Technical information:  (202) 691-6467     USDL 07-0710
               http://www.bls.gov/bdm/
                                           For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902     Wednesday, May 16, 2007
	

                  BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS:  THIRD QUARTER 2006
   
   From June 2006 to September 2006, the number of job gains from opening and expanding 
private sector establishments was 7.4 million, and the number of job losses from closing 
and contracting establishments was 7.3 million, according to data released today by the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.  (See table 3.)  Over this 
period, firms with 1,000 or more employees accounted for the largest share of gross job 
gains (16.8 percent) and the largest share of gross job losses (16.8 percent). (See 
tables D and 4.)  
    
   The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data series include gross job gains and gross 
job losses at the establishment level by major industry sector, as well as gross job gains 
and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. 
  
   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.  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 ex-
pansions 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 clos-
ing units.  The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross 
jobs lost is the net change in employment. (See the Technical Note for more information.) 
  
Private Sector Establishment-Level Gross Job Gains and Job Losses 
  
   Opening and expanding private sector business establishments gained 7.4 million jobs in 
the third quarter of 2006, a decrease of 397,000 from the previous quarter.  Over the third 
quarter, expanding establishments added 6.0 million jobs, while opening establishments added
1.4 million jobs. 
  
   Gross job losses totaled 7.3 million, an increase of 50,000 from the previous quarter.  
During the quarter, contracting establishments lost 6.0 million jobs, while closing estab-
lishments lost 1.3 million jobs. (See tables A, 1, and 3.)
  
   The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross jobs lost 
yielded a net change of 19,000 jobs in the private sector for third quarter 2006.  
                   From June 2006 to September 2006, gross job gains represented 6.5 percent of private sector 
employment, while gross job losses represented 6.5 percent of private sector employment.  
(See tables A and 2.)  These gross job gain and loss statistics demonstrate that a sizable 
number of jobs appear and disappear in the relatively short time frame of one quarter.
  
                                  - 2 -
                                  
Table A.  Three-month private sector gross job gains and losses,
seasonally adjusted

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |             3 months ended          
                                  |-------------------------------------
            Category              |  Sept.| Dec. | Mar. | June | Sept.  
                                  |  2005 | 2005 | 2006 | 2006 | 2006   
                                  |-------------------------------------
                                  |         Levels (in thousands)       
----------------------------------|-------------------------------------
                                  |       |      |      |      |        
Gross job gains...................|  8,055| 7,818| 7,556| 7,761|  7,364 
  At expanding establishments.....|  6,423| 6,293| 6,205| 6,286|  5,985 
  At opening establishments.......|  1,632| 1,525| 1,351| 1,475|  1,379 
Gross job losses..................|  7,427| 7,267| 6,772| 7,295|  7,345 
  At contracting establishments...|  5,915| 5,888| 5,536| 5,937|  6,010 
  At closing establishments.......|  1,512| 1,379| 1,236| 1,358|  1,335 
Net employment change (1).........|    628|   551|   784|   466|     19 
                                  |-------------------------------------
                                  |            Rates (percent)          
                                  |-------------------------------------
Gross job gains...................|    7.3|   7.1|   6.7|   6.9|    6.5 
  At expanding establishments.....|    5.8|   5.7|   5.5|   5.6|    5.3 
  At opening establishments.......|    1.5|   1.4|   1.2|   1.3|    1.2 
Gross job losses..................|    6.8|   6.5|   6.0|   6.5|    6.5 
  At contracting establishments...|    5.4|   5.3|   4.9|   5.3|    5.3 
  At closing establishments.......|    1.4|   1.2|   1.1|   1.2|    1.2 
Net employment change (1).........|     .5|    .6|    .7|    .4|     .0 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
   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
   
   Goods-producing.  Expanding and opening establishments in the goods-producing sector ac-
counted for 1,537,000 jobs gained, and contracting and closing establishments accounted for 
1,706,000 jobs lost.  This net loss of 169,000 jobs is the first net loss in this sector 
since September 2004.  (See tables B and 3.)
    
   Construction.  In construction, gross job gains over the quarter fell to 771,000 and 
gross job losses increased to 848,000, resulting in a net loss of 77,000 jobs.  This is the 
second consecutive quarter of net losses in this industry. 
    
   Manufacturing.  Gross job gains in manufacturing decreased to a level of 505,000 jobs in 
the third quarter of 2006, and gross job losses increased to 600,000, resulting in a net 
loss of 95,000 jobs.
  
   Service-providing.  In the service-providing sector, gross job gains totaled 5,827,000 
and gross job losses totaled 5,639,000 in the third quarter of 2006, resulting in a net gain
of 188,000 jobs.  

   Retail trade.  Gross job gains in the retail trade sector totaled 1,010,000.  Gross job 
losses decreased marginally to 1,063,000, resulting in a net loss of 53,000 jobs.  This is 
the second consecutive quarter of net losses for this sector. 

   Leisure and hospitality.  The leisure and hospitality sector gained 1,154,000 jobs and 
lost 1,168,000 jobs in the third quarter of 2006, for a net loss of 14,000.  
  
