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Economic News Release
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Quarterly Data Series on Business Employment Dynamics News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET), Wednesday, July 28, 2021                                   	USDL-21-1387

Technical Information:	(202) 691-6553  *  BDMInfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/bdm
Media Contact:	        (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov

BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS – FOURTH QUARTER 2020

From September 2020 to December 2020, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector
establishments were 8.8 million, a decrease of 2.0 million jobs from the previous quarter, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over this period, gross job losses from closing and contracting
private-sector establishments were 6.7 million, a decrease of 188,000 jobs from the previous quarter.
The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net
employment gain of 2.0 million jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2020. (See tables A
and 1.)

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
|                                                                                                         |
|          Coronavirus (COVID-19) Effect on Fourth Quarter 2020 Business Employment Dynamics              |
|                                                                                                         |
|   Data collection and processing methods have been impacted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. More      |
|   detail can be found at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-business-employment        |
|   -dynamics.htm                                                                                         |
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment
that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track
these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the
third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross
job losses is the net change in employment. (See Technical Note.) The BED data series include gross job
gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,
and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size
class.

Gross Job Gains

In the fourth quarter of 2020, gross job gains represented 7.4 percent of private-sector employment. Gross
job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the
addition of new jobs at opening establishments. Gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 7.1
million in the fourth quarter of 2020, a decrease of 1.7 million jobs compared to the previous quarter.
Opening establishments accounted for 1.7 million of the jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2020, a
decrease of 348,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See tables A, 1, 2, and 3.)

Gross Job Losses

In the fourth quarter of 2020, gross job losses represented 5.7 percent of private-sector employment.
Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of
jobs at closing establishments. Contracting establishments lost 5.4 million jobs in the fourth quarter of
2020, a decrease of 108,000 jobs from the prior quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2020, closing
establishments lost 1.3 million jobs, a decrease of 80,000 jobs from the previous quarter. (See
tables A, 1, 2, and 3.)

Establishment Births and Deaths

In the fourth quarter of 2020, the number of establishment births (a subset of the openings data)
increased by 8,000, to a total of 284,000 establishments. These new establishments accounted for
912,000 jobs, an increase of 92,000 jobs from the previous quarter. Data for establishment deaths (a
subset of the closings data) are available through the first quarter of 2020, when 763,000 jobs were
lost at 275,000 establishments, a decrease of 27,000 jobs from the fourth quarter of 2019. (See Technical
Note and table 8.)


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

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          |                  3 months ended                 
                 Category                 |    Dec. |    Mar. |    June |    Sept.|    Dec.
                                          |    2019 |    2020 |    2020 |    2020 |    2020
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          |              Levels (in thousands)              
                                          |--------------------------------------------------
 Gross job gains......................... |   7,864 |   6,963 |   5,749 |  10,804 |   8,756
        At expanding establishments...... |   6,364 |   5,675 |   4,469 |   8,776 |   7,076
        At opening establishments........ |   1,500 |   1,288 |   1,280 |   2,028 |   1,680
                                          |         |         |         |         |        
 Gross job losses........................ |   7,051 |   7,736 |  20,366 |   6,901 |   6,713
        At contracting establishments.... |   5,725 |   6,288 |  17,470 |   5,473 |   5,365
        At closing establishments........ |   1,326 |   1,448 |   2,896 |   1,428 |   1,348
                                          |         |         |         |         |        
 Net employment change (1)............... |     813 |    -773 | -14,617 |   3,903 |   2,043
                                          |         |         |         |         |        
                                          |--------------------------------------------------
                                          |                 Rates (percent)                 
                                          |--------------------------------------------------
 Gross job gains......................... |     6.2 |     5.5 |     4.8 |     9.4 |     7.4
        At expanding establishments...... |     5.0 |     4.5 |     3.7 |     7.6 |     6.0
        At opening establishments........ |     1.2 |     1.0 |     1.1 |     1.8 |     1.4
                                          |         |         |         |         |        
 Gross job losses........................ |     5.5 |     6.1 |    17.0 |     6.0 |     5.7
        At contracting establishments.... |     4.5 |     5.0 |    14.6 |     4.8 |     4.6
        At closing establishments........ |     1.0 |     1.1 |     2.4 |     1.2 |     1.1
                                          |         |         |         |         |        
 Net employment change (1)............... |     0.7 |    -0.6 |   -12.2 |     3.4 |     1.7
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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.


Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in all 13 industries in the fourth quarter of 2020. The service-
providing industries experienced a net job increase of 1.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. Within
the service-providing industries, the professional and business services sector had the largest
over-the-quarter net employment gain, adding 652,000 jobs. This was the result of 1.8 million gross job
gains and 1.2 million gross job losses. The leisure and hospitality sector experienced 1.4 million gross job
gains and 1.3 million gross job losses in the fourth quarter of 2020. The goods-producing industries had a
net job increase of 292,000 in the fourth quarter of 2020. Of the goods-producing industries, the construction
sector showed a net increase of 146,000 jobs, the manufacturing sector had a net increase of 145,000 jobs, and
the natural resources and mining sector added 1,000 jobs. (See table 3.)

Firm Size

In the fourth quarter of 2020, firms with 1-49 employees had a net employment increase of 476,000. Firms with
50-249 employees had a net employment gain of 355,000. Firms with 250 or more employees had a net employment
increase of 1.0 million. (See tables 4 and 5.)

States

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 47 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the fourth
quarter of 2020. (See tables 6 and 7.)

For More Information

Additional information on gross job gains and gross job losses is available online at www.bls.gov/bdm. 
This information includes data on the levels and rates of gross job gains and gross job losses by firm 
size, not seasonally adjusted data and other seasonally adjusted time series not presented in this release, 
charts of gross job gains and gross job losses by industry and firm size, and answers to frequently asked  
questions. Additional information about the Business Employment Dynamics data can be found 
in the Technical Note of this release or can be obtained by emailing BDMinfo@bls.gov.

_____________
The Business Employment Dynamics for First Quarter 2021 are scheduled to be released on 
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

Special technical note:  The following technical note details procedures regularly adhered
to for tabulating the quarterly Business Employment Dynamics series on private-sector
gross job gains and gross job losses. Data collection and processing methods have been
impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. More detail can be found at
www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-business-employment-dynamics.htm


The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative 
program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are 
compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records. Most 
employers in the U.S. are required to file quarterly reports on the employment and wages of 
workers covered by unemployment insurance (UI) laws and to pay quarterly UI taxes. The QCEW 
is based largely on quarterly UI reports which are sent by businesses to the State Workforce 
Agencies (SWAs). These UI reports are supplemented by two additional BLS data collections to 
render administrative data into economic statistics. Together these data comprise the QCEW and 
form the basis of the Bureau’s establishment universe sampling frame.

These reports are used to produce the quarterly QCEW data on total employment and wages and 
the longitudinal BED data on gross job gains and losses. The QCEW is also the employment 
benchmark for the Current Employment Statistics (CES), Occupational Employment Statistics 
(OES), and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) programs and is a major input to 
the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Personal Income Accounts.

In the BED program, the quarterly QCEW records are linked across quarters to provide a 
longitudinal history for each establishment. The linkage process allows the tracking of net 
employment changes at the establishment level, which in turn allows the estimation of jobs gained 
at opening and expanding units and jobs lost at closing and contracting units.

Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures

The Bureau publishes three different establishment-based employment measures for any given 
quarter. Each of these measures—Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business 
Employment Dynamics, and Current Employment Statistics—makes use of the 
quarterly UI employment reports in producing data; however, each measure has a somewhat 
different universe coverage, estimation procedure, and publication product.

Differences in coverage and estimation methods can result in somewhat different measures of 
employment change over time. It is important to understand program differences and the intended 
uses of the program products. (See table.) Additional information on each program can be obtained 
from the program websites shown in the table.

Coverage

Employment and wage data for workers covered by state UI and Unemployment Compensation for 
Federal Employees (UCFE) laws are compiled from quarterly contribution reports submitted to the 
SWAs by employers. In addition to the quarterly contribution reports, employers who operate 
multiple establishments within a state complete a questionnaire, called the “Multiple Worksite 
Report,” which provides detailed information on the location of their establishments. These reports 
are based on place of employment rather than place of residence. UI and UCFE coverage is broad 
and basically comparable from state to state. 

