Technical information: USDL 99-52
Household data: (202) 606-6378
Transmission of material in this release is
Establishment data: 606-6555 embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EST),
Media contact: 606-5902 Friday, March 5, 1999.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: FEBRUARY 1999
Payroll employment rose in February, and the unemployment rate was
little changed at 4.4 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased
by 275,000; large gains occurred in construction and retail trade, while
manufacturing had a substantial decline.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
Both the number of unemployed persons, 6.1 million, and the unemployment
rate, 4.4 percent, were essentially unchanged in February, after seasonal
adjustment. The jobless rate has remained within a narrow range of 4.3 to
4.5 percent since last April. The unemployment rate for adult men rose in
February to 3.7 percent. Jobless rates for other major demographic
groups--adult women (3.8 percent), teenagers (14.1 percent), whites
(3.8 percent), blacks (8.3 percent), and Hispanics (6.7 percent)--showed
little or no change over the month. (See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
Total employment was little changed in February, at 133.1 million, after
seasonal adjustment. The employment-population ratio--the proportion of
the population age 16 and older with jobs--was 64.4 percent, essentially
unchanged from the previous month. Both the civilian labor force, 139.3
million, and the labor force participation rate, 67.3 percent, also were
essentially unchanged. (See table A-1.)
About 8.0 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in February. These multiple jobholders made up 6.1 percent of the
total employed, the same share as a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.3 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 work specifically because they believed
no jobs were available for them--was 271,000 in February, down from 361,000
a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
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Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________| Jan.-
Category | 1998 | 1998 | 1999 1/ | Feb.
|_________________|__________________________|change
| III | IV | Dec. | Jan. | Feb. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 137,656| 138,285| 138,547| 139,347| 139,271| -76
Employment..........| 131,419| 132,166| 132,526| 133,396| 133,144| -252
Unemployment........| 6,237| 6,120| 6,021| 5,950| 6,127| 177
Not in labor force....| 67,827| 67,813| 67,723| 67,372| 67,602| 230
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.5| 4.4| 4.3| 4.3| 4.4| 0.1
Adult men...........| 3.8| 3.6| 3.6| 3.4| 3.7| .3
Adult women.........| 4.0| 4.0| 3.9| 3.7| 3.8| .1
Teenagers...........| 14.7| 14.9| 14.0| 15.5| 14.1| -1.4
White...............| 3.9| 3.8| 3.8| 3.8| 3.8| .0
Black...............| 9.2| 8.4| 7.9| 7.8| 8.3| .5
Hispanic origin.....| 7.3| 7.4| 7.6| 6.6| 6.7| .1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA | Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 126,141| 126,816| 127,118|p127,335|p127,610| p275
Goods-producing 2/..| 25,210| 25,221| 25,269| p25,256| p25,268| p12
Construction......| 5,980| 6,072| 6,153| p6,167| p6,239| p72
Manufacturing.....| 18,660| 18,588| 18,559| p18,542| p18,492| p-50
Service-producing 2/| 100,931| 101,596| 101,849|p102,079|p102,342| p263
Retail trade......| 22,561| 22,658| 22,712| p22,748| p22,871| p123
Services..........| 37,691| 38,031| 38,148| p38,249| p38,336| p87
Government........| 19,892| 19,985| 20,022| p20,061| p20,083| p22
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.5| 34.6| 34.6| p34.5| p34.7| p0.2
Manufacturing.......| 41.7| 41.7| 41.7| p41.6| p41.6| p.0
Overtime..........| 4.6| 4.5| 4.5| p4.6| p4.5| p-.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 145.1| 146.0| 146.4| p146.4| p147.3| p0.9
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 3/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $12.84| $12.94| $12.98| p$13.03| p$13.04| p$0.01
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 443.29| 447.29| 449.11| p449.54| p452.49| p2.95
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Beginning in January 1999, household data reflect revised population
controls used in the Current Population Survey.
2/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
3/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.
- 3 -
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Data)
Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 275,000 in February to 127.6 million,
seasonally adjusted. This increase was about in line with the average of
the prior 3 months, but well above the average for the first 10 months of
1998. There was a large job gain in construction in February, partly
reflecting the effects of mild weather across much of the nation. Retail
employment also increased sharply. Manufacturing lost 50,000 jobs
following 2 months of smaller declines. (See table B-1.)
Construction employment increased by 72,000 in February, following a
month of much slower growth. February's above-average temperatures over
much of the country contributed to the strong over-the-month gain. Special
trades contracting increased by 59,000, half of which occurred in two
outside activities, masonry and roofing. Since September 1998, construction
employment has risen by 258,000.
The retail trade industry added 123,000 jobs in February, after seasonal
adjustment. Employment in eating and drinking places increased by 25,000,
following a decline in January. Large gains occurred, after seasonal
adjustment, in apparel and accessory stores (12,000), miscellaneous retail
establishments (24,000), and department stores (23,000), as seasonal
layoffs in these industries were lighter than usual for February. Building
materials (8,000) and furniture stores (10,000) continued to add jobs in
February, partly aided by strong construction activity.
Employment in the services industry grew by 87,000 in February, compared
to an average of 110,000 in the prior 12 months. Computer and data
processing services continued its strong growth, with a gain of 13,000
jobs. Slow growth continued in help supply services employment, which
increased by only 7,000. Job growth slowed in engineering and management
services; employment was up only 3,000 in February after rising by 72,000
over the previous 3 months. Over the month, employment rose in education
(20,000) and social services (16,000), and home health care services posted
its first job increase (7,000) since July 1997.
Transportation and public utilities employment increased by 15,000 in
February, about equal to the industry's average monthly growth over the
prior 12 months. Most of the over-the-month gain was in air transportation
(11,000). Wholesale trade employment rose by 9,000, with widespread
increases in durable goods distribution.
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Employment in finance rose by 8,000 in February as growth continued
throughout most components of the industry. The exception was security
brokerages, which have shown no net employment gains since October.
Insurance and real estate employment levels were essentially unchanged in
February.
Government employment was up by 22,000 over the month, led by gains in
both the educational and noneducational components of local government.
Manufacturing employment dropped by 50,000 in February, the largest
decline since last November. Since March 1998, factory employment has
fallen by 337,000. In February, apparel employment fell by 15,000, more
than twice the average loss for the previous 12 months. The apparel
industry has lost 306,000 jobs since its last peak in November 1991, or
nearly a third of its work force. Aircraft manufacturing employment
decreased by 6,000 over the month, following several months of smaller
declines. Reductions in industrial machinery (-7,000) and electrical
equipment (-2,000) employment continued, but the declines in these
industries were smaller than in recent months. Employment in stone, clay,
and glass products rose by 3,000 in February.
Mining shed another 10,000 jobs in February, bringing employment losses
to 57,000 since its most recent peak in September 1997. Job losses in oil
and gas extraction have accounted for most of the contraction in mining
over this period.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.2 hour in February to 34.7 hours, seasonally
adjusted. The manufacturing workweek was unchanged at 41.6 hours. Factory
overtime edged down 0.1 hour to 4.5 hours. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 0.6 percent to 147.3 (1982=100),
seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index was down 0.3 percent in
February to 106.7. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls rose by 1 cent in February to $13.04, seasonally
adjusted. This followed a 5-cent gain in January. Average weekly earnings
were $452.49 in February (seasonally adjusted), up 0.7 percent over the
month. Over the year, average hourly and weekly earnings both rose by
3.6 percent. (See table B-3.)
