Opening establishments ....................... 375 353 360 341 381

Establishments losing jobs....................... 1,849 1,839 1,884 1,891 1,884

Contracting establishments ................. 1,520 1,498 1,543 1,542 1,539

Closing establishments ......................... 329 341 341 349 345

Net establishment change ......................... 46 12 19 -8 36

Leisure and hospitality. The leisure and hospitality sector gained 1,205,000 jobs and lost 1,095,000

jobs in the fourth quarter of 2006, for a net gain of 110,000.

Number of Establishments Gaining and Losing Employment

Another way to look at the dynamics of business activities is to monitor the number and proportion of

business units that are growing and declining. In the fourth quarter of 2006, the number of establishments

gaining jobs exceeded the number of establishments losing jobs. Out of 6.9 million active private sector

establishments, a total of 1,939,000 establishments gained jobs from September 2006 to December 2006.

(See table C.) Of these, 1,558,000 were expanding establishments and 381,000 were opening establishments. During the quarter, 1,539,000 establishments contracted and 345,000 establishments closed, resulting in 1,884,000 establishments losing jobs. Overall, the number of active private sector establishments

increased by 36,000 during the quarter. This change is the difference between the number of opening establishments and the number of closing establishments.

Firm-Level Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses by Size Class

From September 2006 to December 2006, firms with 1,000 or more employees accounted for the

largest share of gross job gains (19.5 percent) and firms with 1- 4 employees had the largest share of gross

job losses (16.0 percent). (See tables D and 4 and charts 3 and 4.)

In the fourth quarter of 2006, firms with 500 or more employees represented 24.1 percent of gross job

gains and 20.3 percent of gross job losses. (See table D.) Historically, from September 1992 through

December 2006, firms with 500 or more employees have accounted for, on average, 35.4 percent of

quarterly net employment growth. (See table E.)

Firms with 1- 4 employees continued to have the largest shares of both job gains at opening firms and

job losses at closing firms, with 61.2 and 59.2 percent respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2006. (See

table 4.)
5

Firm size

Table D. Three-month private sector share 1 of gross job gains and losses by firm size,

seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Share of gross job gains

(3 months ended)

Share measures the percent of the category represented by firm size.

Sept.

2006

Dec.

2006

June

2006

March

Share of gross job losses

1

June

2006

Dec.

2006

Dec. March

2005

(3 months ended)

Table E. Average percentage share of gross job gains and losses by firm size, third quarter 1992–

fourth quarter 2006, seasonally adjusted

Category 1 - 4 5 - 9 10 - 19 20 - 49 Total

 Firm size (number of employees)

1 Share measures the percent of the category represented by firm size.

1,000 or

more

50 - 99 100 - 249 250 - 499 500 - 999

1

(Percent)

Dec.

2005

Sept.

2006

1 - 4 employees .................... 15.5 15.7 15.0 15.2 15.5 15.6 17.0 16.0 15.8 16.0

5 - 9 employees .................... 11.7 12.3 11.9 12.0 11.5 12.6 13.0 12.6 12.3 12.5

10 - 19 employees ................ 12.0 12.7 12.2 12.3 11.7 12.8 13.0 12.7 12.4 12.5

20 - 49 employees ................ 13.9 14.9 14.6 14.5 13.8 14.7 14.4 14.4 14.5 14.5

50 - 99 employees ................ 8.7 9.3 9.1 9.1 8.7 9.1 8.7 8.9 8.9 9.0

100 - 249 employees ............ 9.1 9.7 9.8 9.5 9.2 9.6 8.8 9.1 9.3 9.3

250 - 499 employees ............ 5.5 5.7 5.9 5.9 5.5 5.7 5.1 5.3 5.5 5.9

500 - 999 employees ............ 4.5 4.5 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.7 3.9 4.4 4.5 4.5

1,000 or more employees .... 19.1 15.2 16.7 16.8 19.5 15.2 16.1 16.6 16.8 15.8

Total .................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Gross job gains ............................... 100.0 14.4 11.5 11.9 14.3 9.1 9.7 5.9 4.9 18.3

Expanding firms .......................... 100.0 7.0 10.6 12.0 15.2 10.0 11.1 6.8 5.7 21.6

Opening firms ............................. 100.0 52.3 16.0 11.6 9.7 4.2 3.0 1.3 .8 1.1

Gross job losses ............................. 100.0 14.7 11.9 12.2 14.4 9.1 9.6 5.8 4.8 17.5

Contracting firms ........................ 100.0 7.5 11.1 12.3 15.3 10.0 10.8 6.7 5.5 20.8

Closing firms ............................... 100.0 49.8 15.6 11.6 10.1 4.7 3.8 1.7 1.2 1.5

Net change ...................................... 100.0 9.5 6.3 8.0 12.3 9.4 11.7 7.4 6.2 29.2

Cumulative share of net change .. 9.5 15.8 23.8 36.1 45.5 57.2 64.6 70.8 100.0

2006 2006

More Information

Additional information on gross job gains and gross job losses are available at the Business Employment

Dynamics Web page on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/bdm. This information includes data on the

levels and rates of gross job gains and gross job losses by firm size, the not seasonally adjusted data and

other seasonally adjusted time series not presented in this release, charts of gross job gains and gross job

losses by industry and firm size, and frequently asked questions on firm-size data. Additional information

about the Business Employment Dynamics data can be found in the Technical Note of this release or may be

obtained by e-mailing BDMinfo@bls.gov.