Major exclusions from UI coverage are self-employed workers, religious organizations, most 
agricultural workers on small farms, all members of the Armed Forces, elected officials in most 
states, most employees of railroads, some domestic workers, most student workers at schools, and 
employees of certain small nonprofit organizations.

Gross job gains and gross job losses in this release are derived from longitudinal histories of 8.3
million private-sector employer reports out of 10.4 million total reports of employment and wages 
submitted by states to BLS in the first quarter of 2020. Gross job gains and gross job losses data in 
this release do not report estimates for government employees or private households (NAICS 
814110) and do not include establishments with zero employment in both previous and current 
quarters. Data from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are also excluded from the national data. 
The table below shows, in millions of establishments, the number of establishments excluded from 
the national gross job gains and gross job losses data in the first quarter 2020.


                         Number of active establishments included in                       
                   Business Employment Dynamics data at the national level                 
                                                                                      Millions
 Total establishments QCEW program....................................................10.4

   Excluded: Public sector............................................................ 0.3
           Private households......................................................... 0.2
           Zero employment............................................................ 1.6

 Total establishments included in Business
 Employment Dynamics data............................................................. 8.3


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- |  697,000 establish-
           |  submitted by 10.4  |  ministrative records|  ments
           |  million establish- |  submitted by 8.3    |
           |  ments in first qu- |  million private-sec-|
           |  arter of 2020      |  tor establishments  |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Coverage   |--UI and UCFE cover- |--UI coverage, exclud-|Nonfarm wage and salary
           |  age, including all |  ing government, pri-|  jobs:
           |  employers subject  |  vate households, and|--UI coverage, exclud-
           |  to state and feder-|  establishments with |  ing agriculture, pri-
           |  ral UI Laws        |  zero employment     |  vate households, and
           |                     |                      |  self-employed workers
           |                     |                      |--Other employment, 
           |                     |                      |  including railroads,
           |                     |                      |  religious organiza-
           |                     |                      |  tions, and other non-
           |                     |                      |  UI-covered jobs
           |                     |                      |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Publication|--Quarterly          |--Quarterly           |--Monthly 
frequency  |  -6 months after the|  -7 months after the |  -Usually the 3rd Fri-
           |   end of each quar- |   end of each quarter|   day after the end of
           |   ter               |                      |   the week including 
           |                     |                      |   the 12th of the month
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
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 to ann-
           |  new quarter of UI  |  dinal database and  |  ually realign sample-
           |  data               |  directly summarizes |  based estimates to pop-
           |                     |  gross job gains and |  ulation counts (bench-
           |                     |  losses              |  marking)
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
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, met-|  and contractions at |  industry
           |  ropolitan statisti-|  the national level  |
           |  cal area (MSA), st-|  by NAICS super-     |
           |  ate, and national  |  sectors, 3-digit    |
           |  levels by detailed |  NAICS, and by size  |
           |  industry           |  of firm, and at the |
           |                     |  state private-sector|
           |                     |  total level         |
           |                     |--Future expansions   |
           |                     |  will include        |
           |                     |  data with greater   |
           |                     |  industry detail and |
           |                     |  data at the county  |
           |                     |  and MSA level       |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Principal  |--Major uses include:|--Major uses include: |--Major uses include:
uses       |  -Detailed locality |  -Business cycle     |  -Principal federal
           |   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 |  -Analysis of employ-|   cators
           |   surveys           |   ment expansion and |
           |                     |   contraction by size|
           |                     |   of firm            |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
Program    |--www.bls.gov/cew    |--www.bls.gov/bdm     |--www.bls.gov/ces 
web sites  |                     |                      |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Unit of analysis

Establishments are used in the tabulation of the BED statistics by industry and firms are used in the 
tabulation of the BED size class statistics. An establishment is defined as an economic unit that 
produces goods or services, usually at a single physical location, and engages in one or 
predominantly one activity. A firm is a legal business, either corporate or otherwise, and may 
consist of several establishments. Firm-level data are compiled based on an aggregation of 
establishments under common ownership by a corporate parent using employer tax identification 
numbers. The firm level aggregation which is consistent with the role of corporations as the 
economic decision makers are used for the measurement of the BED data elements by size class.

Because of the difference in the unit of analysis, total gross job gains and gross job losses by size 
class are lower than total gross job gains and gross job losses by industry, as some establishment 
gains and losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process. However, the total net 
changes in employment are the same for not seasonally adjusted data and are similar for seasonally 
adjusted data.

Concepts and methodology

The Business Employment Dynamics data measure the net change in employment at the 
establishment or firm level. These changes come about in one of four ways. A net increase in 
employment can come from either opening units or expanding units. A net decrease in 
employment can come from either closing units or contracting units. Gross job gains include the 
sum of all jobs added at either opening or expanding units. Gross job losses include the sum of all 
jobs lost in either closing or contracting units. The net change in employment is the difference 
between gross job gains and gross job losses.

The formal definitions of employment changes are as follows:

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

Expansions. These are units with positive employment in the third month in both the previous and 
current quarters, with a net increase in employment over this period.

Closings. These are either units with positive third month employment in the previous quarter, with 
no employment or zero employment reported in the current quarter.

Contractions. These are units with positive employment in the third month in both the previous and 
current quarters, with a net decrease in employment over this period.

Births. These are units with positive third month employment for the first time in the current 
quarter with no links to the prior quarter, or units with positive third month employment in the 
current quarter and zero employment in the third month of the previous four quarters. Births are a 
subset of openings not including re-openings of seasonal businesses.

Deaths. These are units with no employment or zero employment reported in the third month of 
four consecutive quarters following the last quarter with positive employment. Deaths are a subset 
of closings not including temporary shutdowns of seasonal businesses. A unit that closes during the 
quarter may be a death, but we wait three quarters to determine whether it is a permanent closing 
or a temporary shutdown. Therefore, there is always a lag of three quarters for the publication of 
death statistics.

All employment changes are measured from the third month of the previous quarter to the third 
month of the current quarter. Not all establishments and firms change their employment levels. 
Units with no change in employment count towards estimates of total employment, but not for 
levels of gross job gains and gross job losses.

Gross job gains and gross job losses are expressed as rates by dividing their levels by the average 
of employment in the current and previous quarters. This provides a symmetric growth rate. The 
rates are calculated for the components of gross job gains and gross job losses and then summed to 
form their respective totals. These rates can be added and subtracted just as their levels can. For 
instance, the difference between the gross job gains rate and the gross job losses rate is the net 
growth rate.

Establishment Births and Deaths

For the purpose of BED statistics, births are defined as establishments that appear in the 
longitudinal database for the first time with positive employment in the third month of a quarter, or 
showed four consecutive quarters of zero employment in the third month followed by a quarter in 
which it shows positive employment in the third month. Similarly, deaths are defined as 
establishments that either drop out of the longitudinal database or an establishment that had 
positive employment in the third month of a given quarter followed by four consecutive quarters of 
showing zero employment in the third month. Although the data for establishment births and 
deaths are tabulated independently from the data for openings and closings, the concepts are not 
mutually exclusive. An establishment that is defined as a birth in a given quarter is necessarily an 
opening as well, and an establishment defined as a death in a quarter must also be a closing. Since 
openings include seasonal and other re-openings and closings include temporary shutdowns, the 
not seasonally adjusted values for births and deaths must be less than those for openings and 
closings. However, because some BED series do not have many re-openings or temporary 
shutdowns, as well as the fact that births and deaths are independently seasonally adjusted from 
openings and closings, there may be instances in which the seasonally adjusted value of the former 
is greater than the latter.

Linkage methodology

Prior to the measurement of gross job gains and gross job losses, QCEW records are linked across 
two quarters. The linkage process matches establishments' unique SWA identification numbers 
(SWA-ID). Between 95 and 97 percent of establishments identified as continuous from quarter to 
quarter are matched by SWA-ID. The rest are linked in one of three ways. The first method uses 
predecessor and successor information, identified by the states, which relates records with different 
SWA-IDs across quarters. Predecessor and successor relations can come about for a variety of 
reasons, including a change in ownership, a firm restructuring, or a UI account restructuring. If a 
match cannot be attained in this manner, a probability-based match is used. This match attempts to 
identify two establishments with different SWA-IDs as continuous. The match is based upon 
comparisons such as the same name, address, and phone number. Third, an analyst examines 
unmatched records individually and makes a possible match.

