Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical Information: (202) 691-6467 USDL 08-0686 

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

 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, May 21, 2008 

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS: THIRD QUARTER 2007 

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

sector establishments was 7.2 million, and the number of job losses from closing and contracting 

establishments was 7.5 million, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of 

the U.S. Department of Labor. This is the first quarter since June 2003 where gross job losses have 

exceeded gross job gains. (See charts 1 and 2 and table 3.) Over this period, firms with 1,000 or more 

employees accounted for the largest share of gross job gains (16.9 percent) as well as the largest share 

of gross job losses (16.4 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 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

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

3 months ended 

Category Sept. 

2006 

Dec. 

2006 

Mar. 

2007 

June 

2007 

Sept. 

 2007 

Levels (in thousands) 

Gross job gains.................................... 7,473 7,809 7,509 7,644 7,249 

 At expanding establishments........... 6,032 6,271 6,158 6,257 5,821 

 At opening establishments............... 1,441 1,538 1,351 1,387 1,428 

Gross job losses................................... 7,462 7,297 7,071 7,403 7,484 

 At contracting establishments........... 6,110 5,943 5,796 6,008 6,134 

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

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

1,352 

11 

1,354 

512 

1,275 

438 

1,395 

241 

1,350 

-235 

 Rates (percent) 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Net employment change1

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

1.2 

.1 

1.2 

.5 

1.1 

.4 

1.2 

.2 

1.2 

-.2 

 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. 

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

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

more information.) 

Private Sector Establishment-Level Gross Job Gains and Job Losses 

 Opening and expanding private sector business establishments gained 7.2 million jobs in the third 

quarter of 2007, a decrease of 395,000 from the previous quarter. Over the quarter, expanding 

establishments added 5.8 million jobs, while opening establishments added 1.4 million jobs. 

 Gross job losses totaled 7.5 million, an increase of 81,000 from the previous quarter. During the 

quarter, contracting establishments lost 6.1 million jobs, while closing establishments lost 1.4 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 -235,000 jobs in the private sector for third quarter 2007. This is the first 

quarter of net job losses since the second quarter of 2003. 

 From June 2007 to September 2007, gross job gains represented 6.4 percent of private sector 

employment, while gross job losses represented 6.6 percent of private sector employment. (See tables 

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

disappear in the relatively short time frame of one quarter. 
3

Major Industry Sector Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses

Net losses were seen this quarter in all but three sectors of the economy: utilities, wholesale trade, 

and education and health services. These industries showed gains of 1,000, 2,000, and 113,000 jobs, 

respectively. (See tables B and 3.) 

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

for 1,486,000 jobs gained, and contracting and closing establishments accounted for 1,703,000 jobs 

lost. This net loss of 217,000 jobs was the fifth consecutive quarter of net loss in this sector. 

Construction. In construction, gross job gains fell over the quarter to 762,000 and gross job losses 

increased to 869,000, resulting in a net loss of 107,000 jobs, the largest net loss since this series began 

in 1992. Additionally, this sector experienced net losses in four of the five previous quarters. 

 

Manufacturing. Gross job gains and gross job losses in manufacturing fell to levels of 467,000 and 

564,000 jobs, respectively, in the third quarter of 2007. Despite the drop in gross job losses, this sector 

experienced a net loss of 97,000 jobs, the largest net loss in 15 quarters. 

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) 

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

2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007

Total private1

........................ 7,473 7,809 7,509 7,644 7,249 7,462 7,297 7,071 7,403 7,484 

 Goods-Producing................. 1,572 1,636 1,629 1,622 1,486 1,739 1,719 1,682 1,691 1,703 

 Natural res. and mining....... 269 287 279 286 257 263 266 287 269 270 

 Construction ................... 791 825 850 814 762 868 845 816 855 869 

 Manufacturing ................. 512 524 500 522 467 608 608 579 567 564 

Service-Providing1................... 5,901 6,173 5,880 6,022 5,763 5,723 5,578 5,389 5,712 5,781 

 Wholesale trade................. 311 322 314 318 305 305 303 296 300 303 

 Retail trade ..................... 1,030 1,081 1,087 1,023 996 1,085 1,004 971 1,028 1,055 