–
6

Comparing Business Employment Dynamics Data with Current Employment

 Statistics and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Data

The net change in employment from Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data

series will not match the net change in employment from the monthly Current Employment

Statistics (CES) survey. The CES estimates are based on monthly surveys from a sample

of establishments, while gross job gains and gross job losses are based on a quarterly

census of administrative records. In addition, the CES has a different coverage, excluding

the agriculture sector but including establishments not covered by the unemployment

insurance program. The net over-the-quarter changes derived by aggregating component

series in the BED data may be different from the net employment change estimated from

the CES seasonally adjusted total employment series. The intended use of the BED

statistics is to show the dynamic labor market flows that underlie the net changes in

aggregate employment levels; data users who want to track net changes in aggregate

employment levels over time should refer to CES data.

 BED data have a more limited scope than the Quarterly Census of Employment and

Wages (QCEW) data. The data in this release, in contrast to the QCEW data, exclude

government employees, private households (NAICS 814110), and establishments with

zero employment.

 See the Technical Note for further information.

Chart 3. Share of total quarterly gross job gains and losses by firm size, 

September 2006 to December 2006, seasonally adjusted

0

5

10

15

20

25

1-4 5-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-249 250-499 500-999 1,000 or

more

Firm Size - Number of Employees

Percent

Share of gross job gains Share of gross job losses

Chart 4. Cumulative share of total quarterly gross job gains and losses by firm 

size, September 2006 to December 2006, seasonally adjusted

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1-4 1-9 1-19 1-49 1-99 1-249 1-499 1-999 All firms

Firm Size - Number of Employees

Cumulative Percent

Share of gross job gains Share of gross job losses
7

Upcoming Changes to Business Employment Dynamics Data

With the release of first quarter 2007 Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data in

November 2007, the BED program will implement a policy of revising the previous year’s

not seasonally adjusted data and the last 5 years of seasonally adjusted data. These

revisions will occur annually with the release of first quarter data. In addition, there will be

a one-time update to national historical BED data to reflect updated information from the

QCEW program.

 At the same time, the BED program will start using the 2007 version of the North

American Industry Classification System as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of

economic data by industry.
Technical Note

Source Count of UI administrative records Count of longitudinally-linked UI Sample survey: 400,000 establishsubmitted by 8.9 million establish- administrative records submitted by ments

ments 6.9 million private sector employers

Coverage UI and UCFE coverage, including UI coverage, excluding govern- Nonfarm wage and salary jobs:

all employers subject to state and ment, private households, and estab- UI coverage, excluding agriculture,

federal UI laws lishments with zero employment private households, and self-employed workers

Other employment, including railroads, religious organizations, and

other non-UI-covered jobs

Publication Quarterly Quarterly Monthly

frequency - 7 months after the end of each - 8 months after the end of each - Usually first Friday of following

quarter quarter month

Use of UI file Directly summarizes and pub- Links each new UI quarter to Uses UI file as a sampling frame

 lishes each new quarter of UI longitudinal database and directly and annually realigns (benchmarks)

 data

Principal Provides a quarterly and annual Provides quarterly employer dynam- Provides current monthly estimates

products universe count of estab- ics data on establishment open- of employment, hours, and earnings

lishments, employment, and ings, closings, expansions, and con- at the MSA, state, and national levwages at the county, MSA, tractions at the national level by el by industry

state, and national levels by NAICS supersectors and by size

detailed industry of firm

Future expansions will include data

Principal uses Major uses include: Major uses include: Major uses include:

- Detailed locality data - Business cycle analysis - Principal national economic

- Periodic universe counts for - Analysis of employer dynamics indicator

benchmarking sample survey underlying economic expansions - Official time series for

estimates and contractions employment change measures

- Sample frame for BLS - An analysis of employment ex- - Input into other major economic

establishment surveys pansion and contractions by size indicators

of firm

Program www.bls.gov/cew/ www.bls.gov/bdm/ www.bls.gov/ces/

Web sites

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Summary of Major Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES Employment Measures

 QCEW BED CES

•

sample estimates to first quarter

UI levels

summarizes gross job gains

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 by the U.S. Bureau

of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing quarterly state

unemployment insurance (UI) records. Most employers in the

U.S. are required to file quarterly reports on the employment

and wages of workers covered by UI laws, and to pay quarterly

UI taxes. The quarterly UI reports are sent by the State

Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to BLS and form the basis of the

Bureau’s establishment universe sampling frame. These

reports also are used to produce the quarterly QCEW data on

total employment and wages and the longitudinal BED data on

gross job gains and losses. Other important BLS uses of the

UI reports are in the Current Employment Statistics (CES)

program. (See table below for differences between QCEW, CES,

and BED.)

In the BED program, the quarterly UI 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.

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures

The BLS publishes three different establishment-based

employment measures for any given quarter. Each of these

measures—QCEW, BED, and CES—makes use of the quarterly

and losses

at the county, MSA, and state level
UI employment reports in producing data; however, each

measure has a somewhat different universe coverage,

estimation procedure, and publication product.

Differences in coverage and estimation methods can result

in somewhat different measures of over-the-quarter employment change. It is important to understand program

differences and the intended uses of the program products.

(See table on previous page.) Additional information on each

program can be obtained from the program Web sites shown

in the table.

Coverage

Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI

and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees

(UCFE) laws are compiled from quarterly contribution reports

submitted to the SWAs by employers. In addition to the

quarterly contribution reports, employers who operate multiple

establishments within a state complete a questionnaire, called

the “Multiple Worksite Report,” which provides detailed

information on the location of their establishments. These

reports are based on place of employment rather than place of

residence. UI and UCFE coverage is broad and basically

comparable from state to state.

