Bureau of Labor Statistics 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor

 Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical Information: (202) 691-6467 USDL 08-1715 

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

 For release: 10:00 A.M. EST 

Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, November 20, 2008 

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS: FIRST QUARTER 2008 

From December 2007 to March 2008, the number of job gains from opening and expanding 

private sector establishments was 7.1 million, and the number of job losses from closing and 

contracting establishments was 7.4 million, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. (See tables A and 3.) Over this period, firms with 1,000 or 

more employees experienced a decline in their share of gross job gains with 15.2 percent, down from 

19.1 percent in the prior quarter. (See tables D and 4.) 

 

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

losses at the establishment level by major industry sector and for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, 

Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by 

employer size class. 

Changes to Business Employment Dynamics Data 

Data in this release incorporates annual revisions to the BED series. Annual revisions are 

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

not seasonally adjusted data and 5 years of seasonally adjusted data. 
2

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.) 

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

3 months ended 

Category Mar. 

2007 

June 

2007 

Sept. 

2007 

Dec. 

 2007 

Mar. 

2008 

Levels (in thousands) 

Gross job gains.................................... 7,627 7,665 7,323 7,676 7,130 

 At expanding establishments........... 6,228 6,250 5,849 6,220 5,731 

 At opening establishments............... 1,399 1,415 1,474 1,456 1,399 

Gross job losses................................... 7,157 7,473 7,564 7,366 7,400 

 At contracting establishments........... 5,872 6,066 6,209 6,010 6,047 

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

Net employment change1

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

1,285 

470 

1,407 

192 

1,355 

-241 

1,356 

310 

1,353 

-270 

Rates (percent) 

Gross job gains................................ 6.7 6.7 6.4 6.8 6.2 

 At expanding establishments....... 5.5 5.5 5.1 5.5 5.0 

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

Gross job losses............................... 6.3 6.5 6.7 6.5 6.5 

 At contracting establishments........ 5.2 5.3 5.5 5.3 5.3 

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

Net employment change1

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

1.1 

.4 

1.2 

.2 

1.2 

-.3 

1.2 

.3 

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 7.1 million jobs in the 

first quarter of 2008, a decrease of 546,000 from the previous quarter. Over the quarter, expanding 

establishments added 5.7 million jobs while opening establishments added 1.4 million jobs. 

Gross job losses totaled 7.4 million, an increase of 34,000 from the previous quarter. During 

the quarter, contracting establishments lost 6.0 million jobs, while closing establishments lost 1.4 

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

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

yielded a net change of -270,000 jobs in the private sector for first quarter 2008. This is the second 

time in the past three quarters that there has been a net job loss. 
3

From December 2007 to March 2008, gross job gains represented 6.2 percent of private sector 

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

(See tables A and 2.) 

 

Major Industry Sector Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses 

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in the following major industry sectors: natural 

resources and mining, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and 

warehousing, financial activities, and professional and business services. Education and health services 

was the only sector that had gross job gains noticeably higher than gross job losses. (See tables B and 

3.) 

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

accounted for 1,493,000 jobs gained, and contracting and closing establishments accounted for 

1,758,000 jobs lost. This net loss of 265,000 jobs results in the seventh consecutive quarter of net loss. 

Construction. In construction, gross job gains fell over the quarter to 763,000. Although gross job 

losses also decreased slightly to 869,000, this sector lost a net of 106,000 jobs. This sector experienced 

net losses in seven of the previous eight quarters. 

Manufacturing. Gross job gains declined to 456,000 while gross job losses grew to 596,000. This 

reverses a recent downward trend in gross job losses. This sector has experienced net losses in all but 

six quarters since the beginning of 1998. 

 

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) 

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

2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 

Total private1 ......................... 7,627 7,665 7,323 7,676 7,130 7,157 7,473 7,564 7,366 7,400 

 Goods-Producing.................... 1,665 1,633 1,504 1,573 1,493 1,702 1,713 1,725 1,701 1,758 

 Natural res. and mining........... 286 290 262 292 274 288 274 274 261 293 

 Construction ....................... 867 820 772 784 763 828 865 882 875 869 

 Manufacturing ..................... 512 523 470 497 456 586 574 569 565 596 

 Service-Providing1....................... 5,962 6,032 5,819 6,103 5,637 5,455 5,760 5,839 5,665 5,642 

 Wholesale trade................... 320 321 310 321 294 297 304 308 301 306 

 Retail trade ........................ 1,099 1,029 1,007 1,022 954 979 1,042 1,064 1,011 979 

 Transportation and warehousing. 234 246 224 254 208 250 223 233 229 250 

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

 Information ........................ 140 161 155 145 154 136 139 154 155 153 

 Financial activities ................ 434 433 418 432 412 423 463 479 486 436 

 Professional and business 

 services....................... 1,310 1,403 1,316 1,440 1,239 1,254 1,347 1,339 1,337 1,358 

 Education and health services ... 818 795 810 814 785 669 696 685 666 667 

 Leisure and hospitality............... 1,194 1,228 1,179 1,247 1,158 1,117 1,206 1,224 1,148 1,154 

 Other services ...................... 299 308 293 296 290 283 289 307 287 289 

1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately. 
4

Service-providing. In the service-providing sectors, gross job gains decreased to 5,637,000 and 

gross job losses decreased to 5,642,000. Job gains at expanding establishments decreased to 4,473,000 

jobs, while job losses at contracting establishments decreased to 4,566,000 jobs. 

