NOTE: The second column in Table A has been corrected to March 2014.

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Wednesday, July 29, 2015 USDL-15-1484

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

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

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS – FOURTH QUARTER 2014

From September 2014 to December 2014,

gross job gains from opening and 

expanding private sector establishments 

were 7.6 million, an increase of 456,000 

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 111,000 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 

1,109,000 jobs in the private sector during 

the fourth 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. 
- 2 - 

Gross job gains at expanding

establishments totaled 6.3 million in the 

fourth quarter of 2014, an increase of 

383,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See 

tables A, 1, and 3.) 

Opening establishments accounted for 1.4 

million jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 

2014, an increase of 73,000 jobs from the 

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

Contracting establishments lost 5.3 million 

jobs in the fourth quarter of 2014. This was 

a decrease of 200,000 jobs from the prior 

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

In the fourth quarter of 2014, closing

establishments lost 1.2 million jobs, an 

increase of 89,000 jobs from the previous 

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

Gross job gains represented 6.6 percent of

private sector employment in the fourth 

quarter of 2014, while gross job losses

represented 5.6 percent of private sector 

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

In the fourth 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 222,000 establishments. These new establishments 

accounted for 842,000 jobs, an increase of 17,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See table 8.) 

Data for establishment deaths (a subset of the closings data) are available through the first quarter of 2014, 

when 629,000 jobs were lost at 187,000 establishments. In the prior quarter, 677,000 jobs were lost at 190,000 

establishments. (See table 8.) 

During the fourth quarter of 2014, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in all industry sectors except the 

natural resources and mining sector. The service-providing sector, with 6.251 million gross job gains and 5.263 

million gross job losses, experienced a net increase of 988,000 jobs. The goods-producing sector experienced a 

net increase of 121,000 jobs, the result of 1.384 million gross job gains and 1.263 million gross job losses. The 

professional and business services sector, a subset of the service-providing sector, experienced a net increase of 

285,000 jobs, the largest net gain in the sector since December 1999. (See table 3.) 
- 3 - 

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. 

In the fourth quarter of 2014, firms with 1-49 employees accounted for 22 percent of total net job growth. 

Firms with 50-249 employees accounted for 15 percent of net job growth. Firms with 250 or more employees 

accounted for 63 percent of net job growth. (See table 4 and 5.) 

Of the 2.9 million net jobs created over the last year, firms with 1-49 employees contributed 33 percent of net 

job growth, while firms with 50-249 employees contributed 22 percent, and firms with 250 or more employees 

contributed 45 percent. (See table 4 and 5.) 

In the fourth quarter of 2014, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 49 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin 

Islands. Texas experienced 619,644 gross job gains and 479,473 gross job losses resulting in a net employment 

gain of 140,171. This is the largest net employment gain of any state this quarter. California had the second 

largest net employment gain this quarter with 115,797 net jobs, the result of 994,075 gross job gains and 

878,278 gross job losses. (See table 6.) Alaska had the highest rate of gross job gains as a percent of 

employment at 10.5 percent, above the U.S. rate of 6.6 percent. Hawaii had the lowest rate of gross job losses as 

a percent of employment at 4.4 percent, below the U.S. rate of 5.6 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 First Quarter 2015 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, 

November 18, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. (EST). 

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

Category 

3 months ended 

Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec. 

2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 

Levels (in thousands) 

Gross job gains.................................... 7,296 6,856 7,438 7,179 7,635 

 At expanding establishments........... 5,956 5,624 6,109 5,878 6,261 

 At opening establishments............... 1,340 1,232 1,329 1,301 1,374 

 

Gross job losses................................... 6,553 6,459 6,522 6,637 6,526 

 At contracting establishments........... 5,335 5,330 5,340 5,492 5,292 

 At closing establishments................ 1,218 1,129 1,182 1,145 1,234 

 

Net employment change1........................ 743 397 916 542 1,109 

 

Rates (percent) 

Gross job gains................................ 6.4 6.0 6.5 6.2 6.6 

 At expanding establishments....... 5.2 4.9 5.3 5.1 5.4 

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

 

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

 At contracting establishments........ 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.8 4.5 

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

 

Net employment change1..................... .6 .3 .9 .4 1.0 
- 4 - 

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data 

Data in the next release, published on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, will incorporate annual revisions to the BED 

series as well as historical revisions to reflect an administrative change that occurred in first quarter 2013. Annual 

revisions are published each year with the release of first quarter data. These revisions will cover the last four 

quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data. 

