For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Wednesday, April 29, 2015 USDL-15-0755

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

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

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS – THIRD QUARTER 2014

From June 2014 to September 2014, gross

job gains from opening and expanding 

private sector establishments were 7.2

million, a decrease of 259,000 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 6.6 million, an increase of 115,000 jobs 

from the previous quarter. (See tables A, 1, 

and 3.) 

The difference between the number of gross 

job gains and the number of gross job losses

yielded a net employment gain of 542,000 

jobs in the private sector during the third

quarter of 2014. (See tables A, 1, and 3.) 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Note for more information.) 

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses at the establishment level by industry 

subsector and for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as 

gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. 
Gross job gains at expanding

establishments totaled 5.9 million in the 

third quarter of 2014, a decrease of 231,000 

jobs from the previous quarter. (See tables 

A, 1, and 3.) 

Opening establishments accounted for 1.3 

million jobs gained in the third quarter of 

2014, a decrease of 28,000 jobs from the 

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

Contracting establishments lost 5.5 million 

jobs in the third quarter of 2014. This was an 

increase of 152,000 jobs from the prior 

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

In the third quarter of 2014, closing

establishments lost 1.1 million jobs, a

decrease of 37,000 jobs from the previous 

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

Gross job gains represented 6.2 percent of

private sector employment in the third

quarter of 2014, while gross job losses

represented 5.8 percent of private sector 

employment. (See tables A, 2, and 3.) 

In the third quarter of 2014, the number of establishment births (a subset of the openings data, see the 

Technical Note for more information) increased by 4,000 to 224,000 establishments. These new establishments 

accounted for 825,000 jobs, an increase of 22,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See table 8.) 

Data for establishment deaths (a subset of the closings data) are available through the fourth quarter of 2013, 

when 677,000 jobs were lost at 190,000 establishments. In the prior quarter, 683,000 jobs were lost at 195,000 

establishments. (See table 8.)

During the third quarter of 2014, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in all industry sectors except the 

retail trade sector and leisure and hospitality sector. The retail trade sector and leisure and hospitality sector 

experienced net employment losses of 8,000 jobs and 27,000 jobs, respectively. The service-providing sector 

experienced a net increase of 422,000 jobs. The goods-producing sector experienced a net increase of 120,000 

jobs. (See table 3.)

- 2 - 
1

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

See the Technical Note for further information. 

In the third quarter of 2014, firms with 1-49 employees accounted for 33 percent of total net job growth. Firms 

with 50-249 employees accounted for 19 percent of net job growth. Firms with 250 or more employees 

accounted for 48 percent of net job growth. This quarter is the eighteenth consecutive quarter of positive net 

employment change for all three major firm size categories. (See tables 4 and 5.) 

Of the 2.5 million net jobs created over the last year, firms with 1-49 employees contributed 34 percent of net 

job growth, while firms with 50-249 employees contributed 23 percent, and firms with 250 or more employees 

contributed 43 percent. (See table 4.) 

In the third quarter of 2014, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 32 states and the District of Columbia. 

California experienced 939,378 gross job gains and 809,544 gross job losses resulting in a net employment gain 

of 129,834. This is the largest net employment gain of any state this quarter. Texas had the second largest net 

employment gain this quarter with 89,959 net jobs. (See table 6.) Alaska had the highest rate of gross job gains 

as a percent of employment at 9.4 percent, above the U.S. rate of 6.2 percent. Hawaii had the lowest rate of 

gross job losses as a percent of employment at 4.7 percent, below the U.S. rate of 5.8 percent. (See table 7.)

More Information 

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Business Employment Dynamics for Fourth Quarter 2014 are scheduled to be released on

Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).

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

Category

3 months ended

Sept. Dec. Mar. June Sept.

2013 2013 2014 2014 2014

Levels (in thousands)

Gross job gains.................................... 7,051 7,296 6,856 7,438 7,179

 At expanding establishments........... 5,708 5,956 5,624 6,109 5,878

 At opening establishments............... 1,343 1,340 1,232 1,329 1,301

Gross job losses................................... 6,583 6,553 6,459 6,522 6,637

 At contracting establishments........... 5,435 5,335 5,330 5,340 5,492

 At closing establishments................ 1,148 1,218 1,129 1,182 1,145

Net employment change1........................ 468 743 397 916 542

Rates (percent)

Gross job gains................................ 6.3 6.4 6.0 6.5 6.2

 At expanding establishments....... 5.1 5.2 4.9 5.3 5.1

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

Gross job losses............................... 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.8

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

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

 

Net employment change1..................... .5 .6 .3 .9 .4

- 3 - 
Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are 

a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as 

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). 

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

Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records. Most 

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

on the employment and wages of workers covered by 

unemployment insurance (UI) laws, and to pay quarterly 

UI taxes. The QCEW is based largely on quarterly UI 

reports which are sent by businesses to the State 

Employment Security Agencies (SESAs). These UI reports 

are supplemented by two additional BLS data collections 

to render administrative data into economic statistics. 

Together these data comprise the QCEW and form the 

basis of the Bureau’s establishment universe sampling 

frame.

These reports are used to produce the quarterly QCEW 

data on total employment and wages and the longitudinal 

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

the employment benchmark for the Current Employment 

Statistics (CES), Occupational Employment Statistics 

(OES), and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey 

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

Economic Analysis’s Personal Income Accounts. 

In the BED program, the quarterly QCEW records are 

linked across quarters to provide a longitudinal history for 

each establishment. The linkage process allows the 

tracking of net employment changes at the establishment 

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

opening and expanding units and jobs lost at closing and 

contracting units.

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES 

employment measures 

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

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

of the quarterly UI employment reports in producing data; 

however, each measure has a somewhat different universe 

coverage, estimation procedure, and publication product. 

Differences in coverage and estimation methods can 

result in somewhat different measures of over-the-quarter 

employment change. It is important to understand program 

differences and the intended uses of the program products. 

(See table below.)

Additional information on each program can be 

obtained from the program web sites shown in the table 

below. 

