BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

11/04/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/04/2026 10:04

Business Employment Dynamics in Massachusetts — First Quarter 2026

News Release Information

26-1633-BOS
Wednesday, November 04, 2026

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (646) 264-3600

Business Employment Dynamics in Massachusetts - First Quarter 2026

From December 2025 to March 2026, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Massachusetts were 168,577, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 165,250, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Mark J. Maggi noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 3,327 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2026. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 775. (See 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 the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Massachusetts, March 2021-March 2026, seasonally adjusted
Period Gross job losses Gross job gains

Mar 2021

149,380 196,910

Jun 2021

168,418 206,840

Sep 2021

175,280 220,128

Dec 2021

176,341 216,333

Mar 2022

161,155 210,593

Jun 2022

171,929 193,271

Sep 2022

189,839 197,376

Dec 2022

182,940 171,856

Mar 2023

156,061 186,618

Jun 2023

179,675 187,822

Sep 2023

189,191 175,483

Dec 2023

176,621 172,577

Mar 2024

164,760 171,097

Jun 2024

179,033 180,967

Sep 2024

184,286 159,532

Dec 2024

174,955 170,234

Mar 2025

164,087 161,588

Jun 2025

182,040 176,218

Sep 2025

185,579 166,588

Dec 2025

172,911 172,136

Mar 2026

168,577 165,250
View Chart Data

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2026, gross job losses represented 5.3 percent of private-sector employment in Massachusetts; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.5 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 Massachusetts, contracting establishments lost 135,448 jobs in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 5,061 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 33,129 jobs, an increase of 727 jobs from the previous quarter.

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Massachusetts, March 2021-March 2026, seasonally adjusted
Period United States Massachusetts

Mar 2021

5.5 5.1

Jun 2021

5.9 5.7

Sep 2021

6.0 5.8

Dec 2021

5.4 5.7

Mar 2022

5.5 5.1

Jun 2022

6.2 5.5

Sep 2022

5.9 6.0

Dec 2022

5.9 5.8

Mar 2023

5.5 4.9

Jun 2023

5.9 5.6

Sep 2023

5.9 5.9

Dec 2023

5.7 5.5

Mar 2024

5.5 5.1

Jun 2024

5.9 5.6

Sep 2024

5.8 5.8

Dec 2024

5.7 5.5

Mar 2025

5.5 5.1

Jun 2025

6.0 5.7

Sep 2025

5.7 5.9

Dec 2025

5.5 5.5

Mar 2026

5.5 5.3
View Chart Data

Gross job gains

In the first quarter of 2026, gross job gains represented 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Massachusetts; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.5 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) 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 Massachusetts, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 123,968 in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 9,929 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 41,282 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 3,043 jobs from the previous quarter.

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Massachusetts, March 2021-March 2026, seasonally adjusted
Period United States Massachusetts

Mar 2021

7.0 6.7

Jun 2021

6.8 6.9

Sep 2021

7.3 7.2

Dec 2021

7.7 7.1

Mar 2022

6.7 6.8

Jun 2022

6.6 6.2

Sep 2022

6.9 6.2

Dec 2022

6.3 5.4

Mar 2023

6.3 5.9

Jun 2023

6.2 5.8

Sep 2023

5.9 5.5

Dec 2023

5.9 5.4

Mar 2024

5.9 5.3

Jun 2024

5.8 5.7

Sep 2024

5.8 5.1

Dec 2024

5.9 5.3

Mar 2025

5.7 5.0

Jun 2025

5.7 5.5

Sep 2025

5.7 5.3

Dec 2025

6.0 5.4

Mar 2026

5.5 5.2
View Chart Data

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 6 of the 11 published industry sectors in Massachusetts in the first quarter of 2026. Transportation and warehousing had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 3,602 jobs. This was the result of 8,112 gross job losses and 4,510 gross job gains. Manufacturing had the next largest net loss, with 1,584 jobs lost. Among industries with net gains, education and health services added 2,151 jobs, the result of 30,325 gross job gains and 28,174 gross job losses. Retail trade had a net gain of 1,281 jobs.