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, SWAs verify with employers and update, if 
necessary, the industry, location, and ownership classification of all establishments on a 3-year 
cycle. Changes in establishment classification codes resulting from the verification process are 
introduced with the data reported for the first quarter of the year. Changes resulting from improved 
employer reporting also are introduced in the first quarter.

Sizing methodology

The method of dynamic sizing is used in calculations for the BED size class data series. Dynamic 
sizing allocates each firm’s employment gain or loss during a quarter to each respective size class 
in which the change occurred. For example, if a firm grew from 2 employees in quarter 1 to 38 
employees in quarter 2, then, of the 36-employee increase, 2 would be allocated to the first size 
class, 5 to the size class 5 to 9, 10 to size class 10 to 19, and 19 to size class 20 to 49.

Dynamic sizing provides symmetrical firm-size estimates and eliminates any systematic effects 
which may be caused by the transitory and reverting changes in firms’ sizes over time. 
Additionally, it allocates each job gain or loss to the actual size class where it occurred.

Annual Data

The annual gross job gains and gross job losses measure the net change in employment at the 
establishment level from the third month of a quarter in the previous year to the third month of the 
same quarter in the current year. The BLS publishes annual BED data based on March-to-March 
changes once a year with the release of the first quarter BED data. The annual data based on over-
the-year changes for other quarters of the year are available upon request. The definitions and 
methodology in measuring annual gross job gains and gross job losses are similar to the quarterly 
measures. The linkage method considers all predecessor and successor relations that may come 
about due to changes in ownership and corporate restructuring over the entire year. At the 
establishment level, some of the quarterly job gains and job losses are offset during the estimation 
over the year. Therefore, the sum of four quarters of gross job gains and gross job losses are not 
equal to annual gross job gains and gross job losses. The net change in employment over the year, 
however, is equal to the sum of four quarterly net changes on a not seasonally adjusted basis.

Seasonal adjustment

Over the course of a year, the levels of employment and the associated job flows undergo sharp 
fluctuations due to such seasonal events as changes in the weather, reduced or expanded 
production, harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The effect of such 
seasonal variation can be very large.

Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year, their influence can 
be eliminated by adjusting these statistics from quarter to quarter. These adjustments make 
nonseasonal developments, such as declines in economic activity, easier to recognize. For 
example, the large number of youths taking summer jobs is likely to obscure other changes that 
have taken place in June relative to March, making it difficult to determine if the level of economic 
activity has risen or declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in previous 
years is known, the statistics for the current year can be adjusted to allow for a comparable change. 
The adjusted figures provide a more useful tool with which to analyze changes in economic 
activity.

The employment data series for opening, expanding, closing, and contracting units are 
independently seasonally adjusted; net changes are calculated based on the difference between 
gross job gains and gross job losses. Similarly, for industry data, the establishment counts data 
series for opening, expanding, closing, and contracting establishments are independently adjusted, 
and the net changes are calculated based on the difference between the number of opening and 
closing establishments. Additionally establishment and employment levels are independently 
seasonally adjusted to calculate the seasonally adjusted rates. Concurrent seasonal adjustment is 
run using X-13 ARIMA-SEATS. Seasonally adjusted data series for total private are the sum of 
seasonally adjusted data of all sectors including the unclassified sector, which is not separately 
published.

The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing the BED component series will differ from 
the net employment change estimated from the seasonally adjusted total private employment series 
from the CES program. The intended use of BED statistics is to show the dynamic labor market 
changes that underlie the net employment change statistic. As such, data users interested 
particularly in the net employment change and not in the gross job flows underlying this change 
should refer to CES data for over-the-quarter net employment changes.

Reliability of the data

Since the data series on Business Employment Dynamics are based on administrative rather than 
sample data, there are no issues related to sampling error. Nonsampling error, however, still exists. 
Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, such as the employer submitting corrected 
employment data after the end of the quarter or typographical errors made by businesses when 
providing information. Such errors, however, are likely to be distributed randomly throughout the 
dataset.

Changes in administrative data sometimes create complications for the linkage process. This can 
result in overstating openings and closings while understating expansions and contractions. The 
BLS continues to refine methods for improving the linkage process to alleviate the effects of these 
complications.

The BED data series are subject to periodic minor changes based on corrections in QCEW records, 
updates on predecessors and successors information, and seasonal adjustment revisions.

Annual revisions are published each year with the release of the first quarter data. These revisions 
cover the last four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and 5 years of seasonally adjusted data.

Additional statistics and other information

Several other programs within BLS produce closely related information. The QCEW program 
provides both quarterly and annual estimates of employment by state, county, and detailed 
industry. News releases on quarterly county employment and wages and the annual bulletin also 
are available upon request from the Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover 
(Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), telephone (202) 691-6567; (www.bls.gov/cew/); 
(e-mail: QCEWInfo@bls.gov).

The Current Employment Statistics program produces monthly estimates of employment, its 
net change, hours, and earnings by detailed industry. These estimates are part of the Employment 
Situation report put out monthly by BLS.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey program provides monthly measures of 
job openings, as well as employee hires and separations.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. 
Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: (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

2010  March                 -247        6,325         5,108        1,217         6,572          5,324       1,248
      June                   698        6,995         5,674        1,321         6,297          5,090       1,207
      September              237        6,741         5,438        1,303         6,504          5,231       1,273
      December               566        7,052         5,639        1,413         6,486          5,219       1,267
 
2011  March                  334        6,540         5,322        1,218         6,206          5,025       1,181
      June                   582        6,966         5,625        1,341         6,384          5,115       1,269
      September              841        7,205         5,810        1,395         6,364          5,172       1,192
      December               335        6,865         5,503        1,362         6,530          5,273       1,257
 
2012  March                  948        7,080         5,746        1,334         6,132          5,005       1,127
      June                   616        7,051         5,724        1,327         6,435          5,266       1,169
      September              252        6,881         5,571        1,310         6,629          5,430       1,199
      December               695        7,110         5,753        1,357         6,415          5,225       1,190
 
2013  March                  558        6,941         5,705        1,236         6,383          5,201       1,182
      June                   674        7,152         5,830        1,322         6,478          5,271       1,207
      September              507        7,058         5,719        1,339         6,551          5,408       1,143
      December               700        7,255         5,926        1,329         6,555          5,353       1,202
 
2014  March                  419        6,953         5,687        1,266         6,534          5,380       1,154
      June                   895        7,454         6,114        1,340         6,559          5,342       1,217
      September              577        7,247         5,918        1,329         6,670          5,487       1,183
      December             1,038        7,617         6,248        1,369         6,579          5,346       1,233
 
2015  March                  216        7,046         5,733        1,313         6,830          5,626       1,204
      June                   849        7,580         6,235        1,345         6,731          5,540       1,191
      September              475        7,344         5,983        1,361         6,869          5,657       1,212
      December               944        7,817         6,360        1,457         6,873          5,607       1,266
 
2016  March                  243        7,149         5,864        1,285         6,906          5,702       1,204
      June                   310        7,446         6,074        1,372         7,136          5,829       1,307
      September              750        7,717         6,253        1,464         6,967          5,722       1,245
      December               329        7,423         6,012        1,411         7,094          5,795       1,299
 
2017  March                  654        7,428         6,091        1,337         6,774          5,591       1,183
      June                   480        7,621         6,252        1,369         7,141          5,873       1,268
      September              -55        7,324         5,970        1,354         7,379          6,080       1,299
      December               933        7,801         6,366        1,435         6,868          5,571       1,297
 
2018  March                  717        7,494         6,141        1,353         6,777          5,587       1,190
      June                   407        7,652         6,254        1,398         7,245          5,960       1,285
      September               79        7,506         6,126        1,380         7,427          6,104       1,323
      December               790        7,756         6,309        1,447         6,966          5,634       1,332
 
2019  March                  533        7,460         6,102        1,358         6,927          5,682       1,245
      June                   171        7,637         6,253        1,384         7,466          6,105       1,361
      September               53        7,404         6,022        1,382         7,351          6,077       1,274
      December               813        7,864         6,364        1,500         7,051          5,725       1,326
 
2020  March                 -773        6,963         5,675        1,288         7,736          6,288       1,448
      June               -14,617        5,749         4,469        1,280        20,366         17,470       2,896
      September            3,903       10,804         8,776        2,028         6,901          5,473       1,428
      December             2,043        8,756         7,076        1,680         6,713          5,365       1,348
 
 
(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

Total private

(Percent)

                                                     Gross job gains                          Gross job losses
Year  3 months ended  Net change(2)     Total     Expanding      Opening         Total     Contracting    Closing
                                               establishments establishments            establishments establishments

