From December 2022 to March 2023, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Connecticut were 87,749, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 75,054, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 12,695 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2023. During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 483.(See chart 1.)

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 Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the first quarter of 2023, gross job gains represented 6.1 percent of private-sector employment in Connecticut; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 6.2 percent of private-sector employment. (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 Connecticut, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 69,509 in the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 2,604 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 18,240 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 749 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2023, gross job losses represented 5.3 percent of private-sector employment in Connecticut; 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 Connecticut, contracting establishments lost 59,747 jobs in the first quarter of 2023, a decrease of 6,229 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 15,307 jobs, a decrease of 3,596 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 7 of the 10 published industry sectors in Connecticut in the first quarter of 2023. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 4,246 jobs. This was the result of 17,603 gross job gains and 13,357 gross job losses. The education and health services industry had a net gain of 3,819 jobs. Transportation and warehousing showed a net loss of 2,039 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 www.bls.gov/bdm/.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2023 are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

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 units and jobs lost at closing and contracting units.

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 units 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 units 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 units with positive third month employment in the previous quarter and either not reported, or reported with zero employment, in the current quarter.

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

The full Technical Note for the Business Employment Dynamics program, which includes information on coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the current quarterly news release online at www.bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.htm.

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, Connecticut, seasonally adjusted

Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	90,078	89,906	89,510	84,396	87,749	6.3	6.4	6.3	5.9	6.1
At expanding establishments	73,936	72,012	72,324	66,905	69,509	5.2	5.1	5.1	4.7	4.8
At opening establishments	16,142	17,894	17,186	17,491	18,240	1.1	1.3	1.2	1.2	1.3
Gross job losses	75,266	88,645	87,391	84,879	75,054	5.3	6.3	6.2	5.9	5.3
At contracting establishments	62,680	76,185	69,315	65,976	59,747	4.4	5.4	4.9	4.6	4.2
At closing establishments	12,586	12,460	18,076	18,903	15,307	0.9	0.9	1.3	1.3	1.1
Net employment change (2)	14,812	1,261	2,119	-483	12,695	1.0	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.8
Construction
Gross job gains	6,893	5,458	5,206	5,322	6,603	11.2	8.9	8.7	8.9	10.7
At expanding establishments	5,654	4,235	4,147	4,191	5,243	9.2	6.9	6.9	7.0	8.5
At opening establishments	1,239	1,223	1,059	1,131	1,360	2.0	2.0	1.8	1.9	2.2
Gross job losses	5,094	6,304	5,524	5,846	4,954	8.4	10.2	9.2	9.7	8.1
At contracting establishments	3,958	5,386	4,445	4,232	3,871	6.5	8.7	7.4	7.0	6.3
At closing establishments	1,136	918	1,079	1,614	1,083	1.9	1.5	1.8	2.7	1.8
Net employment change (2)	1,799	-846	-318	-524	1,649	2.8	-1.3	-0.5	-0.8	2.6
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	4,399	4,940	4,484	4,467	3,613	2.8	3.2	2.8	2.9	2.3
At expanding establishments	4,101	4,540	3,978	3,884	3,205	2.6	2.9	2.5	2.5	2.0
At opening establishments	298	400	506	583	408	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.3
Gross job losses	3,401	3,636	4,022	4,146	3,701	2.2	2.3	2.6	2.6	2.4
At contracting establishments	3,047	3,317	3,428	3,500	3,251	2.0	2.1	2.2	2.2	2.1
At closing establishments	354	319	594	646	450	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.3
Net employment change (2)	998	1,304	462	321	-88	0.6	0.9	0.2	0.3	-0.1