___________________________
The Employment Situation for March 1999 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, April 2, at 8:30 A.M. (EST).
----------------------------------------------------------------
| March 1998 National Benchmarks |
| |
| In accordance with standard practice, BLS will release nonfarm|
|payroll employment benchmark revisions with the May data on |
|June 4, 1999. The March 1998 benchmark level has been finalized|
|and will result in a small upward revision of 44,000 to total |
|nonfarm employment for the March 1998 reference month, an |
|adjustment of 0.04 percent. 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 1998,
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.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 204,400 206,719 206,873 204,400 205,919 206,104 206,270 206,719 206,873
Civilian labor force............................ 136,286 137,943 138,202 137,384 138,116 138,193 138,547 139,347 139,271
Participation rate........................ 66.7 66.7 66.8 67.2 67.1 67.1 67.2 67.4 67.3
Employed...................................... 129,482 131,339 131,639 131,021 131,858 132,113 132,526 133,396 133,144
Employment-population ratio............... 63.3 63.5 63.6 64.1 64.0 64.1 64.2 64.5 64.4
Agriculture................................. 2,922 2,911 2,894 3,345 3,558 3,348 3,222 3,299 3,328
Nonagricultural industries.................. 126,560 128,428 128,744 127,676 128,300 128,765 129,304 130,097 129,817
Unemployed.................................... 6,804 6,604 6,563 6,363 6,258 6,080 6,021 5,950 6,127
Unemployment rate......................... 5.0 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.4
Not in labor force.............................. 68,115 68,776 68,671 67,016 67,803 67,911 67,723 67,372 67,602
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 98,331 99,198 99,279 98,331 99,121 99,217 99,309 99,198 99,279
Civilian labor force............................ 72,930 73,636 73,718 73,735 74,189 74,345 74,437 74,599 74,504
Participation rate........................ 74.2 74.2 74.3 75.0 74.8 74.9 75.0 75.2 75.0
Employed...................................... 69,197 69,992 70,084 70,411 70,925 71,182 71,204 71,459 71,276
Employment-population ratio............... 70.4 70.6 70.6 71.6 71.6 71.7 71.7 72.0 71.8
Unemployed.................................... 3,733 3,644 3,634 3,324 3,264 3,163 3,233 3,140 3,228
Unemployment rate......................... 5.1 4.9 4.9 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.3
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 90,476 91,124 91,189 90,476 91,101 91,192 91,220 91,124 91,189
Civilian labor force............................ 69,104 69,687 69,746 69,559 69,913 70,023 70,069 70,295 70,174
Participation rate........................ 76.4 76.5 76.5 76.9 76.7 76.8 76.8 77.1 77.0
Employed...................................... 66,049 66,780 66,730 66,927 67,362 67,573 67,553 67,884 67,577
Employment-population ratio............... 73.0 73.3 73.2 74.0 73.9 74.1 74.1 74.5 74.1
Agriculture................................. 2,035 2,060 1,953 2,297 2,449 2,374 2,237 2,312 2,212
Nonagricultural industries.................. 64,014 64,720 64,777 64,630 64,913 65,199 65,316 65,572 65,365
Unemployed.................................... 3,055 2,908 3,016 2,632 2,551 2,450 2,516 2,411 2,598
Unemployment rate......................... 4.4 4.2 4.3 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.7
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 106,070 107,521 107,593 106,070 106,798 106,887 106,960 107,521 107,593
Civilian labor force............................ 63,355 64,307 64,484 63,649 63,927 63,848 64,110 64,748 64,767
Participation rate........................ 59.7 59.8 59.9 60.0 59.9 59.7 59.9 60.2 60.2
Employed...................................... 60,285 61,347 61,555 60,610 60,933 60,931 61,322 61,937 61,869
Employment-population ratio............... 56.8 57.1 57.2 57.1 57.1 57.0 57.3 57.6 57.5
Unemployed.................................... 3,070 2,960 2,929 3,039 2,994 2,917 2,788 2,810 2,899
Unemployment rate......................... 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.5
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 98,471 99,686 99,746 98,471 99,037 99,135 99,181 99,686 99,746
Civilian labor force............................ 59,606 60,547 60,608 59,625 59,826 59,896 60,078 60,718 60,622
Participation rate........................ 60.5 60.7 60.8 60.6 60.4 60.4 60.6 60.9 60.8
Employed...................................... 57,011 58,100 58,210 57,097 57,437 57,503 57,745 58,466 58,291
Employment-population ratio............... 57.9 58.3 58.4 58.0 58.0 58.0 58.2 58.7 58.4
Agriculture................................. 722 729 757 799 771 734 753 808 839
Nonagricultural industries.................. 56,289 57,370 57,452 56,298 56,666 56,769 56,992 57,659 57,452
Unemployed.................................... 2,595 2,447 2,398 2,528 2,389 2,393 2,333 2,251 2,330
Unemployment rate......................... 4.4 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.0 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.8
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population............. 15,453 15,909 15,939 15,453 15,781 15,777 15,868 15,909 15,939
Civilian labor force............................ 7,575 7,709 7,849 8,200 8,377 8,274 8,400 8,334 8,475
Participation rate........................ 49.0 48.5 49.2 53.1 53.1 52.4 52.9 52.4 53.2
Employed...................................... 6,422 6,460 6,699 6,997 7,059 7,037 7,228 7,046 7,276
Employment-population ratio............... 41.6 40.6 42.0 45.3 44.7 44.6 45.5 44.3 45.7
Agriculture................................. 164 122 184 249 338 240 232 179 277
Nonagricultural industries.................. 6,258 6,338 6,515 6,748 6,721 6,797 6,996 6,867 6,999
Unemployed.................................... 1,153 1,249 1,150 1,203 1,318 1,237 1,172 1,288 1,199
Unemployment rate......................... 15.2 16.2 14.6 14.7 15.7 15.0 14.0 15.5 14.1
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 1999, data reflect 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.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 170,917 172,394 172,491 170,917 171,956 172,084 172,197 172,394 172,491
Civilian labor force............................ 114,489 115,425 115,821 115,271 115,714 115,687 115,996 116,529 116,610
Participation rate.......................... 67.0 67.0 67.1 67.4 67.3 67.2 67.4 67.6 67.6
Employed...................................... 109,504 110,414 110,949 110,731 111,162 111,304 111,560 112,135 112,189
Employment-population ratio................. 64.1 64.0 64.3 64.8 64.6 64.7 64.8 65.0 65.0
Unemployed.................................... 4,985 5,011 4,873 4,540 4,552 4,383 4,436 4,394 4,420
Unemployment rate........................... 4.4 4.3 4.2 3.9 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 58,974 59,306 59,443 59,314 59,579 59,634 59,712 59,751 59,799
Participation rate.......................... 76.9 76.9 77.0 77.3 77.2 77.2 77.2 77.5 77.5
Employed...................................... 56,651 57,051 57,078 57,378 57,646 57,806 57,813 57,920 57,830
Employment-population ratio................. 73.8 74.0 74.0 74.8 74.7 74.8 74.8 75.1 75.0
Unemployed.................................... 2,322 2,254 2,365 1,936 1,933 1,828 1,899 1,831 1,969
