Technical Information:  (202) 691-6467       USDL 04-1458
               http://www.bls.gov/bdm/
                                             For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media Contact:                691-5902       Tuesday, August 3, 2004
                                                         
                                     
            BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS:  FOURTH QUARTER 2003


   From September to December 2003, the number of job gains from opening
and expanding establishments in the private sector was 7.6 million, and the
number of job losses from closing and contracting establishments was
7.3 million, according to preliminary data released today by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.  During the fourth quarter
of 2003, job gains rose in most major industry sectors, while job losses
declined.

   Business Employment Dynamics statistics are derived from the Quarterly
Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), also known as the ES-202 program.
Gross job gains are defined as increases in employment resulting from
expansions of employment at existing private sector establishments or from
the opening of establishments.  Gross job losses are defined as declines in
employment at existing establishments or from the closing of establishments.
The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of
gross jobs lost is the net change in employment.

Private Sector Gross Job Gains and Job Losses
     
   Opening and expanding private sector business establishments gained
7.6 million jobs in the fourth quarter of 2003, or 250,000 more than in
the third quarter of 2003.  Over the quarter, expanding establishments
added 6.1 million jobs, while opening establishments added 1.6 million.
   
   Job losses totaled 7.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2003, down
by 22,000 from the third quarter of 2003.  In the fourth quarter of 2003,
contracting establishments lost 5.8 million jobs, while closing establish-
ments accounted for a loss of 1.5 million jobs.  (See tables A, 1, and 3.)


   From September to December 2003, gross job gains represented 7.2 percent
of private sector employment, an increase of 0.3 percentage point over the
previous quarter, while gross job losses remained unchanged at 6.8 percent
of private sector employment.  (See tables A and 2.)  These statistics
demonstrate that a sizable number of jobs appear and disappear in the rel-
atively short time frame of one quarter.

                                  - 2 -

Table A.  3-month private sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally 
adjusted

(In thousands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------     
                                  |             3 months ended
                                  |--------------------------------------
            Category              | Dec.  | Mar.  | June  | Sept. | Dec. 
                                  | 2002  | 2003  | 2003  | 2003  | 2003
                                  |--------------------------------------                                                                              
                                  |         Levels (in thousands)     
----------------------------------|--------------------------------------    
Gross job gains...................| 7,702 | 7,472 | 7,560 | 7,396| 7,646       
  At expanding establishments.....| 6,059 | 5,932 | 6,033 | 5,897| 6,063
  At opening establishments.......| 1,643 | 1,540 | 1,527 | 1,499| 1,583
Gross job losses..................| 7,877 | 7,876 | 7,702 | 7,324| 7,302
  At contracting establishments...| 6,267 | 6,321 | 6,138 | 5,893| 5,816
  At closing establishments.......| 1,610 | 1,555 | 1,564 | 1,431| 1,486
                                  |--------------------------------------
Net employment change 1/..........|  -175 |  -404 |  -142 |    72|   344
                                  |--------------------------------------                                                                              
                                  |       As a percent of employment     
                                  |--------------------------------------                                                                                                                                                                                       
Gross job gains...................|  7.1  |  6.9  |  7.0  |  6.9 |   7.2
  At expanding establishments.....|  5.6  |  5.5  |  5.6  |  5.5 |   5.7
  At opening establishments.......|  1.5  |  1.4  |  1.4  |  1.4 |   1.5
Gross job losses..................|  7.3  |  7.4  |  7.2  |  6.8 |   6.8
  At contracting establishments...|  5.8  |  5.9  |  5.7  |  5.5 |   5.4
  At closing establishments.......|  1.5  |  1.5  |  1.5  |  1.3 |   1.4
                                  |--------------------------------------
Net employment change 1/..........| -0.2  | -0.5  | -0.2  |  0.1 |   0.4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  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.


Major Industry Sector Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses
     
   During the fourth quarter of 2003, expanding and opening establishments
in the goods-producing sector gained 1,665,000 jobs, while contracting and
closing establishments lost 1,697,000 jobs, for a net loss of 32,000 jobs.
Quarterly job gains in manufacturing rose to 586,000, while job losses
dropped to 651,000 jobs, narrowing the net loss in that sector to 65,000
jobs.  In construction, job gains increased to 793,000 and job losses
decreased to 761,000 for a net gain of 32,000.
   
   Job gains in the service-providing sector totaled 6.0 million jobs,
exceeding job losses in that sector by 376,000 jobs.  Job gains rose in
the fourth quarter in all service-providing sectors except in transpor-
tation and warehousing, in utilities, and in financial activities.  The
information sector gained 172,000 jobs and lost 166,000 jobs for a net
increase of 6,000 jobs, the first net job gain since December 2000.
(See tables 3 and B.)

