February 15, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Job growth by firm size: second quarter 2006

From March 2006 to June 2006, firms with 1,000 or more employees accounted for 18.3 percent of the net gains in employment, representing the largest contribution to employment growth among all firm size classes.

[Chart data—TXT]

Firms with 1 to 4 employees had the smallest contribution (2.1 percent) to the total net change in employment from March 2006 to June 2006, a decrease from the previous quarter’s contribution of 5.8 percent.

In the second quarter of 2006, firms with 500 or more employees represented 29.1 percent of the total net change in employment. Historically, from September 1992 through March 2006, firms with 500 or more employees have accounted for, on average, 34.6 percent of quarterly net employment growth.

These data are from Business Employment Dynamics. Data presented here are for workers in private industry covered by State unemployment insurance programs. Find more in "Business Employment Dynamics: Second Quarter 2006" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 07–0245.