From December 2024 to March 2025, Kentucky’s private sector experienced a net employment gain of 6,917 jobs, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Gross job gains from opening and expanding establishments totaled 88,175, while gross job losses from closing and contracting establishments were 81,258.
Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee said that this net increase marked a reversal from the previous quarter when gross job losses surpassed gains by 3,285 jobs.
Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics monitor employment changes at private businesses from one quarter to the next. The difference between gross job gains and losses determines the net change in employment.
In the first quarter of 2025, gross job gains accounted for 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Kentucky, compared to the national figure of 5.6 percent. Expanding establishments contributed 72,762 new jobs—186 more than in the previous quarter—while opening establishments added 15,413 jobs, which was a decrease of 1,394 from the prior period.
Gross job losses represented 4.8 percent of Kentucky’s private-sector employment; nationally, these losses made up 5.4 percent. Contracting establishments cut 68,021 jobs—a reduction of 10,052 compared to the previous quarter—and closing businesses resulted in a loss of 13,237 jobs, down by 1,358 over the same period.
Eight out of eleven published industry sectors in Kentucky saw more gross job gains than losses during this time frame. The professional and business services sector recorded the largest net increase with a gain of 4,127 jobs after accounting for both gains and losses within that sector. Retail trade followed with a net gain of 1,733 jobs; education and health services posted an increase of 1,622 jobs. Leisure and hospitality had the largest net loss among all sectors with a decrease of 1,400 jobs.
The BED series provide detailed breakdowns by industry subsector for all states as well as territories like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; they also include information on employer size classes.
Additional data can be accessed at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage (https://www.bls.gov/bdm/) and through related summaries (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cewqtr.nr0.htm).
The next release covering second-quarter BED data is scheduled for February 26, 2026.
According to BLS methodology documentation (https://www.bls.gov/bdm/methodology.htm), BED data are compiled through cooperation between federal and state agencies using records from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program.
Requests for accessible versions or further information can be directed via voice phone at (202) 691-5200 or Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
