From December 2024 to March 2025, private-sector establishments in Washington experienced gross job gains of 172,479 and gross job losses of 165,224, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund stated that this resulted in a net employment gain of 7,255 jobs in the private sector for the first quarter of 2025. In comparison, the previous quarter saw a net increase of 3,420 jobs.
The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics monitor these changes by tracking increases and decreases in employment at all private businesses from one quarter to the next. The difference between gross job gains and losses reflects the net change in employment.
In Washington during the first quarter of 2025, gross job gains accounted for 5.7 percent of private-sector employment, slightly higher than the national figure of 5.6 percent. Gross job gains are calculated from expansions at existing establishments and new jobs at opening establishments. Expanding establishments contributed 148,495 jobs—similar to last quarter—while opening establishments added 23,984 jobs, which was a decrease of 1,843 compared to the previous period.
Gross job losses represented 5.5 percent of private-sector employment in Washington; nationally it was reported as 5.4 percent. Contracting establishments lost a total of 154,512 jobs during this period—an increase of over seven thousand from last quarter—while closing establishments accounted for a loss of 10,712 jobs; this figure decreased by more than twelve thousand compared to the prior quarter.
Of Washington’s eleven industry sectors tracked by BED data for this time frame, seven recorded more gross job gains than losses. Retail trade posted the largest net increase with an addition of 6,204 jobs due to having more gains than losses within its sector. Education and health services followed with a net gain of 4,514 positions while construction saw an increase of nearly three thousand jobs. Manufacturing had the largest net loss among sectors with almost three thousand fewer positions.
The BED series provides data on gross job gains and losses by industry subsector across all states as well as information categorized by employer size class at the firm level.
According to BLS officials: “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.”
Further details about methodology and definitions can be found through resources provided by BLS or requested directly via their contact options for individuals requiring accessible formats.
The next release covering second-quarter figures is scheduled for February 26, 2026.
