From September 2021 to December 2021, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Virginia were 225,872, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 172,065, 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 53,807 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2021. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 21,724. (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 fourth quarter of 2021, gross job gains represented 7.1 percent of private-sector employment in Virginia; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 7.7 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 Virginia, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 183,431 in the fourth quarter of 2021, an increase of 10,219 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 42,441 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2021, an increase of 1,827 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2021, gross job losses represented 5.4 percent of private-sector employment both nationally and in Virginia. (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 136,027 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2021, a decrease of 15,327 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 36,038 jobs, a decrease of 4,710 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in all 11 industry sectors in Virginia in the fourth quarter of 2021. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 15,670 jobs. This was the result of 41,692 gross job gains and 26,022 gross job losses. The professional and business services industry had a net gain of 9,244 jobs.

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 First Quarter 2022 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

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 either units with positive third month employment in the previous quarter, with no employment or zero employment reported 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, 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)
	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	Sept. 2021	Dec. 2021	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	Sept. 2021	Dec. 2021
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	214,569	184,421	195,231	213,826	225,872	7.0	6.0	6.2	6.8	7.1
At expanding establishments	173,660	148,184	156,565	173,212	183,431	5.7	4.8	5.0	5.5	5.8
At opening establishments	40,909	36,237	38,666	40,614	42,441	1.3	1.2	1.2	1.3	1.3
Gross job losses	162,104	169,083	187,666	192,102	172,065	5.3	5.4	6.0	6.1	5.4
At contracting establishments	123,912	137,264	155,901	151,354	136,027	4.1	4.4	5.0	4.8	4.3
At closing establishments	38,192	31,819	31,765	40,748	36,038	1.2	1.0	1.0	1.3	1.1
Net employment change (2)	52,465	15,338	7,565	21,724	53,807	1.7	0.6	0.2	0.7	1.7
Construction
Gross job gains	16,463	13,968	13,629	13,019	15,956	8.2	6.9	6.7	6.4	7.8
At expanding establishments	13,491	11,204	11,195	10,097	12,845	6.7	5.5	5.5	5.0	6.3
At opening establishments	2,972	2,764	2,434	2,922	3,111	1.5	1.4	1.2	1.4	1.5