2010  March                 -0.2          6.0           4.8          1.2           6.2            5.0         1.2
      June                   0.7          6.6           5.4          1.2           5.9            4.8         1.1
      September              0.2          6.3           5.1          1.2           6.1            4.9         1.2
      December               0.5          6.6           5.3          1.3           6.1            4.9         1.2
 
2011  March                  0.3          6.1           5.0          1.1           5.8            4.7         1.1
      June                   0.5          6.4           5.2          1.2           5.9            4.7         1.2
      September              0.8          6.7           5.4          1.3           5.9            4.8         1.1
      December               0.4          6.4           5.1          1.3           6.0            4.8         1.2
 
2012  March                  0.8          6.4           5.2          1.2           5.6            4.6         1.0
      June                   0.5          6.4           5.2          1.2           5.9            4.8         1.1
      September              0.2          6.2           5.0          1.2           6.0            4.9         1.1
      December               0.6          6.4           5.2          1.2           5.8            4.7         1.1
 
2013  March                  0.5          6.2           5.1          1.1           5.7            4.6         1.1
      June                   0.6          6.4           5.2          1.2           5.8            4.7         1.1
      September              0.5          6.3           5.1          1.2           5.8            4.8         1.0
      December               0.6          6.4           5.2          1.2           5.8            4.7         1.1
 
2014  March                  0.4          6.1           5.0          1.1           5.7            4.7         1.0
      June                   0.8          6.5           5.3          1.2           5.7            4.6         1.1
      September              0.5          6.2           5.1          1.1           5.7            4.7         1.0
      December               0.9          6.6           5.4          1.2           5.7            4.6         1.1
 
2015  March                  0.2          6.0           4.9          1.1           5.8            4.8         1.0
      June                   0.7          6.4           5.3          1.1           5.7            4.7         1.0
      September              0.5          6.3           5.1          1.2           5.8            4.8         1.0
      December               0.7          6.5           5.3          1.2           5.8            4.7         1.1
 
2016  March                  0.2          6.0           4.9          1.1           5.8            4.8         1.0
      June                   0.2          6.2           5.1          1.1           6.0            4.9         1.1
      September              0.6          6.4           5.2          1.2           5.8            4.8         1.0
      December               0.3          6.2           5.0          1.2           5.9            4.8         1.1
 
2017  March                  0.5          6.1           5.0          1.1           5.6            4.6         1.0
      June                   0.4          6.2           5.1          1.1           5.8            4.8         1.0
      September             -0.1          6.0           4.9          1.1           6.1            5.0         1.1
      December               0.8          6.4           5.2          1.2           5.6            4.5         1.1
 
2018  March                  0.6          6.1           5.0          1.1           5.5            4.5         1.0
      June                   0.3          6.1           5.0          1.1           5.8            4.8         1.0
      September              0.0          6.0           4.9          1.1           6.0            4.9         1.1
      December               0.7          6.3           5.1          1.2           5.6            4.5         1.1
 
2019  March                  0.5          6.0           4.9          1.1           5.5            4.5         1.0
      June                   0.2          6.1           5.0          1.1           5.9            4.8         1.1
      September              0.1          5.9           4.8          1.1           5.8            4.8         1.0
      December               0.7          6.2           5.0          1.2           5.5            4.5         1.0
 
2020  March                 -0.6          5.5           4.5          1.0           6.1            5.0         1.1
      June                 -12.2          4.8           3.7          1.1          17.0           14.6         2.4
      September              3.4          9.4           7.6          1.8           6.0            4.8         1.2
      December               1.7          7.4           6.0          1.4           5.7            4.6         1.1
 
 
(1) The rates measure gross job gains and job losses as a percentage of the average of the previous and current quarter
    employment levels.

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

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

                                   Dec.     Mar.     June     Sept.    Dec.    Dec.    Mar.    June    Sept.   Dec.
                                   2019     2020     2020     2020     2020    2019    2020    2020    2020    2020
Total private(1)

Gross job gains                   7,864    6,963    5,749   10,804    8,756     6.2     5.5     4.8     9.4     7.4
 At expanding establishments      6,364    5,675    4,469    8,776    7,076     5.0     4.5     3.7     7.6     6.0
 At opening establishments        1,500    1,288    1,280    2,028    1,680     1.2     1.0     1.1     1.8     1.4
Gross job losses                  7,051    7,736   20,366    6,901    6,713     5.5     6.1    17.0     6.0     5.7
 At contracting establishments    5,725    6,288   17,470    5,473    5,365     4.5     5.0    14.6     4.8     4.6
 At closing establishments        1,326    1,448    2,896    1,428    1,348     1.0     1.1     2.4     1.2     1.1
Net employment change               813     -773  -14,617    3,903    2,043     0.7    -0.6   -12.2     3.4     1.7
 
Goods-producing

Gross job gains                   1,319    1,286    1,036    1,476    1,451     5.9     5.7     4.9     7.1     6.9
 At expanding establishments      1,114    1,098      852    1,238    1,240     5.0     4.9     4.0     6.0     5.9
 At opening establishments          205      188      184      238      211     0.9     0.8     0.9     1.1     1.0
Gross job losses                  1,329    1,295    2,576    1,376    1,159     6.0     5.8    11.9     6.6     5.5
 At contracting establishments    1,126    1,098    2,288    1,172      975     5.1     4.9    10.6     5.6     4.6
 At closing establishments          203      197      288      204      184     0.9     0.9     1.3     1.0     0.9
Net employment change               -10       -9   -1,540      100      292    -0.1    -0.1    -7.0     0.5     1.4
 
Natural resources and mining

Gross job gains                     234      239      221      220      228    12.2    12.4    12.1    12.8    13.1
 At expanding establishments        201      208      193      184      198    10.5    10.8    10.6    10.7    11.4
 At opening establishments           33       31       28       36       30     1.7     1.6     1.5     2.1     1.7
Gross job losses                    273      251      372      237      227    14.2    13.1    20.5    13.8    13.1
 At contracting establishments      242      220      332      207      201    12.6    11.5    18.3    12.1    11.6
 At closing establishments           31       31       40       30       26     1.6     1.6     2.2     1.7     1.5
Net employment change               -39      -12     -151      -17        1    -2.0    -0.7    -8.4    -1.0     0.0
 
Construction

Gross job gains                     676      683      543      678      705     9.1     9.0     7.4     9.6     9.8
 At expanding establishments        545      560      425      529      571     7.3     7.4     5.8     7.5     7.9
 At opening establishments          131      123      118      149      134     1.8     1.6     1.6     2.1     1.9
Gross job losses                    649      626    1,044      663      559     8.7     8.3    14.2     9.4     7.8
 At contracting establishments      523      506      875      539      445     7.0     6.7    11.9     7.6     6.2
 At closing establishments          126      120      169      124      114     1.7     1.6     2.3     1.8     1.6
Net employment change                27       57     -501       15      146     0.4     0.7    -6.8     0.2     2.0
 
Manufacturing

Gross job gains                     409      364      272      578      518     3.2     2.9     2.2     4.8     4.3
 At expanding establishments        368      330      234      525      471     2.9     2.6     1.9     4.4     3.9
 At opening establishments           41       34       38       53       47     0.3     0.3     0.3     0.4     0.4
Gross job losses                    407      418    1,160      476      373     3.2     3.3     9.4     4.0     3.1
 At contracting establishments      361      372    1,081      426      329     2.8     2.9     8.8     3.6     2.7
 At closing establishments           46       46       79       50       44     0.4     0.4     0.6     0.4     0.4
Net employment change                 2      -54     -888      102      145     0.0    -0.4    -7.2     0.8     1.2
 
Service-providing(1)

Gross job gains                   6,545    5,677    4,713    9,328    7,305     6.2     5.5     4.8     9.9     7.5
 At expanding establishments      5,250    4,577    3,617    7,538    5,836     5.0     4.4     3.7     8.0     6.0
 At opening establishments        1,295    1,100    1,096    1,790    1,469     1.2     1.1     1.1     1.9     1.5
Gross job losses                  5,722    6,441   17,790    5,525    5,554     5.5     6.2    18.0     5.9     5.7
 At contracting establishments    4,599    5,190   15,182    4,301    4,390     4.4     5.0    15.4     4.6     4.5
 At closing establishments        1,123    1,251    2,608    1,224    1,164     1.1     1.2     2.6     1.3     1.2
Net employment change               823     -764  -13,077    3,803    1,751     0.7    -0.7   -13.2     4.0     1.8
 
