For release 10:00 a.m. (EST), Wednesday, November 19, 2014 USDL-14-2105

Technical Information: (202) 691-6553 • BDMInfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/bdm 

Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS – FIRST QUARTER 2014

From December 2013 to March 2014, gross

job gains from opening and expanding 

private sector establishments were 6.9 

million, a decrease of 440,000 jobs from the 

previous quarter, the U.S. Bureau of Labor 

Statistics reported today. Over this period, 

gross job losses from closing and contracting 

private sector establishments were 6.5 

million, a decrease of 94,000 jobs from the 

previous quarter. (See tables A, 1, and 3.) 

The difference between the number of gross 

job gains and the number of gross job losses 

yielded a net employment gain of 397,000 

jobs in the private sector during the first 

quarter of 2014. (See tables A, 1, and 3.) 

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment 

that occur at all businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track 

these changes in employment at private business 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 job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Technical 

Note for more information.) 

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses at the establishment level by industry 

subsector and 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. 

Changes to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data 

Data in this release incorporate annual revisions to the BED series. Annual revisions are published each year 

with the release of first quarter data. These revisions cover the last four quarters of not seasonally adjusted 

data and five years of seasonally adjusted data. 
- 2 - 

Gross job gains at expanding

establishments totaled 5.6 million in the first 

quarter of 2014, a decrease of 332,000 jobs 

from the previous quarter. (See tables A, 1, 

and 3.) 

Opening establishments accounted for 1.2 

million jobs gained in the first quarter of 

2014, a decrease of 108,000 jobs from the 

previous quarter. (See tables A, 1, and 3.) 

Contracting establishments lost 5.3 million 

jobs in the first quarter of 2014. This was a 

decrease of 5,000 jobs from the prior 

quarter. (See tables A, 1, and 3.) 

In the first quarter of 2014, closing

establishments lost 1.1 million jobs, a 

decrease of 89,000 jobs from the previous 

quarter. (See tables A, 1, and 3.) 

Gross job gains represented 6.0 percent of

private sector employment in the first 

quarter of 2014, while gross job losses

represented 5.7 percent of private sector 

employment. (See tables A, 2, and 3.) 

In the first quarter of 2014, the number of establishment births (a subset of the openings data, see the 

Technical Note for more information) decreased by 2,000 to 213,000. These new establishments accounted for 

763,000 jobs, a decrease of 48,000 from the previous quarter. (See table 8.) 

Data for establishment deaths (a subset of the closings data) are available through the second quarter of 2013, 

when 706,000 jobs were lost at 219,000 establishments. In the prior quarter 633,000 jobs were lost at 185,000 

establishments. (See table 8.) 

During the first quarter of 2014, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in every industry sector except retail 

trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, and professional and business services. 

The professional and business services sector, which includes temporary help services, experienced a net 

decrease of 5,000 jobs. This was the first negative net change in the series since third quarter 2009. The 

construction sector experienced the largest net change since first quarter 2006, a gain of 88,000 jobs. (See table 

3.) 
- 3 - 

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

See the Technical Note for further information. 

In the first quarter of 2014 firms with 1-49 employees accounted for 53 percent of total net job growth. Firms 

with 50-249 employees accounted for 34 percent of net job growth. Firms with 250 or more employees 

accounted for 13 percent of net job growth, its lowest share since third quarter 2004. This quarter is the 

sixteenth consecutive quarter of positive net employment change for all three major firm size categories. (See 

tables 4 and 5.) 

Of the 9.1 million net new jobs created between the second quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2014, firms 

with 1-49 employees contributed 31 percent of net job growth, while firms with 50-249 employees 

contributed 22 percent, and firms with 250 or more employees contributed 47 percent. (See table 4.) 

In the first quarter of 2014, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 35 states. California had the largest net 

employment gain of 88,690 jobs, followed by Texas with 73,529 jobs. (See table 6.) Alaska had the largest rate 

of gross job gains as a percent of employment at 10.8 percent, above the U.S. rate of 6.0 percent. Pennsylvania 

had the lowest rate of gross job losses as a percent of employment at 4.9 percent, below the U.S. rate of 5.7 

percent. (See table 7.) 

More Information 

Additional information on gross job gains and gross job losses is available online at www.bls.gov/bdm. 

This information includes data on the levels and rates of gross job gains and gross job losses by firm size, 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. 

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2014 are scheduled to be released on 

Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. (EST). 

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

Category 

3 months ended 

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar. 

2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 

Levels (in thousands) 

Gross job gains.................................... 7,272 7,174 7,051 7,296 6,856 

 At expanding establishments........... 5,648 5,849 5,708 5,956 5,624 

 At opening establishments............... 1,624 1,325 1,343 1,340 1,232 

 

Gross job losses................................... 6,346 6,496 6,583 6,553 6,459 

 At contracting establishments........... 5,187 5,284 5,435 5,335 5,330 

 At closing establishments................ 1,159 1,212 1,148 1,218 1,129 

 

Net employment change1........................ 926 678 468 743 397 

 

Rates (percent) 

Gross job gains................................ 6.6 6.4 6.3 6.4 6.0 

 At expanding establishments....... 5.1 5.2 5.1 5.2 4.9 

 At opening establishments............ 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 

 

Gross job losses............................... 5.6 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.7 

 At contracting establishments........ 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.7 4.7 

 At closing establishments............. 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0 

 

Net employment change1..................... 1.0 .6 .5 .6 .3 
- 4 - 

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. Most 

employers in the U.S. are required to file quarterly reports 

on the employment and wages of workers covered by 

unemployment insurance (UI) laws, and to pay quarterly 

UI taxes. The QCEW is based largely on quarterly UI 

reports which are sent by businesses to the State 

Employment Security Agencies (SESAs). These UI reports 

are supplemented by two additional BLS data collections 

to render administrative data into economic statistics. 

Together these data comprise the QCEW and form the 

basis of the Bureau’s establishment universe sampling 

frame. 

 These reports are used to produce the quarterly QCEW 

data on total employment and wages and the longitudinal 

BED data on gross job gains and losses. The QCEW is also 

the employment benchmark for the Current Employment 

Statistics (CES), Occupational Employment Statistics 

(OES), and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey 

(JOLTS) programs and is a major input to the Bureau of 

Economic Analysis’s Personal Income Accounts. 

 In the BED program, the quarterly QCEW records are 

linked across quarters to provide a longitudinal history for 

each establishment. The linkage process allows the 

tracking of net employment changes at the establishment 

level, which in turn allows the estimation of jobs gained at 

opening and expanding units and jobs lost at closing and 

contracting units. 