                                  - 3 -
                                  
Table B.  Three-month private sector gross job gains and losses by industry,
seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      |       Gross job gains       |       Gross job losses      
                      |-----------------------------|-----------------------------
     Industry         |        3 months ended       |        3 months ended       
                      |-----------------------------|-----------------------------
                      |Sept.|Dec. |Mar. |June |Sept.|Sept.|Dec. |Mar. |June |Sept.
                      |2005 |2005 |2006 |2006 |2006 |2005 |2005 |2006 |2006 |2006 
----------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----
                      |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
  Total private (1)...|8,055|7,818|7,556|7,761|7,364|7,427|7,267|6,772|7,295|7,345
Goods-producing.......|1,698|1,722|1,713|1,673|1,537|1,663|1,606|1,545|1,644|1,706
 Natural resources    |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
   and mining.........|  265|  279|  279|  286|  261|  265|  265|  275|  265|  258
 Construction ........|  868|  862|  910|  828|  771|  782|  774|  742|  830|  848
 Manufacturing .......|  565|  581|  524|  559|  505|  616|  567|  528|  549|  600
Service-providing (1).|6,357|6,096|5,843|6,088|5,827|5,764|5,661|5,227|5,651|5,639
 Wholesale trade......|  338|  320|  311|  328|  304|  311|  302|  288|  288|  302
 Retail trade.........|1,074|1,058|1,048|1,053|1,010|1,063|1,015|  971|1,074|1,063
 Transportation and...|     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
  warehousing.........|  254|  268|  232|  242|  236|  236|  231|  228|  227|  221
 Utilities ...........|   13|   14|   11|   13|   13|   12|   16|   11|   13|   12
 Information .........|  170|  152|  139|  146|  148|  154|  156|  142|  140|  167
 Financial            |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
  activities..........|  480|  472|  408|  447|  436|  413|  434|  404|  432|  435
 Professional and     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
  business services...|1,523|1,432|1,279|1,428|1,305|1,311|1,303|1,169|1,272|1,259
 Education and        |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
  health services.....|  811|  766|  771|  776|  772|  691|  699|  645|  713|  670
 Leisure and          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
  hospitality.........|1,202|1,175|1,194|1,200|1,154|1,219|1,165|1,046|1,169|1,168
 Other services.......|  297|  289|  293|  307|  285|  309|  296|  281|  284|  302
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately. 



Number of Establishments Gaining and Losing Employment
  
   Another way to look at the dynamics of business activities is to monitor the number and 
proportion of business units that are growing and declining.  The third quarter of 2006 re-
presented the first quarter where the number of contracting establishments exceeded the num-
ber of expanding establishments since the second quarter of 2003.  Out of 6.9 million active
private-sector establishments, a total of 1,865,000 establishments gained jobs from June 
2006 to September 2006.  (See table C.)  Of these, 1,524,000 were expanding establishments 
and 341,000 were opening establishments.  During the quarter, 1,542,000 establishments con-
tracted and 349,000 establishments closed, resulting in 1,891,000 establishments losing jobs.  
Overall, the number of active private sector establishments decreased by 8,000 during the 
quarter.  This change is the difference between the number of opening establishments and 
the number of closing establishments.
  
                                  - 4 -
                                  
Table C.  Number of private sector establishments by direction of
employment change, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |             3 months ended           
             Category             |--------------------------------------
                                  | Sept. | Dec.  | Mar.  | June | Sept.  
                                  | 2005  | 2005  | 2006  | 2006 | 2006  
----------------------------------|-------|-------|-------|------|-------
Establishments gaining jobs.......| 1,924 | 1,921 | 1,938 | 1,918| 1,865 
    Expanding establishments......| 1,549 | 1,546 | 1,585 | 1,558| 1,524 
    Opening establishments........|   375 |   375 |   353 |   360|   341 
Establishments losing jobs........| 1,825 | 1,849 | 1,839 | 1,884| 1,891 
    Contracting establishments....| 1,486 | 1,520 | 1,498 | 1,543| 1,542 
    Closing establishments........|   339 |   329 |   341 |   341|   349 
Net establishment change (1)......|    36 |    46 |    12 |    19|    -8 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
   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.



Firm-level Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses by Size Class
   
   From June 2006 to September 2006, firms with 1,000 or more employees accounted for the 
largest share of gross job gains (16.8 percent) and the largest share of gross job losses 
(16.8 percent).  (See tables D and 4.)  During this quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross 
job gains in size classes with 1-4, 5-9, 10-19, and 20-49 employees, resulting in negative 
contributions to total net change in employment from these size classes.  Because of these 
negative contributions, the share of net change in employment by size of firm is not shown 
this quarter in tables D and 4.
		
   In the third quarter of 2006, firms with 500 or more employees represented 21.5 percent 
of gross job gains and 21.3 percent of gross job losses.  (See table D.)  Historically, 
from September 1992 through September 2006, firms with 500 or more employees have accounted 
for, on average, 34.6 percent of quarterly net employment growth.  (See table E.)
  
  
   Firms with 1-4 employees continued to have the largest shares of both job gains at open-
ing firms and job losses at closing firms, with 59.1 and 59.2 percent respectively, in the 
third quarter of 2006.  (See table 4.) 