Wholesale trade

Gross job gains                     267      250      202      317      298     4.6     4.3     3.6     5.8     5.3
 At expanding establishments        216      209      153      259      241     3.7     3.6     2.7     4.7     4.3
 At opening establishments           51       41       49       58       57     0.9     0.7     0.9     1.1     1.0
Gross job losses                    249      258      607      268      219     4.2     4.4    10.7     4.9     3.9
 At contracting establishments      194      200      524      208      167     3.3     3.4     9.2     3.8     3.0
 At closing establishments           55       58       83       60       52     0.9     1.0     1.5     1.1     0.9
Net employment change                18       -8     -405       49       79     0.4    -0.1    -7.1     0.9     1.4
 
Retail trade

Gross job gains                     891      906      963    1,520      936     5.7     5.8     6.4    10.3     6.3
 At expanding establishments        775      808      862    1,338      818     5.0     5.2     5.7     9.1     5.5
 At opening establishments          116       98      101      182      118     0.7     0.6     0.7     1.2     0.8
Gross job losses                    887      874    2,529      827      848     5.8     5.6    16.8     5.7     5.7
 At contracting establishments      769      754    2,258      715      720     5.0     4.8    15.0     4.9     4.8
 At closing establishments          118      120      271      112      128     0.8     0.8     1.8     0.8     0.9
Net employment change                 4       32   -1,566      693       88    -0.1     0.2   -10.4     4.6     0.6
 
Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains                     508      278      422      527      639     8.9     4.9     7.7     9.7    11.1
 At expanding establishments        443      240      378      457      524     7.8     4.2     6.9     8.4     9.1
 At opening establishments           65       38       44       70      115     1.1     0.7     0.8     1.3     2.0
Gross job losses                    254      416      826      311      275     4.4     7.2    15.1     5.7     4.8
 At contracting establishments      212      369      746      267      236     3.7     6.4    13.6     4.9     4.1
 At closing establishments           42       47       80       44       39     0.7     0.8     1.5     0.8     0.7
Net employment change               254     -138     -404      216      364     4.5    -2.3    -7.4     4.0     6.3
 
Utilities

Gross job gains                      13       10       10       14       13     2.4     1.8     1.9     2.6     2.4
 At expanding establishments         12        9        8       12       11     2.2     1.6     1.5     2.2     2.0
 At opening establishments            1        1        2        2        2     0.2     0.2     0.4     0.4     0.4
Gross job losses                     12        9       14       12       12     2.2     1.7     2.6     2.2     2.2
 At contracting establishments       10        8       13       10       10     1.8     1.5     2.4     1.8     1.8
 At closing establishments            2        1        1        2        2     0.4     0.2     0.2     0.4     0.4
Net employment change                 1        1       -4        2        1     0.2     0.1    -0.7     0.4     0.2
 
Information

Gross job gains                     155      152       98      204      173     5.4     5.3     3.6     7.8     6.5
 At expanding establishments        124      130       73      163      136     4.3     4.5     2.7     6.2     5.1
 At opening establishments           31       22       25       41       37     1.1     0.8     0.9     1.6     1.4
Gross job losses                    161      139      421      135      142     5.6     4.9    15.4     5.2     5.3
 At contracting establishments      134      111      358      104      109     4.7     3.9    13.1     4.0     4.1
 At closing establishments           27       28       63       31       33     0.9     1.0     2.3     1.2     1.2
Net employment change                -6       13     -323       69       31    -0.2     0.4   -11.8     2.6     1.2
 
Financial activities

Gross job gains                     406      356      314      449      419     4.9     4.2     3.8     5.5     5.1
 At expanding establishments        308      285      229      350      312     3.7     3.4     2.8     4.3     3.8
 At opening establishments           98       71       85       99      107     1.2     0.8     1.0     1.2     1.3
Gross job losses                    362      363      637      374      361     4.3     4.3     7.7     4.6     4.4
 At contracting establishments      276      276      528      271      271     3.3     3.3     6.4     3.3     3.3
 At closing establishments           86       87      109      103       90     1.0     1.0     1.3     1.3     1.1
Net employment change                44       -7     -323       75       58     0.6    -0.1    -3.9     0.9     0.7
 
Professional and business services

Gross job gains                   1,506    1,270    1,142    1,812    1,832     7.0     5.9     5.6     9.2     9.0
 At expanding establishments      1,202    1,032      850    1,461    1,485     5.6     4.8     4.2     7.4     7.3
 At opening establishments          304      238      292      351      347     1.4     1.1     1.4     1.8     1.7
Gross job losses                  1,378    1,377    2,965    1,364    1,180     6.5     6.5    14.5     6.9     5.8
 At contracting establishments    1,083    1,105    2,572    1,047      893     5.1     5.2    12.6     5.3     4.4
 At closing establishments          295      272      393      317      287     1.4     1.3     1.9     1.6     1.4
Net employment change               128     -107   -1,823      448      652     0.5    -0.6    -8.9     2.3     3.2
 
Education and health services

Gross job gains                   1,034      976      663    1,365    1,157     4.4     4.2     2.9     6.3     5.2
 At expanding establishments        824      771      481    1,112      932     3.5     3.3     2.1     5.1     4.2
 At opening establishments          210      205      182      253      225     0.9     0.9     0.8     1.2     1.0
Gross job losses                    904      983    2,418      914      893     3.8     4.2    10.7     4.1     4.0
 At contracting establishments      707      767    2,082      708      693     3.0     3.3     9.2     3.2     3.1
 At closing establishments          197      216      336      206      200     0.8     0.9     1.5     0.9     0.9
Net employment change               130       -7   -1,755      451      264     0.6     0.0    -7.8     2.2     1.2
 
Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains                   1,407    1,116      651    2,516    1,433     8.5     6.8     4.8    21.1    11.5
 At expanding establishments      1,102      864      448    2,026    1,133     6.7     5.3     3.3    17.0     9.1
 At opening establishments          305      252      203      490      300     1.8     1.5     1.5     4.1     2.4
Gross job losses                  1,218    1,660    6,300    1,036    1,319     7.4    10.1    45.8     8.7    10.5
 At contracting establishments      995    1,344    5,319      778    1,078     6.0     8.2    38.7     6.5     8.6
 At closing establishments          223      316      981      258      241     1.4     1.9     7.1     2.2     1.9
Net employment change               189     -544   -5,649    1,480      114     1.1    -3.3   -41.0    12.4     1.0
 
Other services

Gross job gains                     307      283      191      529      321     7.1     6.6     5.0    14.8     8.6
 At expanding establishments        237      218      126      348      232     5.5     5.1     3.3     9.7     6.2
 At opening establishments           70       65       65      181       89     1.6     1.5     1.7     5.1     2.4
Gross job losses                    279      336    1,036      264      283     6.5     7.9    26.9     7.4     7.6
 At contracting establishments      214      250      771      187      206     5.0     5.9    20.0     5.2     5.5
 At closing establishments           65       86      265       77       77     1.5     2.0     6.9     2.2     2.1
Net employment change                28      -53     -845      265       38     0.6    -1.3   -21.9     7.4     1.0
 
(1) Includes unclassified sector, not shown separately.