Gross job losses	12,634	14,015	14,735	15,542	12,796	6.2	6.9	7.2	7.6	6.3
At contracting establishments	9,576	11,590	12,120	11,830	9,998	4.7	5.7	5.9	5.8	4.9
At closing establishments	3,058	2,425	2,615	3,712	2,798	1.5	1.2	1.3	1.8	1.4
Net employment change (2)	3,829	-47	-1,106	-2,523	3,160	2.0	0.0	-0.5	-1.2	1.5
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	10,932	6,617	7,014	10,954	9,049	4.7	2.8	3.0	4.7	3.8
At expanding establishments	9,960	6,021	6,272	9,876	8,059	4.3	2.5	2.7	4.2	3.4
At opening establishments	972	596	742	1,078	990	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.5	0.4
Gross job losses	6,217	5,851	10,265	8,313	6,239	2.7	2.5	4.4	3.5	2.6
At contracting establishments	4,857	5,224	9,351	7,271	5,428	2.1	2.2	4.0	3.1	2.3
At closing establishments	1,360	627	914	1,042	811	0.6	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.3
Net employment change (2)	4,715	766	-3,251	2,641	2,810	2.0	0.3	-1.4	1.2	1.2
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	5,023	5,264	4,639	5,481	5,949	4.8	4.9	4.3	5.1	5.5
At expanding establishments	4,301	4,480	3,988	4,759	5,085	4.1	4.2	3.7	4.4	4.7
At opening establishments	722	784	651	722	864	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.8
Gross job losses	3,784	3,848	4,360	4,844	3,570	3.6	3.7	4.1	4.5	3.3
At contracting establishments	2,824	3,046	3,490	3,802	2,835	2.7	2.9	3.3	3.5	2.6
At closing establishments	960	802	870	1,042	735	0.9	0.8	0.8	1.0	0.7
Net employment change (2)	1,239	1,416	279	637	2,379	1.2	1.2	0.2	0.6	2.2
Retail trade
Gross job gains	23,558	24,328	25,978	20,889	22,780	6.1	6.2	6.5	5.2	5.8
At expanding establishments	20,474	20,913	22,484	18,447	19,674	5.3	5.3	5.6	4.6	5.0
At opening establishments	3,084	3,415	3,494	2,442	3,106	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.6	0.8
Gross job losses	21,533	19,342	24,569	28,233	21,033	5.6	4.9	6.1	7.1	5.3
At contracting establishments	17,769	17,292	21,669	24,769	18,265	4.6	4.4	5.4	6.2	4.6
At closing establishments	3,764	2,050	2,900	3,464	2,768	1.0	0.5	0.7	0.9	0.7
Net employment change (2)	2,025	4,986	1,409	-7,344	1,747	0.5	1.3	0.4	-1.9	0.5
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	10,788	8,025	5,948	8,501	13,886	8.2	6.1	4.6	6.6	10.3
At expanding establishments	9,785	7,108	5,086	7,497	12,567	7.4	5.4	3.9	5.8	9.3
At opening establishments	1,003	917	862	1,004	1,319	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.8	1.0
Gross job losses	7,233	9,761	8,165	5,887	8,192	5.5	7.4	6.3	4.5	6.1
At contracting establishments	6,200	9,106	7,300	4,689	7,300	4.7	6.9	5.6	3.6	5.4
At closing establishments	1,033	655	865	1,198	892	0.8	0.5	0.7	0.9	0.7
Net employment change (2)	3,555	-1,736	-2,217	2,614	5,694	2.7	-1.3	-1.7	2.1	4.2
Information
Gross job gains	3,250	3,177	4,353	4,619	4,079	5.0	4.9	6.7	7.1	6.1
At expanding establishments	2,022	2,650	3,198	3,596	3,320	3.1	4.1	4.9	5.5	5.0
At opening establishments	1,228	527	1,155	1,023	759	1.9	0.8	1.8	1.6	1.1
Gross job losses	3,090	2,768	3,821	4,228	3,986	4.8	4.2	5.8	6.4	6.0
At contracting establishments	2,243	2,094	2,943	2,955	3,103	3.5	3.2	4.5	4.5	4.7