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 the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2026 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 27, 2027, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

Data in this release contain annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. These revisions include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.


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.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Massachusetts, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains and losses
(3 months ended) 		Gross job gains and losses
as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Dec.
2025 		Mar.
2026 		Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Dec.
2025 		Mar.
2026

Total private (1)

Gross job gains

161,588 176,218 166,588 172,136 165,250 5.0 5.5 5.3 5.4 5.2

At expanding establishments

128,748 142,969 124,996 133,897 123,968 4.0 4.5 4.0 4.2 3.9

At opening establishments

32,840 33,249 41,592 38,239 41,282 1.0 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.3

Gross job losses

164,087 182,040 185,579 172,911 168,577 5.1 5.7 5.9 5.5 5.3

At contracting establishments

134,706 146,578 148,377 140,509 135,448 4.2 4.6 4.7 4.5 4.3

At closing establishments

29,381 35,462 37,202 32,402 33,129 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.0

Net employment change (2)

-2,499 -5,822 -18,991 -775 -3,327 -0.1 -0.2 -0.6 -0.1 -0.1

Construction

Gross job gains

12,953 13,314 11,849 14,254 13,307 7.5 7.9 7.2 8.7 8.0

At expanding establishments

9,801 10,633 8,904 10,829 9,980 5.7 6.3 5.4 6.6 6.0

At opening establishments

3,152 2,681 2,945 3,425 3,327 1.8 1.6 1.8 2.1 2.0

Gross job losses

13,614 15,418 14,500 13,407 12,739 8.0 9.1 8.8 8.2 7.7

At contracting establishments

10,928 12,221 11,191 10,428 10,141 6.4 7.2 6.8 6.4 6.1

At closing establishments

2,686 3,197 3,309 2,979 2,598 1.6 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.6

Net employment change (2)

-661 -2,104 -2,651 847 568 -0.5 -1.2 -1.6 0.5 0.3

Manufacturing

Gross job gains

5,237 6,433 5,389 6,607 6,191 2.3 2.8 2.4 2.9 2.7

At expanding establishments

4,476 5,763 4,450 5,608 5,435 2.0 2.5 2.0 2.5 2.4

At opening establishments

761 670 939 999 756 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3

Gross job losses

6,680 7,287 7,299 6,509 7,775 2.9 3.2 3.3 2.9 3.5

At contracting establishments

6,011 6,356 6,470 5,620 6,902 2.6 2.8 2.9 2.5 3.1

At closing establishments

669 931 829 889 873 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4

Net employment change (2)

-1,443 -854 -1,910 98 -1,584 -0.6 -0.4 -0.9 0.0 -0.8

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains

5,289 4,873 5,225 4,205 4,654 4.5 4.2 4.4 3.6 4.0

At expanding establishments

4,265 3,826 3,796 3,307 3,577 3.6 3.3 3.2 2.8 3.1

At opening establishments

1,024 1,047 1,429 898 1,077 0.9 0.9 1.2 0.8 0.9

Gross job losses

4,882 5,599 5,000 5,169 4,611 4.1 4.8 4.3 4.5 4.0

At contracting establishments

3,827 4,231 3,696 3,799 3,550 3.2 3.6 3.2 3.3 3.1

At closing establishments

1,055 1,368 1,304 1,370 1,061 0.9 1.2 1.1 1.2 0.9

Net employment change (2)

407 -726 225 -964 43 0.4 -0.6 0.1 -0.9 0.0

Retail trade

Gross job gains

18,346 17,197 16,468 14,522 16,949 5.7 5.2 5.1 4.6 5.4

At expanding establishments

16,416 14,816 14,070 12,747 14,188 5.1 4.5 4.4 4.0 4.5

At opening establishments

1,930 2,381 2,398 1,775 2,761 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.9

