For release 10:00 a.m. (EST), Wednesday, November 18, 2015 USDL-15-2204

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

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

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS – FIRST QUARTER 2015

From December 2014 to March 2015,

gross job gains from opening and 

expanding private sector establishments 

were 6.9 million, a decrease of 711,000 

jobs from the previous quarter, the U.S. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. 

Over this period, gross job losses from 

closing and contracting private sector 

establishments were 6.7 million, an 

increase of 158,000 jobs from the previous 

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

The difference between the number of 

gross job gains and the number of gross 

job losses yielded a net employment gain

of 226,000 jobs in the private sector 

during the first quarter of 2015. (See tables 

A, 1, and 3.) 

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

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

these changes in employment at private business units from the third month of one quarter to the third 

month of the next. Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment from expansions at existing 

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

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

gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Technical 

Note for more information.) 

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data 

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

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

data and five years of seasonally adjusted data. 

Additionally, all historical BED series back to third quarter 1992 have been revised for both seasonally 

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

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

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

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

now within scope.
- 2 - 

The BED data series include gross job gains 

and gross job losses at the establishment level 

by industry subsector and for the 50 states, the 

District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the 

Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and 

gross job losses at the firm level by employer 

size class. 

Gross job gains at expanding establishments 

totaled 5.7 million in the first quarter of 2015, a 

decrease of 613,000 jobs from the previous 

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

Opening establishments accounted for 1.3 

million jobs gained in the first quarter of 2015, 

a decrease of 98,000 jobs from the previous 

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

Contracting establishments lost 5.6 million 

jobs in the first quarter of 2015. This was an 

increase of 236,000 jobs from the prior quarter. 

(See tables A, 1, and 3.) 

In the first quarter of 2015, closing

establishments lost 1.2 million jobs, a decrease 

of 78,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See 

tables A, 1, and 3.) 

Gross job gains represented 5.9 percent of

private sector employment in the first quarter 

of 2015, while gross job losses represented 5.7 

percent of private sector employment. (See 

tables A, 2, and 3.)

In the first quarter of 2015, the number of establishment births (a subset of the openings data, see the 

Technical Note for more information) increased by 10,000 to 233,000 establishments. These new 

establishments accounted for 806,000 jobs, a decrease of 34,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See table 8.) 

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

when 717,000 jobs were lost at 205,000 establishments. In the prior quarter, 630,000 jobs were lost at 189,000 

establishments. (See table 8.) 

During the first quarter of 2015, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in most industry sectors except the 

natural resources and mining sector, manufacturing sector, transportation and warehousing sector, information 

sector, and the professional and business services sector. The service-providing sector, with 5.6 million gross 

job gains and 5.4 million gross job losses, experienced a net increase of 203,000 jobs. The goods-producing 

sector experienced a net increase of 23,000 jobs, the result of 1.3 million gross job gains and 1.3 million gross 

job losses. The manufacturing sector, a subset of the goods-producing sector, experienced no net employment 

change over the quarter. (See table 3.) 
- 3 - 

1

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

See the Technical Note for further information. 

In the first quarter of 2015, firms with 1-49 employees had a net employment gain of 185,000. Firms with 50-

249 employees had a net employment gain of 78,000. Firms with 250 or more employees had a net employment 

loss of 25,000. (See table 4 and 5.) 

Of the 2.6 million net jobs created over the last year, firms with 1-49 employees contributed 33 percent of net 

job growth, while firms with 50-249 employees contributed 21 percent, and firms with 250 or more employees 

contributed 46 percent. (See table 4 and 5.) 

In the first quarter of 2015, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 31 states and the District of Columbia. 

California experienced 938,495 gross job gains and 853,530 gross job losses resulting in a net employment gain 

of 84,965. This is the largest net employment gain of any state this quarter. Florida had the second largest net 

employment gain this quarter with 48,326 net jobs, the result of 433,403 gross job gains and 385,077 gross job 

losses. (See table 6.) Alaska had the highest rate of gross job gains as a percent of employment at 10.4 percent, 

above the U.S. rate of 5.9 percent. Hawaii had the lowest rate of gross job losses as a percent of employment at 

4.8 percent, below the U.S. rate of 5.7 percent. (See table 7.) 

More Information 

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

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

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

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

Additional information about the Business Employment Dynamics data can be found in the Technical Note of 

this release or may be obtained by e-mailing BDMinfo@bls.gov. 

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2015 are scheduled to be released on 

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. (EST). 

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

Category 

3 months ended 

Mar. June Sept. Dec. Mar. 

2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 

Levels (in thousands) 

Gross job gains.................................... 6,927 7,467 7,235 7,658 6,947 

 At expanding establishments........... 5,664 6,128 5,905 6,279 5,666 

 At opening establishments............... 1,263 1,339 1,330 1,379 1,281 

 

Gross job losses................................... 6,504 6,584 6,710 6,563 6,721 

 At contracting establishments........... 5,360 5,362 5,523 5,322 5,558 

 At closing establishments................ 1,144 1,222 1,187 1,241 1,163 

 

Net employment change1........................ 423 883 525 1,095 226 

 

Rates (percent) 

Gross job gains................................ 6.1 6.5 6.3 6.6 5.9 

 At expanding establishments....... 5.0 5.3 5.1 5.4 4.8 

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

 

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

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

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

 

Net employment change1..................... .4 .7 .5 .9 .2 
- 4 - 

Technical Note

 The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are 

a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as 

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). 

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

Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records. Most 

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

on the employment and wages of workers covered by 

unemployment insurance (UI) laws, and to pay quarterly 

UI taxes. The QCEW is based largely on quarterly UI 

reports which are sent by businesses to the State 

Employment Security Agencies (SESAs). These UI reports 

are supplemented by two additional BLS data collections 

to render administrative data into economic statistics. 

Together these data comprise the QCEW and form the 

basis of the Bureau’s establishment universe sampling 

frame. 

 These reports are used to produce the quarterly QCEW 

data on total employment and wages and the longitudinal 

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

the employment benchmark for the Current Employment 

Statistics (CES), Occupational Employment Statistics 

(OES), and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey 

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

Economic Analysis’s Personal Income Accounts. 

 In the BED program, the quarterly QCEW records are 

linked across quarters to provide a longitudinal history for 

each establishment. The linkage process allows the 

tracking of net employment changes at the establishment 

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

opening and expanding units and jobs lost at closing and 

contracting units. 

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES 

employment measures 

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

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

of the quarterly UI employment reports in producing data; 

however, each measure has a somewhat different universe 

coverage, estimation procedure, and publication product. 

 Differences in coverage and estimation methods can 

result in somewhat different measures of over-the-quarter 

employment change. It is important to understand program 

differences and the intended uses of the program products. 

(See table below.) 

 Additional information on each program can be 

obtained from the program web sites shown in the table 

below. 