 Transportation and warehousing 241 269 224 242 220 224 225 245 222 228 

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

 Information ..................... 148 167 138 160 153 171 146 132 137 155 

 Financial activities ............ 446 457 421 436 408 445 444 418 467 470 

 Professional and business 

 services....................... 1,335 1,427 1,276 1,389 1,301 1,279 1,313 1,242 1,322 1,315 

 Education and health services.. 784 795 799 785 797 674 692 655 697 684 

 Leisure and hospitality............. 1,180 1,223 1,165 1,219 1,158 1,184 1,105 1,096 1,196 1,215 

 Other services .................. 295 299 292 304 288 305 291 278 287 307 

 1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately. 

Service-providing. In the service-providing sector, gross job gains totaled 5,763,000 and gross job 

losses totaled 5,781,000, resulting in a net loss 18,000 jobs. This is the first net loss since the first 

quarter of 2003. 
4

Education and Health Services. The education and health services sector gained 797,000 jobs and 

lost 684,000 jobs in the third quarter of 2007, for a net gain of 113,000. This industry has experienced 

a net job growth every quarter since this series began in 1992.

Retail Trade. In retail trade, gross job gains decreased again this quarter to 996,000 and gross job 

losses rose to 1,055,000, resulting in a net loss of 59,000 jobs. 

Leisure and Hospitality. The leisure and hospitality industry gained 1,158,000 jobs and lost 

1,215,000 jobs in the third quarter of 2007, for a net loss of 57,000 jobs. 

Financial Activities. The financial activities sector experienced gross job gains of 408,000 and 

gross job losses of 470,000, resulting in a net loss of 62,000 jobs. This is the second net loss in this 

sector since the fourth quarter of 2003. 

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 third quarter of 2007, the number 

of establishments losing jobs exceeded the number of establishments gaining jobs for the second 

consecutive quarter. Out of 7.0 million active private-sector establishments, a total of 1,944,000 

 

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

(In thousands) 

3 months ended 

Category Sept. 

 2006 

Dec. 

2006 

Mar. 

2007 

June 

2007 

Sept. 

 2007 

Establishments gaining jobs............... 1,891 1,954 1,935 1,907 1,886 

 Expanding establishments........... 1,535 1,562 1,577 1,555 1,519 

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

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

356 

1,909 

392 

1,892 

358 

1,900 

352 

1,938 

367 

1,944 

 Contracting establishments.......... 1,558 1,542 1,545 1,574 1,585 

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

Net establishment change1

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

351 

5 

350 

42 

355 

3 

364 

-12 

359 

8 

 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. 

establishments lost jobs from June 2007 to September 2007. This is an increase of 6,000 establishments 

from last quarter. (See table C.) Of these establishments losing jobs, 1,585,000 were contracting 

establishments and 359,000 were closing establishments. During the quarter, 1,519,000 establishments 

expanded and 367,000 establishments opened, resulting in 1,886,000 establishments gaining jobs. The 

number of active private sector establishments increased by 8,000 during the quarter. This change is 

the difference between the number of opening establishments and the number of closing 

establishments. 

 
5

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

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

largest share of gross job gains (16.9 percent) as well as the largest share of gross job losses (16.4 

percent). (See tables D and 4, and chart 3.) 

Small firms, those with 1-4, 5-9, and 10-19 employees, showed an increase in their proportion of 

gross job gains over the quarter, with shares dropping for all other size classes. The gain was most 

significant for firms with 1-4 employees, whose share of gross job gains grew from 14.8 percent to 16.0 

percent in the third quarter. 

The firms with 1-4, 5-9, and 10-19 employees, along with the largest size class, firms with 1,000 

or more employees, were the only classes to show a drop in share of gross job losses. Despite the drop, 

size class 1,000 or more employees maintains the largest share of gross job losses in the third quarter. 

(See table D.) 

 

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

and job losses at closing firms, with 59.8 percent and 59.7 percent respectively, in the third quarter of 

2007. (See table 4.) 

