Technical information: USDL 98-91
Household data: (202) 606-6378
Transmission of material in this
release is embargoed until
Establishment data: 606-6555 8:30 A.M. (EST),
Media contact: 606-5902 Friday, March 6, 1998.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: FEBRUARY 1998
Nonfarm payroll employment rose, and the unemployment rate was
essentially unchanged at 4.6 percent in February, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The number of
payroll jobs rose by 310,000, with continuing strength in services and
construction. Manufacturing employment was about unchanged, following 4
months of strong growth.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
Both the number of unemployed persons, about 6.4 million, and the
unemployment rate, 4.6 percent, were virtually unchanged from the prior
month, after seasonal adjustment. Jobless rates for the major worker
groups--adult men (3.8 percent), adult women (4.3 percent), teenagers (14.7
percent), whites (3.9 percent), blacks (9.7 percent), and Hispanics (6.8
percent)--showed little or no change in February. (See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Among the major educational attainment categories, the jobless rate
for persons 25 years and over who had not completed high school (7.0
percent) continued to edge down. Over the year, it has declined by 1.8
percentage points. Over the month, rates for those with higher levels of
educational attainment--including high school graduates with no college
experience (4.0 percent), high school graduates with some college
experience but no bachelor’s degree (3.1 percent), and college graduates
(1.9 percent)--showed little or no change. (See table A-3.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
Total employment was about unchanged in February, at 131.2 million
(seasonally adjusted). Over the year, the number of employed persons rose
by about 2.8 million, after adjusting for changes in the composite
estimation procedure. The proportion of the population with jobs--the
employment-population ratio--remained at the all-time high of 64.2 percent.
(See table A-1.)
About 7.9 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in February. They comprised 6.1 percent of the total employed. (See
table A-10.)
The civilian labor force, at 137.6 million (seasonally adjusted), was
essentially unchanged over the month, following 3 months of strong growth.
The labor force participation rate remained at a record 67.3 percent. (See
table A-1.)
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Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________|Jan.-
Category | 1997 | 1997 | 1998 1/ |Feb.
|_________________|__________________________|change
| III | IV | Dec. | Jan. | Feb. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 136,379| 136,813| 137,169| 137,493| 137,557| 64
Employment..........| 129,723| 130,421| 130,777| 131,083| 131,163| 80
Unemployment........| 6,656| 6,392| 6,392| 6,409| 6,393| -16
Not in labor force....| 66,988| 67,123| 66,929| 66,745| 66,844| 99
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.9| 4.7| 4.7| 4.7| 4.6| -0.1
Adult men...........| 4.1| 4.0| 4.1| 3.8| 3.8| .0
Adult women.........| 4.3| 4.0| 4.0| 4.4| 4.3| -.1
Teenagers...........| 16.3| 15.0| 14.3| 14.1| 14.7| .6
White...............| 4.2| 4.0| 3.9| 4.0| 3.9| -.1
Black...............| 9.6| 9.7| 9.9| 9.3| 9.7| .4
Hispanic origin.....| 7.6| 7.4| 7.5| 6.9| 6.8| -.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA | Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 122,575| 123,487| 123,866|p124,241|p124,551| p310
Goods-producing 2/..| 24,750| 24,899| 24,995| p25,132| p25,169| p37
Construction......| 5,635| 5,693| 5,747| p5,839| p5,880| p41
Manufacturing.....| 18,541| 18,633| 18,674| p18,719| p18,717| p-2
Service-producing 2/| 97,825| 98,588| 98,871| p99,109| p99,382| p273
Retail trade......| 22,188| 22,370| 22,450| p22,462| p22,477| p15
Services..........| 35,745| 36,108| 36,276| p36,401| p36,547| p146
Government........| 19,746| 19,761| 19,770| p19,775| p19,811| p36
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.5| 34.6| 34.6| p34.8| p34.9| p0.1
Manufacturing.......| 41.8| 42.1| 42.2| p42.1| p42.0| p-.1
Overtime..........| 4.7| 4.9| 4.9| p4.9| p4.7| p-.2
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 140.6| 142.2| 142.5| p143.6| p144.5| p0.9
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 3/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $12.30| $12.45| $12.48| p$12.52| p$12.60| p$0.08
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 424.36| 431.30| 431.81| p435.70| p439.74| p4.04
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Beginning in January 1998, household data reflect new composite
estimation procedures and revised population controls.
2/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
3/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.
- 3 -
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.5 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in February. These were people who wanted and
were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12
months but were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for
work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.
The number of discouraged workers--a subset of the marginally attached
who were not currently looking for jobs specifically because they believed
no jobs were available for them--totaled 361,000 in February, little changed
from a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 310,000 in February, after seasonal
adjustment, the fourth consecutive month of increases exceeding 300,000.
Job growth was strong in both services and construction, while
manufacturing employment was unchanged after 4 months of large gains. (See
table B-1.)
Construction employment rose by 41,000 in February; since October, job
growth has totaled 230,000. The recent growth reflects a strong housing
market, unusually mild temperatures over most of the country, and cleanup
and reconstruction activity following excessive rain in the West and ice
storms in the Northeast.
Manufacturing employment was essentially unchanged in February. A
small gain in durable goods was offset by a decline in nondurable goods,
primarily in apparel manufacturing. Employment in both industrial
machinery and electronic components failed to grow for the first month in
over a year.
Employment in the services industry rose by 146,000 in February, with
relatively large gains occurring in help supply services (52,000) and
computer and data processing services (20,000). Growth also continued in
engineering and management services. Employment in the health services
industry rose by 25,000 in February, although recent losses in home health
care continued.
Transportation employment was up by 34,000 in February, seasonally
adjusted, following a similarly large gain in January. Growth was
concentrated in air transportation (15,000) and trucking (7,000).
Employment in communications was about unchanged, following an increase of
12,000 in January.
Employment in the durable component of wholesale trade rose by 21,000
in February. Retail trade employment growth (15,000) was weak for the
second straight month. Many of the retail industries had little or no
growth, and apparel and accessory stores lost 9,000 jobs. In contrast,
employment continued to grow in furniture stores (5,000) and building
materials and garden supply stores (5,000), consistent with the strong
housing market.
The finance industry added 17,000 jobs in February, with gains
occurring in most component industries. Mortgage brokerages grew
substantially (7,000), reflecting increased refinancing activity spurred by
lower mortgage rates. Growth continued in insurance and real estate, as
employment in each industry increased by 5,000 over the month.
- 4 -
Government employment rose by 36,000 in February, with most of the
increase occurring in local governments.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour in February to 34.9 hours,
seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing workweek decreased by 0.1 hour to
42.0 hours, while factory overtime fell by 0.2 hour to 4.7 hours. Both
measures are still near their historic highs. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.6 percent to 144.5
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index declined by 0.5
percent to 109.5. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls increased 8 cents in February to $12.60,
seasonally adjusted. Average weekly earnings increased by 0.9 percent to
$439.74. Since February 1997, average hourly earnings have risen by 4.1
percent and average weekly earnings by 4.4 percent. (See table B-3.)
________________________________________
The Employment Situation for March 1998 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, April 3, at 8:30 A.M. (EST).
------------------------------------------------------------------
| March 1997 National Benchmarks |
| In accordance with standard practice, BLS will release nonfarm |
|payroll employment benchmark revisions with the May data on June 5,|
|1998. The March 1997 benchmark level has been finalized and will |
|result in an upward revision of 431,000 (0.4 percent) to total |
|nonfarm employment for the March 1997 reference month. Further |
|information is available by calling (202) 606-6555. |
------------------------------------------------------------------
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Explanatory Note
This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the
information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears
in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
The establishment survey provides the information on the employment,
hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B
tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from
payroll records by BLS in cooperation with State agencies. In June 1997,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing about 48 million
people.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week
or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the
establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the
12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.
Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of
questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over
in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force.
People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours
in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they
were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather,
vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.
People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for
or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed
persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the
labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent
of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population.
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
Federal, State, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate
only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory
workers in the service-producing sector.
- 6 -
Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys
result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from
the surveys. Among these are:
--The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed,
unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed.
These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.
--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.
--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
--The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In
the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus
appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each
appearance.
Other differences between the two surveys are described in "Comparing
Employment Estimates from Household and Payroll Surveys," which may be
obtained from BLS upon request.
Seasonal adjustment
Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the
levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to
such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production,
harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The
effect of such seasonal variation can be very large; seasonal
fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month
changes in unemployment.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each
year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting
the statistics from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal
developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the
participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For example,
the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to
obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it
difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or
declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in
previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be
adjusted to allow for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal
adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful
tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity.
In both the household and establishment surveys, most seasonally adjusted
series are independently adjusted. However, the adjusted series for many
major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most major
industry divisions, total employment, and unemployment are computed by
aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example, total
unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major age-
sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration,
reasons, or more detailed age categories.
The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are
recalculated twice a year. For the household survey, the factors are
calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December
- 7 -
period. For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal
adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along
with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period. In both
surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject
to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the
entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample
selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the
estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total
employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus
376,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000
from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the
monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100,000 +/- 376,000).