                                  - 5 -
                                  
Table D.  Three-month private sector percentage share (1) of gross job gains and gross
job losses by firm size, seasonally adjusted

(Percent)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       |   Share of gross job gains    |   Share of gross job losses      
                       |-------------------------------|---------------------------------
                       |        3 months ended         |        3 months ended           
       Firm size       |-------------------------------|---------------------------------
                       | Sept.| Dec.| Mar.| June| Sept.| Sept.| Dec. | Mar. | June| Sept.
                       | 2005 | 2005| 2006| 2006| 2006 | 2005 | 2005 | 2006 | 2006| 2006 
-----------------------|------------|-----|------------|------|------|------|-----|------
                       |      |     |     |     |      |      |      |      |     |      
   1  -   4 employees..| 15.1 | 15.5| 15.7| 15.0| 15.2 | 15.6 | 15.6 | 17.0 | 16.0| 15.8 
   5  -   9 employees..| 11.7 | 11.7| 12.3| 11.9| 12.0 | 12.3 | 12.6 | 13.0 | 12.6| 12.3 
  10  -  19 employees..| 11.9 | 12.0| 12.7| 12.2| 12.3 | 12.4 | 12.8 | 13.0 | 12.7| 12.4 
  20  -  49 employees..| 13.9 | 13.9| 14.9| 14.6| 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.7 | 14.4 | 14.4| 14.5 
  50  -  99 employees..|  8.7 |  8.7|  9.3|  9.1|  9.1 |  9.0 |  9.1 |  8.7 |  8.9|  8.9 
 100  - 249 employees..|  9.3 |  9.1|  9.7|  9.8|  9.5 |  9.6 |  9.6 |  8.8 |  9.1|  9.3 
 250  - 499 employees..|  5.8 |  5.5|  5.7|  5.9|  5.9 |  5.6 |  5.7 |  5.1 |  5.3|  5.5 
 500  - 999 employees..|  4.8 |  4.5|  4.5|  4.8|  4.7 |  4.4 |  4.7 |  3.9 |  4.4|  4.5 
1,000 or more employees| 19.0 | 19.1| 15.2| 16.7| 16.8 | 16.7 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 16.6| 16.8 
                       |      |     |     |     |      |      |      |      |     |      
  Total................|100.0 |100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0 |100.0|100.0 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1 Share measures the percent of the category represented by firm size.


Table E.  Average percentage share (1) of gross job gains and gross job losses by
firm size, third quarter 1992-third quarter 2006, seasonally adjusted

(Percent)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      |                    Firm size (number of employees)                    
                      |-----------------------------------------------------------------------
       Category       |       |      |      |      |      |      | 100  | 250  | 500  | 1,000 
                      | Total | 1-4  |  5-9 | 10-19| 20-49| 50-99|  -   |  -   |  -   |   or  
                      |       |      |      |      |      |      | 249  | 499  | 999  |  more 
----------------------|-------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|-------
Gross job gains.......| 100.0 | 14.4 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 14.3 |  9.1 |  9.8 |  5.9 |  4.9 |  18.2 
  Expanding firms.....| 100.0 |  7.0 | 10.6 | 12.0 | 15.2 | 10.0 | 11.1 |  6.8 |  5.7 |  21.6 
  Opening firms.......| 100.0 | 52.1 | 16.1 | 11.6 |  9.7 |  4.2 |  3.0 |  1.3 |   .8 |   1.2 
                      |       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |       
Gross job losses......| 100.0 | 14.7 | 11.9 | 12.2 | 14.4 |  9.0 |  9.6 |  5.8 |  4.8 |  17.6 
  Contracting firms...| 100.0 |  7.5 | 11.1 | 12.3 | 15.3 |  9.9 | 10.8 |  6.7 |  5.5 |  20.9 
  Closing firms.......| 100.0 | 49.6 | 15.5 | 11.6 | 10.2 |  4.7 |  3.9 |  1.8 |  1.2 |   1.5 
                      |       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |       
Net change............| 100.0 |  9.5 |  6.4 |  8.2 | 12.4 |  9.5 | 11.8 |  7.6 |  6.2 |  28.4 
                      |       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |       
 Cumulative share of  |       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |       
  net change..........|   -   |  9.5 | 15.9 | 24.1 | 36.5 | 46.0 | 57.8 | 65.4 | 71.6 | 100.0 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   1 Share measures the percent of the category represented by firm size.



More Information
  
   Additional information on gross job gains and gross job losses are available at the Busi-
ness Employment Dynamics Web page on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/bdm.  This in-
formation includes data on the levels and rates of gross job gains and gross job losses by 
firm size, the 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 
size class, and frequently asked questions on size-class 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.

   
                                  - 6 -

        --------------------------------------------------------------------
       |      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 unemployment insurance |
       | program.  The net over-the-quarter changes derived by aggregating  |
       | component 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.                                                          |
       |                                                                    |
       |    BED data have a more limited scope than the Quarterly Census    |
       | of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data.  The data in this release,    |
       | in contrast to the QCEW data, exclude government employees, pri-   |
       | vate households (NAICS 814110), and establishments with zero       |
       | employment.                                                        |
       |                                                                    |
       |    See the Technical Note for further information.                 |
        --------------------------------------------------------------------  

   
  
   
    

                                  - 7 -

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 BLS 
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 BLS 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 BLS 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.