Major exclusions from UI coverage are self-employed

workers, religious organizations, most agricultural workers on

small farms, all members of the Armed Forces, elected officials

in most states, most employees of railroads, some domestic

workers, most student workers at schools, and employees of

certain small nonprofit organizations.

Gross job gains and gross job losses in this release are

derived from longitudinal histories of over 6.9 million private

sector employer reports out of 8.9 million total reports of

employment and wages submitted by states to BLS in the

fourth quarter of 2006. Gross job gains and gross job losses

data in this release do not report estimates for government

employees or private households (NAICS 814110), and do not

include establishments with zero employment over three

quarters. Data from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also are

excluded from the national data. As an illustration, the table

below shows, in millions of establishments, the number of

establishments excluded from the gross job gains and gross

job losses data in the fourth quarter of 2006:

Unit of analysis

Establishments are used in the tabulation of the BED

statistics by industry and firms are used in the tabulation of the

BED size-class statistics. An establishment is defined as an

economic unit that produces goods or services, usually at a

single physical location, and engages in one or predominantly

one activity. A firm is a legal business, either corporate or

otherwise, and may consist of several establishments. Firmlevel data are compiled based on an aggregation of

establishments under common ownership by a corporate

parent using employer tax identification numbers. The firmlevel aggregation, which is consistent with the role of

corporations as the economic decision makers, is used for the

measurement of the BED data elements by size class.

Because of the difference in the unit of analysis, total gross

job gains and gross job losses by size class are lower than total

gross job gains and gross job losses by industry, as some

establishment gains and losses within a firm are offset during

the aggregation process. However, the total net changes in

employment are the same for not seasonally adjusted data and

are similar for seasonally adjusted data.

Concepts and methodology

The Business Employment Dynamics data measure the net

change in employment at the establishment or firm level. These

changes come about in one of four ways. A net increase in

employment can come from either opening units or expanding

units. A net decrease in employment can come from either

closing units or contracting units. Gross job gains include the

sum of all jobs added at either opening or expanding units.

Gross job losses include the sum of all jobs lost in either closing

or contracting units. The net change in employment is the

difference between gross job gains and gross job losses.

The formal definitions of employment changes are as

follows:

Openings. These are either units 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 units 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 units with positive third-month

employment in the previous quarter, with no employment or

zero employment reported in the current quarter.

Contractions. These are units with positive employment in

the third month in both the previous and current quarters, with

a net decrease in employment over this period.

All establishment-level employment changes are measured

from the third month of each quarter. Not all establishments

and firms change their employment levels. Units with no

change in employment count towards estimates of total

employment, but not for levels of gross job gains and gross job

losses.

 Number of active establishments included in

 Business Employment Dynamics data

 Millions

 Total establishments QCEW program ................. 8.9

 Excluded: Public sector ................................. 0.3

Private households ....................... 0.6

Zero employment ......................... 1.0

Establishments in Puerto Rico

 and the Virgin Islands ................. 0.1

 Total establishments included in Business

 Employment Dynamics data ............................. 6.9
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. This provides a symmetric

growth rate. 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.

Linkage methodology

Prior to the measurement of gross job gains and gross job

losses, QCEW records are linked across two quarters. The

linkage process matches establishments’ unique SWA

identification numbers (SWA-ID). Between 95 to 97 percent of

establishments identified as continuous from quarter to quarter

are matched by SWA-ID. The rest are linked in one of three

ways. The first method uses predecessor and successor

information, identified by the states, which relates records with

different SWA-IDs across quarters. Predecessor and successor

relations can come about for a variety of reasons, including a

change in ownership, a firm restructuring, or a UI account

restructuring. If a match cannot be attained in this manner, a

probability-based match is used. This match attempts to

identify two establishments with different SWA-IDs as

continuous. The match is based upon comparisons such as the

same name, address, and phone number. Third, an analyst

examines unmatched records individually and makes a possible

match.

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data,

SWAs verify with employers and update, if necessary, the

industry, location, and ownership classification of all

establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establishment

classification codes resulting from the verification process are

introduced with the data reported for the first quarter of the

year. Changes resulting from improved employer reporting also

are introduced in the first quarter.

Sizing methodology

The method of dynamic sizing is used in calculations for the

BED size-class data series. Dynamic sizing allocates each firm’s

employment gain or loss during a quarter to each respective

size class in which the change occurred. For example, if a firm

grew from 2 employees in quarter 1 to 38 employees in quarter

2, then, of the 36-employee increase, 2 would be allocated to

the first size class, 5 to the size class 5 to 9, 10 to size class 10

to 19, and 19 to size class 20 to 49.

Dynamic sizing provides symmetrical firm-size estimates and

eliminates any systematic effects which may be caused by the

transitory and reverting changes in firms’ sizes over time.

Additionally, it allocates each job gain or loss to the actual size

class where it occurred.

Seasonal adjustment

Over the course of a year, the levels of employment and the

associated job flows undergo sharp fluctuations due to such

seasonal events as changes in the weather, reduced or

expanded production, harvests, major holidays, and the

opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal

variation can be very large.

Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular

pattern each year, their influence can be eliminated by adjusting

these statistics from quarter to quarter. These adjustments

make nonseasonal developments, such as declines in economic

activity, easier to recognize. For example, the large number of

youths taking summer jobs is likely to obscure other changes

that have taken place in June relative to March, making it

difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen

or declined. However, because the effect of students finishing

school in previous years is known, the statistics for the current

year can be adjusted to allow for a comparable change. The

adjusted figures provide a more useful tool with which to

analyze changes in economic activity.