These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these
magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range
includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment
rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely
(at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact,
occurred. The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in
unemployment is +/- 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment
rate it is +/- .21 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have
lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates
which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of
estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as
for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can
also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling
error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2
months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason,
these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after
two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.
Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is
the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new
firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth
(and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is
included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number
of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change. The size of the
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monthly bias adjustment is based largely on past relationships between the
sample-based estimates of employment and the total counts of employment
described below.
The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted
once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment
obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program.
The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and the
March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a
rough proxy for total survey error. The new benchmarks also incorporate
changes in the classification of industries. Over the past decade, the
benchmark revision for total nonfarm employment has averaged 0.2 percent,
ranging from zero to 0.6 percent.
Additional statistics and other information
More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings,
published each month by BLS. It is available for $17.00 per issue or
$35.00 per year from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402. All orders must be prepaid by sending a check or money order
payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or by charging to Mastercard or
Visa.
Employment and Earnings also provides measures of sampling error for the
household survey data published in this release. For unemployment and
other labor force categories, these measures appear in tables 1-B through
1-H of its "Explanatory Notes." Measures of the reliability of the data
drawn from the establishment survey and the actual amounts of revision due
to benchmark adjustments are provided in tables 2-B through 2-G of that
publication.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-606-STAT; TDD phone:
202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Employment status, sex, and age
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population... 202,389 204,238 204,400 202,389 203,767 203,941 204,098 204,238 204,400
Civilian labor force................. 134,535 135,951 136,286 135,689 136,406 136,864 137,169 137,493 137,557
Participation rate............. 66.5 66.6 66.7 67.0 66.9 67.1 67.2 67.3 67.3
Employed........................... 126,887 128,882 129,482 128,515 129,910 130,575 130,777 131,083 131,163
Employment-population ratio.... 62.7 63.1 63.3 63.5 63.8 64.0 64.1 64.2 64.2
Agriculture...................... 2,933 2,938 2,922 3,340 3,327 3,384 3,385 3,319 3,335
Nonagricultural industries....... 123,954 125,944 126,560 125,175 126,583 127,191 127,392 127,764 127,829
Unemployed......................... 7,647 7,069 6,804 7,174 6,496 6,289 6,392 6,409 6,393
Unemployment rate.............. 5.7 5.2 5.0 5.3 4.8 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.6
Not in labor force................... 67,854 68,287 68,115 66,700 67,361 67,077 66,929 66,745 66,844
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population... 97,320 98,241 98,331 97,320 98,050 98,141 98,225 98,241 98,331
Civilian labor force................. 72,214 72,815 72,930 73,001 73,311 73,682 73,662 73,852 73,780
Participation rate............. 74.2 74.1 74.2 75.0 74.8 75.1 75.0 75.2 75.0
Employed........................... 67,981 68,932 69,197 69,248 69,785 70,352 70,195 70,518 70,459
Employment-population ratio.... 69.9 70.2 70.4 71.2 71.2 71.7 71.5 71.8 71.7
Unemployed......................... 4,233 3,882 3,733 3,753 3,526 3,330 3,467 3,333 3,320
Unemployment rate.............. 5.9 5.3 5.1 5.1 4.8 4.5 4.7 4.5 4.5
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population... 89,556 90,391 90,476 89,556 90,140 90,251 90,339 90,391 90,476
Civilian labor force................. 68,447 69,013 69,104 68,872 69,193 69,500 69,561 69,652 69,601
Participation rate............. 76.4 76.3 76.4 76.9 76.8 77.0 77.0 77.1 76.9
Employed........................... 64,923 65,811 66,049 65,860 66,337 66,824 66,676 67,008 66,990
Employment-population ratio.... 72.5 72.8 73.0 73.5 73.6 74.0 73.8 74.1 74.0
Agriculture...................... 2,080 2,056 2,035 2,313 2,298 2,323 2,314 2,282 2,264
Nonagricultural industries....... 62,843 63,756 64,014 63,547 64,039 64,501 64,362 64,726 64,726
Unemployed......................... 3,523 3,202 3,055 3,012 2,856 2,676 2,885 2,644 2,611
Unemployment rate.............. 5.1 4.6 4.4 4.4 4.1 3.9 4.1 3.8 3.8
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population... 105,068 105,997 106,070 105,068 105,718 105,799 105,873 105,997 106,070
Civilian labor force................. 62,321 63,136 63,355 62,688 63,095 63,182 63,507 63,641 63,777
Participation rate............. 59.3 59.6 59.7 59.7 59.7 59.7 60.0 60.0 60.1
Employed........................... 58,906 59,949 60,285 59,267 60,125 60,223 60,582 60,565 60,704
Employment-population ratio.... 56.1 56.6 56.8 56.4 56.9 56.9 57.2 57.1 57.2
Unemployed......................... 3,415 3,186 3,070 3,421 2,970 2,959 2,925 3,076 3,073
Unemployment rate.............. 5.5 5.0 4.8 5.5 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.8 4.8
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population... 97,571 98,420 98,471 97,571 98,144 98,212 98,300 98,420 98,471
Civilian labor force................. 58,720 59,425 59,606 58,791 59,338 59,348 59,624 59,652 59,721
Participation rate............. 60.2 60.4 60.5 60.3 60.5 60.4 60.7 60.6 60.6
Employed........................... 55,931 56,674 57,011 56,021 56,919 56,953 57,255 57,040 57,146
Employment-population ratio.... 57.3 57.6 57.9 57.4 58.0 58.0 58.2 58.0 58.0
Agriculture...................... 697 726 722 774 814 833 845 811 801
Nonagricultural industries....... 55,234 55,948 56,289 55,247 56,105 56,120 56,410 56,229 56,345
Unemployed......................... 2,788 2,750 2,595 2,770 2,419 2,395 2,369 2,612 2,575
Unemployment rate.............. 4.7 4.6 4.4 4.7 4.1 4.0 4.0 4.4 4.3
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population.. 15,261 15,427 15,453 15,261 15,483 15,478 15,459 15,427 15,453
Civilian labor force................. 7,368 7,513 7,575 8,026 7,875 8,016 7,984 8,189 8,235
Participation rate............. 48.3 48.7 49.0 52.6 50.9 51.8 51.6 53.1 53.3
Employed........................... 6,032 6,396 6,422 6,634 6,654 6,798 6,846 7,035 7,028
Employment-population ratio.... 39.5 41.5 41.6 43.5 43.0 43.9 44.3 45.6 45.5
Agriculture...................... 156 156 164 253 215 228 226 227 270
Nonagricultural industries....... 5,877 6,241 6,258 6,381 6,439 6,570 6,620 6,809 6,758
Unemployed......................... 1,336 1,117 1,153 1,392 1,221 1,218 1,138 1,154 1,207
Unemployment rate.............. 18.1 14.9 15.2 17.3 15.5 15.2 14.3 14.1 14.7
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and
seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the
household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, age, and Hispanic origin
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Employment status, race, sex, age, and
Hispanic origin
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population... 169,492 170,810 170,917 169,492 170,427 170,545 170,649 170,810 170,917
Civilian labor force................. 113,484 114,193 114,489 114,326 114,784 115,073 115,263 115,253 115,392