                                  - 3 -
   

Table B.  3-month private sector job gains and losses by industry,
seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   |       Gross job gains       |       Gross job losses
                   |-----------------------------|-----------------------------
     Industry      |        3 months ended       |        3 months ended
                   |-----------------------------|-----------------------------
                   |Dec. |Mar. |June |Sept.|Dec. |Dec. |Mar. |June |Sept.|Dec.
                   |2002 |2003 |2003 |2003 |2003 |2002 |2003 |2003 |2003 |2003
-------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----
Total              |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  private 1/.......|7,702|7,472|7,560|7,396|7,646|7,877|7,876|7,702|7,324|7,302
Goods-producing....|1,652|1,692|1,657|1,605|1,665|1,889|1,932|1,897|1,755|1,697
  Natural resources|     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
    and mining.....|  294|  310|  299|  272|  286|  297|  309|  294|  292|  285
  Construction.....|  778|  782|  811|  784|  793|  800|  829|  822|  762|  761
  Manufacturing....|  580|  600|  547|  549|  586|  792|  794|  781|  701|  651
Service-           |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  providing 1/.....|6,050|5,780|5,903|5,791|5,981|5,988|5,944|5,805|5,569|5,605
  Wholesale        |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
    trade..........|  321|  320|  314|  308|  317|  348|  348|  334|  323|  320
  Retail trade.....|1,057|  962|1,039|1,019|1,061|1,109|1,060|  996|  989|1,016
  Transportation   |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
    and ware-      |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
    housing........|  239|  227|  230|  235|  227|  270|  237|  283|  239|  237  
  Utilities........|   13|   15|   14|   16|   14|   23|   15|   19|   19|   16
  Information......|  174|  166|  153|  149|  172|  208|  201|  194|  185|  166
  Financial        |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
    activities.....|  488|  442|  455|  444|  436|  451|  428|  418|  417|  462  
  Professional     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
    and business   |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
    services.......|1,422|1,406|1,367|1,356|1,438|1,450|1,469|1,416|1,287|1,302
  Education and    |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
    health         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
    services.......|  776|  760|  745|  731|  744|  659|  680|  698|  670|  659
  Leisure and      |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
    hospitality....|1,151|1,083|1,166|1,125|1,161|1,126|1,161|1,105|1,095|1,097
  Other services...|  300|  296|  303|  286|  288|  308|  305|  305|  309|  293
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1/  Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.                                                          
                                  

Number of Establishments Gaining and Losing Employment

   In the fourth quarter of 2003, the number of opening establishments
exceeded the number of closing establishments, leading to a net addition
of 26,000 units to the number of total active private sector establishments.
In the third and fourth quarters of 2003, the number of establishments
gaining jobs surpassed the number of establishments losing jobs for the
first time since March 2001.  During the fourth quarter of 2003, over 1.8
million establishments out of 6.4 million active private sector establish-
ments gained jobs.  (See table C.)  Of these, 1.5 million were expanding
establishments and 348,000 were opening establishments.  During the fourth
quarter of 2003, nearly 1.8 million establishments lost jobs.  Of these,
1.5 million were contracting establishments and 322,000 were closing estab-
lishments.

                                  - 4 -

Table C.  Number of private sector establishments by direction of employ-
ment change, seasonally adjusted
       
(In thousands)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------     
                                  |             3 months ended
            Category              |---------------------------------------
                                  | Dec.  | Mar.  | June  | Sept. | Dec.
                                  | 2002  | 2003  | 2003  | 2003  | 2003
----------------------------------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------    
                                  |       |       |       |       |
Establishments gaining jobs.......| 1,801 | 1,750 | 1,788 | 1,791 | 1,815
  Expanding establishments........| 1,452 | 1,418 | 1,457 | 1,463 | 1,467
  Opening establishments..........|   349 |   332 |   331 |   328 |   348
                                  |---------------------------------------
Establishments losing jobs .......| 1,813 | 1,847 | 1,801 | 1,772 | 1,775
  Contracting establishments......| 1,484 | 1,513 | 1,473 | 1,454 | 1,453
  Closing establishments..........|   329 |   334 |   328 |   318 |   322
                                  |---------------------------------------
Net establishment change 1/.......|    20 |    -2 |     3 |    10 |    26
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1/  The net establishment change is the difference between the number of 
opening establishments and the number of closing establishments.  See the
Technical Note for further information.


More Information

   For seasonally unadjusted data and seasonally adjusted series not
presented in this release, please refer to the BLS Web site at
http://www.bls.gov.  For more information, please see the Technical Note
of this release or the Business Employment Dynamics Web page at the BLS
Web site http://www.bls.gov/bdm.  Additional information about the Business
Employment Dynamics data may be obtained by e-mailing BDMinfo@bls.gov.