                                  - 8 -

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 establish-
           |  submitted by 8.9   |  ministrative records|  ments
           |  million employers  |  submitted by 6.9    |
           |                     |  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 workers
           |                     |                      |--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 a quarter-|--Provides quarterly  |--Provides current month-
products   |  ly and annual uni- |  employer dynamics   |  ly estimates of employ-
           |  verse count 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           |  and by size of firm |
           |                     |--Future expansions   |
           |                     |  will include data at|
           |                     |  the county, MSA, and|
           |                     |  state level         |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
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 |   An analysis of em- |   cators
           |   surveys           |   ployment expansion |
           |                     |   and contraction by |   
           |                     |   size of firm       |
           |                     |                      |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Program    |--www.bls.gov/cew/   |--www.bls.gov/bdm/    |--www.bls.gov/ces/
Web sites  |                     |                      |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  
                                  - 9 -

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 6.9 million private sector employer reports out 
of 8.9 million total reports of employment and wages submitted by states to 
BLS in the third quarter of 2006.  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 third quarter of
2006:


             Number of active establishments included in 
                  Business Employment Dynamics data

                                                                   Millions
                                                                       
Total establishments QCEW program....................................8.9

    Excluded:  Public sector.........................................0.3 
               Private households....................................0.6
               Zero employment.......................................1.0      
               Establishments in Puerto Rico 
                 and the Virgin Islands..............................0.1 
         
Total establishments included in Business
  Employment Dynamics data...........................................6.9

Unit of analysis
   
   Establishments are used in the tabulation of the BED statistics by in-
dustry and firms are used in the tabulation of the BED size class sta-
tistics.  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, is 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.

                                  - 10 -

Concepts and methodology

   The Business Employment Dynamics data measure the net change in employ-
ment 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 em-
ployment 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 units with positive third-month employment in the pre-
vious 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.

   All establishment-level employment changes are measured from the third 
month of each quarter.  Not all establishments and firms change their em-
ployment levels.  Units with no change in employment count towards estimates
of total employment, but not for levels of gross employment 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 quar-
ters.  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.

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 esta-
blishments' 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 restructuring, or a UI account restructuring.
If a match cannot be attained in this manner, a probability-based match is
used.  This match attempts to identify two establishments with different SWA-
IDs as continuous.  The match is based upon comparisons such as the same
name, address, and phone number.  Third, an analyst examines unmatched re-
cords 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.   

                                  - 11 -

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 al-
located 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.

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 vari-
ation 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 ana-
lyze changes in economic activity.

   The employment data series for opening, expanding, closing, and contract-
ing units are independently seasonally adjusted; net changes are calculated
based on the difference between gross job gains and gross job losses.  Simi-
larly, 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 em-
ployment levels are independently seasonally adjusted to calculate the sea-
sonally adjusted rates.  Concurrent seasonal adjustment is run using X-12
ARIMA.  Seasonally adjusted data series for the total private sector are cal-
culated by summing the seasonally adjusted data for all sectors, including
the unclassified sector, which is not published separately.
   
   The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing the BED component series 
will differ from the net employment change estimated from the seasonally 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.

                                  - 12 -

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

Total private

(In thousands)

                                                  Gross job gains                       Gross job losses
Year  3 months ended  Net change (1) Total    Expanding      Opening      Total     Contracting      Closing
                                           establishments establishments           establishments establishments

1992  September            455      7,377       5,632         1,745       6,922       5,351           1,571
      December             216      7,101       5,465         1,636       6,885       5,487           1,398
  
1993  March                313      7,309       5,410         1,899       6,996       5,354           1,642
      June                 786      7,330       5,794         1,536       6,544       5,136           1,408
      September            874      7,523       5,881         1,642       6,649       5,316           1,333
      December             641      7,436       5,840         1,596       6,795       5,420           1,375
  
1994  March                517      7,400       5,807         1,593       6,883       5,435           1,448
      June               1,021      7,807       6,060         1,747       6,786       5,295           1,491
      September          1,175      7,972       6,227         1,745       6,797       5,493           1,304
      December             507      7,630       5,998         1,632       7,123       5,647           1,476
  
1995  March                746      7,782       6,129         1,653       7,036       5,660           1,376
      June                 402      7,714       6,017         1,697       7,312       5,839           1,473
      September            771      7,970       6,291         1,679       7,199       5,680           1,519
      December             407      7,877       6,153         1,724       7,470       5,934           1,536
  
1996  March                460      7,943       6,190         1,753       7,483       5,957           1,526
      June                 642      8,080       6,302         1,778       7,438       5,894           1,544
      September            632      8,189       6,326         1,863       7,557       5,998           1,559
      December             861      8,278       6,409         1,869       7,417       5,889           1,528
  
1997  March                799      8,292       6,448         1,844       7,493       5,900           1,593
      June                 594      8,098       6,342         1,756       7,504       5,925           1,579
      September            854      8,593       6,680         1,913       7,739       5,981           1,758
      December             702      8,731       6,727         2,004       8,029       6,068           1,961
  
1998  March                747      8,788       6,633         2,155       8,041       6,107           1,934
      June                 666      8,722       6,569         2,153       8,056       6,218           1,838
      September            659      8,539       6,574         1,965       7,880       6,161           1,719
      December             759      8,576       6,778         1,798       7,817       6,060           1,757
  
1999  March                380      8,744       6,733         2,011       8,364       6,466           1,898
      June                 569      8,800       6,788         2,012       8,231       6,419           1,812
      September            548      8,817       6,871         1,946       8,269       6,397           1,872
      December           1,105      9,144       7,112         2,032       8,039       6,264           1,775
  
2000  March                818      8,906       6,988         1,918       8,088       6,361           1,727
      June                 541      8,764       6,975         1,789       8,223       6,509           1,714
      September            146      8,724       6,834         1,890       8,578       6,719           1,859
      December             336      8,690       6,862         1,828       8,354       6,582           1,772
  