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

QCEW BED CES 

Source  Count of UI administrative records 

submitted by 9.5 million employers 

 Count of longitudinally-linked UI 

administrative records submitted by 

7.6 million private sector employers 

 Sample Survey: 588,000 

establishments 

Coverage  UI and UCFE coverage: all 

employers subject to State and 

federal UI Laws 

 UI Coverage, excluding: government, 

private households, and establishments 

with zero employment 

Non-farm wage and salary jobs: 

 UI Coverage, excluding: agriculture, 

private households, and selfemployed; including: railroads, 

religious organizations, and other 

non-UI-covered jobs 

Publication 

frequency 

 Quarterly 

— 6 Months after the end of each 

quarter 

 Quarterly 

— 7 Months after the end of each quarter 

 Monthly 

— First Friday of following month 

Use of UI file  Directly summarizes and publishes 

each new quarter of UI data 

 Links each new UI quarter to longitudinal 

database and directly summarizes gross 

job gains and losses 

 Uses UI file as a sampling frame 

and annually realigns (benchmarks) 

sample estimates to first quarter UI 

levels 

Principal products  Provides a quarterly and annual 

universe count of establishments, 

employment, and wages at the 

county, MSA, State, and national 

levels by detailed industry 

 Provides quarterly employer dynamics 

data on establishment openings, closings, 

expansions, and contractions at the 

national level by NAICS super-sectors, 3-

digit NAICS, and by size of firm, and at 

the state private-sector total level 

 Future expansions will include data at the 

county and MSA level 

 Provides current monthly estimates 

of employment, hours, and earnings 

at the MSA, State, and national level 

by industry 

Principal uses  Major uses include: 

— Detailed locality data 

— Periodic universe counts for 

benchmarking sample survey 

estimates 

— Sample frame for BLS 

establishment surveys 

 Major uses include: 

— Business cycle analysis 

— Analysis of employer dynamics 

underlying economic expansions and 

contractions 

— Analysis of employment expansion 

and contraction by size of firm 

 Major uses include: 

— Principal national economic 

indicator 

— Official time series for 

employment change measures 

— Input into other major economic 

indicators 

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

Coverage

Employment and wage data for workers covered by 

state UI and Unemployment Compensation for Federal 

Employees (UCFE) laws are compiled from quarterly 

contribution reports submitted to the SESAs by employers. 

In addition to the quarterly contribution reports, employers 

who operate multiple establishments within a state 

complete a questionnaire, called the “Multiple Worksite 

Report,” which provides detailed information on the 

location of their establishments. These reports are based 

on place of employment rather than place of residence. UI 

and UCFE coverage is broad and basically comparable 

from state to state. 

Major exclusions from UI coverage are self-employed 

workers, religious organizations, most agricultural workers 

on small farms, all members of the Armed Forces, elected 

officials in most states, most employees of railroads, some 

domestic workers, most student workers at schools, and 

employees of certain small nonprofit organizations. 

Gross job gains and gross job losses in this release are 

derived from longitudinal histories of 7.6 million private 

sector employer reports out of 9.5 million total reports of 

employment and wages submitted by states to BLS in the 

first quarter of 2015. Gross job gains and gross job losses 

data in this release do not report estimates for government 

employees or private households (NAICS 814110), and do 

not include establishments with zero employment in both 

previous and current quarters. Data from Puerto Rico and 

the Virgin Islands are also excluded from the national data. 

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

establishments, the number of establishments excluded 

from the national gross job gains and gross job losses data 

in the first quarter 2015: 

Number of active establishments included in 

Business Employment Dynamics data at the 

national level 

 Millions 

Total establishments QCEW program .........9.5 

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

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

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

 Establishments in Puerto Rico 

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

Total establishments included in Business 

Employment Dynamics data ........................7.6 

Unit of analysis 

 Establishments are used in the tabulation of the BED 

statistics by industry and firms are used in the tabulation of 

the BED size class statistics. An establishment is defined 

as an economic unit that produces goods or services, 

usually at a single physical location, and engages in one or 

predominantly one activity. A firm is a legal business, 

either corporate or otherwise, and may consist of several 

establishments. Firm-level data are compiled based on an 

aggregation of establishments under common ownership 

by a corporate parent using employer tax identification 

numbers. The firm level aggregation which is consistent 

with the role of corporations as the economic decision 

makers are used for the measurement of the BED data 

elements by size class. 

 Because of the difference in the unit of analysis, total 

gross job gains and gross job losses by size class are lower 

than total gross job gains and gross job losses by industry, 

as some establishment gains and losses within a firm are 

offset during the aggregation process. However, the total 

net changes in employment are the same for not seasonally 

adjusted data and are similar for seasonally adjusted data. 

Concepts and methodology

The Business Employment Dynamics data measure 

the net change in employment at the establishment or firm 

level. These changes come about in one of four ways. A 

net increase in employment can come from either opening 

units or expanding units. A net decrease in employment 

can come from either closing units or contracting units. 

Gross job gains include the sum of all jobs added at either 

opening or expanding units. Gross job losses include the 

sum of all jobs lost in either closing or contracting units. 

The net change in employment is the difference between 

gross job gains and gross job losses. 

The formal definitions of employment changes are as 

follows: 

Openings. These are either units with positive third 

month employment for the first time in the current quarter, 

with no links to the prior quarter, or with positive third 

month employment in the current quarter following zero 

employment in the previous quarter. 

Expansions. These are units with positive 

employment in the third month in both the previous and 

current quarters, with a net increase in employment over 

this period. 

Closings. These are either units with positive third 

month employment in the previous quarter, with no 

employment or zero employment reported in the current 

quarter. 

Contractions. These are units with positive 

employment in the third month in both the previous and 

current quarters, with a net decrease in employment over 

this period. 

Births. These are units with positive third month 

employment for the first time in the current quarter with no 

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

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

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

subset of openings not including re-openings of seasonal 

businesses. 

Deaths. These are units with no employment or zero 

employment reported in the third month of four 

consecutive quarters following the last quarter with 

positive employment. Deaths are a subset of closings not 

including temporary shutdowns of seasonal businesses. A 

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

wait three quarters to determine whether it is a permanent 

closing or a temporary shutdown. Therefore, there is 

always a lag of three quarters for the publication of death 

statistics. 

All employment changes are measured from the third 

month of the previous quarter to the third month of the 

current quarter. Not all establishments and firms change 

their employment levels. Units with no change in 

employment count towards estimates of total employment, 

but not for levels of gross job gains and gross job losses. 

Gross job gains and gross job losses are expressed as 

rates by dividing their levels by the average of employment 

in the current and previous quarters. This provides a 

symmetric growth rate. The rates are calculated for the 

components of gross job gains and gross job losses and 

then summed to form their respective totals. These rates 

can be added and subtracted just as their levels can. For 

instance, the difference between the gross job gains rate 

and the gross job losses rate is the net growth rate. 

Establishment Births and Deaths 

 For the purpose of BED statistics, births are defined as 

establishments that appear in the longitudinal database for 

the first time with positive employment in the third month 

of a quarter, or showed four consecutive quarters of zero 

employment in the third month followed by a quarter in 

which it shows positive employment in the third month. 

Similarly, deaths are defined as establishments that either 

drop out of the longitudinal database or an establishment 

that had positive employment in the third month of a given 

quarter followed by four consecutive quarters of showing 

zero employment in the third month. Although the data for 

establishment births and deaths are tabulated 

independently from the data for openings and closings, the 

concepts are not mutually exclusive. An establishment that 

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

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

a quarter must also be a closing. Since openings include 

seasonal and other re-openings and closings include 

temporary shutdowns, the not seasonally adjusted values 

for births and deaths must be less than those for openings 

and closings. However, because some BED series do not 

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

the fact that births and deaths are independently seasonally 

adjusted from openings and closings, there may be 

instances in which the seasonally adjusted value of the 

former is greater than the latter. 

