Full text of First Quarter 2003 : Text File, USDL 03-761
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Technical information: (202) 691-6467 USDL 03-761
http://www.bls.gov/bdm
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, November 25, 2003
BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS: FIRST QUARTER 2003
From December 2002 to March 2003, the number of job gains from opening
and expanding establishments was 7.4 million, and the number of job losses
from closing and contracting establishments was 7.9 million, according to
preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
U.S. Department of Labor. Expanding and contracting establishments accounted
for most of the jobs gained and lost.
The change in the employment level over time is the net result of gross
job gains and gross job losses that occur at establishments throughout the
economy. Business Employment Dynamics statistics track these changes in
employment at private business establishments from the third month of one
quarter to the third month of the next. In this data series, gross job
gains are defined as increases in employment resulting from expansions of
employment at existing establishments or from the opening of establishments.
Gross job losses are defined as declines in employment at existing estab-
lishments or from the closing of establishments. The difference between the
number of gross jobs gained and the number of gross jobs lost is the net
change in employment.
The data series on Business Employment Dynamics are derived from the
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), also known as the ES-202
program. This program is a quarterly census of all establishments covered
under state and federal unemployment insurance programs, representing about
98 percent of employment on nonfarm payrolls. All data referred to in the
text are seasonally adjusted.
Trends in Gross Job Gains and Job Losses
Opening and expanding private sector business establishments gained
7.4 million jobs in the first quarter of 2003, or 305,000 fewer than in
the last quarter of 2002. Over the quarter, expanding establishments added
5.9 million jobs, while opening establishments added 1.5 million. Gross job
gains were smaller than in the previous quarter at both expanding and
opening establishments.
Gross job losses totaled 7.9 million in the first quarter of 2003, up
by 103,000 from the fourth quarter of 2002. This was the first increase in
gross job losses since the second quarter of 2001. In the first quarter of
2003, contracting establishments lost 6.4 million jobs, while closing es-
tablishments accounted for a loss of 1.6 million jobs. (See table A.)
- 2 -
Table A. 3-month private sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally
adjusted
(In thousands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3 months ended
Category |--------------------------------------
| Mar. | June | Sept. | Dec. | Mar.
| 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2003
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | | |
Gross job gains...................| 8,013 | 8,010 | 7,922 | 7,746 | 7,441
At expanding establishments.....| 6,200 | 6,223 | 6,208 | 6,114 | 5,904
At opening establishments.......| 1,813 | 1,787 | 1,714 | 1,632 | 1,537
|--------------------------------------
Gross job losses..................| 8,289 | 8,091 | 7,851 | 7,816 | 7,919
At contracting establishments...| 6,545 | 6,372 | 6,257 | 6,189 | 6,361
At closing establishments.......| 1,744 | 1,719 | 1,594 | 1,627 | 1,558
|--------------------------------------
Net employment change 1/..........| -276 | -81 | 71 | -70 | -478
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Rates of Gross Job Gains and Gross Job Losses
From December 2002 to March 2003, gross job gains represented 6.9 percent
of private sector employment, while gross job losses represented 7.4 percent
of private sector employment. (See chart 3 and table B.) These gross job
gain and loss statistics demonstrate that a sizable number of jobs appear
and disappear in the relatively short time frame of one quarter.
Table B. 3-month private sector gross job gains and losses as a percent
of employment, seasonally adjusted
(Percent)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3 months ended
Category |--------------------------------------
| Mar. | June | Sept. | Dec. | Mar.
| 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2003
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | | |
Gross job gains...................| 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 6.9
At expanding establishments.....| 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.5
At opening establishments.......| 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.4
|--------------------------------------
Gross job losses..................| 7.7 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.4
At contracting establishments...| 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.9
At closing establishments.......| 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5
|--------------------------------------
Net employment change 1/..........| -0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 | -0.5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ The net employment change is the difference between total gross job
gains and total gross job losses. See the Tecnhical Note for further
information.
Number of Establishments Gaining and Losing Employment
Out of 6.4 million active private sector establishments, a total of 1.8
million establishments gained jobs from December 2002 to March 2003. (See
table C.) Of these, 1.4 million were expanding establishments and 336,000
were opening establishments. During the first quarter of 2003, 1.9 million
establishments lost jobs. Of these, 1.5 million were contracting establish-
ments and 340,000 were closing establishments. The statistics from tables A
and C indicate that the average expanding establishment added 4.2 jobs during
the quarter and the average contracting establishment lost 4.2 jobs during
the quarter.
- 3 -
Table C. Number of private sector establishments by direction of employ-
ment change, seasonally adjusted
(In thousands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3 months ended
Category |--------------------------------------
| Mar. | June | Sept. | Dec. | Mar.
| 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2003
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | | |
Establishments gaining jobs.......| 1,786 | 1,794 | 1,805 | 1,798 | 1,756
Expanding establishments........| 1,444 | 1,447 | 1,460 | 1,453 | 1,420
Opening establishments..........| 342 | 347 | 345 | 345 | 336
|--------------------------------------
Establishments losing jobs .......| 1,834 | 1,825 | 1,781 | 1,809 | 1,859
Contracting establishments......| 1,496 | 1,484 | 1,474 | 1,476 | 1,519
Closing establishments..........| 338 | 341 | 307 | 333 | 340
|--------------------------------------
Net establishment change 1/.......| 4 | 6 | 38 | 12 | -4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ The net establishment change is the difference between the number of
opening establishments and the number of closing establishments. See the
Technical Note for further information.