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

decreased to 785,000 jobs in the first quarter, while gross job losses remained virtually unchanged at 

667,000. Gross job gains have exceeded gross job losses every quarter since this series began in 1992. 

Retail Trade. In retail trade, gross job gains decreased to 954,000. This is only the second quarter 

since the series began in 1992 that gross job gains for this sector have been less than one million. 

Leisure and Hospitality. Despite the decrease in gross job gains in first quarter, the leisure and 

hospitality industry managed to show net job growth. Other than the four quarters of 2001, this sector 

has experienced a net job loss in only two quarters since 1992. 

Financial Activities. For the fourth consecutive quarter gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 

this sector. The number of gross job losses declined to 436,000, and the number of gross job gains also 

decreased to 412,000. 

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 first quarter of 2008, the number of 

establishments losing jobs exceeded the number of establishments gaining jobs. 

Out of 7.3 million active private-sector establishments, a total of 1,976,000 establishments lost 

jobs from December 2007 to March 2008. (See table C.) Of these establishments, 1,596,000 were 

contracting establishments and 380,000 were closing establishments. Of the establishments gaining 

jobs, 1,517,000 establishments were expanding and 357,000 establishments were opening, resulting in 

1,874,000 establishments gaining jobs. 

The number of closing establishments exceeded the number of opening establishments, 

resulting in a net loss of 23,000 private-sector establishments during the quarter. 

 

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

 (In thousands) 

3 months ended 

Category Mar. 

2007 

June 

2007 

Sept. 

2007 

Dec. 

 2007 

Mar. 

2008 

Establishments gaining jobs............... 1,950 1,919 1,901 1,940 1,874 

 Expanding establishments........... 1,582 1,559 1,525 1,558 1,517 

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

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

368 

1,914 

360 

1,952 

376 

1,956 

382 

1,935 

357 

1,976 

 Contracting establishments.......... 1,552 1,582 1,595 1,575 1,596 

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

Net establishment change1

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

362 

6 

370 

-10 

361 

15 

360 

22 

380 

-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

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

From December 2007 to March 2008, firms with 1 to 4 employees accounted for the largest share of gross 

job gains at 16.2 percent. Firms with 1,000 or more employees had the highest share of gross job losses with 

16.8 percent, followed closely by firms with 1 to 4 employees with 16.7 percent. (See tables D and 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 

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

Firm size 

2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 

1 - 4 employees................. 15.9 14.9 16.2 15.6 16.2 16.7 16.1 15.8 16.0 16.7 

5 - 9 employees................ 12.2 11.6 12.2 11.4 12.4 12.5 12.3 12.1 12.3 12.4 

10 - 19 employees............. 12.4 12.1 12.2 11.6 12.6 12.5 12.3 12.3 12.4 12.4 

20 - 49 employees........... 14.5 14.5 14.3 13.8 14.7 14.3 14.3 14.5 14.4 14.3 

50 - 99 employees........... 8.9 9.1 8.9 8.7 9.1 8.8 8.6 8.9 8.9 8.7 

100 - 249 employees....... 9.4 9.8 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.0 8.9 9.4 9.1 8.9 

250 - 499 employees........ 5.5 5.9 5.6 5.5 5.6 5.3 5.2 5.5 5.3 5.3 

500 - 999 employees........ 4.5 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.0 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.2 

1,000 or more employees.... 16.4 16.9 16.4 19.1 15.2 16.5 17.4 16.6 16.7 16.8 

1 Share measures the percent of the category represented by each firm size class, and rates may not sum to 100.0 due to rounding.

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

December 2007 to March 2008, 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

 In the first quarter, 19 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands had net employment 

growth. However, 31 states and Puerto Rico experienced net job losses. Although the number of gross 

job gains in Texas declined from fourth quarter, it had the largest net job growth with 51,572. This is 

the ninth consecutive quarter that Texas has had the highest net job gains. After experiencing net job 

growth from third quarter 2003 to third quarter 2006, Florida and Arizona have had net job losses in 

five of the past six quarters. Gross job gains in California are at the lowest level in the history of the 

data series spanning back to 1992. (See table 5.) Connecticut had the lowest rate of gross job losses 

and Wyoming had the highest rate of gross job gains. (See table 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. 
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 9.2 million employers 

• Count of longitudinally-linked UI 

administrative records submitted by 

7.3 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 

7.3 million private sector employer reports out of 

9.2 million total reports of employment and wages 

submitted by states to BLS in the first quarter of 2008. 