2001  March               -101      8,555       6,768         1,787       8,656       6,756           1,900
      June                -771      8,254       6,439         1,815       9,025       7,149           1,876
      September         -1,380      7,749       5,990         1,759       9,129       7,174           1,955
      December            -871      7,893       6,055         1,838       8,764       6,995           1,769
  
2002  March                 -1      8,128       6,324         1,804       8,129       6,400           1,729
      June                 -80      8,050       6,246         1,804       8,130       6,411           1,719
      September           -211      7,763       6,083         1,680       7,974       6,345           1,629
      December            -175      7,702       6,059         1,643       7,877       6,267           1,610
  
2003  March               -404      7,472       5,932         1,540       7,876       6,321           1,555
      June                -142      7,560       6,033         1,527       7,702       6,138           1,564
      September             72      7,396       5,897         1,499       7,324       5,893           1,431
      December             344      7,646       6,063         1,583       7,302       5,816           1,486
  
2004  March                435      7,745       6,231         1,514       7,310       5,871           1,439
      June                 594      7,857       6,292         1,565       7,263       5,726           1,537
      September            191      7,789       6,123         1,666       7,598       5,953           1,645
      December             869      8,081       6,365         1,716       7,212       5,727           1,485
  
2005  March                325      7,635       6,171         1,464       7,310       5,852           1,458
      June                 574      7,932       6,311         1,621       7,358       5,873           1,485
      September            628      8,055       6,423         1,632       7,427       5,915           1,512
      December             551      7,818       6,293         1,525       7,267       5,888           1,379
  
2006  March                784      7,556       6,205         1,351       6,772       5,536           1,236
      June                 466      7,761       6,286         1,475       7,295       5,937           1,358
      September             19      7,364       5,985         1,379       7,345       6,010           1,335

   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              .2        7.9         6.1           1.8         7.7         6.1             1.6
  
1993  March                 .3        8.1         6.0           2.1         7.8         6.0             1.8
      June                  .8        8.1         6.4           1.7         7.3         5.7             1.6
      September             .9        8.2         6.4           1.8         7.3         5.8             1.5
      December              .6        8.0         6.3           1.7         7.4         5.9             1.5
  
1994  March                 .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              .6        8.0         6.3           1.7         7.4         5.9             1.5
  
1995  March                 .8        8.1         6.4           1.7         7.3         5.9             1.4
      June                  .5        8.0         6.2           1.8         7.5         6.0             1.5
      September             .8        8.2         6.5           1.7         7.4         5.8             1.6
      December              .4        8.1         6.3           1.8         7.7         6.1             1.6
  
1996  March                 .4        8.1         6.3           1.8         7.7         6.1             1.6
      June                  .6        8.2         6.4           1.8         7.6         6.0             1.6
      September             .7        8.3         6.4           1.9         7.6         6.0             1.6
      December              .9        8.3         6.4           1.9         7.4         5.9             1.5
  
1997  March                 .7        8.2         6.4           1.8         7.5         5.9             1.6
      June                  .5        7.9         6.2           1.7         7.4         5.8             1.6
      September             .8        8.4         6.5           1.9         7.6         5.9             1.7
      December              .6        8.4         6.5           1.9         7.8         5.9             1.9
  
1998  March                 .7        8.5         6.4           2.1         7.8         5.9             1.9
      June                  .6        8.4         6.3           2.1         7.8         6.0             1.8
      September             .7        8.2         6.3           1.9         7.5         5.9             1.6
      December              .7        8.1         6.4           1.7         7.4         5.7             1.7
  
1999  March                 .3        8.2         6.3           1.9         7.9         6.1             1.8
      June                  .6        8.3         6.4           1.9         7.7         6.0             1.7
      September             .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                 .8        8.2         6.4           1.8         7.4         5.8             1.6
      June                  .4        7.9         6.3           1.6         7.5         5.9             1.6
      September             .1        7.9         6.2           1.7         7.8         6.1             1.7
      December              .3        7.9         6.2           1.7         7.6         6.0             1.6
  
2001  March                -.1        7.7         6.1           1.6         7.8         6.1             1.7
      June                 -.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             -.8        7.3         5.6           1.7         8.1         6.5             1.6
  
2002  March                 .1        7.6         5.9           1.7         7.5         5.9             1.6
      June                 -.1        7.5         5.8           1.7         7.6         6.0             1.6
      September            -.1        7.3         5.7           1.6         7.4         5.9             1.5
      December             -.2        7.1         5.6           1.5         7.3         5.8             1.5
  
2003  March                -.5        6.9         5.5           1.4         7.4         5.9             1.5
      June                 -.2        7.0         5.6           1.4         7.2         5.7             1.5
      September             .1        6.9         5.5           1.4         6.8         5.5             1.3
      December              .4        7.2         5.7           1.5         6.8         5.4             1.4
  
2004  March                 .4        7.2         5.8           1.4         6.8         5.5             1.3
      June                  .5        7.2         5.8           1.4         6.7         5.3             1.4
      September             .2        7.2         5.7           1.5         7.0         5.5             1.5
      December              .7        7.4         5.8           1.6         6.7         5.3             1.4
  
2005  March                 .3        6.9         5.6           1.3         6.6         5.3             1.3
      June                  .6        7.2         5.7           1.5         6.6         5.3             1.3
      September             .5        7.3         5.8           1.5         6.8         5.4             1.4
      December              .6        7.1         5.7           1.4         6.5         5.3             1.2
  
2006  March                 .7        6.7         5.5           1.2         6.0         4.9             1.1
      June                  .4        6.9         5.6           1.3         6.5         5.3             1.2
      September             .0        6.5         5.3           1.2         6.5         5.3             1.2

