From September 2018 to December 2018, gross job gains in Oklahoma totaled 83,749, while gross job losses numbered 77,698, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1.) The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 6,051 in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2018. Assistant Commissions for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that in the previous quarter, the net employment gain was 7,004.

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 number of gross job gains in Oklahoma decreased by 1,231 in the fourth quarter of 2018 after increasing by 3,795 in the previous quarter. (See chart 1.) Oklahoma’s gross job losses dipped by 278 in the fourth quarter of 2018, after falling by 4,946 in the previous quarter. The gain of 6,051 jobs in the current quarter was the state’s second consecutive net job gain after experiencing a net job loss in the second quarter of  2018.

Gross job gains represented 6.4 percent of private sector employment in Oklahoma in the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to the national gross job gain of 6.1 percent. (See chart 2.) The rate of gross job gains in Oklahoma has equaled or exceeded the national rate since the fourth quarter of 2016. Oklahoma’s rate of gross job losses as a percent of private sector employment was 6.0 percent compared to the national rate of 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018. Oklahoma’s rate of gross job losses has exceeded the U.S. rate since the first quarter of 2015, with one exception.

During the fourth quarter of 2018, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 8 of the 11 industry sectors in Oklahoma. For example, within transportation and warehousing, opening and expanding establishments added 5,068 jobs, while closing and contracting establishments lost 2,322 jobs. The resulting net gain of 2,746 jobs in the transportation and warehousing sector was the largest of any sector in Oklahoma in the fourth quarter of 2018. In leisure and hospitality, 14,567 jobs were created in opening and expanding establishments and 13,161 were lost in closing and contracting establishments, resulting in a net gain of 1,406, the second largest among the state’s sectors. (See table 1.)

Three industry sectors in Oklahoma registered net job losses during the latest quarter. Retail trade saw a net loss of 1,868 jobs, as opening and expanding establishments added 9,213 jobs while closing and contracting establishments lost 11,081 jobs. Information had a net loss of 359 jobs during the quarter, as 1,311 gross job losses offset 952 gross job gains. The financial activities sector had a net job loss of 103.

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 website at www.bls.gov/bdm/.

The Business Employment Dynamics release for First Quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 30, 2019.

Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), or the ES-202 program. The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing 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 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 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, Oklahoma, seasonally adjusted