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

QCEW BED CES 

Source • Count of UI administrative records 

submitted by 9.4 million employers 

• Count of longitudinally-linked UI 

administrative records submitted by 

7.5 million private sector employers 

• Sample Survey: 554,000 

establishments 

Coverage • UI and UCFE coverage: all 

employers subject to State and 

federal UI Laws

• UI Coverage, excluding: government, 

private households, and establishments 

with zero employment

Non-farm wage and salary jobs: 

• UI Coverage, excluding: agriculture,

private households, and selfemployed; including: railroads, 

religious organizations, and other 

non-UI-covered jobs

Publication 

frequency 

• Quarterly 

— 6 Months after the end of each 

quarter

• Quarterly 

— 7 Months after the end of each quarter

• Monthly 

— First Friday of following month

Use of UI file • Directly summarizes and publishes 

each new quarter of UI data

• Links each new UI quarter to longitudinal 

database and directly summarizes gross 

job gains and losses

• Uses UI file as a sampling frame 

and annually realigns (benchmarks) 

sample estimates to first quarter UI 

levels

Principal products • Provides a quarterly and annual 

universe count of establishments, 

employment, and wages at the 

county, MSA, State, and national 

levels by detailed industry

• Provides quarterly employer dynamics 

data on establishment openings, closings, 

expansions, and contractions at the 

national level by NAICS super-sectors, 3-

digit NAICS, and by size of firm, and at 

the state private-sector total level

• Future expansions will include data at the 

county and MSA level

• Provides current monthly estimates 

of employment, hours, and earnings 

at the MSA, State, and national level 

by industry

Principal uses • Major uses include:

— Detailed locality data

— Periodic universe counts for 

benchmarking sample survey 

estimates 

— Sample frame for BLS 

establishment surveys

• Major uses include:

— Business cycle analysis

— Analysis of employer dynamics 

underlying economic expansions and 

contractions 

— Analysis of employment expansion 

and contraction by size of firm

• Major uses include:

— Principal national economic 

indicator 

— Official time series for 

employment change measures

— Input into other major economic 

indicators

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

- 4 - 
Coverage

Employment and wage data for workers covered by 

state UI and Unemployment Compensation for Federal 

Employees (UCFE) laws are compiled from quarterly 

contribution reports submitted to the SESAs by employers. 

In addition to the quarterly contribution reports, employers 

who operate multiple establishments within a state 

complete a questionnaire, called the “Multiple Worksite 

Report,” which provides detailed information on the 

location of their establishments. These reports are based 

on place of employment rather than place of residence. UI 

and UCFE coverage is broad and basically comparable 

from state to state. 

Major exclusions from UI coverage are self-employed 

workers, religious organizations, most agricultural workers 

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

officials in most states, most employees of railroads, some 

domestic workers, most student workers at schools, and 

employees of certain small nonprofit organizations.

Gross job gains and gross job losses in this release are 

derived from longitudinal histories of 7.5 million private 

sector employer reports out of 9.4 million total reports of 

employment and wages submitted by states to BLS in the 

first quarter of 2014. Gross job gains and gross job losses 

data in this release do not report estimates for government 

employees or private households (NAICS 814110), and do 

not include establishments with zero employment in both 

previous and current quarters. Data from Puerto Rico and 

the Virgin Islands are also excluded from the national data. 

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

establishments, the number of establishments excluded 

from the national gross job gains and gross job losses data 

in the first quarter 2014: 

Number of active establishments included in

Business Employment Dynamics data at the 

national level

 Millions

Total establishments QCEW program.........9.4 

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

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

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

Establishments in Puerto Rico

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

Total establishments included in Business

Employment Dynamics data........................7.5 

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 

- 5 - 
the third month of the previous four quarters. Births are a 

subset of openings not including re-openings of seasonal 

businesses. 

Deaths. These are units with no employment or zero 

employment reported in the third month of four 

consecutive quarters following the last quarter with 

positive employment. Deaths are a subset of closings not 

including temporary shutdowns of seasonal businesses. A 

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

wait three quarters to determine whether it is a permanent 

closing or a temporary shutdown. Therefore, there is 

always a lag of three quarters for the publication of death 

statistics. 

All employment changes are measured from the third 

month of the previous quarter to the third month of the 

current quarter. Not all establishments and firms change 

their employment levels. Units with no change in 

employment count towards estimates of total employment, 

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

Gross job gains and gross job losses are expressed as 

rates by dividing their levels by the average of employment 

in the current and previous quarters. This provides a 

symmetric growth rate. The rates are calculated for the 

components of gross job gains and gross job losses and 

then summed to form their respective totals. These rates 

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

instance, the difference between the gross job gains rate 

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

Establishment Births and Deaths

 For the purpose of BED statistics, births are defined as 

establishments that appear in the longitudinal database for 

the first time with positive employment in the third month 

of a quarter, or showed four consecutive quarters of zero 

employment in the third month followed by a quarter in 

which it shows positive employment in the third month. 

Similarly, deaths are defined as establishments that either 

drop out of the longitudinal database or an establishment 

that had positive employment in the third month of a given 

quarter followed by four consecutive quarters of showing 

zero employment in the third month. Although the data for 

establishment births and deaths are tabulated 

independently from the data for openings and closings, the 

concepts are not mutually exclusive. An establishment that 

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

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

a quarter must also be a closing. Since openings include 

seasonal and other re-openings and closings include 

temporary shutdowns, the not seasonally adjusted values 

for births and deaths must be less than those for openings 

and closings. However, because some BED series do not 

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

the fact that births and deaths are independently seasonally 

adjusted from openings and closings, there may be 

instances in which the seasonally adjusted value of the 

former is greater than the latter.

Linkage methodology

Prior to the measurement of gross job gains and gross 

job losses, QCEW records are linked across two quarters. 

The linkage process matches establishments' unique SESA 

identification numbers (SESA-ID). Between 95 to 

97 percent of establishments identified as continuous from 

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

linked in one of three ways. The first method uses 

predecessor and successor information, identified by the 

States, which relates records with different SESA-IDs 

across quarters. Predecessor and successor relations can 

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

ownership, a firm restructuring, or a UI account 

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

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

identify two establishments with different SESA-IDs as 

continuous. The match is based upon comparisons such as 

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

analyst examines unmatched records individually and 

makes a possible match. 

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, 

SESAs verify with employers and update, if necessary, the 

industry, location, and ownership classification of all 

establishments on a 4-year cycle. Changes in 

establishment classification codes resulting from the 

verification process are introduced with the data reported 

for the first quarter of the year. Changes resulting from 

improved employer reporting also are introduced in the 

first quarter. 

 

Sizing methodology

 The method of dynamic sizing is used in calculations 

for the BED size class data series. Dynamic sizing 

allocates each firm’s employment gain or loss during a 

quarter to each respective size class in which the change 

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

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

employee increase, 2 would be allocated to the first size 

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

19 to size class 20 to 49.

 Dynamic sizing provides symmetrical firm size 

estimates and eliminates any systematic effects which may 

be caused by the transitory and reverting changes in firms’ 

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

loss to the actual size class where it occurred.

Annual Data

The annual gross job gains and gross job losses 

measure the net change in employment at the establishment 

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

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

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

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

changes for other quarters of the year are available upon 

request. The definitions and methodology in measuring 

annual gross job gains and gross job losses are similar to 

the quarterly measures. The linkage method considers all 

predecessor and successor relations that may come about 

- 6 - 
due to changes in ownership and corporate restructuring 

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

quarterly job gains and job losses are offset during the 

estimation over the year. Therefore, the sum of four 

quarters of gross job gains and gross job losses are not

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

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

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

adjusted basis. 

Seasonal adjustment

Over the course of a year, the levels of employment 

and the associated job flows undergo sharp fluctuations due 

to such seasonal events as changes in the weather, reduced 

or expanded production, harvests, major holidays, and the 

opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal 

variation can be very large.