Participation rate............... 67.0 66.9 67.0 67.5 67.4 67.5 67.5 67.5 67.5
Employed........................... 107,863 108,967 109,504 109,211 110,063 110,604 110,729 110,698 110,842
Employment-population ratio...... 63.6 63.8 64.1 64.4 64.6 64.9 64.9 64.8 64.9
Unemployed......................... 5,621 5,226 4,985 5,115 4,721 4,469 4,534 4,555 4,550
Unemployment rate................ 5.0 4.6 4.4 4.5 4.1 3.9 3.9 4.0 3.9
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force................. 58,622 58,885 58,974 58,961 59,098 59,355 59,389 59,262 59,372
Participation rate............... 77.1 76.8 76.9 77.5 77.2 77.5 77.5 77.3 77.4
Employed........................... 55,899 56,476 56,651 56,713 56,966 57,363 57,272 57,336 57,456
Employment-population ratio...... 73.5 73.7 73.8 74.6 74.4 74.9 74.7 74.8 74.9
Unemployed......................... 2,723 2,410 2,322 2,248 2,132 1,992 2,117 1,926 1,916
Unemployment rate................ 4.6 4.1 3.9 3.8 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.3 3.2
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force................. 48,603 48,897 49,029 48,625 48,976 48,906 49,134 49,077 49,057
Participation rate............... 59.8 59.7 59.9 59.8 60.0 59.9 60.1 60.0 59.9
Employed........................... 46,700 46,919 47,232 46,743 47,284 47,265 47,474 47,250 47,279
Employment-population ratio...... 57.4 57.3 57.7 57.5 57.9 57.8 58.1 57.7 57.7
Unemployed......................... 1,902 1,979 1,797 1,882 1,692 1,641 1,660 1,827 1,778
Unemployment rate................ 3.9 4.0 3.7 3.9 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.7 3.6
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force................. 6,259 6,410 6,486 6,740 6,710 6,812 6,740 6,914 6,963
Participation rate............... 51.6 52.2 52.7 55.6 54.9 55.6 55.0 56.3 56.6
Employed........................... 5,264 5,573 5,621 5,755 5,813 5,976 5,983 6,113 6,107
Employment-population ratio...... 43.4 45.4 45.7 47.5 47.5 48.8 48.8 49.8 49.6
Unemployed......................... 995 838 866 985 897 836 757 802 857
Unemployment rate................ 15.9 13.1 13.3 14.6 13.4 12.3 11.2 11.6 12.3
Men............................ 16.3 16.2 16.0 14.8 14.3 12.8 11.3 14.2 14.7
Women.......................... 15.5 9.7 10.5 14.4 12.3 11.6 11.1 8.8 9.8
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population... 23,872 24,196 24,229 23,872 24,117 24,149 24,180 24,196 24,229
Civilian labor force................. 15,170 15,535 15,618 15,420 15,555 15,638 15,709 15,788 15,885
Participation rate............... 63.5 64.2 64.5 64.6 64.5 64.8 65.0 65.3 65.6
Employed........................... 13,465 14,045 14,080 13,722 14,067 14,128 14,149 14,316 14,349
Employment-population ratio...... 56.4 58.0 58.1 57.5 58.3 58.5 58.5 59.2 59.2
Unemployed......................... 1,705 1,490 1,538 1,698 1,488 1,510 1,560 1,472 1,535
Unemployment rate................ 11.2 9.6 9.9 11.0 9.6 9.7 9.9 9.3 9.7
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force................. 6,733 6,910 6,900 6,794 6,945 6,965 6,957 7,012 6,974
Participation rate............... 70.7 71.6 71.4 71.3 72.3 72.1 72.0 72.6 72.1
Employed........................... 6,079 6,288 6,306 6,194 6,367 6,420 6,356 6,456 6,428
Employment-population ratio...... 63.8 65.1 65.2 65.0 66.3 66.5 65.8 66.9 66.5
Unemployed......................... 654 622 594 600 578 545 601 556 546
Unemployment rate................ 9.7 9.0 8.6 8.8 8.3 7.8 8.6 7.9 7.8
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force................. 7,564 7,776 7,876 7,635 7,680 7,731 7,791 7,799 7,952
Participation rate............... 63.3 64.1 64.9 63.9 63.6 63.9 64.4 64.3 65.5
Employed........................... 6,803 7,149 7,192 6,870 7,044 7,080 7,163 7,178 7,265
Employment-population ratio...... 56.9 59.0 59.2 57.5 58.3 58.6 59.2 59.2 59.8
Unemployed......................... 761 628 684 765 636 651 628 621 687
Unemployment rate................ 10.1 8.1 8.7 10.0 8.3 8.4 8.1 8.0 8.6
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force................. 872 849 842 991 930 942 961 977 959
Participation rate............... 36.4 35.2 34.8 41.4 38.2 39.2 39.8 40.5 39.6
Employed........................... 583 609 581 658 656 628 630 683 656
Employment-population ratio...... 24.3 25.2 24.0 27.5 26.9 26.1 26.1 28.3 27.1
Unemployed......................... 290 240 260 333 274 314 331 294 302
Unemployment rate................ 33.2 28.3 30.9 33.6 29.5 33.3 34.4 30.1 31.5
Men............................ 37.4 32.4 34.9 36.8 30.1 35.0 36.2 31.8 34.7
Women.......................... 29.5 24.8 27.4 30.4 28.8 31.9 33.1 28.5 28.4
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population... 20,067 20,741 20,798 20,067 20,519 20,575 20,629 20,741 20,798
Civilian labor force................. 13,529 13,880 14,030 13,634 13,896 13,880 13,973 13,954 14,149
Participation rate............... 67.4 66.9 67.5 67.9 67.7 67.5 67.7 67.3 68.0
Employed........................... 12,337 12,793 12,983 12,529 12,806 12,921 12,921 12,988 13,181
Employment-population ratio...... 61.5 61.7 62.4 62.4 62.4 62.8 62.6 62.6 63.4
Unemployed......................... 1,192 1,087 1,047 1,105 1,090 959 1,052 966 968
Unemployment rate................ 8.8 7.8 7.5 8.1 7.8 6.9 7.5 6.9 6.8
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and
seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are
not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January 1998, data reflect
new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-3. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted(1) Seasonally adjusted(1)
Educational attainment
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998
Less than a high school diploma
Civilian noninstitutional population... 30,140 29,981 29,228 30,140 29,046 29,505 29,566 29,981 29,228
Civilian labor force................. 12,321 12,695 12,303 12,530 12,468 12,511 12,555 12,682 12,555
Percent of population............ 40.9 42.3 42.1 41.6 42.9 42.4 42.5 42.3 43.0
Employed........................... 11,077 11,630 11,303 11,433 11,502 11,575 11,606 11,771 11,676
Employment-population ratio...... 36.8 38.8 38.7 37.9 39.6 39.2 39.3 39.3 39.9
Unemployed......................... 1,244 1,065 1,000 1,097 966 936 949 911 879
Unemployment rate................ 10.1 8.4 8.1 8.8 7.7 7.5 7.6 7.2 7.0
High school graduates, no college (2)
Civilian noninstitutional population... 57,172 57,606 57,418 57,172 57,459 57,310 57,631 57,606 57,418
Civilian labor force................. 37,511 37,649 37,527 37,778 37,759 37,641 37,827 37,787 37,807
Percent of population............ 65.6 65.4 65.4 66.1 65.7 65.7 65.6 65.6 65.8
Employed........................... 35,547 35,867 35,794 36,075 36,179 36,193 36,287 36,303 36,302
Employment-population ratio...... 62.2 62.3 62.3 63.1 63.0 63.2 63.0 63.0 63.2
Unemployed......................... 1,963 1,782 1,734 1,703 1,580 1,448 1,540 1,485 1,505
Unemployment rate................ 5.2 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.2 3.8 4.1 3.9 4.0
Less than a bachelor's degree(3)
Civilian noninstitutional population... 41,699 41,718 42,527 41,699 42,613 42,417 42,085 41,718 42,527
Civilian labor force................. 31,322 31,012 31,580 31,240 31,328 31,544 31,506 31,440 31,505
Percent of population............ 75.1 74.3 74.3 74.9 73.5 74.4 74.9 75.4 74.1
Employed........................... 30,146 29,911 30,538 30,153 30,410 30,574 30,484 30,429 30,538
Employment-population ratio...... 72.3 71.7 71.8 72.3 71.4 72.1 72.4 72.9 71.8
Unemployed......................... 1,175 1,101 1,042 1,087 918 970 1,022 1,011 967
Unemployment rate................ 3.8 3.5 3.3 3.5 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.1
College graduates
Civilian noninstitutional population... 40,682 41,974 42,238 40,682 41,696 41,739 41,822 41,974 42,238
Civilian labor force................. 32,781 33,671 33,859 32,604 33,510 33,505 33,678 33,685 33,672
Percent of population............ 80.6 80.2 80.2 80.1 80.4 80.3 80.5 80.3 79.7
Employed........................... 32,105 33,007 33,227 31,919 32,868 32,916 33,083 33,040 33,029
Employment-population ratio...... 78.9 78.6 78.7 78.5 78.8 78.9 79.1 78.7 78.2
Unemployed......................... 676 664 632 685 642 589 595 645 643
Unemployment rate................ 2.1 2.0 1.9 2.1 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation, therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and
seasonally adjusted columns.
2 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.
