For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Wednesday, July 24, 2019 USDL-19-1342 

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

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

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS – FOURTH QUARTER 2018

From September 2018 to December 2018, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector 

establishments were 7.7 million, an increase of 281,000 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 6.9 million, a decrease of 506,000 jobs from the previous quarter. 

The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net 

employment gain of 814,000 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2018. (See chart 1, 

and tables A and 1.) 

 

South Carolina Business Employment Dynamics Data

Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data for all four quarters of 2018 for South Carolina show 

unusual movements, which may be the result of a change in reporting. The unusual movements coincide 

with a modernization of the South Carolina unemployment insurance system. For more information, 

please visit: www.bls.gov/cew/2018-notice-regarding-south-carolina-employment-and-wages-data.htm

Gross job gains

Gross job losses

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Chart 1. Total private sector gross job gains and gross job losses, seasonally adjusted

March 2008 - December 2018

Thousands

NOTE: Shaded area represents National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defined recession period.
- 2 - 

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

that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics statistics track 

these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the 

third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross 

job losses is the net change in employment. (See Technical Note.) The BED data series include gross job 

gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, 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 

In the fourth quarter of 2018, gross job gains represented 6.1 percent of private-sector employment. 

Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and 

the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. Gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 

6.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, an increase of 202,000 jobs compared to the previous quarter. 

Opening establishments accounted for 1.4 million of the jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2018, an 

increase of 79,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See charts 2 and 3, and tables A, 1, 2, and 3.) 

Gross Job Losses

In the fourth quarter of 2018, gross job losses represented 5.6 percent of private-sector employment.

Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of 

jobs at closing establishments. Contracting establishments lost 5.6 million jobs in the fourth quarter of 

2018, a decrease of 516,000 jobs from the prior quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2018, closing

establishments lost 1.3 million jobs, an increase of 10,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See charts 2 

and 3, and tables A, 1, 2, and 3.) 

Establishment Births and Deaths

In the fourth quarter of 2018, the number of establishment births (a subset of the openings data) 

decreased by 4,000, to a total of 248,000 establishments. These new establishments accounted for 

857,000 jobs, a decrease of 2,000 jobs from the previous quarter. Data for establishment deaths (a 

subset of the closings data) are available through the first quarter of 2018, when 662,000 jobs were lost 

at 214,000 establishments, a decrease of 70,000 jobs from the fourth quarter of 2017. (See Technical 

Note and table 8.) 

Expansions

Contractions

4,500

5,500

6,500

7,500

'08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18

Chart 2. Private sector gross job gains at expanding 

establishments and gross job losses at contracting establishments, 

seasonally adjusted: March 2008 - December 2018

Thousands

NOTE: Shaded area represents NBER defined recession period.

Openings

Closings

1,100

1,200

1,300

1,400

1,500

1,600

'08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18

Chart 3. Private sector gross job gains at opening establishments 

and gross job losses at closing establishments, seasonally 

adjusted: March 2008 - December 2018

Thousands

NOTE: Shaded area represents NBER defined recession period.
- 3 - 

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 9 of 13 industries in the fourth quarter of 2018. The 

service-providing industries experienced a net job increase of 669,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2018. 

Within service-providing industries, transportation and warehousing had the largest over-the-quarter net 

job increase, with a gain of 187,000 jobs. The net job increase in transportation and warehousing was the 

result of 424,000 gross job gains and 237,000 gross job losses. The retail trade industry had the largest 

decrease among service-providing industries, with a loss of 70,000 jobs. The goods-producing industries

experienced a net job increase of 145,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2018. Of the goods-producing 

industries, manufacturing added 90,000 jobs, construction experienced a net increase of 69,000 jobs, and 

natural resources and mining lost 14,000 jobs. (See table 3.) 

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

Category

3 months ended

Dec. Mar. June Sept. Dec.

2017 2018 2018 2018 2018

Levels (in thousands)

Gross job gains............................. 7,826 7,406 7,639 7,448 7,729

 At expanding establishments.. 6,383 6,071 6,245 6,099 6,301

 At opening establishments...... 1,443 1,335 1,394 1,349 1,428

Gross job losses............................ 6,847 6,666 7,202 7,421 6,915

 At contracting establishments 5,547 5,526 5,942 6,099 5,583

 At closing establishments....... 1,300 1,140 1,260 1,322 1,332

Net employment change1............. 979 740 437 27 814

Rates (percent)

Gross job gains............................. 6.4 6.0 6.1 6.0 6.1

 At expanding establishments.. 5.2 4.9 5.0 4.9 5.0

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

Gross job losses............................ 5.6 5.4 5.8 6.0 5.6

 At contracting establishments 4.5 4.5 4.8 4.9 4.5

 At closing establishments....... 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1

Net employment change1............. 0.8 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.5

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.

Firm Size

In the fourth quarter of 2018, firms with 1-49 employees had a net employment gain of 199,000. Firms 

with 50-249 employees had a net employment gain of 147,000. Firms with 250 or more employees had a 

net employment gain of 400,000. (See tables 4 and 5.) 
- 4 - 

States

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands 

in the fourth quarter of 2018. Among the states, Alaska had the highest rate of gross job gains as a 

percent of employment at 10.9 percent, above the U.S. rate of 6.1 percent. Connecticut and Pennsylvania 

had the lowest rate of gross job gains as a percent of employment at 5.3 percent each. Alaska had the 

highest rate of gross job losses as a percent of employment at 9.7 percent, above the national rate of 5.6 

percent. Pennsylvania had the lowest rate of gross job losses as a percent of employment at 4.7 percent. 

(See tables 6 and 7.) 

For 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 answers to frequently asked 

questions. Additional information about the Business Employment Dynamics data can be found in the 

Technical Note of this release or can be obtained by emailing BDMinfo@bls.gov. 

The Business Employment Dynamics for First Quarter 2019 are scheduled to be released on 

Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). 

Changes to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data 

Data in the next release, published on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, will incorporate annual revisions 

to the BED series. Annual revisions are published each year with the release of first quarter data. These 

revisions will cover the last four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally 

adjusted data.
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 Workforce Agencies (SWAs). 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. 

