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News Release Information

22-1764-SAN
Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Business Employment Dynamics in Alaska – Fourth Quarter 2021

From September 2021 to December 2021, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Alaska were 27,986, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 20,502, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 7,484 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2021. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 2,043. (See chart 1.)

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 11.9 percent of private-sector employment in Alaska; 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 Alaska, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 23,664 in the fourth quarter of 2021, an increase of 3,701 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 4,322 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2021, an increase of 324 jobs from the previous quarter.

Chart 2
Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2021, gross job losses represented 8.7 percent of private-sector employment in Alaska; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.4 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In Alaska, contracting establishments lost 17,099 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2021, a decrease of 1,079 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 3,403 jobs, a decrease of 337 jobs from the previous quarter.

Chart 3
Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in all seven published industry sectors in Alaska in the fourth quarter of 2021. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 1,697 jobs. This was the result of 5,685 gross job gains and 3,988 gross job losses. The transportation and warehousing industry had a net gain of 1,320 jobs. Retail trade had a net increase of 951 jobs, and professional and business services showed a net job gain of 767.

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.

Upcoming Revisions and Coronavirus (COVID-19) Effect on Business Employment Dynamics

The release of First Quarter 2022 Business Employment Dynamics data will incorporate annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures.

Data collection and processing methods have been impacted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. More detail can be found at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-business-employment-dynamics.htm.


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, Alaska, seasonally adjusted
CategoryGross 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

30,08425,28621,84723,96127,98613.411.09.510.411.9

At expanding establishments

25,58020,28418,16919,96323,66411.48.87.98.710.1

At opening establishments

4,5045,0023,6783,9984,3222.02.21.61.71.8

Gross job losses

17,16721,66221,30321,91820,5027.79.49.29.58.7

At contracting establishments

14,22318,75818,23518,17817,0996.48.17.97.97.3

At closing establishments

2,9442,9043,0683,7403,4031.31.31.31.61.4

Net employment change (2)

12,9173,6245442,0437,4845.71.60.30.93.2

Construction

Gross job gains

2,9272,4772,8281,8892,75718.515.017.412.217.5

At expanding establishments

2,3421,9162,3741,5072,32014.811.614.69.714.7

At opening establishments

5855614543824373.73.42.82.52.8

Gross job losses

2,6172,6342,2502,8062,50116.515.913.818.015.9

At contracting establishments

2,2222,2211,7422,2812,03414.013.410.714.612.9

At closing establishments

3954135085254672.52.53.13.43.0

Net employment change (2)

310-157578-9172562.0-0.93.6-5.81.6

Retail trade

Gross job gains

2,7352,0781,4892,2852,4248.16.04.36.87.1

At expanding establishments

2,3901,8141,2751,7342,1547.15.23.75.26.3

At opening establishments

3452642145512701.00.80.61.60.8

Gross job losses

1,2631,9162,5932,2561,4733.75.57.56.84.3

At contracting establishments

1,1321,6642,4441,9291,2733.34.87.15.83.7

At closing establishments

1312521493272000.40.70.41.00.6

Net employment change (2)

1,472162-1,104299514.40.5-3.20.02.8

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains

3,3341,9311,3862,6462,93919.410.57.815.115.7

At expanding establishments

3,0401,5311,0662,1372,65917.78.36.012.214.2

At opening establishments

2944003205092801.72.21.82.91.5

Gross job losses

9961,8971,9131,3411,6195.810.310.87.78.6

At contracting establishments

7041,5701,7261,0831,2604.18.59.76.26.7

At closing establishments

2923271872583591.71.81.11.51.9

Net employment change (2)

2,33834-5271,3051,32013.60.2-3.07.47.1

Professional and business services

Gross job gains

2,6822,5902,3242,5993,06310.49.88.89.911.4

At expanding establishments

2,0831,9741,7592,1382,1718.17.56.78.18.1

At opening establishments

5996165654618922.32.32.11.83.3

Gross job losses

2,0652,0982,5212,5582,2968.08.09.69.78.6

At contracting establishments

1,5941,6252,1871,9411,8676.26.28.37.47.0

At closing establishments

4714733346174291.81.81.32.31.6

Net employment change (2)

617492-197417672.41.8-0.80.22.8

Education and health services

Gross job gains

2,5902,3431,9492,0482,3455.34.73.94.14.7

At expanding establishments

2,2132,0211,7061,8372,0284.54.13.43.74.1

At opening establishments

3773222432113170.80.60.50.40.6

Gross job losses

1,5661,8532,2892,2782,2103.23.74.64.64.5

At contracting establishments

1,2731,6841,9401,9891,9232.63.43.94.03.9

At closing establishments

2931693492892870.60.30.70.60.6

Net employment change (2)