Linkage methodology 

Prior to the measurement of gross job gains and gross 

job losses, QCEW records are linked across two quarters. 

The linkage process matches establishments' unique SESA 

identification numbers (SESA-ID). Between 95 to 

97 percent of establishments identified as continuous from 

quarter to quarter are matched by SESA-ID. The rest are 

linked in one of three ways. The first method uses 

predecessor and successor information, identified by the 

States, which relates records with different SESA-IDs 

across quarters. Predecessor and successor relations can 

come about for a variety of reasons, including a change in 

ownership, a firm restructuring, or a UI account 

restructuring. If a match cannot be attained in this manner, 

a probability-based match is used. This match attempts to 

identify two establishments with different SESA-IDs as 

continuous. The match is based upon comparisons such as 

the same name, address, and phone number. Third, an 

analyst examines unmatched records individually and 

makes a possible match. 

 In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, 

SESAs verify with employers and update, if necessary, the 

industry, location, and ownership classification of all 

establishments on a 4-year cycle. Changes in 

establishment classification codes resulting from the 

verification process are introduced with the data reported 

for the first quarter of the year. Changes resulting from 

improved employer reporting also are introduced in the 

first quarter. 

 

Sizing methodology 

 The method of dynamic sizing is used in calculations 

for the BED size class data series. Dynamic sizing 

allocates each firm’s employment gain or loss during a 

quarter to each respective size class in which the change 

occurred. For example, if a firm grew from 2 employees 

in quarter 1 to 38 employees in quarter 2, then, of the 36-

employee increase, 2 would be allocated to the first size 

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

19 to size class 20 to 49. 

 Dynamic sizing provides symmetrical firm size 

estimates and eliminates any systematic effects which may 

be caused by the transitory and reverting changes in firms’ 

sizes over time. Additionally, it allocates each job gain or 

loss to the actual size class where it occurred. 

Annual Data 

 The annual gross job gains and gross job losses 

measure the net change in employment at the establishment 

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

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

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

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

changes for other quarters of the year are available upon 

request. The definitions and methodology in measuring 

annual gross job gains and gross job losses are similar to 

the quarterly measures. The linkage method considers all 

predecessor and successor relations that may come about 
- 7 - 

due to changes in ownership and corporate restructuring 

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

quarterly job gains and job losses are offset during the 

estimation over the year. Therefore, the sum of four 

quarters of gross job gains and gross job losses are not

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

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

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

adjusted basis. 

Seasonal adjustment 

 Over the course of a year, the levels of employment 

and the associated job flows undergo sharp fluctuations due 

to such seasonal events as changes in the weather, reduced 

or expanded production, harvests, major holidays, and the 

opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal 

variation can be very large. 

 Because these seasonal events follow a more or less 

regular pattern each year, their influence can be eliminated 

by adjusting these statistics from quarter to quarter. These 

adjustments make nonseasonal developments, such as 

declines in economic activity, easier to recognize. For 

example, the large number of youths taking summer jobs is 

likely to obscure other changes that have taken place in 

June relative to March, making it difficult to determine if 

the level of economic activity has risen or declined. 

However, because the effect of students finishing school in 

previous years is known, the statistics for the current year 

can be adjusted to allow for a comparable change. The 

adjusted figures provide a more useful tool with which to 

analyze changes in economic activity. 

 The employment data series for opening, expanding, 

closing, and contracting units are independently seasonally 

adjusted; net changes are calculated based on the difference 

between gross job gains and gross job losses. Similarly, for 

industry data, the establishment counts data series for 

opening, expanding, closing, and contracting 

establishments are independently adjusted, and the net 

changes are calculated based on the difference between the 

number of opening and closing establishments. 

Additionally establishment and employment levels are 

independently seasonally adjusted to calculate the 

seasonally adjusted rates. Concurrent seasonal adjustment 

is run using X-12 ARIMA. Seasonally adjusted data series 

for total private are the sum of seasonally adjusted data of 

all sectors including the unclassified sector, which is not 

separately published. 

The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing 

the BED component series will differ from the net 

employment change estimated from the seasonally 

adjusted total private employment series from the CES 

program. The intended use of BED statistics is to show the 

dynamic labor market changes that underlie the net 

employment change statistic. As such, data users interested 

particularly in the net employment change and not in the 

gross job flows underlying this change should refer to CES 

data for over-the-quarter net employment changes.

Reliability of the data 

 Since the data series on Business Employment 

Dynamics are based on administrative rather than sample 

data, there are no issues related to sampling error. 

Nonsampling error, however, still exists. Nonsampling 

errors can occur for many reasons, such as the employer 

submitting corrected employment data after the end of the 

quarter or typographical errors made by businesses when 

providing information. Such errors, however, are likely to 

be distributed randomly throughout the dataset. 

 Changes in administrative data sometimes create 

complications for the linkage process. This can result in 

overstating openings and closings while understating 

expansions and contractions. The BLS continues to refine 

methods for improving the linkage process to alleviate the 

effects of these complications. 

 The BED data series are subject to periodic minor 

changes based on corrections in QCEW records, updates 

on predecessors and successors information, and seasonal 

adjustment revisions. 

 Annual revisions are published each year with the 

release of the first quarter data. These revisions cover the 

last four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and 5 

years of seasonally adjusted data. 

Additional statistics and other information 

 Several other programs within BLS produce closely 

related information. The QCEW program provides both 

quarterly and annual estimates of employment by state, 

county, and detailed industry. News releases on quarterly 

county employment and wages and an annual bulletin: 

Employment and Wages Annual Averages, are available 

upon request from the Division of Administrative Statistics 

and Labor Turnover, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. 

Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212; telephone 

202-691-6567; (http://www.bls.gov/cew/); (e-mail: 

QCEWInfo@bls.gov). 

 The CES program produces monthly estimates of 

employment, its net change, and earnings by detailed 

industry. These estimates are part of the Employment 

Situation report put out monthly by BLS. 

 The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey 

(JOLTS) program provides monthly measures of job 

openings, as well as employee hires and separations. 

 Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. 

Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral 

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

(In thousands)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

2005 March 475 7,779 6,222 1,557 7,304 5,828 1,476

June 516 7,753 6,183 1,570 7,237 5,802 1,435

September 736 8,023 6,412 1,611 7,287 5,813 1,474

December 467 7,812 6,239 1,573 7,345 5,960 1,385

2006 March 896 7,880 6,383 1,497 6,984 5,661 1,323

June 342 7,766 6,228 1,538 7,424 6,026 1,398

September 92 7,545 6,076 1,469 7,453 6,067 1,386

December 431 7,770 6,226 1,544 7,339 5,964 1,375

2007 March 584 7,815 6,331 1,484 7,231 5,894 1,337

June 132 7,647 6,205 1,442 7,515 6,084 1,431

September -209 7,376 5,870 1,506 7,585 6,190 1,395

December 268 7,687 6,181 1,506 7,419 6,040 1,379

2008 March -199 7,320 5,860 1,460 7,519 6,111 1,408

June -593 7,281 5,833 1,448 7,874 6,363 1,511

September -913 6,944 5,535 1,409 7,857 6,436 1,421

December -1,838 6,738 5,345 1,393 8,576 7,056 1,520

2009 March -2,680 5,918 4,675 1,243 8,598 7,142 1,456

June -1,667 6,425 5,080 1,345 8,092 6,674 1,418

September -849 6,399 5,139 1,260 7,248 5,854 1,394

December -264 6,665 5,308 1,357 6,929 5,605 1,324

2010 March -247 6,325 5,108 1,217 6,572 5,324 1,248

June 698 6,995 5,674 1,321 6,297 5,090 1,207

September 237 6,741 5,438 1,303 6,504 5,231 1,273

December 566 7,052 5,639 1,413 6,486 5,219 1,267

2011 March 315 6,521 5,304 1,217 6,206 5,026 1,180

June 595 6,976 5,633 1,343 6,381 5,113 1,268

September 833 7,198 5,804 1,394 6,365 5,174 1,191

December 350 6,878 5,515 1,363 6,528 5,271 1,257

2012 March 933 7,059 5,729 1,330 6,126 5,003 1,123

June 618 7,057 5,733 1,324 6,439 5,270 1,169

September 255 6,886 5,573 1,313 6,631 5,433 1,198

December 708 7,122 5,762 1,360 6,414 5,221 1,193

2013 March 544 6,913 5,685 1,228 6,369 5,191 1,178

June 666 7,160 5,839 1,321 6,494 5,284 1,210

September 473 7,051 5,710 1,341 6,578 5,430 1,148

December 728 7,279 5,944 1,335 6,551 5,343 1,208

2014 March 423 6,927 5,664 1,263 6,504 5,360 1,144

June 883 7,467 6,128 1,339 6,584 5,362 1,222

September 525 7,235 5,905 1,330 6,710 5,523 1,187

December 1,095 7,658 6,279 1,379 6,563 5,322 1,241

2015 March 226 6,947 5,666 1,281 6,721 5,558 1,163

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

Gross job gains

Total Total

Gross job losses

Year 3 months ended Net change 1
Table 2. Private sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment, 1

 seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

2005 March .5 7.1 5.7 1.4 6.6 5.3 1.3

June .4 7.0 5.6 1.4 6.6 5.3 1.3

September .8 7.3 5.8 1.5 6.5 5.2 1.3

December .4 7.0 5.6 1.4 6.6 5.4 1.2

2006 March .8 7.0 5.7 1.3 6.2 5.0 1.2

June .4 6.9 5.5 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 .5 6.9 5.6 1.3 6.4 5.2 1.2

June .1 6.7 5.4 1.3 6.6 5.3 1.3

September -.2 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.6 5.4 1.2

December .2 6.7 5.4 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

2008 March -.1 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

June -.5 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.9 5.6 1.3

September -.9 6.1 4.9 1.2 7.0 5.7 1.3

December -1.7 6.0 4.8 1.2 7.7 6.3 1.4

2009 March -2.4 5.4 4.3 1.1 7.8 6.5 1.3

June -1.5 6.0 4.7 1.3 7.5 6.2 1.3

September -.8 6.0 4.8 1.2 6.8 5.5 1.3

December -.3 6.3 5.0 1.3 6.6 5.3 1.3

2010 March -.2 6.0 4.8 1.2 6.2 5.0 1.2

June .7 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1

September .2 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.1 4.9 1.2

December .5 6.6 5.3 1.3 6.1 4.9 1.2

2011 March .2 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.8 4.7 1.1

June .5 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.9 4.7 1.2

September .8 6.7 5.4 1.3 5.9 4.8 1.1

December .4 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.0 4.8 1.2

2012 March .8 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.6 4.6 1.0

June .5 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1

September .2 6.2 5.0 1.2 6.0 4.9 1.1

December .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

2013 March .5 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.7 4.6 1.1

June .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

September .5 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0

December .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

2014 March .4 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0

June .7 6.5 5.3 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

September .5 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0

December .9 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.7 4.6 1.1

2015 March .2 5.9 4.8 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0

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

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

Gross job gains

Total Total

Gross job losses

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

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

2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015

Total private 1

Gross job gains ........................... 6,927 7,467 7,235 7,658 6,947 6.1 6.5 6.3 6.6 5.9

At expanding establishments ......... 5,664 6,128 5,905 6,279 5,666 5.0 5.3 5.1 5.4 4.8

At opening establishments ............ 1,263 1,339 1,330 1,379 1,281 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 6,504 6,584 6,710 6,563 6,721 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.7

At contracting establishments ......... 5,360 5,362 5,523 5,322 5,558 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.6 4.7

At closing establishments ............ 1,144 1,222 1,187 1,241 1,163 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0

Net employment change .............. 423 883 525 1,095 226 .4 .7 .5 .9 .2

Goods-producing

Gross job gains ........................... 1,370 1,421 1,357 1,393 1,321 6.8 7.0 6.7 6.8 6.4

At expanding establishments ......... 1,171 1,216 1,157 1,195 1,136 5.8 6.0 5.7 5.8 5.5

At opening establishments ............ 199 205 200 198 185 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 .9

Gross job losses ........................... 1,216 1,253 1,236 1,269 1,298 6.1 6.2 6.0 6.2 6.3

At contracting establishments ......... 1,022 1,046 1,047 1,070 1,113 5.1 5.2 5.1 5.2 5.4

At closing establishments ............ 194 207 189 199 185 1.0 1.0 .9 1.0 .9

Net employment change .............. 154 168 121 124 23 .7 .8 .7 .6 .1

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains ........................... 290 284 286 280 284 14.1 13.8 13.8 13.4 13.5

At expanding establishments ......... 253 249 248 243 250 12.3 12.1 12.0 11.6 11.9

At opening establishments ............ 37 35 38 37 34 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.6

Gross job losses ........................... 255 275 253 285 297 12.4 13.3 12.3 13.7 14.2

At contracting establishments ......... 221 237 220 250 264 10.7 11.5 10.7 12.0 12.6

At closing establishments ............ 34 38 33 35 33 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.6

Net employment change .............. 35 9 33 -5 -13 1.7 .5 1.5 -.3 -.7

Construction

Gross job gains ........................... 680 698 663 669 652 11.4 11.5 10.8 10.8 10.3

At expanding establishments ......... 555 565 541 546 533 9.3 9.3 8.8 8.8 8.4

At opening establishments ............ 125 133 122 123 119 2.1 2.2 2.0 2.0 1.9

Gross job losses ........................... 590 606 589 606 616 9.9 10.0 9.6 9.7 9.8

At contracting establishments ......... 471 485 476 485 503 7.9 8.0 7.8 7.8 8.0

At closing establishments ............ 119 121 113 121 113 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.9 1.8

Net employment change .............. 90 92 74 63 36 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.1 .5

Manufacturing

Gross job gains ........................... 400 439 408 444 385 3.3 3.6 3.3 3.6 3.2

At expanding establishments ......... 363 402 368 406 353 3.0 3.3 3.0 3.3 2.9

At opening establishments ............ 37 37 40 38 32 .3 .3 .3 .3 .3

Gross job losses ........................... 371 372 394 378 385 3.0 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.1

At contracting establishments ......... 330 324 351 335 346 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.7 2.8

At closing establishments ............ 41 48 43 43 39 .3 .4 .4 .4 .3

Net employment change .............. 29 67 14 66 0 .3 .5 .0 .5 .1

Service-providing 1

Gross job gains ........................... 5,557 6,046 5,878 6,265 5,626 5.9 6.4 6.2 6.5 5.8