More Information
For updates of the Business Employment Dynamics series, please refer to
the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov. For more information, please see
the Technical Note of this release or the Business Employment Dynamics Web
page at the BLS Web site http://www.bls.gov/bdm/. Additional information
about the Business Employment Dynamics data may be obtained by e-mailing
BDMinfo@bls.gov.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Comparing Business Employment Dynamics Data with Current |
| Employment Statistics and Quarterly Census of Employment |
| and Wages Data |
| |
| The net change in employment from Business Employment Dynamics |
| (BED) data series will not match the net change in employment from |
| the monthly Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey. The CES |
| estimates are based on monthly surveys from a sample of establishments,|
| while gross job gains and gross job losses are based on a quarterly |
| census of administrative records. In addition, the CES has a different|
| coverage, excluding the agriculture sector but including establishments|
| not covered by the unemployment insurance program. The net over-the- |
| quarter changes derived by aggregating component series in the BED data|
| may be different from the net employment change estimated from the CES |
| seasonally adjusted total employment series. The intended use of the |
| BED statistics is to show the dynamic labor market flows that underlie |
| the net changes in aggregate employment levels; data users who want |
| to track net changes in aggregate employment levels over time should |
| refer to CES data. |
| |
| BED data have a more limited scope than the Quarterly Census of |
| Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. The data in this release, in con- |
| trast to QCEW data, exclude government employees, private households |
| (NAICS 814110), and establishments with zero employment. See the |
| Technical Note for further information. |
| |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 4 -
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 quarterly state unemployment
insurance (UI) records. Most employers in the U.S. are required to file
quarterly reports on the employment and wages of workers covered by UI
laws, and to pay quarterly UI taxes. The quarterly UI reports are sent by
the State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) to BLS and form the basis of
the Bureau's establishment universe sampling frame. These reports also are
used to produce the quarterly QCEW data on total employment and wages and
the longitudinal BED data on gross job gains and losses. Other important
Bureau uses of the UI reports are in the Current Employment Statistics
(CES) program. (See table below for differences between QCEW, CES, and BED.)
In the BED program, the quarterly UI 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 establish-
ments.
Differences between QCEW, BED, and CES employment measures
The Bureau publishes three different establishment-based employment mea-
sures for any given quarter. Each of these measures--QCEW, BED, and CES--
makes use of the quarterly UI employment reports in producing data; how-
ever, 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 over-the-quarter employment change. It is important to
understand program differences and the intended uses of the program products.
(See table below.) Additional information on each program can be obtained
from the program Web sites shown in the table below.
- 5 -
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- | 400,000 employers
| submitted by 8.2 | ministrative records|
| million employers | submitted by 6.4 |
| | million private sec-|
| | tor employers |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Coverage |--UI and UCFE cover- |--UI Coverage, exclud-|Nonfarm wage and sal-
| age: all employers| ing: government, | ary jobs:
| subject to state | private households, |--UI Coverage, exclud-
| and federal UI Laws| and establishments | ing agriculture, pri-
| | with zero employment| vate households, and
| | | self-employed
| | |--Other employment, in-
| | | cluding railroads,
| | | religious organiza-
| | | tions, and other non-
| | | UI-covered jobs
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
Publication|--Quarterly |--Quarterly |--Monthly
frequency | -7 months after the| -8 months after the | -Usually first Friday
| end of each quar- | end of each quarter| of following month
| ter | |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|-----------------------
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 annu-
| new quarter of UI | dinal database and | ally realigns (bench-
| data | directly summarizes | marks) sample esti-
| | gross job gains and | mates to first quar-
| | losses | ter UI levels
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------
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, MSA,| and contractions at | industry
| state, and national| the national level |
| levels by detailed |--Future expansions |
| industry | will include data at|
| | the county, MSA, and|
| | state level by in- |
| | dustry and size of |
| | establishment |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|--------------------------
Principal |--Major uses include:|--Major uses include: |--Major uses include:
uses | -Detailed locality | -Business cycle | -Principal national
| 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 | traction by size of| jor economic indi-
| BLS establishment | establishment | cators
| survey | |
-----------|---------------------|----------------------|--------------------------
Program |--www.bls.gov/cew/ |--www.bls.gov/bdm/ |--www.bls.gov/ces/
Web sites | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 6 -
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 SESAs 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 or-
ganizations, 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 cer-
tain small nonprofit organizations.