Additionally, all historical BED series back to third quarter 1992 will be revised with the relase of first quarter data, 

for both seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted series, to incorporate an administrative scope change. These 

revisions are primarily due to the reclassification of a number of establishments from private households (NAICS 

814110) to services for the elderly and persons with disabilities (NAICS 624120). Private households are not within 

the scope of BED and, as a result, those establishments impacted by this industry reclassification are now within 

scope. 

Changes to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data 

With the processing of fourth quarter 2014 BED data, BLS implemented a new statistical matching process used in 

the longitudinal linking of Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Tabulations from this quarter 

forward will reflect this new methodology. For additional details on this new methodology, please see the article "A 

Simplified Approach to Administrative Record Linkage in the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages" 

available at: http://www.bls.gov/osmr/pdf/st140020.pdf. 
- 5 - 

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/
- 6 - 

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 
- 7 - 

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 
- 8 - 

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

June 916 7,438 6,109 1,329 6,522 5,340 1,182

September 542 7,179 5,878 1,301 6,637 5,492 1,145

December 1,109 7,635 6,261 1,374 6,526 5,292 1,234

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

Year 3 months ended Net change 1

Gross job gains

Total Total

Gross job losses
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

June .9 6.5 5.3 1.2 5.6 4.6 1.0

September .4 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0

December 1.0 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.6 4.5 1.1

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.

Year 3 months ended Net change 2

Gross job gains

Total Total

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

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

2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014

Total private 1

Gross job gains ........................... 7,296 6,856 7,438 7,179 7,635 6.4 6.0 6.5 6.2 6.6

At expanding establishments ......... 5,956 5,624 6,109 5,878 6,261 5.2 4.9 5.3 5.1 5.4

At opening establishments ............ 1,340 1,232 1,329 1,301 1,374 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2

Gross job losses ........................... 6,553 6,459 6,522 6,637 6,526 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.8 5.6

At contracting establishments ......... 5,335 5,330 5,340 5,492 5,292 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.8 4.5

At closing establishments ............ 1,218 1,129 1,182 1,145 1,234 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1

Net employment change .............. 743 397 916 542 1,109 .6 .3 .9 .4 1.0

Goods-producing

Gross job gains ........................... 1,357 1,355 1,410 1,335 1,384 6.8 6.8 7.0 6.5 6.8

At expanding establishments ......... 1,155 1,163 1,211 1,145 1,189 5.8 5.8 6.0 5.6 5.8

At opening establishments ............ 202 192 199 190 195 1.0 1.0 1.0 .9 1.0

Gross job losses ........................... 1,312 1,208 1,233 1,215 1,263 6.6 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.2

At contracting establishments ......... 1,102 1,017 1,042 1,036 1,067 5.5 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.2

At closing establishments ............ 210 191 191 179 196 1.1 .9 .9 .9 1.0

Net employment change .............. 45 147 177 120 121 .2 .8 1.0 .5 .6

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains ........................... 280 288 281 279 277 13.8 14.0 13.7 13.5 13.2

At expanding establishments ......... 243 253 246 243 239 12.0 12.3 12.0 11.8 11.4

At opening establishments ............ 37 35 35 36 38 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8

Gross job losses ........................... 280 253 271 247 282 13.8 12.4 13.2 12.0 13.5

At contracting establishments ......... 243 219 237 216 249 12.0 10.7 11.5 10.5 11.9

At closing establishments ............ 37 34 34 31 33 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.6

Net employment change .............. 0 35 10 32 -5 .0 1.6 .5 1.5 -.3

Construction

Gross job gains ........................... 653 673 692 652 665 11.1 11.2 11.4 10.7 10.7