Because these seasonal events follow a more or less 

regular pattern each year, their influence can be eliminated 

by adjusting these statistics from quarter to quarter. These 

adjustments make nonseasonal developments, such as 

declines in economic activity, easier to recognize. For 

example, the large number of youths taking summer jobs is 

likely to obscure other changes that have taken place in 

June relative to March, making it difficult to determine if 

the level of economic activity has risen or declined. 

However, because the effect of students finishing school in 

previous years is known, the statistics for the current year 

can be adjusted to allow for a comparable change. The 

adjusted figures provide a more useful tool with which to 

analyze changes in economic activity.

The employment data series for opening, expanding, 

closing, and contracting units are independently seasonally 

adjusted; net changes are calculated based on the difference 

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

industry data, the establishment counts data series for 

opening, expanding, closing, and contracting 

establishments are independently adjusted, and the net 

changes are calculated based on the difference between the 

number of opening and closing establishments. 

Additionally establishment and employment levels are 

independently seasonally adjusted to calculate the 

seasonally adjusted rates. Concurrent seasonal adjustment 

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

for total private are the sum of seasonally adjusted data of 

all sectors including the unclassified sector, which is not 

separately published.

The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing 

the BED component series will differ from the net 

employment change estimated from the seasonally 

adjusted total private employment series from the CES 

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

dynamic labor market changes that underlie the net 

employment change statistic. As such, data users interested 

particularly in the net employment change and not in the 

gross job flows underlying this change should refer to CES 

data for over-the-quarter net employment changes.

Reliability of the data

Since the data series on Business Employment 

Dynamics are based on administrative rather than sample 

data, there are no issues related to sampling error. 

Nonsampling error, however, still exists. Nonsampling 

errors can occur for many reasons, such as the employer 

submitting corrected employment data after the end of the 

quarter or typographical errors made by businesses when 

providing information. Such errors, however, are likely to 

be distributed randomly throughout the dataset. 

 Changes in administrative data sometimes create 

complications for the linkage process. This can result in 

overstating openings and closings while understating 

expansions and contractions. The BLS continues to refine 

methods for improving the linkage process to alleviate the 

effects of these complications.

 The BED data series are subject to periodic minor 

changes based on corrections in QCEW records, updates 

on predecessors and successors information, and seasonal 

adjustment revisions. 

 Annual revisions are published each year with the 

release of the first quarter data. These revisions cover the 

last four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and 5

years of seasonally adjusted data.

Additional statistics and other information

Several other programs within BLS produce closely 

related information. The QCEW program provides both 

quarterly and annual estimates of employment by state, 

county, and detailed industry. News releases on quarterly 

county employment and wages and an annual bulletin: 

Employment and Wages Annual Averages, are available 

upon request from the Division of Administrative Statistics 

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

Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212; telephone 

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

QCEWInfo@bls.gov). 

The CES program produces monthly estimates of 

employment, its net change, and earnings by detailed 

industry. These estimates are part of the Employment 

Situation report put out monthly by BLS. 

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey 

(JOLTS) program provides monthly measures of job 

openings, as well as employee hires and separations. 

 Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. 

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

number: 1-800-877-8339.

- 7 - 
Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Expanding Opening Contracting Closing