Gross job gains and gross job losses in this release are derived from lon-
gitudinal histories of over 6.4 million private sector employer reports out
of 8.2 million total reports of employment and wages submitted by states to
BLS in the first quarter of 2003. 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 employ-
ment over three quarters. Data from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also
are excluded from the national data. As an illustration, the table below
shows, in millions of establishments, the number of establishments excluded
from the gross job gains and gross job losses data in the fourth quarter 2002:
Number of active establishments included in
Business Employment Dynamics data
Millions
Total establishments ES-202 program..................................8.2
Excluded: Public sector.........................................0.3
Private households....................................0.5
Zero employment.......................................1.0
Establishments in Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands..............................0.0*
Total establishments included in Business
Employment Dynamics data...........................................6.4
*Approximately 48,000 establishments.
Concepts and methodology
The Business Employment Dynamics data measure the net change in employment
at the establishment level. These changes come about in one of four ways. A
net increase in employment can come from either opening establishments or ex-
panding establishments. A net decrease in employment can come from either
closing establishments or contracting establishments. Gross job gains include
the sum of all jobs added at either opening or expanding establishments. Gross
job losses include the sum of all jobs lost in either closing or contracting
establishments. The net change in employment is the difference between gross
job gains and gross job losses.
The formal definitions of establishment-level employment changes are as
follows:
Openings. These are either establishments with positive third month em-
ployment 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.
- 7 -
Expansions. These are establishments with positive employment in the third
month in both the previous and current quarters, with a net increase in employ-
ment over this period.
Closings. These are either establishments with positive third month employ-
ment 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.
All establishment-level employment changes are measured from the third
month of each quarter. Not all establishments change their employment levels;
these establishments 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 com-
ponents 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 linkage process matches establishments' unique SESA identification
numbers (SESA-ID). Between 95 to 97 percent of establishments identified as
continuous from quarter to quarter are matched by SESA-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
SESA-IDs across quarters. Predecessor and successor relations can come about
for a variety of reasons, including a change in ownership, a firm restructur-
ing, 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 SESA-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, SESAs verify with
employers and update, if necessary, the industry, location, and ownership
classification of all establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establish-
ment classification codes resulting from the verification process are intro-
duced with the data reported for the first quarter of the year. Changes re-
sulting from improved employer reporting also are introduced in the first
quarter.
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.
- 8 -
The employment data series for opening, expanding, closing, and contract-
ing establishments are independently seasonally adjusted; net changes are
calculated based on the difference between gross job gains and gross job
losses. Similarly, 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 open-
ing and closing establishments. Additionally, establishment and employment
levels are independently seasonally adjusted to calculate the seasonally ad-
justed rates. Concurrent seasonal adjustment is run using X-12 ARIMA.
The net over-the-quarter change derived by summing the BED component series
will differ from the net employment change estimated from the seasonally ad-
justed 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 particu-
larly 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 admini-
strative rather than sample data, there are no issues related to sampling
error. Nonsampling error, however, still exists. Nonsampling errors can oc-
cur 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 distri-
buted 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 compli-
cations.
Additional statistics and other information
Several other programs within BLS produce closely related information.
The QCEW program, also known as the ES-202 program, provides both quarterly
and annual estimates of employment by state, county, and detailed industry.
News releases on quarterly county employment and wages and average annual pay
by state and industry are available upon request from the Division of Admin-
istrative Statistics and Labor Turnover, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.
Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212; telephone 202-691-6567;
(http://www.bls.gov/cew/); (e-mail: CEWInfo@bls.gov).
The CES program produces monthly estimates of employment, its net change,
and earnings by detailed industry. These estimates are part of the Employ-
ment Situation report put out monthly by BLS.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program provides month-
ly measures of job openings, as well as employee hires and separations.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired in-
dividuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
number: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Private sector gross job gains and job losses, seasonally adjusted
(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
1992 September 276 7,233 5,528 1,705 6,957 5,362 1,595
December 344 7,162 5,504 1,658 6,818 5,428 1,390
1993 March 534 7,511 5,532 1,979 6,977 5,318 1,659
June 636 7,290 5,757 1,533 6,654 5,260 1,394
September 709 7,383 5,770 1,613 6,674 5,322 1,352
December 754 7,481 5,876 1,605 6,727 5,357 1,370
1994 March 643 7,502 5,880 1,622 6,859 5,401 1,458
June 880 7,761 6,033 1,728 6,881 5,400 1,481
September 1,025 7,838 6,121 1,717 6,813 5,493 1,320
December 614 7,682 6,044 1,638 7,068 5,602 1,466
1995 March 830 7,858 6,180 1,678 7,028 5,647 1,381
June 307 7,705 6,020 1,685 7,398 5,934 1,464
September 673 7,873 6,211 1,662 7,200 5,667 1,533
December 570 8,023 6,287 1,736 7,453 5,916 1,537
1996 March 432 7,980 6,262 1,718 7,548 6,030 1,518
June 594 8,111 6,329 1,782 7,517 5,961 1,556
September 590 8,146 6,285 1,861 7,556 5,988 1,568
December 827 8,267 6,390 1,877 7,440 5,906 1,534
1997 March 823 8,305 6,463 1,842 7,482 5,886 1,596
June 627 8,139 6,386 1,753 7,512 5,924 1,588
September 876 8,608 6,674 1,934 7,732 5,972 1,760
December 642 8,673 6,674 1,999 8,031 6,098 1,933
1998 March 777 8,829 6,668 2,161 8,052 6,120 1,932
June 677 8,739 6,601 2,138 8,062 6,191 1,871
September 759 8,587 6,600 1,987 7,828 6,123 1,705
December 619 8,482 6,704 1,778 7,863 6,115 1,748
1999 March 401 8,804 6,720 2,084 8,403 6,454 1,949
June 587 8,806 6,803 2,003 8,219 6,383 1,836
September 752 8,938 6,931 2,007 8,186 6,335 1,851
December 950 9,066 7,046 2,020 8,116 6,303 1,813
2000 March 719 8,847 6,938 1,909 8,128 6,414 1,714
June 534 8,723 6,938 1,785 8,189 6,463 1,726
September 407 8,854 6,930 1,924 8,447 6,620 1,827
December 301 8,680 6,867 1,813 8,379 6,594 1,785
2001 March -281 8,474 6,700 1,774 8,755 6,883 1,872
June -782 8,217 6,413 1,804 8,999 7,115 1,884
September -1,080 7,898 6,104 1,794 8,978 7,060 1,918
December -808 7,902 6,083 1,819 8,710 6,930 1,780
2002 March -276 8,013 6,200 1,813 8,289 6,545 1,744
June -81 8,010 6,223 1,787 8,091 6,372 1,719
September 71 7,922 6,208 1,714 7,851 6,257 1,594
December -70 7,746 6,114 1,632 7,816 6,189 1,627
2003 March -478 7,441 5,904 1,537 7,919 6,361 1,558
(1) Net change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses.
Table 2. Private sector gross job gains and job losses, not seasonally adjusted
(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
1992 September 32 6,695 5,186 1,509 6,663 5,253 1,410
December 141 7,017 5,547 1,470 6,876 5,573 1,303
1993 March -1,673 6,817 4,706 2,111 8,490 6,319 2,171
June 3,266 8,712 6,929 1,783 5,446 4,234 1,212
September 412 6,832 5,408 1,424 6,420 5,223 1,197
December 580 7,345 5,921 1,424 6,765 5,483 1,282
1994 March -1,573 6,762 5,027 1,735 8,335 6,423 1,912
June 3,606 9,244 7,237 2,007 5,638 4,354 1,284
September 664 7,236 5,726 1,510 6,572 5,401 1,171
December 477 7,551 6,097 1,454 7,074 5,705 1,369
1995 March -1,400 7,133 5,327 1,806 8,533 6,718 1,815
June 3,062 9,135 7,182 1,953 6,073 4,807 1,266
September 295 7,238 5,786 1,452 6,943 5,581 1,362
December 492 7,913 6,371 1,542 7,421 5,990 1,431
1996 March -1,878 7,297 5,430 1,867 9,175 7,173 2,002
June 3,375 9,575 7,520 2,055 6,200 4,861 1,339
September 134 7,433 5,822 1,611 7,299 5,901 1,398
December 809 8,181 6,508 1,673 7,372 5,951 1,421
1997 March -1,448 7,650 5,630 2,020 9,098 6,986 2,112
June 3,342 9,577 7,565 2,012 6,235 4,875 1,360
September 346 7,809 6,149 1,660 7,463 5,885 1,578
December 727 8,621 6,830 1,791 7,894 6,118 1,776
1998 March -1,613 8,204 5,819 2,385 9,817 7,247 2,570
June 3,543 10,266 7,823 2,443 6,723 5,129 1,594
September 150 7,741 6,045 1,696 7,591 6,049 1,542
December 774 8,474 6,873 1,601 7,700 6,109 1,591
1999 March -2,032 8,186 5,881 2,305 10,218 7,621 2,597
June 3,485 10,362 8,076 2,286 6,877 5,311 1,566
September 62 8,023 6,317 1,706 7,961 6,278 1,683
December 1,097 9,032 7,208 1,824 7,935 6,298 1,637
2000 March -1,607 8,208 6,097 2,111 9,815 7,532 2,283
June 3,443 10,307 8,269 2,038 6,864 5,385 1,479
September -332 7,917 6,285 1,632 8,249 6,583 1,666
December 400 8,628 6,986 1,642 8,228 6,622 1,606
2001 March -2,622 7,880 5,924 1,956 10,502 8,018 2,484
June 2,173 9,735 7,671 2,064 7,562 5,936 1,626
September -1,734 7,040 5,519 1,521 8,774 7,023 1,751
December -828 7,795 6,147 1,648 8,623 7,026 1,597
2002 March -2,363 7,506 5,512 1,994 9,869 7,560 2,309
June 2,704 9,512 7,463 2,049 6,808 5,317 1,491
September -618 7,059 5,605 1,454 7,677 6,223 1,454
December -148 7,629 6,151 1,478 7,777 6,318 1,459
2003 March -2,669 6,868 5,187 1,681 9,537 7,483 2,054
(1) See footnote 1, table 1.