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES 

employment measures 

 The Bureau publishes three different establishmentbased employment measures for any given quarter. Each 

of these measures — QCEW, BED, and CES — makes use 

of the quarterly 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 below.) 

 Additional information on each program can be 

obtained from the program web sites shown in the table 

below. 

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

QCEW BED CES 

Source  Count of UI administrative records 

submitted by 9.4 million employers 

 Count of longitudinally-linked UI 

administrative records submitted by 

7.5 million private sector employers 

 Sample Survey: 554,000 

establishments 

Coverage  UI and UCFE coverage: all 

employers subject to State and 

federal UI Laws 

 UI Coverage, excluding: government, 

private households, and establishments 

with zero employment 

Non-farm wage and salary jobs: 

 UI Coverage, excluding: agriculture, 

private households, and selfemployed; including: railroads, 

religious organizations, and other 

non-UI-covered jobs 

Publication 

frequency 

 Quarterly 

— 6 Months after the end of each 

quarter 

 Quarterly 

— 7 Months after the end of each quarter 

 Monthly 

— First Friday of following month 

Use of UI file  Directly summarizes and publishes 

each new quarter of UI data 

 Links each new UI quarter to longitudinal 

database and directly summarizes gross 

job gains and losses 

 Uses UI file as a sampling frame 

and annually realigns (benchmarks) 

sample estimates to first quarter UI 

levels 

Principal products  Provides a quarterly and annual 

universe count of establishments, 

employment, and wages at the 

county, MSA, State, and national 

levels by detailed industry 

 Provides quarterly employer dynamics 

data on establishment openings, closings, 

expansions, and contractions at the 

national level by NAICS super-sectors, 3-

digit NAICS, and by size of firm, and at 

the state private-sector total level 

 Future expansions will include data at the 

county and MSA level 

 Provides current monthly estimates 

of employment, hours, and earnings 

at the MSA, State, and national level 

by industry 

Principal uses  Major uses include: 

— Detailed locality data 

— Periodic universe counts for 

benchmarking sample survey 

estimates 

— Sample frame for BLS 

establishment surveys 

 Major uses include: 

— Business cycle analysis 

— Analysis of employer dynamics 

underlying economic expansions and 

contractions 

— Analysis of employment expansion 

and contraction by size of firm 

 Major uses include: 

— Principal national economic 

indicator 

— Official time series for 

employment change measures 

— Input into other major economic 

indicators 

Program Websites  www.bls.gov/cew/  www.bls.gov/bdm/  www.bls.gov/ces/
- 5 - 

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 SESAs 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 7.5 million private 

sector employer reports out of 9.4 million total reports of 

employment and wages submitted by states to BLS in the 

first quarter of 2014. 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 in both 

previous and current quarters. Data from Puerto Rico and 

the Virgin Islands are also excluded from the national data. 

As an illustration, the table below shows, in millions of 

establishments, the number of establishments excluded 

from the national gross job gains and gross job losses data 

in the first quarter 2014: 

Number of active establishments included in 

Business Employment Dynamics data at the 

national level 

 Millions 

Total establishments QCEW program .........9.4 

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

 Private households ................0.2 

 Zero employment .................1.3 

 Establishments in Puerto Rico 

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

Total establishments included in Business 

Employment Dynamics data ........................7.5 

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. Firm-level data are compiled based on an 

aggregation of establishments under common ownership 

by a corporate parent using employer tax identification 

numbers. The firm level aggregation which is consistent 

with the role of corporations as the economic decision 

makers are 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 either 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. 

Births. These are units with positive third month 

employment for the first time in the current quarter with no 

links to the prior quarter, or units with positive third month 

employment in the current quarter and zero employment in 
- 6 - 

the third month of the previous four quarters. Births are a 

subset of openings not including re-openings of seasonal 

businesses. 

Deaths. These are units with no employment or zero 

employment reported in the third month of four 

consecutive quarters following the last quarter with 

positive employment. Deaths are a subset of closings not 

including temporary shutdowns of seasonal businesses. A 

unit that closes during the quarter may be a death, but we 

wait three quarters to determine whether it is a permanent 

closing or a temporary shutdown. Therefore, there is 

always a lag of three quarters for the publication of death 

statistics. 

All employment changes are measured from the third 

month of the previous quarter to the third month of the 

current 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. 

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. 

Establishment Births and Deaths 

 For the purpose of BED statistics, births are defined as 

establishments that appear in the longitudinal database for 

the first time with positive employment in the third month 

of a quarter, or showed four consecutive quarters of zero 

employment in the third month followed by a quarter in 

which it shows positive employment in the third month. 

Similarly, deaths are defined as establishments that either 

drop out of the longitudinal database or an establishment 

that had positive employment in the third month of a given 

quarter followed by four consecutive quarters of showing 

zero employment in the third month. Although the data for 

establishment births and deaths are tabulated 

independently from the data for openings and closings, the 

concepts are not mutually exclusive. An establishment that 

is defined as a birth in a given quarter is necessarily an 

opening as well, and an establishment defined as a death in 

a quarter must also be a closing. Since openings include 

seasonal and other re-openings and closings include 

temporary shutdowns, the not seasonally adjusted values 

for births and deaths must be less than those for openings 

and closings. However, because some BED series do not 

have many re-openings or temporary shutdowns, as well as 

the fact that births and deaths are independently seasonally 

adjusted from openings and closings, there may be 

instances in which the seasonally adjusted value of the 

former is greater than the latter. 

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 SESA 

identification numbers (SESA-ID). Between 95 to 

97 percent of establishments identified as continuous from 

quarter to quarter are matched by SESA-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 SESA-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 SESA-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, 

SESAs verify with employers and update, if necessary, the 

industry, location, and ownership classification of all 

establishments on a 4-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. 

Annual Data 

 The annual gross job gains and gross job losses 

measure the net change in employment at the establishment 

level from the third month of a quarter in the previous year 

to the third month of the same quarter in the current year. 

The BLS publishes annual BED data based on March-toMarch changes once a year with the release of the first 

quarter BED data. The annual data based on over-the-year 

changes for other quarters of the year are available upon 

request. The definitions and methodology in measuring 

annual gross job gains and gross job losses are similar to 

the quarterly measures. The linkage method considers all 

predecessor and successor relations that may come about 
- 7 - 

due to changes in ownership and corporate restructuring 

over the entire year. At the establishment level, some of the 

quarterly job gains and job losses are offset during the 

estimation over the year. Therefore, the sum of four 

quarters of gross job gains and gross job losses are not

equal to annual gross job gains and gross job losses. The 

net change in employment over the year, however, is equal 

to the sum of four quarterly net changes on a not seasonally 

adjusted basis. 

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 total private are the sum of seasonally adjusted data of 

all sectors including the unclassified sector, which is not 

separately published. 