At closing establishments	847	674	878	1,273	883	1.3	1.0	1.3	1.9	1.3
Net employment change (2)	160	409	532	391	93	0.2	0.7	0.9	0.7	0.1
Financial activities
Gross job gains	9,991	9,128	8,708	10,824	11,346	5.1	4.6	4.4	5.5	5.8
At expanding establishments	7,601	6,730	6,675	8,415	8,621	3.9	3.4	3.4	4.3	4.4
At opening establishments	2,390	2,398	2,033	2,409	2,725	1.2	1.2	1.0	1.2	1.4
Gross job losses	9,412	8,429	9,675	9,889	9,365	4.8	4.3	4.9	5.1	4.7
At contracting establishments	6,278	6,523	7,437	7,566	6,904	3.2	3.3	3.8	3.9	3.5
At closing establishments	3,134	1,906	2,238	2,323	2,461	1.6	1.0	1.1	1.2	1.2
Net employment change (2)	579	699	-967	935	1,981	0.3	0.3	-0.5	0.4	1.1
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	50,083	42,237	45,670	50,244	54,024	6.7	5.5	6.0	6.5	7.0
At expanding establishments	40,578	35,327	35,740	40,024	44,779	5.4	4.6	4.7	5.2	5.8
At opening establishments	9,505	6,910	9,930	10,220	9,245	1.3	0.9	1.3	1.3	1.2
Gross job losses	38,710	38,164	44,292	46,675	44,780	5.2	5.0	5.8	6.1	5.7
At contracting establishments	29,073	30,007	36,795	36,773	34,355	3.9	3.9	4.8	4.8	4.4
At closing establishments	9,637	8,157	7,497	9,902	10,425	1.3	1.1	1.0	1.3	1.3
Net employment change (2)	11,373	4,073	1,378	3,569	9,244	1.5	0.5	0.2	0.4	1.3
Education and health services
Gross job gains	28,009	26,434	24,599	26,355	28,224	5.7	5.3	4.9	5.3	5.6
At expanding establishments	22,078	20,041	19,150	20,422	21,703	4.5	4.0	3.8	4.1	4.3
At opening establishments	5,931	6,393	5,449	5,933	6,521	1.2	1.3	1.1	1.2	1.3
Gross job losses	21,332	25,367	26,351	25,601	23,848	4.3	5.1	5.3	5.2	4.8
At contracting establishments	15,809	19,083	21,356	18,767	17,479	3.2	3.8	4.3	3.8	3.5
At closing establishments	5,523	6,284	4,995	6,834	6,369	1.1	1.3	1.0	1.4	1.3
Net employment change (2)	6,677	1,067	-1,752	754	4,376	1.4	0.2	-0.4	0.1	0.8
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	39,000	29,791	37,966	46,814	41,692	12.0	9.0	11.1	13.2	11.2
At expanding establishments	32,172	23,922	31,926	39,795	35,321	9.9	7.2	9.3	11.2	9.5
At opening establishments	6,828	5,869	6,040	7,019	6,371	2.1	1.8	1.8	2.0	1.7
Gross job losses	25,521	28,427	29,323	29,680	26,022	7.8	8.5	8.6	8.3	7.0
At contracting establishments	20,847	23,843	25,026	24,286	22,046	6.4	7.1	7.3	6.8	5.9
At closing establishments	4,674	4,584	4,297	5,394	3,976	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.5	1.1
Net employment change (2)	13,479	1,364	8,643	17,134	15,670	4.2	0.5	2.5	4.9	4.2
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	8,759	7,407	8,473	8,708	9,923	7.8	6.5	7.4	7.5	8.4
At expanding establishments	6,526	5,453	6,626	6,748	7,156	5.8	4.8	5.8	5.8	6.1
At opening establishments	2,233	1,954	1,847	1,960	2,767	2.0	1.7	1.6	1.7	2.3
Gross job losses	7,411	7,323	7,521	8,002	7,638	6.6	6.4	6.6	6.9	6.5
At contracting establishments	5,477	5,806	5,572	5,484	5,651	4.9	5.1	4.9	4.7	4.8
At closing establishments	1,934	1,517	1,949	2,518	1,987	1.7	1.3	1.7	2.2	1.7
Net employment change (2)	1,348	84	952	706	2,285	1.2	0.1	0.8	0.6	1.9
