May 21, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Gross job gains and losses: third quarter 2006

Opening and expanding private sector business establishments gained 7.4 million jobs in the third quarter of 2006, a decrease of 397,000 from the previous quarter.

Private sector gross job gains and losses, June 2006 to September 2006 (seasonally adjusted)
[Chart data—TXT]

Over the third quarter, expanding establishments added 6.0 million jobs, while opening establishments added 1.4 million jobs.

Gross job losses totaled 7.3 million from June 2006 to September 2006, an increase of 50,000 from the previous quarter. 

During the third quarter, contracting establishments lost 6.0 million jobs, while closing establishments lost 1.3 million jobs.

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: Third Quarter 2006" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 07–0710. Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment from expansions in employment at existing units and the addition of new jobs at opening units. Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing units and the loss of jobs at closing units.

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