1,024490-340-2301352.11.0-0.7-0.50.2

Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains

5,1927,8704,2245,9015,68520.027.414.119.317.7

At expanding establishments

4,0445,8053,1124,8214,71115.620.210.415.814.7

At opening establishments

1,1482,0651,1121,0809744.47.23.73.53.0

Gross job losses

2,8513,0134,0493,9233,98811.010.513.512.812.4

At contracting establishments

2,1302,4123,1492,8122,9898.28.410.59.29.3

At closing establishments

7216019001,1119992.82.13.03.63.1

Net employment change (2)

2,3414,8571751,9781,6979.016.90.66.55.3

Other services (3)

Gross job gains

8258301,1159748769.49.412.310.69.5

At expanding establishments

6586819607997487.57.710.68.78.1

At opening establishments

1671491551751281.91.71.71.91.4

Gross job losses

7847998121,0498278.99.09.011.49.0

At contracting establishments

6086597049056566.97.47.89.87.1

At closing establishments

1761401081441712.01.61.21.61.9

Net employment change (2)

4131303-75490.50.43.3-0.80.5

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
CategoryGross 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)

7.46.86.77.27.75.75.45.96.25.4

Alabama

7.65.96.26.67.65.55.96.06.75.3

Alaska

13.411.09.510.411.97.79.49.29.58.7

Arizona

7.36.36.86.96.85.05.56.06.04.9

Arkansas

7.25.95.56.67.65.25.15.65.94.5

California

8.57.77.87.88.56.15.96.46.35.5

Colorado

7.58.67.88.17.67.25.66.47.06.1

Connecticut

6.66.36.66.86.95.95.35.96.05.4

Delaware

6.86.86.47.28.36.06.06.47.06.1

District of Columbia

5.35.57.07.97.35.55.35.44.85.0

Florida

8.06.97.89.27.76.05.86.26.06.1

Georgia

7.96.76.97.48.15.25.76.26.25.7

Hawaii

14.78.510.77.26.84.65.95.66.64.8

Idaho

8.78.17.27.78.66.15.77.27.36.3

Illinois

6.57.26.06.37.56.14.95.66.04.9

Indiana

6.86.05.76.37.35.05.16.05.84.7

Iowa

6.86.16.06.26.65.15.46.06.05.2

Kansas

7.06.26.26.67.65.95.56.16.65.3

Kentucky

7.37.36.46.67.46.15.16.56.55.0

Louisiana

8.76.46.86.99.75.65.96.28.65.6

Maine

8.59.07.77.88.26.36.37.88.07.0

Maryland

7.36.36.67.57.25.85.56.66.75.7

Massachusetts

7.06.66.97.27.05.55.05.75.95.7

Michigan

6.78.56.26.67.56.94.95.66.15.3

Minnesota

6.99.26.16.47.36.84.95.56.85.2

Mississippi

8.05.66.47.58.04.96.66.56.25.7

Missouri

7.16.36.06.77.45.25.36.36.15.5

Montana

9.48.88.38.410.06.86.98.18.37.2

Nebraska

6.86.56.26.26.75.56.26.06.65.5

Nevada

8.87.39.58.98.25.75.55.75.84.9

New Hampshire

7.47.47.07.07.86.45.46.46.86.7

New Jersey

8.17.07.27.48.85.95.65.76.15.3

New Mexico

7.38.57.17.98.07.55.76.66.36.3

New York

7.46.97.17.57.76.35.45.76.05.5

North Carolina

7.96.66.46.88.15.05.45.86.45.2

North Dakota

7.27.86.97.57.77.16.56.56.76.5

Ohio

6.66.15.96.17.05.25.05.86.05.2

Oklahoma

7.96.16.57.17.45.86.16.07.06.4

Oregon

7.48.56.67.07.76.55.66.66.56.2

Pennsylvania

6.26.45.66.26.85.34.65.35.34.8

Rhode Island

7.69.87.07.68.57.15.56.46.66.5

South Carolina

8.06.26.37.27.95.26.16.56.65.3

South Dakota

7.27.36.86.67.26.26.05.86.55.9

Tennessee

7.55.65.96.87.44.65.05.85.54.9

Texas

7.65.76.77.17.74.85.05.45.44.7

Utah

8.17.16.97.37.55.66.16.06.85.8

Vermont

7.68.28.47.98.18.06.16.87.56.9

Virginia

7.06.06.26.87.15.35.46.06.15.4

Washington

7.27.96.77.27.86.15.45.85.75.1

West Virginia

7.47.26.56.77.86.25.86.46.55.9

Wisconsin

6.35.85.85.56.55.14.75.45.85.4

Wyoming

10.09.18.88.910.17.78.38.58.67.8

Puerto Rico

6.66.67.78.36.44.95.05.05.15.5

Virgin Islands

9.97.410.67.48.15.810.86.28.59.4

Footnotes
(1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, August 30, 2022