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

QCEW BED CES 

Source  Count of UI administrative records 

submitted by 10.0 million establishments in first quarter of 2018 

 Count of longitudinally-linked UI administrative records submitted by 8.0 

million private-sector establishments 

 Sample survey: 651,000 establishments 

Coverage  UI and UCFE coverage, including 

all employers subject to state and 

federal UI laws 

 UI coverage, excluding government, 

private households, and establishments with zero employment 

Nonfarm wage and salary jobs: 

 UI coverage, excluding agriculture, private 

households, and self-employed workers 

 Other employment, including railroads, 

religious organizations, and other nonUI-covered jobs 

Publication frequency 

 Quarterly 

— 6 months after the end of each 

quarter 

 Quarterly 

— 7 months after the end of each 

quarter 

 Monthly 

— Usually the 3rd Friday after the end 

of the week including the 12th of the 

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 to 

annually realign sample-based estimates 

to population counts (benchmarking) 

Principal 

products 

 Provides a quarterly and annual universe count of establishments, employment, and wages at the county, 

metropolitan statistical area (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 supersectors, 3-digit NAICS, and by size of 

firm, and at the state private-sector total level 

 Future expansions will include data 

with greater industry detail and data 

at the county and MSA level 

 Provides current monthly estimates of 

employment, hours, and earnings at the 

MSA, state, and national level by industry 

Principal uses  Major uses include: 

— Detailed locality data 

— Periodic universe counts for 

benchmarking sample survey estimates 

— Sample frame for BLS establishment surveys 

 Major uses include: 

— Business cycle analysis 

— Analysis of employer dynamics 

underlying economic expansions 

and contractions 

— Analysis of employment expansion and contraction by size of 

firm 

 Major uses include: 

— Principal federal economic indicator 

— Official time series for employment 

change measures 

— Input into other major economic indicators 

Program Web 

sites 

 www.bls.gov/cew  www.bls.gov/bdm  www.bls.gov/ces 
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—Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Business Employment Dynamics (BED), and Current Employment Statistics (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 employment change over time. It is important to understand program differences and the intended uses of the 

program products. (See table.) Additional information on each program can be obtained from the program websites 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 8.0 million private sector employer reports 

out of 10.0 million total reports of employment and wages submitted 

by states to BLS in the first quarter of 2018. 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. 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 2018. 

Number of active establishments included in 

Business Employment Dynamics data at the national level 

 Millions 

Total establishments QCEW program..........10.0 

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

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

 Zero employment................. 1.5 

 

Total establishments included in Business 

Employment Dynamics data.....................8.0 

Unit of analysis 

Establishments are used in the tabulation of the BED statistics by 

industry and firms are used in the tabulation of the BED size class 

statistics. An establishment is defined as an economic unit that produces goods or services, usually at a single physical location, and engages in one or predominantly one activity. A firm is a legal business, 

either corporate or otherwise, and may consist of several establishments. Firm-level data are compiled based on an aggregation of establishments under common ownership by a corporate parent using employer tax identification numbers. The firm level aggregation which 

is consistent with the role of corporations as the economic decision 

makers are used for the measurement of the BED data elements by

size class. 

Because of the difference in the unit of analysis, total gross job 

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

gains and gross job losses by industry, as some establishment gains 

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

However, the total net changes in employment are the same for not 

seasonally adjusted data and are similar for seasonally adjusted data. 

Concepts and methodology 

The Business Employment Dynamics data measure the net change 

in employment at the establishment or firm level. These changes come 

about in one of four ways. A net increase in employment can come 

from either opening units or expanding units. A net decrease in employment can come from either closing units or contracting units. 

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

expanding units. Gross job losses include the sum of all jobs lost in 

either closing or contracting units. The net change in employment is 

the difference between gross job gains and gross job losses. 

The formal definitions of employment changes are as follows: 

Openings. These are either units with positive third month employment for the first time in the current quarter, with no links to the prior 

quarter, or with positive third month employment in the current quarter following zero employment in the previous quarter. 

Expansions. These are units with positive employment in the third 

month in both the previous and current quarters, with a net increase in 

employment over this period. 

Closings. These are either units with positive third month employment in the previous quarter, with 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 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 SWA identification numbers (SWAID). Between 95 and 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, 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. 

 

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-to-March 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 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-13 

ARIMA-SEATS. 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 the annual 

bulletin also are available upon request from the Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover (Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), telephone (202) 691-6567; (www.bls.gov/cew/); 

(e-mail: QCEWInfo@bls.gov). 

The Current Employment Statistics (CES) program produces 

monthly estimates of employment, its net change, hours, 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 phone 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

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 334 6,540 5,322 1,218 6,206 5,025 1,181