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	3,262	3,514	3,307	2,920	2,720	5.6	5.9	5.4	4.8	4.5
At expanding establishments	2,565	2,768	2,738	2,291	2,125	4.4	4.6	4.5	3.8	3.5
At opening establishments	697	746	569	629	595	1.2	1.3	0.9	1.0	1.0
Gross job losses	2,227	2,912	2,909	3,212	2,464	3.7	4.9	4.8	5.3	4.1
At contracting establishments	1,612	2,304	2,067	2,124	1,869	2.7	3.9	3.4	3.5	3.1
At closing establishments	615	608	842	1,088	595	1.0	1.0	1.4	1.8	1.0
Net employment change (2)	1,035	602	398	-292	256	1.9	1.0	0.6	-0.5	0.4
Retail trade
Gross job gains	10,581	9,555	10,547	9,313	9,554	6.4	5.6	6.3	5.6	5.8
At expanding establishments	9,627	8,514	9,076	7,546	8,269	5.8	5.0	5.4	4.5	5.0
At opening establishments	954	1,041	1,471	1,767	1,285	0.6	0.6	0.9	1.1	0.8
Gross job losses	8,432	11,092	11,007	10,704	8,163	5.0	6.6	6.5	6.5	4.9
At contracting establishments	7,424	10,147	9,457	9,572	7,202	4.4	6.0	5.6	5.8	4.3
At closing establishments	1,008	945	1,550	1,132	961	0.6	0.6	0.9	0.7	0.6
Net employment change (2)	2,149	-1,537	-460	-1,391	1,391	1.4	-1.0	-0.2	-0.9	0.9
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	3,986	3,694	3,041	5,886	3,394	6.0	5.6	4.7	9.0	5.2
At expanding establishments	3,637	3,365	2,689	5,565	2,919	5.5	5.1	4.2	8.5	4.5
At opening establishments	349	329	352	321	475	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.7
Gross job losses	3,447	5,611	5,017	3,060	5,433	5.2	8.6	7.9	4.7	8.3
At contracting establishments	3,168	5,367	4,724	2,665	5,150	4.8	8.2	7.4	4.1	7.9
At closing establishments	279	244	293	395	283	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.4
Net employment change (2)	539	-1,917	-1,976	2,826	-2,039	0.8	-3.0	-3.2	4.3	-3.1
Financial activities
Gross job gains	5,154	5,523	5,813	5,488	4,129	4.4	4.7	5.0	4.7	3.5
At expanding establishments	4,398	4,333	4,543	4,303	3,177	3.8	3.7	3.9	3.7	2.7
At opening establishments	756	1,190	1,270	1,185	952	0.6	1.0	1.1	1.0	0.8
Gross job losses	4,764	6,407	5,921	5,958	4,480	4.1	5.5	5.1	5.1	3.8
At contracting establishments	3,935	5,444	4,543	4,511	3,497	3.4	4.7	3.9	3.9	3.0
At closing establishments	829	963	1,378	1,447	983	0.7	0.8	1.2	1.2	0.8
Net employment change (2)	390	-884	-108	-470	-351	0.3	-0.8	-0.1	-0.4	-0.3
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	16,353	15,620	15,619	14,711	14,459	7.4	7.0	7.0	6.7	6.5
At expanding establishments	13,224	11,574	12,048	11,228	11,143	6.0	5.2	5.4	5.1	5.0
At opening establishments	3,129	4,046	3,571	3,483	3,316	1.4	1.8	1.6	1.6	1.5
Gross job losses	13,202	16,562	16,378	16,075	14,115	6.0	7.5	7.4	7.3	6.4
At contracting establishments	9,956	14,156	12,271	11,469	10,660	4.5	6.4	5.5	5.2	4.8
At closing establishments	3,246	2,406	4,107	4,606	3,455	1.5	1.1	1.9	2.1	1.6
Net employment change (2)	3,151	-942	-759	-1,364	344	1.4	-0.5	-0.4	-0.6	0.1
Education and health services
Gross job gains	13,459	15,217	17,000	13,672	16,011	4.1	4.6	5.1	4.0	4.7
At expanding establishments	11,429	12,785	14,262	11,268	13,311	3.5	3.9	4.3	3.3	3.9
At opening establishments	2,030	2,432	2,738	2,404	2,700	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	14,636	14,222	12,613	13,296	12,192	4.5	4.3	3.8	4.0	3.6
At contracting establishments	12,429	11,844	9,954	10,675	9,226	3.8	3.6	3.0	3.2	2.7
At closing establishments	2,207	2,378	2,659	2,621	2,966	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.8	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-1,177	995	4,387	376	3,819	-0.4	0.3	1.3	0.0	1.1
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	16,245	17,263	15,932	14,964	17,603	11.3	11.7	10.6	10.0	11.7
At expanding establishments	13,571	13,775	13,061	11,714	14,465	9.4	9.3	8.7	7.8	9.6
At opening establishments	2,674	3,488	2,871	3,250	3,138	1.9	2.4	1.9	2.2	2.1
Gross job losses	13,332	14,399	16,993	14,995	13,357	9.2	9.7	11.4	10.0	8.9
At contracting establishments	11,597	12,467	13,899	12,022	10,550	8.0	8.4	9.3	8.0	7.0
At closing establishments	1,735	1,932	3,094	2,973	2,807	1.2	1.3	2.1	2.0	1.9
Net employment change (2)	2,913	2,864	-1,061	-31	4,246	2.1	2.0	-0.8	0.0	2.8
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	3,921	4,033	3,986	3,547	4,257	8.2	8.3	8.1	7.3	8.6
At expanding establishments	3,185	3,247	3,130	2,574	3,061	6.7	6.7	6.4	5.3	6.2
At opening establishments	736	786	856	973	1,196	1.5	1.6	1.7	2.0	2.4
Gross job losses	3,310	3,340	3,766	4,054	3,132	7.0	6.9	7.7	8.2	6.4
At contracting establishments	2,657	2,532	2,633	2,912	2,259	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.9	4.6
At closing establishments	653	808	1,133	1,142	873	1.4	1.7	2.3	2.3	1.8
Net employment change (2)	611	693	220	-507	1,125	1.2	1.4	0.4	-0.9	2.2
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

Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023	Mar. 2022	June 2022	Sept. 2022	Dec. 2022	Mar. 2023
United States(1)	6.7	6.6	6.9	6.3	6.2	5.5	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.4
Alabama	6.4	6.6	6.9	6.6	6.4	5.9	6.2	5.9	6.1	5.5
Alaska	10.2	10.2	8.5	10.9	10.4	9.5	9.0	10.4	9.2	8.0
Arizona	6.7	6.5	7.1	6.6	5.9	5.7	6.3	5.5	6.0	5.4
Arkansas	6.3	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.8	5.6	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.0
California	7.3	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.1	5.7	6.7	6.2	6.6	6.4
Colorado	7.5	7.3	7.0	7.6	7.2	6.3	6.6	7.1	6.9	6.5
Connecticut	6.3	6.4	6.3	5.9	6.1	5.3	6.3	6.2	5.9	5.3
Delaware	7.3	6.5	8.6	7.0	6.7	5.5	6.9	6.2	7.5	5.2
District of Columbia	6.1	6.1	7.2	5.6	5.9	5.1	6.3	5.0	5.5	4.8
Florida	6.5	7.5	7.8	6.2	6.3	5.7	6.3	5.6	6.0	5.6
Georgia	7.7	6.8	7.1	6.7	6.2	5.8	6.2	5.9	5.9	5.8
Hawaii	6.3	6.0	6.4	6.0	5.5	5.1	5.5	4.9	4.9	5.0
Idaho	8.6	7.1	7.8	8.4	7.9	6.2	8.4	7.5	6.9	7.5
Illinois	6.3	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.8	5.2	5.5	5.3	5.1	4.8
Indiana	5.9	5.7	6.4	5.7	5.5	4.9	5.9	5.5	5.2	5.0
Iowa	6.5	5.9	5.9	6.4	6.0	5.4	6.2	5.9	6.2	5.4
Kansas	6.4	6.5	7.4	6.3	6.1	5.5	7.1	5.5	5.6	5.4
Kentucky	6.7	6.3	6.6	6.0	6.1	5.7	6.5	5.4	5.3	4.9
Louisiana	6.7	6.7	6.9	6.1	6.3	6.3	6.4	5.7	6.2	5.6
Maine	8.5	7.2	7.6	7.4	7.7	6.3	8.0	7.3	6.8	6.2
Maryland	6.7	6.5	7.4	6.6	6.8	6.9	6.9	6.0	6.9	5.6
Massachusetts	6.8	6.1	6.2	5.5	5.8	5.1	5.5	6.1	5.8	4.7
Michigan	6.3	6.0	5.7	5.9	5.7	4.9	5.9	5.8	5.2	4.9
Minnesota	6.2	6.4	6.5	5.9	5.7	5.4	6.4	5.9	5.8	4.9
Mississippi	6.3	6.6	7.2	6.8	6.1	6.2	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.7