Category	Gross job gains and job losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Dec. 2017	Mar. 2018	June 2018	Sept. 2018	Dec. 2018	Dec. 2017	Mar. 2018	June 2018	Sept. 2018	Dec. 2018
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	82,246	78,771	81,185	84,980	83,749	6.4	6.1	6.3	6.6	6.4
At expanding establishments	66,487	62,852	64,459	68,231	66,571	5.2	4.9	5.0	5.3	5.1
At opening establishments	15,759	15,919	16,726	16,749	17,178	1.2	1.2	1.3	1.3	1.3
Gross job losses	74,837	70,899	82,922	77,976	77,698	5.8	5.5	6.5	6.1	6.0
At contracting establishments	58,962	58,040	66,297	63,121	61,675	4.6	4.5	5.2	4.9	4.8
At closing establishments	15,875	12,859	16,625	14,855	16,023	1.2	1.0	1.3	1.2	1.2
Net employment change (2)	7,409	7,872	-1,737	7,004	6,051	0.6	0.6	-0.2	0.5	0.4
Construction
Gross job gains	7,927	8,059	8,025	9,416	8,333	10.1	10.2	10.1	11.6	10.1
At expanding establishments	6,270	6,503	6,392	7,854	6,763	8.0	8.2	8.0	9.7	8.2
At opening establishments	1,657	1,556	1,633	1,562	1,570	2.1	2.0	2.1	1.9	1.9
Gross job losses	8,305	7,253	8,552	7,017	8,097	10.6	9.1	10.7	8.7	9.8
At contracting establishments	6,824	5,801	6,927	5,842	6,519	8.7	7.3	8.7	7.2	7.9
At closing establishments	1,481	1,452	1,625	1,175	1,578	1.9	1.8	2.0	1.5	1.9
Net employment change (2)	-378	806	-527	2,399	236	-0.5	1.1	-0.6	2.9	0.3
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	5,143	5,027	5,803	4,974	4,947	4.0	3.7	4.2	3.6	3.5
At expanding establishments	4,396	4,344	5,116	4,485	4,186	3.4	3.2	3.7	3.2	3.0
At opening establishments	747	683	687	489	761	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.5
Gross job losses	4,126	3,842	4,460	5,200	4,865	3.2	2.8	3.3	3.7	3.5
At contracting establishments	3,405	3,039	3,556	4,443	3,712	2.6	2.2	2.6	3.2	2.7
At closing establishments	721	803	904	757	1,153	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.5	0.8
Net employment change (2)	1,017	1,185	1,343	-226	82	0.8	0.9	0.9	-0.1	0.0
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	3,833	2,975	3,073	3,651	4,193	6.5	5.1	5.3	6.3	7.1
At expanding establishments	3,208	2,329	2,370	2,892	3,407	5.4	4.0	4.1	5.0	5.8
At opening establishments	625	646	703	759	786	1.1	1.1	1.2	1.3	1.3
Gross job losses	2,898	3,093	3,159	3,141	3,089	4.9	5.3	5.5	5.4	5.3
At contracting establishments	1,974	2,602	2,241	2,268	1,965	3.3	4.5	3.9	3.9	3.4
At closing establishments	924	491	918	873	1,124	1.6	0.8	1.6	1.5	1.9
Net employment change (2)	935	-118	-86	510	1,104	1.6	-0.2	-0.2	0.9	1.8
Retail trade
Gross job gains	9,875	10,345	9,865	11,459	9,213	5.5	5.8	5.5	6.4	5.2
At expanding establishments	8,745	8,692	8,292	9,195	7,881	4.9	4.9	4.6	5.1	4.4
At opening establishments	1,130	1,653	1,573	2,264	1,332	0.6	0.9	0.9	1.3	0.8
Gross job losses	9,832	9,780	11,945	10,413	11,081	5.5	5.5	6.7	5.9	6.3
At contracting establishments	8,452	8,547	9,702	9,237	9,678	4.7	4.8	5.4	5.2	5.5
At closing establishments	1,380	1,233	2,243	1,176	1,403	0.8	0.7	1.3	0.7	0.8
Net employment change (2)	43	565	-2,080	1,046	-1,868	0.0	0.3	-1.2	0.5	-1.1
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	4,118	2,333	2,994	4,125	5,068	7.5	4.6	6.1	8.1	9.5
At expanding establishments	3,633	1,961	2,312	3,695	4,352	6.6	3.9	4.7	7.3	8.2
At opening establishments	485	372	682	430	716	0.9	0.7	1.4	0.8	1.3
Gross job losses	1,866	3,441	2,185	2,423	2,322	3.4	6.8	4.4	4.8	4.3
At contracting establishments	1,481	3,188	1,687	1,785	1,823	2.7	6.3	3.4	3.5	3.4
At closing establishments	385	253	498	638	499	0.7	0.5	1.0	1.3	0.9