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 

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

Firm size 

2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 

1 - 4 employees................. 15.6 15.8 15.7 14.8 16.0 15.8 15.9 16.7 16.2 15.8 

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

10 - 19 employees............. 12.3 11.7 12.5 12.1 12.2 12.4 12.4 12.5 12.5 12.4 

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

50 - 99 employees........... 9.1 8.7 9.0 9.2 8.9 8.9 8.9 8.8 8.7 9.0 

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

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

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

1,000 or more employees.... 

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

16.8 

100.0 

19.2 

100.0 

16.5 

100.0 

17.1 

100.0 

16.9 

100.0 

16.9 

100.0 

16.3 

100.0 

16.6 

100.0 

17.4 

100.0 

16.4 

100.0 

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

Gross Job Gains and Losses by State

Over the quarter, Wyoming had the highest rate of gross job gains (9.8 percent) and Alaska had 

the highest rate of gross job losses (11.1 percent). Hawaii had the lowest rate of gross job gains (5.1 

percent) while Illinois and Pennsylvania had the lowest rate of gross job losses (5.7 percent each). (See 

table 6.) Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 34 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin 

Islands, resulting in net losses in total private sector employment. (See table 5.) 
6

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. 

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

June 2007 to September 2007, seasonally adjusted

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

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
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 9.0 million employers 

• Count of longitudinally-linked UI 

administrative records submitted by 

7.0 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 

7.0 million private sector employer reports out of 

9.0 million total reports of employment and wages 

submitted by states to BLS in the third 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 third 

quarter 2007: 

Number of active establishments included in 

Business Employment Dynamics data at the 

national level 

 Millions 

Total establishments QCEW program.........9.0 

 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........................7.0 

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 
9

no employment or zero employment reported in the 

current quarter. 

Contractions. These are units with positive 

employment in the third month in both the previous 

and current quarters, with a net decrease in 

employment over this period. 

All 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. 

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 
10

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. 

 Information in this release will be made available 

to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice 

phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral 

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

(In thousands)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

1992 September .................. 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

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

Gross job losses

Year 3 months ended Net change 1

Gross job gains

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

 seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

1992 September .................. 0.7 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

1 The rates measure gross job gains and gross job losses as a percentage of the average of the previous and current employment. 2

See footnote 1, table 1.

Year 3 months ended Net change 2

Gross job gains Gross job losses

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

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

2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007

Total private 1

Gross job gains ........................... 7,473 7,809 7,509 7,644 7,249 6.7 7.0 6.6 6.7 6.4

At expanding establishments ......... 6,032 6,271 6,158 6,257 5,821 5.4 5.6 5.4 5.5 5.1

At opening establishments ............ 1,441 1,538 1,351 1,387 1,428 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.3

Gross job losses ........................... 7,462 7,297 7,071 7,403 7,484 6.6 6.5 6.2 6.5 6.6

At contracting establishments ......... 6,110 5,943 5,796 6,008 6,134 5.4 5.3 5.1 5.3 5.4

At closing establishments ............ 1,352 1,354 1,275 1,395 1,350 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2

Net employment change .............. 11 512 438 241 -235 .1 .5 .4 .2 -.2

Goods-producing

Gross job gains ........................... 1,572 1,636 1,629 1,622 1,486 6.6 7.0 6.9 6.9 6.4

At expanding establishments ......... 1,329 1,381 1,398 1,385 1,256 5.6 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.4

At opening establishments ............ 243 255 231 237 230 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0

Gross job losses ........................... 1,739 1,719 1,682 1,691 1,703 7.4 7.3 7.1 7.2 7.3

At contracting establishments ......... 1,463 1,452 1,421 1,415 1,436 6.2 6.2 6.0 6.0 6.2

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

Net employment change .............. -167 -83 -53 -69 -217 -.8 -.3 -.2 -.3 -.9

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains ........................... 269 287 279 286 257 15.1 15.9 15.3 15.7 14.2

At expanding establishments ......... 230 245 241 248 221 12.9 13.6 13.2 13.6 12.2

At opening establishments ............ 39 42 38 38 36 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.0

Gross job losses ........................... 263 266 287 269 270 14.8 14.7 15.6 14.7 14.9

At contracting establishments ......... 223 230 248 230 230 12.5 12.7 13.5 12.6 12.7

