Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical Information: (202) 691-6467 USDL 08-1141 

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

 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, August 12, 2008 

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS: FOURTH QUARTER 2007 

From September to December 2007, the number of job gains from opening and expanding private 

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

establishments was 7.3 million, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of 

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

more employees experienced a significant increase in their share of gross job gains (19.3 percent). (See 

tables D and 4 and chart 3.) 

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

losses at the establishment level by major industry sector 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. 

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

employment that occur at all businesses in the economy. BED statistics track these changes in 

employment at private business units from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. 

Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment from expansions at existing units and the 

addition of new jobs at opening units. Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at 

existing units and the loss of jobs at closing units. The difference between the number of gross jobs 

gained and the number of gross jobs lost is the net change in employment. (See the Technical Note for 

more information.) 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

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

3 months ended 

Category Dec. 

2006 

Mar. 

2007 

June 

2007 

Sept. 

 2007 

Dec. 

2007 

Levels (in thousands) 

Gross job gains.................................... 7,809 7,509 7,644 7,249 7,650 

 At expanding establishments........... 6,271 6,158 6,257 5,821 6,213 

 At opening establishments............... 1,538 1,351 1,387 1,428 1,437 

Gross job losses................................... 7,297 7,071 7,403 7,484 7,333 

 At contracting establishments........... 5,943 5,796 6,008 6,134 5,985 

 At closing establishments................ 

Net employment change1

........................ 

1,354 

512 

1,275 

438 

1,395 

241 

1,350 

-235 

1,348 

317 

 Rates (percent) 

Gross job gains................................ 7.0 6.6 6.7 6.4 6.8 

 At expanding establishments....... 5.6 5.4 5.5 5.1 5.5 

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

Gross job losses............................... 6.5 6.2 6.5 6.6 6.5 

 At contracting establishments........ 5.3 5.1 5.3 5.4 5.3 

 At closing establishments............. 

Net employment change1..................... 

1.2 

.5 

1.1 

.4 

1.2 

.2 

1.2 

-.2 

1.2 

.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. 

Private Sector Establishment-Level Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses 

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

fourth quarter of 2007, an increase of 401,000 from the previous quarter. Over the quarter, expanding 

establishments added 6.2 million jobs while opening establishments added 1.4 million jobs. 

Gross job losses totaled 7.3 million, a decrease of 151,000 from the previous quarter. During 

the quarter, contracting establishments lost 6.0 million jobs, while closing establishments lost 1.3 

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

The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross jobs lost 

yielded a net change of 317,000 jobs in the private sector for fourth quarter 2007. This marks a return 

to positive net job gains after a net job loss (-235,000) in third quarter 2007. 

From September to December 2007, gross job gains represented 6.8 percent of private sector 

employment, while gross job losses represented 6.5 percent of private sector employment. 

(See tables A and 2.) 
3

Major Industry Sector Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses 

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses at the following sectors: natural resources and mining, 

wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, utilities, professional and business 

services, education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and other services. Gross job gains at 

expanding establishments increased for all major industry sectors except information (117,000). (See 

tables B and 3.) 

Goods-producing. Expanding and opening establishments in the goods-producing sectors 

accounted for 1,561,000 jobs gained, and contracting and closing establishments accounted for 

1,690,000 jobs lost. This net loss of 129,000 jobs was the sixth consecutive quarter of net loss. 

Construction. In construction, gross job gains rose over the quarter to 777,000 and gross job losses 

increased slightly to 870,000, resulting in a net loss of 93,000 jobs. This sector experienced net losses 

in five of the previous six quarters including the record net loss of -107,000 in the third quarter 2007. 

Manufacturing. Gross job gains rose to 495,000 while gross job losses fell slightly to 561,000. 

Despite the recent downward trend in gross job losses, this sector continues to experience a net loss of 

-66,000 jobs, the sixth consecutive quarter of net job losses. 

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

(In thousands) 

Gross job gains 

(3 months ended) 

Gross job losses 

(3 months ended) 

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

2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 

Total private1 ......................... 7,809 7,509 7,644 7,249 7,650 7,297 7,071 7,403 7,484 7,333 

 Goods-Producing.................... 1,636 1,629 1,622 1,486 1,561 1,719 1,682 1,691 1,703 1,690 

 Natural res. and mining........... 287 279 286 257 289 266 287 269 270 259 

 Construction ....................... 825 850 814 762 777 845 816 855 869 870 

 Manufacturing 

..................... 524 500 522 467 495 608 579 567 564 561 

 Service-Providing1....................... 6,173 5,880 6,022 5,763 6,089 5,578 5,389 5,712 5,781 5,643 

 Wholesale trade................... 322 314 318 305 320 303 296 300 303 300 

 Retail trade ........................ 1,081 1,087 1,023 996 1,019 1,004 971 1,028 1,055 1,007 

 Transportation and warehousing. 269 224 242 220 252 225 245 222 228 228 

 Utilities ............................. 19 11 14 13 15 18 11 12 12 10 

 Information ........................ 167 138 160 153 145 146 132 137 155 155 

 Financial activities ................ 457 421 436 408 432 444 418 467 470 486 

 Professional and business 

 services....................... 1,427 1,276 1,389 1,301 1,438 1,313 1,242 1,322 1,315 1,327 

 Education and health services ... 795 799 785 797 810 692 655 697 684 667 

 Leisure and hospitality............... 1,223 1,165 1,219 1,158 1,240 1,105 1,096 1,196 1,215 1,144 

 Other services ...................... 299 292 304 288 293 291 278 287 307 285 

1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately. 
4

Service-providing. In the service-providing sectors, gross job gains increased to 6,089,000 and 

gross job losses decreased to 5,643,000. Job gains at expanding establishments increased to 4,881,000 

jobs, while job losses at contracting establishments decreased to 4,567,000 jobs. 

Education and Health Services. In the education and health services sector, gross job gains 

increased to 810,000 jobs in the fourth quarter. Job gains at opening establishments decreased to 

115,000 jobs, while job gains at expanding establishments increased to 695,000. Gross job losses 

decreased to 667,000. Gross job losses have not been larger than gross job gains since this series began 

in 1992. 

Retail Trade. In retail trade, gross job gains increased to 1,019,000; this is the first increase in 

gross gains since March 2007. Gross job losses dropped to 1,007,000. 

Leisure and Hospitality. The leisure and hospitality industry gained 1,240,000 jobs and lost 

1,144,000 jobs. The increase in job gains and decrease in job losses returned this sector to positive net 

change (96,000) in the fourth quarter of 2007. 

Financial Activities. For the third consecutive quarter, gross job losses (486,000) exceeded gross job 

gains (432,000). 

Number of Establishments Gaining and Losing Employment

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

proportion of business units that are growing and declining. In the fourth quarter of 2007, the number 

of establishments gaining jobs exceeded the number of establishments losing jobs. 