At expanding establishments ......... 4,493 4,912 4,748 5,084 4,530 4.8 5.2 5.0 5.3 4.7

At opening establishments ............ 1,064 1,134 1,130 1,181 1,096 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 5,288 5,331 5,474 5,294 5,423 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.6

At contracting establishments ......... 4,338 4,316 4,476 4,252 4,445 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.4 4.6

At closing establishments ............ 950 1,015 998 1,042 978 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0

Net employment change .............. 269 715 404 971 203 .3 .7 .5 1.0 .2

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains ........................... 275 286 278 293 262 4.7 4.9 4.8 5.0 4.5

At expanding establishments ......... 227 240 231 243 218 3.9 4.1 4.0 4.1 3.7

At opening establishments ............ 48 46 47 50 44 .8 .8 .8 .9 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 253 250 255 247 256 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.4

At contracting establishments ......... 197 192 200 192 204 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.5

At closing establishments ............ 56 58 55 55 52 1.0 1.0 .9 .9 .9

Net employment change .............. 22 36 23 46 6 .3 .6 .5 .8 .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

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

2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015

Retail trade

Gross job gains ........................... 882 975 904 952 908 5.8 6.3 5.8 6.2 5.9

At expanding establishments ......... 760 839 773 829 787 5.0 5.4 5.0 5.4 5.1

At opening establishments ............ 122 136 131 123 121 .8 .9 .8 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 885 836 911 842 873 5.8 5.4 5.9 5.4 5.6

At contracting establishments ......... 781 721 800 728 763 5.1 4.7 5.2 4.7 4.9

At closing establishments ............ 104 115 111 114 110 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change .............. -3 139 -7 110 35 .0 .9 -.1 .8 .3

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains ........................... 236 248 251 330 228 5.4 5.6 5.7 7.3 5.0

At expanding establishments ......... 201 212 217 297 197 4.6 4.8 4.9 6.6 4.3

At opening establishments ............ 35 36 34 33 31 .8 .8 .8 .7 .7

Gross job losses ........................... 245 207 211 205 272 5.6 4.8 4.8 4.6 6.0

At contracting establishments ......... 210 173 175 170 242 4.8 4.0 4.0 3.8 5.3

At closing establishments ............ 35 34 36 35 30 .8 .8 .8 .8 .7

Net employment change .............. -9 41 40 125 -44 -.2 .8 .9 2.7 -1.0

Utilities

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

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

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

Gross job losses ........................... 12 14 12 12 11 2.2 2.6 2.2 2.2 2.0

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

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

Net employment change .............. 2 -2 0 2 2 .4 -.4 .0 .4 .4

 Information

Gross job gains ........................... 124 142 140 145 124 4.5 5.1 5.1 5.3 4.5

At expanding establishments ......... 102 119 117 119 107 3.7 4.3 4.3 4.3 3.9

At opening establishments ............ 22 23 23 26 17 .8 .8 .8 1.0 .6

Gross job losses ........................... 129 133 140 136 128 4.7 4.9 5.2 5.0 4.7

At contracting establishments ......... 109 109 119 110 104 4.0 4.0 4.4 4.0 3.8

At closing establishments ............ 20 24 21 26 24 .7 .9 .8 1.0 .9

Net employment change .............. -5 9 0 9 -4 -.2 .2 -.1 .3 -.2

Financial activities

Gross job gains ........................... 329 376 361 384 341 4.4 4.9 4.7 5.0 4.3

At expanding establishments ......... 264 306 289 302 275 3.5 4.0 3.8 3.9 3.5

At opening establishments ............ 65 70 72 82 66 .9 .9 .9 1.1 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 344 337 345 344 330 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.2

At contracting establishments ......... 270 262 271 263 257 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.3

At closing establishments ............ 74 75 74 81 73 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 .9

Net employment change .............. -15 39 16 40 11 -.1 .5 .2 .6 .1

Professional and business services

Gross job gains ........................... 1,275 1,447 1,395 1,570 1,253 6.7 7.6 7.3 8.1 6.5

At expanding establishments ......... 1,045 1,191 1,142 1,292 1,025 5.5 6.3 6.0 6.7 5.3

At opening establishments ............ 230 256 253 278 228 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.2

Gross job losses ........................... 1,271 1,251 1,263 1,277 1,320 6.8 6.6 6.6 6.6 6.8

At contracting establishments ......... 1,029 992 1,007 1,002 1,085 5.5 5.2 5.3 5.2 5.6

At closing establishments ............ 242 259 256 275 235 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.2

Net employment change .............. 4 196 132 293 -67 -.1 1.0 .7 1.5 -.3

Education and health services

Gross job gains ........................... 841 892 934 930 855 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.1

At expanding establishments ......... 702 736 770 765 706 3.4 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.4

At opening establishments ............ 139 156 164 165 149 .7 .8 .8 .8 .7

Gross job losses ........................... 787 838 792 778 818 3.8 4.1 3.9 3.8 3.9

At contracting establishments ......... 642 672 637 619 642 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.0 3.1

At closing establishments ............ 145 166 155 159 176 .7 .8 .8 .8 .8

Net employment change .............. 54 54 142 152 37 .3 .3 .6 .7 .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.

2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains ........................... 1,207 1,283 1,214 1,257 1,235 8.3 8.8 8.3 8.5 8.3

At expanding establishments ......... 946 1,005 953 981 964 6.5 6.9 6.5 6.6 6.5

At opening establishments ............ 261 278 261 276 271 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.8

Gross job losses ........................... 1,080 1,169 1,235 1,146 1,112 7.5 8.0 8.4 7.7 7.4

At contracting establishments ......... 883 964 1,024 932 916 6.1 6.6 7.0 6.3 6.1

At closing establishments ............ 197 205 211 214 196 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3

Net employment change .............. 127 114 -21 111 123 .8 .8 -.1 .8 .9

 Other services

Gross job gains ........................... 282 305 286 284 276 7.2 7.7 7.2 7.2 7.0

At expanding establishments ......... 224 241 228 226 218 5.7 6.1 5.7 5.7 5.5

At opening establishments ............ 58 64 58 58 58 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5

Gross job losses ........................... 256 271 284 274 266 6.6 6.9 7.1 6.8 6.6

At contracting establishments ......... 199 212 224 213 209 5.1 5.4 5.6 5.3 5.2

At closing establishments ............ 57 59 60 61 57 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4

Net employment change .............. 26 34 2 10 10 .6 .8 .1 .4 .4

1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.