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. 

 Annual revisions are published each year with the 

release of the first quarter data. These revisions cover the 

last four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and 5 

years of seasonally adjusted data. 

Additional statistics and other information 

 Several other programs within BLS produce closely 

related information. The QCEW program provides both 

quarterly and annual estimates of employment by state, 

county, and detailed industry. News releases on quarterly 

county employment and wages and an annual bulletin: 

Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 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

2004 March 470 7,715 6,204 1,511 7,245 5,795 1,450

June 644 7,754 6,235 1,519 7,110 5,639 1,471

September 206 7,633 6,060 1,573 7,427 5,888 1,539

December 757 7,844 6,243 1,601 7,087 5,663 1,424

2005 March 384 7,620 6,131 1,489 7,236 5,801 1,435

June 593 7,774 6,231 1,543 7,181 5,776 1,405

September 677 7,965 6,387 1,578 7,288 5,844 1,444

December 494 7,807 6,252 1,555 7,313 5,948 1,365

2006 March 874 7,797 6,354 1,443 6,923 5,636 1,287

June 371 7,758 6,246 1,512 7,387 6,015 1,372

September 52 7,499 6,061 1,438 7,447 6,097 1,350

December 455 7,740 6,223 1,517 7,285 5,941 1,344

2007 March 549 7,727 6,297 1,430 7,178 5,881 1,297

June 149 7,632 6,222 1,410 7,483 6,079 1,404

September -252 7,318 5,847 1,471 7,570 6,215 1,355

December 299 7,658 6,196 1,462 7,359 6,012 1,347

2008 March -225 7,246 5,834 1,412 7,471 6,102 1,369

June -578 7,254 5,846 1,408 7,832 6,352 1,480

September -944 6,886 5,523 1,363 7,830 6,448 1,382

December -1,809 6,706 5,354 1,352 8,515 7,034 1,481

2009 March -2,716 5,850 4,659 1,191 8,566 7,141 1,425

June -1,667 6,386 5,084 1,302 8,053 6,671 1,382

September -878 6,342 5,131 1,211 7,220 5,856 1,364

December -234 6,640 5,315 1,325 6,874 5,596 1,278

2010 March -263 6,264 5,090 1,174 6,527 5,320 1,207

June 709 6,958 5,679 1,279 6,249 5,087 1,162

September 215 6,678 5,428 1,250 6,463 5,234 1,229

December 585 7,010 5,638 1,372 6,425 5,206 1,219

2011 March 301 6,458 5,286 1,172 6,157 5,021 1,136

June 600 6,936 5,640 1,296 6,336 5,109 1,227

September 824 7,148 5,790 1,358 6,324 5,174 1,150

December 364 6,894 5,546 1,348 6,530 5,253 1,277

2012 March 851 6,953 5,706 1,247 6,102 4,997 1,105

June 607 7,020 5,732 1,288 6,413 5,260 1,153

September 241 6,851 5,559 1,292 6,610 5,430 1,180

December 698 7,107 5,766 1,341 6,409 5,209 1,200

2013 March 926 7,272 5,648 1,624 6,346 5,187 1,159

June 678 7,174 5,849 1,325 6,496 5,284 1,212

September 468 7,051 5,708 1,343 6,583 5,435 1,148

December 743 7,296 5,956 1,340 6,553 5,335 1,218

2014 March 397 6,856 5,624 1,232 6,459 5,330 1,129

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

Gross job gains

Total Total

Gross job losses

Year 3 months ended Net change 1
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

2004 March .5 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.7 5.4 1.3

June .6 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.6 5.2 1.4

September .3 7.1 5.6 1.5 6.8 5.4 1.4

December .7 7.2 5.7 1.5 6.5 5.2 1.3

2005 March .4 7.0 5.6 1.4 6.6 5.3 1.3

June .6 7.1 5.7 1.4 6.5 5.2 1.3

September .6 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.6 5.3 1.3

December .4 7.0 5.6 1.4 6.6 5.4 1.2

2006 March .9 7.0 5.7 1.3 6.1 5.0 1.1

June .3 6.8 5.5 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

September .1 6.7 5.4 1.3 6.6 5.4 1.2

December .3 6.8 5.5 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

2007 March .5 6.8 5.5 1.3 6.3 5.2 1.1

June .2 6.7 5.5 1.2 6.5 5.3 1.2

September -.3 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.7 5.5 1.2

December .2 6.7 5.4 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

2008 March -.3 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.6 5.4 1.2

June -.6 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.9 5.6 1.3

September -.8 6.1 4.9 1.2 6.9 5.7 1.2

December -1.6 6.0 4.8 1.2 7.6 6.3 1.3

2009 March -2.4 5.4 4.3 1.1 7.8 6.5 1.3

June -1.6 5.9 4.7 1.2 7.5 6.2 1.3

September -.9 5.9 4.8 1.1 6.8 5.5 1.3

December -.2 6.3 5.0 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

2010 March -.3 5.9 4.8 1.1 6.2 5.1 1.1

June .7 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1

September .2 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.1 4.9 1.2

December .6 6.6 5.3 1.3 6.0 4.9 1.1

2011 March .2 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.8 4.7 1.1

June .6 6.5 5.3 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1

September .8 6.7 5.4 1.3 5.9 4.8 1.1

December .3 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.0 4.8 1.2

2012 March .7 6.3 5.2 1.1 5.6 4.6 1.0

June .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0

September .2 6.2 5.0 1.2 6.0 4.9 1.1

December .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

2013 March 1.0 6.6 5.1 1.5 5.6 4.6 1.0

June .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

September .5 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0

December .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

2014 March .3 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0

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

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

Gross job gains

Total Total

Gross job losses

Year 3 months ended Net change 2
Table 3. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar.