The employment data series for opening, expanding,

closing, and contracting units are independently seasonally

adjusted; net changes are calculated based on

the difference between gross job gains and gross job losses.

Similarly, for industry data, the establishment counts data

series for opening, expanding, closing, and contracting

establishments are independently adjusted, and the net

changes are calculated based on the difference between the

number of opening and closing establishments.

Additionally, establishment and employment levels are

independently seasonally adjusted to calculate the

seasonally adjusted rates. Concurrent seasonal adjustment is

run using X-12 ARIMA. Seasonally adjusted data series for

the total private sector are calculated by summing the

seasonally adjusted data for all sectors, including the

unclassified sector, which is not published separately.

The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing the

BED component series will differ from the net employment

change estimated from the seasonally adjusted total private

employment series from the CES program. The intended use of

BED statistics is to show the dynamic labor market changes

that underlie the net employment change statistic. As such,

data users interested particularly in the net employment change

and not in the gross job flows underlying this change should

refer to CES data for over-the-quarter net employment

changes.

Reliability of the data

Since the data series on Business Employment Dynamics

are based on administrative rather than sample data, there are

no issues related to sampling error. Nonsampling error,

however, still exists. Nonsampling errors can occur for many
reasons, such as the employer submitting corrected

employment data after the end of the quarter or typographical

errors made by businesses when providing information. Such

errors, however, are likely to be distributed randomly

throughout the dataset.

Changes in administrative data sometimes create complications for the linkage process. This can result in overstating

openings and closings while understating expansions and

contractions. The BLS continues to refine methods for

improving the linkage process to alleviate the effects of these

complications.

The BED data series are subject to periodic minor changes

based on corrections in QCEW records, updates on predecessors and successors information, and seasonal adjustment revisions.

Additional statistics and other information

Several other programs within BLS produce closely related

information. The QCEW program, also known as the ES-202

program, provides both quarterly and annual estimates of employment by state, county, and detailed industry. News releases on quarterly county employment and wages are

available upon request from the Division of Administrative

Statistics and Labor Turnover, Bureau of Labor Statistics,

U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212; telephone 202-691-6567; (http://www.bls.gov/cew/); (e-mail:

QCEWInfo@bls.gov).

The CES program produces monthly estimates of employment, its net change, and earnings by detailed industry.

These estimates are part of the Employment Situation report

put out monthly by BLS.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)

program provides monthly measures of job openings, as well

as employee hires and separations.

Information in this release will be made available to

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone:

202-691-5200; TDD message referral number: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

1992 September ............................. 455 7,377 5,632 1,745 6,922 5,351 1,571

December .................................216 7,101 5,465 1,636 6,885 5,487 1,398

1993 March .................................... 313 7,309 5,410 1,899 6,996 5,354 1,642

June ............................... 786 7,330 5,794 1,536 6,544 5,136 1,408

September ........................... 874 7,523 5,881 1,642 6,649 5,316 1,333

December ...............................641 7,436 5,840 1,596 6,795 5,420 1,375

1994 March .................................... 517 7,400 5,807 1,593 6,883 5,435 1,448

June ............................... 1,021 7,807 6,060 1,747 6,786 5,295 1,491

September ...........................1,175 7,972 6,227 1,745 6,797 5,493 1,304

December ...............................507 7,630 5,998 1,632 7,123 5,647 1,476

1995 March .................................... 746 7,782 6,129 1,653 7,036 5,660 1,376

June ............................... 402 7,714 6,017 1,697 7,312 5,839 1,473

September ........................... 771 7,970 6,291 1,679 7,199 5,680 1,519

December ...............................407 7,877 6,153 1,724 7,470 5,934 1,536

1996 March .................................... 460 7,943 6,190 1,753 7,483 5,957 1,526

June ............................... 642 8,080 6,302 1,778 7,438 5,894 1,544

September ........................... 632 8,189 6,326 1,863 7,557 5,998 1,559

December ...............................861 8,278 6,409 1,869 7,417 5,889 1,528

1997 March .................................... 799 8,292 6,448 1,844 7,493 5,900 1,593

June ............................... 594 8,098 6,342 1,756 7,504 5,925 1,579

September ........................... 854 8,593 6,680 1,913 7,739 5,981 1,758

December ...............................702 8,731 6,727 2,004 8,029 6,068 1,961

1998 March .................................... 747 8,788 6,633 2,155 8,041 6,107 1,934

June ............................... 666 8,722 6,569 2,153 8,056 6,218 1,838

September ........................... 659 8,539 6,574 1,965 7,880 6,161 1,719

December ...............................759 8,576 6,778 1,798 7,817 6,060 1,757

1999 March .................................... 380 8,744 6,733 2,011 8,364 6,466 1,898

June ............................... 569 8,800 6,788 2,012 8,231 6,419 1,812

September ........................... 548 8,817 6,871 1,946 8,269 6,397 1,872

December ...............................1,105 9,144 7,112 2,032 8,039 6,264 1,775