Table 3. Private sector gross job gains and losses, as a percent of employment, (1) seasonally adjusted
(Percent)
Gross job gains Gross job losses
Year 3 months ended Net change (2) Total Expanding Opening Total Contracting Closing
establishments establishments establishments establishments
1992 September 0.3 8.1 6.2 1.9 7.8 6.0 1.8
December 0.2 7.9 6.1 1.8 7.7 6.1 1.6
1993 March 0.6 8.3 6.1 2.2 7.7 5.9 1.8
June 0.8 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.3 5.8 1.5
September 0.8 8.1 6.3 1.8 7.3 5.8 1.5
December 0.8 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.3 5.8 1.5
1994 March 0.7 8.1 6.3 1.8 7.4 5.8 1.6
June 0.9 8.3 6.5 1.8 7.4 5.8 1.6
September 1.1 8.3 6.5 1.8 7.2 5.8 1.4
December 0.6 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.4 5.9 1.5
1995 March 0.8 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.3 5.9 1.4
June 0.3 7.9 6.2 1.7 7.6 6.1 1.5
September 0.7 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.4 5.8 1.6
December 0.5 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.7 6.1 1.6
1996 March 0.6 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.6 6.1 1.5
June 0.6 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.6 6.0 1.6
September 0.6 8.2 6.3 1.9 7.6 6.0 1.6
December 0.9 8.3 6.4 1.9 7.4 5.9 1.5
1997 March 0.8 8.2 6.4 1.8 7.4 5.8 1.6
June 0.6 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.4 5.8 1.6
September 0.9 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.5 5.8 1.7
December 0.6 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.8 5.9 1.9
1998 March 0.7 8.5 6.4 2.1 7.8 5.9 1.9
June 0.6 8.3 6.3 2.0 7.7 5.9 1.8
September 0.8 8.2 6.3 1.9 7.4 5.8 1.6
December 0.5 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.5 5.8 1.7
1999 March 0.4 8.3 6.3 2.0 7.9 6.1 1.8
June 0.6 8.3 6.4 1.9 7.7 6.0 1.7
September 0.7 8.3 6.4 1.9 7.6 5.9 1.7
December 0.9 8.4 6.5 1.9 7.5 5.8 1.7
2000 March 0.6 8.1 6.4 1.7 7.5 5.9 1.6
June 0.4 7.9 6.3 1.6 7.5 5.9 1.6
September 0.3 8.0 6.3 1.7 7.7 6.0 1.7
December 0.2 7.8 6.2 1.6 7.6 6.0 1.6
2001 March -0.2 7.7 6.1 1.6 7.9 6.2 1.7
June -0.8 7.4 5.8 1.6 8.2 6.5 1.7
September -1.1 7.2 5.6 1.6 8.3 6.5 1.8
December -0.7 7.3 5.6 1.7 8.0 6.4 1.6
2002 March -0.2 7.5 5.8 1.7 7.7 6.1 1.6
June 0.0 7.5 5.8 1.7 7.5 5.9 1.6
September 0.1 7.4 5.8 1.6 7.3 5.8 1.5
December -0.1 7.2 5.7 1.5 7.3 5.8 1.5
2003 March -0.5 6.9 5.5 1.4 7.4 5.9 1.5
(1) The rates measure gross job gains and job losses as a percentage of the average of the previous and current employment.
(2) See footnote 1, table 1.
Table 4. Private sector gross job gains and losses, as a percent of employment, (1) not seasonally adjusted
(Percent)
Gross job gains Gross job losses
Year 3 months ended Net change (2) Total Expanding Opening Total Contracting Closing
establishments establishments establishments establishments
1992 September 0.1 7.5 5.8 1.7 7.4 5.8 1.6
December 0.2 7.8 6.2 1.6 7.6 6.2 1.4
1993 March -1.8 7.7 5.3 2.4 9.5 7.1 2.4
June 3.7 9.7 7.7 2.0 6.0 4.7 1.3
September 0.4 7.4 5.9 1.5 7.0 5.7 1.3
December 0.6 7.9 6.4 1.5 7.3 5.9 1.4
1994 March -1.7 7.4 5.5 1.9 9.1 7.0 2.1
June 3.9 10.0 7.8 2.2 6.1 4.7 1.4
September 0.7 7.6 6.0 1.6 6.9 5.7 1.2
December 0.5 7.9 6.4 1.5 7.4 6.0 1.4
1995 March -1.5 7.5 5.6 1.9 9.0 7.1 1.9
June 3.2 9.5 7.5 2.0 6.3 5.0 1.3
September 0.3 7.4 5.9 1.5 7.1 5.7 1.4
December 0.5 8.1 6.5 1.6 7.6 6.1 1.5
1996 March -2.0 7.5 5.6 1.9 9.5 7.4 2.1
June 3.5 9.8 7.7 2.1 6.3 4.9 1.4