2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014

Total private 1

Gross job gains ........................... 7,272 7,174 7,051 7,296 6,856 6.6 6.4 6.3 6.4 6.0

At expanding establishments ......... 5,648 5,849 5,708 5,956 5,624 5.1 5.2 5.1 5.2 4.9

At opening establishments ............ 1,624 1,325 1,343 1,340 1,232 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 6,346 6,496 6,583 6,553 6,459 5.6 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.7

At contracting establishments ......... 5,187 5,284 5,435 5,335 5,330 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.7 4.7

At closing establishments ............ 1,159 1,212 1,148 1,218 1,129 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0

Net employment change .............. 926 678 468 743 397 1.0 .6 .5 .6 .3

Goods-producing

Gross job gains ........................... 1,357 1,377 1,333 1,357 1,355 6.8 7.0 6.7 6.8 6.8

At expanding establishments ......... 1,153 1,168 1,120 1,155 1,163 5.8 5.9 5.6 5.8 5.8

At opening establishments ............ 204 209 213 202 192 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0

Gross job losses ........................... 1,239 1,282 1,261 1,312 1,208 6.2 6.4 6.4 6.6 6.0

At contracting establishments ......... 1,032 1,074 1,064 1,102 1,017 5.2 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.1

At closing establishments ............ 207 208 197 210 191 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 .9

Net employment change .............. 118 95 72 45 147 .6 .6 .3 .2 .8

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains ........................... 278 288 263 280 288 13.8 14.2 13.1 13.8 14.0

At expanding establishments ......... 238 249 223 243 253 11.8 12.3 11.1 12.0 12.3

At opening establishments ............ 40 39 40 37 35 2.0 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.7

Gross job losses ........................... 255 274 265 280 253 12.7 13.5 13.2 13.8 12.4

At contracting establishments ......... 217 237 231 243 219 10.8 11.7 11.5 12.0 10.7

At closing establishments ............ 38 37 34 37 34 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.7

Net employment change .............. 23 14 -2 0 35 1.1 .7 -.1 .0 1.6

Construction

Gross job gains ........................... 679 668 665 653 673 11.8 11.6 11.4 11.1 11.2

At expanding establishments ......... 550 537 531 526 551 9.6 9.3 9.1 8.9 9.2

At opening establishments ............ 129 131 134 127 122 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.0

Gross job losses ........................... 607 621 593 638 585 10.6 10.7 10.2 10.9 9.8

At contracting establishments ......... 481 498 477 511 468 8.4 8.6 8.2 8.7 7.8

At closing establishments ............ 126 123 116 127 117 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.0

Net employment change .............. 72 47 72 15 88 1.2 .9 1.2 .2 1.4

Manufacturing

Gross job gains ........................... 400 421 405 424 394 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.5 3.3

At expanding establishments ......... 365 382 366 386 359 3.0 3.2 3.0 3.2 3.0

At opening establishments ............ 35 39 39 38 35 .3 .3 .3 .3 .3

Gross job losses ........................... 377 387 403 394 370 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.0

At contracting establishments ......... 334 339 356 348 330 2.8 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.7

At closing establishments ............ 43 48 47 46 40 .4 .4 .4 .4 .3

Net employment change .............. 23 34 2 30 24 .1 .3 -.1 .2 .3

Service-providing 1

Gross job gains ........................... 5,915 5,797 5,718 5,939 5,501 6.4 6.2 6.1 6.3 5.8

At expanding establishments ......... 4,495 4,681 4,588 4,801 4,461 4.9 5.0 4.9 5.1 4.7

At opening establishments ............ 1,420 1,116 1,130 1,138 1,040 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 5,107 5,214 5,322 5,241 5,251 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.6 5.6

At contracting establishments ......... 4,155 4,210 4,371 4,233 4,313 4.5 4.5 4.7 4.5 4.6

At closing establishments ............ 952 1,004 951 1,008 938 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0

Net employment change .............. 808 583 396 698 250 .9 .6 .4 .7 .2

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains ........................... 274 289 279 286 272 4.8 5.0 4.9 4.9 4.7

At expanding establishments ......... 225 237 228 237 225 3.9 4.1 4.0 4.1 3.9

At opening establishments ............ 49 52 51 49 47 .9 .9 .9 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 253 256 260 251 251 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.3 4.4

At contracting establishments ......... 195 201 206 192 196 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.3 3.4

At closing establishments ............ 58 55 54 59 55 1.0 1.0 .9 1.0 1.0

Net employment change .............. 21 33 19 35 21 .4 .5 .4 .6 .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

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar.

2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014

Retail trade

Gross job gains ........................... 906 948 899 944 877 6.0 6.3 5.9 6.2 5.7

At expanding establishments ......... 783 816 764 818 757 5.2 5.4 5.0 5.4 4.9

At opening establishments ............ 123 132 135 126 120 .8 .9 .9 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 876 777 856 835 879 5.8 5.1 5.7 5.5 5.8

At contracting establishments ......... 770 668 755 720 775 5.1 4.4 5.0 4.7 5.1

At closing establishments ............ 106 109 101 115 104 .7 .7 .7 .8 .7

Net employment change .............. 30 171 43 109 -2 .2 1.2 .2 .7 -.1

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains ........................... 210 223 231 283 232 5.0 5.2 5.4 6.5 5.4

At expanding establishments ......... 177 187 197 252 199 4.2 4.4 4.6 5.8 4.6

At opening establishments ............ 33 36 34 31 33 .8 .8 .8 .7 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 237 212 210 206 244 5.6 5.0 4.9 4.8 5.6

At contracting establishments ......... 205 178 174 168 210 4.8 4.2 4.1 3.9 4.8

At closing establishments ............ 32 34 36 38 34 .8 .8 .8 .9 .8

Net employment change .............. -27 11 21 77 -12 -.6 .2 .5 1.7 -.2

Utilities

Gross job gains ........................... 10 14 11 12 14 1.8 2.6 2.0 2.2 2.6

At expanding establishments ......... 9 12 10 11 12 1.6 2.2 1.8 2.0 2.2

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

Gross job losses ........................... 12 13 13 16 11 2.2 2.4 2.4 3.0 2.0

At contracting establishments ......... 11 12 12 14 10 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.6 1.8

At closing establishments ............ 1 1 1 2 1 .2 .2 .2 .4 .2

Net employment change .............. -2 1 -2 -4 3 -.4 .2 -.4 -.8 .6

 Information

Gross job gains ........................... 117 135 130 136 122 4.3 5.0 4.8 5.0 4.5

At expanding establishments ......... 98 114 108 113 101 3.6 4.2 4.0 4.2 3.7

At opening establishments ............ 19 21 22 23 21 .7 .8 .8 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 120 127 136 123 127 4.4 4.7 5.0 4.5 4.6

At contracting establishments ......... 100 102 114 101 107 3.7 3.8 4.2 3.7 3.9

At closing establishments ............ 20 25 22 22 20 .7 .9 .8 .8 .7

Net employment change .............. -3 8 -6 13 -5 -.1 .3 -.2 .5 -.1

Financial activities

Gross job gains ........................... 352 368 356 368 324 4.6 4.8 4.7 4.8 4.2

At expanding establishments ......... 283 297 283 288 262 3.7 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.4

At opening establishments ............ 69 71 73 80 62 .9 .9 1.0 1.0 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 328 329 347 356 343 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.5

At contracting establishments ......... 253 256 277 278 269 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.5

At closing establishments ............ 75 73 70 78 74 1.0 1.0 .9 1.0 1.0

Net employment change .............. 24 39 9 12 -19 .3 .4 .2 .2 -.3

Professional and business services

Gross job gains ........................... 1,280 1,367 1,379 1,455 1,258 7.0 7.4 7.4 7.7 6.7