establishments establishments establishments establishments

2004 March 470 7,715 6,204 1,511 7,245 5,795 1,450

June 644 7,754 6,235 1,519 7,110 5,639 1,471

September 206 7,633 6,060 1,573 7,427 5,888 1,539

December 757 7,844 6,243 1,601 7,087 5,663 1,424

2005 March 384 7,620 6,131 1,489 7,236 5,801 1,435

June 593 7,774 6,231 1,543 7,181 5,776 1,405

September 677 7,965 6,387 1,578 7,288 5,844 1,444

December 494 7,807 6,252 1,555 7,313 5,948 1,365

2006 March 874 7,797 6,354 1,443 6,923 5,636 1,287

June 371 7,758 6,246 1,512 7,387 6,015 1,372

September 52 7,499 6,061 1,438 7,447 6,097 1,350

December 455 7,740 6,223 1,517 7,285 5,941 1,344

2007 March 549 7,727 6,297 1,430 7,178 5,881 1,297

June 149 7,632 6,222 1,410 7,483 6,079 1,404

September -252 7,318 5,847 1,471 7,570 6,215 1,355

December 299 7,658 6,196 1,462 7,359 6,012 1,347

2008 March -225 7,246 5,834 1,412 7,471 6,102 1,369

June -578 7,254 5,846 1,408 7,832 6,352 1,480

September -944 6,886 5,523 1,363 7,830 6,448 1,382

December -1,809 6,706 5,354 1,352 8,515 7,034 1,481

2009 March -2,716 5,850 4,659 1,191 8,566 7,141 1,425

June -1,667 6,386 5,084 1,302 8,053 6,671 1,382

September -878 6,342 5,131 1,211 7,220 5,856 1,364

December -234 6,640 5,315 1,325 6,874 5,596 1,278

2010 March -263 6,264 5,090 1,174 6,527 5,320 1,207

June 709 6,958 5,679 1,279 6,249 5,087 1,162

September 215 6,678 5,428 1,250 6,463 5,234 1,229

December 585 7,010 5,638 1,372 6,425 5,206 1,219

2011 March 301 6,458 5,286 1,172 6,157 5,021 1,136

June 600 6,936 5,640 1,296 6,336 5,109 1,227

September 824 7,148 5,790 1,358 6,324 5,174 1,150

December 364 6,894 5,546 1,348 6,530 5,253 1,277

2012 March 851 6,953 5,706 1,247 6,102 4,997 1,105

June 607 7,020 5,732 1,288 6,413 5,260 1,153

September 241 6,851 5,559 1,292 6,610 5,430 1,180

December 698 7,107 5,766 1,341 6,409 5,209 1,200

2013 March 926 7,272 5,648 1,624 6,346 5,187 1,159

June 678 7,174 5,849 1,325 6,496 5,284 1,212

September 468 7,051 5,708 1,343 6,583 5,435 1,148

December 743 7,296 5,956 1,340 6,553 5,335 1,218

2014 March 397 6,856 5,624 1,232 6,459 5,330 1,129

June 916 7,438 6,109 1,329 6,522 5,340 1,182

September 542 7,179 5,878 1,301 6,637 5,492 1,145

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

2004 March .5 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.7 5.4 1.3

June .6 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.6 5.2 1.4

September .3 7.1 5.6 1.5 6.8 5.4 1.4

December .7 7.2 5.7 1.5 6.5 5.2 1.3

2005 March .4 7.0 5.6 1.4 6.6 5.3 1.3

June .6 7.1 5.7 1.4 6.5 5.2 1.3

September .6 7.2 5.8 1.4 6.6 5.3 1.3

December .4 7.0 5.6 1.4 6.6 5.4 1.2

2006 March .9 7.0 5.7 1.3 6.1 5.0 1.1

June .3 6.8 5.5 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

September .1 6.7 5.4 1.3 6.6 5.4 1.2

December .3 6.8 5.5 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

2007 March .5 6.8 5.5 1.3 6.3 5.2 1.1

June .2 6.7 5.5 1.2 6.5 5.3 1.2

September -.3 6.4 5.1 1.3 6.7 5.5 1.2

December .2 6.7 5.4 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

2008 March -.3 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.6 5.4 1.2

June -.6 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.9 5.6 1.3

September -.8 6.1 4.9 1.2 6.9 5.7 1.2

December -1.6 6.0 4.8 1.2 7.6 6.3 1.3

2009 March -2.4 5.4 4.3 1.1 7.8 6.5 1.3

June -1.6 5.9 4.7 1.2 7.5 6.2 1.3

September -.9 5.9 4.8 1.1 6.8 5.5 1.3

December -.2 6.3 5.0 1.3 6.5 5.3 1.2

2010 March -.3 5.9 4.8 1.1 6.2 5.1 1.1

June .7 6.6 5.4 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1

September .2 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.1 4.9 1.2

December .6 6.6 5.3 1.3 6.0 4.9 1.1

2011 March .2 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.8 4.7 1.1

June .6 6.5 5.3 1.2 5.9 4.8 1.1

September .8 6.7 5.4 1.3 5.9 4.8 1.1

December .3 6.3 5.1 1.2 6.0 4.8 1.2

2012 March .7 6.3 5.2 1.1 5.6 4.6 1.0

June .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0

September .2 6.2 5.0 1.2 6.0 4.9 1.1

December .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

2013 March 1.0 6.6 5.1 1.5 5.6 4.6 1.0

June .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

September .5 6.3 5.1 1.2 5.8 4.8 1.0

December .6 6.4 5.2 1.2 5.8 4.7 1.1

2014 March .3 6.0 4.9 1.1 5.7 4.7 1.0

June .9 6.5 5.3 1.2 5.6 4.6 1.0

September .4 6.2 5.1 1.1 5.8 4.8 1.0

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

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

Gross job gains

Total Total

Gross job losses

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

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

2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014

Total private 1

Gross job gains ........................... 7,051 7,296 6,856 7,438 7,179 6.3 6.4 6.0 6.5 6.2

At expanding establishments ......... 5,708 5,956 5,624 6,109 5,878 5.1 5.2 4.9 5.3 5.1

At opening establishments ............ 1,343 1,340 1,232 1,329 1,301 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1

Gross job losses ........................... 6,583 6,553 6,459 6,522 6,637 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.8

At contracting establishments ......... 5,435 5,335 5,330 5,340 5,492 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.8

At closing establishments ............ 1,148 1,218 1,129 1,182 1,145 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0

Net employment change .............. 468 743 397 916 542 .5 .6 .3 .9 .4

Goods-producing

Gross job gains ........................... 1,333 1,357 1,355 1,410 1,335 6.7 6.8 6.8 7.0 6.5

At expanding establishments ......... 1,120 1,155 1,163 1,211 1,145 5.6 5.8 5.8 6.0 5.6

At opening establishments ............ 213 202 192 199 190 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 .9

Gross job losses ........................... 1,261 1,312 1,208 1,233 1,215 6.4 6.6 6.0 6.0 6.0

At contracting establishments ......... 1,064 1,102 1,017 1,042 1,036 5.4 5.5 5.1 5.1 5.1

At closing establishments ............ 197 210 191 191 179 1.0 1.1 .9 .9 .9

Net employment change .............. 72 45 147 177 120 .3 .2 .8 1.0 .5

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains ........................... 263 280 288 281 279 13.1 13.8 14.0 13.7 13.5

At expanding establishments ......... 223 243 253 246 243 11.1 12.0 12.3 12.0 11.8

At opening establishments ............ 40 37 35 35 36 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7

Gross job losses ........................... 265 280 253 271 247 13.2 13.8 12.4 13.2 12.0

At contracting establishments ......... 231 243 219 237 216 11.5 12.0 10.7 11.5 10.5

At closing establishments ............ 34 37 34 34 31 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.5

Net employment change .............. -2 0 35 10 32 -.1 .0 1.6 .5 1.5

Construction

Gross job gains ........................... 665 653 673 692 652 11.4 11.1 11.2 11.4 10.7

At expanding establishments ......... 531 526 551 564 537 9.1 8.9 9.2 9.3 8.8

At opening establishments ............ 134 127 122 128 115 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.1 1.9

Gross job losses ........................... 593 638 585 597 579 10.2 10.9 9.8 9.9 9.5

At contracting establishments ......... 477 511 468 483 471 8.2 8.7 7.8 8.0 7.7

At closing establishments ............ 116 127 117 114 108 2.0 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.8

Net employment change .............. 72 15 88 95 73 1.2 .2 1.4 1.5 1.2

Manufacturing

Gross job gains ........................... 405 424 394 437 404 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.6 3.3

At expanding establishments ......... 366 386 359 401 365 3.0 3.2 3.0 3.3 3.0

At opening establishments ............ 39 38 35 36 39 .3 .3 .3 .3 .3

Gross job losses ........................... 403 394 370 365 389 3.4 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.2

At contracting establishments ......... 356 348 330 322 349 3.0 2.9 2.7 2.6 2.9

At closing establishments ............ 47 46 40 43 40 .4 .4 .3 .4 .3

Net employment change .............. 2 30 24 72 15 -.1 .2 .3 .6 .1

Service-providing 1

Gross job gains ........................... 5,718 5,939 5,501 6,028 5,844 6.1 6.3 5.8 6.4 6.2

At expanding establishments ......... 4,588 4,801 4,461 4,898 4,733 4.9 5.1 4.7 5.2 5.0

At opening establishments ............ 1,130 1,138 1,040 1,130 1,111 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2

Gross job losses ........................... 5,322 5,241 5,251 5,289 5,422 5.7 5.6 5.6 5.5 5.7

At contracting establishments ......... 4,371 4,233 4,313 4,298 4,456 4.7 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.7

At closing establishments ............ 951 1,008 938 991 966 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0

Net employment change .............. 396 698 250 739 422 .4 .7 .2 .9 .5

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains ........................... 279 286 272 284 277 4.9 4.9 4.7 4.9 4.8

At expanding establishments ......... 228 237 225 240 231 4.0 4.1 3.9 4.1 4.0

At opening establishments ............ 51 49 47 44 46 .9 .8 .8 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 260 251 251 248 251 4.5 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.3

At contracting establishments ......... 206 192 196 191 199 3.6 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.4

At closing establishments ............ 54 59 55 57 52 .9 1.0 1.0 1.0 .9

Net employment change .............. 19 35 21 36 26 .4 .6 .3 .6 .5

See footnote at end of table.