Table 4. Private sector gross job gains and losses by firm size, seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

                   Total private by firm(1)          Firm size 1 - 49 employees       Firm size 50 - 249 employees     Firm size 250 or more employees
Year  3 months      Net           Gross job           Net          Gross job           Net          Gross job           Net          Gross job
        ended      change       gains   losses       change      gains   losses       change      gains   losses       change      gains   losses

2010  March         -234        5,115    5,349        -195       2,863    3,058          -2         914      916         -37       1,338    1,375
      June           664        5,805    5,141         235       3,093    2,858         204       1,071      867         225       1,641    1,416
      September      226        5,525    5,299          26       2,946    2,920          87         998      911         113       1,581    1,468
      December       502        5,781    5,279          92       3,051    2,959          92       1,034      942         318       1,696    1,378
 
2011  March          340        5,375    5,035          99       2,983    2,884         122         971      849         119       1,421    1,302
      June           537        5,746    5,209         190       3,073    2,883         169       1,063      894         178       1,610    1,432
      September      852        5,974    5,122         272       3,137    2,865         171       1,066      895         409       1,771    1,362
      December       297        5,585    5,288          45       2,970    2,925          44         981      937         208       1,634    1,426
 
2012  March          972        5,904    4,932         388       3,173    2,785         220       1,054      834         364       1,677    1,313
      June           612        5,828    5,216         174       3,039    2,865         158       1,074      916         280       1,715    1,435
      September      226        5,581    5,355          55       2,963    2,908          54       1,006      952         117       1,612    1,495
      December       637        5,779    5,142         180       3,025    2,845          94       1,014      920         363       1,740    1,377
 
2013  March          582        5,743    5,161         212       3,071    2,859         156       1,029      873         214       1,643    1,429
      June           650        5,906    5,256         226       3,085    2,859         135       1,071      936         289       1,750    1,461
      September      473        5,764    5,291         225       3,063    2,838          69       1,021      952         179       1,680    1,501
      December       631        5,886    5,255         122       3,021    2,899         105       1,034      929         404       1,831    1,427
 
2014  March          442        5,665    5,223         231       3,070    2,839         149       1,035      886          62       1,560    1,498
      June           893        6,134    5,241         302       3,178    2,876         214       1,119      905         377       1,837    1,460
      September      560        5,865    5,305         197       3,064    2,867         117       1,066      949         246       1,735    1,489
      December       951        6,155    5,204         212       3,105    2,893         150       1,085      935         589       1,965    1,376
 
2015  March          226        5,677    5,451         168       3,098    2,930          75       1,025      950         -17       1,554    1,571
      June           846        6,243    5,397         323       3,196    2,873         187       1,128      941         336       1,919    1,583
      September      456        5,914    5,458         148       3,057    2,909          79       1,047      968         229       1,810    1,581
      December       830        6,245    5,415         227       3,172    2,945          90       1,074      984         513       1,999    1,486
 
2016  March          260        5,755    5,495         206       3,119    2,913          56       1,019      963          -2       1,617    1,619
      June           320        6,039    5,719          71       3,122    3,051         115       1,102      987         134       1,815    1,681
      September      743        6,259    5,516         185       3,155    2,970          99       1,088      989         459       2,016    1,557
      December       260        5,898    5,638          64       3,065    3,001          42       1,029      987         154       1,804    1,650
 
2017  March          667        6,002    5,335         360       3,240    2,880         186       1,080      894         121       1,682    1,561
      June           527        6,191    5,664         145       3,157    3,012         146       1,125      979         236       1,909    1,673
      September     -104        5,829    5,933        -115       2,997    3,112         -46       1,014    1,060          57       1,818    1,761
      December       845        6,211    5,366         233       3,188    2,955         154       1,090      936         458       1,933    1,475
 
2018  March          741        6,067    5,326         311       3,215    2,904         160       1,067      907         270       1,785    1,515
      June           439        6,178    5,739         132       3,190    3,058         151       1,130      979         156       1,858    1,702
      September       25        5,979    5,954         -97       3,023    3,120         -29       1,028    1,057         151       1,928    1,777
      December       712        6,119    5,407         202       3,176    2,974         146       1,083      937         364       1,860    1,496
 
2019  March          577        6,004    5,427         274       3,196    2,922         149       1,060      911         154       1,748    1,594
      June           188        6,132    5,944          54       3,155    3,101          94       1,120    1,026          40       1,857    1,817
      September       -9        5,867    5,876         -20       3,041    3,061         -30       1,017    1,047          41       1,809    1,768
      December       700        6,227    5,527         210       3,191    2,981         103       1,070      967         387       1,966    1,579
 
2020  March         -581        5,593    6,174        -346       2,964    3,310         -95         966    1,061        -140       1,663    1,803
      June       -15,238        4,546   19,784      -4,696       2,535    7,231      -2,821         578    3,399      -7,721       1,433    9,154
      September    3,919        9,403    5,484       1,438       4,438    3,000         529       1,419      890       1,952       3,546    1,594
      December     1,863        7,051    5,188         476       3,445    2,969         355       1,192      837       1,032       2,414    1,382
 
 
(1) Total gross job gains and gross job losses by firm are lower than total gross job gains and gross job losses by establishment, as some
    establishment gains and losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process.

NOTE: Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. Net change totals for the firm-level data differ from
the establishment-level data due to independent seasonal adjustment. The unit of analysis section in the technical note provides additional detail.
See www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmfirmsize.htm for more detailed firm size class data.

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

                                   Dec.     Mar.     June     Sept.    Dec.    Dec.    Mar.    June    Sept.   Dec.
                                   2019     2020     2020     2020     2020    2019    2020    2020    2020    2020
Total private by firm(1)

Gross job gains                   6,227    5,593    4,546    9,403    7,051     4.9     4.4     3.8     8.2     6.0
 At expanding firms               5,221    4,713    3,695    7,946    5,957     4.1     3.7     3.1     6.9     5.1
 At opening firms                 1,006      880      851    1,457    1,094     0.8     0.7     0.7     1.3     0.9
 
Gross job losses                  5,527    6,174   19,784    5,484    5,188     4.4     4.9    16.5     4.7     4.4
 At contracting firms             4,643    5,134   17,722    4,516    4,294     3.7     4.1    14.8     3.9     3.6
 At closing firms                   884    1,040    2,062      968      894     0.7     0.8     1.7     0.8     0.8
 
Net employment change               700     -581  -15,238    3,919    1,863     0.5    -0.5   -12.7     3.5     1.6
 

Firm size 1 to 49 employees

Gross job gains                   3,191    2,964    2,535    4,438    3,445     9.2     8.6     7.6    13.7    10.4
 At expanding firms               2,223    2,115    1,708    3,042    2,391     6.4     6.1     5.1     9.4     7.2
 At opening firms                   968      849      827    1,396    1,054     2.8     2.5     2.5     4.3     3.2
 
Gross job losses                  2,981    3,310    7,231    3,000    2,969     8.6     9.5    21.8     9.3     9.0
 At contracting firms             2,137    2,327    5,317    2,072    2,104     6.2     6.7    16.0     6.4     6.4
 At closing firms                   844      983    1,914      928      865     2.4     2.8     5.8     2.9     2.6
 
Net employment change               210     -346   -4,696    1,438      476     0.6    -0.9   -14.2     4.4     1.4
 

Firm size 50 to 249 employees

Gross job gains                   1,070      966      578    1,419    1,192     4.8     4.2     2.7     7.1     5.9
 At expanding firms               1,036      938      556    1,375    1,158     4.6     4.1     2.6     6.9     5.7
 At opening firms                    34       28       22       44       34     0.2     0.1     0.1     0.2     0.2
 
Gross job losses                    967    1,061    3,399      890      837     4.2     4.6    16.1     4.4     4.1
 At contracting firms               934    1,030    3,290      862      811     4.1     4.5    15.6     4.3     4.0
 At closing firms                    33       31      109       28       26     0.1     0.1     0.5     0.1     0.1
 
Net employment change               103      -95   -2,821      529      355     0.6    -0.4   -13.4     2.7     1.8
 

Firm size 250 or more employees

Gross job gains                   1,966    1,663    1,433    3,546    2,414     2.8     2.4     2.2     5.6     3.7
 At expanding firms               1,962    1,660    1,431    3,529    2,408     2.8     2.4     2.2     5.6     3.7
 At opening firms                     4        3        2       17        6     0.0     0.0     0.0     0.0     0.0
 
Gross job losses                  1,579    1,803    9,154    1,594    1,382     2.3     2.6    14.0     2.5     2.1
 At contracting firms             1,572    1,777    9,115    1,582    1,379     2.3     2.6    13.9     2.5     2.1
 At closing firms                     7       26       39       12        3     0.0     0.0     0.1     0.0     0.0
 
Net employment change               387     -140   -7,721    1,952    1,032     0.5    -0.2   -11.8     3.1     1.6
 
 
(1) Total gross job gains and gross job losses by firm are lower than total gross job gains and gross job losses by
    establishment, as some establishment gains and losses within a firm are offset during the aggregation process.

NOTE: Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. Net change totals for
the firm-level data differ from the establishment-level data due to independent seasonal adjustment. The unit of
analysis section in the technical note provides additional detail. See www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmfirmsize.htm for more
detailed firm size class data.

