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News Release Information

17-1556-ATL
Thursday, December 07, 2017

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

Business Employment Dynamics in Tennessee – First Quarter 2017

From December 2016 to March 2017 gross job gains in Tennessee totaled 128,481, while gross job losses numbered 123,277, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 5,204. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 18,525. (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.)

Tennessee’s gross job gains have remained above 120,000 each quarter since March 2010. The 128,481 gross job gains in March 2017 was the lowest since March 2015. Tennessee’s 123,277 gross job losses in March 2017 was lower than the recent peak of 132,811 gross job losses in June 2016. (See chart 1.)

Gross job gains represented 5.1 percent of private sector employment in Tennessee in the first quarter of 2017; nationally gross job gains accounted for 6.0 percent of private sector employment. (See chart 2.) Tennessee’s rate of job gains has been below the U.S. rate since the series began in September 1992. Gross job losses accounted for 4.9 percent of private sector employment in Tennessee in the first quarter of 2017, lower than the national rate of 5.4 percent. Tennessee’s rates of gross job losses have been below the national average since March 2007.

During the first quarter of 2017, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 9 of the 11 industry sectors in Tennessee. For example, leisure and hospitality added approximately 25,800 jobs in opening and expanding establishments, and lost 21,450 jobs in closing and contracting establishments. The resulting net gain of 4,353 jobs was the largest of any sector in the state for the first quarter of 2017. In construction, nearly 10,450 jobs were created in opening and expanding establishments and about 7,800 jobs were lost in closing and contracting establishments, resulting in a net gain of 2,651 jobs. Four other industry sectors—education and health services, retail trade, financial activities, and wholesale trade—each had gross job gains that exceeded gross job losses by more than 1,100.

Professional and business services and transportation and warehousing were the only industry sectors in Tennessee in which gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in the first quarter of 2017. With more than 26,350 gross job gains in opening and expanding establishments, and over 32,050 job losses in closing and contracting establishments, professional and business services had a net loss of 5,701 jobs. Transportation and warehousing had approximately 5,300 gross job gains in opening and expanding establishments, and nearly 9,000 job losses in closing and contracting establishments, resulting in a net loss of 3,690 jobs. (See table 1.)

Tennessee was among the four states in the East South Central Census Division. In the first quarter of 2017, Tennessee along with two other states—Alabama and Kentucky—had gross job gains that exceeded gross job losses. (See table A.) Three states, including Tennessee, had rates of gross job gains that were below the national rate of 6.0 percent. Alabama had a gross job gain that was above the national rate. Tennessee was among the three states in the division that had rates of gross job losses that was equal to or below the 5.4-percent national rate. Mississippi had a rate of gross job loss above the national rate.

Table A. Private sector gross job gains and losses for the United States, East South Central Division, and East South Central states, March 2017, seasonally adjusted
AreaGross job gainsGross job lossesNet changeNet change as
a percent of
total
employment
TotalAs a
percent of
total
employment
TotalAs a
percent of
total
employment

United States

7,328,0006.06,674,0005.4654,0000.6

East South Central (1)

365,891342,66523,226

Alabama

95,0186.181,3405.213,6780.9

Kentucky

90,8785.785,8325.45,0460.3

Mississippi

51,5145.752,2165.9-702-0.2

Tennessee

128,4815.1123,2774.95,2040.2

Footnotes:
(1) Data were calculated for this release using published gross job gains and gross job losses for states located in the East South Central Census Division.  

Note: Dash indicates data not available.  


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 Second Quarter 2017 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 24, 2018.

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

Data in this release incorporate annual revisions to the BED series. Annual revisions are published each year with the release of first quarter data. These revisions cover the last four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.


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, Tennessee, 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)
Mar.
2016
June
2016
Sept
2016
Dec.
2016
Mar.
2017
Mar.
2016
June
2016
Sept
2016
Dec.
2016
Mar.
2017

Total private (1)

 

Gross job gains

132,274141,910147,480144,675128,4815.45.85.95.85.1

At expanding establishments

115,477122,669126,490123,713113,0224.75.05.15.04.5

At opening establishments

16,79719,24120,99020,96215,4590.70.80.80.80.6

Gross job losses

128,616132,811130,083126,150123,2775.25.45.25.14.9

At contracting establishments

114,189117,467114,061111,256112,4394.64.84.64.54.5

At closing establishments

14,42715,34416,02214,89410,8380.60.60.60.60.4

Net employment change (2)

3,6589,09917,39718,5255,2040.20.40.70.70.2

Construction

 

Gross job gains

9,8219,66510,90010,25610,4468.58.49.58.88.7

At expanding establishments

7,9688,4409,2788,9729,1576.97.38.17.77.6

At opening establishments

1,8531,2251,6221,2841,2891.61.11.41.11.1

Gross job losses

10,02511,0069,3748,5957,7958.69.68.17.36.5

At contracting establishments

8,9529,6768,0637,4946,8457.78.47.06.45.7

At closing establishments

1,0731,3301,3111,1019500.91.21.10.90.8

Net employment change (2)

