1

Technical information: (202) 691-6467

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 04-1458

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Tuesday, August 3, 2004

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS: FOURTH QUARTER 2003

From September to December 2003, the number of job gains from opening and expanding establishments in the private sector was 7.6 million, and the number of job losses from closing and contracting

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

of the U.S. Department of Labor. (See charts A and B.) During the fourth quarter of 2003, job gains rose

in most major industry sectors, while job losses declined.

Business Employment Dynamics statistics are derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and

Wages (QCEW), also known as the ES-202 program. Gross job gains are defined as increases in

employment resulting from expansions of employment at existing private sector establishments or from the

opening of establishments. Gross job losses are defined as declines in employment at existing establishments

or from the closing of establishments. The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the

number of gross jobs lost is the net change in employment.

Private Sector Gross Job Gains and Job Losses

Opening and expanding private sector business establishments gained 7.6 million jobs in the fourth quarter

of 2003, or 250,000 more than in the third quarter of 2003. Over the quarter, expanding establishments

added 6.1 million jobs, while opening establishments added 1.6 million.

Job losses totaled 7.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2003, down by 22,000 from the third quarter of

2003. In the fourth quarter of 2003, contracting establishments lost 5.8 million jobs, while closing establishments accounted for a loss of 1.5 million jobs. (See tables A, 1, 3, and chart B.)
2

From September to December 2003, gross job gains represented 7.2 percent of private sector

employment, an increase of 0.3 percentage point over the previous quarter, while gross job losses remained

unchanged at 6.8 percent of private sector employment. (See tables A and 2.) These statistics demonstrate

that a sizable number of jobs appear and disappear in the relatively short time frame of one quarter.

Major Industry Sector Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses

During the fourth quarter of 2003, expanding and opening establishments in the goods-producing sector

gained 1,665,000 jobs, while contracting and closing establishments lost 1,697,000 jobs, for a net loss of

32,000 jobs. Quarterly job gains in manufacturing rose to 586,000, while job losses dropped to 651,000

jobs, narrowing the net loss in that sector to 65,000 jobs. In construction, job gains increased to 793,000

and job losses decreased to 761,000, for a net gain of 32,000.

Job gains in the service-providing sector totaled 6.0 million jobs, exceeding job losses in that sector by

376,000 jobs. Job gains rose in the fourth quarter in all service-providing sectors except in transportation

and warehousing, in utilities, and in financial activities. The information sector gained 172,000 jobs and lost

166,000 jobs for a net increase of 6,000 jobs, the first net job gain since December 2000. (See tables 3

and B.)

Number of Establishments Gaining and Losing Employment

In the fourth quarter of 2003, the number of opening establishments exceeded the number of closing

establishments, leading to a net addition of 26,000 units to the number of total active private sector

establishments. In the third and fourth quarters of 2003, the number of establishments gaining jobs surpassed

the number of establishments losing jobs for the first time since March 2001. During the fourth quarter of

2003, over 1.8 million establishments out of 6.4 million active private sector establishments gained jobs.

Gross job gains .................................... 7,702 7,472 7,560 7,396 7,646

 At expanding establishments.......... 6,059 5,932 6,033 5,897 6,063

 At opening establishments ............. 1,643 1,540 1,527 1,499 1,583

Gross job losses................................... 7,877 7,876 7,702 7,324 7,302

 At contracting establishments........ 6,267 6,321 6,138 5,893 5,816

 At closing establishments .............. 1,610 1,555 1,564 1,431 1,486

Net employment change ...................... -175 -404 -142 344

 3 months ended

Category

Table A. 3-month private sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted

1

Gross job gains ..................................... 7.1 6.9 7.0 6.9 7.2

 At expanding establishments........... 5.6 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.7

 At opening establishments .............. 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5

Gross job losses.................................... 7.3 7.4 7.2 6.8 6.8

 At contracting establishments ......... 5.8 5.9 5.7 5.5 5.4

 At closing establishments ............... 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.4

Net employment change ....................... -0.2 -0.5 -0.2 0.1 0.4

As a percent of employment

 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.