At expanding establishments ......... 526 551 564 537 545 8.9 9.2 9.3 8.8 8.8

At opening establishments ............ 127 122 128 115 120 2.2 2.0 2.1 1.9 1.9

Gross job losses ........................... 638 585 597 579 603 10.9 9.8 9.9 9.5 9.7

At contracting establishments ......... 511 468 483 471 483 8.7 7.8 8.0 7.7 7.8

At closing establishments ............ 127 117 114 108 120 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.9

Net employment change .............. 15 88 95 73 62 .2 1.4 1.5 1.2 1.0

Manufacturing

Gross job gains ........................... 424 394 437 404 442 3.5 3.3 3.6 3.3 3.6

At expanding establishments ......... 386 359 401 365 405 3.2 3.0 3.3 3.0 3.3

At opening establishments ............ 38 35 36 39 37 .3 .3 .3 .3 .3

Gross job losses ........................... 394 370 365 389 378 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.1

At contracting establishments ......... 348 330 322 349 335 2.9 2.7 2.6 2.9 2.7

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

Net employment change .............. 30 24 72 15 64 .2 .3 .6 .1 .5

Service-providing 1

Gross job gains ........................... 5,939 5,501 6,028 5,844 6,251 6.3 5.8 6.4 6.2 6.5

At expanding establishments ......... 4,801 4,461 4,898 4,733 5,072 5.1 4.7 5.2 5.0 5.3

At opening establishments ............ 1,138 1,040 1,130 1,111 1,179 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2

Gross job losses ........................... 5,241 5,251 5,289 5,422 5,263 5.6 5.6 5.5 5.7 5.5

At contracting establishments ......... 4,233 4,313 4,298 4,456 4,225 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.7 4.4

At closing establishments ............ 1,008 938 991 966 1,038 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1

Net employment change .............. 698 250 739 422 988 .7 .2 .9 .5 1.0

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains ........................... 286 272 284 277 293 4.9 4.7 4.9 4.8 5.0

At expanding establishments ......... 237 225 240 231 243 4.1 3.9 4.1 4.0 4.1

At opening establishments ............ 49 47 44 46 50 .8 .8 .8 .8 .9

Gross job losses ........................... 251 251 248 251 246 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.2

At contracting establishments ......... 192 196 191 199 191 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.3

At closing establishments ............ 59 55 57 52 55 1.0 1.0 1.0 .9 .9

Net employment change .............. 35 21 36 26 47 .6 .3 .6 .5 .8

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

2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014

Retail trade

Gross job gains ........................... 944 877 969 897 950 6.2 5.7 6.3 5.8 6.2

At expanding establishments ......... 818 757 837 771 829 5.4 4.9 5.4 5.0 5.4

At opening establishments ............ 126 120 132 126 121 .8 .8 .9 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 835 879 827 905 834 5.5 5.8 5.3 5.9 5.4

At contracting establishments ......... 720 775 716 798 722 4.7 5.1 4.6 5.2 4.7

At closing establishments ............ 115 104 111 107 112 .8 .7 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change .............. 109 -2 142 -8 116 .7 -.1 1.0 -.1 .8

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains ........................... 283 232 244 248 329 6.5 5.4 5.6 5.6 7.3

At expanding establishments ......... 252 199 210 215 297 5.8 4.6 4.8 4.9 6.6

At opening establishments ............ 31 33 34 33 32 .7 .8 .8 .7 .7

Gross job losses ........................... 206 244 206 212 203 4.8 5.6 4.7 4.8 4.6

At contracting establishments ......... 168 210 172 176 169 3.9 4.8 3.9 4.0 3.8

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

Net employment change .............. 77 -12 38 36 126 1.7 -.2 .9 .8 2.7

Utilities

Gross job gains ........................... 12 14 12 12 14 2.2 2.6 2.2 2.2 2.6

At expanding establishments ......... 11 12 11 11 12 2.0 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.2

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

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

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

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

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

 Information

Gross job gains ........................... 136 122 141 139 145 5.0 4.5 5.2 5.1 5.2