June 582 6,966 5,625 1,341 6,384 5,115 1,269

September 841 7,205 5,810 1,395 6,364 5,172 1,192

December 335 6,865 5,503 1,362 6,530 5,273 1,257

2012 March 948 7,080 5,746 1,334 6,132 5,005 1,127

June 616 7,051 5,724 1,327 6,435 5,266 1,169

September 252 6,881 5,571 1,310 6,629 5,430 1,199

December 695 7,110 5,753 1,357 6,415 5,225 1,190

2013 March 558 6,941 5,705 1,236 6,383 5,201 1,182

June 674 7,152 5,830 1,322 6,478 5,271 1,207

September 507 7,058 5,719 1,339 6,551 5,408 1,143

December 700 7,255 5,926 1,329 6,555 5,353 1,202

2014 March 433 6,955 5,687 1,268 6,522 5,372 1,150

June 885 7,454 6,114 1,340 6,569 5,350 1,219

September 553 7,241 5,912 1,329 6,688 5,504 1,184

December 1,060 7,629 6,256 1,373 6,569 5,334 1,235

2015 March 221 7,039 5,729 1,310 6,818 5,614 1,204

June 832 7,584 6,239 1,345 6,752 5,558 1,194

September 445 7,335 5,975 1,360 6,890 5,680 1,210

December 987 7,834 6,372 1,462 6,847 5,582 1,265

2016 March 253 7,145 5,860 1,285 6,892 5,692 1,200

June 294 7,449 6,076 1,373 7,155 5,846 1,309

September 714 7,704 6,243 1,461 6,990 5,744 1,246

December 368 7,440 6,026 1,414 7,072 5,770 1,302

2017 March 658 7,423 6,088 1,335 6,765 5,582 1,183

June 463 7,624 6,255 1,369 7,161 5,889 1,272

September -93 7,311 5,959 1,352 7,404 6,106 1,298

December 979 7,826 6,383 1,443 6,847 5,547 1,300

2018 March 740 7,406 6,071 1,335 6,666 5,526 1,140

June 437 7,639 6,245 1,394 7,202 5,942 1,260

September 27 7,448 6,099 1,349 7,421 6,099 1,322

December 814 7,729 6,301 1,428 6,915 5,583 1,332

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

2008 March -0.1 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

June -0.5 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.9 5.6 1.3

September -0.9 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 -0.8 6.0 4.8 1.2 6.8 5.5 1.3

December -0.3 6.3 5.0 1.3 6.6 5.3 1.3

2010 March -0.2 6.0 4.8 1.2 6.2 5.0 1.2

June 0.7 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1

September 0.2 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.1 4.9 1.2

December 0.5 6.6 5.3 1.3 6.1 4.9 1.2

2011 March 0.3 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.8 4.7 1.1

June 0.5 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.9 4.7 1.2

September 0.8 6.7 5.4 1.3 5.9 4.8 1.1

December 0.4 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.0 4.8 1.2

2012 March 0.8 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.6 4.6 1.0

June 0.5 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1

September 0.2 6.2 5.0 1.2 6.0 4.9 1.1

December 0.6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

2013 March 0.5 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.7 4.6 1.1

June 0.6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

September 0.5 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0

December 0.6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

2014 March 0.4 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0

June 0.7 6.5 5.3 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

September 0.4 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0

December 0.9 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.7 4.6 1.1

2015 March 0.2 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0

June 0.7 6.4 5.3 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0

September 0.5 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0

December 0.8 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

2016 March 0.2 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0

June 0.2 6.2 5.1 1.1 6.0 4.9 1.1

September 0.6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0

December 0.3 6.2 5.0 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1

2017 March 0.5 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.6 4.6 1.0

June 0.4 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0

September -0.1 6.0 4.9 1.1 6.1 5.0 1.1

December 0.8 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.6 4.5 1.1

2018 March 0.6 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.4 4.5 0.9

June 0.3 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0

September 0.0 6.0 4.9 1.1 6.0 4.9 1.1

December 0.5 6.1 5.0 1.1 5.6 4.5 1.1

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

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

2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018

Total private 1

Gross job gains ........................... 7,826 7,406 7,639 7,448 7,729 6.4 6.0 6.1 6.0 6.1

At expanding establishments ......... 6,383 6,071 6,245 6,099 6,301 5.2 4.9 5.0 4.9 5.0

At opening establishments ............ 1,443 1,335 1,394 1,349 1,428 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 6,847 6,666 7,202 7,421 6,915 5.6 5.4 5.8 6.0 5.6

At contracting establishments ......... 5,547 5,526 5,942 6,099 5,583 4.5 4.5 4.8 4.9 4.5

At closing establishments ............ 1,300 1,140 1,260 1,322 1,332 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1

Net employment change .............. 979 740 437 27 814 0.8 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.5

Goods-producing

Gross job gains ........................... 1,435 1,390 1,398 1,296 1,393 6.8 6.4 6.4 5.9 6.3

At expanding establishments ......... 1,226 1,200 1,208 1,111 1,189 5.8 5.5 5.5 5.1 5.4

At opening establishments ............ 209 190 190 185 204 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.9

Gross job losses ........................... 1,233 1,174 1,256 1,308 1,248 5.8 5.4 5.7 6.0 5.7

At contracting establishments ......... 1,039 997 1,058 1,111 1,047 4.9 4.6 4.8 5.1 4.8

At closing establishments ............ 194 177 198 197 201 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9

Net employment change .............. 202 216 142 -12 145 1.0 1.0 0.7 -0.1 0.6

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains ........................... 256 254 275 236 242 13.5 13.2 14.2 12.3 12.5

At expanding establishments ......... 223 224 241 207 211 11.8 11.6 12.4 10.8 10.9

At opening establishments ............ 33 30 34 29 31 1.7 1.6 1.8 1.5 1.6

Gross job losses ........................... 258 236 247 243 256 13.6 12.3 12.8 12.7 13.2

At contracting establishments ......... 227 206 213 215 227 12.0 10.7 11.0 11.2 11.7

At closing establishments ............ 31 30 34 28 29 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.5 1.5

Net employment change .............. -2 18 28 -7 -14 -0.1 0.9 1.4 -0.4 -0.7

Construction

Gross job gains ........................... 719 716 685 641 687 10.4 10.0 9.5 8.9 9.5

At expanding establishments ......... 582 590 563 524 557 8.4 8.2 7.8 7.3 7.7

At opening establishments ............ 137 126 122 117 130 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.8

Gross job losses ........................... 608 584 634 656 618 8.8 8.1 8.7 9.1 8.5

At contracting establishments ......... 491 476 515 533 496 7.1 6.6 7.1 7.4 6.8

At closing establishments ............ 117 108 119 123 122 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.7

Net employment change .............. 111 132 51 -15 69 1.6 1.9 0.8 -0.2 1.0

Manufacturing

Gross job gains ........................... 460 420 438 419 464 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.6

At expanding establishments ......... 421 386 404 380 421 3.4 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.3

At opening establishments ............ 39 34 34 39 43 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3

Gross job losses ........................... 367 354 375 409 374 3.0 2.8 3.0 3.3 2.9

At contracting establishments ......... 321 315 330 363 324 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.9 2.5

At closing establishments ............ 46 39 45 46 50 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4