Category

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

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

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

2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014

Retail trade

Gross job gains ........................... 899 944 877 969 897 5.9 6.2 5.7 6.3 5.8

At expanding establishments ......... 764 818 757 837 771 5.0 5.4 4.9 5.4 5.0

At opening establishments ............ 135 126 120 132 126 .9 .8 .8 .9 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 856 835 879 827 905 5.7 5.5 5.8 5.3 5.9

At contracting establishments ......... 755 720 775 716 798 5.0 4.7 5.1 4.6 5.2

At closing establishments ............ 101 115 104 111 107 .7 .8 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change .............. 43 109 -2 142 -8 .2 .7 -.1 1.0 -.1

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains ........................... 231 283 232 244 248 5.4 6.5 5.4 5.6 5.6

At expanding establishments ......... 197 252 199 210 215 4.6 5.8 4.6 4.8 4.9

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

Gross job losses ........................... 210 206 244 206 212 4.9 4.8 5.6 4.7 4.8

At contracting establishments ......... 174 168 210 172 176 4.1 3.9 4.8 3.9 4.0

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

Net employment change .............. 21 77 -12 38 36 .5 1.7 -.2 .9 .8

Utilities

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

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

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

Gross job losses ........................... 13 16 11 13 11 2.4 3.0 2.0 2.4 2.0

At contracting establishments ......... 12 14 10 12 10 2.2 2.6 1.8 2.2 1.8

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

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

 Information

Gross job gains ........................... 130 136 122 141 139 4.8 5.0 4.5 5.2 5.1

At expanding establishments ......... 108 113 101 119 117 4.0 4.2 3.7 4.4 4.3

At opening establishments ............ 22 23 21 22 22 .8 .8 .8 .8 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 136 123 127 133 138 5.0 4.5 4.6 4.9 5.0

At contracting establishments ......... 114 101 107 111 118 4.2 3.7 3.9 4.1 4.3

At closing establishments ............ 22 22 20 22 20 .8 .8 .7 .8 .7

Net employment change .............. -6 13 -5 8 1 -.2 .5 -.1 .3 .1

Financial activities

Gross job gains ........................... 356 368 324 374 357 4.7 4.8 4.2 4.9 4.6

At expanding establishments ......... 283 288 262 305 288 3.7 3.8 3.4 4.0 3.7

At opening establishments ............ 73 80 62 69 69 1.0 1.0 .8 .9 .9

Gross job losses ........................... 347 356 343 333 340 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.4

At contracting establishments ......... 277 278 269 262 268 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.5

At closing establishments ............ 70 78 74 71 72 .9 1.0 1.0 .9 .9

Net employment change .............. 9 12 -19 41 17 .2 .2 -.3 .6 .2

Professional and business services

Gross job gains ........................... 1,379 1,455 1,258 1,438 1,378 7.4 7.7 6.7 7.6 7.2

At expanding establishments ......... 1,119 1,187 1,034 1,187 1,137 6.0 6.3 5.5 6.3 5.9

At opening establishments ............ 260 268 224 251 241 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.3

Gross job losses ........................... 1,240 1,256 1,263 1,236 1,247 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.5 6.5

At contracting establishments ......... 998 1,000 1,026 983 1,000 5.4 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.2

At closing establishments ............ 242 256 237 253 247 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3

Net employment change .............. 139 199 -5 202 131 .7 1.0 .0 1.1 .7

Education and health services

Gross job gains ........................... 896 886 827 882 927 4.4 4.4 4.1 4.3 4.5

At expanding establishments ......... 738 725 694 731 768 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.7

At opening establishments ............ 158 161 133 151 159 .8 .8 .7 .7 .8

Gross job losses ........................... 782 781 779 836 786 3.8 3.9 3.8 4.1 3.8

At contracting establishments ......... 634 626 640 671 632 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.1

At closing establishments ............ 148 155 139 165 154 .7 .8 .7 .8 .7

Net employment change .............. 114 105 48 46 141 .6 .5 .3 .2 .7

See footnote at end of table.

Category

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

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

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

2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains ........................... 1,195 1,209 1,197 1,275 1,199 8.4 8.4 8.3 8.8 8.2

At expanding establishments ......... 915 945 942 1,003 950 6.4 6.6 6.5 6.9 6.5

At opening establishments ............ 280 264 255 272 249 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.7

Gross job losses ........................... 1,184 1,121 1,075 1,162 1,226 8.3 7.8 7.4 8.0 8.4

At contracting establishments ......... 983 914 876 961 1,024 6.9 6.4 6.0 6.6 7.0

At closing establishments ............ 201 207 199 201 202 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4

Net employment change .............. 11 88 122 113 -27 .1 .6 .9 .8 -.2

 Other services

Gross job gains ........................... 280 272 280 302 282 7.2 7.0 7.1 7.6 7.1

At expanding establishments ......... 219 214 224 241 227 5.6 5.5 5.7 6.1 5.7

At opening establishments ............ 61 58 56 61 55 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.4

Gross job losses ........................... 271 273 252 268 280 7.0 7.0 6.4 6.7 7.1

At contracting establishments ......... 213 214 197 211 222 5.5 5.5 5.0 5.3 5.6

At closing establishments ............ 58 59 55 57 58 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.5