Net employment change (2)	2,252	-1,108	809	1,702	2,746	4.1	-2.2	1.7	3.3	5.2
Information
Gross job gains	883	729	1,115	931	952	4.4	3.6	5.6	4.7	4.8
At expanding establishments	626	645	854	789	651	3.1	3.2	4.3	4.0	3.3
At opening establishments	257	84	261	142	301	1.3	0.4	1.3	0.7	1.5
Gross job losses	961	930	1,158	1,139	1,311	4.8	4.7	5.7	5.7	6.7
At contracting establishments	774	729	928	857	1,151	3.9	3.7	4.6	4.3	5.9
At closing establishments	187	201	230	282	160	0.9	1.0	1.1	1.4	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-78	-201	-43	-208	-359	-0.4	-1.1	-0.1	-1.0	-1.9
Financial activities
Gross job gains	3,917	3,647	3,840	3,831	3,952	5.1	4.7	5.0	4.9	5.1
At expanding establishments	3,075	2,833	2,857	2,876	2,881	4.0	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7
At opening establishments	842	814	983	955	1,071	1.1	1.0	1.3	1.2	1.4
Gross job losses	3,585	3,700	3,859	3,659	4,055	4.6	4.8	5.0	4.7	5.3
At contracting establishments	2,725	2,854	2,787	2,711	3,129	3.5	3.7	3.6	3.5	4.1
At closing establishments	860	846	1,072	948	926	1.1	1.1	1.4	1.2	1.2
Net employment change (2)	332	-53	-19	172	-103	0.5	-0.1	0.0	0.2	-0.2
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	14,204	14,960	15,306	15,394	15,701	7.5	7.9	8.0	8.0	8.1
At expanding establishments	10,935	11,798	12,049	12,078	12,177	5.8	6.2	6.3	6.3	6.3
At opening establishments	3,269	3,162	3,257	3,316	3,524	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.8
Gross job losses	13,923	12,666	14,565	14,914	14,812	7.4	6.7	7.6	7.8	7.7
At contracting establishments	10,844	10,042	11,685	11,434	11,325	5.8	5.3	6.1	6.0	5.9
At closing establishments	3,079	2,624	2,880	3,480	3,487	1.6	1.4	1.5	1.8	1.8
Net employment change (2)	281	2,294	741	480	889	0.1	1.2	0.4	0.2	0.4
Education and health services
Gross job gains	9,626	9,396	9,046	9,579	9,744	4.6	4.5	4.3	4.6	4.7
At expanding establishments	7,554	7,277	7,382	7,558	7,516	3.6	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.6
At opening establishments	2,072	2,119	1,664	2,021	2,228	1.0	1.0	0.8	1.0	1.1
Gross job losses	9,670	8,726	10,321	9,280	8,744	4.6	4.1	4.9	4.5	4.1
At contracting establishments	7,065	6,815	7,973	7,447	6,590	3.4	3.2	3.8	3.6	3.1
At closing establishments	2,605	1,911	2,348	1,833	2,154	1.2	0.9	1.1	0.9	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-44	670	-1,275	299	1,000	0.0	0.4	-0.6	0.1	0.6
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	15,497	14,046	14,778	14,423	14,567	9.2	8.2	8.6	8.4	8.4
At expanding establishments	11,966	10,438	11,091	11,260	11,120	7.1	6.1	6.5	6.6	6.4
At opening establishments	3,531	3,608	3,687	3,163	3,447	2.1	2.1	2.1	1.8	2.0
Gross job losses	13,192	12,293	15,690	14,632	13,161	7.8	7.1	9.2	8.5	7.6
At contracting establishments	10,674	10,169	13,469	12,237	10,871	6.3	5.9	7.9	7.1	6.3
At closing establishments	2,518	2,124	2,221	2,395	2,290	1.5	1.2	1.3	1.4	1.3
Net employment change (2)	2,305	1,753	-912	-209	1,406	1.4	1.1	-0.6	-0.1	0.8
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	2,632	2,693	2,790	2,943	2,869	7.6	7.7	7.9	8.3	8.0
At expanding establishments	2,086	2,138	2,073	2,238	2,297	6.0	6.1	5.9	6.3	6.4
At opening establishments	546	555	717	705	572	1.6	1.6	2.0	2.0	1.6
Gross job losses	2,720	2,514	2,751	2,611	2,803	7.8	7.1	7.8	7.4	7.8
At contracting establishments	1,950	1,985	2,154	2,054	2,227	5.6	5.6	6.1	5.8	6.2
At closing establishments	770	529	597	557	576	2.2	1.5	1.7	1.6	1.6
Net employment change (2)	-88	179	39	332	66	-0.2	0.6	0.1	0.9	0.2
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