   1 The rates measure gross job gains and job losses as a percentage of the average of the 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          Gross job gains and job losses
                                               (in thousands)                      as a percent of employment

    Category                                 3 months ended                               3 months ended

                                   Sept.   Dec.    Mar.    June    Sept     Sept.  Dec.   Mar.   June   Sept
                                   2005    2005    2006    2006    2006     2005   2005   2006   2006   2006
Total private (1)

Gross job gains                    8,055   7,818   7,556   7,761   7,364    7.3    7.1    6.7    6.9    6.5
 At expanding establishments       6,423   6,293   6,205   6,286   5,985    5.8    5.7    5.5    5.6    5.3
 At opening establishments         1,632   1,525   1,351   1,475   1,379    1.5    1.4    1.2    1.3    1.2
Gross job losses                   7,427   7,267   6,772   7,295   7,345    6.8    6.5    6.0    6.5    6.5
 At contracting establishments     5,915   5,888   5,536   5,937   6,010    5.4    5.3    4.9    5.3    5.3
 At closing establishments         1,512   1,379   1,236   1,358   1,335    1.4    1.2    1.1    1.2    1.2
Net employment change                628     551     784     466      19    0.5     .6     .7     .4     .0

Goods-producing

Gross job gains                    1,698   1,722   1,713   1,673   1,537    7.4    7.4    7.2    7.1    6.5
 At expanding establishments       1,427   1,463   1,466   1,434   1,317    6.2    6.3    6.2    6.1    5.6
 At opening establishments           271     259     247     239     220    1.2    1.1    1.0    1.0     .9
Gross job losses                   1,663   1,606   1,545   1,644   1,706    7.2    6.8    6.5    6.9    7.2
 At contracting establishments     1,371   1,338   1,302   1,373   1,436    5.9    5.7    5.5    5.8    6.1
 At closing establishments           292     268     243     271     270    1.3    1.1    1.0    1.1    1.1
Net employment change                 35     116     168      29    -169     .2     .6     .7     .2    -.7

Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains                      265     279     279     286     261   15.5   16.1   15.7   16.2   14.7
 At expanding establishments         224     238     240     246     226   13.1   13.7   13.5   13.9   12.7
 At opening establishments            41      41      39      40      35    2.4    2.4    2.2    2.3    2.0
Gross job losses                     265     265     275     265     258   15.5   15.2   15.6   15.0   14.6
 At contracting establishments       224     226     235     228     218   13.1   13.0   13.3   12.9   12.3
 At closing establishments            41      39      40      37      40    2.4    2.2    2.3    2.1    2.3
Net employment change                  0      14       4      21       3     .0     .9     .1    1.2     .1

Construction

Gross job gains                      868     862     910     828      771  11.9   11.6   11.9   10.7   10.1
 At expanding establishments         699     699     747     678      631   9.6    9.4    9.8    8.8    8.3
 At opening establishments           169     163     163     150      140   2.3    2.2    2.1    1.9    1.8
Gross job losses                     782     774     742     830      848  10.7   10.5    9.7   10.8   11.1
 At contracting establishments       614     618     596     668      686   8.4    8.4    7.8    8.7    9.0
 At closing establishments           168     156     146     162      162   2.3    2.1    1.9    2.1    2.1
Net employment change                 86      88     168      -2      -77   1.2    1.1    2.2    -.1   -1.0

Manufacturing

Gross job gains                      565     581     524     559      505   4.0    4.1    3.7    3.9    3.6
 At expanding establishments         504     526     479     510      460   3.6    3.7    3.4    3.6    3.3
 At opening establishments            61      55      45      49       45    .4     .4      3     .3     .3
Gross job losses                     616     567     528     549      600   4.4    4.0    3.7    3.9    4.3
 At contracting establishments       533     494     471     477      532   3.8    3.5    3.3    3.4    3.8
 At closing establishments            83      73      57      72       68    .6     .5     .4     .5     .5
Net employment change                -51      14      -4      10      -95   -.4     .1     .0     .0    -.7

Service-providing (1)

Gross job gains                    6,357   6,096   5,843   6,088    5,827   7.3    6.9    6.6    6.9    6.5
 At expanding establishments       4,996   4,830   4,739   4,852    4,668   5.7    5.5    5.4    5.5    5.2
 At opening establishments         1,361   1,266   1,104   1,236    1,159   1.6    1.4    1.2    1.4    1.3
Gross job losses                   5,764   5,661   5,227   5,651    5,651   6.6    6.5    5.9    6.3    6.3
 At contracting establishments     4,544   4,550   4,234   4,564    4,574   5.2    5.2    4.8    5.1    5.1
 At closing establishments         1,220   1,111     993   1,087    1,065   1.4    1.3    1.1    1.2    1.2
Net employment change                593     435     616     437      188    .7     .4     .7     .6     .2

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains                      338     320     311     328      304   5.8    5.5    5.3    5.6    5.1
 At expanding establishments         272     263     262     270      251   4.7    4.5    4.5    4.6    4.2
 At opening establishments            66      57      49      58       53   1.1    1.0     .8    1.0     .9
Gross job losses                     311     302     288     288      302   5.4    5.2    4.9    4.9    5.1
 At contracting establishments       241     234     223     223      235   4.2    4.0    3.8    3.8    4.0
 At closing establishments            70      68      65      65       67   1.2    1.2    1.1    1.1    1.1
Net employment change                 27      18      23      40        2    .4     .3     .4     .7     .0