Out of 7.1 million active private-sector establishments, a total of 1,923,000 establishments lost 

jobs from September to December 2007. (See table C.) Of these establishments, 1,566,000 were 

contracting establishments and 357,000 were closing establishments. Of the establishments gaining 

jobs, 1,556,000 establishments were expanding and 380,000 establishments were opening, resulting in 

1,936,000 establishments gaining jobs. 

The number of opening establishments (380,000) increased while the number of closing 

establishments (357,000) decreased, resulting in a net addition of 23,000 establishments during the 

quarter. 

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

 (In thousands) 

3 months ended 

Category Dec. 

2006 

Mar. 

2007 

June 

2007 

Sept. 

 2007 

Dec. 

2007 

Establishments gaining jobs............... 1,954 1,935 1,907 1,886 1,936 

 Expanding establishments........... 1,562 1,577 1,555 1,519 1,556 

 Opening establishments.............. 

Establishments losing jobs................. 

392 

1,892 

358 

1,900 

352 

1,938 

367 

1,944 

380 

1,923 

 Contracting establishments.......... 1,542 1,545 1,574 1,585 1,566 

 Closing establishments................ 

Net establishment change1

................. 

350 

42 

355 

3 

364 

-12 

359 

8 

357 

23 

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

establishments. See the Technical Note for further information. 
5

Table D. Three-month private sector share1 of gross job gains and gross job losses by firm size , seasonally adjusted 

(Percent)

Share of gross job gains 

3 months ended 

Share of gross job losses 

3 months ended 

Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec. Firm size 

2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 

1 - 4 employees................. 15.8 15.7 14.8 16.0 15.5 15.9 16.7 16.2 15.8 16.1 

5 - 9 employees................ 11.6 12.3 11.6 12.1 11.4 12.4 12.6 12.4 12.2 12.3 

10 - 19 employees............. 11.7 12.5 12.1 12.2 11.7 12.4 12.5 12.5 12.4 12.4 

20 - 49 employees........... 13.8 14.6 14.6 14.3 13.8 14.4 14.4 14.3 14.6 14.5 

50 - 99 employees........... 8.7 9.0 9.2 8.9 8.8 8.9 8.8 8.7 9.0 9.0 

100 - 249 employees....... 9.2 9.4 9.9 9.3 9.3 9.3 9.0 8.8 9.5 9.1 

250 - 499 employees........ 5.5 5.5 5.9 5.6 5.6 5.8 5.3 5.3 5.6 5.4 

500 - 999 employees........ 4.5 4.5 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.5 

1,000 or more employees.... 

Total.................................... 

19.2 

100.0 

16.5 

100.0 

17.1 

100.0 

16.9 

100.0 

19.3 

100.0 

16.3 

100.0 

16.6 

100.0 

17.4 

100.0 

16.4 

100.0 

16.7 

100.0 

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

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

From September to December 2007, firms with 1,000 or more employees accounted for the 

largest share of gross job gains (19.3 percent). This was a significant increase in the share of gross job 

gains for the largest size class over the fourth quarter. Shares of gross job gains fell or remained the 

same at all other size classes. (See tables D and 4, and chart 3.) 

Firms with 1,000 or more employees had the largest share of gross job losses (16.7 percent), 

followed by firms with 1 to 4 employees with 16.1 percent. 

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

September 2007 to December 2007, seasonally adjusted

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

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

more Firm Size - Number of Employees

Percent

Share of gross job gains Share of gross job losses
6

Gross Job Gains and Losses by State

 Over the fourth quarter, Nevada had the largest increase in rate of gross job gains (7.6 percent, up 

from 6.1 percent in third quarter 2007), while Minnesota and Missouri saw the largest decreases in rate 

of gross job gains. (See table 6.) Gross job gains increased in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and 

the Virgin Islands, and gross job losses decreased in 38 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico 

and the Virgin Islands. (See table 5.) 

More Information

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

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

includes data on the levels and rates of gross job gains and gross job losses by firm size, the not 

seasonally adjusted data and other seasonally adjusted time series not presented in this release, charts of 

gross job gains and gross job losses by industry and firm size, and frequently asked questions on firmsize 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. 

Comparing Business Employment Dynamics Data with Current Employment Statistics and 

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wage Data 

The net change in employment from Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data series will not 

match the net change in employment from the monthly Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey. 

The CES estimates are based on monthly surveys from a sample of establishments, while gross job 

gains and gross job losses are based on a quarterly census of administrative records. In addition, the 

CES has a different coverage, excluding the agriculture sector but including establishments not covered 

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

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

the CES seasonally adjusted total employment series. The intended use of the BED statistics is to show 

the dynamic labor market flows that underlie the net changes in aggregate employment levels; data 

users who want to track net changes in aggregate employment levels over time should refer to CES 

data. 

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

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

private households (NAICS 814110), and establishments with zero employment. 

See the Technical Note for further information. 
7

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), or the ES-202 program. The BED 

data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor 

Statistics (BLS) from existing quarterly state 

unemployment insurance (UI) records. Most 

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

reports on the employment and wages of workers 

covered by UI laws, and to pay quarterly UI taxes. 

The quarterly UI reports are sent by the State 

Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) to BLS and 

form the basis of the Bureau’s establishment universe 

sampling frame. These reports are also used to 

produce the quarterly QCEW data on total 

employment and wages and the longitudinal BED 

data on gross job gains and losses. Other important 

Bureau uses of the UI reports are in the Current 

Employment Statistics (CES) program. 

 In the BED program, the quarterly UI records are 

linked across quarters to provide a longitudinal 

history for each establishment. The linkage process 

allows the tracking of net employment changes at the 

establishment level, which in turn allows the 

estimation of jobs gained at opening and expanding 

units and jobs lost at closing and contracting units. 

Differences between QCEW, BED, and 

CES employment measures 

 The Bureau publishes three different 

establishment-based 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 overthe-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 9.1 million employers 

• Count of longitudinally-linked UI 

administrative records submitted by 

7.1 million private sector employers 

• Sample Survey: 400,000 

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 

— 7 Months after the end of each 

quarter 

• Quarterly 

— 8 Months after the end of each quarter 

• Monthly 

— First Friday of each 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 

and by size of firm, and at the state 

private-sector total level 

• Future expansions will include data with 

greater industry detail and 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/ 
8

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 selfemployed workers, religious organizations, most 

agricultural workers on small farms, all members of 

the Armed Forces, elected officials in most states, 

most employees of railroads, some domestic workers, 

most student workers at schools, and employees of 

certain small nonprofit organizations. 

Gross job gains and gross job losses in this 

release are derived from longitudinal histories of over 

7.1 million private sector employer reports out of 

9.1 million total reports of employment and wages 

submitted by states to BLS in the fourth quarter of 

2007. 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 also are 

excluded from the national data. As an illustration, the 

table below shows, in millions of establishments, the 

number of establishments excluded from the national 

gross job gains and gross job losses data in the fourth 

quarter 2007: 

Number of active establishments included in 

Business Employment Dynamics data at the 

national level 

 Millions 

Total establishments QCEW program.........9.1 

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

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

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

 Establishments in Puerto Rico 

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

Total establishments included in Business 

Employment Dynamics data........................7.1 

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. 
9

Contractions. These are units with positive 

employment in the third month in both the previous 

and current quarters, with a net decrease in 

employment over this period. 