                                  
     -------------------------------------------------------------------
    |    Comparing Business Employment Dynamics Data with Current       |
    |  Employment Statistics and Quarterly Census of Employment and     |
    |                           Wages Data                              |
    |                                                                   |
    |    The net change in employment from Business Employment Dynamics |
    | (BED) data series will not match the net change in employment     |
    | from the monthly Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey.  The |
    | CES estimates are based on monthly surveys from a sample of estab-|
    | lishments, while gross job gains and gross job losses are based   |
    | on a quarterly census of administrative records.  In addition,    |
    | the CES has a different coverage, excluding the agriculture       |
    | sector but including establishments not covered by the unemploy-  |
    | ment insurance program.  BED data have a more limited scope than  |
    | the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data.  The data in   |
    | this release exclude government employees, private households     |
    | (NAICS 814110), and establishments with zero employment.          |
    |                                                                   |
    |    The net over-the-quarter changes derived by aggregating com-   |
    | ponent series in the BED data may be different from the net em-   |
    | ployment change estimated from the CES seasonally adjusted total  |
    | employment series.  The intended use of the BED statistics is to  |
    | show the dynamic labor market flows that underlie the net changes |
    | in aggregate employment levels; data users who want to track net  |  
    | changes in aggregate employment levels over time should refer to  |
    | CES data.                                                         |
    |                                                                   |
    |    See the Technical Note for further information.                |
     -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                       
     
     
   

                                  - 5 -

Technical Note

   
   The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-
state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
(QCEW), or the ES-202 program.  The BED data are compiled by the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing quarterly state unemployment
insurance (UI) records.  Most employers in the U.S. are required to file
quarterly reports on the employment and wages of workers covered by UI
laws, and to pay quarterly UI taxes.  The quarterly UI reports are sent by
the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to BLS and form the basis of the Bureau's 
establishment universe sampling frame.  These reports also are used to pro-
duce the quarterly QCEW data on total employment and wages and the longitu-
dinal BED data on gross job gains and losses.  Other important Bureau uses 
of the UI reports are in the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. 
(See table below for differences between QCEW, CES, and BED.)
                                     
   In the BED program, the quarterly UI records are linked across quarters
to provide a longitudinal history for each establishment.  The linkage
process allows the tracking of net employment changes at the establishment
level, which in turn allows the estimation of jobs gained at opening and
expanding establishments and jobs lost at closing and contracting establish-
ments.

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures

   The Bureau publishes three different establishment-based employment mea-
sures for any given quarter.  Each of these measures--QCEW, BED, and CES--
makes use of the quarterly UI employment reports in producing data; how-
ever, 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.

                                  - 6 -

Summary of Major Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES Employment Measures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                     
           |         QCEW        |         BED          |         CES
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Source     |--Count of UI admini-|--Count of longitudi- |--Sample survey: 
           |  strative records   |  nally-linked UI ad- |  400,000 employers
           |  submitted by 8.2   |  ministrative records|
           |  million employers  |  submitted by 6.4    |
           |                     |  million private sec-|
           |                     |  tor employers       |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Coverage   |--UI and UCFE cover- |--UI Coverage, exclud-|Nonfarm wage and sal-
           |  age:  all employers|  ing government, pri-|  ary jobs:
           |  subject to state   |  vate households, and|--UI Coverage, exclud-
           |  and federal UI Laws|  establishments with |  ing agriculture, pri-
           |                     |  zero employment     |  vate households, and
           |                     |                      |  self-employed
           |                     |                      |--Other employment, in-
           |                     |                      |  cluding railroads, 
           |                     |                      |  religious organiza-
           |                     |                      |  tions, and other non-
           |                     |                      |  UI-covered jobs
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Publication|--Quarterly          |--Quarterly           |--Monthly 
frequency  |  -7 months after the|  -8 months after the |  -Usually first Friday
           |   end of each quar- |   end of each quarter|   of following month
           |   ter               |                      |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Use of UI  |--Directly summarizes|--Links each new UI   |--Uses UI file as a sam-
file       |  and publishes each |  quarter to longitu- |  pling frame and annu-
           |  new quarter of UI  |  dinal database and  |  ally realigns (bench-
           |  data               |  directly summarizes |  marks) sample esti-    
           |                     |  gross job gains and |  mates to first quar-  
           |                     |  losses              |  ter UI levels
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Principal  |--Provides quarter-  |--Provides quarterly  |--Provides current month-
products   |  ly and annual uni- |  employer dynamics   |  ly estimates of employ-
           |  verse counts of es-|  data on establish-  |  ment, hours, and earn-
           |  tablishments, em-  |  ment openings, clos-|  ings at the MSA, state,
           |  ployment, and wages|  ings, expansions,   |  and national level by
           |  at the county, MSA,|  and contractions at |  industry
           |  state, and national|  the national level  |
           |  levels by detailed |  by NAICS supersector|
           |  industry           |--Future expansions   |
           |                     |  will include data at|
           |                     |  the county, MSA, and|
           |                     |  state level and by  |
           |                     |  size of establish-  |
           |                     |  ment                |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|--------------------------
Principal  |--Major uses include:|--Major uses include: |--Major uses include:
uses       |  -Detailed locality |  -Business cycle     |  -Principal national
           |   data              |   analysis           |   economic indicator
           |  -Periodic universe |  -Analysis of employ-|  -Official time series 
           |   counts for bench- |   er dynamics under- |   for employment change
           |   marking sample    |   lying economic ex- |   measures
           |   survey estimates  |   pansions and con-  |  -Input into other ma-
           |  -Sample frame for  |   tractions          |   jor economic indi-
           |   BLS establishment |  -Future:  employment|   cators
           |   surveys           |   expansion and con- |
           |                     |   traction by size of|
           |                     |   establishment      |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|--------------------------
Program    |--www.bls.gov/cew/   |--www.bls.gov/bdm/    |--www.bls.gov/ces/
Web sites  |                     |                      |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  
                                  - 7 -

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 or-
ganizations, 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 cer-
tain small nonprofit organizations.
   