3 Includes the categories, some college, no degree; and associate degree.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the
household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-4. Selected employment indicators
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Category
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over................ 126,887 128,882 129,482 128,515 129,910 130,575 130,777 131,083 131,163
Married men, spouse present.................... 42,173 42,461 42,615 42,489 42,771 42,967 42,952 42,977 42,915
Married women, spouse present.................. 32,611 32,596 32,821 32,597 32,978 32,840 32,975 32,793 32,821
Women who maintain families.................... 7,571 7,675 7,860 7,585 7,865 7,726 7,822 7,784 7,884
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty.......... 37,591 38,036 38,297 37,462 37,844 37,986 38,205 38,099 38,164
Technical, sales, and administrative support... 37,845 38,037 38,260 38,073 38,537 38,540 38,562 38,382 38,491
Service occupations............................ 17,067 17,708 17,752 17,239 17,723 17,827 17,890 18,162 17,950
Precision production, craft, and repair........ 13,702 14,027 14,094 14,068 14,051 14,191 14,299 14,285 14,456
Operators, fabricators, and laborers........... 17,752 18,179 18,151 18,220 18,385 18,467 18,394 18,622 18,632
Farming, forestry, and fishing................. 2,930 2,895 2,927 3,439 3,438 3,512 3,472 3,355 3,436
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers...................... 1,664 1,651 1,685 1,912 1,815 1,855 1,844 1,949 1,928
Self-employed workers........................ 1,257 1,247 1,210 1,373 1,475 1,493 1,496 1,348 1,324
Unpaid family workers........................ 12 40 27 18 55 49 54 44 41
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers...................... 114,790 117,028 117,765 115,949 117,635 118,083 118,403 118,529 118,961
Government................................. 18,289 18,495 18,525 18,144 18,075 18,170 18,248 18,421 18,378
Private industries......................... 96,501 98,533 99,240 97,805 99,560 99,913 100,155 100,108 100,583
Private households....................... 863 945 995 894 877 910 946 985 1,035
Other industries......................... 95,638 97,588 98,245 96,911 98,683 99,003 99,209 99,123 99,547
Self-employed workers........................ 9,033 8,803 8,682 9,112 8,930 9,004 8,886 8,964 8,761
Unpaid family workers........................ 132 114 113 136 92 97 99 131 117
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons............... 4,419 4,299 4,042 4,250 3,913 3,890 3,855 4,082 3,882
Slack work or business conditions.......... 2,616 2,611 2,350 2,365 2,211 2,221 2,230 2,282 2,123
Could only find part-time work............. 1,485 1,315 1,397 1,550 1,406 1,386 1,323 1,400 1,455
Part time for noneconomic reasons............ 18,865 18,756 19,235 18,061 18,113 18,083 18,386 18,515 18,407
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons............... 4,209 4,090 3,867 4,075 3,732 3,689 3,654 3,865 3,743
Slack work or business conditions.......... 2,491 2,476 2,235 2,259 2,103 2,100 2,113 2,162 2,025
Could only find part-time work............. 1,465 1,295 1,384 1,521 1,378 1,346 1,291 1,373 1,433
Part time for noneconomic reasons............ 18,342 18,202 18,693 17,461 17,537 17,486 17,791 17,898 17,786
NOTE: Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for reasons
such as vacation, illness, or industrial dispute. Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually work full time but
worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad weather. Beginning in January
1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-5. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Category
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 7,174 6,409 6,393 5.3 4.8 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.6
Men, 20 years and over.......................... 3,012 2,644 2,611 4.4 4.1 3.9 4.1 3.8 3.8
Women, 20 years and over........................ 2,770 2,612 2,575 4.7 4.1 4.0 4.0 4.4 4.3
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years...................... 1,392 1,154 1,207 17.3 15.5 15.2 14.3 14.1 14.7
Married men, spouse present..................... 1,237 1,141 1,100 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.5
Married women, spouse present................... 1,142 1,033 1,040 3.4 2.8 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.1
Women who maintain families..................... 731 638 645 8.8 7.8 8.1 7.7 7.6 7.6
Full-time workers............................... 5,662 5,075 5,070 5.1 4.7 4.4 4.6 4.5 4.5
Part-time workers............................... 1,463 1,339 1,279 5.9 5.3 5.4 5.0 5.4 5.2
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty........... 823 779 793 2.1 1.8 1.7 1.9 2.0 2.0
Technical, sales, and administrative support.... 1,726 1,677 1,622 4.3 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.0
Precision production, craft, and repair......... 711 685 622 4.8 5.3 4.5 4.7 4.6 4.1
Operators, fabricators, and laborers............ 1,576 1,168 1,290 8.0 7.1 7.1 7.0 5.9 6.5
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................. 273 246 233 7.4 7.3 6.6 7.2 6.8 6.3
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers. 5,471 4,945 4,976 5.3 4.8 4.7 4.8 4.7 4.7
Goods-producing industries.................... 1,619 1,405 1,378 5.6 5.0 4.6 5.0 4.8 4.7
Mining...................................... 24 26 16 4.0 4.5 3.3 3.3 4.0 2.6
Construction................................ 643 556 567 9.1 8.7 7.9 8.9 7.9 7.8
Manufacturing............................... 952 823 795 4.5 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.7
Durable goods............................. 505 432 365 4.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.4 2.9
Nondurable goods.......................... 447 390 430 5.3 4.8 4.4 4.9 4.5 5.0
Service-producing industries.................. 3,852 3,541 3,598 5.2 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7
Transportation and public utilities......... 297 298 249 4.1 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.8 3.2
Wholesale and retail trade.................. 1,676 1,569 1,538 6.4 6.1 6.2 5.8 5.9 5.8
Finance, insurance, and real estate......... 234 209 208 3.1 2.9 2.4 2.8 2.6 2.6
Services.................................... 1,645 1,465 1,603 4.9 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.7
Government workers.............................. 542 456 429 2.9 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.4 2.3
Agricultural wage and salary workers............ 189 230 181 9.0 9.6 8.6 9.7 10.6 8.6
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which is
small relative to the trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in
the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-6. Duration of unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Duration
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks..................... 2,440 3,132 2,488 2,580 2,558 2,423 2,531 2,488 2,622
5 to 14 weeks......................... 2,902 2,038 2,365 2,341 1,912 2,048 1,922 1,971 1,909
15 weeks and over..................... 2,305 1,898 1,950 2,158 1,990 1,865 1,964 1,811 1,830
15 to 26 weeks..................... 1,153 825 957 1,031 919 899 936 773 855
27 weeks and over.................. 1,153 1,074 994 1,127 1,071 966 1,028 1,038 974
Average (mean) duration, in weeks..... 15.7 14.9 15.3 15.9 16.3 15.6 16.3 15.6 15.6
Median duration, in weeks............. 8.6 6.9 7.5 8.2 7.7 7.8 7.7 7.4 7.2
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed...................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Less than 5 weeks................... 31.9 44.3 36.6 36.4 39.6 38.2 39.4 39.7 41.2
5 to 14 weeks....................... 37.9 28.8 34.8 33.1 29.6 32.3 30.0 31.4 30.0
15 weeks and over................... 30.1 26.9 28.7 30.5 30.8 29.4 30.6 28.9 28.8
15 to 26 weeks.................... 15.1 11.7 14.1 14.6 14.2 14.2 14.6 12.3 13.4
27 weeks and over................. 15.1 15.2 14.6 15.9 16.6 15.2 16.0 16.6 15.3
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the
household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-7. Reason for unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Reason
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs 3,659 3,556 3,254 3,147 2,934 2,886 2,991 2,807 2,795
On temporary layoff.............................. 1,327 1,362 1,145 949 963 815 961 860 821
Not on temporary layoff.......................... 2,332 2,195 2,109 2,198 1,971 2,071 2,030 1,947 1,975
Permanent job losers........................... 1,608 1,485 1,503 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs........... 724 709 605 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers........................................ 813 811 789 804 732 655 692 808 786
Reentrants......................................... 2,608 2,253 2,270 2,608 2,247 2,229 2,170 2,229 2,266
New entrants....................................... 567 449 491 623 555 560 552 518 543
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs............................................ 47.8 50.3 47.8 43.8 45.4 45.6 46.7 44.1 43.7
On temporary layoff............................. 17.4 19.3 16.8 13.2 14.9 12.9 15.0 13.5 12.8
Not on temporary layoff......................... 30.5 31.0 31.0 30.6 30.5 32.7 31.7 30.6 30.9
Job leavers....................................... 10.6 11.5 11.6 11.2 11.3 10.3 10.8 12.7 12.3
Reentrants........................................ 34.1 31.9 33.4 36.3 34.7 35.2 33.9 35.0 35.5
New entrants...................................... 7.4 6.3 7.2 8.7 8.6 8.8 8.6 8.1 8.5
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs............................................ 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.0 2.0
Job leavers....................................... .6 .6 .6 .6 .5 .5 .5 .6 .6
Reentrants........................................ 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.9 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6
New entrants...................................... .4 .3 .4 .5 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4
1 Not available.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in
the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-8. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization
(Percent)
Not seasonally Seasonally adjusted
adjusted
Measure
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer,
as a percent of the civilian labor force................................... 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed
temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian
labor force................................................................ 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.0 2.0
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the
civilian labor force (official unemployment rate).......................... 5.7 5.2 5.0 5.3 4.8 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.6
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged
workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force
plus discouraged workers................................................... 5.9 5.5 5.2 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other marginally
attached workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all
marginally
attached workers.......................................................... 6.8 6.2 6.0 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total
employed
part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force
plus
all marginally attached workers........................................... 10.0 9.3 8.9 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