Category

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

(3 months ended) (3 months ended)
Table 4. Private sector gross job gains and losses by firm size, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

gains losses gains losses gains losses gains losses

2005 March 416 6,418 6,002 58 3,424 3,366 90 1,175 1,085 268 1,819 1,551

June 518 6,383 5,865 217 3,456 3,239 126 1,180 1,054 175 1,747 1,572

September 767 6,699 5,932 228 3,517 3,289 110 1,199 1,089 429 1,983 1,554

December 513 6,408 5,895 195 3,470 3,275 55 1,147 1,092 263 1,791 1,528

2006 March 782 6,460 5,678 312 3,538 3,226 211 1,216 1,005 259 1,706 1,447

June 369 6,329 5,960 111 3,425 3,314 102 1,179 1,077 156 1,725 1,569

September 86 6,120 6,034 -5 3,334 3,339 48 1,133 1,085 43 1,653 1,610

December 446 6,388 5,942 137 3,406 3,269 80 1,153 1,073 229 1,829 1,600

2007 March 478 6,333 5,855 173 3,445 3,272 98 1,158 1,060 207 1,730 1,523

June 163 6,239 6,076 -33 3,330 3,363 99 1,171 1,072 97 1,738 1,641

September -215 5,920 6,135 -116 3,263 3,379 -34 1,079 1,113 -65 1,578 1,643

December 270 6,251 5,981 10 3,317 3,307 56 1,139 1,083 204 1,795 1,591

2008 March -274 5,831 6,105 -152 3,235 3,387 -11 1,079 1,090 -111 1,517 1,628

June -548 5,850 6,398 -287 3,174 3,461 -44 1,090 1,134 -217 1,586 1,803

September -956 5,532 6,488 -343 3,051 3,394 -140 1,020 1,160 -473 1,461 1,934

December -1,886 5,338 7,224 -689 2,910 3,599 -375 947 1,322 -822 1,481 2,303

2009 March -2,638 4,617 7,255 -983 2,721 3,704 -616 810 1,426 -1,039 1,086 2,125

June -1,763 5,169 6,932 -474 2,946 3,420 -281 950 1,231 -1,008 1,273 2,281

September -906 5,164 6,070 -372 2,826 3,198 -110 932 1,042 -424 1,406 1,830

December -317 5,403 5,720 -159 2,940 3,099 -45 962 1,007 -113 1,501 1,614

2010 March -234 5,115 5,349 -195 2,863 3,058 -2 914 916 -37 1,338 1,375

June 664 5,805 5,141 235 3,093 2,858 204 1,071 867 225 1,641 1,416

September 226 5,525 5,299 26 2,946 2,920 87 998 911 113 1,581 1,468

December 502 5,781 5,279 92 3,051 2,959 92 1,034 942 318 1,696 1,378

2011 March 327 5,358 5,031 98 2,978 2,880 121 969 848 108 1,411 1,303

June 547 5,757 5,210 193 3,076 2,883 173 1,065 892 181 1,616 1,435

September 841 5,965 5,124 266 3,132 2,866 170 1,065 895 405 1,768 1,363

December 311 5,592 5,281 43 2,970 2,927 45 982 937 223 1,640 1,417

2012 March 960 5,883 4,923 397 3,175 2,778 220 1,052 832 343 1,656 1,313

June 610 5,836 5,226 175 3,043 2,868 162 1,077 915 273 1,716 1,443

September 230 5,584 5,354 50 2,959 2,909 52 1,005 953 128 1,620 1,492

December 641 5,777 5,136 177 3,023 2,846 89 1,011 922 375 1,743 1,368

2013 March 576 5,719 5,143 229 3,077 2,848 155 1,024 869 192 1,618 1,426

June 650 5,922 5,272 224 3,088 2,864 141 1,078 937 285 1,756 1,471

September 449 5,757 5,308 207 3,054 2,847 60 1,016 956 182 1,687 1,505

December 649 5,892 5,243 125 3,023 2,898 102 1,033 931 422 1,836 1,414

2014 March 448 5,642 5,194 256 3,077 2,821 152 1,031 879 40 1,534 1,494

June 887 6,152 5,265 298 3,182 2,884 221 1,127 906 368 1,843 1,475

September 505 5,850 5,345 161 3,046 2,885 101 1,059 958 243 1,745 1,502

December 987 6,164 5,177 218 3,108 2,890 153 1,085 932 616 1,971 1,355

2015 March 238 5,607 5,369 185 3,064 2,879 78 1,013 935 -25 1,530 1,555

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

Net 

change

Gross job Net 

change

Gross job

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

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

Year 3 months ended

Total private by firm1 Firm size 1 - 49 employees

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

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

Firm size 50 - 249 employees Firm size 250 or more

Net 

change2,3

Gross job Net 

change

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

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

2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015

Total private by firm 1

Gross job gains ........................ 5,642 6,152 5,850 6,164 5,607 4.9 5.4 5.1 5.3 4.8

At expanding firms .................. 4,742 5,244 4,957 5,237 4,699 4.1 4.6 4.3 4.5 4.0

At opening firms ..................... 900 908 893 927 908 .8 .8 .8 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................ 5,194 5,265 5,345 5,177 5,369 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.4 4.6

At contracting firms .................. 4,361 4,422 4,522 4,320 4,536 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.9

At closing firms ................... 833 843 823 857 833 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change ............. 448 887 505 987 238 .4 .9 .5 .9 .2

Firm size 1 to 49 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 3,077 3,182 3,046 3,108 3,064 9.5 9.8 9.3 9.5 9.2

At expanding firms .................. 2,212 2,312 2,197 2,224 2,192 6.8 7.1 6.7 6.8 6.6

At opening firms ..................... 865 870 849 884 872 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.6

Gross job losses ........................ 2,821 2,884 2,885 2,890 2,879 8.7 8.9 8.8 8.8 8.7

At contracting firms .................. 2,022 2,081 2,099 2,077 2,088 6.2 6.4 6.4 6.3 6.3

At closing firms ................... 799 803 786 813 791 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.4

Net employment change ............. 256 298 161 218 185 .8 .9 .5 .7 .5

Firm size 50 to 249 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 1,031 1,127 1,059 1,085 1,013 4.9 5.4 5.0 5.1 4.7

At expanding firms .................. 1,001 1,092 1,021 1,047 981 4.8 5.2 4.8 4.9 4.6

At opening firms ..................... 30 35 38 38 32 .1 .2 .2 .2 .1

Gross job losses ........................ 879 906 958 932 935 4.2 4.3 4.5 4.4 4.4

At contracting firms .................. 849 877 928 893 900 4.1 4.2 4.4 4.2 4.2

At closing firms ................... 30 29 30 39 35 .1 .1 .1 .2 .2

Net employment change ............. 152 221 101 153 78 .7 1.1 .5 .7 .3

Firm size 250 or more employees

Gross job gains ........................ 1,534 1,843 1,745 1,971 1,530 2.5 3.0 2.8 3.2 2.4

At expanding firms .................. 1,529 1,840 1,739 1,966 1,526 2.5 3.0 2.8 3.2 2.4

At opening firms ..................... 5 3 6 5 4 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0

Gross job losses ........................ 1,494 1,475 1,502 1,355 1,555 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.5

At contracting firms .................. 1,490 1,464 1,495 1,350 1,548 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.5

At closing firms ................... 4 11 7 5 7 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0

Net employment change ............. 40 368 243 616 -25 .1 .6 .4 1.0 -.1

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

losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process. 