   Gross job gains and gross job losses in this release are derived from lon-
gitudinal histories of over 6.4 million private sector employer reports out 
of 8.2 million total reports of employment and wages submitted by states to 
BLS in the first quarter of 2003.  Gross job gains and gross job losses data 
in this release do not report estimates for government employees or private 
households (NAICS 814110) and do not include establishments with zero employ-
ment over three quarters.  Data from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also
are excluded from the national data.  As an illustration, the table below 
shows, in millions of establishments, the number of establishments excluded 
from the gross job gains and gross job losses data in the fourth quarter 2002:


             Number of active establishments included in 
                  Business Employment Dynamics data

                                                                   Millions

Total establishments ES-202 program..................................8.2

    Excluded:  Public sector.........................................0.3 
               Private households....................................0.5
               Zero employment.......................................1.0      
               Establishments in Puerto Rico 
                 and the Virgin Islands..............................0.0*
         
Total establishments included in Business
  Employment Dynamics data...........................................6.4
   
   *Approximately 48,000 establishments.

Concepts and methodology

   The Business Employment Dynamics data measure the net change in employment 
at the establishment level.  These changes come about in one of four ways.  A 
net increase in employment can come from either opening establishments or ex-
panding establishments.  A net decrease in employment can come from either 
closing establishments or contracting establishments.  Gross job gains include 
the sum of all jobs added at either opening or expanding establishments.  Gross 
job losses include the sum of all jobs lost in either closing or contracting 
establishments.  The net change in employment is the difference between gross 
job gains and gross job losses.
                                  
                                  - 8 -
   
   The formal definitions of establishment-level employment changes are as 
follows:                          

   Openings.  These are either establishments with positive third-month em-
ployment for the first time in the current quarter, with no links to the 
prior quarter, or with positive third-month employment in the current quarter, 
following zero employment in the previous quarter.
                                     
   Expansions.  These are establishments with positive employment in the third 
month in both the previous and current quarters, with a net increase in employ-
ment over this period.
   
   Closings.  These are either establishments with positive third-month employ-
ment in the previous quarter, with no employment or zero employment reported 
in the current quarter.
   
   Contractions.  These are establishments with positive employment in the 
third month in both the previous and current quarters, with a net decrease in 
employment over this period.

   All establishment-level employment changes are measured from the third 
month of each quarter.  Not all establishments change their employment levels; 
these establishments count towards estimates of total employment, but not for 
levels of gross job gains and gross job losses.

   Gross job gains and gross job losses are expressed as rates by dividing 
their levels by the average of employment in the current and previous quarters. 
This provides a symmetric growth rate.  The rates are calculated for the com-
ponents of gross job gains and gross job losses and then summed to form their
respective totals.  These rates can be added and subtracted just as their levels 
can.  For instance, the difference between the gross job gains rate and the 
gross job losses rate is the net growth rate.

   The linkage process matches establishments' unique SWA identification 
numbers (SWA-ID).  Between 95 to 97 percent of establishments identified as 
continuous from quarter to quarter are matched by SWA-ID.  The rest are 
linked in one of three ways.  The first method uses predecessor and successor 
information, identified by the states, which relates records with different 
SWA-IDs across quarters.  Predecessor and successor relations can come about 
for a variety of reasons, including a change in ownership, a firm restructur-
ing, 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 establish-
ment classification codes resulting from the verification process are intro-
duced with the data reported for the first quarter of the year.  Changes re-
sulting from improved employer reporting also are introduced in the first 
quarter.   

                                  - 9 -

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 contract-
ing establishments are independently seasonally adjusted; net changes are 
calculated based on the difference between gross job gains and gross job 
losses.  Similarly, the establishment counts data series for opening, expanding, 
closing, and contracting establishments are independently adjusted, and the 
net changes are calculated based on the difference between the number of open-
ing and closing establishments.  Additionally, establishment and employment 
levels are independently seasonally adjusted to calculate the seasonally ad-
justed rates.  Concurrent seasonal adjustment is run using X-12 ARIMA.  Sea-
sonally adjusted data series for the total private sector are calculated by 
summing the seasonally adjusted data for all sectors, including the unclassi-
fied sector, which is not published separately.
   
   The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing the BED component series 
will differ from the net employment change estimated from the seasonally ad-
justed 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 particu-
larly 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 admini-
strative rather than sample data, there are no issues related to sampling 
error.  Nonsampling error, however, still exists.  Nonsampling errors can oc-
cur 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 distri-
buted 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 compli-
cations.
   
   The BED data series are subject to periodic minor changes based on correc-
tions in QCEW records, updates on predecessors and successors information, and
seasonal adjustment revisions.

                                  - 10 -

Additional statistics and other information
   
   Several other programs within BLS produce closely related information.  
The QCEW program, also known as the ES-202 program, provides both quarterly 
and annual estimates of employment by state, county, and detailed industry. 
News releases on quarterly county employment and wages are available upon 
request from the Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover, 
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212; 
telephone 202-691-6567; (http://www.bls.gov/cew/); (e-mail: QCEWInfo@bls.gov).
                                     
