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News Release Information

17-1071-ATL
Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Business Employment Dynamics in Georgia – Fourth Quarter 2016

From September 2016 to December 2016 gross job gains in Georgia totaled 237,672, while gross job losses numbered 209,913, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 27,759. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 28,739. (See table 1.)

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private business 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 job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Technical Note for more information.)

The 237,672 gross job gains in December 2016 followed the 243,567 gross job gains in September 2016. Georgia’s gross job gains have remained above 200,000 each quarter since December 2009. Georgia’s gross job losses numbered 209,913 in December 2016, lower than the recent peak of 240,381 gross job losses in June 2016. (See chart 1.)

Gross job gains represented 6.5 percent of private sector employment in Georgia in the fourth quarter of 2016; nationally gross job gains accounted for 6.2 percent of private sector employment. (See chart 2.) With few exceptions, Georgia’s rate of job gains has equaled or exceeded the U.S. rate since the series began in September 1992. Gross job losses accounted for 5.8 percent of private sector employment in Georgia in the fourth quarter of 2016, equal to the national rate of 5.8 percent. This marked the seventh time since the start of the series that Georgia’s gross job losses rate was equal to the national rate.

During the fourth quarter of 2016, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 10 of the 11 industry sectors in Georgia. Transportation and warehousing created nearly 15,200 jobs in opening and expanding establishments, but lost approximately 6,600 jobs in closing and contracting establishments. The resulting net gain of 8,625 jobs was the largest of any sector in the fourth quarter of 2016. In professional and business services, approximately 49,200 jobs were created in opening and expanding establishments and about 45,000 jobs were lost in closing and contracting establishments, resulting in a net gain of 4,213 jobs. Four other industry sectors—manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, education and health services, and construction—each had gross job gains that exceeded gross job losses by more than 2,000. In contrast, the information industry sector had a net loss of 2,119 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2016. (See table 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. For more information on the Business Employment Dynamics data, visit the BED web site at www.bls.gov/bdm/.

The Business Employment Dynamics for the First Quarter 2017 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 8, 2017.


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 establishments and jobs lost at closing and contracting establishments.

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 establishments 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 establishments 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 establishments with positive third month employment in the previous quarter, with no employment or zero employment reported in the current quarter.

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

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Georgia, seasonally adjusted
CategoryGross job gains and job losses
(3 months ended)
Gross job gains and job losses
as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Dec.
2015
Mar.
2016
June
2016
Sept
2016
Dec.
2016
Dec.
2015
Mar.
2016
June
2016
Sept
2016
Dec.
2016

Total private (1)

 

Gross job gains

247,757218,517252,375243,567237,6726.96.17.06.76.5

At expanding establishments

196,796175,601194,846189,578190,5915.54.95.45.25.2

At opening establishments

50,96142,91657,52953,98947,0811.41.21.61.51.3

Gross job losses

202,861199,712240,381214,828209,9135.75.66.65.95.8

At contracting establishments

159,895160,460181,311168,086163,1754.54.55.04.64.5

At closing establishments

42,96639,25259,07046,74246,7381.21.11.61.31.3

Net employment change (2)

44,89618,80511,99428,73927,7591.20.50.40.80.7

Construction

 

Gross job gains

15,52114,01717,14516,98016,2729.28.19.99.69.0

At expanding establishments

12,43611,69913,90313,74213,7607.46.88.07.87.6

At opening establishments

3,0852,3183,2423,2382,5121.81.31.91.81.4

Gross job losses

12,12512,80215,76313,20214,0337.27.59.17.57.8

At contracting establishments

9,44910,30111,82110,62911,1395.66.06.86.06.2

At closing establishments

2,6762,5013,9422,5732,8941.61.52.31.51.6

Net employment change (2)

3,3961,2151,3823,7782,2392.00.60.82.11.2

Manufacturing

 

Gross job gains

14,32712,18714,46113,23413,3623.83.13.83.53.5

At expanding establishments

12,96510,93011,91011,41711,9683.42.83.13.03.1

At opening establishments

1,3621,2572,5511,8171,3940.40.30.70.50.4

Gross job losses

11,85812,23014,08212,19310,5803.13.23.73.22.8

At contracting establishments

10,56310,78111,81810,3249,2172.82.83.12.72.4

At closing establishments

1,2951,4492,2641,8691,3630.30.40.60.50.4

Net employment change (2)

2,469-433791,0412,7820.7-0.10.10.30.7

Wholesale trade

 