Category

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

(3 months ended) (3 months ended)
Table 6. Private sector gross job gains and losses by state, seasonally adjusted

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

2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015

United States 1

 ............ 6,927,000 7,467,000 7,235,000 7,658,000 6,947,000 6,504,000 6,584,000 6,710,000 6,563,000 6,721,000

Alabama .................. 85,698 87,746 89,581 90,302 84,986 84,395 81,872 83,032 79,390 83,133

Alaska ..................... 27,354 27,551 24,009 26,664 26,843 24,525 27,833 26,244 26,187 23,647

Arizona .................. 124,658 128,858 138,330 151,389 130,192 127,086 127,070 118,042 114,098 126,022

Arkansas .................. 55,898 53,160 57,019 63,560 52,074 48,861 50,927 52,229 48,759 55,318

California .................. 917,303 939,117 954,021 1,009,991 938,495 827,877 869,019 844,371 876,809 853,530

Colorado .................. 135,917 146,328 148,683 145,332 142,474 117,137 122,865 125,853 124,926 128,469

Connecticut ............... 72,194 79,627 73,610 76,473 67,827 70,952 68,925 74,256 73,361 71,870

Delaware .................. 22,627 23,840 22,618 25,677 20,948 21,091 18,871 22,510 19,694 26,759

District of Columbia ... 28,420 30,683 27,765 26,915 27,023 25,936 27,717 26,903 26,143 26,418

Florida ..................... 427,774 479,125 492,703 485,325 433,403 383,006 414,368 406,674 408,151 385,077

Georgia .................. 220,280 230,136 230,220 238,116 215,750 188,252 201,151 198,351 191,800 195,401

Hawaii ..................... 24,692 24,892 26,593 26,591 25,524 25,485 25,162 22,937 22,314 24,417

Idaho ..................... 44,752 41,009 39,677 42,898 49,556 38,251 42,367 38,998 37,619 37,971

Illinois ..................... 285,810 303,626 283,715 311,522 289,355 271,352 270,682 288,307 274,821 287,323

Indiana ..................... 131,474 147,131 134,604 159,935 135,251 138,884 124,978 132,690 126,976 135,133

Iowa ........................ 73,648 78,802 73,749 78,199 75,990 70,575 72,494 73,787 72,224 68,787

Kansas ..................... 63,844 67,807 63,377 69,883 63,109 61,647 62,668 63,716 59,565 65,217

Kentucky .................. 91,787 92,151 92,384 101,092 83,966 88,769 83,722 82,408 81,418 91,550

Louisiana .................. 108,230 105,912 107,909 110,344 98,762 93,859 103,557 94,961 94,750 107,998

Maine ..................... 33,132 38,521 33,320 35,278 31,952 34,896 32,346 34,763 35,410 34,311

Maryland .................. 121,499 136,148 133,137 138,559 122,791 119,838 119,577 128,790 126,916 128,633

Massachusetts ............ 158,166 183,732 167,961 178,386 153,727 148,501 153,143 159,654 153,746 160,532

Michigan .................. 192,830 226,828 191,082 220,069 186,698 179,257 190,752 205,107 186,438 185,816

Minnesota ............... 122,490 152,221 131,482 136,923 132,507 129,346 118,383 134,267 128,935 124,085

Mississippi ............... 49,959 53,077 53,826 60,007 48,649 51,299 57,214 51,585 46,688 55,261

Missouri .................. 125,153 134,758 126,076 142,699 127,642 123,829 119,955 126,568 116,469 122,952

Montana .................. 26,277 29,415 28,903 30,556 33,180 28,551 27,569 28,921 28,910 25,995

Nebraska .................. 45,549 47,397 47,321 49,553 48,584 44,322 46,101 45,012 43,949 45,229

Nevada ..................... 68,622 69,877 69,923 70,287 67,468 54,980 59,580 60,168 56,851 57,353

New Hampshire ......... 31,408 36,969 32,002 37,142 31,642 32,117 32,986 34,272 32,733 31,333

New Jersey ............... 195,106 226,392 206,388 227,119 192,871 206,882 194,451 207,112 203,873 199,775

New Mexico ............ 39,379 41,136 40,583 44,135 40,119 39,962 38,390 38,037 37,593 40,337

New York ............... 457,654 496,747 479,367 492,207 452,751 442,296 431,265 449,498 438,941 447,485

North Carolina ............ 199,537 217,022 209,823 224,428 201,554 190,119 187,185 193,695 183,831 195,257

North Dakota ............ 32,111 28,257 30,570 32,877 27,400 24,768 26,193 25,903 25,770 33,253

Ohio ........................ 253,252 270,847 248,416 274,778 245,199 243,553 234,718 249,027 233,006 251,495

Oklahoma ............... 77,375 78,476 77,829 85,458 72,454 72,002 74,533 70,508 69,618 78,715

Oregon ..................... 100,704 100,630 102,126 103,676 102,857 88,088 91,958 88,464 92,473 84,267

Pennsylvania ............ 256,602 274,608 256,883 278,808 241,865 245,303 242,062 254,015 242,138 260,288

Rhode Island ............ 22,872 26,185 24,175 26,349 21,815 22,671 22,399 23,327 22,897 23,924

South Carolina ............ 96,579 98,984 94,120 107,723 89,525 89,150 90,029 90,053 78,630 88,343

South Dakota ............ 21,871 21,565 20,829 21,338 21,738 20,347 20,177 20,142 19,835 19,475

Tennessee ............... 126,772 131,374 133,418 147,613 122,997 122,340 118,013 119,313 114,067 123,505

Texas ..................... 557,909 572,445 578,909 621,191 558,120 482,188 471,468 492,179 482,093 554,065

Utah ........................ 70,092 75,836 76,796 77,688 81,508 64,326 71,419 64,827 63,747 64,830

Vermont .................. 17,159 18,472 17,342 18,971 17,292 17,155 17,352 18,337 16,952 17,199

Virginia .................. 159,319 185,419 168,154 170,860 179,773 163,063 166,417 174,206 163,277 166,667

Washington ............... 170,242 185,741 178,850 175,377 172,884 151,460 161,538 157,888 156,237 145,606

West Virginia ............ 36,189 37,341 34,791 37,372 33,488 37,697 36,240 36,900 34,173 38,029

Wisconsin ............... 124,841 138,897 129,875 136,603 129,845 122,129 119,812 132,569 123,187 121,215

Wyoming .................. 18,520 19,079 18,166 20,323 19,818 17,537 17,967 18,418 17,717 19,749

Puerto Rico ............... 36,520 37,710 37,973 43,614 35,793 44,627 42,541 40,793 33,418 43,227

Virgin Islands ............ 1,375 1,669 1,778 1,721 1,497 1,643 1,704 1,522 1,519 1,618

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

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

State

Gross job gains Gross job losses

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

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

2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015

United States .......................... 6.1 6.5 6.3 6.6 5.9 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.7

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

Alaska ................................. 10.8 10.8 9.5 10.6 10.4 9.7 11.0 10.4 10.4 9.2

Arizona ............................... 5.9 6.0 6.4 7.0 6.0 5.9 6.0 5.5 5.3 5.7

Arkansas .............................. 5.9 5.6 6.0 6.6 5.4 5.1 5.4 5.5 5.1 5.7

California ........................... 6.9 7.0 7.1 7.4 6.8 6.2 6.5 6.2 6.4 6.2

Colorado .............................. 6.8 7.2 7.3 7.0 6.9 5.9 6.1 6.1 6.1 6.1

Connecticut ......................... 5.1 5.7 5.2 5.4 4.8 5.0 4.9 5.3 5.2 5.1

Delaware .............................. 6.3 6.6 6.3 7.0 5.7 5.9 5.2 6.2 5.4 7.3

District of Columbia ............... 5.9 6.3 5.7 5.5 5.5 5.3 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.4

Florida ................................. 6.5 7.2 7.3 7.1 6.3 5.8 6.2 6.1 6.0 5.6