All 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. 

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 3-year cycle. 

Changes in establishment classification codes 

resulting from the verification process are introduced 

with the data reported for the first quarter of the year. 

Changes resulting from improved employer reporting 

also are introduced in the first quarter. 

 

Sizing methodology 

 The method of dynamic sizing is used in 

calculations for the BED size class data series. 

Dynamic sizing allocates each firm’s employment 

gain or loss during a quarter to each respective size 

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

firm grew from 2 employees in quarter 1 to 38 

employees in quarter 2, then, of the 36-employee 

increase, 2 would be allocated to the first size class, 5 

to the size class 5 to 9, 10 to size class 10 to 19, and 

19 to size class 20 to 49. 

 Dynamic sizing provides symmetrical firm size 

estimates and eliminates any systematic effects which 

may be caused by the transitory and reverting changes 

in firms’ sizes over time. Additionally, it allocates 

each job gain or loss to the actual size class where it 

occurred. 

Seasonal adjustment 

 Over the course of a year, the levels of 

employment and the associated job flows undergo 

sharp fluctuations due to such seasonal events as 

changes in the weather, reduced or expanded 

production, harvests, major holidays, and the opening 

and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal 

variation can be very large. 

 Because these seasonal events follow a more or 

less regular pattern each year, their influence can be 

eliminated by adjusting these statistics from quarter to 

quarter. These adjustments make nonseasonal 

developments, such as declines in economic activity, 

easier to recognize. For example, the large number of 

youths taking summer jobs is likely to obscure other 

changes that have taken place in June relative to 

March, making it difficult to determine if the level of 

economic activity has risen or declined. However, 

because the effect of students finishing school in 

previous years is known, the statistics for the current 

year can be adjusted to allow for a comparable 

change. The adjusted figures provide a more useful 

tool with which to analyze changes in economic 

activity. 

 The employment data series for opening, 

expanding, closing, and contracting units are 

independently seasonally adjusted; net changes are 

calculated based on the difference between gross job 

gains and gross job losses. Similarly, for industry 

data, the establishment counts data series for opening, 

expanding, closing, and contracting establishments 

are independently adjusted, and the net changes are 

calculated based on the difference between the 

number of opening and closing establishments. 

Additionally establishment and employment levels are 

independently seasonally adjusted to calculate the 

seasonally adjusted rates. Concurrent seasonal 

adjustment is run using X-12 ARIMA. Seasonally 

adjusted data series for total private are the sum of 

seasonally adjusted data of all sectors including the 

unclassified sector, which is not separately published. 
10

The net over-the-quarter change derived by 

summing the BED component series will differ from 

the net employment change estimated from the 

seasonally adjusted total private employment series 

from the CES program. The intended use of BED 

statistics is to show the dynamic labor market changes 

that underlie the net employment change statistic. As 

such, data users interested particularly in the net 

employment change and not in the gross job flows 

underlying this change should refer to CES data for 

over-the-quarter net employment changes.

 

Reliability of the data 

 Since the data series on Business Employment 

Dynamics are based on administrative rather than 

sample data, there are no issues related to sampling 

error. Nonsampling error, however, still exists. 

Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, such 

as the employer submitting corrected employment 

data after the end of the quarter or typographical 

errors made by businesses when providing 

information. Such errors, however, are likely to be 

distributed randomly throughout the dataset. 

 Changes in administrative data sometimes create 

complications for the linkage process. This can result 

in overstating openings and closings while 

understating expansions and contractions. The BLS 

continues to refine methods for improving the linkage 

process to alleviate the effects of these complications. 

 The BED data series are subject to periodic minor 

changes based on corrections in QCEW records, 

updates on predecessors and successors information, 

and seasonal adjustment revisions. 

Additional statistics and other information 

 Several other programs within BLS produce 

closely related information. The QCEW program, also 

known as the ES-202 program, provides both quarterly 

and annual estimates of employment by state, county, 

and detailed industry. News releases on quarterly 

county employment and wages and an annual bulletin: 

Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 2003 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. 

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number: 1-800-877-8339. 
Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