   The CES program produces monthly estimates of employment, its net change, 
and earnings by detailed industry.  These estimates are part of the Employ-
ment Situation report put out monthly by BLS.
                                     
   The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program provides month-
ly measures of job openings, as well as employee hires and separations.

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired in-
dividuals upon request.  Voice phone:  202-691-5200; TDD message referral 
number: 1-800-877-8339.
 
 

     
Table 1.  Private sector gross job gains and job losses, seasonally adjusted
(In thousands)
                                                 Gross job gains                        Gross job losses
Year  3 months     Net change (1) Total      Expanding      Opening     Total     Contracting      Closing
       ended                              establishments establishments          establishments establishments

1992  September          455      7,377        5,632        1,745       6,922           5,351        1,571
      December           216      7,101        5,465        1,636       6,885           5,487        1,398

1993  March              313      7,309        5,410        1,899       6,996           5,354        1,642
      June               786      7,330        5,794        1,536       6,544           5,136        1,408
      September          874      7,523        5,881        1,642       6,649           5,316        1,333
      December           641      7,436        5,840        1,596       6,795           5,420        1,375

1994  March              517      7,400        5,807        1,593       6,883           5,435        1,448
      June             1,021      7,807        6,060        1,747       6,786           5,295        1,491
      September        1,175      7,972        6,227        1,745       6,797           5,493        1,304
      December           507      7,630        5,998        1,632       7,123           5,647        1,476

1995  March              746      7,782        6,129        1,653       7,036           5,660        1,376
      June               402      7,714        6,017        1,697       7,312           5,839        1,473
      September          771      7,970        6,291        1,679       7,199           5,680        1,519
      December           407      7,877        6,153        1,724       7,470           5,934        1,536

1996  March              460      7,943        6,190        1,753       7,483           5,957        1,526
      June               642      8,080        6,302        1,778       7,438           5,894        1,544
      September          632      8,189        6,326        1,863       7,557           5,998        1,559
      December           861      8,278        6,409        1,869       7,417           5,889        1,528

1997  March              799      8,292        6,448        1,844       7,493           5,900        1,593
      June               594      8,098        6,342        1,756       7,504           5,925        1,579
      September          854      8,593        6,680        1,913       7,739           5,981        1,758
      December           702      8,731        6,727        2,004       8,029           6,068        1,961

1998  March              747      8,788        6,633        2,155       8,041           6,107        1,934
      June               666      8,722        6,569        2,153       8,056           6,218        1,838
      September          659      8,539        6,574        1,965       7,880           6,161        1,719
      December           759      8,576        6,778        1,798       7,817           6,060        1,757

1999  March              380      8,744        6,733        2,011       8,364           6,466        1,898
      June               569      8,800        6,788        2,012       8,231           6,419        1,812
      September          548      8,817        6,871        1,946       8,269           6,397        1,872
      December         1,105      9,144        7,112        2,032       8,039           6,264        1,775

2000  March              818      8,906        6,988        1,918       8,088           6,361        1,727
      June               541      8,764        6,975        1,789       8,223           6,509        1,714
      September          146      8,724        6,834        1,890       8,578           6,719        1,859
      December           336      8,690        6,862        1,828       8,354           6,582        1,772
 
2001  March             -101      8,555        6,768        1,787       8,656           6,756        1,900
      June              -771      8,254        6,439        1,815       9,025           7,149        1,876
      September       -1,380      7,749        5,990        1,759       9,129           7,174        1,955
      December          -871      7,893        6,055        1,838       8,764           6,995        1,769

2002  March               -1      8,128        6,324        1,804       8,129           6,400        1,729
      June               -80      8,050        6,246        1,804       8,130           6,411        1,719
      September         -211      7,763        6,083        1,680       7,974           6,345        1,629
      December          -175      7,702        6,059        1,643       7,877           6,267        1,610

2003  March             -404      7,472        5,932        1,540       7,876           6,321        1,555
      June              -142      7,560        6,033        1,527       7,702           6,138        1,564
      September           72      7,396        5,897        1,499       7,324           5,893        1,431
      December           344      7,646        6,063        1,583       7,302           5,816        1,486

 1  Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses.





