From June 2021 to September 2021, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Massachusetts were 217,283, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 178,055, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 39,228 jobs in the private sector during the third quarter of 2021. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 35,704. (See chart 1.)

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.)

Gross job gains

In the third quarter of 2021, gross job gains represented 7.2 percent of private-sector employment both nationally and in Massachusetts. (See chart 2.) 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. In Massachusetts, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 171,694 in the third quarter of 2021, an increase of 11,572 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 45,589 jobs gained in the third quarter of 2021, a decrease of 1,559 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the third quarter of 2021, gross job losses represented 5.9 percent of private-sector employment in Massachusetts; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 6.2 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In Massachusetts, contracting establishments lost 136,856 jobs in the third quarter of 2021, an increase of 4,682 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 41,199 jobs, an increase of 1,807 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 8 of the 11 industry sectors in Massachusetts in the third quarter of 2021. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 20,927 jobs. This was the result of 50,247 gross job gains and 29,320 gross job losses. The education and health services industry had a net gain of 10,072 jobs. Retail trade showed a net loss of 7,469 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state.

For more information

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. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at www.bls.gov/bdm/.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Fourth Quarter 2022 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

Technical Note

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

In the BED program, the 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.

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 establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment from expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. The difference between the number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross jobs lost is the net change in employment.

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. 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.

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.

The full Technical Note for the Business Employment Dynamics program, which includes information on coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the current quarterly news release online at www.bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.htm.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Massachusetts, seasonally adjusted

Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	Sept. 2021	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	Sept. 2021
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	349,742	203,528	193,648	207,270	217,283	12.4	7.0	6.6	6.9	7.2
At expanding establishments	276,119	162,630	155,827	160,122	171,694	9.8	5.6	5.3	5.3	5.7
At opening establishments	73,623	40,898	37,821	47,148	45,589	2.6	1.4	1.3	1.6	1.5
Gross job losses	152,202	160,761	145,185	171,566	178,055	5.4	5.5	5.0	5.7	5.9
At contracting establishments	110,135	126,099	119,984	132,174	136,856	3.9	4.3	4.1	4.4	4.5
At closing establishments	42,067	34,662	25,201	39,392	41,199	1.5	1.2	0.9	1.3	1.4
Net employment change (2)	197,540	42,767	48,463	35,704	39,228	7.0	1.5	1.6	1.2	1.3
Construction
Gross job gains	20,687	16,992	16,512	14,520	14,063	13.8	10.8	10.1	8.8	8.7
At expanding establishments	16,197	13,051	12,230	11,190	10,895	10.8	8.3	7.5	6.8	6.7
At opening establishments	4,490	3,941	4,282	3,330	3,168	3.0	2.5	2.6	2.0	2.0
Gross job losses	12,776	12,304	12,172	16,177	14,195	8.5	7.8	7.4	9.8	8.8
At contracting establishments	8,809	9,251	9,995	12,506	10,140	5.9	5.9	6.1	7.6	6.3
At closing establishments	3,967	3,053	2,177	3,671	4,055	2.6	1.9	1.3	2.2	2.5
Net employment change (2)	7,911	4,688	4,340	-1,657	-132	5.3	3.0	2.7	-1.0	-0.1
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	11,968	8,676	6,274	7,996	8,656	5.3	3.8	2.7	3.5	3.7
At expanding establishments	11,144	7,771	5,776	7,072	7,970	4.9	3.4	2.5	3.1	3.4
At opening establishments	824	905	498	924	686	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.4	0.3
Gross job losses	8,342	6,496	6,400	6,997	7,577	3.7	2.8	2.8	3.0	3.3
At contracting establishments	7,295	5,794	5,714	5,961	6,278	3.2	2.5	2.5	2.6	2.7
At closing establishments	1,047	702	686	1,036	1,299	0.5	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.6
Net employment change (2)	3,626	2,180	-126	999	1,079	1.6	1.0	-0.1	0.5	0.4
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	8,074	6,394	5,454	6,414	7,294	7.1	5.6	4.7	5.5	6.2
At expanding establishments	6,697	4,949	4,177	4,897	5,819	5.9	4.3	3.6	4.2	4.9
At opening establishments	1,377	1,445	1,277	1,517	1,475	1.2	1.3	1.1	1.3	1.3
Gross job losses	5,769	4,988	4,392	5,700	6,390	5.1	4.3	3.8	4.8	5.4
At contracting establishments	4,045	3,853	3,453	3,897	4,028	3.6	3.3	3.0	3.3	3.4
At closing establishments	1,724	1,135	939	1,803	2,362	1.5	1.0	0.8	1.5	2.0
Net employment change (2)	2,305	1,406	1,062	714	904	2.0	1.3	0.9	0.7	0.8
Retail trade
Gross job gains	48,296	21,035	20,849	20,909	17,163	15.5	6.4	6.3	6.2	5.2
At expanding establishments	42,143	18,643	18,630	17,912	14,508	13.5	5.7	5.6	5.3	4.4
At opening establishments	6,153	2,392	2,219	2,997	2,655	2.0	0.7	0.7	0.9	0.8
Gross job losses	13,981	16,859	16,789	18,947	24,632	4.5	5.2	5.1	5.6	7.4
At contracting establishments	11,205	14,219	15,291	16,523	21,216	3.6	4.4	4.6	4.9	6.4
At closing establishments	2,776	2,640	1,498	2,424	3,416	0.9	0.8	0.5	0.7	1.0
Net employment change (2)	34,315	4,176	4,060	1,962	-7,469	11.0	1.2	1.2	0.6	-2.2
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	12,311	14,403	6,213	5,718	7,695	16.7	17.8	7.2	6.8	8.9
At expanding establishments	10,299	12,224	4,640	4,646	6,348	14.0	15.1	5.4	5.5	7.3
At opening establishments	2,012	2,179	1,573	1,072	1,347	2.7	2.7	1.8	1.3	1.6
Gross job losses	8,248	4,204	7,396	5,506	4,714	11.3	5.2	8.6	6.5	5.4
At contracting establishments	7,252	3,356	6,686	4,730	3,811	9.9	4.2	7.8	5.6	4.4
At closing establishments	996	848	710	776	903	1.4	1.0	0.8	0.9	1.0
Net employment change (2)	4,063	10,199	-1,183	212	2,981	5.4	12.6	-1.4	0.3	3.5
Information