September 0.1 7.4 5.8 1.6 7.3 5.9 1.4
December 0.9 8.2 6.5 1.7 7.3 5.9 1.4
1997 March -1.5 7.6 5.6 2.0 9.1 7.0 2.1
June 3.4 9.5 7.5 2.0 6.1 4.8 1.3
September 0.4 7.6 6.0 1.6 7.2 5.7 1.5
December 0.7 8.3 6.6 1.7 7.6 5.9 1.7
1998 March -1.6 7.9 5.6 2.3 9.5 7.0 2.5
June 3.4 9.8 7.5 2.3 6.4 4.9 1.5
September 0.1 7.3 5.7 1.6 7.2 5.7 1.5
December 0.8 8.0 6.5 1.5 7.2 5.7 1.5
1999 March -1.9 7.8 5.6 2.2 9.7 7.2 2.5
June 3.2 9.7 7.6 2.1 6.5 5.0 1.5
September 0.0 7.4 5.8 1.6 7.4 5.8 1.6
December 1.0 8.3 6.6 1.7 7.3 5.8 1.5
2000 March -1.5 7.5 5.6 1.9 9.0 6.9 2.1
June 3.2 9.5 7.6 1.9 6.3 4.9 1.4
September -0.2 7.2 5.7 1.5 7.4 5.9 1.5
December 0.4 7.8 6.3 1.5 7.4 6.0 1.4
2001 March -2.4 7.2 5.4 1.8 9.6 7.3 2.3
June 2.0 8.9 7.0 1.9 6.9 5.4 1.5
September -1.6 6.4 5.0 1.4 8.0 6.4 1.6
December -0.8 7.2 5.7 1.5 8.0 6.5 1.5
2002 March -2.2 7.1 5.2 1.9 9.3 7.1 2.2
June 2.5 8.9 7.0 1.9 6.4 5.0 1.4
September -0.6 6.5 5.2 1.3 7.1 5.8 1.3
December -0.2 7.1 5.7 1.4 7.3 5.9 1.4
2003 March -2.4 6.5 4.9 1.6 8.9 7.0 1.9
(1) See footnote 1, table 3.
(2) See footnote 1, table 1.
Table 5. Number of private sector establishments by direction of employment change, seasonally adjusted
(In thousands)
Establishments gaining jobs Establishments losing jobs
Year 3 months ended Net change (1) Total Expanding Opening Total Contracting Closing
establishments establishments establishments establishments
1992 September 11 1,576 1,287 289 1,541 1,263 278
December 24 1,591 1,294 297 1,534 1,261 273
1993 March 32 1,614 1,310 304 1,537 1,265 272
June 26 1,631 1,337 294 1,521 1,253 268
September 37 1,647 1,348 299 1,530 1,268 262
December 23 1,655 1,365 290 1,544 1,277 267
1994 March 13 1,644 1,356 288 1,576 1,301 275
June 29 1,700 1,390 310 1,570 1,289 281
September 38 1,715 1,404 311 1,579 1,306 273
December 13 1,693 1,394 299 1,613 1,327 286
1995 March 31 1,717 1,411 306 1,616 1,341 275
June 26 1,697 1,390 307 1,640 1,359 281
September 7 1,715 1,412 303 1,649 1,353 296
December 23 1,726 1,409 317 1,656 1,362 294
1996 March 15 1,736 1,424 312 1,663 1,366 297
June 22 1,745 1,426 319 1,674 1,377 297
September 36 1,762 1,432 330 1,675 1,381 294
December 35 1,787 1,455 332 1,673 1,376 297
1997 March 31 1,801 1,471 330 1,683 1,384 299
June 18 1,783 1,463 320 1,702 1,400 302
September 17 1,810 1,482 328 1,706 1,395 311
December 9 1,818 1,482 336 1,736 1,409 327
1998 March 19 1,814 1,469 345 1,738 1,412 326
June 56 1,841 1,487 354 1,706 1,408 298
September 22 1,824 1,488 336 1,744 1,430 314
December 2 1,831 1,512 319 1,730 1,413 317
1999 March 11 1,827 1,493 334 1,766 1,443 323
June -1 1,847 1,506 341 1,785 1,443 342
September 16 1,860 1,510 350 1,783 1,449 334
December 36 1,903 1,539 364 1,758 1,430 328
2000 March 24 1,882 1,525 357 1,810 1,477 333
June 20 1,876 1,526 350 1,819 1,489 330
September 23 1,879 1,520 359 1,821 1,485 336
December 12 1,863 1,512 351 1,831 1,492 339
2001 March 5 1,849 1,502 347 1,841 1,499 342
June -3 1,811 1,473 338 1,861 1,520 341
September -8 1,774 1,435 339 1,878 1,531 347
December 6 1,775 1,429 346 1,856 1,516 340
2002 March 4 1,786 1,444 342 1,834 1,496 338
June 6 1,794 1,447 347 1,825 1,484 341
September 38 1,805 1,460 345 1,781 1,474 307
December 12 1,798 1,453 345 1,809 1,476 333
2003 March -4 1,756 1,420 336 1,859 1,519 340
(1) Net change is the difference between the number of opening establishments and the number of closing establishments.