Table 2.  Private sector gross job gains and losses, as a percent of employment(1), seasonally adjusted
(Percent)
                                                    Gross job gains                      Gross job losses
Year  3 months ended    Net change (2) Total    Expanding      Opening     Total    Contracting       Closing
                                             establishments  establishments        establishments  establishments

1992      September          0.5       8.3          6.3          2.0        7.8           6.0          1.8
          December           0.2       7.9          6.1          1.8        7.7           6.1          1.6

1993      March              0.3       8.1          6.0          2.1        7.8           6.0          1.8
          June               0.8       8.1          6.4          1.7        7.3           5.7          1.6
          September          0.9       8.2          6.4          1.8        7.3           5.8          1.5
          December           0.6       8.0          6.3          1.7        7.4           5.9          1.5

1994      March              0.5       8.0          6.3          1.7        7.5           5.9          1.6
          June               1.1       8.4          6.5          1.9        7.3           5.7          1.6
          September          1.2       8.4          6.6          1.8        7.2           5.8          1.4
          December           0.6       8.0          6.3          1.7        7.4           5.9          1.5

1995      March              0.8      8.1           6.4          1.7        7.3           5.9          1.4
          June               0.5      8.0           6.2          1.8        7.5           6.0          1.5
          September          0.8      8.2           6.5          1.7        7.4           5.8          1.6
          December           0.4      8.1           6.3          1.8        7.7           6.1          1.6

1996      March              0.4      8.1           6.3          1.8        7.7           6.1          1.6
          June               0.6      8.2           6.4          1.8        7.6           6.0          1.6
          September          0.7      8.3           6.4          1.9        7.6           6.0          1.6
          December           0.9      8.3           6.4          1.9        7.4           5.9          1.5

1997      March              0.7      8.2           6.4          1.8        7.5           5.9          1.6
          June               0.5      7.9           6.2          1.7        7.4           5.8          1.6
          September          0.8      8.4           6.5          1.9        7.6           5.9          1.7
          December           0.6      8.4           6.5          1.9        7.8           5.9          1.9

1998      March              0.7      8.5           6.4          2.1        7.8           5.9          1.9
          June               0.6      8.4           6.3          2.1        7.8           6.0          1.8
          September          0.7      8.2           6.3          1.9        7.5           5.9          1.6
          December           0.7      8.1           6.4          1.7        7.4           5.7          1.7

1999      March              0.3      8.2           6.3          1.9        7.9           6.1          1.8
          June               0.6      8.3           6.4          1.9        7.7           6.0          1.7
          September          0.5      8.2           6.4          1.8        7.7           6.0          1.7
          December           1.1      8.5           6.6          1.9        7.4           5.8          1.6

2000      March              0.8      8.2           6.4          1.8        7.4           5.8          1.6
          June               0.4      7.9           6.3          1.6        7.5           5.9          1.6
          September          0.1      7.9           6.2          1.7        7.8           6.1          1.7
          December           0.3      7.9           6.2          1.7        7.6           6.0          1.6

2001      March             -0.1      7.7           6.1          1.6        7.8           6.1          1.7
          June              -0.8      7.4           5.8          1.6        8.2           6.5          1.7
          September         -1.3      7.1           5.5          1.6        8.4           6.6          1.8
          December          -0.8      7.3           5.6          1.7        8.1           6.5          1.6

2002      March              0.1      7.6           5.9          1.7        7.5           5.9          1.6
          June              -0.1      7.5           5.8          1.7        7.6           6.0          1.6
          September         -0.1      7.3           5.7          1.6        7.4           5.9          1.5
          December          -0.2      7.1           5.6          1.5        7.3           5.8          1.5

2003      March             -0.5      6.9           5.5          1.4        7.4           5.9          1.5
          June              -0.2      7.0           5.6          1.4        7.2           5.7          1.5
          September          0.1      6.9           5.5          1.4        6.8           5.5          1.3
          December           0.4      7.2           5.7          1.5        6.8           5.4          1.4

   1 The rates measure gross job gains and gross job losses as a percentage of the average of previous and current employment.
   2 See footnote 1, table 1.
 



Table 3.  Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted

                       Gross job gains and job losses (in thousands) Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment
    Category                          3 months ended                            3 months ended

                                Dec.    Mar.    June    Sept.   Dec.      Dec.    Mar.    June    Sept.   Dec. 
                                2002    2003    2003    2003    2003      2002    2003    2003    2003    2003
Total private(1)

Gross job gains                 7,702   7,472   7,560   7,396   7,646     7.1     6.9     7.0     6.9     7.2
  At expanding establishments   6,059   5,932   6,033   5,897   6,063     5.6     5.5     5.6     5.5     5.7
  At opening establishments     1,643   1,540   1,527   1,499   1,583     1.5     1.4     1.4     1.4     1.5
Gross job losses                7,877   7,876   7,702   7,324   7,302     7.3     7.4     7.2     6.8     6.8
  At contracting establishments 6,267   6,321   6,138   5,893   5,816     5.8     5.9     5.7     5.5     5.4
  At closing establishments     1,610   1,555   1,564   1,431   1,486     1.5     1.5     1.5     1.3     1.4
Net employment change            -175    -404    -142      72     344    -0.2    -0.5    -0.2     0.1     0.4

Goods-producing

Gross job gains                 1,652   1,692   1,657   1,605   1,665     7.1     7.3     7.2     7.1     7.3
  At expanding establishments   1,359   1,395   1,378   1,343   1,391     5.8     6.0     6.0     5.9     6.1
  At opening establishments       293     297     279     262     274     1.3     1.3     1.2     1.2     1.2
Gross job losses                1,889   1,932   1,897   1,755   1,697     8.0     8.3     8.3     7.7     7.4
  At contracting establishments 1,551   1,579   1,558   1,443   1,391     6.6     6.8     6.8     6.3     6.1
  At closing establishments       338     353     339     312     306     1.4     1.5     1.5     1.4     1.3
Net employment change            -237    -240    -240    -150     -32    -0.9    -1.0    -1.1    -0.6    -0.1