2000 March .................................... 818 8,906 6,988 1,918 8,088 6,361 1,727

June ............................... 541 8,764 6,975 1,789 8,223 6,509 1,714

September ........................... 146 8,724 6,834 1,890 8,578 6,719 1,859

December ...............................336 8,690 6,862 1,828 8,354 6,582 1,772

2001 March .................................... -101 8,555 6,768 1,787 8,656 6,756 1,900

June ............................... -771 8,254 6,439 1,815 9,025 7,149 1,876

September ...........................-1,380 7,749 5,990 1,759 9,129 7,174 1,955

December ...............................-871 7,893 6,055 1,838 8,764 6,995 1,769

2002 March .................................... -1 8,128 6,324 1,804 8,129 6,400 1,729

June ............................... -80 8,050 6,246 1,804 8,130 6,411 1,719

September ........................... -211 7,763 6,083 1,680 7,974 6,345 1,629

December ...............................-175 7,702 6,059 1,643 7,877 6,267 1,610

2003 March .................................... -404 7,472 5,932 1,540 7,876 6,321 1,555

June ............................... -142 7,560 6,033 1,527 7,702 6,138 1,564

September ........................... 72 7,396 5,897 1,499 7,324 5,893 1,431

December ...............................344 7,646 6,063 1,583 7,302 5,816 1,486

2004 March .................................... 435 7,745 6,231 1,514 7,310 5,871 1,439

June ............................... 594 7,857 6,292 1,565 7,263 5,726 1,537

September ........................... 191 7,789 6,123 1,666 7,598 5,953 1,645

December ...............................869 8,081 6,365 1,716 7,212 5,727 1,485

2005 March .................................... 325 7,635 6,171 1,464 7,310 5,852 1,458

June ............................... 574 7,932 6,311 1,621 7,358 5,873 1,485

September ........................... 628 8,055 6,423 1,632 7,427 5,915 1,512

December ...............................551 7,818 6,293 1,525 7,267 5,888 1,379

2006 March .................................... 784 7,556 6,205 1,351 6,772 5,536 1,236

June ............................... 466 7,761 6,286 1,475 7,295 5,937 1,358

September ........................... 19 7,364 5,985 1,379 7,345 6,010 1,335

December ...............................516 7,734 6,255 1,479 7,218 5,885 1,333

1 Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses.

Gross job losses

Year 3 months ended Net change 1

Gross job gains

Total Total
Table 2. Private sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment 1

, seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

1992 September ............................. 0.5 8.3 6.3 2.0 7.8 6.0 1.8

December ..................................2 7.9 6.1 1.8 7.7 6.1 1.6

1993 March .................................... .3 8.1 6.0 2.1 7.8 6.0 1.8

June ............................... .8 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.3 5.7 1.6

September ........................... .9 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.3 5.8 1.5

December ............................... .6 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.4 5.9 1.5

1994 March .................................... .5 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.5 5.9 1.6

June ............................... 1.1 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.3 5.7 1.6

September ........................... 1.2 8.4 6.6 1.8 7.2 5.8 1.4

December ............................... .6 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.4 5.9 1.5

1995 March .................................... .8 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.3 5.9 1.4

June ............................... .5 8.0 6.2 1.8 7.5 6.0 1.5

September ........................... .8 8.2 6.5 1.7 7.4 5.8 1.6

December ............................... .4 8.1 6.3 1.8 7.7 6.1 1.6

1996 March .................................... .4 8.1 6.3 1.8 7.7 6.1 1.6

June ............................... .6 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.6 6.0 1.6

September ........................... .7 8.3 6.4 1.9 7.6 6.0 1.6

December ............................... .9 8.3 6.4 1.9 7.4 5.9 1.5

1997 March .................................... .7 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.5 5.9 1.6

June ............................... .5 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.4 5.8 1.6

September ........................... .8 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.6 5.9 1.7

December ............................... .6 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.8 5.9 1.9

1998 March .................................... .7 8.5 6.4 2.1 7.8 5.9 1.9

June ............................... .6 8.4 6.3 2.1 7.8 6.0 1.8

September ........................... .7 8.2 6.3 1.9 7.5 5.9 1.6

December ............................... .7 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.4 5.7 1.7

1999 March .................................... .3 8.2 6.3 1.9 7.9 6.1 1.8

June ............................... .6 8.3 6.4 1.9 7.7 6.0 1.7

September ........................... .5 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.7 6.0 1.7

December ...............................1.1 8.5 6.6 1.9 7.4 5.8 1.6

2000 March .................................... .8 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.4 5.8 1.6

June ............................... .4 7.9 6.3 1.6 7.5 5.9 1.6

September ........................... .1 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.8 6.1 1.7

December ............................... .3 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.6 6.0 1.6

2001 March .................................... -.1 7.7 6.1 1.6 7.8 6.1 1.7

June ............................... -.8 7.4 5.8 1.6 8.2 6.5 1.7

September ........................... -1.3 7.1 5.5 1.6 8.4 6.6 1.8

December ...............................-.8 7.3 5.6 1.7 8.1 6.5 1.6

2002 March .................................... .1 7.6 5.9 1.7 7.5 5.9 1.6

June ............................... -.1 7.5 5.8 1.7 7.6 6.0 1.6

September ........................... -.1 7.3 5.7 1.6 7.4 5.9 1.5

December ...............................-.2 7.1 5.6 1.5 7.3 5.8 1.5

2003 March .................................... -.5 6.9 5.5 1.4 7.4 5.9 1.5

June ............................... -.2 7.0 5.6 1.4 7.2 5.7 1.5

September ........................... .1 6.9 5.5 1.4 6.8 5.5 1.3

December ............................... .4 7.2 5.7 1.5 6.8 5.4 1.4

2004 March .................................... .4 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.8 5.5 1.3

June ............................... .5 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.7 5.3 1.4

September ........................... .2 7.2 5.7 1.5 7.0 5.5 1.5

December ............................... .7 7.4 5.8 1.6 6.7 5.3 1.4

2005 March .................................... .3 6.9 5.6 1.3 6.6 5.3 1.3

June ............................... .6 7.2 5.7 1.5 6.6 5.3 1.3

September ........................... .5 7.3 5.8 1.5 6.8 5.4 1.4

December ............................... .6 7.1 5.7 1.4 6.5 5.3 1.2

2006 March .................................... .7 6.7 5.5 1.2 6.0 4.9 1.1

June ............................... .4 6.9 5.6 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

September ........................... .0 6.5 5.3 1.2 6.5 5.3 1.2

December ............................... .4 6.8 5.5 1.3 6.4 5.2 1.2

1 The rates measure gross job gains and gross job losses as a percentage of the average of the previous and current employment. 