1992 September .................. 599 7,329 5,688 1,641 6,730 5,308 1,422

December ..................... 123 6,986 5,452 1,534 6,863 5,484 1,379

1993 March .......................... 288 7,117 5,404 1,713 6,829 5,364 1,465

June .......................... 734 7,275 5,782 1,493 6,541 5,155 1,386

September .................. 965 7,539 5,926 1,613 6,574 5,265 1,309

December ..................... 603 7,375 5,822 1,553 6,772 5,411 1,361

1994 March .......................... 559 7,381 5,800 1,581 6,822 5,401 1,421

June .......................... 905 7,709 6,041 1,668 6,804 5,315 1,489

September .................. 1,288 8,002 6,277 1,725 6,714 5,426 1,288

December ..................... 460 7,535 5,978 1,557 7,075 5,642 1,433

1995 March .......................... 758 7,787 6,124 1,663 7,029 5,652 1,377

June .......................... 358 7,666 6,006 1,660 7,308 5,840 1,468

September .................. 845 7,983 6,341 1,642 7,138 5,645 1,493

December ..................... 378 7,830 6,140 1,690 7,452 5,929 1,523

1996 March .......................... 457 7,933 6,179 1,754 7,476 5,967 1,509

June .......................... 631 8,051 6,282 1,769 7,420 5,903 1,517

September .................. 704 8,177 6,373 1,804 7,473 5,942 1,531

December ..................... 816 8,206 6,396 1,810 7,390 5,875 1,515

1997 March .......................... 784 8,214 6,407 1,807 7,430 5,886 1,544

June .......................... 584 8,055 6,330 1,725 7,471 5,931 1,540

September .................. 901 8,515 6,718 1,797 7,614 5,927 1,687

December ..................... 708 8,617 6,697 1,920 7,909 6,024 1,885

1998 March .......................... 711 8,648 6,599 2,049 7,937 6,077 1,860

June .......................... 610 8,629 6,552 2,077 8,019 6,224 1,795

September .................. 742 8,508 6,607 1,901 7,766 6,093 1,673

December ..................... 768 8,475 6,737 1,738 7,707 6,025 1,682

1999 March .......................... 353 8,585 6,626 1,959 8,232 6,395 1,837

June .......................... 644 8,539 6,661 1,878 7,895 6,210 1,685

September .................. 588 8,571 6,734 1,837 7,983 6,250 1,733

December ..................... 1,005 8,749 6,956 1,793 7,744 6,076 1,668

2000 March .......................... 789 8,792 6,924 1,868 8,003 6,341 1,662

June .......................... 492 8,499 6,814 1,685 8,007 6,387 1,620

September .................. 296 8,506 6,728 1,778 8,210 6,483 1,727

December ..................... 295 8,400 6,702 1,698 8,105 6,433 1,672

2001 March .......................... -156 8,436 6,694 1,742 8,592 6,717 1,875

June .......................... -792 8,009 6,319 1,690 8,801 7,050 1,751

September .................. -1,184 7,608 5,917 1,691 8,792 6,991 1,801

December ..................... -960 7,591 5,932 1,659 8,551 6,858 1,693

2002 March .......................... -39 8,049 6,259 1,790 8,088 6,424 1,664

June .......................... -38 7,890 6,164 1,726 7,928 6,290 1,638

September .................. -171 7,608 6,015 1,593 7,779 6,248 1,531

December ..................... -198 7,522 5,960 1,562 7,720 6,171 1,549

2003 March .......................... -420 7,423 5,901 1,522 7,843 6,306 1,537

June .......................... -96 7,415 5,944 1,471 7,511 6,040 1,471

September .................. 180 7,369 5,898 1,471 7,189 5,828 1,361

December ..................... 332 7,560 6,027 1,533 7,228 5,792 1,436

2004 March .......................... 439 7,669 6,174 1,495 7,230 5,796 1,434

June .......................... 636 7,771 6,251 1,520 7,135 5,651 1,484

September .................. 182 7,612 6,036 1,576 7,430 5,889 1,541

December ..................... 797 7,883 6,268 1,615 7,086 5,655 1,431

2005 March .......................... 352 7,578 6,107 1,471 7,226 5,800 1,426

June .......................... 590 7,796 6,248 1,548 7,206 5,789 1,417

September .................. 651 7,943 6,362 1,581 7,292 5,846 1,446

December ..................... 539 7,846 6,278 1,568 7,307 5,936 1,371

2006 March .......................... 774 7,679 6,261 1,418 6,905 5,633 1,272

June .......................... 416 7,811 6,292 1,519 7,395 6,015 1,380

September .................. 11 7,473 6,032 1,441 7,462 6,110 1,352

December ..................... 512 7,809 6,271 1,538 7,297 5,943 1,354

2007 March .......................... 438 7,509 6,158 1,351 7,071 5,796 1,275

June .......................... 241 7,644 6,257 1,387 7,403 6,008 1,395

September .................. -235 7,249 5,821 1,428 7,484 6,134 1,350

December ..................... 317 7,650 6,213 1,437 7,333 5,985 1,348

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

Gross job losses

Year 3 months ended Net change 1

Gross job gains

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

 seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

1992 September .................. .7 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.5 5.9 1.6

December ..................... .2 7.8 6.1 1.7 7.6 6.1 1.5

1993 March .......................... .3 7.9 6.0 1.9 7.6 6.0 1.6

June .......................... .8 8.0 6.4 1.6 7.2 5.7 1.5

September .................. 1.1 8.3 6.5 1.8 7.2 5.8 1.4

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

1994 March .......................... .7 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.3 5.8 1.5

June .......................... 1.0 8.3 6.5 1.8 7.3 5.7 1.6

September .................. 1.3 8.4 6.6 1.8 7.1 5.7 1.4

December ..................... .5 7.9 6.3 1.6 7.4 5.9 1.5

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

June .......................... .3 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.6 6.1 1.5

September .................. .9 8.2 6.5 1.7 7.3 5.8 1.5

December ..................... .3 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.7 6.1 1.6

1996 March .......................... .5 8.1 6.3 1.8 7.6 6.1 1.5

June .......................... .7 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.5 6.0 1.5

September .................. .7 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.5 6.0 1.5

December ..................... .8 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.4 5.9 1.5

1997 March .......................... .9 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.3 5.8 1.5

June .......................... .6 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.3 5.8 1.5

September .................. 1.0 8.4 6.6 1.8 7.4 5.8 1.6

December ..................... .8 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.6 5.8 1.8

1998 March .......................... .7 8.4 6.4 2.0 7.7 5.9 1.8

June .......................... .6 8.3 6.3 2.0 7.7 6.0 1.7

September .................. .7 8.1 6.3 1.8 7.4 5.8 1.6

December ..................... .7 8.0 6.4 1.6 7.3 5.7 1.6

1999 March .......................... .3 8.0 6.2 1.8 7.7 6.0 1.7

June .......................... .6 8.0 6.2 1.8 7.4 5.8 1.6

September .................. .6 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.4 5.8 1.6

December ..................... 1.0 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.1 5.6 1.5

2000 March .......................... .7 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.3 5.8 1.5

June .......................... .4 7.7 6.2 1.5 7.3 5.8 1.5

September .................. .2 7.7 6.1 1.6 7.5 5.9 1.6

December ..................... .3 7.6 6.1 1.5 7.3 5.8 1.5

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

June .......................... -.8 7.2 5.7 1.5 8.0 6.4 1.6

September .................. -1.2 6.9 5.4 1.5 8.1 6.4 1.7

December ..................... -.9 7.0 5.5 1.5 7.9 6.3 1.6

2002 March .......................... .0 7.5 5.8 1.7 7.5 6.0 1.5

June .......................... .0 7.3 5.7 1.6 7.3 5.8 1.5

September .................. -.1 7.1 5.6 1.5 7.2 5.8 1.4

December ..................... .0 7.1 5.6 1.5 7.1 5.7 1.4

2003 March .......................... -.4 6.9 5.5 1.4 7.3 5.9 1.4

June .......................... -.1 7.0 5.6 1.4 7.1 5.7 1.4

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

December ..................... .3 7.0 5.6 1.4 6.7 5.4 1.3

2004 March .......................... .4 7.1 5.7 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 ..................... .8 7.3 5.8 1.5 6.5 5.2 1.3

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

June .......................... .5 7.1 5.7 1.4 6.6 5.3 1.3

September .................. .6 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.6 5.3 1.3

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

2006 March .......................... .8 6.9 5.6 1.3 6.1 5.0 1.1

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

September .................. .1 6.7 5.4 1.3 6.6 5.4 1.2

December ..................... .5 7.0 5.6 1.4 6.5 5.3 1.2

2007 March .......................... .4 6.6 5.4 1.2 6.2 5.1 1.1

June .......................... .2 6.7 5.5 1.2 6.5 5.3 1.2

September .................. -.2 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.6 5.4 1.2

December ..................... .3 6.8 5.5 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

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 Gross job losses

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

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

2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007

Total private 1

Gross job gains ........................... 7,809 7,509 7,644 7,249 7,650 7.0 6.6 6.7 6.4 6.8

At expanding establishments ......... 6,271 6,158 6,257 5,821 6,213 5.6 5.4 5.5 5.1 5.5

At opening establishments ............ 1,538 1,351 1,387 1,428 1,437 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3

Gross job losses ........................... 7,297 7,071 7,403 7,484 7,333 6.5 6.2 6.5 6.6 6.5