Unemployment rate........................... 3.9 3.8 4.0 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.3
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 49,029 49,594 49,721 49,031 49,062 49,065 49,230 49,759 49,721
Participation rate.......................... 59.9 60.0 60.1 59.9 59.7 59.6 59.8 60.2 60.1
Employed...................................... 47,232 47,773 48,061 47,283 47,401 47,415 47,585 48,110 48,109
Employment-population ratio................. 57.7 57.8 58.1 57.7 57.6 57.6 57.8 58.2 58.2
Unemployed.................................... 1,797 1,821 1,660 1,748 1,661 1,650 1,645 1,650 1,612
Unemployment rate........................... 3.7 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.2
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 6,486 6,526 6,657 6,926 7,073 6,988 7,054 7,019 7,090
Participation rate.......................... 52.7 51.7 52.7 56.3 56.4 55.7 56.1 55.6 56.1
Employed...................................... 5,621 5,590 5,809 6,070 6,115 6,083 6,162 6,105 6,250
Employment-population ratio................. 45.7 44.3 46.0 49.3 48.8 48.5 49.0 48.4 49.5
Unemployed.................................... 866 935 848 856 958 905 892 913 840
Unemployment rate........................... 13.3 14.3 12.7 12.4 13.5 13.0 12.6 13.0 11.8
Men....................................... 16.0 16.2 13.6 14.4 14.1 14.1 14.5 14.1 12.2
Women..................................... 10.5 12.4 11.8 10.1 13.0 11.6 10.6 11.9 11.4
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 24,229 24,665 24,697 24,229 24,496 24,529 24,561 24,665 24,697
Civilian labor force............................ 15,618 16,101 16,004 15,834 16,163 16,201 16,157 16,356 16,242
Participation rate.......................... 64.5 65.3 64.8 65.4 66.0 66.0 65.8 66.3 65.8
Employed...................................... 14,080 14,835 14,622 14,340 14,776 14,804 14,884 15,085 14,900
Employment-population ratio................. 58.1 60.1 59.2 59.2 60.3 60.4 60.6 61.2 60.3
Unemployed.................................... 1,538 1,267 1,381 1,494 1,387 1,397 1,273 1,271 1,342
Unemployment rate........................... 9.9 7.9 8.6 9.4 8.6 8.6 7.9 7.8 8.3
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 6,900 7,098 7,050 6,993 7,144 7,086 7,063 7,210 7,160
Participation rate.......................... 71.4 72.1 71.5 72.3 73.1 72.4 72.0 73.3 72.7
Employed...................................... 6,306 6,619 6,529 6,448 6,653 6,590 6,588 6,782 6,682
Employment-population ratio................. 65.2 67.3 66.3 66.7 68.0 67.3 67.2 68.9 67.8
Unemployed.................................... 594 479 521 545 491 496 475 428 477
Unemployment rate........................... 8.6 6.8 7.4 7.8 6.9 7.0 6.7 5.9 6.7
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,876 8,087 8,057 7,895 7,992 8,051 8,035 8,114 8,082
Participation rate.......................... 64.9 65.4 65.1 65.0 65.2 65.6 65.4 65.7 65.3
Employed...................................... 7,192 7,556 7,457 7,238 7,391 7,443 7,474 7,579 7,509
Employment-population ratio................. 59.2 61.2 60.3 59.6 60.3 60.6 60.8 61.3 60.7
Unemployed.................................... 684 530 600 657 601 608 561 535 573
Unemployment rate........................... 8.7 6.6 7.4 8.3 7.5 7.6 7.0 6.6 7.1
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 842 917 897 946 1,027 1,064 1,059 1,032 1,000
Participation rate.......................... 34.8 37.1 36.3 39.1 41.8 43.3 43.0 41.8 40.5
Employed...................................... 581 660 637 654 732 771 822 725 708
Employment-population ratio................. 24.0 26.7 25.8 27.0 29.8 31.4 33.4 29.3 28.6
Unemployed.................................... 260 257 261 292 295 293 237 307 293
Unemployment rate........................... 30.9 28.1 29.0 30.9 28.7 27.5 22.4 29.8 29.2
Men....................................... 34.9 35.6 31.8 34.0 34.7 33.0 27.3 34.2 31.6
Women..................................... 27.4 20.6 26.5 28.0 23.5 22.1 17.6 25.0 27.0
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 20,798 21,296 21,355 20,798 21,286 21,349 21,405 21,296 21,355
Civilian labor force............................ 14,030 14,358 14,466 14,145 14,437 14,389 14,488 14,511 14,591
Participation rate.......................... 67.5 67.4 67.7 68.0 67.8 67.4 67.7 68.1 68.3
Employed...................................... 12,983 13,293 13,420 13,165 13,382 13,345 13,383 13,550 13,610
Employment-population ratio................. 62.4 62.4 62.8 63.3 62.9 62.5 62.5 63.6 63.7
Unemployed.................................... 1,047 1,065 1,046 980 1,055 1,044 1,105 960 980
Unemployment rate........................... 7.5 7.4 7.2 6.9 7.3 7.3 7.6 6.6 6.7
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
1999, data reflect 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, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Educational attainment
Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
Less than a high school diploma
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 29,228 28,901 28,112 29,228 28,713 29,084 29,094 28,901 28,112
Civilian labor force.................... 12,303 12,463 11,917 12,561 12,408 12,463 12,500 12,379 12,164
Percent of population............... 42.1 43.1 42.4 43.0 43.2 42.9 43.0 42.8 43.3
Employed.............................. 11,303 11,391 10,897 11,670 11,556 11,574 11,626 11,459 11,257
Employment-population ratio......... 38.7 39.4 38.8 39.9 40.2 39.8 40.0 39.7 40.0
Unemployed............................ 1,000 1,073 1,020 891 852 889 874 920 907
Unemployment rate................... 8.1 8.6 8.6 7.1 6.9 7.1 7.0 7.4 7.5
High school graduates, no college(2)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 57,418 57,477 57,062 57,418 57,666 57,273 57,115 57,477 57,062
Civilian labor force.................... 37,527 37,472 37,063 37,730 37,540 37,408 37,296 37,590 37,261
Percent of population............... 65.4 65.2 65.0 65.7 65.1 65.3 65.3 65.4 65.3
Employed.............................. 35,794 35,928 35,583 36,225 36,056 35,947 35,873 36,291 35,979
Employment-population ratio......... 62.3 62.5 62.4 63.1 62.5 62.8 62.8 63.1 63.1
Unemployed............................ 1,734 1,545 1,479 1,505 1,484 1,461 1,423 1,299 1,282
Unemployment rate................... 4.6 4.1 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.9 3.8 3.5 3.4
Less than a bachelor's degree(3)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 42,527 43,154 43,911 42,527 42,573 42,863 43,022 43,154 43,911
Civilian labor force.................... 31,580 31,990 32,601 31,418 31,349 31,727 31,800 32,399 32,465
Percent of population............... 74.3 74.1 74.2 73.9 73.6 74.0 73.9 75.1 73.9
Employed.............................. 30,538 30,966 31,525 30,448 30,423 30,825 30,911 31,470 31,462
Employment-population ratio......... 71.8 71.8 71.8 71.6 71.5 71.9 71.8 72.9 71.6
Unemployed............................ 1,042 1,023 1,077 970 926 902 889 929 1,003
Unemployment rate................... 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.1
College graduates
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 42,238 43,516 43,949 42,238 43,520 43,408 43,484 43,516 43,949
Civilian labor force.................... 33,859 34,914 35,149 33,742 34,779 34,554 34,838 34,950 35,040
Percent of population............... 80.2 80.2 80.0 79.9 79.9 79.6 80.1 80.3 79.7
Employed.............................. 33,227 34,257 34,471 33,114 34,108 33,922 34,205 34,325 34,368
