From December 2024 to March 2025, private-sector establishments in Florida saw gross job gains of 510,563 and gross job losses of 480,933, according to a report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This resulted in a net employment increase of 29,630 jobs for the first quarter of 2025. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee stated that during the previous quarter, gross job losses had outpaced gains by 19,111.
The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics measure changes in employment at private businesses from one quarter to the next. The net change is calculated as the difference between gross job gains and losses.
In Florida’s first quarter of 2025, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 percent of private-sector employment compared to a national rate of 5.6 percent. These gains came from both expanding existing establishments—which added 379,055 jobs, up by more than ten thousand from the prior quarter—and new opening establishments, which contributed an additional 131,508 jobs but marked a decrease from previous levels.
Gross job losses represented 5.5 percent of Florida’s private-sector employment during this period; nationally, this figure was slightly lower at 5.4 percent. Contracting establishments were responsible for losing 358,089 jobs—down by over thirty thousand from the previous quarter—while closing establishments lost another 122,844 jobs.
Eight out of eleven industry sectors reported more job gains than losses in Florida during this period. Education and health services led with a net gain of over thirteen thousand jobs; retail trade and professional and business services followed with smaller increases. Transportation and warehousing experienced the largest sectoral loss with over seven thousand fewer jobs.
BED data are part of a federal-state cooperative program called Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), compiled by BLS using QCEW records. More detailed information on BED methodology can be found at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage as well as in summary documents provided online.
The next BED release covering second quarter data is scheduled for February 26, 2026.
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