At expanding establishments ......... 1,047 1,114 1,119 1,187 1,034 5.7 6.0 6.0 6.3 5.5

At opening establishments ............ 233 253 260 268 224 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2

Gross job losses ........................... 1,191 1,254 1,240 1,256 1,263 6.5 6.8 6.7 6.7 6.7

At contracting establishments ......... 947 989 998 1,000 1,026 5.2 5.4 5.4 5.3 5.4

At closing establishments ............ 244 265 242 256 237 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3

Net employment change .............. 89 113 139 199 -5 .5 .6 .7 1.0 .0

Education and health services

Gross job gains ........................... 1,218 842 896 886 827 6.1 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.1

At expanding establishments ......... 686 690 738 725 694 3.4 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.4

At opening establishments ............ 532 152 158 161 133 2.7 .8 .8 .8 .7

Gross job losses ........................... 753 845 782 781 779 3.8 4.1 3.8 3.9 3.8

At contracting establishments ......... 612 674 634 626 640 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.1

At closing establishments ............ 141 171 148 155 139 .7 .8 .7 .8 .7

Net employment change .............. 465 -3 114 105 48 2.3 .1 .6 .5 .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

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar.

2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains ........................... 1,218 1,255 1,195 1,209 1,197 8.6 8.8 8.4 8.4 8.3

At expanding establishments ......... 961 979 915 945 942 6.8 6.9 6.4 6.6 6.5

At opening establishments ............ 257 276 280 264 255 1.8 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.8

Gross job losses ........................... 1,052 1,112 1,184 1,121 1,075 7.5 7.9 8.3 7.8 7.4

At contracting establishments ......... 856 916 983 914 876 6.1 6.5 6.9 6.4 6.0

At closing establishments ............ 196 196 201 207 199 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4

Net employment change .............. 166 143 11 88 122 1.1 .9 .1 .6 .9

 Other services

Gross job gains ........................... 276 289 280 272 280 7.1 7.5 7.2 7.0 7.1

At expanding establishments ......... 218 228 219 214 224 5.6 5.9 5.6 5.5 5.7

At opening establishments ............ 58 61 61 58 56 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.4

Gross job losses ........................... 259 266 271 273 252 6.7 6.9 7.0 7.0 6.4

At contracting establishments ......... 201 209 213 214 197 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.0

At closing establishments ............ 58 57 58 59 55 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4

Net employment change .............. 17 23 9 -1 28 .4 .6 .2 .0 .7

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 gross job gains and losses by firm size, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

gains losses gains losses gains losses gains losses

2004 March 430 6,306 5,876 153 3,392 3,239 137 1,194 1,057 140 1,720 1,580

June 621 6,471 5,850 169 3,387 3,218 141 1,196 1,055 311 1,888 1,577

September 197 6,243 6,046 88 3,379 3,291 88 1,175 1,087 21 1,689 1,668

December 759 6,494 5,735 274 3,480 3,206 101 1,172 1,071 384 1,842 1,458

2005 March 368 6,320 5,952 66 3,416 3,350 97 1,161 1,064 205 1,743 1,538

June 570 6,435 5,865 243 3,476 3,233 146 1,198 1,052 181 1,761 1,580

September 701 6,672 5,971 218 3,510 3,292 85 1,195 1,110 398 1,967 1,569

December 506 6,406 5,900 169 3,462 3,293 45 1,140 1,095 292 1,804 1,512

2006 March 788 6,433 5,645 334 3,547 3,213 222 1,213 991 232 1,673 1,441

June 375 6,349 5,974 117 3,434 3,317 110 1,190 1,080 148 1,725 1,577

September 43 6,103 6,060 -14 3,329 3,343 27 1,127 1,100 30 1,647 1,617

December 447 6,375 5,928 117 3,393 3,276 74 1,147 1,073 256 1,835 1,579

2007 March 466 6,300 5,834 189 3,451 3,262 99 1,153 1,054 178 1,696 1,518

June 174 6,256 6,082 -31 3,337 3,368 108 1,180 1,072 97 1,739 1,642

September -269 5,891 6,160 -132 3,252 3,384 -53 1,073 1,126 -84 1,566 1,650

December 298 6,254 5,956 8 3,315 3,307 63 1,140 1,077 227 1,799 1,572

2008 March -290 5,806 6,096 -154 3,228 3,382 -14 1,073 1,087 -122 1,505 1,627

June -548 5,855 6,403 -284 3,179 3,463 -41 1,095 1,136 -223 1,581 1,804

September -999 5,498 6,497 -346 3,047 3,393 -151 1,015 1,166 -502 1,436 1,938

December -1,869 5,338 7,207 -695 2,907 3,602 -374 948 1,322 -800 1,483 2,283

2009 March -2,673 4,584 7,257 -991 2,714 3,705 -620 806 1,426 -1,062 1,064 2,126

June -1,767 5,165 6,932 -472 2,948 3,420 -277 953 1,230 -1,018 1,264 2,282

September -933 5,138 6,071 -375 2,822 3,197 -114 930 1,044 -444 1,386 1,830

December -288 5,405 5,693 -155 2,942 3,097 -43 964 1,007 -90 1,499 1,589

2010 March -247 5,097 5,344 -207 2,851 3,058 -6 910 916 -34 1,336 1,370

June 687 5,809 5,122 238 3,096 2,858 207 1,074 867 242 1,639 1,397

September 200 5,497 5,297 24 2,940 2,916 83 996 913 93 1,561 1,468

December 518 5,781 5,263 91 3,048 2,957 95 1,035 940 332 1,698 1,366

2011 March 316 5,344 5,028 87 2,966 2,879 118 965 847 111 1,413 1,302

June 546 5,753 5,207 198 3,077 2,879 175 1,067 892 173 1,609 1,436

September 834 5,948 5,114 260 3,123 2,863 164 1,062 898 410 1,763 1,353

December 320 5,613 5,293 46 2,973 2,927 45 987 942 229 1,653 1,424

2012 March 840 5,767 4,927 373 3,153 2,780 214 1,047 833 253 1,567 1,314

June 602 5,819 5,217 179 3,041 2,862 167 1,080 913 256 1,698 1,442

September 219 5,569 5,350 48 2,951 2,903 47 1,003 956 124 1,615 1,491

December 637 5,766 5,129 176 3,018 2,842 91 1,013 922 370 1,735 1,365

2013 March 1,209 6,350 5,141 294 3,138 2,844 153 1,022 869 762 2,190 1,428

June 656 5,929 5,273 226 3,093 2,867 146 1,081 935 284 1,755 1,471

September 433 5,746 5,313 203 3,050 2,847 55 1,014 959 175 1,682 1,507

December 658 5,897 5,239 130 3,028 2,898 104 1,034 930 424 1,835 1,411

2014 March 445 5,621 5,176 236 3,044 2,808 151 1,026 875 58 1,551 1,493

NOTE: See http://www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmfirmsize.htm for more detailed firm size class data

Net 

change

Gross job

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

3 Net change totals for the firm-level data differ from the establishment-level data due to independent seasonal adjustment.