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 first 

quarter 2008: 

Number of active establishments included in 

Business Employment Dynamics data at the 

national level 

 Millions 

Total establishments QCEW program.........9.2 

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

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

 Zero employment .................0.9 

Establishments in Puerto Rico 

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

Total establishments included in Business 

Employment Dynamics data........................7.3 

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. 

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 
10

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. 

 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 .......................... -412 7,439 5,917 1,522 7,851 6,311 1,540

June .......................... -104 7,401 5,928 1,473 7,505 6,040 1,465

September .................. 204 7,383 5,918 1,465 7,179 5,818 1,361

December ..................... 309 7,549 6,016 1,533 7,240 5,802 1,438

2004 March .......................... 450 7,683 6,189 1,494 7,233 5,799 1,434

June .......................... 631 7,760 6,234 1,526 7,129 5,648 1,481

September .................. 215 7,630 6,057 1,573 7,415 5,877 1,538

December ..................... 781 7,872 6,256 1,616 7,091 5,660 1,431

2005 March .......................... 363 7,595 6,123 1,472 7,232 5,806 1,426

June .......................... 585 7,783 6,231 1,552 7,198 5,785 1,413

September .................. 680 7,962 6,387 1,575 7,282 5,834 1,448

December ..................... 516 7,833 6,263 1,570 7,317 5,945 1,372

2006 March .......................... 787 7,697 6,278 1,419 6,910 5,635 1,275

June .......................... 410 7,795 6,274 1,521 7,385 6,009 1,376

September .................. 36 7,488 6,052 1,436 7,452 6,099 1,353

December ..................... 492 7,801 6,262 1,539 7,309 5,953 1,356

2007 March .......................... 470 7,627 6,228 1,399 7,157 5,872 1,285

June .......................... 192 7,665 6,250 1,415 7,473 6,066 1,407

September .................. -241 7,323 5,849 1,474 7,564 6,209 1,355

December ..................... 310 7,676 6,220 1,456 7,366 6,010 1,356

2008 March .......................... -270 7,130 5,731 1,399 7,400 6,047 1,353

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 .................. .2 6.9 5.5 1.4 6.7 5.4 1.3

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

2004 March .......................... .5 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.7 5.4 1.3

June .......................... .6 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.6 5.2 1.4

September .................. .3 7.1 5.6 1.5 6.8 5.4 1.4

December ..................... .7 7.2 5.7 1.5 6.5 5.2 1.3

2005 March .......................... .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 ..................... .4 7.0 5.6 1.4 6.6 5.4 1.2

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

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

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

December ..................... .4 6.9 5.5 1.4 6.5 5.3 1.2

2007 March .......................... .4 6.7 5.5 1.2 6.3 5.2 1.1

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

September .................. -.3 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.7 5.5 1.2

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

2008 March .......................... -.3 6.2 5.0 1.2 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

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

2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008

Total private 1

Gross job gains ........................... 7,627 7,665 7,323 7,676 7,130 6.7 6.7 6.4 6.8 6.2

At expanding establishments ......... 6,228 6,250 5,849 6,220 5,731 5.5 5.5 5.1 5.5 5.0

At opening establishments ............ 1,399 1,415 1,474 1,456 1,399 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.2

Gross job losses ........................... 7,157 7,473 7,564 7,366 7,400 6.3 6.5 6.7 6.5 6.5

At contracting establishments ......... 5,872 6,066 6,209 6,010 6,047 5.2 5.3 5.5 5.3 5.3

At closing establishments ............ 1,285 1,407 1,355 1,356 1,353 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

Net employment change .............. 470 192 -241 310 -270 .4 .2 -.3 .3 -.3

Goods-producing

Gross job gains ........................... 1,665 1,633 1,504 1,573 1,493 7.1 7.0 6.4 6.8 6.5

At expanding establishments ......... 1,416 1,386 1,262 1,337 1,258 6.0 5.9 5.4 5.8 5.5

At opening establishments ............ 249 247 242 236 235 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0

Gross job losses ........................... 1,702 1,713 1,725 1,701 1,758 7.2 7.3 7.5 7.4 7.6

At contracting establishments ......... 1,437 1,433 1,455 1,424 1,481 6.1 6.1 6.3 6.2 6.4

At closing establishments ............ 265 280 270 277 277 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

Net employment change .............. -37 -80 -221 -128 -265 -.1 -.3 -1.1 -.6 -1.1

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains ........................... 286 290 262 292 274 15.6 15.8 14.4 15.8 14.5

At expanding establishments ......... 246 251 224 250 234 13.4 13.7 12.3 13.5 12.4

At opening establishments ............ 40 39 38 42 40 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.3 2.1

Gross job losses ........................... 288 274 274 261 293 15.7 14.9 15.1 14.1 15.5

At contracting establishments ......... 248 233 233 224 251 13.5 12.7 12.8 12.1 13.3

At closing establishments ............ 40 41 41 37 42 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.2

Net employment change .............. -2 16 -12 31 -19 -.1 .9 -.7 1.7 -1.0

Construction

Gross job gains ........................... 867 820 772 784 763 11.3 10.7 10.2 10.5 10.2