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains                   294     310     299     272     286    17.6    18.5    17.9    16.4    17.3
  At expanding establishments     240     256     249     225     233    14.4    15.3    14.9    13.6    14.1
  At opening establishments        54      54      50      47      53     3.2     3.2     3.0     2.8     3.2
Gross job losses                  297     309     294     292     285    17.8    18.4    17.6    17.7    17.2
  At contracting establishments   245     247     240     243     239    14.7    14.7    14.4    14.7    14.4
  At closing establishments        52      62      54      49      46     3.1     3.7     3.2     3.0     2.8
Net employment change              -3       1       5     -20       1    -0.2     0.1     0.3    -1.3     0.1

Construction

Gross job gains                  778     782     811     784     793    11.6    11.7    12.2    11.7    11.8
  At expanding establishments    616     619     654     636     641     9.2     9.3     9.8     9.5     9.5
  At opening establishments      162     163     157     148     152     2.4     2.4     2.4     2.2     2.3
Gross job losses                 800     829     822     762     761    12.0    12.4    12.3    11.4    11.3
  At contracting establishments  637     660     653     601     599     9.6     9.9     9.8     9.0     8.9
  At closing establishments      163     169     169     161     162     2.4     2.5     2.5     2.4     2.4
Net employment change            -22     -47     -11      22      32    -0.4    -0.7    -0.1     0.3     0.5

Manufacturing

Gross job gains                  580     600     547     549     586     3.8     4.0     3.8     3.8     4.1
  At expanding establishments    503     520     475     482     517     3.3     3.5     3.3     3.3     3.6
  At opening establishments       77      80      72      67      69     0.5     0.5     0.5     0.5     0.5
Gross job losses                 792     794     781     701     651     5.2     5.3     5.4     4.9     4.6
  At contracting establishments  669     672     665     599     553     4.4     4.5     4.6     4.2     3.9
  At closing establishments      123     122     116     102      98     0.8     0.8     0.8     0.7     0.7
Net employment change           -212    -194    -234    -152     -65    -1.4    -1.3    -1.6    -1.1    -0.5

Service-providing(1)

Gross job gains                6,050   5,780   5,903   5,791   5,981     7.2     6.9     7.0     6.9     7.1
  At expanding establishments  4,700   4,537   4,655   4,554   4,672     5.6     5.4     5.5     5.4     5.5
  At opening establishments    1,350   1,243   1,248   1,237   1,309     1.6     1.5     1.5     1.5     1.6
Gross job losses               5,988   5,944   5,805   5,569   5,605     7.1     7.0     7.0     6.6     6.6
  At contracting establishments4,716   4,742   4,580   4,450   4,425     5.6     5.6     5.5     5.3     5.2
  At closing establishments    1,272   1,202   1,225   1,119   1,180     1.5     1.4     1.5     1.3     1.4
Net employment change             62    -164      98     222     376     0.1    -0.1     0.0     0.3     0.5

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains                  321     320     314     308     317     5.7     5.7     5.6     5.6     5.7
  At expanding establishments    255     251     252     249     257     4.5     4.5     4.5     4.5     4.6
  At opening establishments       66      69      62      59      60     1.2     1.2     1.1     1.1     1.1
Gross job losses                 348     348     334     323     320     6.2     6.2     6.0     5.8     5.7
  At contracting establishments  266     269     256     250     245     4.7     4.8     4.6     4.5     4.4
  At closing establishments       82      79      78      73      75     1.5     1.4     1.4     1.3     1.3
Net employment change            -27     -28     -20     -15      -3    -0.5    -0.5    -0.4    -0.2     0.0

Retail trade

Gross job gains                1,057     962   1,039   1,019   1,061     7.0     6.4     6.9     6.7     7.1
  At expanding establishments    884     799     872     848     886     5.9     5.3     5.8     5.6     5.9
  At opening establishments      173     163     167     171     175     1.1     1.1     1.1     1.1     1.2
Gross job losses               1,109   1,060     996     989   1,016     7.3     7.0     6.7     6.6     6.8
  At contracting establishments  924     903     834     839     857     6.1     6.0     5.6     5.6     5.7
  At closing establishments      185     157     162     150     159     1.2     1.0     1.1     1.0     1.1
Net employment change            -52     -98      43      30      45    -0.3    -0.6     0.2     0.1     0.3

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains                  239     227     230     235     227     6.0     5.6     5.8     6.0     5.7
  At expanding establishments    191     189     186     193     191     4.8     4.7     4.7     4.9     4.8
  At opening establishments       48      38      44      42      36     1.2     0.9     1.1     1.1     0.9
Gross job losses                 270     237     283     239     237     6.8     5.9     7.1     6.1     6.0
  At contracting establishments  208     189     234     193     188     5.2     4.7     5.9     4.9     4.8
  At closing establishments       62      48      49      46      49     1.6     1.2     1.2     1.2     1.2
Net employment change            -31     -10     -53      -4     -10    -0.8    -0.3    -1.3    -0.1    -0.3

