Business Employment Dynamics in Virginia — First Quarter 2024

From December 2023 to March 2024, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Virginia were 191,176, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 174,641, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 16,535 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2024. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 16,106. (See chart 1.)

Line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in Virginia from March 2019 to March 2024, seasonally adjusted. Gross job gains is in a solid blue line and gross job losses in a black dotted line. An accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Virginia, March 2019–March 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Mar. 2019	205,417	176,998
Jun. 2019	196,010	185,390
Sep. 2019	176,146	198,975
Dec. 2019	210,776	178,457
Mar. 2020	181,869	199,620
Jun. 2020	142,920	554,335
Sep. 2020	304,263	157,986
Dec. 2020	213,698	162,464
Mar. 2021	189,905	169,495
Jun. 2021	197,276	187,917
Sep. 2021	214,517	189,328
Dec. 2021	226,683	168,958
Mar. 2022	211,849	186,641
Jun. 2022	209,573	215,574
Sep. 2022	242,881	195,537
Dec. 2022	205,642	190,209
Mar. 2023	206,511	172,366
Jun. 2023	200,818	192,946
Sep. 2023	195,386	199,133
Dec. 2023	199,237	183,131
Mar. 2024	191,176	174,641

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the first quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 5.7 percent of private-sector employment in Virginia and nationwide. (See chart 2.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In Virginia, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 147,033 in the first quarter of 2024, a decrease of 7,821 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 44,143 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2024, a decline of 240 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Virginia, March 2019–March 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Virginia
Mar. 2019	5.9	6.4
Jun. 2019	6.1	6.1
Sep. 2019	5.9	5.5
Dec. 2019	6.2	6.5
Mar. 2020	5.5	5.6
Jun. 2020	4.8	4.6
Sep. 2020	9.5	10.2
Dec. 2020	7.4	7.0
Mar. 2021	6.9	6.1
Jun. 2021	6.8	6.4
Sep. 2021	7.3	6.9
Dec. 2021	7.7	7.2
Mar. 2022	6.7	6.5
Jun. 2022	6.5	6.5
Sep. 2022	6.9	7.5
Dec. 2022	6.3	6.2
Mar. 2023	6.3	6.2
Jun. 2023	6.2	6.1
Sep. 2023	5.9	5.9
Dec. 2023	6.0	5.9
Mar. 2024	5.7	5.7

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Virginia; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.4 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In Virginia, contracting establishments lost 137,930 jobs in the first quarter of 2024, a decrease of 4,026 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 36,711 jobs, a decline of 4,464 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Virginia, March 2019–March 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Virginia
Mar. 2019	5.6	5.5
Jun. 2019	5.9	5.8
Sep. 2019	5.8	6.2
Dec. 2019	5.5	5.6
Mar. 2020	6.3	6.1
Jun. 2020	16.8	18.0
Sep. 2020	5.9	5.3
Dec. 2020	5.7	5.3
Mar. 2021	5.5	5.4
Jun. 2021	5.9	6.1
Sep. 2021	6.1	6.0
Dec. 2021	5.4	5.3
Mar. 2022	5.5	5.8
Jun. 2022	6.2	6.7
Sep. 2022	5.9	6.1
Dec. 2022	5.9	5.8
Mar. 2023	5.5	5.2
Jun. 2023	5.9	5.9
Sep. 2023	6.0	6.0
Dec. 2023	5.7	5.5
Mar. 2024	5.4	5.2

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 7 of the 11 industry sectors in Virginia in the first quarter of 2024. Education and health services had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 7,643 jobs. This was the result of 30,718 gross job gains and 23,075 gross job losses. The retail trade industry had a net gain of 4,720 jobs. Transportation and warehousing showed a net loss of 1,774 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics Home.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2024 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

Data in this release contain annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. These revisions include the previous 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.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