At expanding establishments ......... 113 101 119 117 119 4.2 3.7 4.4 4.3 4.3

At opening establishments ............ 23 21 22 22 26 .8 .8 .8 .8 .9

Gross job losses ........................... 123 127 133 138 134 4.5 4.6 4.9 5.0 4.8

At contracting establishments ......... 101 107 111 118 108 3.7 3.9 4.1 4.3 3.9

At closing establishments ............ 22 20 22 20 26 .8 .7 .8 .7 .9

Net employment change .............. 13 -5 8 1 11 .5 -.1 .3 .1 .4

Financial activities

Gross job gains ........................... 368 324 374 357 383 4.8 4.2 4.9 4.6 5.0

At expanding establishments ......... 288 262 305 288 301 3.8 3.4 4.0 3.7 3.9

At opening establishments ............ 80 62 69 69 82 1.0 .8 .9 .9 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 356 343 333 340 341 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.4 4.4

At contracting establishments ......... 278 269 262 268 261 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.4

At closing establishments ............ 78 74 71 72 80 1.0 1.0 .9 .9 1.0

Net employment change .............. 12 -19 41 17 42 .2 -.3 .6 .2 .6

Professional and business services

Gross job gains ........................... 1,455 1,258 1,438 1,378 1,554 7.7 6.7 7.6 7.2 8.0

At expanding establishments ......... 1,187 1,034 1,187 1,137 1,283 6.3 5.5 6.3 5.9 6.6

At opening establishments ............ 268 224 251 241 271 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.4

Gross job losses ........................... 1,256 1,263 1,236 1,247 1,269 6.7 6.7 6.5 6.5 6.5

At contracting establishments ......... 1,000 1,026 983 1,000 994 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.1

At closing establishments ............ 256 237 253 247 275 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4

Net employment change .............. 199 -5 202 131 285 1.0 .0 1.1 .7 1.5

Education and health services

Gross job gains ........................... 886 827 882 927 930 4.4 4.1 4.3 4.5 4.5

At expanding establishments ......... 725 694 731 768 764 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.7 3.7

At opening establishments ............ 161 133 151 159 166 .8 .7 .7 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 781 779 836 786 780 3.9 3.8 4.1 3.8 3.8

At contracting establishments ......... 626 640 671 632 616 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.0

At closing establishments ............ 155 139 165 154 164 .8 .7 .8 .7 .8

Net employment change .............. 105 48 46 141 150 .5 .3 .2 .7 .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. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec.

2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains ........................... 1,209 1,197 1,275 1,199 1,250 8.4 8.3 8.8 8.2 8.4

At expanding establishments ......... 945 942 1,003 950 979 6.6 6.5 6.9 6.5 6.6

At opening establishments ............ 264 255 272 249 271 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.8

Gross job losses ........................... 1,121 1,075 1,162 1,226 1,140 7.8 7.4 8.0 8.4 7.7

At contracting establishments ......... 914 876 961 1,024 930 6.4 6.0 6.6 7.0 6.3

At closing establishments ............ 207 199 201 202 210 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4

Net employment change .............. 88 122 113 -27 110 .6 .9 .8 -.2 .7

 Other services

Gross job gains ........................... 272 280 302 282 283 7.0 7.1 7.6 7.1 7.1

At expanding establishments ......... 214 224 241 227 226 5.5 5.7 6.1 5.7 5.7

At opening establishments ............ 58 56 61 55 57 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4

Gross job losses ........................... 273 252 268 280 272 7.0 6.4 6.7 7.1 6.8

At contracting establishments ......... 214 197 211 222 212 5.5 5.0 5.3 5.6 5.3

At closing establishments ............ 59 55 57 58 60 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5

Net employment change .............. -1 28 34 2 11 .0 .7 .9 .0 .3

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

June 915 6,134 5,219 322 3,160 2,838 227 1,129 902 366 1,845 1,479

September 521 5,813 5,292 171 3,002 2,831 99 1,057 958 251 1,754 1,503

December 1,000 6,142 5,142 219 3,085 2,866 154 1,083 929 627 1,974 1,347

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

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 Net 

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

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

2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014

Total private by firm 1

Gross job gains ........................ 5,897 5,621 6,134 5,813 6,142 5.2 4.9 5.4 5.0 5.3