1 Not available.
NOTE: This range of alternative measures of labor underutilization replaces the U1-U7 range published in table A-7 of this
release prior to 1994. Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate
that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged workers, a subset of
the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently looking for a job. Persons employed part time for
economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule. For
further information, see "BLS introduces new range of alternative unemployment measures," in the October 1995 issue of the Monthly
Labor Review. Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in
the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-9. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Age and sex
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998
Total, 16 years and over................. 7,174 6,409 6,393 5.3 4.8 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.6
16 to 24 years......................... 2,578 2,371 2,378 12.0 11.1 10.9 10.6 10.8 10.8
16 to 19 years....................... 1,392 1,154 1,207 17.3 15.5 15.2 14.3 14.1 14.7
16 to 17 years..................... 648 596 638 19.5 17.5 17.6 17.7 17.3 18.5
18 to 19 years..................... 713 549 538 15.2 14.1 13.6 11.7 11.6 11.3
20 to 24 years....................... 1,186 1,218 1,171 8.8 8.5 8.4 8.5 8.9 8.5
25 years and over...................... 4,592 4,019 4,018 4.0 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.5 3.5
25 to 54 years....................... 4,101 3,588 3,571 4.2 3.7 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.6
55 years and over.................... 497 459 450 3.1 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7
Men, 16 years and over................. 3,753 3,333 3,320 5.1 4.8 4.5 4.7 4.5 4.5
16 to 24 years....................... 1,371 1,278 1,348 12.1 12.0 11.6 11.1 11.2 11.7
16 to 19 years..................... 741 689 709 17.9 16.3 15.6 14.2 16.4 17.0
16 to 17 years................... 337 330 371 19.7 18.2 18.2 18.4 18.3 21.0
18 to 19 years................... 377 357 313 15.7 14.8 14.1 11.1 14.9 13.1
20 to 24 years..................... 630 588 639 8.8 9.5 9.3 9.3 8.1 8.7
25 years and over.................... 2,381 2,050 1,975 3.9 3.5 3.2 3.5 3.3 3.2
25 to 54 years..................... 2,095 1,785 1,718 4.0 3.6 3.3 3.6 3.4 3.2
55 years and over.................. 298 289 268 3.3 3.0 2.9 3.4 3.1 2.9
Women, 16 years and over............... 3,421 3,076 3,073 5.5 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.8 4.8
16 to 24 years....................... 1,207 1,094 1,030 11.8 10.1 10.1 10.2 10.4 9.8
16 to 19 years..................... 651 464 498 16.7 14.7 14.7 14.3 11.6 12.3
16 to 17 years................... 311 266 267 19.3 16.7 17.0 17.0 16.3 16.0
18 to 19 years................... 336 191 225 14.7 13.4 13.0 12.4 8.2 9.5
20 to 24 years..................... 556 629 532 8.8 7.4 7.4 7.6 9.7 8.3
25 years and over.................... 2,211 1,969 2,043 4.2 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.8
25 to 54 years..................... 2,006 1,802 1,853 4.4 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.9 4.1
55 years and over.................. 199 170 181 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.1 2.3 2.4
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the
household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-10. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Category
Feb. Feb. Feb. Feb. Feb. Feb.
1997 1998 1997 1998 1997 1998
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force........................ 67,854 68,115 25,107 25,400 42,747 42,714
Persons who currently want a job.................. 5,267 4,912 2,237 2,165 3,030 2,747
Searched for work and available to work now(1). 1,546 1,478 746 773 800 705
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2)...... 364 361 235 237 129 124
Reasons other than discouragement(3)... 1,182 1,117 511 537 671 581
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4)........................ 7,869 7,877 4,092 4,142 3,777 3,734
Percent of total employed....................... 6.2 6.1 6.0 6.0 6.4 6.2
Primary job full time, secondary job part time.. 4,392 4,391 2,577 2,580 1,815 1,811
Primary and secondary jobs both part time....... 1,722 1,671 497 542 1,225 1,129
Primary and secondary jobs both full time....... 218 227 146 154 72 73
Hours vary on primary or secondary job.......... 1,507 1,566 852 847 655 719
1 Data refer to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available to take a job during the
reference week.
2 Includes thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and other
types of discrimination.
3 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as child-care and transportation
problems, as well as a small number for which reason for nonparticipation was not determined.
4 Includes persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown separately.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the
household survey.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
Feb. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1997 1998p 1998p 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998p 1998p
Total......................... 119,663 124,698 122,139 122,973 121,162 123,083 123,512 123,866 124,241 124,551
Total private.................... 99,827 104,564 102,446 102,872 101,615 103,334 103,749 104,096 104,466 104,740
Goods-producing......................... 24,014 24,910 24,490 24,507 24,653 24,814 24,888 24,995 25,132 25,169
Mining................................ 561 572 562 558 574 574 572 574 574 572
Metal mining........................ 53.5 52.0 51.2 50.8 54 53 54 53 52 52
Coal mining......................... 92.8 90.1 89.5 88.6 93 91 90 90 90 89
Oil and gas extraction.............. 314.5 324.9 321.9 319.9 319 323 322 323 324 324
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 99.8 105.1 98.9 98.7 108 107 106 108 108 107
Construction.......................... 5,093 5,640 5,342 5,344 5,604 5,650 5,682 5,747 5,839 5,880
General building contractors........ 1,214.4 1,334.1 1,290.1 1,282.7 1,298 1,311 1,327 1,343 1,361 1,366
Heavy construction, except building. 656.5 726.1 646.6 651.7 791 758 759 774 781 789
Special trade contractors........... 3,221.8 3,579.6 3,405.0 3,409.9 3,515 3,581 3,596 3,630 3,697 3,725
Manufacturing......................... 18,360 18,698 18,586 18,605 18,475 18,590 18,634 18,674 18,719 18,717
Production workers................ 12,670 12,931 12,832 12,851 12,762 12,851 12,882 12,913 12,944 12,940
Durable goods........................ 10,787 11,077 11,033 11,052 10,836 10,985 11,020 11,048 11,092 11,100
Production workers................ 7,390 7,615 7,575 7,596 7,427 7,545 7,570 7,593 7,627 7,630
Lumber and wood products............ 776.3 803.4 791.4 791.8 793 800 800 806 807 808
Furniture and fixtures.............. 506.6 517.1 516.1 519.2 507 509 511 513 516 519
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 523.2 538.1 529.8 529.7 543 543 542 543 551 550
Primary metal industries............ 708.2 720.5 720.6 720.2 708 716 716 717 719 720
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 235.9 237.1 236.8 235.9 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,457.3 1,495.1 1,491.0 1,492.0 1,462 1,482 1,485 1,489 1,495 1,497
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,134.5 2,190.0 2,194.1 2,198.3 2,132 2,176 2,184 2,188 2,195 2,195
Computer and office equipment..... 368.5 386.4 386.3 385.4 370 386 384 387 387 387
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,642.6 1,685.4 1,684.6 1,684.6 1,645 1,666 1,673 1,678 1,686 1,687
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 611.4 651.7 653.9 654.2 612 644 647 651 655 655
Transportation equipment............ 1,801.7 1,880.0 1,863.0 1,874.5 1,804 1,849 1,868 1,868 1,872 1,878
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 961.6 998.0 983.1 989.3 964 977 995 988 991 991
Aircraft and parts................ 486.9 527.2 525.2 527.8 487 518 521 526 525 528
Instruments and related products.... 852.9 862.1 862.1 860.1 854 859 860 861 864 861
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 384.1 384.8 380.3 381.6 388 385 381 385 387 385
Nondurable goods..................... 7,573 7,621 7,553 7,553 7,639 7,605 7,614 7,626 7,627 7,617
Production workers................ 5,280 5,316 5,257 5,255 5,335 5,306 5,312 5,320 5,317 5,310
Food and kindred products........... 1,651.8 1,691.8 1,668.9 1,665.3 1,694 1,690 1,701 1,706 1,710 1,706
Tobacco products.................... 42.6 43.7 42.6 41.8 42 41 42 41 40 41
Textile mill products............... 609.5 603.3 597.1 597.0 612 604 602 604 601 599
Apparel and other textile products.. 826.7 793.2 781.3 778.6 831 800 796 795 792 783
Paper and allied products........... 674.3 677.5 676.0 672.8 678 675 676 676 678 676