Gross job gains

11,83310,71311,40710,65710,5885.44.95.24.84.8

At expanding establishments

10,1468,7579,4148,5878,9974.64.04.33.94.1

At opening establishments

1,6871,9561,9932,0701,5910.80.90.90.90.7

Gross job losses

8,9329,12610,28710,9109,9684.14.24.75.04.6

At contracting establishments

6,7937,1867,2828,1087,8283.13.33.33.73.6

At closing establishments

2,1391,9403,0052,8022,1401.00.91.41.31.0

Net employment change (2)

2,9011,5871,120-2536201.30.70.5-0.20.2

Retail trade

 

Gross job gains

31,33529,35029,03830,45629,1716.46.05.96.26.0

At expanding establishments

27,00125,58124,13626,19025,3365.55.24.95.35.2

At opening establishments

4,3343,7694,9024,2663,8350.90.81.00.90.8

Gross job losses

28,38426,28429,64428,38427,1995.85.46.05.85.5

At contracting establishments

23,77123,38825,57724,44523,0734.94.85.25.04.7

At closing establishments

4,6132,8964,0673,9394,1260.90.60.80.80.8

Net employment change (2)

2,9513,066-6062,0721,9720.60.6-0.10.40.5

Transportation and warehousing

 

Gross job gains

12,8548,3359,5619,80215,1867.24.55.15.38.0

At expanding establishments

11,2847,1837,4848,13214,0256.33.94.04.47.4

At opening establishments

1,5701,1522,0771,6701,1610.90.61.10.90.6

Gross job losses

7,2459,45310,0119,0966,5614.15.25.44.93.4

At contracting establishments

5,8768,2478,1976,9255,4103.34.54.43.72.8

At closing establishments

1,3691,2061,8142,1711,1510.80.71.01.20.6

Net employment change (2)

5,609-1,118-4507068,6253.1-0.7-0.30.44.6

Information

 

Gross job gains

9,7925,6219,3878,4095,4409.15.08.47.54.9

At expanding establishments

8,5064,6187,8117,1504,4367.94.17.06.44.0

At opening establishments

1,2861,0031,5761,2591,0041.20.91.41.10.9

Gross job losses

6,3279,2107,9668,9977,5595.98.27.28.16.9

At contracting establishments

4,3705,4896,1656,9695,7804.14.95.66.35.3

At closing establishments

1,9573,7211,8012,0281,7791.83.31.61.81.6

Net employment change (2)

3,465-3,5891,421-588-2,1193.2-3.21.2-0.6-2.0

Financial activities

 

Gross job gains

12,46011,61913,60212,37912,8445.55.16.05.45.5

At expanding establishments

9,3269,35410,2179,34210,0044.14.14.54.14.3

At opening establishments

3,1342,2653,3853,0372,8401.41.01.51.31.2

Gross job losses

10,57910,90012,75411,56212,5944.64.85.65.05.4

At contracting establishments

7,5287,9838,4648,1219,1213.33.53.73.53.9

At closing establishments

3,0512,9174,2903,4413,4731.31.31.91.51.5

Net employment change (2)

1,8817198488172500.90.30.40.40.1

Professional and business services

 

Gross job gains

54,46649,73354,50955,06249,1898.57.78.48.57.4

At expanding establishments

42,36341,91744,55144,64339,7596.66.56.96.96.0

At opening establishments

12,1037,8169,95810,4199,4301.91.21.51.61.4

Gross job losses

49,37846,23855,63943,98444,9767.67.28.76.76.8

At contracting establishments

38,91136,88140,36233,26233,7636.05.76.35.15.1

At closing establishments

10,4679,35715,27710,72211,2131.61.52.41.61.7

Net employment change (2)

5,0883,495-1,13011,0784,2130.90.5-0.31.80.6

Education and health services

 

Gross job gains

25,95025,92828,36427,14425,8124.94.95.45.14.8

At expanding establishments

21,15219,58022,13521,73519,7144.03.74.24.13.7

At opening establishments

4,7986,3486,2295,4096,0980.91.21.21.01.1

Gross job losses

20,10220,40428,08022,34323,4513.93.95.24.14.3

At contracting establishments

16,07816,32920,36216,83816,8603.13.13.83.13.1

At closing establishments

4,0244,0757,7185,5056,5910.80.81.41.01.2

Net employment change (2)

5,8485,5242844,8012,3611.01.00.21.00.5

Leisure and hospitality

 

Gross job gains

38,10631,87543,06838,23539,3548.46.99.38.28.4

At expanding establishments

29,55325,70431,04827,59230,7946.55.66.75.96.6

At opening establishments

8,5536,17112,02010,6438,5601.91.32.62.31.8

Gross job losses

33,14929,29937,29737,96836,7637.36.48.08.17.9

At contracting establishments

26,73924,15427,94931,04429,8645.95.36.06.66.4

At closing establishments

6,4105,1459,3486,9246,8991.41.12.01.51.5

Net employment change (2)