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

Net employment change .............. 6 21 -8 17 -13 .3 1.2 -.3 1.0 -.7

Construction

Gross job gains ........................... 791 825 850 814 762 10.3 10.8 11.1 10.6 10.1

At expanding establishments ......... 636 663 699 658 614 8.3 8.7 9.1 8.6 8.1

At opening establishments ............ 155 162 151 156 148 2.0 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0

Gross job losses ........................... 868 845 816 855 869 11.4 11.1 10.6 11.2 11.5

At contracting establishments ......... 702 683 655 688 704 9.2 9.0 8.5 9.0 9.3

At closing establishments ............ 166 162 161 167 165 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.2

Net employment change .............. -77 -20 34 -41 -107 -1.1 -.3 .5 -.6 -1.4

Manufacturing

Gross job gains ........................... 512 524 500 522 467 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.3

At expanding establishments ......... 463 473 458 479 421 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.0

At opening establishments ............ 49 51 42 43 46 .3 .4 .3 .3 .3

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

At contracting establishments ......... 538 539 518 497 502 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.6

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

Net employment change .............. -96 -84 -79 -45 -97 -.7 -.5 -.5 -.4 -.7

Service-providing 1

Gross job gains ........................... 5,901 6,173 5,880 6,022 5,763 6.6 6.9 6.5 6.7 6.3

At expanding establishments ......... 4,703 4,890 4,760 4,872 4,565 5.3 5.5 5.3 5.4 5.0

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

Gross job losses ........................... 5,723 5,578 5,389 5,712 5,781 6.4 6.2 6.0 6.3 6.4

At contracting establishments ......... 4,647 4,491 4,375 4,593 4,698 5.2 5.0 4.9 5.1 5.2

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

Net employment change .............. 178 595 491 310 -18 .2 .7 .5 .4 -.1

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains ........................... 311 322 314 318 305 5.3 5.4 5.3 5.3 5.1

At expanding establishments ......... 253 262 256 264 245 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.1

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

Gross job losses ........................... 305 303 296 300 303 5.1 5.1 5.0 5.1 5.0

At contracting establishments ......... 238 236 230 231 240 4.0 4.0 3.9 3.9 4.0

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

Net employment change .............. 6 19 18 18 2 .2 .3 .3 .2 .1

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

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

2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007

Retail trade

Gross job gains ........................... 1,030 1,081 1,087 1,023 996 6.7 7.0 7.0 6.6 6.3

At expanding establishments ......... 850 898 941 872 817 5.5 5.8 6.1 5.6 5.2

At opening establishments ............ 180 183 146 151 179 1.2 1.2 .9 1.0 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 1,085 1,004 971 1,028 1,055 7.0 6.5 6.2 6.6 6.8

At contracting establishments ......... 923 857 827 890 918 6.0 5.5 5.3 5.7 5.9

At closing establishments ............ 162 147 144 138 137 1.0 1.0 .9 .9 .9

Net employment change .............. -55 77 116 -5 -59 -.3 .5 .8 .0 -.5

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains ........................... 241 269 224 242 220 5.7 6.3 5.2 5.6 5.0

At expanding establishments ......... 207 231 192 208 188 4.9 5.4 4.5 4.8 4.3

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

Gross job losses ........................... 224 225 245 222 228 5.3 5.2 5.7 5.2 5.3

At contracting establishments ......... 186 185 211 185 190 4.4 4.3 4.9 4.3 4.4

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

Net employment change .............. 17 44 -21 20 -8 .4 1.1 -.5 .4 -.3

Utilities

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

At expanding establishments ......... 14 13 10 13 12 2.6 2.4 1.8 2.4 2.2

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

Gross job losses ........................... 15 18 11 12 12 2.8 3.3 2.0 2.2 2.2

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

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

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

 Information

Gross job gains ........................... 148 167 138 160 153 4.8 5.5 4.6 5.3 5.1

At expanding establishments ......... 123 138 118 137 127 4.0 4.5 3.9 4.5 4.2

At opening establishments ............ 25 29 20 23 26 .8 1.0 .7 .8 .9

Gross job losses ........................... 171 146 132 137 155 5.6 4.7 4.4 4.6 5.1