At contracting establishments ......... 5,943 5,796 6,008 6,134 5,985 5.3 5.1 5.3 5.4 5.3

At closing establishments ............ 1,354 1,275 1,395 1,350 1,348 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2

Net employment change .............. 512 438 241 -235 317 .5 .4 .2 -.2 .3

Goods-producing

Gross job gains ........................... 1,636 1,629 1,622 1,486 1,561 7.0 6.9 6.9 6.4 6.8

At expanding establishments ......... 1,381 1,398 1,385 1,256 1,332 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.4 5.8

At opening establishments ............ 255 231 237 230 229 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

Gross job losses ........................... 1,719 1,682 1,691 1,703 1,690 7.3 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.3

At contracting establishments ......... 1,452 1,421 1,415 1,436 1,418 6.2 6.0 6.0 6.2 6.1

At closing establishments ............ 267 261 276 267 272 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2

Net employment change .............. -83 -53 -69 -217 -129 -.3 -.2 -.3 -.9 -.5

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains ........................... 287 279 286 257 289 15.9 15.3 15.7 14.2 15.6

At expanding establishments ......... 245 241 248 221 248 13.6 13.2 13.6 12.2 13.4

At opening establishments ............ 42 38 38 36 41 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.2

Gross job losses ........................... 266 287 269 270 259 14.7 15.6 14.7 14.9 14.0

At contracting establishments ......... 230 248 230 230 223 12.7 13.5 12.6 12.7 12.1

At closing establishments ............ 36 39 39 40 36 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.2 1.9

Net employment change .............. 21 -8 17 -13 30 1.2 -.3 1.0 -.7 1.6

Construction

Gross job gains ........................... 825 850 814 762 777 10.8 11.1 10.6 10.1 10.3

At expanding establishments ......... 663 699 658 614 632 8.7 9.1 8.6 8.1 8.4

At opening establishments ............ 162 151 156 148 145 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9

Gross job losses ........................... 845 816 855 869 870 11.1 10.6 11.2 11.5 11.6

At contracting establishments ......... 683 655 688 704 699 9.0 8.5 9.0 9.3 9.3

At closing establishments ............ 162 161 167 165 171 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.3

Net employment change .............. -20 34 -41 -107 -93 -.3 .5 -.6 -1.4 -1.3

Manufacturing

Gross job gains ........................... 524 500 522 467 495 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.6

At expanding establishments ......... 473 458 479 421 452 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.3

At opening establishments ............ 51 42 43 46 43 .4 .3 .3 .3 .3

Gross job losses ........................... 608 579 567 564 561 4.3 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.1

At contracting establishments ......... 539 518 497 502 496 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.6

At closing establishments ............ 69 61 70 62 65 .5 .4 .5 .4 .5

Net employment change .............. -84 -79 -45 -97 -66 -.5 -.5 -.4 -.7 -.5

Service-providing 1

Gross job gains ........................... 6,173 5,880 6,022 5,763 6,089 6.9 6.5 6.7 6.3 6.7

At expanding establishments ......... 4,890 4,760 4,872 4,565 4,881 5.5 5.3 5.4 5.0 5.4

At opening establishments ............ 1,283 1,120 1,150 1,198 1,208 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3

Gross job losses ........................... 5,578 5,389 5,712 5,781 5,643 6.2 6.0 6.3 6.4 6.2

At contracting establishments ......... 4,491 4,375 4,593 4,698 4,567 5.0 4.9 5.1 5.2 5.0

At closing establishments ............ 1,087 1,014 1,119 1,083 1,076 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2

Net employment change .............. 595 491 310 -18 446 .7 .5 .4 -.1 .5

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains ........................... 322 314 318 305 320 5.4 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.3

At expanding establishments ......... 262 256 264 245 263 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.1 4.4

At opening establishments ............ 60 58 54 60 57 1.0 1.0 .9 1.0 .9

Gross job losses ........................... 303 296 300 303 300 5.1 5.0 5.1 5.0 4.9

At contracting establishments ......... 236 230 231 240 231 4.0 3.9 3.9 4.0 3.8

At closing establishments ............ 67 66 69 63 69 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.1

Net employment change .............. 19 18 18 2 20 .3 .3 .2 .1 .4

See footnote at end of table.

Category

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

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

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

2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007

Retail trade

Gross job gains ........................... 1,081 1,087 1,023 996 1,019 7.0 7.0 6.6 6.3 6.6

At expanding establishments ......... 898 941 872 817 869 5.8 6.1 5.6 5.2 5.6

At opening establishments ............ 183 146 151 179 150 1.2 .9 1.0 1.1 1.0

Gross job losses ........................... 1,004 971 1,028 1,055 1,007 6.5 6.2 6.6 6.8 6.5

At contracting establishments ......... 857 827 890 918 867 5.5 5.3 5.7 5.9 5.6

At closing establishments ............ 147 144 138 137 140 1.0 .9 .9 .9 .9

Net employment change .............. 77 116 -5 -59 12 .5 .8 .0 -.5 .1

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains ........................... 269 224 242 220 252 6.3 5.2 5.6 5.0 5.8

At expanding establishments ......... 231 192 208 188 219 5.4 4.5 4.8 4.3 5.0

At opening establishments ............ 38 32 34 32 33 .9 .7 .8 .7 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 225 245 222 228 228 5.2 5.7 5.2 5.3 5.2

At contracting establishments ......... 185 211 185 190 188 4.3 4.9 4.3 4.4 4.3

At closing establishments ............ 40 34 37 38 40 .9 .8 .9 .9 .9

Net employment change .............. 44 -21 20 -8 24 1.1 -.5 .4 -.3 .6

Utilities

Gross job gains ........................... 19 11 14 13 15 3.5 2.0 2.6 2.4 2.8

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

At opening establishments ............ 6 1 1 1 2 1.1 .2 .2 .2 .4

Gross job losses ........................... 18 11 12 12 10 3.3 2.0 2.2 2.2 1.8

At contracting establishments ......... 13 10 10 10 9 2.4 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.6

At closing establishments ............ 5 1 2 2 1 .9 .2 .4 .4 .2

Net employment change .............. 1 0 2 1 5 .2 .0 .4 .2 1.0

 Information

Gross job gains ........................... 167 138 160 153 145 5.5 4.6 5.3 5.1 4.8

At expanding establishments ......... 138 118 137 127 117 4.5 3.9 4.5 4.2 3.9

At opening establishments ............ 29 20 23 26 28 1.0 .7 .8 .9 .9

Gross job losses ........................... 146 132 137 155 155 4.7 4.4 4.6 5.1 5.1

At contracting establishments ......... 114 108 111 130 125 3.7 3.6 3.7 4.3 4.1

At closing establishments ............ 32 24 26 25 30 1.0 .8 .9 .8 1.0

Net employment change .............. 21 6 23 -2 -10 .8 .2 .7 .0 -.3

Financial activities

Gross job gains ........................... 457 421 436 408 432 5.5 5.1 5.3 5.0 5.3

