Business Employment Dynamics: First Quarter 2004 — 2004-11-30

From December 2003 to March 2004, the number of job gains from opening and expanding establishments was 7.7 million, and the number of job losses from closing and contracting establishments was 7.3 million, according to preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. During the first quarter of 2004, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in both the goods-producing and service-providing sectors. Business Employment Dynamics statistics are derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), also known as the ES-202 program. 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 establishments 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.