Gross job gains	4,425	5,062	4,695	5,874	5,559	5.1	5.8	5.3	6.4	5.9
At expanding establishments	3,288	3,823	3,835	4,280	4,396	3.8	4.4	4.3	4.7	4.7
At opening establishments	1,137	1,239	860	1,594	1,163	1.3	1.4	1.0	1.7	1.2
Gross job losses	4,651	3,620	3,584	4,672	4,698	5.3	4.2	4.0	5.1	5.1
At contracting establishments	3,399	2,702	2,864	3,673	3,440	3.9	3.1	3.2	4.0	3.7
At closing establishments	1,252	918	720	999	1,258	1.4	1.1	0.8	1.1	1.4
Net employment change (2)	-226	1,442	1,111	1,202	861	-0.2	1.6	1.3	1.3	0.8
Financial activities
Gross job gains	10,420	9,551	8,201	8,761	9,196	4.9	4.5	3.8	4.1	4.3
At expanding establishments	8,433	7,261	6,617	6,792	7,019	4.0	3.4	3.1	3.2	3.3
At opening establishments	1,987	2,290	1,584	1,969	2,177	0.9	1.1	0.7	0.9	1.0
Gross job losses	8,961	9,496	6,960	9,268	10,480	4.2	4.5	3.3	4.3	5.0
At contracting establishments	6,158	7,590	5,900	7,073	7,600	2.9	3.6	2.8	3.3	3.6
At closing establishments	2,803	1,906	1,060	2,195	2,880	1.3	0.9	0.5	1.0	1.4
Net employment change (2)	1,459	55	1,241	-507	-1,284	0.7	0.0	0.5	-0.2	-0.7
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	45,855	45,273	37,439	40,578	44,692	8.0	7.8	6.4	6.8	7.3
At expanding establishments	35,697	36,201	30,052	30,815	33,558	6.2	6.2	5.1	5.2	5.5
At opening establishments	10,158	9,072	7,387	9,763	11,134	1.8	1.6	1.3	1.6	1.8
Gross job losses	35,464	29,233	30,315	35,270	38,161	6.2	5.0	5.1	5.9	6.3
At contracting establishments	25,276	21,537	24,782	26,472	26,885	4.4	3.7	4.2	4.4	4.4
At closing establishments	10,188	7,696	5,533	8,798	11,276	1.8	1.3	0.9	1.5	1.9
Net employment change (2)	10,391	16,040	7,124	5,308	6,531	1.8	2.8	1.3	0.9	1.0
Education and health services
Gross job gains	61,853	35,426	37,868	38,511	39,237	8.5	4.8	5.0	5.1	5.1
At expanding establishments	47,937	27,307	31,046	26,450	29,229	6.6	3.7	4.1	3.5	3.8
At opening establishments	13,916	8,119	6,822	12,061	10,008	1.9	1.1	0.9	1.6	1.3
Gross job losses	26,758	30,203	24,845	34,775	29,165	3.7	4.1	3.4	4.6	3.8
At contracting establishments	19,041	23,607	19,187	26,881	24,600	2.6	3.2	2.6	3.6	3.2
At closing establishments	7,717	6,596	5,658	7,894	4,565	1.1	0.9	0.8	1.0	0.6
Net employment change (2)	35,095	5,223	13,023	3,736	10,072	4.8	0.7	1.6	0.5	1.3
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	101,408	29,710	40,130	46,657	50,247	44.0	11.6	15.7	16.6	16.4
At expanding establishments	77,874	23,100	31,246	37,551	41,363	33.8	9.0	12.2	13.4	13.5
At opening establishments	23,534	6,610	8,884	9,106	8,884	10.2	2.6	3.5	3.2	2.9
Gross job losses	19,404	34,161	24,329	25,297	29,320	8.4	13.3	9.4	9.0	9.5
At contracting establishments	12,641	27,721	19,598	18,253	23,108	5.5	10.8	7.6	6.5	7.5
At closing establishments	6,763	6,440	4,731	7,044	6,212	2.9	2.5	1.8	2.5	2.0
Net employment change (2)	82,004	-4,451	15,801	21,360	20,927	35.6	-1.7	6.3	7.6	6.9
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	21,929	7,969	7,602	9,167	11,261	25.4	8.6	8.1	9.6	11.3
At expanding establishments	14,586	5,724	5,804	6,773	8,851	16.9	6.2	6.2	7.1	8.9
At opening establishments	7,343	2,245	1,798	2,394	2,410	8.5	2.4	1.9	2.5	2.4
Gross job losses	6,504	7,411	6,284	7,134	7,037	7.5	7.9	6.6	7.5	7.1
At contracting establishments	3,995	5,236	5,019	4,756	4,558	4.6	5.6	5.3	5.0	4.6
At closing establishments	2,509	2,175	1,265	2,378	2,479	2.9	2.3	1.3	2.5	2.5
Net employment change (2)	15,425	558	1,318	2,033	4,224	17.9	0.7	1.5	2.1	4.2
Footnotes: (1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately. (2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. See the Technical Note for further information. (3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted

Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	Sept. 2021	Sept. 2020	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	Sept. 2021
United States(1)	9.5	7.4	6.8	6.7	7.2	6.0	5.7	5.4	5.9	6.2
Alabama	7.8	7.6	5.9	6.2	6.6	5.9	5.5	5.9	6.0	6.7
Alaska	12.2	13.4	11.0	9.5	10.4	9.8	7.7	9.4	9.2	9.5
Arizona	7.8	7.3	6.3	6.8	6.9	6.1	5.0	5.5	6.0	6.0
Arkansas	7.6	7.2	5.9	5.5	6.6	5.7	5.2	5.1	5.6	5.9
California	8.9	8.5	7.7	7.8	7.8	7.1	6.1	5.9	6.4	6.3
Colorado	10.1	7.5	8.6	7.8	8.1	6.4	7.2	5.6	6.4	7.0
Connecticut	11.4	6.6	6.3	6.6	6.8	5.1	5.9	5.3	5.9	6.0
Delaware	10.3	6.8	6.8	6.4	7.2	6.4	6.0	6.0	6.4	7.0
District of Columbia	8.2	5.3	5.5	7.0	7.9	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.4	4.8
Florida	9.5	8.0	6.9	7.8	9.2	6.7	6.0	5.8	6.2	6.0
Georgia	9.3	7.9	6.7	6.9	7.4	6.5	5.2	5.7	6.2	6.2
Hawaii	7.5	14.7	8.5	10.7	7.2	12.2	4.6	5.9	5.6	6.6
Idaho	8.4	8.7	8.1	7.2	7.7	6.4	6.1	5.7	7.2	7.3
Illinois	9.7	6.5	7.2	6.0	6.3	5.6	6.1	4.9	5.6	6.0
Indiana	8.3	6.8	6.0	5.7	6.3	5.2	5.0	5.1	6.0	5.8
Iowa	7.5	6.8	6.1	6.0	6.2	5.5	5.1	5.4	6.0	6.0
Kansas	7.9	7.0	6.2	6.2	6.6	5.9	5.9	5.5	6.1	6.6
Kentucky	9.0	7.3	7.3	6.4	6.6	5.1	6.1	5.1	6.5	6.5
Louisiana	9.1	8.7	6.4	6.8	6.9	7.0	5.6	5.9	6.2	8.6
Maine	12.3	8.5	9.0	7.7	7.8	6.0	6.3	6.3	7.8	8.0
Maryland	11.2	7.3	6.3	6.6	7.5	5.5	5.8	5.5	6.6	6.7
Massachusetts	12.4	7.0	6.6	6.9	7.2	5.4	5.5	5.0	5.7	5.9
Michigan	10.9	6.7	8.5	6.2	6.6	4.8	6.9	4.9	5.6	6.1
Minnesota	9.0	6.9	9.2	6.1	6.4	5.4	6.8	4.9	5.5	6.8
Mississippi	8.7	8.0	5.6	6.4	7.5	5.5	4.9	6.6	6.5	6.2
Missouri	8.5	7.1	6.3	6.0	6.7	5.7	5.2	5.3	6.3	6.1
Montana	9.9	9.4	8.8	8.3	8.4	7.2	6.8	6.9	8.1	8.3
Nebraska	8.2	6.8	6.5	6.2	6.2	5.8	5.5	6.2	6.0	6.6
Nevada	12.9	8.8	7.3	9.5	8.9	6.4	5.7	5.5	5.7	5.8
New Hampshire	11.8	7.4	7.4	7.0	7.0	5.3	6.4	5.4	6.4	6.8
New Jersey	15.7	8.1	7.0	7.2	7.4	5.6	5.9	5.6	5.7	6.1
New Mexico	8.5	7.3	8.5	7.1	7.9	6.1	7.5	5.7	6.6	6.3
New York	13.3	7.4	6.9	7.1	7.5	5.9	6.3	5.4	5.7	6.0
North Carolina	8.7	7.9	6.6	6.4	6.8	5.6	5.0	5.4	5.8	6.4
North Dakota	8.9	7.2	7.8	6.9	7.5	6.9	7.1	6.5	6.5	6.7
Ohio	7.8	6.6	6.1	5.9	6.1	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.8	6.0
Oklahoma	7.1	7.9	6.1	6.5	7.1	6.6	5.8	6.1	6.0	7.0
Oregon	9.0	7.4	8.5	6.6	7.0	6.3	6.5	5.6	6.6	6.5
Pennsylvania	10.3	6.2	6.4	5.6	6.2	4.9	5.3	4.6	5.3	5.3
Rhode Island	13.0	7.6	9.8	7.0	7.6	5.3	7.1	5.5	6.4	6.6
South Carolina	8.8	8.0	6.2	6.3	7.2	5.9	5.2	6.1	6.5	6.6
South Dakota	8.6	7.2	7.3	6.8	6.6	5.5	6.2	6.0	5.8	6.5
Tennessee	8.1	7.5	5.6	5.9	6.8	5.5	4.6	5.0	5.8	5.5
Texas	7.3	7.6	5.7	6.7	7.1	6.1	4.8	5.0	5.4	5.4
Utah	9.1	8.1	7.1	6.9	7.3	6.3	5.6	6.1	6.0	6.8
Vermont	12.9	7.6	8.2	8.4	7.9	5.8	8.0	6.1	6.8	7.5
Virginia	10.4	7.0	6.0	6.2	6.8	5.4	5.3	5.4	6.0	6.1
Washington	8.9	7.2	7.9	6.7	7.2	6.3	6.1	5.4	5.8	5.7
West Virginia	8.9	7.4	7.2	6.5	6.7	6.9	6.2	5.8	6.4	6.5
Wisconsin	7.6	6.3	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.1	5.1	4.7	5.4	5.8
Wyoming	10.8	10.0	9.1	8.8	8.9	7.7	7.7	8.3	8.5	8.6
Puerto Rico	11.1	6.6	6.6	7.7	8.3	5.1	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.1
Virgin Islands	7.8	9.9	7.4	10.6	7.4	12.5	5.8	10.8	6.2	8.5
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.