Employment-population ratio......... 78.7 78.7 78.4 78.4 78.4 78.1 78.7 78.9 78.2
Unemployed............................ 632 657 678 628 671 632 633 624 673
Unemployment rate................... 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 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 1999, data reflect 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.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over................. 129,482 131,339 131,639 131,021 131,858 132,113 132,526 133,396 133,144
Married men, spouse present..................... 42,615 43,107 42,757 42,869 43,090 43,209 43,227 43,542 43,016
Married women, spouse present................... 32,821 33,416 33,092 32,829 33,037 32,953 33,093 33,652 33,092
Women who maintain families..................... 7,860 7,947 8,105 7,872 7,940 7,969 8,087 8,076 8,113
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty........... 38,297 39,754 39,607 38,210 39,679 39,459 39,729 39,836 39,531
Technical, sales, and administrative support.... 38,260 38,419 38,979 38,519 38,431 38,430 38,307 38,846 39,254
Service occupations............................. 17,752 17,690 18,000 17,899 17,692 18,024 17,976 18,070 18,163
Precision production, craft, and repair......... 14,094 14,471 14,477 14,368 14,192 14,552 14,685 14,751 14,742
Operators, fabricators, and laborers............ 18,151 18,109 17,648 18,526 18,168 18,067 18,480 18,476 18,021
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................. 2,927 2,895 2,928 3,477 3,604 3,538 3,396 3,422 3,490
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers....................... 1,685 1,703 1,646 1,936 2,247 2,005 1,912 1,987 1,895
Self-employed workers......................... 1,210 1,181 1,220 1,362 1,282 1,304 1,304 1,298 1,381
Unpaid family workers......................... 27 27 28 42 33 40 34 30 44
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers....................... 117,765 119,627 120,119 118,704 119,275 119,718 120,380 121,115 121,066
Government.................................. 18,525 19,121 19,027 18,302 18,547 18,607 18,686 18,913 18,782
Private industries.......................... 99,240 100,505 101,093 100,402 100,728 101,111 101,694 102,202 102,283
Private households........................ 995 850 832 1,017 946 969 943 881 849
Other industries.......................... 98,245 99,655 100,261 99,385 99,782 100,142 100,751 101,321 101,434
Self-employed workers......................... 8,682 8,680 8,511 8,826 9,030 8,929 8,814 8,830 8,658
Unpaid family workers......................... 113 121 114 113 95 112 122 121 114
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 4,042 3,815 3,594 3,864 3,404 3,340 3,417 3,562 3,426
Slack work or business conditions........... 2,350 2,428 2,174 2,145 2,031 1,910 1,927 2,093 1,984
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,397 1,056 1,132 1,415 1,136 1,157 1,148 1,115 1,141
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 19,235 18,836 19,481 18,407 18,667 18,634 18,674 18,485 18,642
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 3,867 3,645 3,443 3,714 3,253 3,191 3,257 3,413 3,298
Slack work or business conditions........... 2,235 2,305 2,085 2,044 1,927 1,824 1,841 1,989 1,906
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,384 1,040 1,109 1,390 1,110 1,130 1,116 1,094 1,108
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 18,693 18,352 18,964 17,791 18,107 18,110 18,155 17,921 18,061
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 1999, data reflect 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.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over......................... 6,363 5,950 6,127 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.4
Men, 20 years and over......................... 2,632 2,411 2,598 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.7
Women, 20 years and over....................... 2,528 2,251 2,330 4.2 4.0 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.8
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years..................... 1,203 1,288 1,199 14.7 15.7 15.0 14.0 15.5 14.1
Married men, spouse present.................... 1,088 1,011 1,059 2.5 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.4
Married women, spouse present.................. 1,014 987 967 3.0 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8
Women who maintain families.................... 641 527 561 7.5 6.9 6.9 6.3 6.1 6.5
Full-time workers.............................. 5,093 4,708 4,929 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.3
Part-time workers.............................. 1,277 1,272 1,196 5.2 5.5 5.4 5.2 5.2 4.9
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty.......... 766 750 765 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9
Technical, sales, and administrative support... 1,612 1,520 1,611 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.9
Precision production, craft, and repair........ 644 537 672 4.3 4.0 3.8 3.2 3.5 4.4
Operators, fabricators, and laborers........... 1,305 1,149 1,147 6.6 6.8 6.7 6.7 5.9 6.0
Farming, forestry, and fishing................. 238 284 297 6.4 5.4 6.3 7.5 7.7 7.8
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers 4,947 4,586 4,626 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3
Goods-producing industries................... 1,386 1,318 1,346 4.8 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.7
Mining..................................... 17 44 43 2.7 2.4 2.2 4.3 7.4 7.7
Construction............................... 570 540 545 8.0 6.7 7.0 6.4 7.3 7.5
Manufacturing.............................. 799 734 758 3.8 3.9 3.8 4.0 3.5 3.7
Durable goods............................ 380 429 415 3.0 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.3
Nondurable goods......................... 419 305 343 4.9 5.1 4.8 4.9 3.8 4.3
Service-producing industries................. 3,561 3,268 3,280 4.7 4.7 4.5 4.4 4.2 4.2
Transportation and public utilities........ 249 193 245 3.3 3.5 3.2 3.2 2.5 3.2
Wholesale and retail trade................. 1,534 1,445 1,446 5.7 5.6 5.2 5.5 5.2 5.2
Finance, insurance, and real estate........ 202 196 192 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.4 2.4
Services................................... 1,576 1,434 1,397 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.1 4.1 4.0
Government workers............................. 429 425 436 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.3
Agricultural wage and salary workers........... 179 210 241 8.5 6.7 7.6 8.3 9.6 11.3
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 1999, data reflect 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.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks................................ 2,488 2,930 2,497 2,598 2,754 2,546 2,614 2,353 2,601
5 to 14 weeks.................................... 2,365 2,133 2,386 1,931 1,896 1,983 1,839 2,071 1,944
15 weeks and over................................ 1,950 1,541 1,681 1,804 1,598 1,611 1,578 1,469 1,550
15 to 26 weeks................................ 957 775 864 849 732 752 754 753 766
27 weeks and over............................. 994 766 816 955 866 859 824 716 784
Average (mean) duration, in weeks................ 15.3 12.9 13.8 15.4 14.1 14.4 14.1 13.4 13.8
Median duration, in weeks........................ 7.5 6.5 7.4 7.1 5.9 6.7 6.7 6.9 7.0