Net employment change .............. 93 66 63 10 90 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.0 0.7

Service-providing 1

Gross job gains ........................... 6,391 6,016 6,241 6,152 6,336 6.3 5.9 6.1 6.0 6.2

At expanding establishments ......... 5,157 4,871 5,037 4,988 5,112 5.1 4.8 4.9 4.9 5.0

At opening establishments ............ 1,234 1,145 1,204 1,164 1,224 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2

Gross job losses ........................... 5,614 5,492 5,946 6,113 5,667 5.5 5.3 5.8 6.0 5.5

At contracting establishments ......... 4,508 4,529 4,884 4,988 4,536 4.4 4.4 4.8 4.9 4.4

At closing establishments ............ 1,106 963 1,062 1,125 1,131 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1

Net employment change .............. 777 524 295 39 669 0.8 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.7

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains ........................... 280 263 273 268 277 4.7 4.5 4.7 4.6 4.7

At expanding establishments ......... 233 220 229 220 228 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.8 3.9

At opening establishments ............ 47 43 44 48 49 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8

Gross job losses ........................... 249 243 250 267 243 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.1

At contracting establishments ......... 193 192 196 210 188 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.2

At closing establishments ............ 56 51 54 57 55 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 0.9

Net employment change .............. 31 20 23 1 34 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.0 0.6

See footnote at end of table.

Category

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

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

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

2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018

Retail trade

Gross job gains ........................... 907 919 902 909 841 5.7 5.8 5.6 5.7 5.4

At expanding establishments ......... 793 811 772 791 735 5.0 5.1 4.8 5.0 4.7

At opening establishments ............ 114 108 130 118 106 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.7

Gross job losses ........................... 898 848 955 998 911 5.7 5.3 6.0 6.3 5.8

At contracting establishments ......... 783 748 837 850 781 5.0 4.7 5.3 5.4 5.0

At closing establishments ............ 115 100 118 148 130 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.8

Net employment change .............. 9 71 -53 -89 -70 0.0 0.5 -0.4 -0.6 -0.4

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains ........................... 390 257 284 308 424 7.6 4.9 5.5 5.9 7.9

At expanding establishments ......... 343 224 245 269 369 6.7 4.3 4.7 5.2 6.9

At opening establishments ............ 47 33 39 39 55 0.9 0.6 0.8 0.7 1.0

Gross job losses ........................... 231 327 252 254 237 4.5 6.3 4.9 4.9 4.5

At contracting establishments ......... 190 296 217 217 196 3.7 5.7 4.2 4.2 3.7

At closing establishments ............ 41 31 35 37 41 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.8

Net employment change .............. 159 -70 32 54 187 3.1 -1.4 0.6 1.0 3.4

Utilities

Gross job gains ........................... 12 11 13 11 12 2.2 2.0 2.4 2.0 2.2

At expanding establishments ......... 11 10 11 10 11 2.0 1.8 2.0 1.8 2.0

At opening establishments ............ 1 1 2 1 1 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2

Gross job losses ........................... 12 11 15 13 13 2.2 2.0 2.7 2.4 2.4

At contracting establishments ......... 10 10 13 12 11 1.8 1.8 2.3 2.2 2.0

At closing establishments ............ 2 1 2 1 2 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.4

Net employment change .............. 0 0 -2 -2 -1 0.0 0.0 -0.3 -0.4 -0.2

 Information

Gross job gains ........................... 147 154 158 147 140 5.3 5.5 5.6 5.3 5.0

At expanding establishments ......... 120 131 133 123 114 4.3 4.7 4.7 4.4 4.1

At opening establishments ............ 27 23 25 24 26 1.0 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9

Gross job losses ........................... 148 143 167 157 149 5.3 5.1 5.9 5.6 5.3

At contracting establishments ......... 121 120 139 129 120 4.3 4.3 4.9 4.6 4.3

At closing establishments ............ 27 23 28 28 29 1.0 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.0

Net employment change .............. -1 11 -9 -10 -9 0.0 0.4 -0.3 -0.3 -0.3

Financial activities

Gross job gains ........................... 389 351 389 375 389 4.8 4.3 4.8 4.6 4.7

At expanding establishments ......... 301 281 311 297 297 3.7 3.4 3.8 3.6 3.6

At opening establishments ............ 88 70 78 78 92 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 370 338 354 386 373 4.6 4.1 4.4 4.8 4.6

At contracting establishments ......... 283 262 275 299 283 3.5 3.2 3.4 3.7 3.5

At closing establishments ............ 87 76 79 87 90 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1

Net employment change .............. 19 13 35 -11 16 0.2 0.2 0.4 -0.2 0.1

Professional and business services

Gross job gains ........................... 1,499 1,324 1,456 1,412 1,489 7.3 6.4 7.0 6.8 7.1

At expanding establishments ......... 1,215 1,088 1,193 1,150 1,195 5.9 5.3 5.7 5.5 5.7

At opening establishments ............ 284 236 263 262 294 1.4 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.4

Gross job losses ........................... 1,315 1,255 1,354 1,365 1,344 6.4 6.1 6.5 6.5 6.4

At contracting establishments ......... 1,029 1,016 1,086 1,095 1,052 5.0 4.9 5.2 5.2 5.0

At closing establishments ............ 286 239 268 270 292 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.4

Net employment change .............. 184 69 102 47 145 0.9 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.7

Education and health services

Gross job gains ........................... 987 971 1,005 1,008 998 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.4

At expanding establishments ......... 805 799 814 836 816 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.6

At opening establishments ............ 182 172 191 172 182 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8

Gross job losses ........................... 863 830 933 915 864 3.9 3.7 4.2 4.0 3.8

At contracting establishments ......... 681 668 758 735 680 3.1 3.0 3.4 3.2 3.0

At closing establishments ............ 182 162 175 180 184 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8

Net employment change .............. 124 141 72 93 134 0.5 0.7 0.2 0.5 0.6

See footnote at end of table.