Dec. 2002 Mar. 2003 June 2003 Sept. 2003 Dec. 2003

Levels (in thousands)

1

72
3

 Total private .................................... 7,702 7,472 7,560 7,396 7,646 7,877 7,876 7,702 7,324 7,302

Goods-producing...................................... 1,652 1,692 1,657 1,605 1,665 1,889 1,932 1,897 1,755 1,697

Natural resources and mining............. 294 310 299 272 286 297 309 294 292 285

Construction.......................................... 778 782 811 784 793 800 829 822 762 761

Manufacturing....................................... 580 600 547 549 586 792 794 781 701 651

Service-providing 1................................... 6,050 5,780 5,903 5,791 5,981 5,988 5,944 5,805 5,569 5,605

Wholesale trade.................................... 321 320 314 308 317 348 348 334 323 320

Retail trade............................................. 1,057 962 1,039 1,019 1,061 1,109 1,060 996 989 1,016

Transportation and warehousing....... 239 227 230 235 227 270 237 283 239 237

Utilities.................................................... 13 15 14 16 14 23 15 19 19 16

Information............................................. 174 166 153 149 172 208 201 194 185 166

Financial activities................................ 488 442 455 444 436 451 428 418 417 462

Professional and business services.. 1,422 1,406 1,367 1,356 1,438 1,450 1,469 1,416 1,287 1,302

Education and health services........... 776 760 745 731 744 659 680 698 670 659

Leisure and hospitality........................ 1,151 1,083 1,166 1,125 1,161 1,126 1,161 1,105 1,095 1,097

Other services........................................ 300 296 303 286 288 308 305 305 309 293

 Gross job gains

Industry

Table B. 3-month private sector job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Gross job losses

3 months ended

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

2002 2003 2003 2003 2003 2002 2003 2003 2003

3 months ended

 1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.

Dec.

2003

(See table C.) Of these, 1.5 million were expanding establishments and 348,000 were opening establishments. During the fourth quarter of 2003, nearly 1.8 million establishments lost jobs. Of these, 1.5 million

were contracting establishments and 322,000 were closing establishments.

More Information

For seasonally unadjusted data and seasonally adjusted series not presented in this release, please refer

to the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov. For more information, please see the Technical Note of this

release or the Business Employment Dynamics Web page at the BLS Web site http://www.bls.gov/bdm.

Additional information about the Business Employment Dynamics data may be obtained by e-mailing

BDMinfo@bls.gov.

1

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

Dec. 2002 Mar. 2003 June 2003 Sept. 2003 Dec. 2003

 Establishments gaining jobs .................. 1,801 1,750 1,788 1,791 1,815

 Expanding establishments.................. 1,452 1,418 1,457 1,463 1,467

 Opening establishments..................... 349 332 331 328 348

 Establishments losing jobs .................... 1,813 1,847 1,801 1,772 1,775

 Contracting establishments................ 1,484 1,513 1,473 1,454 1,453

 Closing establishments ...................... 329 334 328 318 322

 Net establishment change .....................

 (In thousands)

 3 months ended

Category

1

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.

20 -2 3 10 26
4

Comparing Business Employment Dynamics Data with Current Employment Statistics

and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages 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. BED data have a more

limited scope than the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data. The data in this release

exclude government employees, private households (NAICS 814110), and establishments with

zero employment.

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.

See the Technical Note for further information.
Technical Note

Source Count of UI administrative records Count of longitudinally-linked UI Sample survey: 400,000 employers

submitted by 8.2 million employers administrative records submitted by

6.4 million private sector employers

Coverage UI and UCFE coverage, including UI coverage, excluding govern- Nonfarm wage and salary jobs:

all employers subject to state and ment, private households, and estab- UI coverage, excluding agriculture,

federal UI laws lishments with zero employment private households, and self-employed

Other employment, including railroads, religious organizations, and

other non-UI-covered jobs

Publication Quarterly Quarterly Monthly

frequency - 7 months after the end of each - 8 months after the end of each - Usually first Friday of following

quarter quarter month

Use of UI file Directly summarizes and pub- Links each new UI quarter to Uses UI file as a sampling frame

 lishes each new quarter of UI longitudinal database and directly and annually realigns (benchmarks)

 data

Principal Provides quarterly and annual Provides quarterly employer dynam- Provides current monthly estimates

products universe counts of estab- ics data on establishment open- of employment, hours, and earnings

lishments, employment, and ings, closings, expansions, and con- at the MSA, state, and national levwages at the county, MSA, tractions at the national level by el by industry

state, and national levels by NAICS supersectors

detailed industry Future expansions will include data

at the county, MSA, and state level

Principal uses Major uses include: Major uses include: Major uses include:

- Detailed locality data - Business cycle analysis - Principal national economic

- Periodic universe counts for - Analysis of employer dynamics indicator

benchmarking sample survey underlying economic expansions - Official time series for

estimates and contractions employment change measures

- Sample frame for BLS - Future: employment expansion - Input into other major economic

establishment surveys and contraction by size of estab- indicators

lishment

Program www.bls.gov/cew/ www.bls.gov/bdm/ www.bls.gov/ces/

Web sites

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

 QCEW BED CES

•

sample estimates to first quarter

UI levels

summarizes gross job gains

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

Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to BLS and form the basis of the

Bureau’s establishment universe sampling frame. These

reports also are 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. (See table below for differences between QCEW, CES,

and BED.)

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

establishments and jobs lost at closing and contracting

establishments.

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

and losses

and by size of establishment
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 on previous page.) Additional information on each

program can be obtained from the program Web sites shown

in the table.

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 SWAs 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 over 6.4 million private

sector employer reports out of 8.2 million total reports of

employment and wages submitted by states to BLS in the first

quarter of 2003. 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 over three 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 gross job gains and gross job losses data in

the fourth quarter 2002:

 Total establishments included in Business

 Employment Dynamics data .......................... 6.4

 *Approximately 48,000 establishments.

Concepts and methodology

The Business Employment Dynamics data measure the net

change in employment at the establishment level. These

changes come about in one of four ways. A net increase in

employment can come from either opening establishments or

expanding establishments. A net decrease in employment can

come from either closing establishments or contracting

establishments. Gross job gains include the sum of all jobs

added at either opening or expanding establishments. Gross

job losses include the sum of all jobs lost in either closing or

contracting establishments. The net change in employment is

the difference between gross job gains and gross job losses.

The formal definitions of establishment-level employment

changes are as follows:

Openings. These are either establishments 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 establishments 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 establishments with positive

third-month employment in the previous quarter, with no

employment or zero employment reported in the current quarter.

Contractions. These are establishments with positive

employment in the third month in both the previous and current

quarters, with a net decrease in employment over this period.

All establishment-level employment changes are measured

from the third month of each quarter. Not all establishments

change their employment levels; these establishments 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.

The linkage process matches establishments' unique SWA

identification numbers (SWA-ID). Between 95 to 97 percent of

establishments identified as continuous from quarter to quarter

are matched by SWA-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 SWA-IDs across quarters. Predecessor and

successor relations can come about for a variety of reasons,

 Number of active establishments included in

 Business Employment Dynamics data

 Millions

 Total establishments ES-202 program ................. 8.2

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

Private households ....................... 0.5

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

Establishments in Puerto Rico

 and the Virgin Islands .................. 0.0*
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 SWA-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,

SWAs 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.

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 establishments are independently

seasonally adjusted; net changes are calculated based on

the difference between gross job gains and gross job losses.

Similarly, 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 the total private sector are

calculated by summing the seasonally adjusted data for all

sectors, including the unclassified sector, which is not

published separately.

The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing the

BED component series will differ from the net employment

change estimated from the seasonally adjusted total private

employment series from the CES program. The intended use of

BED statistics is to show the dynamic labor market changes

that underlie the net employment change statistic. As such,

data users interested particularly in the net employment change

and not in the gross job flows underlying this change should

refer to CES data for over-the-quarter net employment changes.

Reliability of the data

Since the data series on Business Employment Dynamics

are based on administrative rather than sample data, there are

no issues related to sampling error. Nonsampling error,

however, still exists. Nonsampling errors can occur for many

reasons, such as the employer submitting corrected

employment data after the end of the quarter or typographical

errors made by businesses when providing information. Such

errors, however, are likely to be distributed randomly

throughout the dataset.

Changes in administrative data sometimes create complications for the linkage process. This can result in overstating

openings and closings while understating expansions and

contractions. The BLS continues to refine methods for

improving the linkage process to alleviate the effects of these

complications.

The BED data series are subject to periodic minor changes

based on corrections in QCEW records, updates on predecessors and successors information, and seasonal adjustment revisions.