At contracting establishments ......... 142 114 108 111 130 4.7 3.7 3.6 3.7 4.3

At closing establishments ............ 29 32 24 26 25 .9 1.0 .8 .9 .8

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

Financial activities

Gross job gains ........................... 446 457 421 436 408 5.5 5.5 5.1 5.3 5.0

At expanding establishments ......... 350 347 335 353 318 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.3 3.9

At opening establishments ............ 96 110 86 83 90 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 445 444 418 467 470 5.4 5.4 5.1 5.7 5.7

At contracting establishments ......... 343 338 320 360 354 4.2 4.1 3.9 4.4 4.3

At closing establishments ............ 102 106 98 107 116 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.4

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

Professional and business services

Gross job gains ........................... 1,335 1,427 1,276 1,389 1,301 7.6 8.1 7.2 7.7 7.3

At expanding establishments ......... 1,093 1,149 1,064 1,148 1,054 6.2 6.5 6.0 6.4 5.9

At opening establishments ............ 242 278 212 241 247 1.4 1.6 1.2 1.3 1.4

Gross job losses ........................... 1,279 1,313 1,242 1,322 1,315 7.3 7.4 7.0 7.4 7.3

At contracting establishments ......... 1,029 1,057 996 1,022 1,056 5.9 6.0 5.6 5.7 5.9

At closing establishments ............ 250 256 246 300 259 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.7 1.4

Net employment change .............. 56 114 34 67 -14 .3 .7 .2 .3 .0

Education and health services

Gross job gains ........................... 784 795 799 785 797 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.6

At expanding establishments ......... 665 666 678 673 674 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9

At opening establishments ............ 119 129 121 112 123 .7 .8 .7 .6 .7

Gross job losses ........................... 674 692 655 697 684 4.0 4.1 3.8 4.0 3.9

At contracting establishments ......... 561 558 540 579 563 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.2

At closing establishments ............ 113 134 115 118 121 .7 .8 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change .............. 110 103 144 88 113 .6 .6 .8 .5 .7

See footnote at end of table.

Category

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

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

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

2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains ........................... 1,180 1,223 1,165 1,219 1,158 9.1 9.3 8.8 9.1 8.7

At expanding establishments ......... 896 932 903 940 884 6.9 7.1 6.8 7.0 6.6

At opening establishments ............ 284 291 262 279 274 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.1 2.1

Gross job losses ........................... 1,184 1,105 1,096 1,196 1,215 9.0 8.4 8.3 8.9 9.1

At contracting establishments ......... 959 892 902 965 983 7.3 6.8 6.8 7.2 7.4

At closing establishments ............ 225 213 194 231 232 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.7

Net employment change .............. -4 118 69 23 -57 .1 .9 .5 .2 -.4

 Other services

Gross job gains ........................... 295 299 292 304 288 7.7 7.8 7.6 7.8 7.4

At expanding establishments ......... 235 238 239 247 229 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.3 5.9

At opening establishments ............ 60 61 53 57 59 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.5

Gross job losses ........................... 305 291 278 287 307 7.9 7.5 7.2 7.3 7.9

At contracting establishments ......... 240 228 217 224 242 6.2 5.9 5.6 5.7 6.2

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

Net employment change .............. -10 8 14 17 -19 -.2 .3 .4 .5 -.5

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)

Sept. Dec. March June Sept.

2006 2006 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 ............................. 15.6 15.8 15.7 14.8 16.0

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

Opening firms ............................ 58.6 60.6 60.4 58.8 59.8

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

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

Closing firms ............................. 58.8 58.5 60.6 59.6 59.7

Firm size 5 - 9 employees

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

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

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

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

Contracting firms .......................... 11.5 11.7 11.9 11.6 11.4

Closing firms ............................. 16.0 16.1 15.9 16.6 16.3

Firm size 10 - 19 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 12.3 11.7 12.5 12.1 12.2

Expanding firms ......................... 12.5 12.0 12.8 12.2 12.4

Opening firms ............................ 11.0 10.3 10.8 11.3 10.6

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

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

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

Firm size 20 - 49 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 14.4 13.8 14.6 14.6 14.3

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

Opening firms ............................ 8.3 7.9 7.7 8.5 7.7

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

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

Closing firms ............................. 8.1 8.0 7.5 7.9 7.9

Firm size 50 - 99 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 9.1 8.7 9.0 9.2 8.9

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

Opening firms ............................ 3.1 3.0 2.5 2.9 2.8

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

Contracting firms .......................... 9.9 10.0 10.0 9.8 10.1

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

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)

Sept. Dec. March June Sept.