At expanding establishments ......... 704 657 616 634 614 9.2 8.6 8.1 8.5 8.2

At opening establishments ............ 163 163 156 150 149 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0

Gross job losses ........................... 828 865 882 875 869 10.7 11.3 11.7 11.7 11.7

At contracting establishments ......... 665 696 715 702 698 8.6 9.1 9.5 9.4 9.4

At closing establishments ............ 163 169 167 173 171 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.3

Net employment change .............. 39 -45 -110 -91 -106 .6 -.6 -1.5 -1.2 -1.5

Manufacturing

Gross job gains ........................... 512 523 470 497 456 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.3

At expanding establishments ......... 466 478 422 453 410 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.3 3.0

At opening establishments ............ 46 45 48 44 46 .3 .3 .3 .3 .3

Gross job losses ........................... 586 574 569 565 596 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.4

At contracting establishments ......... 524 504 507 498 532 3.7 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.9

At closing establishments ............ 62 70 62 67 64 .4 .5 .4 .5 .5

Net employment change .............. -74 -51 -99 -68 -140 -.5 -.4 -.8 -.5 -1.1

Service-providing 1

Gross job gains ........................... 5,962 6,032 5,819 6,103 5,637 6.6 6.7 6.5 6.7 6.2

At expanding establishments ......... 4,812 4,864 4,587 4,883 4,473 5.3 5.4 5.1 5.4 4.9

At opening establishments ............ 1,150 1,168 1,232 1,220 1,164 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3

Gross job losses ........................... 5,455 5,760 5,839 5,665 5,642 6.0 6.3 6.4 6.3 6.2

At contracting establishments ......... 4,435 4,633 4,754 4,586 4,566 4.9 5.1 5.2 5.1 5.0

At closing establishments ............ 1,020 1,127 1,085 1,079 1,076 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

Net employment change .............. 507 272 -20 438 -5 .6 .4 .1 .4 .0

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains ........................... 320 321 310 321 294 5.3 5.4 5.1 5.4 4.9

At expanding establishments ......... 259 264 248 263 238 4.3 4.4 4.1 4.4 4.0

At opening establishments ............ 61 57 62 58 56 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 .9

Gross job losses ........................... 297 304 308 301 306 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.0 5.1

At contracting establishments ......... 232 233 244 232 239 3.9 3.9 4.1 3.9 4.0

At closing establishments ............ 65 71 64 69 67 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1

Net employment change .............. 23 17 2 20 -12 .3 .3 -.1 .4 -.2

See footnote at end of table.

Category

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

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

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

2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008

Retail trade

Gross job gains ........................... 1,099 1,029 1,007 1,022 954 7.1 6.6 6.5 6.6 6.2

At expanding establishments ......... 944 871 821 870 804 6.1 5.6 5.3 5.6 5.2

At opening establishments ............ 155 158 186 152 150 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.0

Gross job losses ........................... 979 1,042 1,064 1,011 979 6.3 6.7 6.8 6.5 6.3

At contracting establishments ......... 835 905 926 871 846 5.4 5.8 5.9 5.6 5.4

At closing establishments ............ 144 137 138 140 133 .9 .9 .9 .9 .9

Net employment change .............. 120 -13 -57 11 -25 .8 -.1 -.3 .1 -.1

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains ........................... 234 246 224 254 208 5.4 5.7 5.2 5.8 4.8

At expanding establishments ......... 199 209 190 219 177 4.6 4.8 4.4 5.0 4.1

At opening establishments ............ 35 37 34 35 31 .8 .9 .8 .8 .7

Gross job losses ........................... 250 223 233 229 250 5.8 5.2 5.4 5.3 5.8

At contracting establishments ......... 214 185 194 189 216 5.0 4.3 4.5 4.4 5.0

At closing establishments ............ 36 38 39 40 34 .8 .9 .9 .9 .8

Net employment change .............. -16 23 -9 25 -42 -.4 .5 -.2 .5 -1.0

Utilities

Gross job gains ........................... 12 15 14 15 13 2.2 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.4

At expanding establishments ......... 11 14 13 13 11 2.0 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.0

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

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

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

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

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

 Information

Gross job gains ........................... 140 161 155 145 154 4.6 5.3 5.1 4.7 5.1

At expanding establishments ......... 119 137 127 117 129 3.9 4.5 4.2 3.8 4.3

At opening establishments ............ 21 24 28 28 25 .7 .8 .9 .9 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 136 139 154 155 153 4.5 4.6 5.0 5.1 5.1

At contracting establishments ......... 112 113 129 126 123 3.7 3.7 4.2 4.1 4.1

At closing establishments ............ 24 26 25 29 30 .8 .9 .8 1.0 1.0

Net employment change .............. 4 22 1 -10 1 .1 .7 .1 -.4 .0

Financial activities

Gross job gains ........................... 434 433 418 432 412 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.3 5.1