Utilities

Gross job gains                   13      15      14      16      14     2.2     2.5     2.4     2.7     2.4
  At expanding establishments     11      13      12      14      12     1.9     2.2     2.1     2.4     2.1
  At opening establishments        2       2       2       2       2     0.3     0.3     0.3     0.3     0.3
Gross job losses                  23      15      19      19      16     3.9     2.5     3.2     3.3     2.7
  At contracting establishments   20      13      17      15      14     3.4     2.2     2.9     2.6     2.4
  At closing establishments        3       2       2       4       2     0.5     0.3     0.3     0.7     0.3
Net employment change            -10       0      -5      -3      -2    -1.7     0.0    -0.8    -0.6    -0.3

 Information

Gross job gains                  174     166     153     149     172     5.2     5.1     4.8     4.7     5.5
  At expanding establishments    133     133     125     120     131     4.0     4.1     3.9     3.8     4.2
  At opening establishments       41      33      28      29      41     1.2     1.0     0.9     0.9     1.3
Gross job losses                 208     201     194     185     166     6.3     6.2     6.1     5.8     5.2
  At contracting establishments  157     157     156     150     121     4.8     4.8     4.9     4.7     3.8
  At closing establishments       51      44      38      35      45     1.5     1.4     1.2     1.1     1.4
Net employment change            -34     -35     -41     -36       6    -1.1    -1.1    -1.3    -1.1     0.3

Financial activities

Gross job gains                  488     442     455     444     436     6.3     5.7     5.8     5.7     5.5
  At expanding establishments    365     340     361     344     333     4.7     4.4     4.6     4.4     4.2
  At opening establishments      123     102      94     100     103     1.6     1.3     1.2     1.3     1.3
Gross job losses                 451     428     418     417     462     5.8     5.4     5.4     5.3     5.9
  At contracting establishments  329     323     320     321     354     4.2     4.1     4.1     4.1     4.5
  At closing establishments      122     105      98      96     108     1.6     1.3     1.3     1.2     1.4
Net employment change             37      14      37      27     -26     0.5     0.3     0.4     0.4    -0.4

Professional and business services

Gross job gains                1,422   1,406   1,367   1,356   1,438     8.9     8.8     8.6     8.5     9.0
  At expanding establishments  1,104   1,129   1,084   1,085   1,136     6.9     7.1     6.8     6.8     7.1
  At opening establishments      318     277     283     271     302     2.0     1.7     1.8     1.7     1.9
Gross job losses               1,450   1,469   1,416   1,287   1,302     9.0     9.2     8.9     8.1     8.2
  At contracting establishments1,127   1,148   1,067     996   1,000     7.0     7.2     6.7     6.3     6.3
  At closing establishments      323     321     349     291     302     2.0     2.0     2.2     1.8     1.9
Net employment change            -28     -63     -49      69     136    -0.1    -0.4    -0.3     0.4     0.8

Education and health services

Gross job gains                  776     760     745     731     744     5.0     4.8     4.8     4.6     4.7
  At expanding establishments    641     630     624     607     616     4.1     4.0     4.0     3.8     3.9
  At opening establishments      135     130     121     124     128     0.9     0.8     0.8     0.8     0.8
Gross job losses                 659     680     698     670     659     4.2     4.3     4.4     4.3     4.1
  At contracting establishments  529     553     565     548     529     3.4     3.5     3.6     3.5     3.3
  At closing establishments      130     127     133     122     130     0.8     0.8     0.8     0.8     0.8
Net employment change            117      80      47      61      85     0.8     0.5     0.4     0.3     0.6

 Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains                1,151   1,083   1,166   1,125   1,161     9.5     8.9     9.6     9.3     9.5
  At expanding establishments    862     807     885     849     866     7.1     6.6     7.3     7.0     7.1
  At opening establishments      289     276     281     276     295     2.4     2.3     2.3     2.3     2.4
Gross job losses               1,126   1,161   1,105   1,095   1,097     9.3     9.6     9.1     9.0     8.9
  At contracting establishments  904     934     881     879     875     7.5     7.7     7.3     7.2     7.1
  At closing establishments      222     227     224     216     222     1.8     1.9     1.8     1.8     1.8
Net employment change             25     -78      61      30      64     0.2    -0.7     0.5     0.3     0.6

 Other services

Gross job gains                  300     296     303     286     288     7.9     7.8     8.0     7.6     7.6
  At expanding establishments    237     229     239     227     227     6.2     6.0     6.3     6.0     6.0
  At opening establishments       63      67      64      59      61     1.7     1.8     1.7     1.6     1.6
Gross job losses                 308     305     305     309     293     8.1     8.0     8.0     8.2     7.8
  At contracting establishments  239     239     236     246     229     6.3     6.3     6.2     6.5     6.1
  At closing establishments       69      66      69      63      64     1.8     1.7     1.8     1.7     1.7
Net employment change             -8      -9      -2     -23      -5    -0.2    -0.2     0.0    -0.6    -0.2

  1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.