-204-1,3411,5261,6612,651-0.1-1.21.41.52.2

Manufacturing

 

Gross job gains

11,59411,45910,55111,4848,8613.43.43.03.32.5

At expanding establishments

10,70910,8159,80710,7898,5213.13.22.83.12.4

At opening establishments

8856447446953400.30.20.20.20.1

Gross job losses

8,5569,8389,2538,6568,3582.52.92.62.52.4

At contracting establishments

7,8978,9628,7468,1228,0222.32.62.52.32.3

At closing establishments

6598765075343360.20.30.10.20.1

Net employment change (2)

3,0381,6211,2982,8285030.90.50.40.80.1

Wholesale trade

 

Gross job gains

5,2195,3315,9315,4295,1644.34.54.94.54.3

At expanding establishments

4,4914,6414,9894,5494,4783.73.94.13.83.7

At opening establishments

7286909428806860.60.60.80.70.6

Gross job losses

5,0284,7605,0874,7324,0094.14.04.23.93.3

At contracting establishments

4,1484,0343,9584,0103,3273.43.43.33.32.7

At closing establishments

8807261,1297226820.70.60.90.60.6

Net employment change (2)

1915718446971,1550.20.50.70.61.0

Retail trade

 

Gross job gains

20,65019,69019,24418,10217,9806.25.85.75.45.4

At expanding establishments

18,95817,53116,52415,44516,4005.75.24.94.64.9

At opening establishments

1,6922,1592,7202,6571,5800.50.60.80.80.5

Gross job losses

16,73418,47319,14818,25616,1475.05.55.75.44.8

At contracting establishments

15,09516,91217,53616,48815,0144.55.05.24.94.5

At closing establishments

1,6391,5611,6121,7681,1330.50.50.50.50.3

Net employment change (2)

3,9161,21796-1541,8331.20.30.00.00.6

Transportation and warehousing

 

Gross job gains

5,4646,4396,3168,9245,2913.54.24.05.73.3

At expanding establishments

4,7106,0115,6918,0414,7863.03.93.65.13.0

At opening establishments

7544286258835050.50.30.40.60.3

Gross job losses

7,2165,4245,6745,7208,9814.73.43.73.65.7

At contracting establishments

6,8135,0495,1015,2718,6074.43.23.33.35.5

At closing establishments

4033755734493740.30.20.40.30.2

Net employment change (2)

-1,7521,0156423,204-3,690-1.20.80.32.1-2.4

Information

 

Gross job gains

1,8724,1303,0261,8002,1304.29.26.64.04.8

At expanding establishments

1,4573,8112,3971,4971,8373.38.55.23.34.1

At opening establishments

4153196293032930.90.71.40.70.7

Gross job losses

2,6991,7833,3632,8781,9166.13.97.36.44.3

At contracting establishments

2,3601,4542,9431,8931,6515.33.26.44.23.7

At closing establishments

3393294209852650.80.70.92.20.6

Net employment change (2)

-8272,347-337-1,078214-1.95.3-0.7-2.40.5

Financial activities

 

Gross job gains

6,9196,6387,0285,8236,5864.84.64.94.04.5

At expanding establishments

5,7845,4705,9034,9205,6064.03.84.13.43.8

At opening establishments

1,1351,1681,1259039800.80.80.80.60.7

Gross job losses

5,9495,6685,1715,9415,3094.23.93.64.13.6

At contracting establishments

4,8344,6514,4444,9184,4503.43.23.13.43.0

At closing establishments

1,1151,0177271,0238590.80.70.50.70.6

Net employment change (2)

9709701,857-1181,2770.60.71.3-0.10.9

Professional and business services

 

Gross job gains

26,15331,03131,31132,87726,3586.57.77.78.16.4

At expanding establishments

23,48826,75827,25628,88022,9245.86.66.77.15.6

At opening establishments

2,6654,2734,0553,9973,4340.71.11.01.00.8

Gross job losses

31,27429,63928,19327,37432,0597.87.37.06.77.9

At contracting establishments

28,18825,81224,23124,39129,3017.06.46.06.07.2

At closing establishments

3,0863,8273,9622,9832,7580.80.91.00.70.7

Net employment change (2)

-5,1211,3923,1185,503-5,701-1.30.40.71.4-1.5

Education and health services

 

Gross job gains

14,24316,05418,69115,55714,1763.54.04.63.83.5

At expanding establishments

12,75214,12716,71213,54213,1033.13.54.13.33.2

At opening establishments

1,4911,9271,9792,0151,0730.40.50.50.50.3

Gross job losses

14,06714,84814,37914,65812,2793.43.73.53.53.0

At contracting establishments

12,64913,41212,34912,80111,1503.13.33.03.12.7

At closing establishments

1,4181,4362,0301,8571,1290.30.40.50.40.3

Net employment change (2)

1761,2064,3128991,8970.10.31.10.30.5

Leisure and hospitality

 