At expanding establishments ......... 342 346 322 332 324 4.2 4.2 3.9 4.1 4.0

At opening establishments ............ 92 87 96 100 88 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 423 463 479 486 436 5.1 5.6 5.8 6.0 5.4

At contracting establishments ......... 324 354 362 368 323 3.9 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.0

At closing establishments ............ 99 109 117 118 113 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.4

Net employment change .............. 11 -30 -61 -54 -24 .2 -.3 -.7 -.7 -.3

Professional and business services

Gross job gains ........................... 1,310 1,403 1,316 1,440 1,239 7.4 7.8 7.4 8.0 6.8

At expanding establishments ......... 1,080 1,148 1,053 1,158 998 6.1 6.4 5.9 6.4 5.5

At opening establishments ............ 230 255 263 282 241 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.3

Gross job losses ........................... 1,254 1,347 1,339 1,337 1,358 7.0 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.6

At contracting establishments ......... 1,004 1,041 1,075 1,072 1,094 5.6 5.8 6.0 6.0 6.1

At closing establishments ............ 250 306 264 265 264 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.5

Net employment change .............. 56 56 -23 103 -119 .4 .3 -.1 .5 -.8

Education and health services

Gross job gains ........................... 818 795 810 814 785 4.8 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.4

At expanding establishments ......... 688 676 678 695 661 4.0 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.7

At opening establishments ............ 130 119 132 119 124 .8 .7 .8 .7 .7

Gross job losses ........................... 669 696 685 666 667 3.9 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.8

At contracting establishments ......... 555 577 568 552 551 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.1

At closing establishments ............ 114 119 117 114 116 .7 .7 .7 .6 .7

Net employment change .............. 149 99 125 148 118 .9 .6 .8 .9 .6

See footnote at end of table.

Category

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

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

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

2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains ........................... 1,194 1,228 1,179 1,247 1,158 9.0 9.2 8.9 9.3 8.6

At expanding establishments ......... 914 939 891 961 879 6.9 7.0 6.7 7.2 6.5

At opening establishments ............ 280 289 288 286 279 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.1

Gross job losses ........................... 1,117 1,206 1,224 1,148 1,154 8.4 9.0 9.1 8.5 8.6

At contracting establishments ......... 918 975 993 931 930 6.9 7.3 7.4 6.9 6.9

At closing establishments ............ 199 231 231 217 224 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.7

Net employment change .............. 77 22 -45 99 4 .6 .2 -.2 .8 .0

 Other services

Gross job gains ........................... 299 308 293 296 290 7.7 7.9 7.5 7.6 7.5

At expanding establishments ......... 241 247 230 238 233 6.2 6.3 5.9 6.1 6.0

At opening establishments ............ 58 61 63 58 57 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5

Gross job losses ........................... 283 289 307 287 289 7.3 7.4 7.8 7.3 7.4

At contracting establishments ......... 221 227 243 224 224 5.7 5.8 6.2 5.7 5.7

At closing establishments ............ 62 62 64 63 65 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7

Net employment change .............. 16 19 -14 9 1 .4 .5 -.3 .3 .1

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)

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar.

2007 2007 2007 2007 2008

Firm size 1 - 4 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 15.9 14.9 16.2 15.6 16.2

Expanding firms ......................... 7.4 7.1 7.5 7.2 7.7

Opening firms ............................ 60.0 58.4 59.4 61.5 58.9

Gross job losses ............................. 16.7 16.1 15.8 16.0 16.7

Contracting firms .......................... 8.2 7.9 7.7 8.0 8.1

Closing firms ............................. 60.5 59.6 60.1 59.6 60.9

Firm size 5 - 9 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 12.2 11.6 12.2 11.4 12.4

Expanding firms ......................... 11.4 10.8 11.3 10.7 11.6

Opening firms ............................ 16.6 16.5 16.4 15.5 16.5

Gross job losses ............................. 12.5 12.3 12.1 12.3 12.4

Contracting firms .......................... 11.9 11.6 11.3 11.5 11.7

Closing firms ............................. 15.6 16.1 16.1 16.2 15.9

Firm size 10 - 19 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 12.4 12.1 12.2 11.6 12.6

Expanding firms ......................... 12.7 12.2 12.5 11.9 12.9

Opening firms ............................ 10.8 11.4 10.7 10.1 11.0

Gross job losses ............................. 12.5 12.3 12.3 12.4 12.4

Contracting firms .......................... 12.9 12.7 12.7 12.6 12.8

Closing firms ............................. 10.1 10.5 10.5 10.8 10.2

Firm size 20 - 49 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 14.5 14.5 14.3 13.8 14.7

Expanding firms ......................... 15.8 15.6 15.6 14.9 16.1

Opening firms ............................ 7.7 8.6 7.7 7.7 7.8

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

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

Closing firms ............................. 7.6 8.0 7.9 8.0 7.5

Firm size 50 - 99 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 8.9 9.1 8.9 8.7 9.1

Expanding firms ......................... 10.1 10.2 10.1 9.8 10.4

Opening firms ............................ 2.4 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.7

Gross job losses ............................. 8.8 8.6 8.9 8.9 8.7

Contracting firms .......................... 9.9 9.7 10.0 10.0 9.9

Closing firms ............................. 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.9 2.8

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)

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar.