At expanding firms .................. 4,988 4,738 5,240 4,949 5,230 4.4 4.1 4.6 4.3 4.5

At opening firms ..................... 909 883 894 864 912 .8 .8 .8 .7 .8

Gross job losses ........................ 5,239 5,176 5,219 5,292 5,142 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.4

At contracting firms .................. 4,394 4,349 4,410 4,498 4,296 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.7

At closing firms ................... 845 827 809 794 846 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change ............. 658 445 915 521 1,000 .6 .4 .9 .4 .9

Firm size 1 to 49 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 3,028 3,044 3,160 3,002 3,085 9.4 9.4 9.7 9.2 9.3

At expanding firms .................. 2,158 2,196 2,305 2,183 2,215 6.7 6.8 7.1 6.7 6.7

At opening firms ..................... 870 848 855 819 870 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.6

Gross job losses ........................ 2,898 2,808 2,838 2,831 2,866 9.0 8.6 8.7 8.6 8.7

At contracting firms .................. 2,089 2,015 2,065 2,074 2,067 6.5 6.2 6.3 6.3 6.3

At closing firms ................... 809 793 773 757 799 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.4

Net employment change ............. 130 236 322 171 219 .4 .8 1.0 .6 .6

Firm size 50 to 249 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 1,034 1,026 1,129 1,057 1,083 4.9 4.9 5.4 5.0 5.1

At expanding firms .................. 1,003 996 1,094 1,020 1,046 4.8 4.8 5.2 4.8 4.9

At opening firms ..................... 31 30 35 37 37 .1 .1 .2 .2 .2

Gross job losses ........................ 930 875 902 958 929 4.4 4.1 4.3 4.5 4.4

At contracting firms .................. 899 845 874 928 891 4.3 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.2

At closing firms ................... 31 30 28 30 38 .1 .1 .1 .1 .2

Net employment change ............. 104 151 227 99 154 .5 .8 1.1 .5 .7

Firm size 250 or more employees

Gross job gains ........................ 1,835 1,551 1,845 1,754 1,974 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.8 3.2

At expanding firms .................. 1,827 1,546 1,841 1,746 1,969 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.8 3.2

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

Gross job losses ........................ 1,411 1,493 1,479 1,503 1,347 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.2

At contracting firms .................. 1,406 1,489 1,471 1,496 1,338 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.2

At closing firms ................... 5 4 8 7 9 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0

Net employment change ............. 424 58 366 251 627 .7 .1 .6 .4 1.0

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

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

2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014

United States 1

 ............ 7,296,000 6,856,000 7,438,000 7,179,000 7,635,000 6,553,000 6,459,000 6,522,000 6,637,000 6,526,000

Alabama .................. 88,974 84,701 87,364 88,919 90,371 80,202 84,878 81,574 81,945 78,004

Alaska ..................... 25,599 27,111 27,613 23,910 26,557 26,151 24,286 27,672 26,323 26,126

Arizona .................. 142,862 122,710 128,550 137,917 151,778 114,990 127,049 126,814 117,215 113,641

Arkansas .................. 56,317 55,241 52,907 56,474 62,332 52,575 48,156 46,722 50,404 47,403

California .................. 970,775 908,148 934,892 939,378 994,075 826,149 819,458 863,561 809,544 878,278

Colorado .................. 138,088 134,852 147,457 149,148 145,170 120,042 117,084 122,734 126,134 125,435

Connecticut ............... 72,962 71,412 78,491 73,150 76,328 75,714 70,265 68,091 73,700 71,706

Delaware .................. 23,382 22,392 23,550 21,635 25,660 20,578 21,103 18,717 22,310 19,587

District of Columbia ... 27,767 28,507 31,217 27,893 26,283 26,410 26,428 27,883 27,027 27,030

Florida ..................... 459,908 429,242 478,152 487,819 485,007 396,853 379,039 412,796 401,485 403,964