Gross job losses

15,057 21,535 20,916 18,313 15,668 4.7 6.6 6.5 5.7 4.9

At contracting establishments

12,841 18,493 15,382 16,055 12,984 4.0 5.7 4.8 5.0 4.1

At closing establishments

2,216 3,042 5,534 2,258 2,684 0.7 0.9 1.7 0.7 0.8

Net employment change (2)

3,289 -4,338 -4,448 -3,791 1,281 1.0 -1.4 -1.4 -1.1 0.5

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains

4,426 5,064 5,135 9,701 4,510 4.5 5.2 5.3 8.9 4.1

At expanding establishments

3,369 4,397 4,268 8,813 3,886 3.4 4.5 4.4 8.1 3.5

At opening establishments

1,057 667 867 888 624 1.1 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.6

Gross job losses

5,818 5,940 5,215 4,942 8,112 5.9 6.1 5.4 4.6 7.4

At contracting establishments

5,150 5,282 4,385 4,203 7,361 5.2 5.4 4.5 3.9 6.7

At closing establishments

668 658 830 739 751 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.7

Net employment change (2)

-1,392 -876 -80 4,759 -3,602 -1.4 -0.9 -0.1 4.3 -3.3

Information

Gross job gains

3,294 4,269 3,999 4,282 3,659 3.6 4.7 4.4 4.7 4.1

At expanding establishments

2,527 3,350 2,925 3,169 2,363 2.8 3.7 3.2 3.5 2.6

At opening establishments

767 919 1,074 1,113 1,296 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.5

Gross job losses

3,656 4,296 4,978 4,672 4,522 4.0 4.7 5.5 5.2 5.1

At contracting establishments

2,803 3,085 3,770 3,787 3,659 3.1 3.4 4.2 4.2 4.1

At closing establishments

853 1,211 1,208 885 863 0.9 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.0

Net employment change (2)

-362 -27 -979 -390 -863 -0.4 0.0 -1.1 -0.5 -1.0

Financial activities

Gross job gains

6,729 8,931 7,276 8,380 8,547 3.1 4.2 3.4 4.0 4.0

At expanding establishments

5,269 7,488 5,374 6,736 6,412 2.4 3.5 2.5 3.2 3.0

At opening establishments

1,460 1,443 1,902 1,644 2,135 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.8 1.0

Gross job losses

7,518 8,224 9,661 8,375 7,972 3.5 3.8 4.5 3.9 3.8

At contracting establishments

6,045 6,621 7,725 6,823 6,095 2.8 3.1 3.6 3.2 2.9

At closing establishments

1,473 1,603 1,936 1,552 1,877 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.9

Net employment change (2)

-789 707 -2,385 5 575 -0.4 0.4 -1.1 0.1 0.2

Professional and business services

Gross job gains

31,071 35,511 35,557 29,991 31,851 5.0 5.8 5.7 5.0 5.3

At expanding establishments

24,469 27,620 25,447 22,810 22,980 3.9 4.5 4.1 3.8 3.8

At opening establishments

6,602 7,891 10,110 7,181 8,871 1.1 1.3 1.6 1.2 1.5

Gross job losses

34,213 33,732 36,588 37,146 32,792 5.5 5.5 5.9 6.1 5.5

At contracting establishments

27,321 26,333 28,681 28,579 25,762 4.4 4.3 4.6 4.7 4.3

At closing establishments

6,892 7,399 7,907 8,567 7,030 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.2

Net employment change (2)

-3,142 1,779 -1,031 -7,155 -941 -0.5 0.3 -0.2 -1.1 -0.2

Education and health services

Gross job gains

31,981 32,756 32,085 31,050 30,325 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.8 3.7

At expanding establishments

26,534 27,595 25,764 22,956 23,475 3.3 3.4 3.2 2.8 2.9

At opening establishments

5,447 5,161 6,321 8,094 6,850 0.7 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.8