Category

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

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

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

2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains ........................... 1,391 1,331 1,338 1,314 1,391 8.8 8.2 8.2 8.1 8.6

At expanding establishments ......... 1,093 1,058 1,061 1,039 1,104 6.9 6.5 6.5 6.4 6.8

At opening establishments ............ 298 273 277 275 287 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8

Gross job losses ........................... 1,221 1,183 1,351 1,417 1,220 7.6 7.3 8.4 8.8 7.5

At contracting establishments ......... 997 991 1,131 1,187 997 6.2 6.1 7.0 7.4 6.1

At closing establishments ............ 224 192 220 230 223 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4

Net employment change .............. 170 148 -13 -103 171 1.2 0.9 -0.2 -0.7 1.1

 Other services

Gross job gains ........................... 295 287 314 294 297 7.1 6.9 7.5 7.0 7.0

At expanding establishments ......... 232 228 250 234 234 5.6 5.5 6.0 5.6 5.5

At opening establishments ............ 63 59 64 60 63 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5

Gross job losses ........................... 275 275 283 308 289 6.6 6.6 6.8 7.3 6.8

At contracting establishments ......... 212 215 221 243 221 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.8 5.2

At closing establishments ............ 63 60 62 65 68 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.6

Net employment change .............. 20 12 31 -14 8 0.5 0.3 0.7 -0.3 0.2

1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.

Category

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

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

(In thousands)

gains losses gains losses gains losses gains losses

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 340 5,375 5,035 99 2,983 2,884 122 971 849 119 1,421 1,302

June 537 5,746 5,209 190 3,073 2,883 169 1,063 894 178 1,610 1,432

September 852 5,974 5,122 272 3,137 2,865 171 1,066 895 409 1,771 1,362

December 297 5,585 5,288 45 2,970 2,925 44 981 937 208 1,634 1,426

2012 March 972 5,904 4,932 388 3,173 2,785 220 1,054 834 364 1,677 1,313

June 612 5,828 5,216 174 3,039 2,865 158 1,074 916 280 1,715 1,435

September 226 5,581 5,355 55 2,963 2,908 54 1,006 952 117 1,612 1,495

December 637 5,779 5,142 180 3,025 2,845 94 1,014 920 363 1,740 1,377

2013 March 582 5,743 5,161 212 3,071 2,859 156 1,029 873 214 1,643 1,429

June 650 5,906 5,256 226 3,085 2,859 135 1,071 936 289 1,750 1,461

September 473 5,764 5,291 225 3,063 2,838 69 1,021 952 179 1,680 1,501

December 631 5,886 5,255 122 3,021 2,899 105 1,034 929 404 1,831 1,427

2014 March 455 5,666 5,211 240 3,073 2,833 152 1,035 883 63 1,558 1,495

June 887 6,136 5,249 300 3,179 2,879 215 1,121 906 372 1,836 1,464

September 536 5,860 5,324 185 3,060 2,875 110 1,063 953 241 1,737 1,496

December 967 6,158 5,191 217 3,107 2,890 154 1,086 932 596 1,965 1,369

2015 March 230 5,665 5,435 172 3,097 2,925 77 1,022 945 -19 1,546 1,565

June 833 6,252 5,419 318 3,199 2,881 189 1,133 944 326 1,920 1,594

September 417 5,899 5,482 133 3,048 2,915 65 1,041 976 219 1,810 1,591

December 879 6,267 5,388 242 3,179 2,937 98 1,077 979 539 2,011 1,472

2016 March 265 5,746 5,481 213 3,121 2,908 58 1,016 958 -6 1,609 1,615

June 302 6,046 5,744 66 3,126 3,060 115 1,106 991 121 1,814 1,693

September 701 6,245 5,544 164 3,143 2,979 88 1,084 996 449 2,018 1,569

December 302 5,912 5,610 76 3,070 2,994 50 1,033 983 176 1,809 1,633

2017 March 674 5,992 5,318 367 3,241 2,874 189 1,077 888 118 1,674 1,556

June 513 6,198 5,685 143 3,162 3,019 146 1,128 982 224 1,908 1,684

September -153 5,812 5,965 -136 2,985 3,121 -60 1,009 1,069 43 1,818 1,775

December 885 6,224 5,339 245 3,194 2,949 161 1,092 931 479 1,938 1,459

2018 March 779 6,021 5,242 334 3,182 2,848 167 1,061 894 278 1,778 1,500

June 458 6,169 5,711 137 3,171 3,034 154 1,132 978 167 1,866 1,699

September -19 5,948 5,967 -131 2,987 3,118 -37 1,025 1,062 149 1,936 1,787

December 746 6,119 5,373 199 3,161 2,962 147 1,084 937 400 1,874 1,474

Net 

change

Gross job Net 

change

Gross job

establishment-level data due to independent seasonal adjustment. The unit of analysis section in the technical note provides additional detail. See

www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmfirmsize.htm for more detailed firm size class data.

Net 

change

Gross job Net 

change

Gross job

NOTE: Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. Net change totals for the firm-level data differ from the

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

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

2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018

Total private by firm 1

Gross job gains ........................ 6,224 6,021 6,169 5,948 6,119 5.1 4.9 4.9 4.8 4.9

At expanding firms .................. 5,264 5,078 5,265 5,086 5,168 4.3 4.1 4.2 4.1 4.1

At opening firms ..................... 960 943 904 862 951 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8

Gross job losses ........................ 5,339 5,242 5,711 5,967 5,373 4.3 4.3 4.6 4.8 4.3

At contracting firms .................. 4,460 4,433 4,851 5,078 4,488 3.6 3.6 3.9 4.1 3.6

At closing firms ................... 879 809 860 889 885 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7

Net employment change ............. 885 779 458 -19 746 0.8 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.6

Firm size 1 to 49 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 3,194 3,182 3,171 2,987 3,161 9.4 9.3 9.2 8.7 9.3

At expanding firms .................. 2,270 2,283 2,309 2,158 2,250 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.3 6.6

At opening firms ..................... 924 899 862 829 911 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.7

Gross job losses ........................ 2,949 2,848 3,034 3,118 2,962 8.7 8.3 8.8 9.1 8.7