Year 3 months ended

Total private by firm1 Firm size 1 - 49 employees

1 Total gross job gains and gross job losses by firm are lower than total gross job gains and gross job losses by establishment, as some establishment gains 

and losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process. 

Firm size 50 - 249 employees Firm size 250 or more

Net 

change2,3

Gross job Net 

change

Gross job Net 

change

Gross job
Table 5. Components of private sector gross job gains and losses by firm size, seasonally adjusted

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar.

2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014

Total private by firm 1

Gross job gains ........................ 6,350 5,929 5,746 5,897 5,621 5.7 5.3 5.1 5.2 4.9

At expanding firms .................. 5,379 5,032 4,826 4,988 4,738 4.8 4.5 4.3 4.4 4.1

At opening firms ..................... 971 897 920 909 883 .9 .8 .8 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................ 5,141 5,273 5,313 5,239 5,176 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.5

At contracting firms .................. 4,282 4,448 4,507 4,394 4,349 3.8 3.9 4.0 3.9 3.8

At closing firms ................... 859 825 806 845 827 .8 .7 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change ............. 1,209 656 433 658 445 1.1 .7 .4 .6 .4

Firm size 1 to 49 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 3,138 3,093 3,050 3,028 3,044 9.8 9.7 9.4 9.4 9.4

At expanding firms .................. 2,200 2,239 2,168 2,158 2,196 6.9 7.0 6.7 6.7 6.8

At opening firms ..................... 938 854 882 870 848 2.9 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.6

Gross job losses ........................ 2,844 2,867 2,847 2,898 2,808 8.9 9.0 8.8 9.0 8.6

At contracting firms .................. 2,020 2,077 2,074 2,089 2,015 6.3 6.5 6.4 6.5 6.2

At closing firms ................... 824 790 773 809 793 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.4

Net employment change ............. 294 226 203 130 236 .9 .7 .6 .4 .8

Firm size 50 to 249 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 1,022 1,081 1,014 1,034 1,026 5.0 5.3 4.9 4.9 4.9

At expanding firms .................. 991 1,044 980 1,003 996 4.8 5.1 4.7 4.8 4.8

At opening firms ..................... 31 37 34 31 30 .2 .2 .2 .1 .1

Gross job losses ........................ 869 935 959 930 875 4.2 4.5 4.6 4.4 4.1

At contracting firms .................. 839 907 931 899 845 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.0

At closing firms ................... 30 28 28 31 30 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1

Net employment change ............. 153 146 55 104 151 .8 .8 .3 .5 .8

Firm size 250 or more employees

Gross job gains ........................ 2,190 1,755 1,682 1,835 1,551 3.7 2.9 2.8 3.0 2.5

At expanding firms .................. 2,188 1,749 1,678 1,827 1,546 3.7 2.9 2.8 3.0 2.5

At opening firms ..................... 2 6 4 8 5 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0

Gross job losses ........................ 1,428 1,471 1,507 1,411 1,493 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.4

At contracting firms .................. 1,423 1,464 1,502 1,406 1,489 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.4

At closing firms ................... 5 7 5 5 4 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0

Net employment change ............. 762 284 175 424 58 1.3 .5 .3 .7 .1

1 Total gross job gains and gross job losses by firm are lower than total gross job gains and gross job losses by establishment, as some establishment gains and 

losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process. 

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 6. Private sector gross job gains and losses by state, seasonally adjusted

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar.

2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014

United States 1

 ............ 7,272,000 7,174,000 7,051,000 7,296,000 6,856,000 6,346,000 6,496,000 6,583,000 6,553,000 6,459,000

Alabama .................. 90,049 88,757 82,579 88,974 84,701 81,301 82,901 85,001 80,202 84,878

Alaska ..................... 27,242 26,898 24,727 25,599 27,111 24,163 24,928 25,387 26,151 24,286

Arizona .................. 128,498 129,657 136,257 142,862 122,710 120,681 123,506 115,847 114,990 127,049

Arkansas .................. 54,832 50,289 54,835 56,317 55,241 54,598 56,485 53,002 52,575 48,156

California .................. 1,166,123 919,714 898,198 970,775 908,148 772,037 841,331 811,587 826,149 819,458

Colorado .................. 136,575 137,234 136,576 138,088 134,852 119,846 120,154 123,433 120,042 117,084

Connecticut ............... 72,384 78,837 74,212 72,962 71,412 72,407 67,569 75,904 75,714 70,265

Delaware .................. 22,780 22,635 23,073 23,382 22,392 20,486 20,538 21,141 20,578 21,103

District of Columbia ... 28,099 29,648 28,686 27,767 28,507 25,627 27,357 24,431 26,410 26,428

Florida ..................... 426,809 460,810 456,824 459,908 429,242 390,972 409,638 399,647 396,853 379,039

Georgia .................. 214,470 215,308 218,936 223,857 218,553 187,399 198,514 193,605 191,558 187,662

Hawaii ..................... 25,699 26,001 27,482 27,361 24,229 23,355 25,229 23,731 22,530 25,768

Idaho ..................... 41,520 41,423 40,288 43,528 44,986 36,935 38,245 37,011 38,182 38,401

Illinois ..................... 270,686 284,501 281,978 287,742 282,582 263,191 262,528 276,028 262,299 273,676

Indiana ..................... 138,301 141,157 137,321 151,123 130,738 130,800 128,881 131,335 126,070 137,774

Iowa ........................ 72,812 75,519 74,723 75,848 73,265 67,070 67,432 68,754 69,858 69,123

Kansas ..................... 61,932 67,728 67,027 68,947 62,686 60,431 60,421 62,992 58,995 61,041

Kentucky .................. 87,229 86,979 88,456 97,171 91,202 85,389 83,776 81,995 80,834 87,753

Louisiana .................. 107,994 99,144 107,860 106,092 106,380 94,756 103,423 94,599 96,483 92,250

Maine ..................... 32,539 39,323 36,387 34,549 32,803 34,206 31,413 36,208 36,734 34,830

Maryland .................. 128,098 127,153 125,548 129,342 120,701 118,838 124,872 123,521 129,324 119,730