2 See footnote 1, table 1.

Year 3 months ended Net change 2

Gross job gains Gross job losses

Total Total
Table 3. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted

Dec. March June Sept. Dec. Dec. March June Sept. Dec.

2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006

Total private 1

Gross job gains .................................7,818 7,556 7,761 7,364 7,734 7.1 6.7 6.9 6.5 6.8

At expanding establishments ............................. 6,293 6,205 6,286 5,985 6,255 5.7 5.5 5.6 5.3 5.5

At opening establishments ....................... 1,525 1,351 1,475 1,379 1,479 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3

Gross job losses .................................7,267 6,772 7,295 7,345 7,218 6.5 6.0 6.5 6.5 6.4

At contracting establishments ........................ 5,888 5,536 5,937 6,010 5,885 5.3 4.9 5.3 5.3 5.2

At closing establishments ................... 1,379 1,236 1,358 1,335 1,333 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2

Net employment change .............. 551 784 466 19 516 .6 .7 .4 .0 .4

Goods-producing

Gross job gains .................................1,722 1,713 1,673 1,537 1,616 7.4 7.2 7.1 6.5 6.9

At expanding establishments ............................. 1,463 1,466 1,434 1,317 1,375 6.3 6.2 6.1 5.6 5.9

At opening establishments ....................... 259 247 239 220 241 1.1 1.0 1.0 .9 1.0

Gross job losses .................................1,606 1,545 1,644 1,706 1,697 6.8 6.5 6.9 7.2 7.2

At contracting establishments ........................ 1,338 1,302 1,373 1,436 1,433 5.7 5.5 5.8 6.1 6.1

At closing establishments ...................268 243 271 270 264 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.1

Net employment change .............. 116 168 29 -169 -81 .6 .7 .2 -.7 -.3

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains .................................279 279 286 261 283 16.1 15.7 16.2 14.7 15.6

At expanding establishments ............................. 238 240 246 226 243 13.7 13.5 13.9 12.7 13.4

At opening establishments ....................... 41 39 40 35 40 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.2

Gross job losses .................................265 275 265 258 261 15.2 15.6 15.0 14.6 14.4

At contracting establishments ........................ 226 235 228 218 225 13.0 13.3 12.9 12.3 12.4

At closing establishments ................... 39 40 37 40 36 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.0

Net employment change .............. 14 4 21 3 22 .9 .1 1.2 .1 1.2

Construction

Gross job gains .................................862 910 828 771 809 11.6 11.9 10.7 10.1 10.7

At expanding establishments ............................. 699 747 678 631 658 9.4 9.8 8.8 8.3 8.7

At opening establishments ....................... 163 163 150 140 151 2.2 2.1 1.9 1.8 2.0

Gross job losses .................................774 742 830 848 835 10.5 9.7 10.8 11.1 11.0

At contracting establishments ........................ 618 596 668 686 675 8.4 7.8 8.7 9.0 8.9

At closing establishments ...................156 146 162 162 160 2.1 1.9 2.1 2.1 2.1

Net employment change .............. 88 168 -2 -77 -26 1.1 2.2 -.1 -1.0 -.3

Manufacturing

Gross job gains .................................581 524 559 505 524 4.1 3.7 3.9 3.6 3.8

At expanding establishments ............................. 526 479 510 460 474 3.7 3.4 3.6 3.3 3.4

At opening establishments ....................... 55 45 49 45 50 .4 .3 .3 .3 .4

Gross job losses .................................567 528 549 600 601 4.0 3.7 3.9 4.3 4.3

At contracting establishments ........................ 494 471 477 532 533 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.8 3.8

At closing establishments ................... 73 57 72 68 68 .5 .4 .5 .5 .5

Net employment change .............. 14 -4 10 -95 -77 .1 .0 .0 -.7 -.5

Service-providing 1

Gross job gains .................................6,096 5,843 6,088 5,827 6,118 6.9 6.6 6.9 6.5 6.9

At expanding establishments ............................. 4,830 4,739 4,852 4,668 4,880 5.5 5.4 5.5 5.2 5.5

At opening establishments ....................... 1,266 1,104 1,236 1,159 1,238 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.4

Gross job losses .................................5,661 5,227 5,651 5,639 5,521 6.5 5.9 6.3 6.3 6.2

At contracting establishments ........................ 4,550 4,234 4,564 4,574 4,452 5.2 4.8 5.1 5.1 5.0

At closing establishments ................... 1,111 993 1,087 1,065 1,069 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2

Net employment change .............. 435 616 437 188 597 .4 .7 .6 .2 .7

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains .................................320 311 328 304 318 5.5 5.3 5.6 5.1 5.3

At expanding establishments ............................. 263 262 270 251 262 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.2 4.4

At opening establishments ....................... 57 49 58 53 56 1.0 .8 1.0 .9 .9

Gross job losses .................................302 288 288 302 299 5.2 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.0

At contracting establishments ........................ 234 223 223 235 234 4.0 3.8 3.8 4.0 3.9

At closing establishments ................... 68 65 65 67 65 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1

Net employment change .............. 18 23 40 2 19 .3 .4 .7 .0 .3

See footnote at end of table.