At contracting firms .................. 2,107 2,064 2,212 2,265 2,114 6.2 6.0 6.4 6.6 6.2

At closing firms ................... 842 784 822 853 848 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.5

Net employment change ............. 245 334 137 -131 199 0.7 1.0 0.4 -0.4 0.6

Firm size 50 to 249 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 1,092 1,061 1,132 1,025 1,084 4.9 4.7 5.1 4.6 4.8

At expanding firms .................. 1,060 1,032 1,096 994 1,053 4.8 4.6 4.9 4.5 4.7

At opening firms ..................... 32 29 36 31 31 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1

Gross job losses ........................ 931 894 978 1,062 937 4.2 4.0 4.4 4.7 4.2

At contracting firms .................. 898 871 950 1,032 905 4.1 3.9 4.3 4.6 4.1

At closing firms ................... 33 23 28 30 32 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

Net employment change ............. 161 167 154 -37 147 0.7 0.7 0.7 -0.1 0.6

Firm size 250 or more employees

Gross job gains ........................ 1,938 1,778 1,866 1,936 1,874 2.9 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.7

At expanding firms .................. 1,934 1,763 1,860 1,934 1,865 2.9 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.7

At opening firms ..................... 4 15 6 2 9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Gross job losses ........................ 1,459 1,500 1,699 1,787 1,474 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.6 2.2

At contracting firms .................. 1,455 1,498 1,689 1,781 1,469 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.6 2.2

At closing firms ................... 4 2 10 6 5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Net employment change ............. 479 278 167 149 400 0.7 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.5

NOTE: Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. Net change totals for the firm-level data differ from the

establishment-level data due to independent seasonal adjustment. The unit of analysis section in the technical note provides additional detail. See

www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmfirmsize.htm for more detailed firm size class data.

Category

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

(3 months ended) (3 months ended)

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. 
Table 6. Private sector gross job gains and losses by state, seasonally adjusted

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

2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018

United States 1 ............ 7,826,000 7,406,000 7,639,000 7,448,000 7,729,000 6,847,000 6,666,000 7,202,000 7,421,000 6,915,000

Alabama .................. 94,822 95,408 92,414 94,873 100,130 86,247 84,599 91,229 93,501 85,072

Alaska ..................... 23,753 24,212 26,957 21,822 26,655 25,045 21,672 26,327 26,053 23,854

Arizona .................. 149,164 143,329 144,858 159,633 154,603 126,322 127,123 142,484 122,205 125,642

Arkansas .................. 61,837 54,713 50,184 60,077 59,430 51,164 51,129 57,117 55,090 49,735

California .................. 1,006,720 943,168 994,036 952,711 1,010,567 879,820 873,921 943,723 916,902 889,366

Colorado .................. 151,305 152,077 153,411 149,663 155,567 135,072 133,458 138,208 151,939 137,813

Connecticut ............... 76,225 73,726 82,914 75,079 76,397 75,144 74,835 72,541 80,313 71,220

Delaware .................. 26,545 27,296 24,983 21,527 25,360 24,302 22,600 23,141 25,465 21,909

District of Columbia ... 30,487 31,638 29,663 28,106 29,756 25,823 25,107 29,569 29,263 26,908

Florida ..................... 610,728 461,699 490,156 517,791 485,085 396,998 415,301 462,786 435,454 454,669

Georgia .................. 256,202 243,572 236,252 253,249 238,969 206,907 211,926 240,874 234,073 217,289

Hawaii ..................... 27,322 26,880 28,019 27,074 30,445 25,437 26,108 29,625 29,782 27,615

Idaho ..................... 44,087 47,380 44,433 41,148 45,650 38,758 35,993 41,092 42,067 38,745

Illinois ..................... 306,642 297,390 291,226 289,306 286,523 273,761 263,419 287,764 295,943 290,151

Indiana ..................... 152,730 150,823 146,171 139,020 148,496 132,131 135,050 147,061 142,048 132,939

Iowa ........................ 77,044 72,763 74,977 69,092 75,387 69,393 68,476 70,344 74,016 68,764

Kansas ..................... 67,371 59,291 64,974 67,041 69,167 59,074 62,541 63,272 64,410 61,579

Kentucky .................. 96,637 97,348 94,775 90,270 97,409 88,557 93,418 89,163 94,436 87,136

Louisiana .................. 99,534 104,399 97,557 99,790 98,689 95,862 93,651 103,617 100,875 93,114

Maine ..................... 36,637 37,325 42,263 31,345 37,890 34,260 36,037 36,791 38,925 32,789

Maryland .................. 135,910 136,190 131,382 137,227 146,999 136,873 124,625 127,460 144,016 140,316

Massachusetts ............ 179,340 170,940 191,050 171,572 182,641 170,518 161,219 169,458 195,777 167,732

Michigan .................. 209,924 215,009 212,862 190,601 212,435 201,345 172,727 194,576 232,016 196,541

Minnesota ............... 142,622 133,031 143,233 135,941 143,079 137,459 124,520 130,411 141,344 135,193

Mississippi ............... 57,247 49,047 51,181 52,089 57,676 48,680 52,670 53,851 50,879 46,751

Missouri .................. 134,191 128,761 136,175 142,104 138,175 129,197 122,569 135,227 142,150 127,453

Montana .................. 31,819 29,814 30,470 27,300 34,427 27,823 26,996 29,587 29,985 27,342

Nebraska .................. 50,496 46,119 47,811 47,714 47,904 44,716 44,422 47,285 48,567 46,929

Nevada ..................... 77,583 77,239 74,203 81,864 80,791 61,853 64,015 70,292 68,534 66,139

New Hampshire ......... 38,049 34,737 38,301 31,989 37,953 33,715 33,948 35,786 39,158 32,548

New Jersey ............... 222,652 195,067 226,840 207,612 222,013 198,679 202,204 197,622 218,225 196,070

New Mexico ............ 40,895 40,492 41,958 41,157 43,273 38,285 35,382 39,635 41,027 38,724