Missouri	6.5	6.2	6.8	6.1	6.5	5.4	5.9	6.3	5.8	5.1
Montana	9.3	8.2	8.7	9.2	8.7	7.6	9.1	7.8	7.8	7.1
Nebraska	6.8	6.4	7.1	6.0	6.3	5.9	6.5	6.1	5.7	5.1
Nevada	6.8	6.9	7.4	6.4	6.2	5.5	5.7	5.8	6.1	5.7
New Hampshire	7.7	6.7	6.9	6.7	7.0	5.6	6.7	6.7	6.0	5.9
New Jersey	7.1	6.6	6.8	6.8	6.1	5.7	6.2	6.4	5.9	5.7
New Mexico	7.6	6.7	8.0	6.7	6.8	6.2	7.1	5.9	6.2	5.9
New York	6.8	7.1	6.6	5.9	6.5	5.4	6.1	5.9	6.0	5.1
North Carolina	6.6	6.4	6.7	6.6	6.4	5.4	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.3
North Dakota	7.5	6.9	7.6	6.4	7.6	6.4	6.5	6.3	6.7	5.6
Ohio	6.4	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.8	4.9	5.9	5.5	5.7	4.9
Oklahoma	6.4	6.7	7.4	6.6	6.3	6.0	6.1	5.6	5.9	5.3
Oregon	7.6	6.0	6.7	6.5	7.3	5.6	7.0	6.0	6.2	6.1
Pennsylvania	6.3	5.5	6.1	5.5	5.5	4.8	5.6	5.1	5.2	4.6
Rhode Island	7.9	7.1	6.7	6.9	7.5	6.0	6.7	7.3	6.4	5.9
South Carolina	7.1	6.6	7.3	6.9	6.8	6.1	6.2	5.6	6.2	5.8
South Dakota	7.7	6.6	7.3	6.5	7.2	6.1	6.5	6.4	6.5	5.9
Tennessee	6.6	6.2	7.0	5.8	5.9	4.8	6.2	5.5	5.6	5.0
Texas	6.3	6.6	7.2	6.2	5.9	5.3	5.8	5.3	5.3	5.0
Utah	7.9	7.0	7.5	6.9	7.0	5.9	6.6	6.8	6.6	6.2
Vermont	8.8	7.5	7.2	7.8	8.2	6.4	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.0
Virginia	6.6	6.5	7.5	6.2	6.2	5.8	6.7	6.1	5.8	5.2
Washington	7.3	7.0	7.2	5.9	6.4	5.4	7.2	6.3	5.3	5.5
West Virginia	7.4	6.7	8.1	6.6	7.1	6.1	8.0	6.9	6.4	5.3
Wisconsin	6.6	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	4.8	6.0	5.8	5.5	4.9
Wyoming	9.2	8.4	9.2	9.2	8.9	8.3	9.2	8.4	7.9	7.8
Puerto Rico	7.4	6.7	6.2	6.6	5.1	5.0	6.1	5.3	6.1	5.7
Virgin Islands	7.4	8.0	8.5	5.9	7.5	8.8	9.2	5.5	4.7	6.5
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.