Footnotes: (1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately. (2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. See the Technical Note for further information. (3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted

Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	Sept. 2021	Dec. 2021	Dec. 2020	Mar. 2021	June 2021	Sept. 2021	Dec. 2021
United States(1)	7.4	6.8	6.7	7.2	7.7	5.7	5.4	5.9	6.2	5.4
Alabama	7.6	5.9	6.2	6.6	7.6	5.5	5.9	6.0	6.7	5.3
Alaska	13.4	11.0	9.5	10.4	11.9	7.7	9.4	9.2	9.5	8.7
Arizona	7.3	6.3	6.8	6.9	6.8	5.0	5.5	6.0	6.0	4.9
Arkansas	7.2	5.9	5.5	6.6	7.6	5.2	5.1	5.6	5.9	4.5
California	8.5	7.7	7.8	7.8	8.5	6.1	5.9	6.4	6.3	5.5
Colorado	7.5	8.6	7.8	8.1	7.6	7.2	5.6	6.4	7.0	6.1
Connecticut	6.6	6.3	6.6	6.8	6.9	5.9	5.3	5.9	6.0	5.4
Delaware	6.8	6.8	6.4	7.2	8.3	6.0	6.0	6.4	7.0	6.1
District of Columbia	5.3	5.5	7.0	7.9	7.3	5.5	5.3	5.4	4.8	5.0
Florida	8.0	6.9	7.8	9.2	7.7	6.0	5.8	6.2	6.0	6.1
Georgia	7.9	6.7	6.9	7.4	8.1	5.2	5.7	6.2	6.2	5.7
Hawaii	14.7	8.5	10.7	7.2	6.8	4.6	5.9	5.6	6.6	4.8
Idaho	8.7	8.1	7.2	7.7	8.6	6.1	5.7	7.2	7.3	6.3
Illinois	6.5	7.2	6.0	6.3	7.5	6.1	4.9	5.6	6.0	4.9
Indiana	6.8	6.0	5.7	6.3	7.3	5.0	5.1	6.0	5.8	4.7
Iowa	6.8	6.1	6.0	6.2	6.6	5.1	5.4	6.0	6.0	5.2
Kansas	7.0	6.2	6.2	6.6	7.6	5.9	5.5	6.1	6.6	5.3
Kentucky	7.3	7.3	6.4	6.6	7.4	6.1	5.1	6.5	6.5	5.0
Louisiana	8.7	6.4	6.8	6.9	9.7	5.6	5.9	6.2	8.6	5.6
Maine	8.5	9.0	7.7	7.8	8.2	6.3	6.3	7.8	8.0	7.0
Maryland	7.3	6.3	6.6	7.5	7.2	5.8	5.5	6.6	6.7	5.7
Massachusetts	7.0	6.6	6.9	7.2	7.0	5.5	5.0	5.7	5.9	5.7
Michigan	6.7	8.5	6.2	6.6	7.5	6.9	4.9	5.6	6.1	5.3
Minnesota	6.9	9.2	6.1	6.4	7.3	6.8	4.9	5.5	6.8	5.2
Mississippi	8.0	5.6	6.4	7.5	8.0	4.9	6.6	6.5	6.2	5.7
Missouri	7.1	6.3	6.0	6.7	7.4	5.2	5.3	6.3	6.1	5.5
Montana	9.4	8.8	8.3	8.4	10.0	6.8	6.9	8.1	8.3	7.2
Nebraska	6.8	6.5	6.2	6.2	6.7	5.5	6.2	6.0	6.6	5.5
Nevada	8.8	7.3	9.5	8.9	8.2	5.7	5.5	5.7	5.8	4.9
New Hampshire	7.4	7.4	7.0	7.0	7.8	6.4	5.4	6.4	6.8	6.7
New Jersey	8.1	7.0	7.2	7.4	8.8	5.9	5.6	5.7	6.1	5.3
New Mexico	7.3	8.5	7.1	7.9	8.0	7.5	5.7	6.6	6.3	6.3
New York	7.4	6.9	7.1	7.5	7.7	6.3	5.4	5.7	6.0	5.5
North Carolina	7.9	6.6	6.4	6.8	8.1	5.0	5.4	5.8	6.4	5.2
North Dakota	7.2	7.8	6.9	7.5	7.7	7.1	6.5	6.5	6.7	6.5
Ohio	6.6	6.1	5.9	6.1	7.0	5.2	5.0	5.8	6.0	5.2
Oklahoma	7.9	6.1	6.5	7.1	7.4	5.8	6.1	6.0	7.0	6.4
Oregon	7.4	8.5	6.6	7.0	7.7	6.5	5.6	6.6	6.5	6.2
Pennsylvania	6.2	6.4	5.6	6.2	6.8	5.3	4.6	5.3	5.3	4.8
Rhode Island	7.6	9.8	7.0	7.6	8.5	7.1	5.5	6.4	6.6	6.5
South Carolina	8.0	6.2	6.3	7.2	7.9	5.2	6.1	6.5	6.6	5.3
South Dakota	7.2	7.3	6.8	6.6	7.2	6.2	6.0	5.8	6.5	5.9
Tennessee	7.5	5.6	5.9	6.8	7.4	4.6	5.0	5.8	5.5	4.9
Texas	7.6	5.7	6.7	7.1	7.7	4.8	5.0	5.4	5.4	4.7
Utah	8.1	7.1	6.9	7.3	7.5	5.6	6.1	6.0	6.8	5.8
Vermont	7.6	8.2	8.4	7.9	8.1	8.0	6.1	6.8	7.5	6.9
Virginia	7.0	6.0	6.2	6.8	7.1	5.3	5.4	6.0	6.1	5.4
Washington	7.2	7.9	6.7	7.2	7.8	6.1	5.4	5.8	5.7	5.1
West Virginia	7.4	7.2	6.5	6.7	7.8	6.2	5.8	6.4	6.5	5.9
Wisconsin	6.3	5.8	5.8	5.5	6.5	5.1	4.7	5.4	5.8	5.4
Wyoming	10.0	9.1	8.8	8.9	10.1	7.7	8.3	8.5	8.6	7.8
Puerto Rico	6.6	6.6	7.7	8.3	6.4	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.1	5.5
Virgin Islands	9.9	7.4	10.6	7.4	8.1	5.8	10.8	6.2	8.5	9.4
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.