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

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Virginia, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	206,511	200,818	195,386	199,237	191,176	6.2	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.7
At expanding establishments	159,236	155,610	153,832	154,854	147,033	4.8	4.7	4.6	4.6	4.4
At opening establishments	47,275	45,208	41,554	44,383	44,143	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.3	1.3
Gross job losses	172,366	192,946	199,133	183,131	174,641	5.2	5.9	6.0	5.5	5.2
At contracting establishments	135,892	154,583	153,852	141,956	137,930	4.1	4.7	4.6	4.3	4.1
At closing establishments	36,474	38,363	45,281	41,175	36,711	1.1	1.2	1.4	1.2	1.1
Net employment change (2)	34,145	7,872	-3,747	16,106	16,535	1.0	0.2	-0.1	0.4	0.5
Construction
Gross job gains	15,947	13,852	15,928	15,666	16,088	7.5	6.4	7.5	7.3	7.4
At expanding establishments	12,166	10,772	12,931	12,711	13,552	5.7	5.0	6.1	5.9	6.2
At opening establishments	3,781	3,080	2,997	2,955	2,536	1.8	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.2
Gross job losses	13,492	16,655	14,260	14,122	14,027	6.3	7.7	6.7	6.6	6.4
At contracting establishments	10,469	13,173	10,925	10,695	11,163	4.9	6.1	5.1	5.0	5.1
At closing establishments	3,023	3,482	3,335	3,427	2,864	1.4	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.3
Net employment change (2)	2,455	-2,803	1,668	1,544	2,061	1.2	-1.3	0.8	0.7	1.0
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	7,529	7,707	7,508	7,650	7,793	3.1	3.2	3.1	3.1	3.2
At expanding establishments	6,541	6,542	6,118	6,583	6,796	2.7	2.7	2.5	2.7	2.8
At opening establishments	988	1,165	1,390	1,067	997	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.4	0.4
Gross job losses	6,700	7,695	8,851	8,792	6,584	2.7	3.2	3.6	3.6	2.7
At contracting establishments	5,612	6,809	6,851	7,567	5,537	2.3	2.8	2.8	3.1	2.3
At closing establishments	1,088	886	2,000	1,225	1,047	0.4	0.4	0.8	0.5	0.4
Net employment change (2)	829	12	-1,343	-1,142	1,209	0.4	0.0	-0.5	-0.5	0.5
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	5,566	4,565	5,062	4,612	4,861	4.9	4.0	4.4	4.0	4.3
At expanding establishments	4,679	3,669	4,095	3,693	3,854	4.1	3.2	3.6	3.2	3.4
At opening establishments	887	896	967	919	1,007	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.9
Gross job losses	4,515	4,542	4,791	4,348	4,382	4.0	4.0	4.2	3.8	3.8
At contracting establishments	3,465	3,661	3,545	3,346	3,340	3.1	3.2	3.1	2.9	2.9
At closing establishments	1,050	881	1,246	1,002	1,042	0.9	0.8	1.1	0.9	0.9
Net employment change (2)	1,051	23	271	264	479	0.9	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.5
Retail trade
Gross job gains	21,829	21,221	19,119	18,794	22,140	5.6	5.3	4.9	4.8	5.6
At expanding establishments	19,609	18,873	17,623	16,096	18,992	5.0	4.7	4.5	4.1	4.8
At opening establishments	2,220	2,348	1,496	2,698	3,148	0.6	0.6	0.4	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	18,333	22,225	24,606	21,347	17,420	4.7	5.5	6.2	5.5	4.5
At contracting establishments	15,997	20,093	20,874	18,731	15,135	4.1	5.0	5.3	4.8	3.9
At closing establishments	2,336	2,132	3,732	2,616	2,285	0.6	0.5	0.9	0.7	0.6
Net employment change (2)	3,496	-1,004	-5,487	-2,553	4,720	0.9	-0.2	-1.3	-0.7	1.1
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	6,868	6,975	6,388	12,285	6,885	4.7	4.8	4.4	8.2	4.5
At expanding establishments	5,688	5,649	5,648	11,033	5,993	3.9	3.9	3.9	7.4	3.9
At opening establishments	1,180	1,326	740	1,252	892	0.8	0.9	0.5	0.8	0.6
Gross job losses	8,628	7,362	6,943	6,838	8,659	5.9	5.1	4.7	4.6	5.7
At contracting establishments	7,610	6,517	5,739	5,414	7,641	5.2	4.5	3.9	3.6	5.0
At closing establishments	1,018	845	1,204	1,424	1,018	0.7	0.6	0.8	1.0	0.7
Net employment change (2)	-1,760	-387	-555	5,447	-1,774	-1.2	-0.3	-0.3	3.6	-1.2
Information
Gross job gains	3,401	3,103	2,753	3,774	2,601	4.9	4.4	3.9	5.4	3.7
At expanding establishments	2,590	2,556	2,115	2,322	1,972	3.7	3.6	3.0	3.3	2.8