4,9572,5765,7712672,5911.10.51.30.10.5

Other services (3)

 

Gross job gains

7,6586,3199,0377,7027,5087.86.49.07.77.4

At expanding establishments

6,0605,1587,0205,9136,1166.25.27.05.96.0

At opening establishments

1,5981,1612,0171,7891,3921.61.22.01.81.4

Gross job losses

6,9916,6917,4868,3507,0367.16.77.48.37.0

At contracting establishments

5,1105,0545,6606,4575,3115.25.15.66.45.3

At closing establishments

1,8811,6371,8261,8931,7251.91.61.81.91.7

Net employment change (2)

667-3721,551-6484720.7-0.31.6-0.60.4

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
CategoryGross job gains as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Gross job losses as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Dec.
2015
Mar.
2016
June
2016
Sept.
2016
Dec.
2016
Dec.
2015
Mar.
2016
June
2016
Sept.
2016
Dec.
2016

United States(1)

6.65.86.26.46.25.85.76.05.85.8

Alabama

6.25.85.86.25.85.35.45.85.75.7

Alaska

9.69.410.39.09.610.59.711.911.110.0

Arizona

6.96.06.17.16.05.45.76.15.25.5

Arkansas

6.35.45.46.25.75.35.35.85.45.2

California

7.66.56.86.96.76.76.36.76.16.3

Colorado

7.06.66.97.16.66.46.16.56.26.6

Connecticut

5.55.25.45.25.14.95.05.35.35.1

Delaware

7.36.56.76.36.26.26.46.66.56.2

District of Columbia

6.25.25.86.25.54.65.66.15.75.6

Florida

7.26.16.47.46.75.85.85.95.76.1

Georgia

6.96.17.06.76.55.75.66.65.95.8

Hawaii

5.84.95.45.85.24.44.96.05.05.1

Idaho

7.98.27.17.97.66.96.37.17.16.6

Illinois

6.45.35.95.76.15.65.45.95.75.7

Indiana

6.25.55.25.85.44.95.35.25.15.2

Iowa

6.06.05.66.05.75.75.36.15.85.9

Kansas

6.25.85.66.25.95.65.96.35.65.7

Kentucky

6.75.76.26.76.05.45.85.86.25.6

Louisiana

6.56.05.96.65.96.46.66.96.56.6

Maine

8.68.07.76.77.27.16.96.77.47.1

Maryland

6.86.26.36.56.65.96.06.36.06.3

Massachusetts

5.95.26.05.75.55.25.05.25.55.4

Michigan

6.15.45.95.65.65.34.95.35.65.4

Minnesota

6.15.45.96.15.85.75.25.65.65.8

Mississippi

7.15.75.76.36.35.46.16.55.65.7

Missouri

6.35.75.75.77.75.35.35.45.48.0

Montana

8.57.87.97.67.87.37.28.67.87.5

Nebraska

6.15.85.76.45.75.55.56.05.96.2

Nevada

6.86.36.56.76.75.35.75.65.55.6

New Hampshire

6.76.06.56.46.35.65.85.96.35.9

New Jersey

6.75.96.56.36.35.95.95.85.85.8

New Mexico

7.06.26.56.86.66.96.36.76.26.5

New York

6.46.16.26.36.05.75.75.85.95.9

North Carolina

6.76.06.36.16.35.55.65.85.85.6

North Dakota

6.76.66.88.16.78.18.99.07.17.8

Ohio

6.05.45.65.65.55.15.15.65.65.3

Oklahoma

6.35.75.86.36.36.56.46.86.06.1

Oregon

7.07.06.76.96.66.25.86.56.46.2

Pennsylvania

5.75.45.35.75.45.15.25.45.15.1

Rhode Island

6.65.86.25.65.75.75.96.26.05.8

South Carolina

7.16.16.36.36.65.35.85.85.75.4

South Dakota

6.76.26.46.46.05.96.16.26.26.1

Tennessee

6.35.25.75.95.74.85.15.35.25.0

Texas

6.14.76.36.25.95.55.55.45.45.4

Utah

7.27.36.77.46.76.05.96.46.56.3

Vermont

7.26.67.47.27.06.56.97.27.47.0

Virginia

6.45.96.46.06.25.65.96.06.15.9

Washington

6.87.17.26.77.26.25.65.86.46.7

West Virginia

6.65.95.86.66.46.36.96.96.66.2

Wisconsin

6.05.65.75.55.45.25.25.75.55.3

Wyoming

9.07.97.78.38.89.39.410.48.98.7

Puerto Rico

6.35.75.65.85.95.76.05.65.75.3

Virgin Islands

7.35.76.36.25.95.35.45.86.56.1

Footnotes
(1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, August 22, 2017