At expanding establishments ......... 347 335 353 318 332 4.2 4.1 4.3 3.9 4.1

At opening establishments ............ 110 86 83 90 100 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.2

Gross job losses ........................... 444 418 467 470 486 5.4 5.1 5.7 5.7 6.0

At contracting establishments ......... 338 320 360 354 368 4.1 3.9 4.4 4.3 4.5

At closing establishments ............ 106 98 107 116 118 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

Net employment change .............. 13 3 -31 -62 -54 .1 .0 -.4 -.7 -.7

Professional and business services

Gross job gains ........................... 1,427 1,276 1,389 1,301 1,438 8.1 7.2 7.7 7.3 8.0

At expanding establishments ......... 1,149 1,064 1,148 1,054 1,159 6.5 6.0 6.4 5.9 6.4

At opening establishments ............ 278 212 241 247 279 1.6 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.6

Gross job losses ........................... 1,313 1,242 1,322 1,315 1,327 7.4 7.0 7.4 7.3 7.4

At contracting establishments ......... 1,057 996 1,022 1,056 1,065 6.0 5.6 5.7 5.9 5.9

At closing establishments ............ 256 246 300 259 262 1.4 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.5

Net employment change .............. 114 34 67 -14 111 .7 .2 .3 .0 .6

Education and health services

Gross job gains ........................... 795 799 785 797 810 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.6

At expanding establishments ......... 666 678 673 674 695 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9

At opening establishments ............ 129 121 112 123 115 .8 .7 .6 .7 .7

Gross job losses ........................... 692 655 697 684 667 4.1 3.8 4.0 3.9 3.8

At contracting establishments ......... 558 540 579 563 552 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.2 3.1

At closing establishments ............ 134 115 118 121 115 .8 .7 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change .............. 103 144 88 113 143 .6 .8 .5 .7 .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. March June Sept. Dec. Dec. March June Sept. Dec.

2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains ........................... 1,223 1,165 1,219 1,158 1,240 9.3 8.8 9.1 8.7 9.2

At expanding establishments ......... 932 903 940 884 959 7.1 6.8 7.0 6.6 7.1

At opening establishments ............ 291 262 279 274 281 2.2 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.1

Gross job losses ........................... 1,105 1,096 1,196 1,215 1,144 8.4 8.3 8.9 9.1 8.5

At contracting establishments ......... 892 902 965 983 928 6.8 6.8 7.2 7.4 6.9

At closing establishments ............ 213 194 231 232 216 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.6

Net employment change .............. 118 69 23 -57 96 .9 .5 .2 -.4 .7

 Other services

Gross job gains ........................... 299 292 304 288 293 7.8 7.6 7.8 7.4 7.5

At expanding establishments ......... 238 239 247 229 237 6.2 6.2 6.3 5.9 6.1

At opening establishments ............ 61 53 57 59 56 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4

Gross job losses ........................... 291 278 287 307 285 7.5 7.2 7.3 7.9 7.3

At contracting establishments ......... 228 217 224 242 223 5.9 5.6 5.7 6.2 5.7

At closing establishments ............ 63 61 63 65 62 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.6

Net employment change .............. 8 14 17 -19 8 .3 .4 .5 -.5 .2

1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.

Category

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

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

(Percent)

Dec. March June Sept. Dec.

2006 2007 2007 2007 2007

Total private

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

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

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

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

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

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

Firm size 1 - 4 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 15.8 15.7 14.8 16.0 15.5

Expanding firms ......................... 7.2 7.4 7.1 7.5 7.2

Opening firms ............................ 60.6 60.4 58.8 59.8 61.8

Gross job losses ............................. 15.9 16.7 16.2 15.8 16.1

Contracting firms .......................... 8.0 8.2 7.9 7.8 8.0

Closing firms ............................. 58.5 60.6 59.6 59.7 59.8

Firm size 5 - 9 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 11.6 12.3 11.6 12.1 11.4

Expanding firms ......................... 10.8 11.5 10.8 11.3 10.7

Opening firms ............................ 15.8 16.6 16.6 16.4 15.5

Gross job losses ............................. 12.4 12.6 12.4 12.2 12.3

Contracting firms .......................... 11.7 11.9 11.6 11.4 11.6

Closing firms ............................. 16.1 15.9 16.6 16.3 16.4

Firm size 10 - 19 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 11.7 12.5 12.1 12.2 11.7

Expanding firms ......................... 12.0 12.8 12.2 12.4 11.9

Opening firms ............................ 10.3 10.8 11.3 10.6 10.1

Gross job losses ............................. 12.4 12.5 12.5 12.4 12.4

Contracting firms .......................... 12.8 12.9 12.8 12.8 12.7

Closing firms ............................. 10.6 10.3 10.9 10.7 10.8

Firm size 20 - 49 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 13.8 14.6 14.6 14.3 13.8

Expanding firms ......................... 14.9 15.9 15.6 15.6 14.9

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

Gross job losses ............................. 14.4 14.4 14.3 14.6 14.5

Contracting firms .......................... 15.6 15.7 15.5 15.8 15.7

Closing firms ............................. 8.0 7.5 7.9 7.9 8.0

Firm size 50 - 99 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 8.7 9.0 9.2 8.9 8.8

Expanding firms ......................... 9.8 10.2 10.3 10.1 9.8

Opening firms ............................ 3.0 2.5 2.9 2.8 2.8

Gross job losses ............................. 8.9 8.8 8.7 9.0 9.0

Contracting firms .......................... 10.0 10.0 9.8 10.1 10.1

Closing firms ............................. 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.7 3.0

See footnote at end of table.

Category

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

(Percent)

Dec. March June Sept. Dec.

2006 2007 2007 2007 2007

Firm size 100 - 249 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 9.2 9.4 9.9 9.3 9.3

Expanding firms ......................... 10.6 11.0 11.4 10.8 10.8

Opening firms ............................ 1.5 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.4

Gross job losses ............................. 9.3 9.0 8.8 9.5 9.1

Contracting firms .......................... 10.6 10.5 10.3 10.9 10.5

Closing firms ............................. 1.9 1.7 1.3 1.7 1.6

Firm size 250 - 499 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 5.5 5.5 5.9 5.6 5.6

Expanding firms ......................... 6.4 6.4 6.9 6.6 6.6

Opening firms ............................ .5 .3 .3 .5 .3

Gross job losses ............................. 5.8 5.3 5.3 5.6 5.4

Contracting firms .......................... 6.8 6.3 6.2 6.5 6.3

Closing firms ............................. .6 .5 .5 .5 .4

Firm size 500 - 999 employees

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

Expanding firms ......................... 5.4 5.3 5.6 5.6 5.3

Opening firms ............................ .2 .2 .2 .2 .2

Gross job losses ............................. 4.6 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.5