2007 2007 2007 2007 2008

Firm size 100 - 249 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 9.4 9.8 9.2 9.3 9.4

Expanding firms ......................... 11.0 11.3 10.8 10.7 11.1

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

Gross job losses ............................. 9.0 8.9 9.4 9.1 8.9

Contracting firms .......................... 10.4 10.2 10.8 10.4 10.3

Closing firms ............................. 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5

Firm size 250 - 499 employees

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

Expanding firms ......................... 6.5 6.9 6.6 6.5 6.6

Opening firms ............................ .2 .4 .5 .3 .4

Gross job losses ............................. 5.3 5.2 5.5 5.3 5.3

Contracting firms .......................... 6.2 6.1 6.4 6.2 6.2

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

Firm size 500 - 999 employees

Gross job gains ............................. 4.5 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.4

Expanding firms ......................... 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.3 5.2

Opening firms ............................ .1 .2 .2 .2 .3

Gross job losses ............................. 4.0 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.2

Contracting firms .......................... 4.8 5.2 5.3 5.3 4.9

Closing firms ............................. .3 .3 .2 .1 .2

Firm size 1,000 or more employees

Gross job gains ............................. 16.4 16.9 16.4 19.1 15.2

Expanding firms ......................... 19.4 20.0 19.6 22.6 18.1

Opening firms ............................ .4 .1 .5 .2 .7

Gross job losses ............................. 16.5 17.4 16.6 16.7 16.8

Contracting firms .......................... 19.6 20.7 19.7 19.8 20.1

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

1

 Shares measure the percent of the category represented by each firm size class, and rates may not sum to 100.0 

due to rounding.

Category

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

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

2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008

United States 1

 ............ 7,627,000 7,665,000 7,323,000 7,676,000 7,130,000 7,157,000 7,473,000 7,564,000 7,366,000 7,400,000

Alabama .................. 112,149 100,808 101,828 107,871 96,431 91,401 108,221 103,535 104,544 102,216

Alaska ..................... 24,548 28,101 22,638 24,875 24,026 22,824 24,267 26,359 26,209 21,293

Arizona .................. 160,293 155,009 157,479 157,454 131,093 152,998 159,271 159,009 173,557 157,425

Arkansas .................. 61,217 55,197 56,555 60,518 57,573 54,033 62,063 57,918 57,447 55,687

California .................. 963,848 945,317 914,523 991,318 883,486 932,494 971,930 946,834 917,701 970,184

Colorado .................. 146,568 150,850 148,802 147,704 144,403 132,118 136,425 145,775 142,396 139,549

Connecticut ............... 77,458 90,055 78,985 84,896 75,774 82,572 77,009 83,429 82,717 75,913

Delaware .................. 30,549 25,134 23,562 26,057 22,843 28,620 23,614 27,512 23,286 23,490

District of Columbia ... 28,832 27,860 26,552 26,858 27,668 23,433 26,521 28,084 26,855 24,968

Florida ..................... 472,508 496,973 495,029 503,784 462,893 459,346 531,335 557,640 557,019 508,941

Georgia .................. 249,873 243,842 244,518 246,217 241,910 229,628 251,328 242,518 257,581 248,694

Hawaii ..................... 28,081 29,787 26,953 27,626 27,444 26,641 26,976 30,063 26,283 28,861

Idaho ..................... 48,321 44,611 42,078 46,957 43,825 40,588 45,016 45,607 42,462 47,387

Illinois ..................... 283,118 298,205 269,396 289,963 257,263 272,637 273,666 289,684 284,241 277,394

Indiana ..................... 146,991 154,286 145,385 147,408 128,823 141,285 148,037 154,035 152,272 151,313

Iowa ........................ 73,884 80,645 74,297 76,423 75,913 74,944 72,946 76,519 72,570 75,739

Kansas ..................... 75,841 71,588 74,748 72,455 85,756 66,638 75,089 67,156 72,803 76,089

Kentucky .................. 103,007 96,967 87,033 98,760 89,802 96,129 93,881 96,077 91,580 94,167

Louisiana .................. 122,183 110,681 110,325 114,566 105,843 99,834 113,637 107,897 102,061 101,310

Maine ..................... 37,953 40,256 37,699 39,812 35,386 37,735 38,603 40,136 36,533 38,311

Maryland .................. 131,236 129,968 136,821 133,972 129,204 125,403 129,484 138,112 137,186 132,403

Massachusetts ............ 159,703 180,726 167,840 163,903 156,011 158,570 151,899 175,531 169,769 152,572

Michigan .................. 221,823 240,220 225,991 226,325 207,642 233,213 230,565 246,215 249,067 242,937

Minnesota ............... 141,667 151,593 151,427 140,089 139,026 136,583 143,597 140,365 143,481 142,695