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.............................. 36.6 44.4 38.0 41.0 44.1 41.5 43.3 39.9 42.7
5 to 14 weeks.................................. 34.8 32.3 36.3 30.5 30.3 32.3 30.5 35.1 31.9
15 weeks and over.............................. 28.7 23.3 25.6 28.5 25.6 26.2 26.2 24.9 25.4
15 to 26 weeks............................... 14.1 11.7 13.2 13.4 11.7 12.2 12.5 12.8 12.6
27 weeks and over............................ 14.6 11.6 12.4 15.1 13.9 14.0 13.7 12.1 12.9
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect 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.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 3,254 3,394 3,151 2,827 2,813 2,758 2,754 2,696 2,738
On temporary layoff............................. 1,145 1,364 1,159 836 857 850 841 864 849
Not on temporary layoff......................... 2,109 2,030 1,993 1,991 1,956 1,908 1,913 1,832 1,889
Permanent job losers.......................... 1,503 1,376 1,308 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs.......... 605 655 685 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers....................................... 789 721 765 773 730 677 709 699 751
Reentrants........................................ 2,270 2,027 2,182 2,206 2,142 2,130 2,031 1,993 2,110
New entrants...................................... 491 462 466 538 577 534 504 537 509
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 51.4 48.0 44.6 44.9 45.2 45.9 45.5 44.8
On temporary layoff............................ 16.8 20.7 17.7 13.2 13.7 13.9 14.0 14.6 13.9
Not on temporary layoff........................ 31.0 30.7 30.4 31.4 31.2 31.3 31.9 30.9 30.9
Job leavers...................................... 11.6 10.9 11.6 12.2 11.7 11.1 11.8 11.8 12.3
Reentrants....................................... 33.4 30.7 33.2 34.8 34.2 34.9 33.9 33.6 34.5
New entrants..................................... 7.2 7.0 7.1 8.5 9.2 8.8 8.4 9.1 8.3
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0
Job leavers...................................... .6 .5 .6 .6 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5
Reentrants....................................... 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5
New entrants..................................... .4 .3 .3 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4
1 Not available.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect 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.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of
the civilian
labor force.............................................. 1.4 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as
a percent of the
civilian labor force..................................... 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor
force
(official unemployment rate)............................. 5.0 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.4
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent
of the civilian
labor force plus discouraged workers.................... 5.2 5.0 4.9 (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........................................ 6.0 5.7 5.6 (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......................... 8.9 8.5 8.2 (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 1999, data reflect 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.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 6,363 5,950 6,127 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.4
16 to 24 years.................................. 2,350 2,240 2,274 10.7 10.5 9.9 9.8 10.1 10.2
16 to 19 years................................ 1,203 1,288 1,199 14.7 15.7 15.0 14.0 15.5 14.1
16 to 17 years.............................. 622 619 520 18.3 18.2 18.0 16.9 18.4 15.5
18 to 19 years.............................. 567 653 666 11.9 14.0 13.0 12.1 13.1 13.1
20 to 24 years................................ 1,147 952 1,075 8.4 7.3 6.9 7.2 6.9 7.7
25 years and over............................... 3,999 3,743 3,835 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3
25 to 54 years................................ 3,561 3,257 3,359 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.4
55 years and over............................. 450 509 501 2.7 2.7 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9
Men, 16 years and over.......................... 3,324 3,140 3,228 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.3
16 to 24 years................................ 1,317 1,241 1,179 11.5 10.9 10.3 10.8 10.7 10.1
16 to 19 years.............................. 692 729 630 16.6 16.7 16.5 16.4 16.9 14.6
16 to 17 years............................ 360 349 262 20.4 20.9 20.0 19.9 19.7 15.3
18 to 19 years............................ 327 375 368 13.5 13.7 14.4 14.0 14.7 14.1
20 to 24 years.............................. 625 512 548 8.6 7.5 6.6 7.3 7.1 7.5
25 years and over............................. 1,997 1,900 2,036 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.2
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,734 1,646 1,750 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.3
55 years and over........................... 268 273 295 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.1 2.8 3.0
Women, 16 years and over........................ 3,039 2,810 2,899 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.5
16 to 24 years................................ 1,033 999 1,095 9.9 10.1 9.5 8.7 9.5 10.2
16 to 19 years.............................. 511 559 568 12.7 14.8 13.3 11.3 13.9 13.7
16 to 17 years............................ 262 270 259 16.0 15.4 15.9 13.8 16.9 15.7
18 to 19 years............................ 240 278 298 10.2 14.3 11.4 10.2 11.5 12.1
20 to 24 years.............................. 522 440 527 8.1 7.1 7.1 7.1 6.7 8.0
25 years and over............................. 2,002 1,842 1,799 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.3
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,827 1,611 1,609 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.5
55 years and over........................... 182 236 206 2.4 2.5 2.9 2.8 3.1 2.7
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect 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.
1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force...................................... 68,115 68,671 25,400 25,562 42,714 43,109
Persons who currently want a job................................ 4,912 4,703 2,165 1,878 2,747 2,825
Searched for work and vailable to work now(1)................ 1,478 1,279 773 592 705 686
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2).................... 361 271 237 170 124 100
Reasons other than discouragement(3)................. 1,117 1,008 537 422 581 586
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4)...................................... 7,877 8,044 4,142 4,264 3,734 3,780
Percent of total employed..................................... 6.1 6.1 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.1
Primary job full time, secondary job part time................ 4,391 4,396 2,580 2,551 1,811 1,845
Primary and secondary jobs both part time..................... 1,671 1,763 542 575 1,129 1,187
Primary and secondary jobs both full time..................... 227 276 154 174 73 102
Hours vary on primary or secondary job........................ 1,566 1,563 847 932 719 631
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 1999, data reflect 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.