New York ............... 486,419 487,774 501,866 485,791 503,189 458,703 446,548 463,111 507,585 458,865

North Carolina ............ 228,877 227,451 228,600 209,332 247,084 201,030 190,130 202,562 239,220 196,545

North Dakota ............ 23,364 24,123 23,378 22,946 23,527 23,093 21,767 21,525 22,656 21,749

Ohio ........................ 264,245 257,964 260,528 247,650 259,585 241,351 233,979 250,063 268,421 243,935

Oklahoma ............... 82,246 78,771 81,185 84,980 83,749 74,837 70,899 82,922 77,976 77,698

Oregon ..................... 108,362 126,218 101,845 100,887 109,501 95,674 91,805 101,444 101,496 97,912

Pennsylvania ............ 280,828 269,034 275,982 276,475 277,177 254,044 253,319 266,297 273,678 247,646

Rhode Island ............ 27,510 26,816 26,413 26,106 26,804 25,380 25,611 25,793 27,015 24,413

South Carolina ............ 117,366 101,452 130,498 100,034 128,834 88,279 80,164 113,086 113,956 94,634

South Dakota ............ 22,366 22,660 21,354 21,085 22,230 20,135 20,837 21,540 20,475 20,496

Tennessee ............... 148,658 128,609 140,227 149,180 149,515 124,382 122,183 132,038 134,468 125,914

Texas ..................... 647,693 594,270 605,354 618,195 647,373 543,784 524,628 542,770 565,234 530,060

Utah ........................ 85,107 91,524 85,608 90,954 86,722 70,867 73,492 79,338 80,550 76,884

Vermont .................. 18,850 16,527 18,573 17,625 18,832 16,838 18,162 18,737 19,020 17,547

Virginia .................. 196,457 184,748 193,648 176,965 197,460 171,383 167,145 183,646 197,904 175,551

Washington ............... 188,715 201,454 204,773 171,856 181,728 163,741 160,868 176,916 177,466 159,139

West Virginia ............ 34,506 37,645 37,803 38,930 35,351 33,250 32,156 35,644 35,662 36,484

Wisconsin ............... 137,630 138,695 137,077 126,007 134,627 121,738 116,842 137,348 145,552 121,967

Wyoming .................. 17,919 17,379 17,108 16,755 20,766 17,229 16,363 17,239 17,184 16,342

Puerto Rico ............... 46,357 55,031 52,532 48,061 39,799 76,992 43,925 40,796 38,298 45,090

Virgin Islands ............ 2,218 2,702 2,815 2,510 1,965 6,800 3,775 1,929 1,449 1,859

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

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

State

Gross job gains 

(3 months ended)

Gross job losses

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

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

2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018

United States .......................... 6.4 6.0 6.1 6.0 6.1 5.6 5.4 5.8 6.0 5.6

Alabama ............................. 6.0 6.0 5.8 5.9 6.3 5.4 5.3 5.7 5.9 5.3

Alaska ................................. 9.7 9.8 10.9 8.9 10.9 10.2 8.8 10.7 10.6 9.7

Arizona ............................... 6.3 6.0 6.0 6.6 6.2 5.3 5.3 5.9 5.0 5.1

Arkansas .............................. 6.1 5.4 5.0 6.0 5.8 5.1 5.0 5.6 5.5 4.9

California ........................... 6.9 6.4 6.7 6.5 6.7 6.0 5.9 6.3 6.2 5.9

Colorado .............................. 6.8 6.8 6.8 6.6 6.8 6.1 6.0 6.1 6.8 6.0

Connecticut ......................... 5.3 5.1 5.8 5.2 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.0 5.6 4.9

Delaware .............................. 7.0 7.1 6.5 5.6 6.6 6.4 5.9 6.0 6.6 5.7

District of Columbia ............... 5.8 6.0 5.6 5.3 5.6 5.0 4.7 5.5 5.5 5.1

Florida ................................. 8.2 6.1 6.5 6.7 6.3 5.3 5.5 6.1 5.7 5.9

Georgia .............................. 6.9 6.5 6.2 6.7 6.3 5.6 5.6 6.4 6.2 5.7

Hawaii ............................... 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.1 5.7 4.7 4.8 5.5 5.5 5.1

Idaho .................................... 7.4 7.9 7.3 6.8 7.4 6.6 5.9 6.7 6.9 6.3

Illinois ................................ 6.0 5.7 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.3 5.1 5.5 5.7 5.6

Indiana ............................... 5.7 5.6 5.4 5.2 5.6 5.0 5.1 5.5 5.4 4.9

Iowa .................................... 5.9 5.5 5.7 5.3 5.8 5.3 5.3 5.4 5.7 5.3

Kansas ................................. 5.9 5.2 5.7 5.9 6.1 5.2 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.4

Kentucky .............................. 6.1 6.2 5.9 5.7 6.1 5.6 5.9 5.6 6.0 5.5

Louisiana .............................. 6.2 6.5 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.0 5.8 6.5 6.2 5.7

Maine ................................ 7.2 7.2 8.1 6.0 7.3 6.6 7.0 7.1 7.5 6.3

Maryland ............................ 6.2 6.3 6.0 6.3 6.8 6.3 5.7 5.8 6.6 6.4

Massachusetts ....................... 5.7 5.4 6.1 5.5 5.8 5.4 5.2 5.4 6.2 5.3

Michigan ............................. 5.7 5.7 5.6 5.0 5.7 5.4 4.6 5.1 6.2 5.2

Minnesota ........................... 5.8 5.3 5.8 5.4 5.7 5.5 5.0 5.3 5.7 5.4

Mississippi ........................... 6.3 5.5 5.7 5.8 6.4 5.4 5.8 6.0 5.7 5.2

Missouri .............................. 5.7 5.4 5.7 5.9 5.8 5.5 5.2 5.7 6.0 5.4

Montana ............................... 8.5 7.8 8.0 7.2 9.0 7.4 7.1 7.8 7.9 7.2

Nebraska .............................. 6.2 5.6 5.9 5.8 5.9 5.5 5.5 5.8 6.0 5.8

Nevada ............................... 6.6 6.5 6.1 6.7 6.6 5.2 5.4 5.8 5.6 5.3

New Hampshire ..................... 6.7 6.1 6.7 5.6 6.7 5.9 5.9 6.3 6.8 5.7

New Jersey ........................... 6.4 5.6 6.5 6.0 6.3 5.8 5.8 5.7 6.3 5.6

New Mexico ........................ 6.5 6.3 6.5 6.4 6.7 6.1 5.5 6.2 6.4 6.0

New York ........................... 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.1 6.2 5.8 5.6 5.8 6.4 5.7