Retail trade

Gross job gains                    1,074   1,058   1,048   1,053    1,010   7.0    6.9    6.8    6.8    6.5
 At expanding establishments         895     884     905     870      841   5.8    5.8    5.9    5.6    5.4
 At opening establishments           179     174     143     183      169   1.2    1.1     .9    1.2    1.1
Gross job losses                   1,063   1,015     971   1,074    1,074   6.9    6.6    6.3    7.0    6.9
 At contracting establishments       888     865     828     926      906   5.8    5.6    5.4    6.0    5.9
 At closing establishments           175     150     143     148      157   1.1    1.0     .9    1.0    1.0
Net employment change                 11      43      77     -21      -53    .1     .3     .5    -.2    -.4

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains                      254     268     232     242      236   6.2    6.4    5.5    5.8    5.5
 At expanding establishments         218     226     201     205      205   5.3    5.4    4.8    4.9    4.8
 At opening establishments            36      42      31      37       31    .9    1.0     .7     .9     .7
Gross job losses                     236     231     228     227      221   5.8    5.5    5.4    5.4    5.2
 At contracting establishments       188     188     194     188      183   4.6    4.5    4.6    4.5    4.3
 At closing establishments            48      43      34      39       38   1.2    1.0     .8     .9     .9
Net employment change                 18      37       4      15       15    .4     .9     .1     .4     .3
 
Utilities

Gross job gains                       13      14      11      13       13   2.4    2.6    2.0    2.4    2.4
 At expanding establishments          11      13      10      12       12   2.0    2.4    1.8    2.2    2.2
 At opening establishments             2       1       1       1        1    .4     .2     .2     .2     .2
Gross job losses                      12      16      11      13       12   2.2    2.9    2.0    2.4    2.2
 At contracting establishments        11      11       9      11       10   2.0    2.0    1.6    2.0    1.8
 At closing establishments             1       5       2       2        2    .2     .9     .4     .4     .4
Net employment change                  1      -2       0       0        1    .2    -.3     .0     .0     .2

Information

Gross job gains                      170     152     139     146      148   5.5    4.9    4.6    4.8    4.9
 At expanding establishments         141     127     121     123      124   4.6    4.1    4.0    4.0    4.1
 At opening establishments            29      25      18      23       24    .9     .8     .6     .8     .8
Gross job losses                     154     156     142     140      167   5.0    5.1    4.6    4.6    5.5
 At contracting establishments       127     121     117     112      140   4.1    4.0    3.8    3.7    4.6
 At closing establishments            27      35      25      28       27    .9    1.1     .8     .9     .9
Net employment change                 16      -4      -3       6      -19    .5    -.2     .0     .2    -.6

Financial activities

Gross job gains                      480     472     408     447      436   6.0    5.8    5.0    5.5    5.3
 At expanding establishments         371     359     331     352      345   4.6    4.4    4.1    4.3    4.2
 At opening establishments           109     113      77      95       91   1.4    1.4     .9    1.2    1.1
Gross job losses                     413     434     404     432      435   5.2    5.4    5.0    5.3    5.3
 At contracting establishments       312     329     315     333      335   3.9    4.1    3.9    4.1    4.1
 At closing establishments           101     105      89      99      100   1.3    1.3    1.1    1.2    1.2
Net employment change                 67      38       4      15        1    .8     .4     .0     .2     .0

Professional and business services

Gross job gains                    1,523   1,432   1,279   1,428    1,305   9.0    8.4    7.4    8.2    7.5
 At expanding establishments       1,242   1,163   1,060   1,169    1,083   7.3    6.8    6.1    6.7    6.2
 At opening establishments           281     269     219     259      222   1.7    1.6    1.3    1.5    1.3
Gross job losses                   1,311   1,303   1,169   1,272    1,259   7.7    7.6    6.7    7.3    7.2
 At contracting establishments     1,006   1,041     945     992    1,014   5.9    6.1    5.4    5.7    5.8
 At closing establishments           305     262     224     280      245   1.8    1.5    1.3    1.6    1.4
Net employment change                212     129     110     156       46   1.3     .8     .7     .9     .3

Education and health services

Gross job gains                      811     766     771     776      772   4.9    4.6    4.6    4.6    4.5
 At expanding establishments         677     645     659     658      662   4.1    3.9    3.9    3.9    3.9
 At opening establishments           134     121     112     118      110    .8     .7     .7     .7     .6
Gross job losses                     691     699     645     713      670   4.2    4.2    3.9    4.2    4.0
 At contracting establishments       556     572     529     594      554   3.4    3.4    3.2    3.5    3.3
 At closing establishments           135     127     116     119      116    .8     .8     .7     .7     .7
Net employment change                120      67     126      63      102    .7     .4     .7     .4     .5

Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains                    1,202   1,175   1,194   1,200    1,154   9.4    9.2    9.3    9.2    8.8
 At expanding establishments         909     893     927     926      891   7.1    7.0    7.2    7.1    6.8
 At opening establishments           293     282     267     274      263   2.3    2.2    2.1    2.1    2.0
Gross job losses                   1,219   1,165   1,046   1,169    1,168   9.5    9.0    8.1    9.0    8.9
 At contracting establishments       961     941     842     949      945   7.5    7.3    6.5    7.3    7.2
 At closing establishments           258     224     204     220      223   2.0    1.7    1.6    1.7    1.7
Net employment change                -17      10     148      31      -14   -.1     .2    1.2     .2    -.1