Category

Gross job gains and losses (in thousands) Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment

(3 months ended) (3 months ended)
Table 3. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted—Continued

Dec. March June Sept. Dec. Dec. March June Sept. Dec.

2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006

Retail trade

Gross job gains .................................1,058 1,048 1,053 1,010 1,070 6.9 6.8 6.8 6.5 6.9

At expanding establishments ............................. 884 905 870 841 899 5.8 5.9 5.6 5.4 5.8

At opening establishments ....................... 174 143 183 169 171 1.1 .9 1.2 1.1 1.1

Gross job losses .................................1,015 971 1,074 1,063 1,003 6.6 6.3 7.0 6.9 6.5

At contracting establishments ........................ 865 828 926 906 858 5.6 5.4 6.0 5.9 5.6

At closing establishments ...................150 143 148 157 145 1.0 .9 1.0 1.0 .9

Net employment change .............. 43 77 -21 -53 67 .3 .5 -.2 -.4 .4

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains .................................268 232 242 236 266 6.4 5.5 5.8 5.5 6.2

At expanding establishments ............................. 226 201 205 205 231 5.4 4.8 4.9 4.8 5.4

At opening establishments ....................... 42 31 37 31 35 1.0 .7 .9 .7 .8

Gross job losses .................................231 228 227 221 223 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.2 5.2

At contracting establishments ........................ 188 194 188 183 183 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.3

At closing establishments ................... 43 34 39 38 40 1.0 .8 .9 .9 .9

Net employment change .............. 37 4 15 15 43 .9 .1 .4 .3 1.0

Utilities

Gross job gains ................................. 14 11 13 13 17 2.6 2.0 2.4 2.4 3.1

At expanding establishments ............................. 13 10 12 12 13 2.4 1.8 2.2 2.2 2.4

At opening establishments ....................... 1 1 1 1 4 .2 .2 .2 .2 .7

Gross job losses ................................. 16 11 13 12 16 2.9 2.0 2.4 2.2 2.9

At contracting establishments ........................ 11 9 11 10 11 2.0 1.6 2.0 1.8 2.0

At closing establishments ................... 5 2 2 2 5 .9 .4 .4 .4 .9

Net employment change .............. -2 0 0 1 1 -.3 .0 .0 .2 .2

 Information

Gross job gains .................................152 139 146 148 156 4.9 4.6 4.8 4.9 5.1

At expanding establishments ............................. 127 121 123 124 129 4.1 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.2

At opening establishments ....................... 25 18 23 24 27 .8 .6 .8 .8 .9

Gross job losses .................................156 142 140 167 142 5.1 4.6 4.6 5.5 4.7

At contracting establishments ........................ 121 117 112 140 109 4.0 3.8 3.7 4.6 3.6

At closing establishments ................... 35 25 28 27 33 1.1 .8 .9 .9 1.1

Net employment change .............. -4 -3 6 -19 14 -.2 .0 .2 -.6 .4

Financial activities

Gross job gains .................................472 408 447 436 452 5.8 5.0 5.5 5.3 5.5

At expanding establishments ............................. 359 331 352 345 345 4.4 4.1 4.3 4.2 4.2

At opening establishments ....................... 113 77 95 91 107 1.4 .9 1.2 1.1 1.3

Gross job losses .................................434 404 432 435 442 5.4 5.0 5.3 5.3 5.4

At contracting establishments ........................ 329 315 333 335 336 4.1 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.1

At closing establishments ...................105 89 99 100 106 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3

Net employment change .............. 38 4 15 1 10 .4 .0 .2 .0 .1

Professional and business services

Gross job gains .................................1,432 1,279 1,428 1,305 1,409 8.4 7.4 8.2 7.5 8.0

At expanding establishments ............................. 1,163 1,060 1,169 1,083 1,146 6.8 6.1 6.7 6.2 6.5

At opening establishments ....................... 269 219 259 222 263 1.6 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.5

Gross job losses .................................1,303 1,169 1,272 1,259 1,297 7.6 6.7 7.3 7.2 7.3

At contracting establishments ........................ 1,041 945 992 1,014 1,043 6.1 5.4 5.7 5.8 5.9

At closing establishments ...................262 224 280 245 254 1.5 1.3 1.6 1.4 1.4

Net employment change .............. 129 110 156 46 112 .8 .7 .9 .3 .7

Education and health services

Gross job gains .................................766 771 776 772 785 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.6

At expanding establishments ............................. 645 659 658 662 664 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9

At opening establishments ....................... 121 112 118 110 121 .7 .7 .7 .6 .7

Gross job losses .................................699 645 713 670 675 4.2 3.9 4.2 4.0 3.9

At contracting establishments ........................ 572 529 594 554 552 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.3 3.2

At closing establishments ...................127 116 119 116 123 .8 .7 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change .............. 67 126 63 102 110 .4 .7 .4 .5 .7

See footnote at end of table.

Category

Gross job gains and losses (in thousands) Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment

(3 months ended) (3 months ended)
Table 3. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted—Continued

Dec. March June Sept. Dec. Dec. March June Sept. Dec.