Printing and publishing............. 1,531.5 1,563.4 1,551.5 1,555.2 1,534 1,548 1,551 1,553 1,556 1,559
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,024.0 1,026.7 1,022.5 1,027.3 1,028 1,028 1,028 1,029 1,027 1,031
Petroleum and coal products......... 135.5 135.3 129.2 130.2 139 137 137 138 133 134
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 984.3 997.7 997.1 998.6 987 993 992 996 1,003 1,001
Leather and leather products........ 92.7 88.4 86.6 86.4 94 89 89 88 87 87
Service-producing....................... 95,649 99,788 97,649 98,466 96,509 98,269 98,624 98,871 99,109 99,382
Transportation and public utilities... 6,317 6,555 6,469 6,499 6,376 6,497 6,495 6,478 6,529 6,563
Transportation...................... 4,096 4,299 4,211 4,240 4,142 4,247 4,243 4,221 4,257 4,291
Railroad transportation........... 223.4 229.7 228.1 229.2 227 226 229 230 232 233
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 463.7 477.4 472.3 476.5 453 458 459 462 463 466
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,629.0 1,713.3 1,673.4 1,680.9 1,664 1,710 1,702 1,699 1,712 1,719
Water transportation.............. 167.9 170.4 164.2 167.8 175 178 177 175 171 175
Transportation by air............. 1,169.6 1,254.5 1,221.6 1,228.5 1,178 1,221 1,222 1,201 1,224 1,239
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 14 14 14 14 14 14
Transportation services........... 428.5 439.2 437.2 442.7 431 440 440 440 441 445
Communications and public utilities. 2,221 2,256 2,258 2,259 2,234 2,250 2,252 2,257 2,272 2,272
Communications.................... 1,351.1 1,395.7 1,398.4 1,401.8 1,358 1,385 1,390 1,396 1,408 1,410
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 870.2 859.9 859.9 857.4 876 865 862 861 864 862
Wholesale trade....................... 6,536 6,748 6,721 6,738 6,593 6,712 6,729 6,746 6,779 6,794
Durable goods....................... 3,857 4,006 4,000 4,020 3,879 3,978 3,993 4,006 4,021 4,042
Nondurable goods.................... 2,679 2,742 2,721 2,718 2,714 2,734 2,736 2,740 2,758 2,752
Retail trade.......................... 21,383 23,109 22,054 21,923 21,922 22,258 22,403 22,450 22,462 22,477
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 865.3 924.0 893.5 894.3 918 926 934 934 945 950
General merchandise stores.......... 2,653.0 3,184.2 2,868.7 2,763.8 2,752 2,824 2,868 2,874 2,868 2,865
Department stores................. 2,327.0 2,781.3 2,513.2 2,431.3 2,416 2,474 2,522 2,520 2,534 2,514
Food stores......................... 3,437.7 3,589.2 3,510.8 3,490.8 3,477 3,520 3,521 3,522 3,528 3,529
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,281.1 2,327.0 2,310.1 2,314.6 2,311 2,336 2,338 2,338 2,340 2,344
New and used car dealers.......... 1,048.0 1,057.5 1,055.8 1,058.9 1,053 1,060 1,062 1,061 1,062 1,063
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,068.1 1,208.3 1,114.3 1,068.7 1,103 1,108 1,111 1,106 1,112 1,103
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,017.4 1,115.9 1,079.6 1,072.3 1,022 1,055 1,062 1,070 1,073 1,078
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,298.2 7,637.6 7,364.8 7,442.3 7,556 7,626 7,669 7,688 7,697 7,709
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,762.6 3,122.4 2,912.5 2,876.0 2,783 2,863 2,900 2,918 2,899 2,899
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 6,924 7,131 7,111 7,133 6,980 7,108 7,132 7,151 7,163 7,190
Finance............................. 3,347 3,471 3,471 3,485 3,355 3,444 3,457 3,472 3,477 3,494
Depository institutions........... 2,026.2 2,064.6 2,057.3 2,056.2 2,034 2,052 2,058 2,064 2,059 2,064
Commercial banks................ 1,472.4 1,503.0 1,496.1 1,493.5 1,479 1,495 1,500 1,502 1,498 1,500
Savings institutions............ 253.6 252.2 252.1 251.3 255 250 250 253 253 252
Nondepository institutions........ 531.7 561.9 563.2 570.0 530 559 558 561 563 569
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 239.1 252.0 252.5 257.9 241 252 252 253 252 259
Security and commodity brokers.... 574.0 612.8 616.6 620.6 576 605 610 614 619 622
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 214.6 232.0 234.1 238.5 215 228 231 233 236 239
Insurance........................... 2,213 2,254 2,252 2,256 2,219 2,239 2,247 2,257 2,256 2,261
Insurance carriers................ 1,499.0 1,526.1 1,523.9 1,524.6 1,503 1,516 1,521 1,529 1,527 1,529
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 713.7 727.6 727.7 731.0 716 723 726 728 729 732
Real estate......................... 1,364 1,406 1,388 1,392 1,406 1,425 1,428 1,422 1,430 1,435
Services2............................. 34,653 36,111 35,601 36,072 35,091 35,945 36,102 36,276 36,401 36,547
Agricultural services............... 546.2 626.5 576.6 575.1 649 684 687 682 688 685
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,658.7 1,684.4 1,663.1 1,682.0 1,746 1,765 1,763 1,759 1,772 1,768
Personal services................... 1,265.7 1,168.4 1,229.7 1,263.2 1,197 1,188 1,197 1,185 1,185 1,191
Business services................... 7,338.8 7,979.0 7,770.4 7,839.7 7,521 7,759 7,832 7,918 7,961 8,025
Services to buildings............. 886.4 903.1 896.0 902.8 897 902 903 908 909 914
Personnel supply services......... 2,590.8 2,916.8 2,721.5 2,748.5 2,758 2,770 2,819 2,868 2,870 2,913
Help supply services............ 2,273.8 2,563.1 2,381.4 2,409.6 2,432 2,427 2,484 2,520 2,513 2,565
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,282.5 1,424.1 1,439.1 1,459.6 1,278 1,387 1,401 1,421 1,436 1,456
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,116.1 1,152.0 1,147.3 1,153.9 1,123 1,148 1,153 1,157 1,162 1,160
Miscellaneous repair services....... 374.0 389.4 384.9 386.5 379 388 389 390 391 393
Motion pictures..................... 529.7 562.9 553.8 555.1 532 550 551 561 556 558
Amusement and recreation services... 1,314.1 1,424.6 1,367.5 1,417.7 1,495 1,563 1,583 1,600 1,607 1,620
Health services..................... 9,575.2 9,807.5 9,777.2 9,800.2 9,600 9,750 9,771 9,795 9,802 9,827
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,714.3 1,785.4 1,782.9 1,786.6 1,720 1,763 1,773 1,780 1,788 1,791
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,745.1 1,772.3 1,759.4 1,763.6 1,751 1,766 1,767 1,769 1,765 1,771
Hospitals......................... 3,841.5 3,919.3 3,920.8 3,931.4 3,846 3,900 3,910 3,917 3,928 3,936
Home health care services......... 671.7 682.5 670.3 666.9 676 682 683 681 673 671
Legal services...................... 938.3 973.2 970.2 974.9 943 963 968 975 975 981
Educational services................ 2,167.8 2,234.4 2,086.8 2,267.9 2,046 2,110 2,118 2,121 2,135 2,143
Social services..................... 2,438.9 2,526.6 2,511.1 2,533.3 2,438 2,507 2,511 2,521 2,528 2,537
Child day care services........... 590.0 610.7 609.0 614.6 579 594 594 598 605 604
Residential care.................. 683.0 715.2 713.2 717.9 686 709 711 716 717 721
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 79.1 86.5 80.8 81.4 87 88 89 89 88 89
Membership organizations............ 2,169.0 2,196.9 2,174.1 2,192.9 2,192 2,204 2,199 2,209 2,211 2,216
Engineering and management services. 2,926.9 3,081.3 3,090.8 3,132.6 2,927 3,061 3,074 3,096 3,123 3,137
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 850.6 898.3 898.7 901.9 862 891 893 901 909 914
Management and public relations... 912.9 989.3 991.2 1,003.7 919 976 979 993 1,007 1,013
Services, nec....................... 46.8 49.6 48.7 48.3 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 19,836 20,134 19,693 20,101 19,547 19,749 19,763 19,770 19,775 19,811
Federal............................. 2,700 2,720 2,655 2,664 2,716 2,687 2,694 2,689 2,675 2,680
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,848.6 1,803.1 1,800.5 1,813.2 1,861 1,832 1,826 1,818 1,826 1,825
State............................... 4,725 4,747 4,598 4,772 4,624 4,663 4,673 4,665 4,662 4,671
Education......................... 2,050.0 2,073.9 1,919.0 2,086.8 1,931 1,962 1,967 1,964 1,959 1,968
Other State government............ 2,675.0 2,673.5 2,679.0 2,685.1 2,693 2,701 2,706 2,701 2,703 2,703
Local............................... 12,411 12,667 12,440 12,665 12,207 12,399 12,396 12,416 12,438 12,460
Education......................... 7,174.1 7,307.9 7,116.6 7,321.8 6,849 6,963 6,964 6,965 6,980 6,992
Other local government............ 5,237.0 5,359.1 5,323.5 5,343.2 5,358 5,436 5,432 5,451 5,458 5,468
1 This series is not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
2 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-2. Average weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by industry
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
Feb. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1997 1998p 1998p 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998p 1998p
Total private.................... 34.5 34.7 34.2 34.6 34.8 34.5 34.8 34.6 34.8 34.9