2006 2006 2007 2007 2007

Firm size 100 - 249 employees

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

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

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

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

Contracting firms .......................... 10.7 10.6 10.5 10.3 10.9

Closing firms ............................. 2.0 1.9 1.7 1.3 1.7

Firm size 250 - 499 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 5.8 5.5 5.5 5.9 5.6

Expanding firms ......................... 6.8 6.4 6.4 6.9 6.6

Opening firms ............................ .4 .5 .3 .3 .5

Gross job losses ............................. 5.5 5.8 5.3 5.3 5.6

Contracting firms .......................... 6.4 6.8 6.3 6.2 6.5

Closing firms ............................. .7 .6 .5 .5 .5

Firm size 500 - 999 employees

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

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

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

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

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

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

Firm size 1,000 or more employees

Gross job gains ............................. 16.8 19.2 16.5 17.1 16.9

Expanding firms ......................... 19.9 22.9 19.5 20.1 20.1

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

Gross job losses ............................. 16.9 16.3 16.6 17.4 16.4

Contracting firms .......................... 20.0 19.2 19.7 20.7 19.4

Closing firms ............................. .5 .8 .3 .2 .3

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

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

2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007

United States 1

 ............ 7,473,000 7,809,000 7,509,000 7,644,000 7,249,000 7,462,000 7,297,000 7,071,000 7,403,000 7,484,000

Alabama .................. 100,446 106,892 112,765 99,726 99,906 103,700 104,477 89,364 105,984 101,198

Alaska ..................... 22,123 25,702 24,244 27,957 22,188 26,742 26,432 22,400 23,632 26,070

Arizona .................. 174,546 161,693 156,804 154,110 155,205 152,200 165,067 153,133 158,011 160,904

Arkansas .................. 58,160 62,275 60,704 54,946 56,127 63,784 58,778 52,796 61,452 56,475

California .................. 910,172 982,478 947,540 932,830 906,739 927,374 907,888 912,613 966,693 923,409

Colorado .................. 142,546 150,220 146,688 150,523 148,053 142,570 138,889 131,774 135,876 144,857

Connecticut ............... 81,794 85,126 75,957 89,363 77,587 82,496 77,497 81,107 75,883 82,650

Delaware .................. 23,470 26,159 29,733 24,896 23,502 27,718 23,392 28,414 23,872 27,334

District of Columbia ... 27,044 25,599 28,423 27,543 26,296 25,381 26,443 23,213 26,428 28,871

Florida ..................... 508,541 501,285 464,050 493,122 490,069 493,363 522,827 451,580 513,917 542,595

Georgia .................. 247,388 263,872 249,091 243,732 242,926 251,362 252,232 227,479 250,468 240,332

Hawaii ..................... 28,211 27,446 27,483 29,341 25,956 26,129 26,250 26,630 27,098 30,711

Idaho ..................... 45,061 47,395 48,396 44,803 41,792 41,378 40,019 40,735 44,881 45,176

Illinois ..................... 278,177 293,431 281,177 301,138 269,429 288,515 281,099 268,855 270,862 286,551

Indiana ..................... 148,107 153,325 145,342 153,439 142,702 154,760 148,985 140,603 146,834 152,980

Iowa ........................ 75,093 79,518 72,577 79,866 71,751 74,910 73,886 73,448 72,256 74,880

Kansas ..................... 78,985 85,024 78,808 71,219 75,069 74,864 68,067 67,661 76,280 67,646

Kentucky .................. 92,740 106,958 101,623 96,978 86,047 96,675 90,552 95,549 92,980 95,032

Louisiana .................. 120,127 123,095 121,990 109,826 107,177 108,558 104,159 99,462 113,176 104,800

Maine ..................... 35,951 40,832 37,283 40,238 37,722 39,975 37,567 37,189 38,294 39,681

