U.S. Business Dynamics Data

Hopefully you know about this one. It's a great national data source for understanding business openings, expansions, and closings.

The BLS Business Employment Dynamics data are quarterly series of gross job gains and gross job losses statistics for the entire economy. These data track changes in employment at the establishment level, and thus provide a picture of the dynamics underlying aggregate net employment growth statistics.

From June to September 2003, the number of job gains from opening and
expanding establishments was 7.4 million, and the number of job losses
from closing and contracting establishments was 7.3 million, according to
preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
U.S. Department of Labor. This release of the Business Employment Dynamics
series includes major industry sectors for the first time. During the third
quarter of 2003, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in goods-produc-
ing sectors, while gross job gains surpassed gross job losses in service-
providing sectors.

Opening and expanding private sector business establishments gained 7.4
million jobs in the third quarter of 2003, or 164,000 less than in the se-
cond quarter of 2003. Over the quarter, expanding establishments added
5.9 million jobs, while opening establishments added 1.5 million.

Gross job losses totaled 7.3 million in the third quarter of 2003, down
by 378,000 from the second quarter of 2003. The drop in gross job losses
during the quarter more than offset the drop in gross job gains, resulting
in the first net employment gain since the fourth quarter of 2000. Gross
job losses have been on a downward trend since the third quarter of 2001.
In the third quarter of 2003, contracting establishments lost 5.9 million
jobs, while closing establishments accounted for a loss of 1.4 million
jobs. (See tables A, 1, and 3.)

From June to September 2003, gross job gains represented 6.9 percent of
private sector employment, while gross job losses represented 6.8 percent
of private sector employment. (See tables A and 2.) These gross job gain
and loss statistics demonstrate that a sizable number of jobs appear and
disappear in the relatively short time frame of one quarter.

More here.