North Carolina ........................ 6.3 6.2 6.1 5.6 6.7 5.5 5.2 5.5 6.5 5.3

North Dakota ........................ 6.8 7.0 6.7 6.6 6.8 6.8 6.3 6.2 6.6 6.2

Ohio .................................... 5.7 5.5 5.6 5.3 5.6 5.2 5.0 5.4 5.7 5.2

Oklahoma ........................... 6.4 6.1 6.3 6.6 6.4 5.8 5.5 6.5 6.1 6.0

Oregon ................................. 6.8 7.8 6.2 6.2 6.7 6.0 5.6 6.2 6.3 5.9

Pennsylvania ........................ 5.5 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.3 5.0 4.9 5.1 5.2 4.7

Rhode Island ........................ 6.6 6.3 6.3 6.2 6.4 6.0 6.1 6.1 6.4 5.7

South Carolina ........................ 7.0 5.9 7.5 5.8 7.4 5.3 4.7 6.5 6.5 5.4

South Dakota ........................ 6.4 6.4 6.1 5.9 6.3 5.7 5.9 6.1 5.8 5.8

Tennessee ........................... 5.9 5.0 5.5 5.8 5.8 4.9 4.8 5.1 5.2 4.9

Texas ................................. 6.4 5.8 5.9 5.9 6.1 5.3 5.1 5.2 5.4 5.1

Utah .................................... 7.0 7.4 6.9 7.3 6.9 5.9 6.0 6.3 6.5 6.1

Vermont .............................. 7.4 6.4 7.2 6.9 7.4 6.5 7.0 7.3 7.4 6.8

Virginia .............................. 6.3 5.8 6.1 5.6 6.2 5.5 5.2 5.8 6.3 5.5

Washington ........................... 6.9 7.2 7.3 6.1 6.5 6.0 5.7 6.3 6.3 5.6

West Virginia ........................ 6.3 6.8 6.8 7.0 6.3 6.1 5.8 6.4 6.4 6.5

Wisconsin ........................... 5.6 5.6 5.4 5.1 5.4 5.0 4.7 5.5 5.9 4.9

Wyoming .............................. 8.7 8.4 8.2 8.2 10.0 8.4 8.0 8.3 8.3 7.8

Puerto Rico ........................... 7.1 8.4 8.0 7.2 6.0 11.8 6.8 6.2 5.8 6.7

Virgin Islands ........................ 9.2 12.0 12.5 10.9 8.3 28.2 16.8 8.6 6.3 7.8

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

State

Gross job gains as a percent of employment 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

2008 March 226 3.1 224 3.1 919 0.8 832 0.7

June 221 3.0 238 3.3 876 0.8 913 0.8

September 216 3.0 233 3.2 849 0.8 881 0.8

December 211 2.9 253 3.5 819 0.7 951 0.9

2009 March 197 2.7 247 3.4 738 0.7 869 0.8

June 201 2.8 238 3.3 767 0.7 837 0.8

September 192 2.7 227 3.2 725 0.7 793 0.7

December 202 2.8 218 3.1 728 0.7 749 0.7

2010 March 193 2.7 211 3.0 706 0.7 687 0.7

June 193 2.7 202 2.9 730 0.7 665 0.6

September 207 2.9 204 2.9 754 0.7 701 0.7

December 216 3.0 201 2.8 805 0.8 700 0.7

2011 March 204 2.9 200 2.8 715 0.7 632 0.6

June 210 2.9 205 2.9 767 0.7 689 0.6

September 206 2.9 196 2.7 794 0.7 675 0.6

December 214 3.0 198 2.8 800 0.7 700 0.6

2012 March 236 3.3 188 2.6 787 0.7 614 0.6

June 217 3.0 194 2.7 799 0.7 673 0.6

September 210 2.9 196 2.7 804 0.7 692 0.6

December 218 3.0 183 2.5 809 0.7 673 0.6

2013 March 205 2.8 193 2.6 748 0.7 648 0.6

June 222 3.0 215 2.9 789 0.7 695 0.6

September 219 2.9 195 2.6 818 0.7 678 0.6

December 215 2.9 187 2.5 803 0.7 670 0.6

2014 March 220 2.9 189 2.5 781 0.7 635 0.6

June 221 2.9 205 2.7 805 0.7 716 0.6

September 225 3.0 199 2.6 827 0.7 704 0.6

December 224 2.9 197 2.6 839 0.7 707 0.6

2015 March 234 3.1 206 2.7 814 0.7 694 0.6

June 234 3.1 212 2.8 839 0.7 732 0.6

September 242 3.1 207 2.7 880 0.7 704 0.6

December 247 3.2 208 2.7 893 0.8 733 0.6

2016 March 236 3.0 203 2.6 786 0.7 663 0.6

June 242 3.1 214 2.7 839 0.7 723 0.6

September 239 3.0 215 2.7 872 0.7 747 0.6

December 239 3.0 217 2.8 869 0.7 729 0.6

2017 March 241 3.0 203 2.6 800 0.7 659 0.5

June 240 3.0 225 2.8 851 0.7 760 0.6

September 241 3.0 226 2.8 851 0.7 763 0.6

December 246 3.1 216 2.7 853 0.7 732 0.6

2018 March 250 3.1 214 2.6 817 0.7 662 0.5

June 263 3.2 N/A N/A 878 0.7 N/A N/A

September 252 3.1 N/A N/A 859 0.7 N/A N/A

December 248 3.0 N/A N/A 857 0.7 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