From December 2024 to March 2025, private-sector establishments in Vermont experienced a net employment gain of 325 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This figure reflects the difference between 17,691 gross job gains from opening and expanding businesses and 17,366 gross job losses due to contractions and closures during the first quarter of 2025.
Michael G. Phinney, Acting Regional Commissioner, stated: “The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 325 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2025.”
Compared to the previous quarter, when job losses exceeded gains by 102 positions, this period marks an improvement for Vermont’s labor market.
Gross job gains represented 6.9 percent of private-sector employment in Vermont for this period. Nationally, such gains accounted for 5.6 percent. These figures include both expansions at existing businesses and new positions created at newly opened establishments. Expanding businesses contributed to most of these gains with 13,643 jobs—142 fewer than last quarter—while new openings added another 4,048 jobs, which is an increase of 737 from the prior period.
Gross job losses made up 6.8 percent of Vermont’s private-sector workforce in early 2025; nationally, this figure was lower at 5.4 percent. Contracting firms accounted for most losses with a total reduction of 13,780 jobs—221 more than in the previous quarter—while closing businesses cut another 3,586 jobs, which was down by 53 compared to last quarter.
The BLS compiles Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data as part of its Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program. The BED series covers all states as well as other U.S. jurisdictions and breaks out statistics by industry subsector and employer size class.
The next BED release covering second-quarter data is scheduled for February 26, 2026.
Further information on methodology can be found on the Business Employment Dynamics homepage or through technical notes provided by BLS.
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