Maryland .................. 131,708 136,491 130,873 129,262 136,177 136,408 130,083 125,994 128,857 138,351

Massachusetts ............ 167,647 166,346 154,124 180,439 164,658 169,849 163,458 157,024 148,702 174,134

Michigan .................. 226,583 229,109 216,604 239,038 225,219 255,227 261,024 234,035 229,300 248,071

Minnesota ............... 138,439 146,430 140,915 151,477 149,125 165,270 147,210 133,393 144,135 139,939

Mississippi ............... 68,823 67,302 60,198 59,332 62,205 62,884 58,428 62,486 65,842 58,290

Missouri .................. 137,786 151,637 148,426 142,012 144,851 142,506 144,042 133,861 144,000 144,113

Montana .................. 27,503 32,922 32,066 30,014 28,913 29,606 26,893 26,215 30,643 29,185

Nebraska .................. 47,050 47,973 44,773 48,229 48,216 44,754 45,236 41,131 43,827 43,706

Nevada ..................... 73,442 80,115 79,439 74,310 69,465 76,814 77,068 70,468 76,036 82,366

New Hampshire ......... 37,381 39,715 36,043 40,902 35,921 40,708 37,503 37,188 37,071 39,656

New Jersey ............... 217,626 226,397 200,823 242,670 214,184 230,836 221,251 216,208 212,994 227,208

New Mexico ............ 46,361 49,483 45,658 43,638 45,901 46,285 45,992 39,391 47,327 46,835

New York ............... 451,199 491,296 439,880 501,731 444,186 454,776 436,426 450,887 469,097 469,763

North Carolina ............ 228,819 271,718 238,694 230,301 221,288 222,867 209,905 203,669 223,702 219,644

North Dakota ............ 19,561 19,077 19,613 19,321 19,514 17,615 18,029 17,877 18,673 17,975

Ohio ........................ 266,494 273,486 259,261 283,177 249,393 286,805 285,789 260,711 266,721 276,817

Oklahoma ............... 85,999 87,109 85,616 85,428 82,042 80,220 80,850 73,657 89,207 78,243

Oregon ..................... 103,167 107,374 104,745 101,225 100,856 94,670 97,684 96,037 104,666 98,132

Pennsylvania ............ 281,640 286,900 282,273 302,265 266,822 278,525 278,568 266,506 270,874 285,414

Rhode Island ............ 28,749 28,621 25,073 28,796 23,339 28,340 28,374 27,137 26,256 29,513

South Carolina ............ 124,764 109,561 113,532 105,523 99,544 103,809 97,192 98,842 107,074 100,422

South Dakota ............ 21,559 22,548 21,003 21,989 20,788 20,198 19,873 19,153 19,784 20,345

Tennessee ............... 143,225 156,388 148,938 142,856 140,708 143,136 157,013 144,012 139,122 139,828

Texas ..................... 545,573 566,668 542,825 553,947 538,651 480,295 476,908 461,745 485,096 497,118

Utah ........................ 77,218 79,960 80,804 77,611 73,755 68,620 64,989 62,978 70,542 74,169

Vermont .................. 16,515 18,861 16,966 19,085 18,877 18,832 18,099 18,899 19,073 20,024

Virginia .................. 181,450 193,009 192,908 192,077 176,798 196,437 181,525 174,760 184,266 190,227

Washington ............... 176,707 184,842 190,639 183,840 168,602 170,405 166,948 154,634 165,511 174,458

West Virginia ............ 37,841 40,697 38,687 37,037 35,591 40,489 36,849 37,621 37,733 38,633

Wisconsin ............... 143,515 146,759 144,613 146,916 127,659 146,137 143,350 141,179 134,163 144,918

Wyoming .................. 20,984 22,692 22,362 18,932 20,910 19,491 16,482 18,199 21,853 19,706

Puerto Rico ............... 50,294 56,039 43,159 47,784 51,566 56,054 47,988 55,059 50,761 50,852

Virgin Islands ............ 2,727 2,358 2,091 3,531 2,119 2,766 1,980 2,501 2,376 3,282