Net employment change .............. 9 -1 28 34 2 .2 .0 .7 .9 .0

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

2004 March 430 6,306 5,876 153 3,392 3,239 137 1,194 1,057 140 1,720 1,580

June 621 6,471 5,850 169 3,387 3,218 141 1,196 1,055 311 1,888 1,577

September 197 6,243 6,046 88 3,379 3,291 88 1,175 1,087 21 1,689 1,668

December 759 6,494 5,735 274 3,480 3,206 101 1,172 1,071 384 1,842 1,458

2005 March 368 6,320 5,952 66 3,416 3,350 97 1,161 1,064 205 1,743 1,538

June 570 6,435 5,865 243 3,476 3,233 146 1,198 1,052 181 1,761 1,580

September 701 6,672 5,971 218 3,510 3,292 85 1,195 1,110 398 1,967 1,569

December 506 6,406 5,900 169 3,462 3,293 45 1,140 1,095 292 1,804 1,512

2006 March 788 6,433 5,645 334 3,547 3,213 222 1,213 991 232 1,673 1,441

June 375 6,349 5,974 117 3,434 3,317 110 1,190 1,080 148 1,725 1,577

September 43 6,103 6,060 -14 3,329 3,343 27 1,127 1,100 30 1,647 1,617

December 447 6,375 5,928 117 3,393 3,276 74 1,147 1,073 256 1,835 1,579

2007 March 466 6,300 5,834 189 3,451 3,262 99 1,153 1,054 178 1,696 1,518

June 174 6,256 6,082 -31 3,337 3,368 108 1,180 1,072 97 1,739 1,642

September -269 5,891 6,160 -132 3,252 3,384 -53 1,073 1,126 -84 1,566 1,650

December 298 6,254 5,956 8 3,315 3,307 63 1,140 1,077 227 1,799 1,572

2008 March -290 5,806 6,096 -154 3,228 3,382 -14 1,073 1,087 -122 1,505 1,627

June -548 5,855 6,403 -284 3,179 3,463 -41 1,095 1,136 -223 1,581 1,804

September -999 5,498 6,497 -346 3,047 3,393 -151 1,015 1,166 -502 1,436 1,938

December -1,869 5,338 7,207 -695 2,907 3,602 -374 948 1,322 -800 1,483 2,283

2009 March -2,673 4,584 7,257 -991 2,714 3,705 -620 806 1,426 -1,062 1,064 2,126

June -1,767 5,165 6,932 -472 2,948 3,420 -277 953 1,230 -1,018 1,264 2,282

September -933 5,138 6,071 -375 2,822 3,197 -114 930 1,044 -444 1,386 1,830

December -288 5,405 5,693 -155 2,942 3,097 -43 964 1,007 -90 1,499 1,589

2010 March -247 5,097 5,344 -207 2,851 3,058 -6 910 916 -34 1,336 1,370

June 687 5,809 5,122 238 3,096 2,858 207 1,074 867 242 1,639 1,397

September 200 5,497 5,297 24 2,940 2,916 83 996 913 93 1,561 1,468

December 518 5,781 5,263 91 3,048 2,957 95 1,035 940 332 1,698 1,366

2011 March 316 5,344 5,028 87 2,966 2,879 118 965 847 111 1,413 1,302

June 546 5,753 5,207 198 3,077 2,879 175 1,067 892 173 1,609 1,436

September 834 5,948 5,114 260 3,123 2,863 164 1,062 898 410 1,763 1,353

December 320 5,613 5,293 46 2,973 2,927 45 987 942 229 1,653 1,424

2012 March 840 5,767 4,927 373 3,153 2,780 214 1,047 833 253 1,567 1,314

June 602 5,819 5,217 179 3,041 2,862 167 1,080 913 256 1,698 1,442

September 219 5,569 5,350 48 2,951 2,903 47 1,003 956 124 1,615 1,491

December 637 5,766 5,129 176 3,018 2,842 91 1,013 922 370 1,735 1,365

2013 March 1,209 6,350 5,141 294 3,138 2,844 153 1,022 869 762 2,190 1,428

June 656 5,929 5,273 226 3,093 2,867 146 1,081 935 284 1,755 1,471

September 433 5,746 5,313 203 3,050 2,847 55 1,014 959 175 1,682 1,507

December 658 5,897 5,239 130 3,028 2,898 104 1,034 930 424 1,835 1,411

2014 March 445 5,621 5,176 236 3,044 2,808 151 1,026 875 58 1,551 1,493

June 915 6,134 5,219 322 3,160 2,838 227 1,129 902 366 1,845 1,479

September 521 5,813 5,292 171 3,002 2,831 99 1,057 958 251 1,754 1,503

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

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

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

Year 3 months ended

Total private by firm1 Firm size 1 - 49 employees

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

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

Firm size 50 - 249 employees Firm size 250 or more

Net 

change2,3

Gross job Net 

change

Gross job Net 

change

Gross job Net 

change

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

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

2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014

Total private by firm 1

Gross job gains ........................ 5,746 5,897 5,621 6,134 5,813 5.1 5.2 4.9 5.4 5.0

At expanding firms .................. 4,826 4,988 4,738 5,240 4,949 4.3 4.4 4.1 4.6 4.3

At opening firms ..................... 920 909 883 894 864 .8 .8 .8 .8 .7

Gross job losses ........................ 5,313 5,239 5,176 5,219 5,292 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.6

At contracting firms .................. 4,507 4,394 4,349 4,410 4,498 4.0 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.9

At closing firms ................... 806 845 827 809 794 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7

Net employment change .............. 433 658 445 915 521 .4 .6 .4 .9 .4

Firm size 1 to 49 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 3,050 3,028 3,044 3,160 3,002 9.4 9.4 9.4 9.7 9.2

At expanding firms .................. 2,168 2,158 2,196 2,305 2,183 6.7 6.7 6.8 7.1 6.7

At opening firms ..................... 882 870 848 855 819 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.5

Gross job losses ........................ 2,847 2,898 2,808 2,838 2,831 8.8 9.0 8.6 8.7 8.6

At contracting firms .................. 2,074 2,089 2,015 2,065 2,074 6.4 6.5 6.2 6.3 6.3

At closing firms ................... 773 809 793 773 757 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.3

Net employment change .............. 203 130 236 322 171 .6 .4 .8 1.0 .6

Firm size 50 to 249 employees

Gross job gains ........................ 1,014 1,034 1,026 1,129 1,057 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.4 5.0

At expanding firms .................. 980 1,003 996 1,094 1,020 4.7 4.8 4.8 5.2 4.8

At opening firms ..................... 34 31 30 35 37 .2 .1 .1 .2 .2

Gross job losses ........................ 959 930 875 902 958 4.6 4.4 4.1 4.3 4.5

At contracting firms .................. 931 899 845 874 928 4.5 4.3 4.0 4.2 4.4

At closing firms ................... 28 31 30 28 30 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1

Net employment change .............. 55 104 151 227 99 .3 .5 .8 1.1 .5

Firm size 250 or more employees

Gross job gains ........................ 1,682 1,835 1,551 1,845 1,754 2.8 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.8

At expanding firms .................. 1,678 1,827 1,546 1,841 1,746 2.8 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.8

At opening firms ..................... 4 8 5 4 8 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0

Gross job losses ........................ 1,507 1,411 1,493 1,479 1,503 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4

At contracting firms .................. 1,502 1,406 1,489 1,471 1,496 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4

At closing firms ................... 5 5 4 8 7 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0

Net employment change .............. 175 424 58 366 251 .3 .7 .1 .6 .4

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

losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process. 

Category

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

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

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

2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014

United States 1

 ............ 7,051,000 7,296,000 6,856,000 7,438,000 7,179,000 6,583,000 6,553,000 6,459,000 6,522,000 6,637,000

Alabama .................. 82,579 88,974 84,701 87,364 88,919 85,001 80,202 84,878 81,574 81,945

Alaska ..................... 24,727 25,599 27,111 27,613 23,910 25,387 26,151 24,286 27,672 26,323

Arizona .................. 136,257 142,862 122,710 128,550 137,917 115,847 114,990 127,049 126,814 117,215

Arkansas .................. 54,835 56,317 55,241 52,907 56,474 53,002 52,575 48,156 46,722 50,404

California .................. 898,198 970,775 908,148 934,892 939,378 811,587 826,149 819,458 863,561 809,544

Colorado .................. 136,576 138,088 134,852 147,457 149,148 123,433 120,042 117,084 122,734 126,134

Connecticut ............... 74,212 72,962 71,412 78,491 73,150 75,904 75,714 70,265 68,091 73,700

Delaware .................. 23,073 23,382 22,392 23,550 21,635 21,141 20,578 21,103 18,717 22,310

District of Columbia ... 28,686 27,767 28,507 31,217 27,893 24,431 26,410 26,428 27,883 27,027

Florida ..................... 456,824 459,908 429,242 478,152 487,819 399,647 396,853 379,039 412,796 401,485

Georgia .................. 218,936 223,857 218,553 229,447 229,767 193,605 191,558 187,662 201,150 198,093

Hawaii ..................... 27,482 27,361 24,229 24,507 26,070 23,731 22,530 25,768 25,728 23,396