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

                                           Gross job gains                                         Gross job losses
State                                      3 months ended                                          3 months ended

                           Dec.       Mar.       June       Sept.      Dec.        Dec.       Mar.       June       Sept.      Dec.
                           2019       2020       2020       2020       2020        2019       2020       2020       2020       2020

United States(1)....  7,864,000  6,963,000  5,749,000 10,804,000  8,756,000   7,051,000  7,736,000 20,366,000  6,901,000  6,713,000
 
Alabama.............    101,210     88,038     74,974    118,479    120,857      89,724     96,125    197,333     90,119     77,510
Alaska..............     25,708     22,994     15,976     26,125     29,978      25,494     23,781     56,612     21,201     17,110
Arizona.............    161,684    142,660    142,021    188,965    180,613     131,921    151,494    288,876    148,907    120,463
Arkansas............     66,058     52,888     47,653     72,104     69,930      49,413     56,439    119,256     54,052     50,864
California..........  1,033,526    922,323    751,604  1,182,443  1,155,905     902,580  1,016,052  2,654,391    985,422    850,735
Colorado............    154,775    146,864    128,725    215,277    162,104     143,528    161,908    330,236    135,875    156,952
Connecticut.........     78,282     74,079     57,620    145,865     87,068      79,999     84,157    265,693     66,466     77,371
Delaware............     25,783     23,973     18,225     36,761     24,382      24,376     25,771     65,213     22,666     20,987
District of Columbia     28,907     28,449     16,316     38,358     24,390      25,084     28,599    111,967     26,824     25,824
Florida.............    518,476    427,989    454,603    685,191    561,853     463,711    482,375  1,047,754    492,778    412,953
 
Georgia.............    253,759    217,790    201,768    330,323    289,069     214,268    230,425    557,304    230,867    191,998
Hawaii..............     30,150     27,999     17,082     29,478     61,042      27,912     31,192    141,270     51,061     19,048
Idaho...............     49,082     49,081     40,422     52,646     55,912      39,995     39,897     71,635     40,628     39,365
Illinois............    288,093    254,939    224,118    454,452    310,728     268,919    310,548    898,646    265,795    291,468
Indiana.............    160,186    133,045    120,452    206,433    175,237     135,961    160,208    353,124    134,481    128,703
Iowa................     76,115     68,219     56,059     90,872     84,048      71,270     77,348    163,360     67,444     62,660
Kansas..............     72,463     62,633     55,975     85,160     76,568      65,013     68,682    146,615     64,265     66,093
Kentucky............    100,449     85,377     70,624    132,030    104,686      89,006     97,894    234,102     75,229     82,634
Louisiana...........     94,925     84,883     66,839    126,510    126,986      92,085    100,952    253,572    101,773     81,703
Maine...............     38,413     33,604     26,670     57,283     42,020      36,140     36,819    107,675     28,627     30,894
 
Maryland............    141,093    124,904     97,171    215,737    145,664     128,868    148,152    450,701    117,299    120,506
Massachusetts.......    187,728    165,169    109,590    348,934    203,025     177,913    193,240    714,130    156,162    161,889
Michigan............    218,726    189,764    141,099    366,039    234,907     199,952    215,440    731,502    160,093    241,948
Minnesota...........    146,583    125,105    100,747    204,520    160,667     139,721    141,062    418,254    123,659    159,235
Mississippi.........     56,241     49,812     43,906     73,809     69,255      50,181     56,733    111,502     46,600     42,918
Missouri............    149,173    123,536    108,508    189,201    163,548     126,959    138,015    330,131    125,593    120,672
Montana.............     33,231     29,990     25,718     36,443     35,436      27,933     30,358     52,250     26,800     25,657
Nebraska............     51,291     47,643     38,885     63,100     53,837      46,946     49,831     96,697     45,538     44,177
Nevada..............     85,282     67,736     61,256    135,413     98,639      63,901     79,198    335,465     67,865     63,957
New Hampshire.......     38,739     35,160     25,214     63,135     40,429      34,427     37,525    103,320     27,580     35,242
 
New Jersey..........    229,606    202,323    150,045    485,419    261,706     204,729    222,150    913,602    179,780    188,603
New Mexico..........     45,847     40,322     27,987     49,296     42,254      41,643     42,675    109,424     35,506     45,234
New York............    480,529    442,737    292,303    922,619    529,005     465,753    515,065  1,980,764    403,504    453,279
North Carolina......    235,197    223,550    177,537    304,808    288,786     203,674    218,100    530,511    199,290    183,725
North Dakota........     23,552     24,097     17,558     28,073     23,247      23,417     24,502     57,565     21,946     22,702
Ohio................    269,713    239,254    203,875    336,532    290,686     249,121    264,866    649,821    229,215    230,339
Oklahoma............     83,429     69,577     70,388     81,961     96,217      80,887     85,430    153,017     77,487     68,507
Oregon..............    111,629    104,027     80,081    136,837    114,311      96,963    108,302    293,842     94,862    101,865
Pennsylvania........    283,898    261,356    177,105    484,981    296,607     255,290    296,782    896,709    236,671    257,656
Rhode Island........     27,573     25,545     17,767     48,603     29,016      25,146     27,474     99,270     19,548     27,410
 
South Carolina......    115,720     97,016     85,686    145,478    137,208     104,081    116,474    252,231    101,812     89,720
South Dakota........     22,892     21,343     17,737     29,098     25,233      20,534     23,763     40,034     18,890     21,493
Tennessee...........    147,817    128,960    112,366    198,611    189,309     132,149    140,158    348,495    132,538    116,711
Texas...............    646,101    544,673    491,404    720,901    759,882     548,150    598,020  1,408,500    599,452    485,364
Utah................     87,902     85,420     83,499    114,545    104,241      81,579     83,326    137,995     78,072     71,113
Vermont.............     17,695     14,932     10,825     27,757     17,670      16,345     19,399     43,790     12,947     18,446
Virginia............    211,840    181,461    144,619    303,716    213,310     177,757    196,921    559,570    157,202    163,525
Washington..........    190,519    216,627    137,589    234,423    190,847     167,332    215,647    466,763    164,790    161,372
West Virginia.......     34,064     32,860     26,456     44,344     37,937      39,055     37,162     72,219     35,357     31,466
Wisconsin...........    136,067    126,388    105,476    177,683    148,612     124,896    132,770    347,883    119,583    121,210
 
Wyoming.............     19,831     18,182     12,961     20,326     19,602      18,365     19,707     36,242     14,628     14,907
Puerto Rico.........     36,994     34,391     26,094     69,247     42,834      33,546     35,428    109,540     32,421     31,611
Virgin Islands......      2,927      2,087      1,434      2,018      2,165       2,086      2,389      5,288      2,981      1,299
 
(1) The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.

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

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

                        Gross job gains as a percent of employment    Gross job losses as a percent of employment
State                               3 months ended                                3 months ended

                        Dec.    Mar.    June    Sept.   Dec.          Dec.    Mar.    June    Sept.   Dec.
                        2019    2020    2020    2020    2020          2019    2020    2020    2020    2020

United States.......     6.2     5.5     4.8     9.4     7.4           5.5     6.1    17.0     6.0     5.7
 
Alabama.............     6.2     5.5     4.8     7.8     7.8           5.5     5.9    12.6     5.9     5.0
Alaska..............    10.3     9.2     6.9    12.2    13.4          10.2     9.5    24.5     9.9     7.7
Arizona.............     6.4     5.6     5.7     7.9     7.4           5.2     5.9    11.7     6.2     4.9
Arkansas............     6.5     5.1     4.8     7.5     7.1           4.9     5.5    12.0     5.6     5.1
California..........     6.8     6.1     5.2     8.7     8.4           6.0     6.7    18.6     7.3     6.2
Colorado............     6.7     6.3     5.8    10.0     7.5           6.2     7.0    14.9     6.3     7.2
Connecticut.........     5.5     5.2     4.3    11.2     6.5           5.6     5.9    19.7     5.1     5.8
Delaware............     6.7     6.2     4.9    10.3     6.7           6.2     6.6    17.7     6.3     5.7
District of Columbia     5.4     5.2     3.3     8.3     5.2           4.7     5.3    22.4     5.8     5.5
Florida.............     6.6     5.4     6.1     9.5     7.6           5.9     6.2    13.9     6.8     5.6
 