Gross job losses

28,350 31,944 30,925 30,598 28,174 3.5 4.0 3.8 3.7 3.5

At contracting establishments

23,237 25,821 26,007 25,446 22,506 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.1 2.8

At closing establishments

5,113 6,123 4,918 5,152 5,668 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.7

Net employment change (2)

3,631 812 1,160 452 2,151 0.5 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.2

Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains

33,601 36,915 34,600 39,602 36,226 9.1 10.2 9.6 10.9 9.9

At expanding establishments

25,019 28,988 23,727 30,154 25,259 6.8 8.0 6.6 8.3 6.9

At opening establishments

8,582 7,927 10,873 9,448 10,967 2.3 2.2 3.0 2.6 3.0

Gross job losses

35,176 38,013 39,340 34,833 36,777 9.7 10.4 10.9 9.6 10.0

At contracting establishments

29,468 30,262 32,361 28,878 29,329 8.1 8.3 9.0 8.0 8.0

At closing establishments

5,708 7,751 6,979 5,955 7,448 1.6 2.1 1.9 1.6 2.0

Net employment change (2)

-1,575 -1,098 -4,740 4,769 -551 -0.6 -0.2 -1.3 1.3 -0.1

Other services (3)

Gross job gains

7,063 9,092 7,123 7,714 7,163 6.4 8.2 6.4 7.1 6.5

At expanding establishments

5,444 7,003 4,914 5,664 4,937 4.9 6.3 4.4 5.2 4.5

At opening establishments

1,619 2,089 2,209 2,050 2,226 1.5 1.9 2.0 1.9 2.0

Gross job losses

7,187 7,396 9,491 6,945 7,416 6.5 6.6 8.5 6.3 6.8

At contracting establishments

5,515 5,603 7,356 5,325 5,569 5.0 5.0 6.6 4.8 5.1

At closing establishments

1,672 1,793 2,135 1,620 1,847 1.5 1.6 1.9 1.5 1.7

Net employment change (2)

-124 1,696 -2,368 769 -253 -0.1 1.6 -2.1 0.8 -0.3

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.
(3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains as a percent of employment
(3 months ended) 		Gross job losses as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Dec.
2025 		Mar.
2026 		Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Dec.
2025 		Mar.
2026

United States(1)