Goods-producing......................... 40.8 42.0 40.9 40.8 41.2 41.3 41.2 41.4 41.6 41.4
Mining................................ 45.6 45.3 45.0 45.1 45.8 45.2 45.6 45.0 45.5 45.2
Construction.......................... 37.5 38.4 37.3 37.9 38.8 38.8 38.1 38.8 39.7 39.3
Manufacturing......................... 41.6 43.0 41.9 41.6 41.9 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.1 42.0
Overtime hours.................... 4.5 5.4 4.7 4.5 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.7
Durable goods........................ 42.5 43.9 42.6 42.4 42.7 42.8 42.9 43.0 42.8 42.7
Overtime hours.................... 4.8 5.8 5.0 4.8 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.0
Lumber and wood products............ 40.2 41.2 40.1 40.4 40.8 41.1 41.2 41.0 41.2 41.1
Furniture and fixtures.............. 39.0 42.1 40.7 40.5 39.9 40.0 40.5 40.7 41.3 41.5
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 42.0 43.7 42.2 42.5 43.3 43.1 42.9 43.9 43.9 43.7
Primary metal industries............ 44.6 46.1 45.3 44.9 44.6 45.1 45.3 45.3 45.3 44.9
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 44.4 46.0 46.1 45.9 44.6 45.3 45.3 45.5 46.2 46.0
Fabricated metal products........... 42.3 44.0 42.6 42.3 42.5 42.6 42.6 42.9 42.7 42.6
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 43.5 44.8 43.7 43.5 43.4 43.4 43.8 43.6 43.6 43.3
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 41.8 43.1 41.7 41.4 41.9 41.8 42.0 42.0 41.8 41.6
Transportation equipment............ 44.3 45.7 43.8 43.4 44.6 44.4 44.0 44.7 43.8 43.6
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 45.0 46.3 43.7 43.4 45.3 45.0 44.3 45.0 43.7 43.6
Instruments and related products.... 42.0 42.9 41.8 41.9 42.1 41.9 42.2 41.8 41.7 41.9
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 40.1 41.3 39.9 40.2 40.5 40.2 40.5 40.7 40.2 40.7
Nondurable goods..................... 40.4 41.8 40.9 40.5 40.8 40.8 41.1 41.1 41.1 40.9
Overtime hours.................... 4.0 4.7 4.2 4.0 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.3
Food and kindred products........... 40.7 42.4 41.3 40.8 41.3 41.2 41.6 41.7 41.8 41.3
Tobacco products.................... 39.1 40.1 37.7 37.4 40.8 38.7 39.3 39.1 38.3 38.7
Textile mill products............... 40.3 42.1 41.4 40.9 40.9 41.3 41.5 41.7 41.6 41.5
Apparel and other textile products.. 36.9 38.1 37.3 37.0 37.2 37.2 37.1 37.5 37.6 37.3
Paper and allied products........... 43.3 44.6 43.7 43.0 43.7 43.7 44.1 43.8 43.6 43.4
Printing and publishing............. 38.1 39.2 38.0 38.1 38.5 38.7 38.8 38.6 38.5 38.4
Chemicals and allied products....... 43.1 44.0 43.4 43.4 43.3 43.2 43.4 43.1 43.5 43.6
Petroleum and coal products......... 43.4 42.3 44.9 43.4 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 41.5 43.0 42.0 41.6 41.7 41.8 42.2 42.1 42.0 41.8
Leather and leather products........ 37.8 38.8 37.8 38.0 38.9 38.6 38.0 38.3 38.4 38.9
Service-producing....................... 32.8 32.9 32.4 33.0 33.0 32.8 33.1 32.8 33.0 33.2
Transportation and public utilities... 39.5 39.8 39.3 39.9 39.7 39.8 40.2 39.7 39.9 40.1
Wholesale trade....................... 38.5 38.4 38.1 38.6 38.6 38.3 38.7 38.2 38.4 38.7
Retail trade.......................... 28.7 29.2 28.1 28.7 29.1 28.9 28.9 28.9 29.0 29.1
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 36.7 35.9 36.1 37.0 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.7 32.6 32.4 32.8 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
1 Data relate to production workers in mining and manufacturing; construction workers in construction; and
nonsupervisory workers in transportation and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real
estate; and services. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employees on private nonfarm
payrolls.
2 These series are not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
industry
Average hourly earnings Average weekly earnings
Industry
Feb. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1997 1998p 1998p 1997 1997 1998p 1998p
Total private.................... $12.14 $12.51 $12.59 $12.64 $418.83 $434.10 $430.58 $437.34
Seasonally adjusted............. 12.10 12.48 12.52 12.60 421.08 431.81 435.70 439.74
Goods-producing......................... 13.66 14.20 14.10 14.11 557.33 596.40 576.69 575.69
Mining................................ 16.06 16.49 16.59 16.56 732.34 747.00 746.55 746.86
Construction.......................... 15.69 16.34 16.24 16.23 588.38 627.46 605.75 615.12
Manufacturing......................... 13.02 13.48 13.40 13.42 541.63 579.64 561.46 558.27
Durable goods........................ 13.58 14.08 13.96 13.96 577.15 618.11 594.70 591.90
Lumber and wood products............ 10.60 10.93 10.87 10.90 426.12 450.32 435.89 440.36
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.34 10.79 10.75 10.75 403.26 454.26 437.53 435.38
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 13.05 13.40 13.39 13.45 548.10 585.58 565.06 571.63
Primary metal industries............ 15.09 15.43 15.45 15.37 673.01 711.32 699.89 690.11
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 17.73 18.12 18.28 18.16 787.21 833.52 842.71 833.54
Fabricated metal products........... 12.75 13.08 13.00 12.99 539.33 575.52 553.80 549.48
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 13.88 14.40 14.31 14.32 603.78 645.12 625.35 622.92
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 12.42 13.13 13.00 12.98 519.16 565.90 542.10 537.37
Transportation equipment............ 17.40 18.13 17.79 17.81 770.82 828.54 779.20 772.95
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 17.88 18.69 18.27 18.34 804.60 865.35 798.40 795.96
Instruments and related products.... 13.39 13.73 13.67 13.71 562.38 589.02 571.41 574.45
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.56 10.81 10.81 10.80 423.46 446.45 431.32 434.16
Nondurable goods..................... 12.19 12.58 12.57 12.59 492.48 525.84 514.11 509.90
Food and kindred products........... 11.32 11.72 11.67 11.68 460.72 496.93 481.97 476.54
Tobacco products.................... 18.52 18.59 18.41 18.19 724.13 745.46 694.06 680.31
Textile mill products............... 9.89 10.24 10.25 10.25 398.57 431.10 424.35 419.23
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.19 8.42 8.42 8.38 302.21 320.80 314.07 310.06
Paper and allied products........... 14.78 15.29 15.19 15.21 639.97 681.93 663.80 654.03
Printing and publishing............. 12.90 13.30 13.27 13.32 491.49 521.36 504.26 507.49
Chemicals and allied products....... 16.49 16.91 16.90 16.97 710.72 744.04 733.46 736.50
Petroleum and coal products......... 20.42 20.56 20.96 21.30 886.23 869.69 941.10 924.42
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.45 11.77 11.73 11.72 475.18 506.11 492.66 487.55
Leather and leather products........ 8.91 9.18 9.27 9.21 336.80 356.18 350.41 349.98
Service-producing....................... 11.64 11.95 12.09 12.16 381.79 393.16 391.72 401.28
Transportation and public utilities... $14.66 $15.12 $15.24 $15.26 $579.07 $601.78 $598.93 $608.87
Wholesale trade....................... 13.26 13.71 13.77 13.86 510.51 526.46 524.64 535.00
Retail trade.......................... 8.24 8.51 8.62 8.62 236.49 248.49 242.22 247.39
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 13.15 13.61 13.67 13.90 482.61 488.60 493.49 514.30
Services.............................. 12.24 12.61 12.67 12.74 400.25 411.09 410.51 417.87
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-4. Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm
payrolls by industry, seasonally adjusted
Percent
Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. change
Industry 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998p 1998p from:
Jan. 1998-
Feb. 1998
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $12.10 $12.40 $12.48 $12.48 $12.52 $12.60 0.6
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.48 7.58 7.62 7.62 7.64 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 13.76 14.07 14.11 14.17 14.15 14.22 .5
Mining...................... 15.96 16.27 16.43 16.41 16.40 16.44 .2
Construction................ 15.79 16.12 16.22 16.36 16.24 16.34 .6
Manufacturing............... 13.03 13.35 13.37 13.39 13.37 13.43 .4
Excluding overtime4....... 12.35 12.60 12.63 12.64 12.64 12.70 .5
Service-producing............. 11.54 11.85 11.94 11.92 11.97 12.06 .8
Transportation and public
utilities................ 14.64 15.01 15.05 15.09 15.28 15.26 -.1
Wholesale trade............. 13.23 13.57 13.73 13.69 13.68 13.82 1.0
Retail trade................ 8.21 8.46 8.50 8.51 8.56 8.59 .4
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 13.08 13.54 13.64 13.59 13.63 13.82 1.4
Services.................... 12.12 12.41 12.50 12.48 12.52 12.61 .7
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to
deflate this series. Data have been revised to reflect updated seasonal adjustment factors used
in the CPI-W.
