Our labor market is getting big things from big swings. Establishments with quarterly employment swings of 20 or more employees have consistently been the net employment driver over time. From 1992 to the beginning of 2009, establishments with employment changes of 20 or more accounted for 57 percent of the net employment change. Businesses with small employment changes (1-4) accounted for 14 percent of total employment change (see Figure 5). Figure 6 shows quarterly employment changes by size of change; the peaks and valleys of the establishments with big swings (those that lost or added 20.