Table 6. Number of private sector establishments by direction of employment change, not seasonally adjusted
(In thousands)
Establishments gaining jobs Establishments losing jobs
Year 3 months ended Net change (1) Total Expanding Opening Total Contracting Closing
establishments establishments establishments establishments
1992 September 15 1,497 1,235 262 1,581 1,334 247
December 37 1,577 1,282 295 1,514 1,256 258
1993 March -61 1,481 1,189 292 1,735 1,382 353
June 103 1,857 1,522 335 1,304 1,072 232
September 37 1,565 1,295 270 1,572 1,339 233
December 36 1,643 1,354 289 1,525 1,272 253
1994 March -79 1,513 1,236 277 1,774 1,418 356
June 110 1,928 1,575 353 1,349 1,106 243
September 36 1,630 1,350 280 1,623 1,379 244
December 27 1,683 1,384 299 1,594 1,322 272
1995 March -61 1,585 1,291 294 1,812 1,457 355
June 108 1,925 1,575 350 1,414 1,172 242
September 6 1,627 1,355 272 1,694 1,428 266
December 38 1,720 1,402 318 1,636 1,356 280
1996 March -82 1,605 1,304 301 1,864 1,481 383
June 108 1,975 1,612 363 1,446 1,191 255
September 29 1,664 1,370 294 1,726 1,461 265
December 52 1,787 1,451 336 1,650 1,366 284
1997 March -67 1,669 1,351 318 1,884 1,499 385
June 105 2,014 1,651 363 1,470 1,212 258
September 9 1,706 1,415 291 1,761 1,479 282
December 31 1,823 1,481 342 1,706 1,395 311
1998 March -85 1,682 1,348 334 1,949 1,530 419
June 145 2,077 1,678 399 1,472 1,218 254
September 9 1,713 1,416 297 1,808 1,520 288
December 29 1,842 1,514 328 1,695 1,396 299
1999 March -92 1,695 1,372 323 1,978 1,563 415
June 93 2,083 1,700 383 1,540 1,250 290
September -4 1,742 1,434 308 1,854 1,542 312
December 70 1,917 1,541 376 1,719 1,413 306
2000 March -82 1,751 1,406 345 2,022 1,595 427
June 114 2,113 1,721 392 1,570 1,292 278
September -5 1,757 1,442 315 1,901 1,581 320
December 53 1,878 1,512 366 1,791 1,478 313
2001 March -104 1,720 1,386 334 2,050 1,612 438
June 91 2,045 1,668 377 1,607 1,321 286
September -38 1,654 1,357 297 1,964 1,629 335
December 50 1,788 1,426 362 1,819 1,507 312
2002 March -102 1,659 1,330 329 2,034 1,603 431
June 101 2,029 1,642 387 1,577 1,291 286
September 4 1,685 1,383 302 1,865 1,567 298
December 58 1,811 1,448 363 1,776 1,471 305
2003 March -113 1,621 1,300 321 2,075 1,641 434
(1) See footnote 1, table 5.
Table 7. Private sector establishments by direction of employment change, as a percent of total establishments, (1)
seasonally adjusted
(Percent)
Establishments gaining jobs Establishments losing jobs
Year 3 months ended Net change (2) Total Expanding Opening Total Contracting Closing
establishments establishments establishments establishments
1992 September 0.2 29.5 24.1 5.4 28.8 23.6 5.2
December 0.4 29.6 24.1 5.5 28.6 23.5 5.1
1993 March 0.6 29.8 24.2 5.6 28.4 23.4 5.0
June 0.5 29.9 24.5 5.4 27.9 23.0 4.9
September 0.6 30.0 24.6 5.4 27.9 23.1 4.8
December 0.4 29.9 24.7 5.2 27.9 23.1 4.8
1994 March 0.2 29.6 24.4 5.2 28.4 23.4 5.0
June 0.6 30.5 24.9 5.6 28.1 23.1 5.0
September 0.6 30.5 25.0 5.5 28.2 23.3 4.9
December 0.2 30.0 24.7 5.3 28.6 23.5 5.1
1995 March 0.6 30.3 24.9 5.4 28.4 23.6 4.8
June 0.5 29.7 24.3 5.4 28.7 23.8 4.9
September 0.1 29.9 24.6 5.3 28.8 23.6 5.2
December 0.4 30.0 24.5 5.5 28.8 23.7 5.1
1996 March 0.3 30.0 24.6 5.4 28.7 23.6 5.1
June 0.4 30.1 24.6 5.5 28.8 23.7 5.1
September 0.7 30.2 24.5 5.7 28.6 23.6 5.0
December 0.5 30.4 24.8 5.6 28.5 23.4 5.1
1997 March 0.5 30.5 24.9 5.6 28.5 23.4 5.1
June 0.3 30.0 24.6 5.4 28.7 23.6 5.1
September 0.3 30.3 24.8 5.5 28.6 23.4 5.2
December 0.1 30.4 24.8 5.6 29.0 23.5 5.5
1998 March 0.3 30.2 24.5 5.7 28.9 23.5 5.4
June 1.0 30.5 24.6 5.9 28.2 23.3 4.9
September 0.3 30.0 24.5 5.5 28.7 23.5 5.2
December 0.0 30.0 24.8 5.2 28.4 23.2 5.2
1999 March 0.2 29.9 24.4 5.5 28.9 23.6 5.3
June 0.0 30.2 24.6 5.6 29.2 23.6 5.6
September 0.3 30.3 24.6 5.7 29.0 23.6 5.4
December 0.6 30.9 25.0 5.9 28.5 23.2 5.3
2000 March 0.4 30.4 24.6 5.8 29.2 23.8 5.4
June 0.3 30.1 24.5 5.6 29.2 23.9 5.3
September 0.3 30.0 24.3 5.7 29.1 23.7 5.4
December 0.2 29.7 24.1 5.6 29.2 23.8 5.4
2001 March 0.1 29.4 23.9 5.5 29.2 23.8 5.4
June 0.0 28.8 23.4 5.4 29.5 24.1 5.4
September -0.1 28.2 22.8 5.4 29.8 24.3 5.5
December 0.1 28.2 22.7 5.5 29.5 24.1 5.4
2002 March 0.0 28.3 22.9 5.4 29.1 23.7 5.4
June 0.1 28.4 22.9 5.5 28.8 23.4 5.4
September 0.6 28.4 23.0 5.4 28.0 23.2 4.8
December 0.2 28.2 22.8 5.4 28.3 23.1 5.2
2003 March 0.0 27.5 22.2 5.3 29.0 23.7 5.3
(1) The rates measure establishments gaining or losing jobs as a percentage of the average of previous and current quarter
total number of establishments.