Mississippi ............... 61,490 60,017 62,592 65,791 57,582 63,164 66,956 58,456 57,571 58,523

Missouri .................. 150,073 142,046 146,395 138,451 137,642 136,739 145,375 144,782 141,379 139,452

Montana .................. 32,425 30,040 29,111 32,517 30,702 26,528 30,769 29,363 28,468 30,160

Nebraska .................. 46,978 48,148 48,569 47,931 46,332 43,157 44,493 44,276 47,536 42,107

Nevada ..................... 79,393 74,132 69,323 85,876 76,077 71,397 77,618 82,736 77,350 85,232

New Hampshire ......... 36,686 40,806 36,282 39,237 35,433 37,465 37,485 39,787 38,422 37,137

New Jersey ............... 203,113 242,733 216,092 227,637 202,756 218,590 217,207 234,703 218,322 213,561

New Mexico ............ 47,065 45,581 46,822 47,752 44,333 40,068 49,069 47,911 44,620 41,459

New York ............... 444,928 496,723 447,389 492,874 435,576 445,975 448,036 463,652 439,494 450,588

North Carolina ............ 243,136 231,964 224,225 233,942 222,100 204,976 230,720 223,101 217,800 221,137

North Dakota ............ 19,515 19,319 19,566 20,281 21,771 17,900 18,632 17,948 17,305 17,438

Ohio ........................ 267,559 286,268 253,718 270,727 243,918 264,922 271,389 282,838 274,342 283,287

Oklahoma ............... 86,317 85,967 82,213 80,007 86,731 74,900 86,659 76,306 77,962 72,919

Oregon ..................... 106,161 101,500 102,187 107,206 97,406 97,176 105,123 100,470 103,814 100,289

Pennsylvania ............ 287,665 303,250 269,675 289,282 267,831 273,284 277,287 288,146 275,587 274,187

Rhode Island ............ 25,072 28,775 23,395 25,807 23,562 27,331 26,609 29,596 28,218 26,635

South Carolina ............ 115,876 103,434 99,461 103,048 99,070 100,386 105,915 100,979 105,799 100,963

South Dakota ............ 21,216 21,945 20,782 21,382 21,942 19,283 19,784 20,340 20,270 19,382

Tennessee ............... 150,304 144,880 142,360 141,888 133,791 144,881 145,002 141,564 133,361 138,012

Texas ..................... 560,923 554,057 538,336 568,802 535,846 475,593 489,940 504,337 487,640 484,274

Utah ........................ 81,628 77,649 74,231 81,880 71,826 63,774 71,533 76,234 75,317 71,419

Vermont .................. 17,815 19,069 19,066 20,368 17,728 18,608 19,040 20,052 18,694 19,372

Virginia .................. 195,693 191,902 178,420 184,806 186,117 176,361 186,930 191,182 186,717 181,561

Washington ............... 189,869 183,218 169,948 185,367 185,681 155,510 166,579 175,505 164,540 167,911

West Virginia ............ 38,985 37,553 36,543 40,109 36,735 38,044 37,981 38,839 36,420 37,112

Wisconsin ............... 145,965 147,543 129,879 136,739 133,678 141,622 134,549 144,564 135,453 136,642

Wyoming .................. 22,594 19,121 21,394 23,500 23,351 18,381 21,843 19,945 18,010 19,803

Puerto Rico ............... 45,975 49,080 52,534 49,548 43,097 55,885 50,962 50,788 49,977 56,195

Virgin Islands ............ 2,245 3,594 2,401 2,261 2,193 2,427 2,401 3,189 2,234 2,157

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

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

2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008

United States .......................... 6.7 6.7 6.4 6.8 6.2 6.3 6.5 6.7 6.5 6.5

Alabama ............................. 7.1 6.3 6.3 6.8 6.0 5.8 6.8 6.5 6.5 6.5

Alaska ................................. 10.5 11.9 9.6 10.6 10.2 9.8 10.3 11.3 11.2 9.0

Arizona ............................... 7.1 6.9 7.0 7.0 5.9 6.8 7.0 7.0 7.7 7.1

Arkansas .............................. 6.3 5.6 5.8 6.2 5.8 5.5 6.3 5.9 5.8 5.7

California ........................... 7.4 7.2 7.0 7.7 6.8 7.2 7.5 7.3 7.0 7.5

Colorado .............................. 7.6 7.8 7.7 7.6 7.4 6.9 7.0 7.5 7.3 7.1

Connecticut ......................... 5.4 6.3 5.5 5.9 5.3 5.8 5.4 5.8 5.7 5.3

Delaware .............................. 8.3 6.9 6.5 7.1 6.2 7.8 6.4 7.6 6.4 6.4

District of Columbia ............... 6.5 6.3 6.0 6.0 6.2 5.2 5.9 6.3 6.1 5.6

Florida ................................. 6.8 7.2 7.1 7.4 6.8 6.7 7.7 8.1 8.1 7.5

Georgia .............................. 7.4 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.1 6.8 7.4 7.1 7.5 7.3