2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains .................................1,175 1,194 1,200 1,154 1,205 9.2 9.3 9.2 8.8 9.2

At expanding establishments ............................. 893 927 926 891 932 7.0 7.2 7.1 6.8 7.1

At opening establishments ....................... 282 267 274 263 273 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.1

Gross job losses .................................1,165 1,046 1,169 1,168 1,095 9.0 8.1 9.0 8.9 8.3

At contracting establishments ........................ 941 842 949 945 887 7.3 6.5 7.3 7.2 6.7

At closing establishments ...................224 204 220 223 208 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.6

Net employment change .............. 10 148 31 -14 110 .2 1.2 .2 -.1 .9

 Other services

Gross job gains .................................289 293 307 285 293 7.6 7.7 8.0 7.4 7.5

At expanding establishments ............................. 231 240 247 232 237 6.1 6.3 6.4 6.0 6.1

At opening establishments ....................... 58 53 60 53 56 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.4

Gross job losses .................................296 281 284 302 288 7.8 7.4 7.3 7.9 7.5

At contracting establishments ........................ 231 217 221 238 224 6.1 5.7 5.7 6.2 5.8

At closing establishments ................... 65 64 63 64 64 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.7

Net employment change .............. -7 12 23 -17 5 -.2 .3 .7 -.5 .0

1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.

Category

Gross job gains and losses (in thousands) Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment

(3 months ended) (3 months ended)
Table 4. Private sector percentage share 1 of gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted 

(Percent)

Dec. March June Sept. Dec. 

2005 2006 2006 2006 2006

Total private

Gross job gains ............................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Expanding firms ......................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Opening firms ............................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Gross job losses ............................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Contracting firms .......................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Closing firms ............................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Firm size 1 - 4 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 15.5 15.7 15.0 15.2 15.5

Expanding firms ......................... 7.2 7.4 7.1 7.3 7.1

Opening firms ............................ 60.0 59.4 57.5 59.1 61.2

Gross job losses ............................. 15.6 17.0 16.0 15.8 16.0

Contracting firms .......................... 8.1 8.4 8.1 7.7 8.0

Closing firms ............................. 55.9 60.0 57.8 59.2 59.2

Firm size 5 - 9 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 11.7 12.3 11.9 12.0 11.5

Expanding firms ......................... 10.9 11.5 11.0 11.2 10.7

Opening firms ............................ 16.2 16.9 16.6 16.5 15.7

Gross job losses ............................. 12.6 13.0 12.6 12.3 12.5

Contracting firms .......................... 11.9 12.4 11.9 11.5 11.7

Closing firms ............................. 16.5 16.5 16.4 16.3 16.5

Firm size 10 - 19 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 12.0 12.7 12.2 12.3 11.7

Expanding firms ......................... 12.2 13.0 12.4 12.5 12.0

Opening firms ............................ 10.7 11.0 11.2 10.8 10.2

Gross job losses ............................. 12.8 13.0 12.7 12.4 12.5

Contracting firms .......................... 13.0 13.4 13.0 12.7 12.8

Closing firms ............................. 11.3 10.8 10.9 10.5 10.7

Firm size 20 - 49 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 13.9 14.9 14.6 14.5 13.8

Expanding firms ......................... 15.1 16.3 15.7 15.6 14.9

Opening firms ............................ 7.9 7.7 8.5 8.2 7.7

Gross job losses ............................. 14.7 14.4 14.4 14.5 14.5

Contracting firms .......................... 15.9 15.8 15.6 15.8 15.8

Closing firms ............................. 8.4 7.7 8.4 7.9 7.9

Firm size 50 - 99 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 8.7 9.3 9.1 9.1 8.7

Expanding firms ......................... 9.7 10.6 10.3 10.3 9.8

Opening firms ............................ 3.0 2.5 3.1 3.0 2.9

Gross job losses ............................. 9.1 8.7 8.9 8.9 9.0

Contracting firms .......................... 10.2 9.9 9.9 10.0 10.1

Closing firms ............................. 3.1 2.8 3.2 3.0 3.1

See footnote at end of table.

Category

3 months ended
Table 4. Private sector percentage share 1 of gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted—Continued 

(Percent)

Dec. March June Sept. Dec. 

2005 2006 2006 2006 2006

Firm size 100 - 249 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 9.1 9.7 9.8 9.5 9.2

Expanding firms ......................... 10.5 11.2 11.3 10.9 10.6

Opening firms ............................ 1.5 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.4

Gross job losses ............................. 9.6 8.8 9.1 9.3 9.3

Contracting firms .......................... 10.9 10.2 10.5 10.7 10.7

Closing firms ............................. 2.2 1.5 2.2 1.8 1.9

Firm size 250 - 499 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 5.5 5.7 5.9 5.9 5.5

Expanding firms ......................... 6.4 6.7 6.9 6.9 6.4

Opening firms ............................ .4 .4 .4 .4 .4

Gross job losses ............................. 5.7 5.1 5.3 5.5 5.9

Contracting firms .......................... 6.6 6.0 6.2 6.4 6.8

Closing firms ............................. .9 .4 .7 .6 .5

Firm size 500 - 999 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 4.5 4.5 4.8 4.7 4.6

Expanding firms ......................... 5.3 5.3 5.7 5.5 5.4

Opening firms ............................ .2 .3 .2 .4 .3

Gross job losses ............................. 4.7 3.9 4.4 4.5 4.5

Contracting firms .......................... 5.5 4.6 5.1 5.3 5.3

Closing firms ............................. .7 .2 .3 .2 .2

Firm size 1,000 or more employees

Gross job gains ............................. 19.1 15.2 16.7 16.8 19.5

Expanding firms ......................... 22.7 18.0 19.6 19.8 23.1

Opening firms ............................ .1 .5 1.0 .1 .2

Gross job losses ............................. 15.2 16.1 16.6 16.8 15.8

Contracting firms .......................... 17.9 19.3 19.7 19.9 18.8

Closing firms ............................. 1.0 .1 .1 .5 .0

1

 Share measures the percent of the category represented by each firm size class.

Category

3 months ended