Additional statistics and other information

Several other programs within BLS produce closely related

information. The QCEW program, also known as the ES-202

program, provides both quarterly and annual estimates of employment by state, county, and detailed industry. News releases on quarterly county employment and wages 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 job losses, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Gross job gains Gross job losses

Year 3 months ended Net change1 Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

1992 September 455 7,377 5,632 1,745 6,922 5,351 1,571

 December 216 7,101 5,465 1,636 6,885 5,487 1,398

1993 March 313 7,309 5,410 1,899 6,996 5,354 1,642

 June 786 7,330 5,794 1,536 6,544 5,136 1,408

 September 874 7,523 5,881 1,642 6,649 5,316 1,333

 December 641 7,436 5,840 1,596 6,795 5,420 1,375

1994 March 517 7,400 5,807 1,593 6,883 5,435 1,448

 June 1,021 7,807 6,060 1,747 6,786 5,295 1,491

 September 1,175 7,972 6,227 1,745 6,797 5,493 1,304

 December 507 7,630 5,998 1,632 7,123 5,647 1,476

1995 March 746 7,782 6,129 1,653 7,036 5,660 1,376

 June 402 7,714 6,017 1,697 7,312 5,839 1,473

 September 771 7,970 6,291 1,679 7,199 5,680 1,519

 December 407 7,877 6,153 1,724 7,470 5,934 1,536

1996 March 460 7,943 6,190 1,753 7,483 5,957 1,526

 June 642 8,080 6,302 1,778 7,438 5,894 1,544

 September 632 8,189 6,326 1,863 7,557 5,998 1,559

 December 861 8,278 6,409 1,869 7,417 5,889 1,528

1997 March 799 8,292 6,448 1,844 7,493 5,900 1,593

 June 594 8,098 6,342 1,756 7,504 5,925 1,579

 September 854 8,593 6,680 1,913 7,739 5,981 1,758

 December 702 8,731 6,727 2,004 8,029 6,068 1,961

1998 March 747 8,788 6,633 2,155 8,041 6,107 1,934

 June 666 8,722 6,569 2,153 8,056 6,218 1,838

 September 659 8,539 6,574 1,965 7,880 6,161 1,719

 December 759 8,576 6,778 1,798 7,817 6,060 1,757

1999 March 380 8,744 6,733 2,011 8,364 6,466 1,898

 June 569 8,800 6,788 2,012 8,231 6,419 1,812

 September 548 8,817 6,871 1,946 8,269 6,397 1,872

 December 1,105 9,144 7,112 2,032 8,039 6,264 1,775

2000 March 818 8,906 6,988 1,918 8,088 6,361 1,727

 June 541 8,764 6,975 1,789 8,223 6,509 1,714

 September 146 8,724 6,834 1,890 8,578 6,719 1,859

 December 336 8,690 6,862 1,828 8,354 6,582 1,772

2001 March -101 8,555 6,768 1,787 8,656 6,756 1,900

 June -771 8,254 6,439 1,815 9,025 7,149 1,876

 September -1,380 7,749 5,990 1,759 9,129 7,174 1,955

 December -871 7,893 6,055 1,838 8,764 6,995 1,769

2002 March -1 8,128 6,324 1,804 8,129 6,400 1,729

 June -80 8,050 6,246 1,804 8,130 6,411 1,719

 September -211 7,763 6,083 1,680 7,974 6,345 1,629

 December -175 7,702 6,059 1,643 7,877 6,267 1,610

2003 March -404 7,472 5,932 1,540 7,876 6,321 1,555

 June -142 7,560 6,033 1,527 7,702 6,138 1,564

 September 72 7,396 5,897 1,499 7,324 5,893 1,431

 December 344 7,646 6,063 1,583 7,302 5,816 1,486

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

Total Total
Table 2. Private sector gross job gains and losses, as a percent of employment1

, seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Gross job gains Gross job losses

Year 3 months ended Net change2 Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