Contracting firms .......................... 5.3 4.8 5.2 5.3 5.3

Closing firms ............................. .4 .3 .3 .2 .0

Firm size 1,000 or more employees

Gross job gains ............................. 19.2 16.5 17.1 16.9 19.3

Expanding firms ......................... 22.9 19.5 20.1 20.1 22.8

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

Gross job losses ............................. 16.3 16.6 17.4 16.4 16.7

Contracting firms .......................... 19.2 19.7 20.7 19.4 19.8

Closing firms ............................. .8 .3 .2 .3 .0

1

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

Category

3 months ended
Table 5. Private sector gross job gains and losses by state, seasonally adjusted

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

2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007

United States 1

 ............ 7,809,000 7,509,000 7,644,000 7,249,000 7,650,000 7,297,000 7,071,000 7,403,000 7,484,000 7,333,000

Alabama .................. 106,892 112,765 99,726 99,906 106,935 104,477 89,364 105,984 101,198 103,084

Alaska ..................... 25,702 24,244 27,957 22,188 24,268 26,432 22,400 23,632 26,070 25,897

Arizona .................. 161,693 156,804 154,110 155,205 156,784 165,067 153,133 158,011 160,904 174,361

Arkansas .................. 62,275 60,704 54,946 56,127 60,268 58,778 52,796 61,452 56,475 54,450

California .................. 982,478 947,540 932,830 906,739 989,695 907,888 912,613 966,693 923,409 914,766

Colorado .................. 150,220 146,688 150,523 148,053 147,148 138,889 131,774 135,876 144,857 141,826

Connecticut ............... 85,126 75,957 89,363 77,587 84,140 77,497 81,107 75,883 82,650 82,026

Delaware .................. 26,159 29,733 24,896 23,502 26,209 23,392 28,414 23,872 27,334 23,363

District of Columbia ... 25,599 28,423 27,543 26,296 26,904 26,443 23,213 26,428 28,871 26,392

Florida ..................... 501,285 464,050 493,122 490,069 494,010 522,827 451,580 513,917 542,595 544,863

Georgia .................. 263,872 249,091 243,732 242,926 246,373 252,232 227,479 250,468 240,332 257,344

Hawaii ..................... 27,446 27,483 29,341 25,956 27,454 26,250 26,630 27,098 30,711 25,968

Idaho ..................... 47,395 48,396 44,803 41,792 47,040 40,019 40,735 44,881 45,176 42,319

Illinois ..................... 293,431 281,177 301,138 269,429 290,715 281,099 268,855 270,862 286,551 280,876

Indiana ..................... 153,325 145,342 153,439 142,702 144,790 148,985 140,603 146,834 152,980 151,153

Iowa ........................ 79,518 72,577 79,866 71,751 76,126 73,886 73,448 72,256 74,880 72,411

Kansas ..................... 85,024 78,808 71,219 75,069 73,972 68,067 67,661 76,280 67,646 72,379

Kentucky .................. 106,958 101,623 96,978 86,047 97,881 90,552 95,549 92,980 95,032 91,282

Louisiana .................. 123,095 121,990 109,826 107,177 114,733 104,159 99,462 113,176 104,800 102,114

Maine ..................... 40,832 37,283 40,238 37,722 39,901 37,567 37,189 38,294 39,681 36,462

Maryland .................. 136,491 130,873 129,262 136,177 134,499 130,083 125,994 128,857 138,351 137,877

Massachusetts ............ 166,346 154,124 180,439 164,658 163,995 163,458 157,024 148,702 174,134 169,981

Michigan .................. 229,109 216,604 239,038 225,219 226,442 261,024 234,035 229,300 248,071 247,917

Minnesota ............... 146,430 140,915 151,477 149,125 140,424 147,210 133,393 144,135 139,939 143,325

Mississippi ............... 67,302 60,198 59,332 62,205 65,130 58,428 62,486 65,842 58,290 57,107

Missouri .................. 151,637 148,426 142,012 144,851 138,731 144,042 133,861 144,000 144,113 141,257

Montana .................. 32,922 32,066 30,014 28,913 32,494 26,893 26,215 30,643 29,185 28,385

Nebraska .................. 47,973 44,773 48,229 48,216 47,532 45,236 41,131 43,827 43,706 47,190

Nevada ..................... 80,115 79,439 74,310 69,465 86,004 77,068 70,468 76,036 82,366 76,866

New Hampshire ......... 39,715 36,043 40,902 35,921 39,868 37,503 37,188 37,071 39,656 39,078

New Jersey ............... 226,397 200,823 242,670 214,184 228,531 221,251 216,208 212,994 227,208 218,752

New Mexico ............ 49,483 45,658 43,638 45,901 47,199 45,992 39,391 47,327 46,835 43,715

New York ............... 491,296 439,880 501,731 444,186 494,696 436,426 450,887 469,097 469,763 443,240

North Carolina ............ 271,718 238,694 230,301 221,288 233,494 209,905 203,669 223,702 219,644 219,845

North Dakota ............ 19,077 19,613 19,321 19,514 20,244 18,029 17,877 18,673 17,975 17,314

Ohio ........................ 273,486 259,261 283,177 249,393 270,264 285,789 260,711 266,721 276,817 273,512

Oklahoma ............... 87,109 85,616 85,428 82,042 79,894 80,850 73,657 89,207 78,243 78,478

Oregon ..................... 107,374 104,745 101,225 100,856 106,709 97,684 96,037 104,666 98,132 103,121

Pennsylvania ............ 286,900 282,273 302,265 266,822 289,362 278,568 266,506 270,874 285,414 275,582

Rhode Island ............ 28,621 25,073 28,796 23,339 25,527 28,374 27,137 26,256 29,513 27,565

South Carolina ............ 109,561 113,532 105,523 99,544 102,716 97,192 98,842 107,074 100,422 105,746

South Dakota ............ 22,548 21,003 21,989 20,788 21,362 19,873 19,153 19,784 20,345 20,244

Tennessee ............... 156,388 148,938 142,856 140,708 142,406 157,013 144,012 139,122 139,828 133,511

Texas ..................... 566,668 542,825 553,947 538,651 565,452 476,908 461,745 485,096 497,118 487,925

Utah ........................ 79,960 80,804 77,611 73,755 81,749 64,989 62,978 70,542 74,169 74,736

Vermont .................. 18,861 16,966 19,085 18,877 20,353 18,099 18,899 19,073 20,024 18,596

Virginia .................. 193,009 192,908 192,077 176,798 178,978 181,525 174,760 184,266 190,227 178,683

Washington ............... 184,842 190,639 183,840 168,602 185,315 166,948 154,634 165,511 174,458 164,349

West Virginia ............ 40,697 38,687 37,037 35,591 39,570 36,849 37,621 37,733 38,633 35,928

Wisconsin ............... 146,759 144,613 146,916 127,659 136,751 143,350 141,179 134,163 144,918 135,457

Wyoming .................. 22,692 22,362 18,932 20,910 23,028 16,482 18,199 21,853 19,706 18,058