Other services

Gross job gains                      297     289     293     307      285   7.8    7.6    7.7    8.0    7.4
 At expanding establishments         234     231     240     247      232   6.1    6.1    6.3    6.4    6.0
 At opening establishments            63      58      53      60       53   1.7    1.5    1.4    1.6    1.4
Gross job losses                     309     296     281     284      302   8.1    7.8    7.4    7.3    7.9
 At contracting establishments       238     231     217     221      238   6.2    6.1    5.7    5.7    6.2
 At closing establishments            71      65      64      63       64   1.9    1.7    1.7    1.6    1.7
Net employment change                -12      -7      12      23      -17   -.3    -.2     .3     .7    -.5

   1 Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.





Table 4.  Private sector percentage share (1) of gross job gains and gross job losses, seasonally adjusted

             Category:                                          Shares (percent)
                                                                 3 months ended
                                     Sept. 2005       Dec. 2005       Mar. 2006       June 2006      Sept. 2006
Total Private

Gross job gains                         100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0
       Expanding firms                  100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0
       Opening firms                    100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0
Gross job losses                        100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0
       Contracting firms                100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0
       Closing firms                    100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0           100.0

Size Class 1 - 4 employees

Gross job gains                          15.1            15.5            15.7            15.0            15.2
       Expanding firms                    6.9             7.2             7.4             7.1             7.3
       Opening firms                     56.3            60.0            59.4            57.5            59.1
Gross job losses                         15.6            15.6            17.0            16.0            15.8
       Contracting firms                  7.6             8.1             8.4             8.1             7.7
       Closing firms                     52.9            55.9            60.0            57.8            59.2

Size Class 5 - 9 employees

Gross job gains                          11.7            11.7            12.3            11.9            12.0
       Expanding firms                   10.7            10.9            11.5            11.0            11.2
       Opening firms                     16.9            16.2            16.9            16.6            16.5
Gross job losses                         12.3            12.6            13.0            12.6            12.3
       Contracting firms                 11.4            11.9            12.4            11.9            11.5
       Closing firms                     16.1            16.5            16.5            16.4            16.3

Size Class 10 - 19 employees

Gross job gains                          11.9            12.0            12.7            12.2            12.3
       Expanding firms                   11.9            12.2            13.0            12.4            12.5
       Opening firms                     11.7            10.7            11.0            11.2            10.8
Gross job losses                         12.4            12.8            13.0            12.7            12.4
Contracting firms                        12.6            13.0            13.4            13.0            12.7
       Closing firms                     11.3            11.3            10.8            10.9            10.5

Size Class 20 - 49 employees

Gross job gains                          13.9            13.9            14.9            14.6            14.6
       Expanding firms                   14.9            15.1            16.3            15.7            15.6
       Opening firms                      8.9             7.9             7.7             8.5             8.2
Gross job losses                         14.5            14.7            14.4            14.4            14.5
       Contracting firms                 15.7            15.9            15.8            15.6            15.8
       Closing firms                      9.1             8.4             7.7             8.4             7.9

Size Class 50 - 99 employees

Gross job gains                           8.7             8.7             9.3             9.1             9.1
       Expanding firms                    9.7             9.7            10.6            10.3            10.3
       Opening firms                      3.3             3.0             2.5             3.1             3.0
Gross job losses                          9.0             9.1             8.7             8.9             8.9
       Contracting firms                 10.1            10.2             9.9             9.9            10.0
       Closing firms                      3.7             3.1             2.8             3.2             3.0

Size Class 100 - 249 employees

Gross job gains                           9.3             9.1             9.7             9.8             9.5
       Expanding firms                   10.7            10.5            11.2            11.3            10.9
       Opening firms                      2.0             1.5             1.3             1.5             1.5
Gross job losses                          9.6             9.6             8.8             9.1             9.3
       Contracting firms                 11.1            10.9            10.2            10.5            10.7
       Closing firms                      2.5             2.2             1.5             2.2             1.8
           
Size Class 250 - 499 employees

Gross job gains                           5.8             5.5             5.7             5.9             5.9
       Expanding firms                    6.8             6.4             6.7             6.9             6.9
       Opening firms                       .6              .4              .4              .4              .4
Gross job losses                          5.6             5.7             5.1             5.3             5.5
       Contracting firms                  6.5             6.6             6.0             6.2             6.4
       Closing firms                      1.0              .9              .4              .7              .6
Size Class 500 - 999 employees

Gross job gains                           4.8             4.5             4.5             4.8             4.7
       Expanding firms                    5.7             5.3             5.3             5.7             5.5
       Opening firms                       .3              .2              .3              .2              .4
Gross job losses                          4.4             4.7             3.9             4.4             4.5
       Contracting firms                  5.2             5.5             4.6             5.1             5.3
       Closing firms                       .8              .7              .2              .3              .2

Size Class 1,000 or more employees

Gross job gains                          19.0            19.1            15.2            16.7             16.8
       Expanding firms                   22.7            22.7            18.0            19.6             19.8
       Opening firms                       .0              .1              .5             1.0               .1
Gross job losses                         16.7            15.2            16.1            16.6             16.8
       Contracting firms                 19.7            17.9            19.3            19.7             19.9
       Closing firms                      2.5             1.0              .1              .1               .5

   1 Share measures the percent of the category represented by each firm size class