Georgia .................. 223,857 218,553 229,447 229,767 238,774 191,558 187,662 201,150 198,093 191,279

Hawaii ..................... 27,361 24,229 24,507 26,070 26,306 22,530 25,768 25,728 23,396 22,671

Idaho ..................... 43,528 44,986 40,993 39,497 42,651 38,182 38,401 42,522 38,930 35,166

Illinois ..................... 287,742 282,582 301,654 279,907 310,184 262,299 273,676 271,324 289,157 277,372

Indiana ..................... 151,123 130,738 146,372 133,763 158,906 126,070 137,774 125,025 131,464 124,754

Iowa ........................ 75,848 73,265 78,695 72,206 77,791 69,858 69,123 72,090 73,304 71,592

Kansas ..................... 68,947 62,686 67,594 63,328 70,016 58,995 61,041 62,628 64,034 59,244

Kentucky .................. 97,171 91,202 91,806 91,563 100,608 80,834 87,753 82,312 81,553 80,975

Louisiana .................. 106,092 106,380 105,324 106,145 109,447 96,483 92,250 102,933 93,279 95,085

Maine ..................... 34,549 32,803 38,308 32,929 35,170 36,734 34,830 31,772 34,869 35,226

Maryland .................. 129,342 120,701 136,035 133,072 138,569 129,324 119,730 119,062 128,097 128,152

Massachusetts ............ 155,212 153,255 182,525 162,669 176,385 152,909 146,767 151,926 160,288 153,896

Michigan .................. 210,828 193,208 226,224 192,391 220,347 193,392 179,299 192,512 205,613 186,360

Minnesota ............... 132,158 122,559 152,857 131,751 137,598 131,154 131,329 118,560 139,248 129,787

Mississippi ............... 56,504 49,034 52,831 53,592 59,693 48,189 50,683 57,818 51,427 45,894

Missouri .................. 133,406 124,363 134,112 125,122 142,836 123,901 123,281 117,942 125,281 116,244

Montana .................. 29,553 25,940 29,275 28,828 30,591 26,617 28,165 27,435 28,838 28,774

Nebraska .................. 49,098 46,627 47,067 47,231 49,466 44,342 43,926 46,594 45,164 44,487

Nevada ..................... 63,969 68,371 69,971 69,834 70,245 53,928 54,147 58,601 58,920 56,185

New Hampshire ......... 35,941 30,782 36,567 31,977 37,108 31,262 31,894 32,625 34,115 32,534

New Jersey ............... 208,002 191,577 224,863 208,063 228,030 207,528 201,873 189,895 205,705 198,990

New Mexico ............ 42,014 38,773 40,569 40,285 43,313 38,594 39,417 37,554 37,562 37,596

New York ............... 488,832 453,091 494,472 478,751 489,879 440,138 439,127 429,972 447,805 436,119

North Carolina ............ 213,112 196,483 215,534 207,123 222,971 189,004 186,412 182,481 193,641 182,522

North Dakota ............ 29,881 31,989 28,240 30,567 32,989 24,992 24,936 26,117 25,255 25,721

Ohio ........................ 265,643 250,208 270,113 246,052 273,048 236,612 245,509 234,618 248,466 232,601

Oklahoma ............... 77,204 76,411 77,458 76,496 85,104 77,423 74,634 76,244 69,680 69,389

Oregon ..................... 97,663 99,610 98,987 100,879 102,995 92,599 87,208 91,579 87,386 92,052

Pennsylvania ............ 267,301 253,643 273,659 255,730 274,455 253,489 242,728 240,437 252,935 240,163

Rhode Island ............ 24,474 22,816 26,158 24,210 26,357 22,933 22,863 22,333 23,419 22,844

South Carolina ............ 102,061 95,713 99,522 93,993 107,609 82,586 88,987 89,050 90,212 77,805

South Dakota ............ 22,932 21,356 21,583 20,766 21,356 20,102 20,435 20,238 20,179 19,843

Tennessee ............... 144,253 125,985 130,918 133,159 149,273 110,071 121,089 117,551 117,107 110,514