Gross job gains

24,56325,19128,00728,45725,8037.77.98.88.77.8

At expanding establishments

20,27619,79222,37621,86721,5086.46.27.06.76.5

At opening establishments

4,2875,3995,6316,5904,2951.31.71.82.01.3

Gross job losses

21,44925,12324,77623,63321,4506.77.87.77.36.5

At contracting establishments

18,52521,81021,76220,95919,6855.86.86.86.56.0

At closing establishments

2,9243,3133,0142,6741,7650.91.00.90.80.5

Net employment change (2)

3,114683,2314,8244,3531.00.11.11.41.3

Other services (3)

 

Gross job gains

4,3324,9925,0024,5554,5436.57.57.56.76.7

At expanding establishments

3,6674,1524,4673,9933,8125.56.26.75.95.6

At opening establishments

6658405355627311.01.30.80.81.1

Gross job losses

4,0684,3454,4274,1513,9736.16.56.66.15.8

At contracting establishments

3,4643,8603,8953,7253,4945.25.85.85.55.1

At closing establishments

6044855324264790.90.70.80.60.7

Net employment change (2)

2646475754045700.41.00.90.60.9

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)
Mar.
2016
June
2016
Sept.
2016
Dec.
2016
Mar.
2017
Mar.
2016
June
2016
Sept.
2016
Dec.
2016
Mar.
2017

United States(1)

6.06.26.46.26.05.76.05.85.95.4

Alabama

5.95.86.25.86.15.55.95.85.85.2

Alaska

9.610.49.19.89.49.611.211.210.09.8

Arizona

5.96.27.26.05.85.76.05.25.55.4

Arkansas

5.55.46.25.95.65.45.95.65.45.0

California

6.66.96.96.96.76.36.66.26.36.0

Colorado

6.67.07.16.66.86.16.56.26.56.2

Connecticut

5.35.45.25.15.55.05.45.45.25.1

Delaware

6.66.86.36.26.66.56.76.66.25.9

District of Columbia

5.35.96.25.65.75.65.85.85.64.7

Florida

6.26.57.46.76.15.85.95.86.15.5

Georgia

6.26.96.76.66.35.86.45.95.85.8

Hawaii

5.25.46.05.05.15.05.84.85.04.8

Idaho

8.27.27.97.57.96.57.07.36.76.3

Illinois

5.66.05.76.15.85.65.95.75.65.4

Indiana

5.55.45.85.45.75.35.25.15.25.1

Iowa

6.15.76.15.76.15.46.25.85.95.5

Kansas

5.85.76.25.95.85.96.35.65.75.6

Kentucky

5.96.26.86.15.76.06.06.35.85.4

Louisiana

6.06.06.85.96.46.76.96.56.55.9

Maine

7.27.76.77.47.26.96.87.47.16.4

Maryland

6.26.46.66.66.16.06.25.96.25.9

Massachusetts

5.46.05.75.65.55.15.25.45.45.1

Michigan

5.35.95.75.55.64.95.45.55.45.0

Minnesota

5.55.96.15.75.85.25.55.55.74.7

Mississippi

5.95.76.36.35.76.26.55.55.65.9

Missouri

5.65.75.75.75.95.35.45.45.64.9

Montana

7.97.97.67.88.17.38.67.77.57.1

Nebraska

5.95.76.45.75.95.55.95.96.25.2

Nevada

6.46.56.86.26.65.95.85.55.65.2

New Hampshire

6.06.56.46.35.75.85.96.35.95.6

New Jersey

5.86.46.36.45.56.05.75.95.95.8

New Mexico

6.46.47.06.66.46.46.76.26.56.2

New York

6.26.36.36.16.25.85.85.95.95.7

North Carolina

6.16.36.36.36.25.65.85.95.75.5

North Dakota

6.76.88.26.77.68.98.97.17.76.7

Ohio

5.55.65.75.75.75.25.75.75.45.1

Oklahoma

5.75.86.36.56.36.36.86.06.36.5

Oregon

7.16.86.96.66.95.86.66.46.35.7

Pennsylvania

5.45.35.65.45.25.35.45.15.15.0

Rhode Island

5.86.15.65.76.35.96.25.95.85.9

South Carolina

6.06.36.36.56.06.05.85.65.45.6

South Dakota

6.26.46.46.06.46.16.26.26.15.9

Tennessee

5.45.85.95.85.15.25.45.25.14.9

Texas

5.45.86.25.95.85.85.55.55.45.2

Utah

7.36.77.46.87.76.06.46.76.46.1

Vermont

6.77.47.27.06.66.97.27.47.06.8

Virginia

5.96.56.26.26.06.06.16.15.95.6

Washington

7.17.36.77.16.86.06.06.66.75.6

West Virginia

5.95.86.56.46.36.96.96.46.26.4

Wisconsin

5.65.75.55.55.95.25.75.65.34.8

Wyoming

8.17.78.58.88.89.410.68.88.78.1

Puerto Rico

5.75.65.85.85.16.05.55.75.45.7

Virgin Islands

6.06.56.26.05.35.85.76.86.05.5

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

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, December 07, 2017