Massachusetts ............ 179,714 174,667 158,095 155,212 153,255 138,820 143,668 158,148 152,909 146,767

Michigan .................. 209,973 216,782 206,945 210,828 193,208 172,890 195,673 200,593 193,392 179,299

Minnesota ............... 139,542 139,832 131,274 132,158 122,559 119,002 120,732 127,618 131,154 131,329

Mississippi ............... 50,528 50,515 53,106 56,504 49,034 47,449 52,070 49,713 48,189 50,683

Missouri .................. 143,382 131,898 128,987 133,406 124,363 123,038 118,164 125,906 123,901 123,281

Montana .................. 28,925 28,495 27,406 29,553 25,940 26,603 27,682 26,967 26,617 28,165

Nebraska .................. 46,054 46,052 48,324 49,098 46,627 41,044 41,829 43,905 44,342 43,926

Nevada ..................... 62,838 67,468 61,343 63,969 68,371 54,197 56,571 58,707 53,928 54,147

New Hampshire ......... 33,989 36,301 32,195 35,941 30,782 32,135 31,720 34,455 31,262 31,894

New Jersey ............... 208,031 212,089 204,129 208,002 191,577 193,656 184,534 201,050 207,528 201,873

New Mexico ............ 39,067 42,006 40,743 42,014 38,773 40,186 41,061 40,982 38,594 39,417

New York ............... 456,937 473,735 470,406 488,832 453,091 428,513 423,013 443,888 440,138 439,127

North Carolina ............ 199,140 207,472 207,989 213,112 196,483 185,492 190,982 189,970 189,004 186,412

North Dakota ............ 29,561 25,999 29,955 29,881 31,989 23,504 27,475 24,693 24,992 24,936

Ohio ........................ 260,387 273,934 247,306 265,643 250,208 244,294 236,207 246,422 236,612 245,509

Oklahoma ............... 73,631 78,547 78,989 77,204 76,411 73,800 72,791 70,356 77,423 74,634

Oregon ..................... 100,352 100,219 100,209 97,663 99,610 85,076 87,322 88,268 92,599 87,208

Pennsylvania ............ 269,978 262,626 256,618 267,301 253,643 265,920 253,920 257,811 253,489 242,728

Rhode Island ............ 24,725 25,842 24,986 24,474 22,816 23,256 22,624 24,222 22,933 22,863

South Carolina ............ 88,040 95,727 93,633 102,061 95,713 84,625 81,179 84,442 82,586 88,987

South Dakota ............ 20,956 21,589 20,459 22,932 21,356 20,472 19,037 20,881 20,102 20,435

Tennessee ............... 125,348 127,783 125,251 144,253 125,985 116,355 122,329 119,399 110,071 121,089

Texas ..................... 547,024 535,691 552,753 566,604 553,296 471,555 469,198 485,228 487,463 479,767

Utah ........................ 75,382 72,975 71,558 77,520 69,642 64,851 67,772 65,955 64,131 63,801

Vermont .................. 17,559 18,371 17,608 18,911 16,846 17,070 19,294 18,362 16,542 16,944

Virginia .................. 167,240 165,676 173,917 169,315 157,945 160,558 164,885 173,680 165,862 161,816

Washington ............... 206,071 178,068 172,308 171,855 165,916 152,477 149,541 159,889 156,542 147,848

West Virginia ............ 36,418 34,801 33,802 36,600 35,778 35,139 37,467 35,722 35,915 37,449

Wisconsin ............... 127,500 135,981 129,748 131,886 124,346 121,179 123,721 126,892 122,147 121,292

Wyoming .................. 18,886 18,299 17,677 20,206 18,391 18,627 19,486 17,452 17,263 17,376

Puerto Rico ............... 39,012 41,559 42,140 45,339 35,354 43,543 41,945 45,363 36,188 44,386

Virgin Islands ............ 1,635 1,367 1,575 1,497 1,354 1,845 1,878 1,809 1,668 1,662

1 The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.

NOTE: Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

State

Gross job gains Gross job losses

(3 months ended) (3 months ended)
Table 7. Private sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar.

2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014

United States .......................... 6.6 6.4 6.3 6.4 6.0 5.6 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.7

Alabama ............................. 6.1 6.0 5.5 6.0 5.6 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.3 5.7

Alaska ................................. 10.9 10.7 9.8 10.1 10.8 9.7 9.9 10.1 10.4 9.6

Arizona ............................... 6.1 6.2 6.4 6.7 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.5 5.4 6.0

Arkansas .............................. 5.8 5.3 5.8 6.0 5.8 5.7 6.0 5.7 5.5 5.0

California ........................... 9.1 7.0 6.9 7.3 6.8 6.1 6.5 6.2 6.3 6.1

Colorado .............................. 7.1 7.0 7.0 6.9 6.7 6.2 6.1 6.3 6.1 5.9

Connecticut ......................... 5.2 5.6 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.2 4.8 5.4 5.4 5.0

Delaware .............................. 6.5 6.5 6.6 6.6 6.3 5.8 5.8 6.0 5.8 5.9

District of Columbia ............... 5.9 6.2 6.0 5.8 5.9 5.4 5.7 5.1 5.4 5.5

Florida ................................. 6.7 7.1 7.0 7.0 6.5 6.1 6.4 6.2 6.0 5.8

Georgia .............................. 6.6 6.6 6.6 6.8 6.5 5.8 6.1 6.0 5.8 5.6

Hawaii ............................... 5.2 5.2 5.6 5.4 4.8 4.7 5.1 4.7 4.5 5.1

Idaho .................................... 8.1 8.0 7.7 8.3 8.4 7.2 7.4 7.2 7.3 7.2

Illinois ................................ 5.6 5.8 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.4 5.3 5.7 5.3 5.5

Indiana ............................... 5.6 5.7 5.6 6.1 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.4 5.1 5.5

Iowa .................................... 5.9 6.0 5.9 6.0 5.8 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.5

Kansas ................................. 5.7 6.2 6.1 6.2 5.7 5.6 5.6 5.7 5.3 5.5

Kentucky .............................. 5.9 5.9 6.0 6.5 6.1 5.8 5.7 5.5 5.4 5.9

Louisiana .............................. 7.0 6.3 6.9 6.7 6.7 6.1 6.6 6.0 6.1 5.8

Maine ................................ 6.8 8.1 7.4 7.0 6.7 7.0 6.4 7.3 7.5 7.0

Maryland ............................ 6.3 6.2 6.1 6.4 5.9 5.8 6.1 6.1 6.3 5.8

Massachusetts ....................... 6.4 6.1 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.0 5.0 5.5 5.3 5.0

Michigan ............................. 6.2 6.3 5.9 6.0 5.5 5.0 5.7 5.8 5.6 5.1

Minnesota ........................... 6.1 6.1 5.6 5.6 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.5 5.6 5.7