Texas ..................... 566,604 553,296 571,566 576,117 619,644 487,463 479,767 465,260 486,158 479,473

Utah ........................ 77,520 69,642 75,546 76,505 77,378 64,131 63,801 70,146 65,137 63,345

Vermont .................. 18,911 16,846 18,513 17,138 18,915 16,542 16,944 17,331 18,095 16,861

Virginia .................. 169,315 157,945 183,313 168,475 170,693 165,862 161,816 164,858 174,289 162,570

Washington ............... 171,855 165,916 183,724 176,717 181,492 156,542 147,848 138,526 149,394 147,867

West Virginia ............ 36,600 35,778 37,208 34,450 37,117 35,915 37,449 36,067 36,943 33,713

Wisconsin ............... 131,886 124,346 139,665 126,572 136,741 122,147 121,292 119,588 133,120 121,642

Wyoming .................. 20,206 18,391 18,848 17,986 20,197 17,263 17,376 17,883 18,285 17,684

Puerto Rico ............... 45,339 35,354 38,012 38,138 43,922 36,188 44,386 42,472 40,511 33,988

Virgin Islands ............ 1,497 1,354 1,647 1,701 1,713 1,668 1,662 1,719 1,486 1,520

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

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

2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014

United States .......................... 6.4 6.0 6.5 6.2 6.6 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.8 5.6

Alabama ............................. 6.0 5.6 5.9 5.9 6.0 5.3 5.7 5.5 5.4 5.2

Alaska ................................. 10.1 10.8 10.9 9.4 10.5 10.4 9.6 10.9 10.4 10.3

Arizona ............................... 6.7 5.7 6.0 6.4 7.0 5.4 6.0 6.0 5.4 5.2

Arkansas .............................. 6.0 5.8 5.6 5.9 6.5 5.5 5.0 4.9 5.3 4.9

California ........................... 7.3 6.8 7.0 7.0 7.3 6.3 6.1 6.4 6.0 6.5

Colorado .............................. 6.9 6.7 7.3 7.3 7.0 6.1 5.9 6.1 6.2 6.1

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

Delaware .............................. 6.6 6.3 6.5 6.0 7.0 5.8 5.9 5.2 6.1 5.4

District of Columbia ............... 5.8 5.9 6.4 5.7 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.7 5.5 5.5

Florida ................................. 7.0 6.5 7.2 7.2 7.1 6.0 5.8 6.2 5.9 6.0

Georgia .............................. 6.8 6.5 6.8 6.8 7.0 5.8 5.6 5.9 5.9 5.6

Hawaii ............................... 5.4 4.8 4.9 5.2 5.2 4.5 5.1 5.1 4.7 4.4

Idaho .................................... 8.3 8.4 7.7 7.5 7.9 7.3 7.2 8.0 7.3 6.5

Illinois ................................ 5.8 5.8 6.1 5.7 6.2 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.8 5.5

Indiana ............................... 6.1 5.3 5.9 5.3 6.3 5.1 5.5 5.0 5.3 5.0

Iowa .................................... 6.0 5.8 6.2 5.7 6.1 5.5 5.5 5.7 5.7 5.6