State	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Dec. 2017	Mar. 2018	June 2018	Sept. 2018	Dec. 2018	Dec. 2017	Mar. 2018	June 2018	Sept. 2018	Dec. 2018
United States(1)	6.4	6.0	6.1	6.0	6.1	5.6	5.4	5.8	6.0	5.6
Alabama	6.0	6.0	5.8	5.9	6.3	5.4	5.3	5.7	5.9	5.3
Alaska	9.7	9.8	10.9	8.9	10.9	10.2	8.8	10.7	10.6	9.7
Arizona	6.3	6.0	6.0	6.6	6.2	5.3	5.3	5.9	5.0	5.1
Arkansas	6.1	5.4	5.0	6.0	5.8	5.1	5.0	5.6	5.5	4.9
California	6.9	6.4	6.7	6.5	6.7	6.0	5.9	6.3	6.2	5.9
Colorado	6.8	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.8	6.1	6.0	6.1	6.8	6.0
Connecticut	5.3	5.1	5.8	5.2	5.3	5.2	5.2	5.0	5.6	4.9
Delaware	7.0	7.1	6.5	5.6	6.6	6.4	5.9	6.0	6.6	5.7
District of Columbia	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.3	5.6	5.0	4.7	5.5	5.5	5.1
Florida	8.2	6.1	6.5	6.7	6.3	5.3	5.5	6.1	5.7	5.9
Georgia	6.9	6.5	6.2	6.7	6.3	5.6	5.6	6.4	6.2	5.7
Hawaii	5.1	5.0	5.2	5.1	5.7	4.7	4.8	5.5	5.5	5.1
Idaho	7.4	7.9	7.3	6.8	7.4	6.6	5.9	6.7	6.9	6.3
Illinois	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.3	5.1	5.5	5.7	5.6
Indiana	5.7	5.6	5.4	5.2	5.6	5.0	5.1	5.5	5.4	4.9
Iowa	5.9	5.5	5.7	5.3	5.8	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.7	5.3
Kansas	5.9	5.2	5.7	5.9	6.1	5.2	5.5	5.6	5.7	5.4
Kentucky	6.1	6.2	5.9	5.7	6.1	5.6	5.9	5.6	6.0	5.5
Louisiana	6.2	6.5	6.1	6.2	6.2	6.0	5.8	6.5	6.2	5.7
Maine	7.2	7.2	8.1	6.0	7.3	6.6	7.0	7.1	7.5	6.3
Maryland	6.2	6.3	6.0	6.3	6.8	6.3	5.7	5.8	6.6	6.4
Massachusetts	5.7	5.4	6.1	5.5	5.8	5.4	5.2	5.4	6.2	5.3
Michigan	5.7	5.7	5.6	5.0	5.7	5.4	4.6	5.1	6.2	5.2
Minnesota	5.8	5.3	5.8	5.4	5.7	5.5	5.0	5.3	5.7	5.4
Mississippi	6.3	5.5	5.7	5.8	6.4	5.4	5.8	6.0	5.7	5.2
Missouri	5.7	5.4	5.7	5.9	5.8	5.5	5.2	5.7	6.0	5.4
Montana	8.5	7.8	8.0	7.2	9.0	7.4	7.1	7.8	7.9	7.2
Nebraska	6.2	5.6	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.5	5.5	5.8	6.0	5.8
Nevada	6.6	6.5	6.1	6.7	6.6	5.2	5.4	5.8	5.6	5.3
New Hampshire	6.7	6.1	6.7	5.6	6.7	5.9	5.9	6.3	6.8	5.7
New Jersey	6.4	5.6	6.5	6.0	6.3	5.8	5.8	5.7	6.3	5.6
New Mexico	6.5	6.3	6.5	6.4	6.7	6.1	5.5	6.2	6.4	6.0
New York	6.2	6.2	6.3	6.1	6.2	5.8	5.6	5.8	6.4	5.7
North Carolina	6.3	6.2	6.1	5.6	6.7	5.5	5.2	5.5	6.5	5.3
North Dakota	6.8	7.0	6.7	6.6	6.8	6.8	6.3	6.2	6.6	6.2
Ohio	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.3	5.6	5.2	5.0	5.4	5.7	5.2
Oklahoma	6.4	6.1	6.3	6.6	6.4	5.8	5.5	6.5	6.1	6.0
Oregon	6.8	7.8	6.2	6.2	6.7	6.0	5.6	6.2	6.3	5.9
Pennsylvania	5.5	5.2	5.3	5.4	5.3	5.0	4.9	5.1	5.2	4.7
Rhode Island	6.6	6.3	6.3	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.1	6.1	6.4	5.7
South Carolina	7.0	5.9	7.5	5.8	7.4	5.3	4.7	6.5	6.5	5.4
South Dakota	6.4	6.4	6.1	5.9	6.3	5.7	5.9	6.1	5.8	5.8
Tennessee	5.9	5.0	5.5	5.8	5.8	4.9	4.8	5.1	5.2	4.9
Texas	6.4	5.8	5.9	5.9	6.1	5.3	5.1	5.2	5.4	5.1
Utah	7.0	7.4	6.9	7.3	6.9	5.9	6.0	6.3	6.5	6.1
Vermont	7.4	6.4	7.2	6.9	7.4	6.5	7.0	7.3	7.4	6.8
Virginia	6.3	5.8	6.1	5.6	6.2	5.5	5.2	5.8	6.3	5.5
Washington	6.9	7.2	7.3	6.1	6.5	6.0	5.7	6.3	6.3	5.6
West Virginia	6.3	6.8	6.8	7.0	6.3	6.1	5.8	6.4	6.4	6.5
Wisconsin	5.6	5.6	5.4	5.1	5.4	5.0	4.7	5.5	5.9	4.9
Wyoming	8.7	8.4	8.2	8.2	10.0	8.4	8.0	8.3	8.3	7.8
Puerto Rico	7.1	8.4	8.0	7.2	6.0	11.8	6.8	6.2	5.8	6.7
Virgin Islands	9.2	12.0	12.5	10.9	8.3	28.2	16.8	8.6	6.3	7.8
Footnotes: (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.