Mississippi ........................... 5.9 5.9 6.2 6.6 5.7 5.5 6.1 5.8 5.6 5.9

Missouri .............................. 6.5 5.9 5.8 6.0 5.6 5.6 5.3 5.7 5.5 5.5

Montana ............................... 8.2 8.0 7.7 8.2 7.2 7.6 7.9 7.6 7.5 7.9

Nebraska .............................. 6.0 6.0 6.3 6.3 5.9 5.4 5.4 5.7 5.7 5.6

Nevada ............................... 6.3 6.7 6.0 6.3 6.6 5.4 5.6 5.8 5.3 5.2

New Hampshire ..................... 6.4 6.8 6.0 6.8 5.7 6.1 5.9 6.5 5.8 5.9

New Jersey ........................... 6.5 6.5 6.2 6.4 5.9 6.0 5.7 6.2 6.4 6.2

New Mexico ........................ 6.4 6.9 6.7 6.9 6.3 6.6 6.7 6.7 6.4 6.4

New York ........................... 6.3 6.5 6.4 6.6 6.2 6.0 5.8 6.1 6.0 6.0

North Carolina ........................ 6.1 6.3 6.3 6.4 5.9 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.6

North Dakota ........................ 8.3 7.3 8.3 8.2 8.6 6.6 7.6 6.9 6.9 6.8

Ohio .................................... 6.0 6.2 5.6 6.0 5.6 5.6 5.3 5.6 5.3 5.6

Oklahoma ........................... 6.0 6.4 6.4 6.2 6.1 6.0 5.9 5.7 6.2 6.0

Oregon ................................. 7.2 7.2 7.1 6.9 7.0 6.1 6.3 6.3 6.6 6.1

Pennsylvania ........................ 5.5 5.3 5.2 5.4 5.2 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.2 4.9

Rhode Island ........................ 6.3 6.5 6.2 6.2 5.7 5.9 5.7 6.1 5.7 5.7

South Carolina ........................ 5.9 6.3 6.2 6.7 6.2 5.7 5.4 5.6 5.5 5.8

South Dakota ........................ 6.3 6.5 6.2 6.9 6.3 6.2 5.7 6.3 6.0 6.1

Tennessee ........................... 5.5 5.6 5.5 6.3 5.4 5.1 5.3 5.3 4.7 5.3

Texas ................................. 5.9 5.8 6.0 6.1 5.9 5.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.1

Utah .................................... 7.4 7.0 6.9 7.4 6.5 6.3 6.5 6.4 6.1 6.0

Vermont .............................. 7.0 7.4 7.1 7.6 6.7 6.9 7.7 7.4 6.6 6.8

Virginia .............................. 5.7 5.6 5.9 5.7 5.3 5.4 5.6 5.9 5.6 5.5

Washington ........................... 8.6 7.3 7.0 6.9 6.6 6.3 6.1 6.6 6.3 5.9

West Virginia ........................ 6.4 6.2 6.0 6.5 6.3 6.2 6.6 6.4 6.4 6.7

Wisconsin ........................... 5.5 5.8 5.5 5.7 5.3 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.1

Wyoming .............................. 8.8 8.6 8.4 9.4 8.4 8.7 9.1 8.2 8.1 8.0

Puerto Rico ........................... 5.7 6.0 6.1 6.6 5.1 6.3 6.0 6.6 5.2 6.4

Virgin Islands ........................ 5.7 4.9 5.7 5.5 4.9 6.5 6.8 6.5 6.0 6.1

NOTE: Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

State

Gross job gains as a percent of employment Gross job losses as a percent of employment

(3 months ended) (3 months ended)
Table 8. Private sector establishment births and deaths, seasonally adjusted

(Levels in thousands)

Level Rate 2 Level Rate Level Rate Level Rate

2004 March 207 3.2 180 2.8 1,000 .9 917 .9

June 203 3.1 185 2.8 980 .9 909 .8

September 209 3.2 186 2.8 1,016 .9 953 .9

December 210 3.2 180 2.7 997 .9 894 .8

2005 March 209 3.1 185 2.8 944 .9 852 .8

June 216 3.2 180 2.7 951 .9 841 .8

September 221 3.3 186 2.8 996 .9 884 .8

December 221 3.3 186 2.8 979 .9 846 .8

2006 March 220 3.2 180 2.6 924 .8 748 .7

June 221 3.2 194 2.8 973 .9 841 .7

September 210 3.1 196 2.9 927 .8 836 .7

December 221 3.2 194 2.8 959 .8 804 .7

2007 March 214 3.1 193 2.8 897 .8 771 .7

June 206 3.0 202 2.9 884 .8 850 .7

September 216 3.1 203 2.9 941 .8 836 .7

December 208 3.0 206 2.9 902 .8 825 .7

2008 March 207 3.0 211 3.0 900 .8 817 .7

June 202 2.9 228 3.3 873 .8 934 .8

September 191 2.7 223 3.2 826 .7 877 .8

December 187 2.7 238 3.4 798 .7 941 .8

2009 March 172 2.5 236 3.4 707 .6 853 .8

June 177 2.6 225 3.3 742 .7 830 .8

September 169 2.5 215 3.2 691 .7 783 .7

December 183 2.7 200 3.0 711 .7 731 .7

2010 March 175 2.6 195 2.9 687 .7 671 .6

June 180 2.7 185 2.7 713 .7 649 .6

September 188 2.8 189 2.8 738 .7 693 .7

December 200 2.9 186 2.7 788 .7 685 .6

2011 March 189 2.8 184 2.7 697 .7 615 .6

June 192 2.8 190 2.8 747 .7 678 .6

September 199 2.9 187 2.7 786 .7 672 .6

December 202 2.9 191 2.8 801 .7 750 .7

2012 March 201 2.9 181 2.6 750 .7 607 .6

June 197 2.9 185 2.7 777 .7 664 .6

September 201 2.9 185 2.7 794 .7 684 .6

December 201 2.9 182 2.6 793 .7 675 .6

2013 March 584 8.1 185 2.6 1,092 1.0 633 .6

June 229 3.1 219 3.0 796 .7 706 .6

September 224 3.0 N/A N/A 831 .7 N/A N/A

December 215 2.9 N/A N/A 811 .7 N/A N/A

2014 March 213 2.8 N/A N/A 763 .7 N/A N/A

1 Values for deaths are not available for the most recent three quarters. See the Technical Note for more information.

2 The rates measure births and deaths as a percentage of the average of the previous and current quarter employment levels or total number of establishments

Year 3 months ended

Number of Establishments Employment

Births Deaths 1 Births Deaths