Puerto Rico ............... 56,039 43,159 47,784 51,566 49,868 47,988 55,059 50,761 50,852 49,473

Virgin Islands ............ 2,358 2,091 3,531 2,119 2,192 1,980 2,501 2,376 3,282 2,193

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 

(3 months ended)

Gross job losses

(3 months ended)
Table 6. Private sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted

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

2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007

United States .......................... 7.0 6.6 6.7 6.4 6.8 6.5 6.2 6.5 6.6 6.5

Alabama ............................. 6.8 7.1 6.2 6.3 6.7 6.7 5.7 6.7 6.3 6.5

Alaska ................................. 11.0 10.3 11.9 9.4 10.4 11.4 9.5 10.0 11.1 11.1

Arizona ............................... 7.2 7.0 6.8 6.9 7.0 7.3 6.8 7.0 7.1 7.7

Arkansas .............................. 6.4 6.2 5.6 5.7 6.2 6.0 5.4 6.3 5.8 5.5

California ........................... 7.6 7.3 7.2 7.0 7.7 7.0 7.0 7.4 7.1 7.0

Colorado .............................. 7.9 7.6 7.8 7.7 7.5 7.3 6.8 7.0 7.4 7.3

Connecticut ......................... 6.0 5.3 6.2 5.4 5.9 5.4 5.7 5.3 5.8 5.7

Delaware .............................. 7.2 8.1 6.8 6.5 7.2 6.4 7.7 6.6 7.5 6.4

District of Columbia ............... 5.9 6.4 6.1 6.0 6.0 6.0 5.2 5.9 6.5 5.9

Florida ................................. 7.3 6.7 7.1 7.1 7.2 7.5 6.6 7.4 7.8 8.0

Georgia .............................. 7.8 7.3 7.1 7.1 7.3 7.4 6.7 7.3 7.1 7.6

Hawaii ............................... 5.4 5.5 5.8 5.1 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.4 6.0 5.1

Idaho .................................... 8.7 8.8 8.1 7.6 8.5 7.4 7.4 8.1 8.2 7.7

Illinois ................................ 5.8 5.5 5.9 5.3 5.7 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.7 5.5

Indiana ............................... 6.1 5.8 6.1 5.7 5.8 6.0 5.6 5.8 6.1 6.0

Iowa .................................... 6.4 5.8 6.4 5.7 6.1 5.9 5.9 5.8 6.0 5.8

Kansas ................................. 7.8 7.1 6.4 6.8 6.6 6.2 6.1 6.9 6.1 6.5

Kentucky .............................. 7.2 6.8 6.4 5.7 6.5 6.1 6.4 6.2 6.3 6.1

Louisiana .............................. 8.2 8.0 7.2 7.0 7.5 7.0 6.5 7.4 6.8 6.7

Maine ................................ 8.2 7.4 8.0 7.6 8.0 7.5 7.4 7.6 7.9 7.3

Maryland ............................ 6.6 6.3 6.2 6.5 6.4 6.3 6.1 6.1 6.6 6.6

Massachusetts ....................... 6.0 5.6 6.4 5.9 5.9 5.8 5.6 5.3 6.2 6.1

Michigan ............................. 6.4 6.1 6.7 6.3 6.4 7.2 6.5 6.4 6.9 7.0

Minnesota ........................... 6.4 6.1 6.5 6.4 6.1 6.4 5.8 6.2 6.0 6.2

Mississippi ........................... 7.5 6.7 6.6 7.0 7.2 6.5 7.0 7.3 6.5 6.3

Missouri .............................. 6.6 6.5 6.2 6.3 6.0 6.3 5.8 6.3 6.3 6.2

Montana ............................... 9.4 9.0 8.4 8.1 9.0 7.7 7.4 8.6 8.2 7.9

Nebraska .............................. 6.4 6.0 6.3 6.3 6.2 6.0 5.4 5.8 5.8 6.2

Nevada ............................... 7.1 6.9 6.5 6.1 7.6 6.8 6.2 6.7 7.3 6.8

New Hampshire ..................... 7.3 6.6 7.5 6.6 7.3 6.9 6.8 6.8 7.2 7.2

New Jersey ........................... 6.8 6.0 7.2 6.4 6.8 6.6 6.4 6.3 6.8 6.5

New Mexico ........................ 7.9 7.1 6.8 7.2 7.4 7.3 6.2 7.3 7.3 6.9

New York ........................... 7.0 6.2 7.0 6.2 7.0 6.2 6.3 6.6 6.6 6.2

North Carolina ........................ 8.1 7.1 6.8 6.6 6.8 6.3 6.1 6.6 6.5 6.4

North Dakota ........................ 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.2 6.6 6.5 6.8 6.5 6.2

Ohio .................................... 6.0 5.7 6.2 5.5 6.0 6.3 5.7 5.8 6.0 6.1

Oklahoma ........................... 7.2 7.0 7.0 6.7 6.5 6.8 6.1 7.3 6.4 6.4

Oregon ................................. 7.4 7.1 6.9 6.9 7.3 6.8 6.5 7.1 6.7 7.1

Pennsylvania ........................ 5.8 5.7 6.1 5.4 5.9 5.7 5.4 5.5 5.7 5.6

Rhode Island ........................ 6.8 5.9 6.8 5.6 6.1 6.7 6.4 6.2 7.0 6.6

South Carolina ........................ 7.1 7.3 6.7 6.3 6.6 6.2 6.3 6.9 6.4 6.7

South Dakota ........................ 7.1 6.5 6.8 6.4 6.6 6.2 5.9 6.1 6.3 6.2

Tennessee ........................... 6.7 6.4 6.1 6.0 6.1 6.7 6.1 6.0 6.0 5.7

Texas ................................. 6.8 6.4 6.5 6.3 6.5 5.7 5.5 5.7 5.8 5.7

Utah .................................... 8.0 8.0 7.6 7.2 7.9 6.5 6.2 6.9 7.2 7.3

Vermont .............................. 7.6 6.8 7.6 7.5 8.1 7.3 7.6 7.7 8.0 7.4

Virginia .............................. 6.5 6.5 6.3 5.9 6.0 6.1 5.9 6.1 6.3 5.9

Washington ........................... 7.9 8.0 7.7 7.0 7.7 7.1 6.5 6.9 7.3 6.8

West Virginia ........................ 7.2 6.8 6.5 6.2 6.9 6.5 6.6 6.6 6.8 6.3

Wisconsin ........................... 6.2 6.0 6.1 5.4 5.7 6.0 5.9 5.6 6.0 5.7

Wyoming .............................. 10.7 10.2 8.8 9.8 10.5 7.8 8.4 10.0 9.1 8.2

Puerto Rico ........................... 7.5 5.8 6.4 7.0 6.8 6.4 7.4 6.9 6.9 6.7

Virgin Islands ........................ 7.1 6.4 10.6 6.4 6.6 6.0 7.6 7.2 9.8 6.6

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 

(3 months ended)

Gross job losses as a percent of employment

(3 months ended)