5.7 5.7 5.7 6.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 5.7 5.5 5.5

Alabama

5.5 5.5 5.5 5.9 5.5 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.3 5.2

Alaska

10.4 10.0 7.4 11.9 9.6 8.3 9.9 10.0 9.4 9.4

Arizona

5.8 5.2 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.3 6.2 5.3 5.4 5.6

Arkansas

5.1 5.1 5.4 6.0 5.3 5.1 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.4

California

6.1 6.4 6.3 6.9 6.3 6.4 6.7 6.1 6.1 6.0

Colorado

6.4 6.5 6.5 6.3 6.0 6.6 6.7 6.4 6.2 6.5

Connecticut

5.7 5.8 5.4 5.5 5.3 5.2 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.4

Delaware

6.0 6.0 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.4 6.1 6.0 5.6 5.4

District of Columbia

4.9 5.7 4.6 5.5 5.0 5.8 6.1 6.0 5.1 4.9

Florida

5.8 5.7 6.0 5.9 5.3 5.5 5.8 5.9 5.6 5.5

Georgia

5.6 5.5 5.7 5.9 5.3 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.4 5.5

Hawaii

5.2 4.9 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.2 4.8 4.7 5.1

Idaho

7.5 7.6 6.7 8.0 7.7 7.3 7.1 7.6 6.3 7.0

Illinois

5.0 5.2 4.7 5.3 5.1 5.0 5.1 5.0 5.3 5.0

Indiana

5.4 5.1 5.1 5.5 4.9 5.1 5.4 5.1 5.1 5.1

Iowa

6.0 5.5 4.8 6.2 6.0 5.6 5.8 5.9 5.4 5.4

Kansas

5.5 5.4 5.8 5.8 5.4 5.4 6.3 5.8 5.4 5.3

Kentucky

5.3 5.0 5.3 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.3 5.6 5.1 5.3

Louisiana

5.8 5.6 6.0 6.0 5.7 5.7 6.2 5.9 5.9 5.4

Maine

7.3 7.1 6.4 6.8 6.4 6.4 7.3 7.0 7.0 6.3

Maryland

5.9 5.7 5.8 6.1 5.6 5.8 6.6 6.3 5.5 6.0

Massachusetts

5.0 5.5 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.1 5.7 5.9 5.5 5.3

Michigan

5.3 5.8 4.9 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.4 5.9 5.3 4.9

Minnesota

5.1 5.8 5.3 5.5 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.6

Mississippi

6.0 6.2 6.4 6.4 5.7 6.1 6.2 6.0 5.9 6.3

Missouri

5.4 5.6 5.7 6.2 5.6 5.2 6.1 5.9 5.4 5.3

Montana

8.0 7.7 7.1 8.4 7.8 7.6 8.3 7.9 7.4 7.0

Nebraska

5.3 5.4 5.6 5.7 5.4 5.3 5.5 6.0 5.3 5.4

Nevada

5.4 6.1 6.9 6.4 5.7 5.9 6.3 5.3 5.4 5.7

New Hampshire

6.6 6.3 5.6 6.3 6.1 6.1 6.7 6.8 5.7 6.3

New Jersey

5.4 5.7 5.3 5.8 5.3 5.5 5.6 5.8 5.4 5.5

New Mexico

6.1 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.0 5.8 6.0 6.4 6.0 5.9

New York

7.0 6.1 5.9 5.6 5.4 5.2 7.0 5.7 5.5 5.2

North Carolina

5.6 5.7 5.4 6.0 5.8 5.5 5.4 5.7 5.0 5.3

North Dakota

6.7 6.4 6.2 6.9 6.8 6.5 6.8 6.6 6.4 6.7

Ohio

5.2 5.3 5.2 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.4 5.3 5.0 5.1

Oklahoma

5.5 5.6 6.0 6.2 5.3 5.3 6.2 6.3 5.3 5.3

Oregon

6.1 6.1 5.7 5.9 5.7 6.1 6.4 6.6 6.0 5.9

Pennsylvania

5.0 4.9 5.0 5.1 4.7 4.7 5.1 5.1 4.7 4.8

Rhode Island

6.6 6.3 6.0 6.6 5.8 5.9 6.7 6.6 6.2 6.0

South Carolina

6.1 5.9 6.3 6.6 6.0 5.6 6.1 6.1 5.5 5.7

South Dakota

6.3 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.9 6.4 6.0 5.9 6.1

Tennessee

5.5 5.3 5.8 6.0 5.4 5.3 6.5 5.5 5.3 4.9

Texas

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.8 5.4 5.1 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.4

Utah

6.8 6.9 6.9 6.6 6.4 6.2 6.8 6.5 6.2 6.1

Vermont

7.0 6.9 6.7 7.0 6.6 6.8 7.4 7.7 7.0 6.5

Virginia

5.6 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.5 5.2 5.8 6.1 5.2 5.4

Washington

5.7 6.0 5.2 5.6 5.7 6.0 5.9 6.0 5.7 5.5

West Virginia

6.7 5.6 6.1 6.1 6.4 5.9 6.4 6.2 6.2 5.4

Wisconsin

5.1 5.3 4.9 5.5 5.4 5.0 5.4 5.6 5.1 4.9

Wyoming

8.1 8.3 7.7 9.0 8.8 8.8 8.9 8.4 8.0 8.2

Puerto Rico

6.5 7.0 5.2 4.6 4.6 5.2 6.0 5.4 5.3 4.6

Virgin Islands

6.1 11.9 6.9 8.4 7.3 8.8 9.2 7.5 5.7 7.1

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

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on November 04, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 04, 2026 at 16:04 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]