At opening establishments	811	547	638	1,452	629	1.2	0.8	0.9	2.1	0.9
Gross job losses	3,355	3,776	3,452	3,917	3,059	4.8	5.4	5.0	5.7	4.4
At contracting establishments	2,742	2,647	2,427	3,371	2,512	3.9	3.8	3.5	4.9	3.6
At closing establishments	613	1,129	1,025	546	547	0.9	1.6	1.5	0.8	0.8
Net employment change (2)	46	-673	-699	-143	-458	0.1	-1.0	-1.1	-0.3	-0.7
Financial activities
Gross job gains	10,562	10,466	10,916	9,617	8,334	5.2	5.1	5.3	4.7	4.1
At expanding establishments	8,400	8,434	8,793	6,948	6,340	4.1	4.1	4.3	3.4	3.1
At opening establishments	2,162	2,032	2,123	2,669	1,994	1.1	1.0	1.0	1.3	1.0
Gross job losses	9,496	9,817	11,818	10,722	9,100	4.6	4.7	5.7	5.2	4.4
At contracting establishments	7,374	7,514	8,690	8,251	7,054	3.6	3.6	4.2	4.0	3.4
At closing establishments	2,122	2,303	3,128	2,471	2,046	1.0	1.1	1.5	1.2	1.0
Net employment change (2)	1,066	649	-902	-1,105	-766	0.6	0.4	-0.4	-0.5	-0.3
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	47,796	47,643	43,774	42,830	42,072	6.0	5.9	5.4	5.4	5.3
At expanding establishments	36,692	36,828	33,365	32,558	31,985	4.6	4.6	4.1	4.1	4.0
At opening establishments	11,104	10,815	10,409	10,272	10,087	1.4	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3
Gross job losses	43,691	45,667	48,822	45,556	42,645	5.5	5.7	6.1	5.7	5.3
At contracting establishments	33,449	36,112	37,653	34,618	32,702	4.2	4.5	4.7	4.3	4.1
At closing establishments	10,242	9,555	11,169	10,938	9,943	1.3	1.2	1.4	1.4	1.2
Net employment change (2)	4,105	1,976	-5,048	-2,726	-573	0.5	0.2	-0.7	-0.3	0.0
Education and health services
Gross job gains	32,035	30,910	31,501	30,751	30,718	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.5	5.5
At expanding establishments	23,416	23,969	24,983	22,983	23,577	4.4	4.4	4.6	4.1	4.2
At opening establishments	8,619	6,941	6,518	7,768	7,141	1.6	1.3	1.2	1.4	1.3
Gross job losses	20,912	25,934	24,183	25,293	23,075	3.9	4.8	4.4	4.5	4.1
At contracting establishments	15,643	18,785	17,180	17,372	16,896	2.9	3.5	3.1	3.1	3.0
At closing establishments	5,269	7,149	7,003	7,921	6,179	1.0	1.3	1.3	1.4	1.1
Net employment change (2)	11,123	4,976	7,318	5,458	7,643	2.1	0.9	1.4	1.0	1.4
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	37,995	35,293	35,668	37,530	32,815	9.4	8.7	8.8	9.1	7.8
At expanding establishments	29,237	27,672	28,351	29,530	24,005	7.2	6.8	7.0	7.2	5.7
At opening establishments	8,758	7,621	7,317	8,000	8,810	2.2	1.9	1.8	1.9	2.1
Gross job losses	29,572	36,825	37,793	29,874	32,634	7.3	9.0	9.3	7.2	7.8
At contracting establishments	24,033	30,775	30,412	24,114	26,835	5.9	7.5	7.5	5.8	6.4
At closing establishments	5,539	6,050	7,381	5,760	5,799	1.4	1.5	1.8	1.4	1.4
Net employment change (2)	8,423	-1,532	-2,125	7,656	181	2.1	-0.3	-0.5	1.9	0.0
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	8,866	9,742	9,015	8,982	8,696	7.2	7.8	7.1	7.1	6.8
At expanding establishments	6,390	7,028	6,938	6,858	6,296	5.2	5.6	5.5	5.4	4.9
At opening establishments	2,476	2,714	2,077	2,124	2,400	2.0	2.2	1.6	1.7	1.9
Gross job losses	8,206	7,859	8,615	7,910	8,104	6.7	6.3	6.8	6.2	6.3
At contracting establishments	6,176	5,753	6,473	5,831	6,024	5.0	4.6	5.1	4.6	4.7
At closing establishments	2,030	2,106	2,142	2,079	2,080	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.6	1.6
Net employment change (2)	660	1,883	400	1,072	592	0.5	1.5	0.3	0.9	0.5
Footnotes: (1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately. (2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. See the Technical Note for further information. (3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024
United States(1)	6.3	6.2	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.4
Alabama	6.5	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.5
Alaska	10.5	11.0	8.5	10.2	10.5	8.6	8.9	10.5	9.9	8.6
Arizona	6.0	7.0	6.8	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	5.7	6.6	6.4
Arkansas	5.8	5.9	5.6	6.2	5.6	5.1	6.0	5.8	5.0	5.2
California	6.3	6.8	6.4	6.4	5.8	6.6	6.4	6.5	6.4	5.6