1998 1998 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999p 1999p
Total......................... 123,346 127,936 125,176 126,028 124,832 126,527 126,804 127,118 127,335 127,610
Total private.................... 103,333 107,547 105,202 105,651 105,112 106,579 106,818 107,096 107,274 107,527
Goods-producing......................... 24,706 25,181 24,635 24,637 25,314 25,209 25,184 25,269 25,256 25,268
Mining................................ 578 556 535 526 590 564 560 557 547 537
Metal mining........................ 50.6 49.9 49.8 49.4 52 50 50 50 51 50
Coal mining......................... 92.8 89.8 89.5 88.5 93 89 90 90 90 89
Oil and gas extraction.............. 334.7 309.4 297.3 288.4 338 317 312 308 299 291
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 99.4 106.5 98.5 99.5 107 108 108 109 107 107
Construction.......................... 5,403 6,043 5,673 5,716 5,902 6,012 6,051 6,153 6,167 6,239
General building contractors........ 1,292.8 1,424.2 1,374.5 1,376.8 1,371 1,419 1,414 1,433 1,447 1,460
Heavy construction, except building. 684.2 810.7 714.6 724.0 813 825 834 861 861 861
Special trade contractors........... 3,425.9 3,807.9 3,583.7 3,615.0 3,718 3,768 3,803 3,859 3,859 3,918
Manufacturing......................... 18,725 18,582 18,427 18,395 18,822 18,633 18,573 18,559 18,542 18,492
Production workers................ 12,944 12,784 12,664 12,647 13,024 12,821 12,765 12,763 12,759 12,716
Durable goods........................ 11,122 11,021 10,936 10,924 11,159 11,059 11,011 10,996 10,986 10,962
Production workers................ 7,645 7,542 7,474 7,474 7,676 7,566 7,522 7,519 7,511 7,494
Lumber and wood products............ 784.5 812.2 805.8 805.5 800 806 809 813 821 821
Furniture and fixtures.............. 519.6 529.4 527.0 528.1 519 524 524 527 527 528
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 542.1 565.3 547.0 551.3 561 564 568 571 568 571
Primary metal industries............ 718.8 701.0 695.3 694.7 718 706 699 698 694 695
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 235.3 227.6 224.7 224.1 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,494.8 1,485.4 1,480.6 1,474.8 1,497 1,486 1,481 1,480 1,483 1,477
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,206.5 2,153.7 2,137.2 2,133.8 2,202 2,175 2,162 2,152 2,137 2,130
Computer and office equipment..... 379.2 366.8 361.9 358.9 381 371 370 367 363 360
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,719.0 1,670.3 1,660.1 1,656.7 1,720 1,680 1,668 1,664 1,660 1,658
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 679.7 646.9 645.4 645.9 680 654 649 646 645 646
Transportation equipment............ 1,885.2 1,883.5 1,869.6 1,864.9 1,886 1,887 1,877 1,871 1,876 1,864
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 1,002.2 1,000.9 992.0 990.3 1,004 1,000 998 990 998 990
Aircraft and parts................ 523.5 519.8 516.1 510.4 523 523 519 518 516 510
Instruments and related products.... 865.2 842.0 840.9 839.7 866 850 845 842 842 841
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 386.0 377.8 372.5 374.5 390 381 378 378 378 377
Nondurable goods..................... 7,603 7,561 7,491 7,471 7,663 7,574 7,562 7,563 7,556 7,530
Production workers................ 5,299 5,242 5,190 5,173 5,348 5,255 5,243 5,244 5,248 5,222
Food and kindred products........... 1,664.7 1,705.2 1,686.1 1,681.0 1,703 1,702 1,710 1,718 1,723 1,719
Tobacco products.................... 41.9 42.1 42.1 40.8 41 40 40 39 40 40
Textile mill products............... 603.7 581.6 573.6 570.1 606 589 584 581 576 572
Apparel and other textile products.. 791.7 732.5 719.4 709.4 796 746 736 734 728 713
Paper and allied products........... 684.9 674.2 669.7 668.4 688 677 674 673 671 671
Printing and publishing............. 1,561.8 1,570.8 1,559.6 1,558.2 1,564 1,569 1,566 1,561 1,563 1,562
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,032.1 1,033.6 1,027.3 1,029.4 1,036 1,034 1,035 1,035 1,032 1,033
Petroleum and coal products......... 131.8 133.2 128.9 129.5 136 134 134 136 133 134
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 1,004.6 1,009.7 1,008.0 1,009.2 1,007 1,004 1,005 1,008 1,013 1,010
Leather and leather products........ 85.7 77.8 76.3 75.1 86 79 78 78 77 76
Service-producing....................... 98,640 102,755 100,541 101,391 99,518 101,318 101,620 101,849 102,079 102,342
Transportation and public utilities... 6,433 6,678 6,578 6,593 6,494 6,595 6,604 6,627 6,641 6,656
Transportation...................... 4,117 4,319 4,217 4,232 4,164 4,247 4,249 4,262 4,268 4,282
Railroad transportation........... 227.3 232.1 231.5 230.9 231 234 231 233 235 234
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 468.8 484.1 476.8 482.3 459 467 468 468 467 471
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,652.6 1,731.6 1,697.5 1,702.3 1,688 1,721 1,721 1,730 1,739 1,741
Water transportation.............. 173.8 185.6 180.4 180.1 181 191 193 191 189 188
Transportation by air............. 1,136.2 1,215.7 1,163.5 1,168.1 1,145 1,167 1,167 1,169 1,167 1,178
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 14.1 14.1 13.9 14.1 14 14 14 14 14 14
Transportation services........... 443.9 455.6 452.9 454.3 446 453 455 457 457 456
Communications and public utilities. 2,316 2,359 2,361 2,361 2,330 2,348 2,355 2,365 2,373 2,374
Communications.................... 1,461.6 1,508.8 1,514.7 1,516.7 1,471 1,498 1,502 1,512 1,523 1,525
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 854.6 850.2 845.8 844.5 859 850 853 853 850 849
Wholesale trade....................... 6,714 6,882 6,842 6,853 6,769 6,864 6,877 6,882 6,899 6,908
Durable goods....................... 4,009 4,102 4,089 4,102 4,030 4,096 4,102 4,104 4,112 4,123
Nondurable goods.................... 2,705 2,780 2,753 2,751 2,739 2,768 2,775 2,778 2,787 2,785
Retail trade.......................... 21,758 23,385 22,345 22,315 22,283 22,589 22,672 22,712 22,748 22,871
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 902.4 981.4 948.6 952.9 959 987 991 997 1,005 1,013
General merchandise stores.......... 2,663.1 3,133.3 2,832.9 2,751.5 2,756 2,812 2,842 2,823 2,834 2,856
Department stores................. 2,346.2 2,758.9 2,498.5 2,431.5 2,427 2,481 2,504 2,490 2,501 2,524
Food stores......................... 3,496.6 3,624.9 3,532.5 3,521.9 3,533 3,554 3,558 3,561 3,546 3,556
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,300.1 2,366.1 2,352.7 2,363.8 2,331 2,367 2,370 2,377 2,383 2,395
New and used car dealers.......... 1,052.3 1,069.5 1,067.4 1,072.9 1,056 1,067 1,069 1,073 1,074 1,078
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,067.1 1,204.0 1,114.8 1,085.1 1,100 1,101 1,105 1,101 1,109 1,121
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,038.3 1,134.6 1,101.7 1,098.7 1,043 1,076 1,082 1,084 1,093 1,103
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,444.8 7,809.7 7,511.9 7,607.4 7,694 7,778 7,807 7,854 7,843 7,868
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,845.2 3,131.3 2,949.9 2,933.5 2,867 2,914 2,917 2,915 2,935 2,959
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 7,172 7,437 7,420 7,423 7,232 7,417 7,441 7,458 7,481 7,488
Finance............................. 3,486 3,615 3,616 3,620 3,496 3,598 3,605 3,615 3,624 3,632
Depository institutions........... 2,031.1 2,046.8 2,046.1 2,043.9 2,039 2,043 2,043 2,046 2,049 2,052
Commercial banks................ 1,457.8 1,458.9 1,457.3 1,455.4 1,464 1,456 1,455 1,457 1,459 1,461
Savings institutions............ 261.1 264.0 264.6 263.5 262 265 265 264 265 265
Nondepository institutions........ 593.3 652.4 656.0 660.0 593 640 649 652 658 661
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 268.4 311.9 311.3 314.0 270 305 310 313 313 316
Security and commodity brokers.... 626.8 664.6 663.9 662.9 629 666 663 666 666 665
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 234.9 250.9 249.7 253.5 235 249 250 251 251 254