Georgia.............     6.5     5.6     5.4     9.2     7.8           5.5     5.9    15.0     6.4     5.2
Hawaii..............     5.7     5.2     3.6     7.4    14.7           5.2     5.8    29.8    12.7     4.6
Idaho...............     7.7     7.6     6.4     8.4     8.7           6.3     6.1    11.2     6.5     6.1
Illinois............     5.6     5.0     4.6     9.7     6.5           5.2     6.0    18.4     5.6     6.1
Indiana.............     6.0     4.9     4.7     8.3     6.9           5.1     6.0    13.7     5.4     5.0
Iowa................     5.8     5.2     4.4     7.4     6.8           5.5     5.9    13.0     5.6     5.1
Kansas..............     6.3     5.4     5.0     7.9     7.0           5.7     6.0    13.3     6.0     6.0
Kentucky............     6.2     5.3     4.6     8.8     6.8           5.6     6.1    15.3     5.0     5.4
Louisiana...........     5.9     5.3     4.5     8.8     8.7           5.7     6.3    16.9     7.2     5.5
Maine...............     7.3     6.4     5.4    12.0     8.5           6.9     7.0    21.7     6.0     6.3
 
Maryland............     6.4     5.7     4.7    11.0     7.1           5.9     6.7    21.9     5.9     5.9
Massachusetts.......     5.8     5.2     3.7    12.5     7.0           5.6     6.0    24.2     5.6     5.6
Michigan............     5.8     5.0     4.0    10.9     6.8           5.3     5.7    20.7     4.8     7.0
Minnesota...........     5.8     5.0     4.3     9.0     7.0           5.6     5.6    17.6     5.4     6.9
Mississippi.........     6.2     5.6     5.1     8.7     7.9           5.6     6.2    12.9     5.5     4.9
Missouri............     6.2     5.2     4.7     8.5     7.2           5.3     5.7    14.3     5.7     5.3
Montana.............     8.6     7.7     6.8     9.9     9.3           7.2     7.7    13.8     7.2     6.8
Nebraska............     6.2     5.8     4.9     8.1     6.8           5.8     6.1    12.1     5.9     5.6
Nevada..............     6.8     5.4     5.3    12.8     8.9           5.0     6.3    29.2     6.4     5.7
New Hampshire.......     6.6     6.0     4.5    11.9     7.4           6.0     6.4    18.8     5.1     6.5
 
New Jersey..........     6.5     5.7     4.6    15.7     8.1           5.8     6.3    28.1     5.8     5.9
New Mexico..........     7.0     6.1     4.5     8.3     7.1           6.3     6.5    17.6     6.0     7.6
New York............     6.0     5.5     3.9    13.3     7.4           5.7     6.4    26.9     5.9     6.4
North Carolina......     6.3     5.8     4.8     8.5     7.8           5.4     5.7    14.5     5.6     5.1
North Dakota........     6.7     6.8     5.2     8.8     7.2           6.6     7.0    17.2     6.9     7.1
Ohio................     5.7     5.1     4.5     7.7     6.6           5.3     5.6    14.4     5.3     5.2
Oklahoma............     6.5     5.4     5.6     6.8     7.8           6.2     6.7    12.3     6.4     5.6
Oregon..............     6.7     6.2     5.0     9.0     7.4           5.8     6.5    18.4     6.2     6.5
Pennsylvania........     5.4     4.9     3.6    10.3     6.2           4.9     5.6    18.2     5.0     5.3
Rhode Island........     6.5     6.1     4.5    12.9     7.5           5.9     6.5    25.2     5.3     7.1
 
South Carolina......     6.5     5.5     5.1     8.8     8.1           5.9     6.6    14.9     6.1     5.3
South Dakota........     6.4     6.0     5.1     8.6     7.2           5.8     6.6    11.6     5.5     6.2
Tennessee...........     5.7     4.9     4.4     8.1     7.5           5.0     5.3    13.7     5.4     4.6
Texas...............     6.0     5.0     4.7     7.2     7.5           5.1     5.5    13.6     6.0     4.8
Utah................     6.8     6.6     6.5     9.1     8.1           6.3     6.4    10.9     6.2     5.5
Vermont.............     6.9     5.8     4.6    12.3     7.6           6.4     7.6    18.5     5.7     7.9
Virginia............     6.5     5.6     4.7    10.2     7.0           5.5     6.1    18.2     5.3     5.3
Washington..........     6.6     7.4     4.9     8.9     7.1           5.8     7.4    16.9     6.2     6.0
West Virginia.......     6.2     6.0     5.1     8.8     7.4           7.1     6.8    13.8     7.0     6.2
Wisconsin...........     5.4     5.0     4.4     7.6     6.3           5.0     5.3    14.4     5.2     5.1
 
Wyoming.............     9.4     8.6     6.4    10.7    10.0           8.7     9.3    18.1     7.7     7.6
Puerto Rico.........     5.4     5.0     4.0    11.0     6.6           4.9     5.2    16.9     5.1     4.9
Virgin Islands......    10.3     7.2     5.3     8.4     8.9           7.3     8.3    19.8    12.3     5.4
 
NOTE: Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Table 8. Private sector establishment births and deaths, seasonally adjusted

Total private

(Levels in thousands)

                           Number of Establishments                           Employment
                             Births              Deaths(1)            Births              Deaths
Year  3 months ended     Level     Rate(2)   Level     Rate       Level     Rate      Level     Rate

2010  March                193      2.7        211      3.0         706      0.7        687      0.7
      June                 193      2.7        202      2.9         730      0.7        665      0.6
      September            207      2.9        204      2.9         754      0.7        701      0.7
      December             216      3.0        201      2.8         805      0.8        700      0.7
 
2011  March                204      2.9        200      2.8         715      0.7        632      0.6
      June                 210      2.9        205      2.9         767      0.7        689      0.6
      September            206      2.9        196      2.7         794      0.7        675      0.6
      December             214      3.0        198      2.8         800      0.7        700      0.6
 
2012  March                236      3.3        188      2.6         787      0.7        614      0.6
      June                 217      3.0        194      2.7         799      0.7        673      0.6
      September            210      2.9        196      2.7         804      0.7        692      0.6
      December             218      3.0        183      2.5         809      0.7        673      0.6
 
2013  March                205      2.8        193      2.6         748      0.7        648      0.6
      June                 222      3.0        215      2.9         789      0.7        695      0.6
      September            219      2.9        195      2.6         818      0.7        678      0.6
      December             215      2.9        187      2.5         803      0.7        670      0.6
 
2014  March                220      2.9        190      2.5         784      0.7        635      0.6
      June                 221      2.9        204      2.7         806      0.7        711      0.6
      September            225      3.0        199      2.6         825      0.7        703      0.6
      December             224      2.9        198      2.6         836      0.7        705      0.6
 
2015  March                233      3.0        207      2.7         818      0.7        696      0.6
      June                 234      3.1        211      2.8         838      0.7        728      0.6
      September            243      3.2        207      2.7         881      0.7        699      0.6
      December             247      3.2        209      2.7         892      0.7        733      0.6
 
2016  March                235      3.0        204      2.6         788      0.7        670      0.6
      June                 241      3.1        213      2.7         838      0.7        720      0.6
      September            240      3.1        214      2.7         872      0.7        745      0.6
      December             239      3.0        217      2.8         868      0.7        727      0.6
 
2017  March                242      3.0        203      2.6         802      0.7        664      0.5
      June                 240      3.0        224      2.8         849      0.7        755      0.6
      September            243      3.0        225      2.8         851      0.7        760      0.6
      December             245      3.1        216      2.7         853      0.7        731      0.6
 
2018  March                248      3.1        214      2.7         812      0.7        664      0.5
      June                 264      3.3        231      2.9         879      0.7        772      0.6
      September            252      3.1        231      2.8         868      0.7        786      0.6
      December             249      3.1        222      2.7         861      0.7        762      0.6
 
2019  March                260      3.2        219      2.7         806      0.6        694      0.6
      June                 255      3.1        241      2.9         848      0.7        810      0.6
      September            252      3.1        233      2.8         850      0.7        769      0.6
      December             268      3.2        235      2.8         907      0.7        790      0.6
 
2020  March                280      3.4        275      3.3         800      0.6        763      0.6
      June                 225      2.7        N/A      N/A         659      0.5        N/A      N/A
      September            276      3.4        N/A      N/A         820      0.7        N/A      N/A
      December             284      3.4        N/A      N/A         912      0.8        N/A      N/A
 
 
(1) Values for deaths are not available for the most recent three quarters by definition. See the
    Technical Note for more informations.

(2) The rates measure births and deaths as a percentage of the average of the previous and current
    quarter employment levels or total number of establishments.

Last Modified Date: July 28, 2021