Colorado	7.2	7.3	5.4	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.1	7.6	7.7
Connecticut	6.2	6.4	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.1	5.7	6.2	5.7	5.2
Delaware	6.7	6.4	6.0	6.1	6.0	5.2	5.8	6.5	5.8	5.1
District of Columbia	6.0	5.4	5.4	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.3	5.4	5.6	4.9
Florida	6.3	6.8	6.5	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.4
Georgia	6.5	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.0	6.0	6.4	6.1	5.7	5.7
Hawaii	5.6	5.7	5.3	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.3	6.8	5.0	5.1
Idaho	7.9	7.8	7.2	8.5	7.9	7.3	7.4	7.9	5.8	8.3
Illinois	5.8	5.4	4.8	5.0	5.1	4.8	5.2	5.3	5.1	4.8
Indiana	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.1	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.0
Iowa	6.1	6.0	5.6	6.1	6.1	5.4	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.6
Kansas	6.1	6.1	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.4	6.0	6.0	5.3	5.6
Kentucky	6.1	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	4.9	5.9	5.6	5.2	5.0
Louisiana	6.5	6.0	6.2	6.3	6.2	5.5	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.7
Maine	7.8	7.6	7.0	7.4	7.2	6.3	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.1
Maryland	7.2	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.8	6.0	6.6	6.4	5.8	5.7
Massachusetts	5.8	5.9	5.4	5.5	5.2	4.9	5.6	5.9	5.5	5.1
Michigan	5.8	5.9	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.2
Minnesota	5.8	6.0	3.3	6.9	5.8	4.8	5.5	4.3	6.9	5.7
Mississippi	6.5	6.4	6.2	6.1	5.7	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.7	6.1
Missouri	6.5	5.8	5.6	6.0	5.7	5.1	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.3
Montana	8.7	7.8	7.7	8.8	8.1	7.2	8.4	8.4	7.2	7.5
Nebraska	6.5	6.2	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.2	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.1
Nevada	6.2	6.5	6.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.4	6.2
New Hampshire	7.0	6.7	5.8	6.2	6.5	5.9	6.3	6.7	5.9	5.8
New Jersey	6.3	6.4	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.8	6.0	6.0	5.8	5.4
New Mexico	7.0	6.6	6.4	6.9	6.0	5.8	6.3	6.8	5.8	6.0
New York	6.5	6.2	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.2	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.0
North Carolina	6.6	6.1	5.7	6.3	5.4	5.3	5.7	6.1	4.9	5.5
North Dakota	7.6	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.9	5.7	6.7	6.6	6.3	6.1
Ohio	6.0	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	4.8	5.6	5.6	5.2	4.8
Oklahoma	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.1	5.6	5.4	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.2
Oregon	7.6	6.4	6.1	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.6	6.7	6.2	6.1
Pennsylvania	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.1	4.7	5.5	5.1	4.8	4.6
Rhode Island	7.4	6.7	6.4	6.8	6.9	5.9	6.8	6.7	6.3	5.7
South Carolina	6.8	6.4	6.6	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.6	5.7	5.3	6.3
South Dakota	7.3	6.7	6.3	6.6	6.3	5.9	6.0	6.3	5.8	5.8
Tennessee	5.9	5.8	5.6	6.2	5.5	5.0	5.5	5.7	5.5	4.9
Texas	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.1	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1
Utah	7.0	6.9	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.3	6.4	6.6	6.5	6.0
Vermont	8.4	7.4	6.4	7.3	7.2	6.0	7.5	7.9	6.6	6.3
Virginia	6.2	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.2	5.9	6.0	5.5	5.2
Washington	6.6	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.7	6.3	5.7	6.0	5.4	5.3
West Virginia	7.3	6.1	6.5	6.5	6.9	5.5	6.4	6.6	5.8	5.7
Wisconsin	6.1	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.5	4.8	5.8	5.8	5.2	4.8
Wyoming	9.0	8.4	8.3	8.9	8.4	7.8	8.7	8.2	8.4	8.3
Puerto Rico	5.1	5.9	5.7	4.9	5.4	5.8	5.0	5.3	4.8	4.6
Virgin Islands	7.9	7.5	8.2	6.0	5.6	7.4	6.5	6.8	5.9	4.5
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.

Last Modified Date: Thursday, November 07, 2024

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