3 Change was .3 percent from December 1997 to January 1998, the latest month available.
4 Derived by assuming that overtime hours are paid at the rate of time and one-half.
N.A. = not available.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-5. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
industry
(1982=100)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
Feb. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1997 1997 1998p 1998p 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998p 1998p
Total private.................... 136.0 143.9 138.1 140.5 140.0 141.2 142.9 142.5 143.6 144.5
Goods-producing......................... 107.8 116.0 110.4 110.4 113.1 113.6 113.9 115.0 116.3 115.9
Mining................................ 54.6 56.0 54.5 54.4 56.4 56.1 56.2 56.0 56.7 56.2
Construction.......................... 131.7 151.8 137.5 139.5 154.5 153.5 152.2 156.7 163.8 163.6
Manufacturing......................... 106.3 112.2 108.4 107.9 107.9 108.7 109.4 109.9 110.0 109.5
Durable goods........................ 109.5 116.7 112.6 112.4 110.7 112.5 113.2 113.9 114.0 113.6
Lumber and wood products............ 135.4 144.1 138.2 138.6 140.7 143.0 143.6 144.2 145.7 144.5
Furniture and fixtures.............. 122.9 136.0 131.6 131.8 125.7 127.3 129.6 130.5 133.1 134.7
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 102.8 110.8 105.1 106.0 111.0 110.5 110.0 112.8 114.4 113.9
Primary metal industries............ 93.4 98.8 97.2 96.1 93.5 95.9 96.5 96.5 97.0 96.0
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 72.4 75.6 75.7 75.2 72.9 74.0 74.0 74.3 75.9 75.6
Fabricated metal products........... 115.3 123.5 119.2 118.6 116.2 118.4 118.6 119.8 119.8 119.8
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 107.7 114.1 111.6 111.6 106.9 109.7 111.1 110.8 111.4 110.8
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 107.9 114.7 110.6 109.8 108.3 109.4 110.3 111.1 110.8 110.2
Transportation equipment............ 125.2 135.3 127.9 127.7 126.1 129.6 129.7 131.4 128.6 128.5
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 164.7 176.5 162.6 162.6 165.9 168.3 168.7 169.6 164.1 163.5
Instruments and related products.... 75.7 77.7 76.0 76.4 76.0 75.4 76.0 75.6 76.1 76.3
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 101.8 104.5 99.4 100.8 104.1 101.8 101.4 103.4 102.5 103.0
Nondurable goods..................... 101.9 106.1 102.6 101.8 104.0 103.6 104.3 104.4 104.5 103.8
Food and kindred products........... 111.9 119.7 114.9 113.2 117.0 116.5 118.4 119.0 119.6 117.9
Tobacco products.................... 64.5 68.5 64.4 61.7 64.7 61.3 64.2 60.0 60.7 61.3
Textile mill products............... 86.6 89.7 87.2 86.2 88.2 88.0 88.1 88.7 88.0 87.8
Apparel and other textile products.. 73.2 72.1 69.2 68.6 74.2 71.2 70.6 71.2 70.8 69.4
Paper and allied products........... 108.3 112.5 110.1 107.9 110.2 109.5 110.7 110.2 110.1 109.6
Printing and publishing............. 122.4 128.9 122.7 123.2 123.9 125.8 126.4 125.9 124.8 124.7
Chemicals and allied products....... 99.6 103.3 101.7 102.3 100.3 100.8 101.6 101.3 102.4 103.2
Petroleum and coal products......... 72.4 70.9 70.8 69.5 76.3 73.1 73.9 72.4 74.4 72.8
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 143.6 150.8 147.0 145.6 144.5 145.6 146.8 147.2 147.8 146.9
Leather and leather products........ 41.1 39.7 38.1 37.9 43.0 40.3 39.1 38.8 38.9 39.4
Service-producing....................... 148.7 156.5 150.5 154.0 152.1 153.6 155.9 154.9 155.8 157.3
Transportation and public utilities... 128.4 133.1 129.3 131.9 130.5 132.1 133.2 131.1 132.5 133.9
Wholesale trade....................... 124.2 127.5 125.6 127.7 125.9 126.7 128.3 126.9 128.1 129.5
Retail trade.......................... 132.5 146.7 133.7 135.8 138.2 139.2 140.3 140.5 140.8 141.4
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 127.8 129.0 129.3 133.3 128.9 128.1 132.9 129.3 130.1 134.3
Services.............................. 179.5 186.4 182.3 187.2 182.6 185.3 188.3 187.5 188.8 190.4
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-6. Diffusion indexes of employment change, seasonally adjusted
(Percent)
Time span Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Private nonfarm payrolls, 356 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1994.............. 57.6 61.9 67.1 64.5 57.7 63.9 62.5 62.6 61.4 60.3 63.8 62.4
1995.............. 62.4 60.1 54.5 55.6 48.0 53.9 54.1 59.8 57.0 54.9 57.2 57.9
1996.............. 51.7 64.3 60.1 54.9 62.9 60.5 56.5 59.3 54.4 62.6 58.1 61.0
1997.............. 59.3 59.1 59.0 61.1 57.4 50.7 58.8 58.7 56.5 64.2 61.7 61.4
1998.............. p64.2 p57.3
Over 3-month span:
1994.............. 65.3 69.5 70.4 68.7 67.1 67.0 69.1 69.7 65.7 65.6 67.0 66.2
1995.............. 65.4 62.5 58.7 53.2 54.6 52.4 57.9 59.6 59.7 59.0 57.0 56.3
1996.............. 62.6 63.6 62.6 61.2 62.1 63.1 62.6 58.8 62.8 60.4 64.7 65.0
1997.............. 64.6 62.2 64.2 65.6 59.7 58.7 59.1 65.0 65.3 67.3 68.4 p69.8
1998.............. p66.6
Over 6-month span:
1994.............. 71.1 69.8 69.8 70.9 70.1 69.8 69.7 69.4 69.4 67.4 67.7 66.2
1995.............. 66.9 61.4 58.1 56.6 58.1 58.1 56.7 59.8 60.3 59.1 61.5 63.3
1996.............. 62.2 63.5 63.5 63.5 62.6 61.2 65.3 63.6 62.6 64.5 64.2 67.4
1997.............. 67.6 66.6 64.5 64.6 64.3 66.7 67.0 68.3 70.2 p72.1 p72.3
1998..............
Over 12-month span:
1994.............. 70.2 71.6 71.8 71.8 72.1 71.8 71.5 72.1 70.1 69.5 66.6 65.0
1995.............. 63.6 62.4 62.6 63.3 61.7 61.9 58.7 62.2 62.2 61.1 62.2 63.3
1996.............. 63.5 64.7 62.4 62.9 64.7 64.2 65.0 63.1 63.8 66.7 65.7 65.0
1997.............. 67.3 66.2 69.4 70.4 70.1 69.5 p70.5 p71.5
1998..............
Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1994.............. 55.8 59.0 60.4 58.6 52.9 58.6 59.4 56.1 52.9 55.0 58.6 58.3
1995.............. 54.3 56.1 44.2 51.4 42.1 42.8 43.5 52.2 47.1 50.0 47.5 50.7
1996.............. 45.7 54.3 47.8 39.2 52.2 52.2 44.2 52.9 44.2 50.7 49.6 52.2
1997.............. 54.0 50.4 52.9 52.9 51.4 49.3 51.8 49.6 54.3 57.6 59.4 57.2
1998.............. p60.4 p46.8
Over 3-month span:
1994.............. 61.9 64.7 65.5 59.7 57.6 60.1 62.2 57.9 55.0 55.4 60.1 59.4
1995.............. 59.7 50.4 47.5 40.3 42.4 36.3 38.5 43.9 49.3 46.4 45.3 43.9
1996.............. 47.5 47.8 42.1 38.5 43.2 45.0 48.9 43.2 50.4 46.4 52.5 52.5
1997.............. 53.2 51.4 50.7 52.5 48.6 48.9 48.6 53.6 55.8 62.9 64.0 p68.3
1998.............. p61.2
Over 6-month span:
1994.............. 62.2 62.2 62.6 63.3 59.4 56.5 56.5 58.6 58.6 55.0 58.3 55.0
1995.............. 55.8 48.6 43.9 38.8 39.2 39.6 38.8 39.6 43.9 45.0 44.2 44.6
1996.............. 41.4 41.7 41.0 38.1 39.6 40.6 47.5 46.8 45.3 50.4 48.2 53.2
1997.............. 53.2 53.2 50.4 49.3 48.6 52.2 55.0 58.3 60.8 p65.8 p67.6
1998..............
Over 12-month span:
1994.............. 57.9 58.6 60.8 60.8 60.8 63.3 59.4 60.1 57.2 56.5 50.4 49.6
1995.............. 46.0 44.2 46.0 47.8 41.0 41.7 38.5 38.8 36.3 37.4 38.1 39.9
1996.............. 39.6 42.8 39.2 39.6 42.4 40.3 43.5 40.3 43.5 46.8 46.4 47.1
1997.............. 51.4 47.8 52.2 55.0 57.6 55.8 p56.5 p58.6
1998..............
1 Based on seasonally adjusted data for 1-, 3-, and 6-month spans and unadjusted data for the 12-month span. Data are
centered within the span.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Figures are the percent of industries with employment increasing plus one-half of the industries with
unchanged employment, where 50 percent indicates an equal balance between industries with increasing and decreasing
employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Contact: (cpsinfo@bls.gov) Division of Labor Force Statistics-BLS
Last revised: July 02, 1998
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_0298.htm
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