Hawaii ............................... 5.5 5.9 5.3 5.4 5.4 5.3 5.3 5.9 5.2 5.7

Idaho .................................... 8.8 8.1 7.6 8.5 8.0 7.4 8.2 8.3 7.7 8.6

Illinois ................................ 5.6 5.9 5.3 5.7 5.0 5.4 5.4 5.7 5.6 5.4

Indiana ............................... 5.9 6.1 5.8 5.9 5.2 5.6 5.9 6.1 6.0 6.1

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

Kansas ................................. 6.9 6.5 6.7 6.5 7.7 6.0 6.8 6.1 6.6 6.7

Kentucky .............................. 6.9 6.5 5.8 6.6 5.9 6.4 6.2 6.4 6.1 6.3

Louisiana .............................. 8.0 7.2 7.3 7.4 6.9 6.5 7.4 7.0 6.7 6.5

Maine ................................ 7.5 8.0 7.5 8.0 7.0 7.5 7.7 8.0 7.3 7.6

Maryland ............................ 6.3 6.3 6.5 6.4 6.2 6.0 6.2 6.7 6.6 6.4

Massachusetts ....................... 5.8 6.5 6.0 5.9 5.6 5.6 5.4 6.3 6.1 5.5

Michigan ............................. 6.2 6.7 6.3 6.4 5.9 6.5 6.5 6.9 7.0 6.9

Minnesota ........................... 6.2 6.6 6.5 6.0 6.0 5.9 6.2 6.1 6.2 6.1

Mississippi ........................... 6.8 6.7 7.0 7.3 6.3 7.0 7.5 6.5 6.4 6.5

Missouri .............................. 6.5 6.2 6.4 6.0 6.0 5.9 6.3 6.3 6.2 6.1

Montana ............................... 9.1 8.4 8.2 9.0 8.5 7.5 8.6 8.2 8.0 8.4

Nebraska .............................. 6.3 6.4 6.4 6.3 6.0 5.7 5.9 5.8 6.2 5.5

Nevada ............................... 7.0 6.5 6.1 7.6 6.7 6.3 6.8 7.3 6.8 7.6

New Hampshire ..................... 6.7 7.5 6.6 7.2 6.5 6.9 6.9 7.3 7.1 6.8

New Jersey ........................... 6.0 7.2 6.4 6.8 6.1 6.5 6.4 7.0 6.5 6.3

New Mexico ........................ 7.4 7.2 7.3 7.5 6.9 6.3 7.7 7.5 7.0 6.5

New York ........................... 6.3 7.0 6.3 6.9 6.1 6.3 6.3 6.5 6.2 6.3

North Carolina ........................ 7.2 6.9 6.6 6.8 6.5 6.0 6.8 6.6 6.4 6.5

North Dakota ........................ 7.1 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.7 6.5 6.7 6.5 6.2 6.1

Ohio .................................... 5.9 6.2 5.5 6.0 5.4 5.8 5.9 6.2 6.1 6.3

Oklahoma ........................... 7.1 7.0 6.8 6.5 7.0 6.2 7.1 6.2 6.4 5.9

Oregon ................................. 7.3 6.9 7.0 7.3 6.7 6.7 7.2 6.9 7.1 6.9

Pennsylvania ........................ 5.8 6.1 5.5 5.8 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.8 5.6 5.6

Rhode Island ........................ 6.0 6.8 5.6 6.2 5.7 6.5 6.3 7.0 6.8 6.4

South Carolina ........................ 7.5 6.6 6.3 6.6 6.3 6.5 6.7 6.5 6.7 6.5

South Dakota ........................ 6.6 6.8 6.4 6.6 6.7 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.2 5.9

Tennessee ........................... 6.4 6.2 6.1 6.1 5.7 6.2 6.2 6.0 5.7 5.8

Texas ................................. 6.7 6.5 6.3 6.7 6.1 5.6 5.8 5.9 5.6 5.6

Utah .................................... 8.0 7.6 7.2 7.9 7.0 6.3 7.0 7.4 7.3 6.9

Vermont .............................. 7.0 7.6 7.6 8.2 7.0 7.4 7.6 8.0 7.5 7.7

Virginia .............................. 6.5 6.4 6.0 6.1 6.2 5.9 6.3 6.3 6.2 6.0

Washington ........................... 8.0 7.6 7.1 7.7 7.6 6.5 6.9 7.3 6.8 7.0

West Virginia ........................ 6.8 6.6 6.4 7.0 6.4 6.7 6.6 6.8 6.3 6.5

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

Wyoming .............................. 10.4 8.8 9.9 10.8 10.5 8.5 10.1 9.3 8.2 8.9

Puerto Rico ........................... 6.1 6.6 7.1 6.7 5.9 7.4 6.9 6.9 6.8 7.6

Virgin Islands ........................ 6.8 10.8 7.3 6.8 6.6 7.3 7.2 9.5 6.8 6.5

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

State

Gross job gains as a percent of employment 

(3 months ended)

Gross job losses as a percent of employment

(3 months ended)