Insurance........................... 2,290 2,359 2,353 2,351 2,297 2,350 2,357 2,360 2,360 2,359
Insurance carriers................ 1,554.2 1,608.4 1,608.1 1,604.6 1,560 1,601 1,606 1,610 1,613 1,611
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 735.4 750.2 745.1 746.7 737 749 751 750 747 748
Real estate......................... 1,396 1,463 1,451 1,452 1,439 1,469 1,479 1,483 1,497 1,497
Services2............................. 36,550 37,984 37,382 37,830 37,020 37,905 38,040 38,148 38,249 38,336
Agricultural services............... 583.4 688.9 635.7 635.6 696 722 737 751 757 757
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,671.8 1,699.3 1,670.7 1,683.7 1,756 1,783 1,777 1,776 1,777 1,772
Personal services................... 1,246.1 1,166.1 1,226.1 1,237.4 1,177 1,178 1,180 1,186 1,187 1,171
Business services................... 8,198.9 8,820.3 8,564.3 8,634.8 8,384 8,677 8,715 8,756 8,792 8,832
Services to buildings............. 948.5 985.3 981.5 982.4 961 987 989 991 999 996
Personnel supply services......... 2,989.4 3,255.5 3,026.8 3,057.6 3,152 3,161 3,177 3,202 3,217 3,224
Help supply services............ 2,661.6 2,904.6 2,688.8 2,714.7 2,820 2,829 2,840 2,857 2,864 2,871
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,524.9 1,693.1 1,710.7 1,724.1 1,522 1,661 1,680 1,691 1,711 1,724
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,137.6 1,171.7 1,167.8 1,181.3 1,144 1,169 1,175 1,177 1,182 1,189
Miscellaneous repair services....... 376.9 392.1 389.2 389.5 382 389 391 393 395 396
Motion pictures..................... 568.6 568.7 561.3 570.6 569 567 563 564 563 569
Amusement and recreation services... 1,442.2 1,562.6 1,496.3 1,530.6 1,641 1,718 1,744 1,742 1,750 1,742
Health services..................... 9,824.4 9,974.7 9,933.6 9,947.5 9,852 9,947 9,955 9,955 9,957 9,973
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,783.1 1,852.4 1,850.3 1,853.1 1,788 1,843 1,849 1,845 1,854 1,859
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,754.5 1,754.7 1,746.2 1,745.3 1,761 1,755 1,753 1,751 1,752 1,752
Hospitals......................... 3,916.2 3,982.2 3,971.8 3,974.9 3,920 3,977 3,978 3,980 3,977 3,980
Home health care services......... 697.3 663.3 649.3 655.3 702 662 661 661 653 660
Legal services...................... 961.8 996.7 992.3 994.7 967 995 994 997 997 1,000
Educational services................ 2,305.4 2,370.0 2,200.8 2,403.5 2,179 2,238 2,245 2,252 2,249 2,269
Social services..................... 2,572.5 2,690.8 2,677.0 2,706.1 2,577 2,659 2,672 2,686 2,697 2,713
Child day care services........... 583.8 600.4 597.8 606.4 574 583 586 589 591 597
Residential care.................. 735.9 764.7 765.3 771.4 741 762 764 766 770 776
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 83.5 91.1 85.5 85.1 92 92 94 94 94 93
Membership organizations............ 2,239.2 2,270.5 2,250.8 2,270.7 2,261 2,281 2,279 2,283 2,289 2,293
Engineering and management services. 3,143.6 3,322.4 3,332.9 3,361.2 3,148 3,293 3,321 3,338 3,365 3,368
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 887.7 930.8 927.5 926.7 899 927 932 934 938 940
Management and public relations... 1,000.6 1,096.7 1,095.9 1,108.3 1,007 1,075 1,092 1,098 1,112 1,116
Services, nec....................... 50.8 54.5 53.8 54.3 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 20,013 20,389 19,974 20,377 19,720 19,948 19,986 20,022 20,061 20,083
Federal............................. 2,661 2,739 2,680 2,684 2,676 2,713 2,725 2,706 2,704 2,699
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,808.0 1,801.5 1,804.2 1,811.8 1,819 1,834 1,845 1,818 1,827 1,824
State............................... 4,705 4,773 4,624 4,790 4,613 4,671 4,674 4,690 4,692 4,698
Education......................... 2,035.9 2,067.2 1,909.4 2,070.8 1,924 1,949 1,945 1,957 1,953 1,958
Other State government............ 2,669.1 2,705.4 2,714.6 2,719.5 2,689 2,722 2,729 2,733 2,739 2,740
Local............................... 12,647 12,877 12,670 12,903 12,431 12,564 12,587 12,626 12,665 12,686
Education......................... 7,338.3 7,476.5 7,303.6 7,514.3 6,999 7,083 7,114 7,133 7,162 7,171
Other local government............ 5,308.8 5,400.0 5,366.7 5,388.3 5,432 5,481 5,473 5,493 5,503 5,515
1 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.
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.
1998 1998 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 34.6 34.7 34.0 34.3 34.7 34.6 34.5 34.6 34.5 34.7
Goods-producing......................... 40.9 41.7 40.5 40.5 41.4 41.1 41.0 41.2 41.1 41.0
Mining................................ 44.0 43.7 42.2 42.8 44.4 43.8 43.5 43.4 42.5 43.1
Construction.......................... 37.9 39.0 37.8 37.9 39.2 39.1 38.8 39.5 39.7 39.3
Manufacturing......................... 41.7 42.6 41.3 41.3 42.0 41.7 41.7 41.7 41.6 41.6
Overtime hours.................... 4.5 4.9 4.4 4.2 4.8 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.5
Durable goods........................ 42.5 43.2 41.9 41.9 42.8 42.3 42.3 42.3 42.1 42.2
Overtime hours.................... 4.9 5.2 4.5 4.4 5.1 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.6
Lumber and wood products............ 40.5 41.7 40.6 40.2 41.1 41.1 41.2 41.6 41.7 40.9
Furniture and fixtures.............. 40.5 41.5 40.2 39.9 41.0 40.4 40.1 40.2 40.6 40.4
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 42.6 43.7 42.4 42.2 43.6 43.4 43.5 43.8 44.0 43.4
Primary metal industries............ 44.7 44.6 43.8 43.6 44.8 43.7 43.9 43.7 43.7 43.6
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 45.2 43.7 44.0 43.6 45.4 43.9 43.7 43.2 43.9 43.7
Fabricated metal products........... 42.3 43.4 41.8 41.8 42.7 42.3 42.1 42.2 41.9 42.1
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 43.5 43.2 42.2 42.0 43.4 42.7 42.4 42.1 42.1 42.0
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 41.6 42.3 41.1 41.2 41.9 41.5 41.4 41.1 41.2 41.4
Transportation equipment............ 43.5 45.7 43.2 43.8 43.8 43.7 44.1 44.6 43.2 44.0
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 43.4 46.8 43.8 44.8 43.8 43.8 44.7 45.2 43.9 45.1
Instruments and related products.... 42.1 42.0 41.1 41.5 42.0 41.1 41.0 41.0 41.1 41.4
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 40.2 40.2 39.0 39.5 40.4 39.7 39.3 39.4 39.5 39.7
Nondurable goods..................... 40.6 41.6 40.6 40.5 40.9 40.9 40.8 40.9 40.8 40.9
Overtime hours.................... 4.0 4.6 4.2 4.0 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.4
Food and kindred products........... 40.9 42.8 41.6 41.2 41.5 41.5 41.7 42.0 42.0 41.8
Tobacco products.................... 37.4 37.4 37.4 37.0 38.5 38.5 38.3 36.3 38.1 38.1
Textile mill products............... 41.1 41.4 40.8 40.4 41.5 41.1 40.7 40.9 41.0 40.8
Apparel and other textile products.. 37.1 37.9 36.7 37.3 37.4 37.3 37.3 37.3 36.9 37.6
Paper and allied products........... 43.0 44.3 43.6 43.1 43.4 43.5 43.5 43.4 43.5 43.6
Printing and publishing............. 38.2 38.7 37.7 37.6 38.5 38.2 38.2 38.1 38.3 37.9
Chemicals and allied products....... 43.3 43.5 42.9 42.7 43.4 43.3 43.0 42.6 42.9 42.8
Petroleum and coal products......... 42.2 44.8 43.9 43.9 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 41.6 42.7 41.3 41.4 41.8 41.8 41.6 41.7 41.3 41.6
Leather and leather products........ 38.0 38.1 36.8 37.5 38.8 37.4 37.6 37.5 37.2 38.2
Service-producing....................... 33.0 32.9 32.4 32.7 33.0 32.9 32.9 32.9 32.9 33.0
Transportation and public utilities... 39.9 39.1 38.7 39.0 39.9 39.3 39.3 39.1 39.4 39.2
Wholesale trade....................... 38.5 38.4 38.0 38.3 38.5 38.3 38.5 38.4 38.4 38.5
Retail trade.......................... 28.7 29.3 28.1 28.7 29.0 29.1 29.0 29.0 29.0 29.3
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 37.1 36.2 36.0 36.4 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.8 32.6 32.3 32.6 32.7 32.7 32.6 32.7 32.6 32.8
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.