1992 September 0.5 8.3 6.3 2.0 7.8 6.0 1.8

 December 0.2 7.9 6.1 1.8 7.7 6.1 1.6

1993 March 0.3 8.1 6.0 2.1 7.8 6.0 1.8

 June 0.8 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.3 5.7 1.6

 September 0.9 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.3 5.8 1.5

 December 0.6 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.4 5.9 1.5

1994 March 0.5 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.5 5.9 1.6

 June 1.1 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.3 5.7 1.6

 September 1.2 8.4 6.6 1.8 7.2 5.8 1.4

 December 0.6 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.4 5.9 1.5

1995 March 0.8 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.3 5.9 1.4

 June 0.5 8.0 6.2 1.8 7.5 6.0 1.5

 September 0.8 8.2 6.5 1.7 7.4 5.8 1.6

 December 0.4 8.1 6.3 1.8 7.7 6.1 1.6

1996 March 0.4 8.1 6.3 1.8 7.7 6.1 1.6

 June 0.6 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.6 6.0 1.6

 September 0.7 8.3 6.4 1.9 7.6 6.0 1.6

 December 0.9 8.3 6.4 1.9 7.4 5.9 1.5

1997 March 0.7 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.5 5.9 1.6

 June 0.5 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.4 5.8 1.6

 September 0.8 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.6 5.9 1.7

 December 0.6 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.8 5.9 1.9

1998 March 0.7 8.5 6.4 2.1 7.8 5.9 1.9

 June 0.6 8.4 6.3 2.1 7.8 6.0 1.8

 September 0.7 8.2 6.3 1.9 7.5 5.9 1.6

 December 0.7 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.4 5.7 1.7

1999 March 0.3 8.2 6.3 1.9 7.9 6.1 1.8

 June 0.6 8.3 6.4 1.9 7.7 6.0 1.7

 September 0.5 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.7 6.0 1.7

 December 1.1 8.5 6.6 1.9 7.4 5.8 1.6

2000 March 0.8 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.4 5.8 1.6

 June 0.4 7.9 6.3 1.6 7.5 5.9 1.6

 September 0.1 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.8 6.1 1.7

 December 0.3 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.6 6.0 1.6

2001 March -0.1 7.7 6.1 1.6 7.8 6.1 1.7

 June -0.8 7.4 5.8 1.6 8.2 6.5 1.7

 September -1.3 7.1 5.5 1.6 8.4 6.6 1.8

 December -0.8 7.3 5.6 1.7 8.1 6.5 1.6

2002 March 0.1 7.6 5.9 1.7 7.5 5.9 1.6

 June -0.1 7.5 5.8 1.7 7.6 6.0 1.6

 September -0.1 7.3 5.7 1.6 7.4 5.9 1.5

 December -0.2 7.1 5.6 1.5 7.3 5.8 1.5

2003 March -0.5 6.9 5.5 1.4 7.4 5.9 1.5

 June -0.2 7.0 5.6 1.4 7.2 5.7 1.5

 September 0.1 6.9 5.5 1.4 6.8 5.5 1.3

 December 0.4 7.2 5.7 1.5 6.8 5.4 1.4

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

See footnote 1, table 1.

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

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

 Category 3 months ended 3 months ended

Dec. 2002 Mar. 2003 .June 2003 Sept. 2003 Dec. 2003 Dec. 2002 Mar. 2003 .June 2003 Sept. 2003 Dec. 2003

Total private1

Gross job gains 7,702 7,472 7,560 7,396 7,646 7.1 6.9 7.0 6.9 7.2

 At expanding establishments 6,059 5,932 6,033 5,897 6,063 5.6 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.7

 At opening establishments 1,643 1,540 1,527 1,499 1,583 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5

Gross job losses 7,877 7,876 7,702 7,324 7,302 7.3 7.4 7.2 6.8 6.8

 At contracting establishments 6,267 6,321 6,138 5,893 5,816 5.8 5.9 5.7 5.5 5.4

 At closing establishments 1,610 1,555 1,564 1,431 1,486 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.4

Net employment change -175 -404 -142 72 344 -0.2 -0.5 -0.2 0.1 0.4

Goods-producing

Gross job gains 1,652 1,692 1,657 1,605 1,665 7.1 7.3 7.2 7.1 7.3

 At expanding establishments 1,359 1,395 1,378 1,343 1,391 5.8 6.0 6.0 5.9 6.1

 At opening establishments 293 297 279 262 274 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2

Gross job losses 1,889 1,932 1,897 1,755 1,697 8.0 8.3 8.3 7.7 7.4

 At contracting establishments 1,551 1,579 1,558 1,443 1,391 6.6 6.8 6.8 6.3 6.1

 At closing establishments 338 353 339 312 306 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.3

Net employment change -237 -240 -240 -150 -32 -0.9 -1.0 -1.1 -0.6 -0.1

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains 294 310 299 272 286 17.6 18.5 17.9 16.4 17.3