Georgia .............................. 6.6 6.9 6.8 6.9 6.2 5.6 6.0 5.9 5.5 5.6

Hawaii ............................... 4.9 5.0 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.1 5.0 4.5 4.4 4.8

Idaho .................................... 8.4 7.7 7.5 8.0 9.1 7.2 7.9 7.3 7.0 7.0

Illinois ................................ 5.8 6.2 5.7 6.2 5.8 5.4 5.5 5.8 5.5 5.7

Indiana ............................... 5.3 5.9 5.4 6.3 5.3 5.6 5.0 5.3 5.0 5.3

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

Kansas ................................. 5.7 6.1 5.7 6.2 5.7 5.6 5.6 5.8 5.4 5.8

Kentucky .............................. 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.6 5.5 6.0 5.6 5.5 5.3 6.0

Louisiana .............................. 6.8 6.6 6.8 6.8 6.1 5.9 6.5 5.9 5.8 6.7

Maine ................................ 6.8 7.8 6.7 7.2 6.5 7.1 6.5 7.0 7.2 7.0

Maryland ............................ 6.0 6.6 6.5 6.7 5.9 5.8 5.8 6.3 6.2 6.2

Massachusetts ....................... 5.5 6.3 5.7 6.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.5 5.2 5.4

Michigan ............................. 5.4 6.4 5.4 6.2 5.2 5.1 5.4 5.7 5.2 5.1

Minnesota ........................... 5.2 6.5 5.6 5.8 5.6 5.6 5.1 5.7 5.4 5.2

Mississippi ........................... 5.8 6.2 6.2 6.9 5.5 6.0 6.6 6.0 5.4 6.4

Missouri .............................. 5.6 6.0 5.7 6.3 5.6 5.6 5.3 5.7 5.1 5.4

Montana ............................... 7.3 8.2 8.1 8.5 9.1 8.0 7.7 8.1 8.0 7.2

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

Nevada ............................... 6.6 6.7 6.6 6.6 6.3 5.4 5.7 5.7 5.3 5.3

New Hampshire ..................... 5.9 6.9 5.9 6.9 5.7 5.9 6.1 6.3 6.0 5.7

New Jersey ........................... 6.0 7.0 6.3 6.9 5.8 6.3 5.9 6.4 6.2 6.0

New Mexico ........................ 6.5 6.8 6.6 7.2 6.4 6.5 6.2 6.1 6.1 6.5

New York ........................... 6.2 6.7 6.4 6.6 5.9 6.0 5.8 6.0 5.8 5.9

North Carolina ........................ 6.0 6.4 6.2 6.5 5.9 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.4 5.7

North Dakota ........................ 8.7 7.6 8.2 8.7 7.1 6.7 7.0 6.9 6.7 8.7

Ohio .................................... 5.6 6.1 5.5 6.1 5.4 5.5 5.2 5.5 5.1 5.6

Oklahoma ........................... 6.2 6.3 6.2 6.7 5.7 5.7 6.0 5.6 5.5 6.1

Oregon ................................. 7.0 6.9 7.0 7.1 6.9 6.2 6.4 6.2 6.3 5.7

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

Rhode Island ........................ 5.7 6.5 5.9 6.4 5.3 5.7 5.5 5.8 5.6 5.8

South Carolina ........................ 6.2 6.4 6.0 6.8 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.0 5.5

South Dakota ........................ 6.5 6.4 6.2 6.3 6.3 6.1 6.0 5.9 5.8 5.7

Tennessee ........................... 5.5 5.7 5.7 6.2 5.2 5.3 5.1 5.0 4.8 5.2

Texas ................................. 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.4 5.8 5.1 4.9 5.1 5.0 5.7

Utah .................................... 6.5 7.1 7.1 7.2 7.3 6.0 6.7 6.0 5.8 5.9

Vermont .............................. 6.9 7.3 6.9 7.5 6.8 6.8 6.9 7.3 6.7 6.8

Virginia .............................. 5.4 6.2 5.6 5.8 6.0 5.5 5.7 5.8 5.5 5.6

Washington ........................... 6.9 7.4 7.1 6.9 6.7 6.0 6.4 6.2 6.1 5.6

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

Wisconsin ........................... 5.3 5.8 5.5 5.8 5.4 5.1 5.0 5.6 5.2 5.1

Wyoming .............................. 8.6 8.7 8.3 9.3 8.9 8.1 8.3 8.5 8.0 8.9

Puerto Rico ........................... 5.3 5.5 5.6 6.4 5.3 6.5 6.3 6.0 4.9 6.4

Virgin Islands ........................ 5.0 6.2 6.6 6.2 5.5 6.0 6.3 5.6 5.6 5.9

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

State

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

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

(Levels in thousands)

Level Rate 2 Level Rate Level Rate Level Rate

2005 March 227 3.3 196 2.9 972 .9 877 .8

June 232 3.4 192 2.8 964 .9 845 .8

September 236 3.4 195 2.8 1,005 .9 885 .8

December 236 3.4 200 2.9 988 .9 850 .8

2006 March 236 3.3 195 2.8 949 .8 767 .7

June 233 3.3 206 2.9 987 .9 850 .8

September 224 3.1 210 2.9 934 .8 843 .7

December 236 3.3 207 2.9 976 .9 812 .7

2007 March 232 3.2 205 2.8 918 .8 787 .7

June 225 3.1 215 3.0 898 .8 859 .8

September 233 3.2 216 3.0 952 .8 845 .7

December 228 3.1 218 3.0 922 .8 836 .7

2008 March 226 3.1 224 3.1 919 .8 832 .7

June 221 3.0 238 3.3 876 .8 913 .8

September 216 3.0 233 3.2 849 .8 881 .8

December 211 2.9 253 3.5 819 .7 951 .9

2009 March 197 2.7 247 3.4 738 .7 869 .8

June 201 2.8 238 3.3 767 .7 837 .8

September 192 2.7 227 3.2 725 .7 793 .7

December 202 2.8 218 3.1 728 .7 749 .7

2010 March 193 2.7 211 3.0 706 .7 687 .7

June 193 2.7 202 2.9 730 .7 665 .6

September 207 2.9 204 2.9 754 .7 701 .7

December 216 3.0 201 2.8 805 .8 700 .7

2011 March 204 2.9 200 2.8 712 .7 631 .6

June 210 2.9 206 2.9 766 .7 690 .6

September 205 2.9 196 2.7 795 .7 677 .6

December 214 3.0 198 2.8 802 .7 699 .6

2012 March 237 3.3 187 2.6 783 .7 613 .6

June 216 3.0 195 2.7 799 .7 675 .6

September 211 2.9 196 2.7 808 .7 693 .6

December 218 3.0 183 2.5 810 .7 675 .6

2013 March 204 2.8 192 2.6 743 .7 644 .6

June 222 3.0 215 2.9 791 .7 695 .6

September 219 2.9 195 2.6 824 .7 681 .6

December 215 2.9 186 2.5 805 .7 672 .6

2014 March 220 2.9 189 2.5 779 .7 630 .6

June 220 2.9 205 2.7 805 .7 717 .6

September 225 3.0 N/A N/A 829 .7 N/A N/A

December 223 2.9 N/A N/A 840 .7 N/A N/A

2015 March 233 3.0 N/A N/A 806 .7 N/A N/A

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

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

Year 3 months ended

Number of Establishments Employment

Births Deaths 1 Births Deaths