Kansas ................................. 6.2 5.7 6.1 5.7 6.2 5.3 5.5 5.7 5.8 5.3

Kentucky .............................. 6.5 6.1 6.2 6.1 6.6 5.4 5.9 5.5 5.4 5.3

Louisiana .............................. 6.7 6.7 6.6 6.6 6.8 6.1 5.8 6.4 5.8 5.8

Maine ................................ 7.0 6.7 7.8 6.7 7.1 7.5 7.0 6.5 7.1 7.2

Maryland ............................ 6.4 5.9 6.6 6.5 6.6 6.3 5.8 5.8 6.2 6.2

Massachusetts ....................... 5.4 5.3 6.3 5.6 6.0 5.3 5.0 5.3 5.5 5.3

Michigan ............................. 6.0 5.5 6.4 5.5 6.2 5.6 5.1 5.4 5.8 5.2

Minnesota ........................... 5.6 5.3 6.5 5.5 5.8 5.6 5.7 5.1 5.9 5.4

Mississippi ........................... 6.6 5.7 6.1 6.2 6.8 5.6 5.9 6.7 6.0 5.2

Missouri .............................. 6.0 5.6 6.0 5.6 6.3 5.5 5.5 5.3 5.6 5.1

Montana ............................... 8.2 7.2 8.2 8.0 8.5 7.5 7.9 7.7 8.1 8.0

Nebraska .............................. 6.3 5.9 6.0 6.0 6.2 5.7 5.6 6.0 5.7 5.6

Nevada ............................... 6.3 6.6 6.7 6.6 6.6 5.3 5.2 5.6 5.5 5.3

New Hampshire ..................... 6.8 5.7 6.7 5.9 6.9 5.8 5.9 6.1 6.3 6.0

New Jersey ........................... 6.4 5.9 6.9 6.3 6.9 6.4 6.2 5.8 6.3 6.1

New Mexico ........................ 6.9 6.3 6.6 6.5 7.0 6.4 6.4 6.1 6.1 6.0

New York ........................... 6.6 6.2 6.6 6.4 6.5 6.0 6.0 5.7 6.0 5.8

North Carolina ........................ 6.4 5.9 6.4 6.1 6.5 5.7 5.6 5.5 5.8 5.4

North Dakota ........................ 8.2 8.6 7.6 8.2 8.7 6.9 6.8 7.0 6.7 6.7

Ohio .................................... 6.0 5.6 6.1 5.5 6.1 5.3 5.6 5.3 5.5 5.1

Oklahoma ........................... 6.2 6.1 6.2 6.1 6.7 6.2 6.0 6.1 5.5 5.5

Oregon ................................. 6.9 7.0 6.9 7.0 7.1 6.6 6.1 6.4 6.0 6.3

Pennsylvania ........................ 5.4 5.2 5.6 5.2 5.6 5.2 4.9 4.8 5.1 4.8

Rhode Island ........................ 6.2 5.7 6.5 5.9 6.4 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.8 5.6

South Carolina ........................ 6.7 6.2 6.5 6.1 6.8 5.5 5.8 5.7 5.8 5.0

South Dakota ........................ 6.9 6.3 6.4 6.2 6.3 6.0 6.1 6.0 6.0 5.8

Tennessee ........................... 6.3 5.4 5.6 5.7 6.3 4.7 5.3 5.0 5.0 4.7

Texas ................................. 6.1 5.9 6.0 6.0 6.4 5.3 5.1 4.9 5.1 4.9

Utah .................................... 7.4 6.5 7.0 7.1 7.1 6.1 6.0 6.6 6.0 5.8

Vermont .............................. 7.6 6.7 7.4 6.8 7.5 6.6 6.8 6.9 7.2 6.7

Virginia .............................. 5.7 5.3 6.2 5.6 5.8 5.6 5.5 5.5 5.8 5.5

Washington ........................... 6.9 6.6 7.3 7.0 7.1 6.3 5.9 5.5 6.0 5.9

West Virginia ........................ 6.5 6.3 6.6 6.1 6.6 6.4 6.7 6.4 6.6 6.0

Wisconsin ........................... 5.7 5.3 5.9 5.3 5.7 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.6 5.1

Wyoming .............................. 9.4 8.4 8.7 8.3 9.2 8.1 8.0 8.2 8.4 8.1

Puerto Rico ........................... 6.6 5.1 5.6 5.6 6.5 5.2 6.4 6.3 5.9 5.0

Virgin Islands ........................ 5.5 4.9 6.1 6.3 6.2 6.0 6.1 6.4 5.5 5.5

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 3.0 195 2.6 831 .7 683 .6

December 215 2.9 190 2.5 811 .7 677 .6

2014 March 213 2.8 187 2.5 763 .7 629 .5

June 220 2.9 N/A N/A 803 .7 N/A N/A

September 224 3.0 N/A N/A 825 .7 N/A N/A

December 222 2.9 N/A N/A 842 .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