 At expanding establishments 240 256 249 225 233 14.4 15.3 14.9 13.6 14.1

 At opening establishments 54 54 50 47 53 3.2 3.2 3.0 2.8 3.2

Gross job losses 297 309 294 292 285 17.8 18.4 17.6 17.7 17.2

 At contracting establishments 245 247 240 243 239 14.7 14.7 14.4 14.7 14.4

 At closing establishments 52 62 54 49 46 3.1 3.7 3.2 3.0 2.8

Net employment change -3 1 5 -20 1 -0.2 0.1 0.3 -1.3 0.1

Construction

Gross job gains 778 782 811 784 793 11.6 11.7 12.2 11.7 11.8

 At expanding establishments 616 619 654 636 641 9.2 9.3 9.8 9.5 9.5

 At opening establishments 162 163 157 148 152 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.3

Gross job losses 800 829 822 762 761 12.0 12.4 12.3 11.4 11.3

 At contracting establishments 637 660 653 601 599 9.6 9.9 9.8 9.0 8.9

 At closing establishments 163 169 169 161 162 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.4

Net employment change -22 -47 -11 22 32 -0.4 -0.7 -0.1 0.3 0.5

Manufacturing

Gross job gains 580 600 547 549 586 3.8 4.0 3.8 3.8 4.1

 At expanding establishments 503 520 475 482 517 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.6

 At opening establishments 77 80 72 67 69 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5

Gross job losses 792 794 781 701 651 5.2 5.3 5.4 4.9 4.6

 At contracting establishments 669 672 665 599 553 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.2 3.9

 At closing establishments 123 122 116 102 98 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7

Net employment change -212 -194 -234 -152 -65 -1.4 -1.3 -1.6 -1.1 -0.5

Service-providing1

Gross job gains 6,050 5,780 5,903 5,791 5,981 7.2 6.9 7.0 6.9 7.1

 At expanding establishments 4,700 4,537 4,655 4,554 4,672 5.6 5.4 5.5 5.4 5.5

 At opening establishments 1,350 1,243 1,248 1,237 1,309 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6

Gross job losses 5,988 5,944 5,805 5,569 5,605 7.1 7.0 7.0 6.6 6.6

 At contracting establishments 4,716 4,742 4,580 4,450 4,425 5.6 5.6 5.5 5.3 5.2

 At closing establishments 1,272 1,202 1,225 1,119 1,180 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.4

Net employment change 62 -164 98 222 376 0.1 -0.1 0.0 0.3 0.5

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains 321 320 314 308 317 5.7 5.7 5.6 5.6 5.7

 At expanding establishments 255 251 252 249 257 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.6

 At opening establishments 66 69 62 59 60 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1

Gross job losses 348 348 334 323 320 6.2 6.2 6.0 5.8 5.7

 At contracting establishments 266 269 256 250 245 4.7 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.4

 At closing establishments 82 79 78 73 75 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3

Net employment change -27 -28 -20 -15 -3 -0.5 -0.5 -0.4 -0.2 0.0

Retail trade

Gross job gains 1,057 962 1,039 1,019 1,061 7.0 6.4 6.9 6.7 7.1

 At expanding establishments 884 799 872 848 886 5.9 5.3 5.8 5.6 5.9

 At opening establishments 173 163 167 171 175 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2

Gross job losses 1,109 1,060 996 989 1,016 7.3 7.0 6.7 6.6 6.8

 At contracting establishments 924 903 834 839 857 6.1 6.0 5.6 5.6 5.7

 At closing establishments 185 157 162 150 159 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.1

Net employment change -52 -98 43 30 45 -0.3 -0.6 0.2 0.1 0.3

See footnote at end of table.
Table 3. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted--Continued

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

 Category 3 months ended 3 months ended

Dec. 2002 Mar. 2003 .June 2003 Sept. 2003 Dec. 2003 Dec. 2002 Mar. 2003 .June 2003 Sept. 2003 Dec. 2003

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains 239 227 230 235 227 6.0 5.6 5.8 6.0 5.7

 At expanding establishments 191 189 186 193 191 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.8

 At opening establishments 48 38 44 42 36 1.2 0.9 1.1 1.1 0.9

Gross job losses 270 237 283 239 237 6.8 5.9 7.1 6.1 6.0

 At contracting establishments 208 189 234 193 188 5.2 4.7 5.9 4.9 4.8

 At closing establishments 62 48 49 46 49 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