Idaho ..................... 40,288 43,528 44,986 40,993 39,497 37,011 38,182 38,401 42,522 38,930

Illinois ..................... 281,978 287,742 282,582 301,654 279,907 276,028 262,299 273,676 271,324 289,157

Indiana ..................... 137,321 151,123 130,738 146,372 133,763 131,335 126,070 137,774 125,025 131,464

Iowa ........................ 74,723 75,848 73,265 78,695 72,206 68,754 69,858 69,123 72,090 73,304

Kansas ..................... 67,027 68,947 62,686 67,594 63,328 62,992 58,995 61,041 62,628 64,034

Kentucky .................. 88,456 97,171 91,202 91,806 91,563 81,995 80,834 87,753 82,312 81,553

Louisiana .................. 107,860 106,092 106,380 105,324 106,145 94,599 96,483 92,250 102,933 93,279

Maine ..................... 36,387 34,549 32,803 38,308 32,929 36,208 36,734 34,830 31,772 34,869

Maryland .................. 125,548 129,342 120,701 136,035 133,072 123,521 129,324 119,730 119,062 128,097

Massachusetts ............ 158,095 155,212 153,255 182,525 162,669 158,148 152,909 146,767 151,926 160,288

Michigan .................. 206,945 210,828 193,208 226,224 192,391 200,593 193,392 179,299 192,512 205,613

Minnesota ............... 131,274 132,158 122,559 152,857 131,751 127,618 131,154 131,329 118,560 139,248

Mississippi ............... 53,106 56,504 49,034 52,831 53,592 49,713 48,189 50,683 57,818 51,427

Missouri .................. 128,987 133,406 124,363 134,112 125,122 125,906 123,901 123,281 117,942 125,281

Montana .................. 27,406 29,553 25,940 29,275 28,828 26,967 26,617 28,165 27,435 28,838

Nebraska .................. 48,324 49,098 46,627 47,067 47,231 43,905 44,342 43,926 46,594 45,164

Nevada ..................... 61,343 63,969 68,371 69,971 69,834 58,707 53,928 54,147 58,601 58,920

New Hampshire ......... 32,195 35,941 30,782 36,567 31,977 34,455 31,262 31,894 32,625 34,115

New Jersey ............... 204,129 208,002 191,577 224,863 208,063 201,050 207,528 201,873 189,895 205,705

New Mexico ............ 40,743 42,014 38,773 40,569 40,285 40,982 38,594 39,417 37,554 37,562

New York ............... 470,406 488,832 453,091 494,472 478,751 443,888 440,138 439,127 429,972 447,805

North Carolina ............ 207,989 213,112 196,483 215,534 207,123 189,970 189,004 186,412 182,481 193,641

North Dakota ............ 29,955 29,881 31,989 28,240 30,567 24,693 24,992 24,936 26,117 25,255

Ohio ........................ 247,306 265,643 250,208 270,113 246,052 246,422 236,612 245,509 234,618 248,466

Oklahoma ............... 78,989 77,204 76,411 77,458 76,496 70,356 77,423 74,634 76,244 69,680

Oregon ..................... 100,209 97,663 99,610 98,987 100,879 88,268 92,599 87,208 91,579 87,386

Pennsylvania ............ 256,618 267,301 253,643 273,659 255,730 257,811 253,489 242,728 240,437 252,935

Rhode Island ............ 24,986 24,474 22,816 26,158 24,210 24,222 22,933 22,863 22,333 23,419

South Carolina ............ 93,633 102,061 95,713 99,522 93,993 84,442 82,586 88,987 89,050 90,212

South Dakota ............ 20,459 22,932 21,356 21,583 20,766 20,881 20,102 20,435 20,238 20,179

Tennessee ............... 125,251 144,253 125,985 130,918 133,159 119,399 110,071 121,089 117,551 117,107

Texas ..................... 552,753 566,604 553,296 571,566 576,117 485,228 487,463 479,767 465,260 486,158

Utah ........................ 71,558 77,520 69,642 75,546 76,505 65,955 64,131 63,801 70,146 65,137

Vermont .................. 17,608 18,911 16,846 18,513 17,138 18,362 16,542 16,944 17,331 18,095

Virginia .................. 173,917 169,315 157,945 183,313 168,475 173,680 165,862 161,816 164,858 174,289

Washington ............... 172,308 171,855 165,916 183,724 176,717 159,889 156,542 147,848 138,526 149,394

West Virginia ............ 33,802 36,600 35,778 37,208 34,450 35,722 35,915 37,449 36,067 36,943

Wisconsin ............... 129,748 131,886 124,346 139,665 126,572 126,892 122,147 121,292 119,588 133,120

Wyoming .................. 17,677 20,206 18,391 18,848 17,986 17,452 17,263 17,376 17,883 18,285

Puerto Rico ............... 42,140 45,339 35,354 38,012 38,138 45,363 36,188 44,386 42,472 40,511

Virgin Islands ............ 1,575 1,497 1,354 1,647 1,701 1,809 1,668 1,662 1,719 1,486

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

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

State

Gross job gains Gross job losses

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

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

2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014

United States .......................... 6.3 6.4 6.0 6.5 6.2 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.8

Alabama ............................. 5.5 6.0 5.6 5.9 5.9 5.7 5.3 5.7 5.5 5.4

Alaska ................................. 9.8 10.1 10.8 10.9 9.4 10.1 10.4 9.6 10.9 10.4

Arizona ............................... 6.4 6.7 5.7 6.0 6.4 5.5 5.4 6.0 6.0 5.4

Arkansas .............................. 5.8 6.0 5.8 5.6 5.9 5.7 5.5 5.0 4.9 5.3

California .............................. 6.9 7.3 6.8 7.0 7.0 6.2 6.3 6.1 6.4 6.0

Colorado .............................. 7.0 6.9 6.7 7.3 7.3 6.3 6.1 5.9 6.1 6.2

Connecticut ......................... 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.6 5.2 5.4 5.4 5.0 4.8 5.3

Delaware .............................. 6.6 6.6 6.3 6.5 6.0 6.0 5.8 5.9 5.2 6.1

District of Columbia ............... 6.0 5.8 5.9 6.4 5.7 5.1 5.4 5.5 5.7 5.5

Florida ................................. 7.0 7.0 6.5 7.2 7.2 6.2 6.0 5.8 6.2 5.9

Georgia .............................. 6.6 6.8 6.5 6.8 6.8 6.0 5.8 5.6 5.9 5.9

Hawaii ............................... 5.6 5.4 4.8 4.9 5.2 4.7 4.5 5.1 5.1 4.7

Idaho .................................... 7.7 8.3 8.4 7.7 7.5 7.2 7.3 7.2 8.0 7.3

Illinois ................................ 5.7 5.8 5.8 6.1 5.7 5.7 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.8

Indiana ............................... 5.6 6.1 5.3 5.9 5.3 5.4 5.1 5.5 5.0 5.3

Iowa .................................... 5.9 6.0 5.8 6.2 5.7 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.7 5.7

