From December 2024 to March 2025, private-sector businesses in Kentucky saw gross job gains of 88,175 and gross job losses of 81,258, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The net result was an employment increase of 6,917 jobs in the state’s private sector for the first quarter of 2025.
Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee said that this net gain contrasts with the previous quarter when job losses outpaced gains by 3,285 positions.
The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data track changes in employment at private businesses from one quarter to the next. The net change is calculated as the difference between gross job gains—new jobs created by opening or expanding establishments—and gross job losses—jobs lost through closures or contractions.
In Kentucky during the first quarter of 2025, gross job gains accounted for 5.2 percent of private-sector employment. Nationally, this figure was slightly higher at 5.6 percent. Expanding establishments in Kentucky added 72,762 jobs, which was an increase compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments contributed another 15,413 jobs but represented a decrease from prior levels.
Gross job losses made up 4.8 percent of private-sector employment in Kentucky; nationally, this share stood at 5.4 percent. Contracting businesses in Kentucky lost a total of 68,021 jobs—a decrease from the previous quarter—while closing establishments were responsible for a loss of another 13,237 jobs.
Of the eleven industry sectors reported in Kentucky for this period, eight had more job gains than losses. Professional and business services recorded the largest net gain with an increase of 4,127 jobs due to having more new positions than those lost over the quarter. Retail trade saw a net gain of 1,733 jobs and education and health services gained a net total of 1,622 jobs. Leisure and hospitality experienced a net loss—the largest among sectors—with a reduction of 1,400 positions.
The BED data series provide detailed statistics on gross job gains and losses by industry subsector across all states and certain territories as well as information broken down by employer size class at the firm level.
The next release covering second-quarter figures is scheduled for February 26, 2026.
According to BLS documentation available on its Business Employment Dynamics homepage and Business Employment Dynamics Summary, these data are compiled under a federal-state cooperative program using records from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW).
Requests for accessible versions can be made via voice phone or Telecommunications Relay Service as indicated by BLS.