(2) See footnote 1, table 5.
Table 8. Private sector establishments by direction of employment change, as a percent of total establishments, (1)
not seasonally adjusted
(Percent)
Establishments gaining jobs Establishments losing jobs
Year 3 months ended Net change (2) Total Expanding Opening Total Contracting Closing
establishments establishments establishments establishments
1992 September 0.3 27.9 23.0 4.9 29.4 24.8 4.6
December 0.7 29.2 23.7 5.5 28.1 23.3 4.8
1993 March -1.2 27.5 22.1 5.4 32.3 25.7 6.6
June 1.9 34.3 28.1 6.2 24.1 19.8 4.3
September 0.7 28.4 23.5 4.9 28.5 24.3 4.2
December 0.6 29.6 24.4 5.2 27.5 22.9 4.6
1994 March -1.4 27.4 22.4 5.0 32.0 25.6 6.4
June 2.0 34.8 28.4 6.4 24.3 19.9 4.4
September 0.7 28.9 23.9 5.0 28.8 24.5 4.3
December 0.5 29.7 24.4 5.3 28.1 23.3 4.8
1995 March -1.1 28.0 22.8 5.2 32.1 25.8 6.3
June 1.9 33.9 27.7 6.2 24.9 20.6 4.3
September 0.1 28.2 23.5 4.7 29.4 24.8 4.6
December 0.7 29.8 24.3 5.5 28.3 23.5 4.8
1996 March -1.5 27.8 22.6 5.2 32.4 25.7 6.7
June 1.9 34.2 27.9 6.3 25.0 20.6 4.4
September 0.5 28.4 23.4 5.0 29.4 24.9 4.5
December 0.9 30.3 24.6 5.7 27.9 23.1 4.8
1997 March -1.1 28.3 22.9 5.4 31.9 25.4 6.5
June 1.7 34.0 27.9 6.1 24.9 20.5 4.4
September 0.2 28.5 23.6 4.9 29.4 24.7 4.7
December 0.5 30.3 24.6 5.7 28.4 23.2 5.2
1998 March -1.4 28.1 22.5 5.6 32.6 25.6 7.0
June 2.4 34.5 27.9 6.6 24.4 20.2 4.2
September 0.2 28.1 23.2 4.9 29.6 24.9 4.7
December 0.5 30.1 24.7 5.4 27.7 22.8 4.9
1999 March -1.5 27.8 22.5 5.3 32.4 25.6 6.8
June 1.5 34.2 27.9 6.3 25.3 20.5 4.8
September -0.1 28.3 23.3 5.0 30.2 25.1 5.1
December 1.2 31.0 24.9 6.1 27.7 22.8 4.9
2000 March -1.3 28.3 22.7 5.6 32.7 25.8 6.9
June 1.8 34.0 27.7 6.3 25.3 20.8 4.5
September -0.1 28.0 23.0 5.0 30.3 25.2 5.1
December 0.8 29.8 24.0 5.8 28.5 23.5 5.0
2001 March -1.7 27.4 22.1 5.3 32.7 25.7 7.0
June 1.4 32.6 26.6 6.0 25.7 21.1 4.6
September -0.6 26.2 21.5 4.7 31.1 25.8 5.3
December 0.8 28.3 22.6 5.7 28.7 23.8 4.9
2002 March -1.6 26.3 21.1 5.2 32.3 25.5 6.8
June 1.6 32.1 26.0 6.1 25.0 20.5 4.5
September 0.0 26.4 21.7 4.7 29.3 24.6 4.7
December 0.9 28.3 22.6 5.7 27.8 23.0 4.8
2003 March -1.8 25.4 20.4 5.0 32.5 25.7 6.8
(1) See footnote 1, table 7.
(2) See footnote 1, table 5.