Kansas ................................. 6.1 6.2 5.7 6.1 5.7 5.7 5.3 5.5 5.7 5.8

Kentucky .............................. 6.0 6.5 6.1 6.2 6.1 5.5 5.4 5.9 5.5 5.4

Louisiana .............................. 6.9 6.7 6.7 6.6 6.6 6.0 6.1 5.8 6.4 5.8

Maine ................................... 7.4 7.0 6.7 7.8 6.7 7.3 7.5 7.0 6.5 7.1

Maryland ............................ 6.1 6.4 5.9 6.6 6.5 6.1 6.3 5.8 5.8 6.2

Massachusetts ....................... 5.5 5.4 5.3 6.3 5.6 5.5 5.3 5.0 5.3 5.5

Michigan ............................. 5.9 6.0 5.5 6.4 5.5 5.8 5.6 5.1 5.4 5.8

Minnesota ........................... 5.6 5.6 5.3 6.5 5.5 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.1 5.9

Mississippi ........................... 6.2 6.6 5.7 6.1 6.2 5.8 5.6 5.9 6.7 6.0

Missouri .............................. 5.8 6.0 5.6 6.0 5.6 5.7 5.5 5.5 5.3 5.6

Montana ............................... 7.7 8.2 7.2 8.2 8.0 7.6 7.5 7.9 7.7 8.1

Nebraska .............................. 6.3 6.3 5.9 6.0 6.0 5.7 5.7 5.6 6.0 5.7

Nevada ............................... 6.0 6.3 6.6 6.7 6.6 5.8 5.3 5.2 5.6 5.5

New Hampshire ..................... 6.0 6.8 5.7 6.7 5.9 6.5 5.8 5.9 6.1 6.3

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

New Mexico ........................ 6.7 6.9 6.3 6.6 6.5 6.7 6.4 6.4 6.1 6.1

New York ........................... 6.4 6.6 6.2 6.6 6.4 6.1 6.0 6.0 5.7 6.0

North Carolina ........................ 6.3 6.4 5.9 6.4 6.1 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.5 5.8

North Dakota ........................ 8.3 8.2 8.6 7.6 8.2 6.9 6.9 6.8 7.0 6.7

Ohio .................................... 5.6 6.0 5.6 6.1 5.5 5.6 5.3 5.6 5.3 5.5

Oklahoma ........................... 6.4 6.2 6.1 6.2 6.1 5.7 6.2 6.0 6.1 5.5

Oregon ................................. 7.1 6.9 7.0 6.9 7.0 6.3 6.6 6.1 6.4 6.0

Pennsylvania ........................ 5.2 5.4 5.2 5.6 5.2 5.2 5.2 4.9 4.8 5.1

Rhode Island ........................ 6.2 6.2 5.7 6.5 5.9 6.1 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.8

South Carolina ........................ 6.2 6.7 6.2 6.5 6.1 5.6 5.5 5.8 5.7 5.8

South Dakota ........................ 6.2 6.9 6.3 6.4 6.2 6.3 6.0 6.1 6.0 6.0

Tennessee ........................... 5.5 6.3 5.4 5.6 5.7 5.3 4.7 5.3 5.0 5.0

Texas ................................. 6.0 6.1 5.9 6.0 6.0 5.2 5.3 5.1 4.9 5.1

Utah .................................... 6.9 7.4 6.5 7.0 7.1 6.4 6.1 6.0 6.6 6.0

Vermont .............................. 7.1 7.6 6.7 7.4 6.8 7.4 6.6 6.8 6.9 7.2

Virginia .............................. 5.9 5.7 5.3 6.2 5.6 5.9 5.6 5.5 5.5 5.8

Washington ........................... 7.0 6.9 6.6 7.3 7.0 6.6 6.3 5.9 5.5 6.0

West Virginia ........................ 6.0 6.5 6.3 6.6 6.1 6.4 6.4 6.7 6.4 6.6

Wisconsin ........................... 5.5 5.7 5.3 5.9 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.6

Wyoming .............................. 8.4 9.4 8.4 8.7 8.3 8.2 8.1 8.0 8.2 8.4

Puerto Rico ........................... 6.1 6.6 5.1 5.6 5.6 6.6 5.2 6.4 6.3 5.9

Virgin Islands ........................ 5.7 5.5 4.9 6.1 6.3 6.5 6.0 6.1 6.4 5.5

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

State

Gross job gains as a percent of employment 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

2004 March 207 3.2 180 2.8 1,000 .9 917 .9

June 203 3.1 185 2.8 980 .9 909 .8

September 209 3.2 186 2.8 1,016 .9 953 .9

December 210 3.2 180 2.7 997 .9 894 .8

2005 March 209 3.1 185 2.8 944 .9 852 .8

June 216 3.2 180 2.7 951 .9 841 .8

September 221 3.3 186 2.8 996 .9 884 .8

December 221 3.3 186 2.8 979 .9 846 .8

2006 March 220 3.2 180 2.6 924 .8 748 .7

June 221 3.2 194 2.8 973 .9 841 .7

September 210 3.1 196 2.9 927 .8 836 .7

December 221 3.2 194 2.8 959 .8 804 .7

2007 March 214 3.1 193 2.8 897 .8 771 .7

June 206 3.0 202 2.9 884 .8 850 .7

September 216 3.1 203 2.9 941 .8 836 .7

December 208 3.0 206 2.9 902 .8 825 .7

2008 March 207 3.0 211 3.0 900 .8 817 .7

June 202 2.9 228 3.3 873 .8 934 .8

September 191 2.7 223 3.2 826 .7 877 .8

December 187 2.7 238 3.4 798 .7 941 .8

2009 March 172 2.5 236 3.4 707 .6 853 .8

June 177 2.6 225 3.3 742 .7 830 .8

September 169 2.5 215 3.2 691 .7 783 .7

December 183 2.7 200 3.0 711 .7 731 .7

2010 March 175 2.6 195 2.9 687 .7 671 .6

June 180 2.7 185 2.7 713 .7 649 .6

September 188 2.8 189 2.8 738 .7 693 .7

December 200 2.9 186 2.7 788 .7 685 .6

2011 March 189 2.8 184 2.7 697 .7 615 .6

June 192 2.8 190 2.8 747 .7 678 .6

September 199 2.9 187 2.7 786 .7 672 .6

December 202 2.9 191 2.8 801 .7 750 .7

2012 March 201 2.9 181 2.6 750 .7 607 .6

June 197 2.9 185 2.7 777 .7 664 .6

September 201 2.9 185 2.7 794 .7 684 .6

December 201 2.9 182 2.6 793 .7 675 .6

2013 March 584 8.1 185 2.6 1,092 1.0 633 .6

June 229 3.1 219 3.0 796 .7 706 .6

September 224 3.0 195 2.6 831 .7 683 .6

December 215 2.9 190 2.5 811 .7 677 .6

2014 March 213 2.8 N/A N/A 763 .7 N/A N/A

June 220 2.9 N/A N/A 803 .7 N/A N/A

September 224 3.0 N/A N/A 825 .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