Net employment change -31 -10 -53 -4 -10 -0.8 -0.3 -1.3 -0.1 -0.3

Utilities

Gross job gains 13 15 14 16 14 2.2 2.5 2.4 2.7 2.4

 At expanding establishments 11 13 12 14 12 1.9 2.2 2.1 2.4 2.1

 At opening establishments 2 2 2 2 2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3

Gross job losses 23 15 19 19 16 3.9 2.5 3.2 3.3 2.7

 At contracting establishments 20 13 17 15 14 3.4 2.2 2.9 2.6 2.4

 At closing establishments 3 2 2 4 2 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.7 0.3

Net employment change -10 0 -5 -3 -2 -1.7 0.0 -0.8 -0.6 -0.3

 Information

Gross job gains 174 166 153 149 172 5.2 5.1 4.8 4.7 5.5

 At expanding establishments 133 133 125 120 131 4.0 4.1 3.9 3.8 4.2

 At opening establishments 41 33 28 29 41 1.2 1.0 0.9 0.9 1.3

Gross job losses 208 201 194 185 166 6.3 6.2 6.1 5.8 5.2

 At contracting establishments 157 157 156 150 121 4.8 4.8 4.9 4.7 3.8

 At closing establishments 51 44 38 35 45 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.4

Net employment change -34 -35 -41 -36 6 -1.1 -1.1 -1.3 -1.1 0.3

Financial activities

Gross job gains 488 442 455 444 436 6.3 5.7 5.8 5.7 5.5

 At expanding establishments 365 340 361 344 333 4.7 4.4 4.6 4.4 4.2

 At opening establishments 123 102 94 100 103 1.6 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.3

Gross job losses 451 428 418 417 462 5.8 5.4 5.4 5.3 5.9

 At contracting establishments 329 323 320 321 354 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.5

 At closing establishments 122 105 98 96 108 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.4

Net employment change 37 14 37 27 -26 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.4 -0.4

Professional and business services

Gross job gains 1,422 1,406 1,367 1,356 1,438 8.9 8.8 8.6 8.5 9.0

 At expanding establishments 1,104 1,129 1,084 1,085 1,136 6.9 7.1 6.8 6.8 7.1

 At opening establishments 318 277 283 271 302 2.0 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.9

Gross job losses 1,450 1,469 1,416 1,287 1,302 9.0 9.2 8.9 8.1 8.2

 At contracting establishments 1,127 1,148 1,067 996 1,000 7.0 7.2 6.7 6.3 6.3

 At closing establishments 323 321 349 291 302 2.0 2.0 2.2 1.8 1.9

Net employment change -28 -63 -49 69 136 -0.1 -0.4 -0.3 0.4 0.8

Education and health services

Gross job gains 776 760 745 731 744 5.0 4.8 4.8 4.6 4.7

 At expanding establishments 641 630 624 607 616 4.1 4.0 4.0 3.8 3.9

 At opening establishments 135 130 121 124 128 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8

Gross job losses 659 680 698 670 659 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.1

 At contracting establishments 529 553 565 548 529 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.3

 At closing establishments 130 127 133 122 130 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8

Net employment change 117 80 47 61 85 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.6

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains 1,151 1,083 1,166 1,125 1,161 9.5 8.9 9.6 9.3 9.5

 At expanding establishments 862 807 885 849 866 7.1 6.6 7.3 7.0 7.1

 At opening establishments 289 276 281 276 295 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.4

Gross job losses 1,126 1,161 1,105 1,095 1,097 9.3 9.6 9.1 9.0 8.9

 At contracting establishments 904 934 881 879 875 7.5 7.7 7.3 7.2 7.1

 At closing establishments 222 227 224 216 222 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8

Net employment change 25 -78 61 30 64 0.2 -0.7 0.5 0.3 0.6

 Other services

Gross job gains 300 296 303 286 288 7.9 7.8 8.0 7.6 7.6

 At expanding establishments 237 229 239 227 227 6.2 6.0 6.3 6.0 6.0

 At opening establishments 63 67 64 59 61 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.6

Gross job losses 308 305 305 309 293 8.1 8.0 8.0 8.2 7.8

 At contracting establishments 239 239 236 246 229 6.3 6.3 6.2 6.5 6.1

 At closing establishments 69 66 69 63 64 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.7

Net employment change -8 -9 -2 -23 -5 -0.2 -0.2 0.0 -0.6 -0.2

1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.