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

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

2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007

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

Alabama ............................. 6.4 6.8 7.1 6.2 6.3 6.6 6.7 5.7 6.7 6.3

Alaska ................................. 9.4 11.0 10.3 11.9 9.4 1.5 11.4 9.5 10.0 11.1

Arizona ............................... 7.8 7.2 7.0 6.8 6.9 6.7 7.3 6.8 7.0 7.1

Arkansas .............................. 5.9 6.4 6.2 5.6 5.7 6.6 6.0 5.4 6.3 5.8

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

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

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

Delaware .............................. 6.5 7.2 8.1 6.8 6.5 7.6 6.4 7.7 6.6 7.5

District of Columbia ............... 6.2 5.9 6.4 6.1 6.0 5.8 6.0 5.2 5.9 6.5

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

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

Hawaii ............................... 5.6 5.4 5.5 5.8 5.1 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.4 6.0

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

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

Indiana ............................... 5.9 6.1 5.8 6.1 5.7 6.2 6.0 5.6 5.8 6.1

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

Kansas ................................. 7.3 7.8 7.1 6.4 6.8 6.9 6.2 6.1 6.9 6.1

Kentucky .............................. 6.3 7.2 6.8 6.4 5.7 6.6 6.1 6.4 6.2 6.3

Louisiana .............................. 8.1 8.2 8.0 7.2 7.0 7.4 7.0 6.5 7.4 6.8

Maine ................................ 7.2 8.2 7.4 8.0 7.6 8.1 7.5 7.4 7.6 7.9

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

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

Michigan ............................. 6.2 6.4 6.1 6.7 6.3 7.0 7.2 6.5 6.4 6.9

Minnesota ........................... 6.1 6.4 6.1 6.5 6.4 7.2 6.4 5.8 6.2 6.0

Mississippi ........................... 7.7 7.5 6.7 6.6 7.0 7.0 6.5 7.0 7.3 6.5

Missouri .............................. 6.1 6.6 6.5 6.2 6.3 6.3 6.3 5.8 6.3 6.3

Montana ............................... 7.9 9.4 9.0 8.4 8.1 8.5 7.7 7.4 8.6 8.2

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

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

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

New Jersey ........................... 6.5 6.8 6.0 7.2 6.4 6.9 6.6 6.4 6.3 6.8

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

New York ........................... 6.5 7.0 6.2 7.0 6.2 6.5 6.2 6.3 6.6 6.6

North Carolina ........................ 7.0 8.1 7.1 6.8 6.6 6.8 6.3 6.1 6.6 6.5

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

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

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

Oregon ................................. 7.2 7.4 7.1 6.9 6.9 6.6 6.8 6.5 7.1 6.7

Pennsylvania ........................ 5.7 5.8 5.7 6.1 5.4 5.7 5.7 5.4 5.5 5.7

Rhode Island ........................ 6.9 6.8 5.9 6.8 5.6 6.8 6.7 6.4 6.2 7.0

South Carolina ........................ 8.2 7.1 7.3 6.7 6.3 6.8 6.2 6.3 6.9 6.4

South Dakota ........................ 6.9 7.1 6.5 6.8 6.4 6.5 6.2 5.9 6.1 6.3

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

Texas ................................. 6.6 6.8 6.4 6.5 6.3 5.8 5.7 5.5 5.7 5.8

Utah .................................... 7.8 8.0 8.0 7.6 7.2 7.0 6.5 6.2 6.9 7.2

Vermont .............................. 6.6 7.6 6.8 7.6 7.5 7.5 7.3 7.6 7.7 8.0

Virginia .............................. 6.1 6.5 6.5 6.3 5.9 6.6 6.1 5.9 6.1 6.3

Washington ........................... 7.6 7.9 8.0 7.7 7.0 7.4 7.1 6.5 6.9 7.3

West Virginia ........................ 6.7 7.2 6.8 6.5 6.2 7.1 6.5 6.6 6.6 6.8

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

Wyoming .............................. 10.1 10.7 10.2 8.8 9.8 9.4 7.8 8.4 10.0 9.1

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

Virgin Islands ........................ 8.3 7.1 6.4 10.6 6.4 8.4 6.0 7.6 7.2 9.8

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)