1998 1998 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... $12.65 $12.99 $13.09 $13.08 $437.69 $450.75 $445.06 $448.64
Seasonally adjusted............. 12.59 12.98 13.03 13.04 436.87 449.11 449.54 452.49
Goods-producing......................... 14.11 14.55 14.46 14.44 577.10 606.74 585.63 584.82
Mining................................ 16.89 17.35 17.35 17.41 743.16 758.20 732.17 745.15
Construction.......................... 16.21 16.84 16.71 16.65 614.36 656.76 631.64 631.04
Manufacturing......................... 13.41 13.69 13.67 13.66 559.20 583.19 564.57 564.16
Durable goods........................ 13.96 14.17 14.12 14.10 593.30 612.14 591.63 590.79
Lumber and wood products............ 10.91 11.34 11.30 11.29 441.86 472.88 458.78 453.86
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.77 11.10 11.10 11.06 436.19 460.65 446.22 441.29
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 13.45 13.71 13.67 13.72 572.97 599.13 579.61 578.98
Primary metal industries............ 15.46 15.35 15.38 15.36 691.06 684.61 673.64 669.70
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 18.34 18.17 18.38 18.47 828.97 794.03 808.72 805.29
Fabricated metal products........... 12.98 13.36 13.32 13.30 549.05 579.82 556.78 555.94
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 14.36 14.71 14.66 14.63 624.66 635.47 618.65 614.46
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 12.97 13.28 13.28 13.25 539.55 561.74 545.81 545.90
Transportation equipment............ 17.77 17.60 17.49 17.41 773.00 804.32 755.57 762.56
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 18.31 17.81 17.69 17.57 794.65 833.51 774.82 787.14
Instruments and related products.... 13.67 13.96 13.95 14.00 575.51 586.32 573.35 581.00
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.79 11.10 11.13 11.12 433.76 446.22 434.07 439.24
Nondurable goods..................... 12.57 12.97 12.99 12.98 510.34 539.55 527.39 525.69
Food and kindred products........... 11.64 12.02 11.95 11.94 476.08 514.46 497.12 491.93
Tobacco products.................... 18.24 17.19 17.29 17.79 682.18 642.91 646.65 658.23
Textile mill products............... 10.26 10.56 10.63 10.61 421.69 437.18 433.70 428.64
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.38 8.70 8.70 8.70 310.90 329.73 319.29 324.51
Paper and allied products........... 15.20 15.77 15.69 15.69 653.60 698.61 684.08 676.24
Printing and publishing............. 13.32 13.67 13.65 13.64 508.82 529.03 514.61 512.86
Chemicals and allied products....... 16.94 17.31 17.31 17.26 733.50 752.99 742.60 737.00
Petroleum and coal products......... 20.91 21.21 21.25 21.64 882.40 950.21 932.88 950.00
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.77 12.08 12.19 12.16 489.63 515.82 503.45 503.42
Leather and leather products........ 9.29 9.44 9.66 9.54 353.02 359.66 355.49 357.75
Service-producing....................... 12.17 12.49 12.65 12.65 401.61 410.92 409.86 413.66
Transportation and public utilities... $15.29 $15.54 $15.57 $15.57 $610.07 $607.61 $602.56 $607.23
Wholesale trade....................... 13.85 14.27 14.35 14.33 533.23 547.97 545.30 548.84
Retail trade.......................... 8.62 8.90 9.02 8.99 247.39 260.77 253.46 258.01
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 13.95 14.40 14.45 14.52 517.55 521.28 520.20 528.53
Services.............................. 12.75 13.18 13.30 13.32 418.20 429.67 429.59 434.23
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 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999p 1999p from:
Jan. 1999-
Feb. 1999
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $12.59 $12.90 $12.94 $12.98 $13.03 $13.04 0.1
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.69 7.79 7.80 7.81 7.83 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 14.21 14.43 14.46 14.50 14.52 14.55 .2
Mining...................... 16.76 17.20 17.37 17.26 17.16 17.26 .6
Construction................ 16.34 16.69 16.75 16.82 16.73 16.78 .3
Manufacturing............... 13.42 13.57 13.58 13.58 13.64 13.66 .1
Excluding overtime4....... 12.69 12.88 12.89 12.89 12.93 12.96 .2
Service-producing............. 12.06 12.41 12.45 12.49 12.55 12.56 .1
Transportation and public
utilities................ 15.25 15.42 15.45 15.53 15.51 15.53 .1
Wholesale trade............. 13.81 14.19 14.23 14.26 14.34 14.30 -.3
Retail trade................ 8.59 8.85 8.85 8.91 8.96 8.96 .0
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 13.83 14.24 14.35 14.43 14.47 14.47 .0
Services.................... 12.60 13.03 13.06 13.09 13.18 13.22 .3
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.
3 Change was .3 percent from December 1998 to January 1999, 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.
1998 1998 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 141.2 147.5 141.0 142.8 144.4 145.8 145.7 146.4 146.4 147.3
Goods-producing......................... 111.5 116.2 109.6 109.7 116.4 114.6 114.1 115.3 114.9 115.2
Mining................................ 54.7 52.5 48.5 47.9 57.0 53.5 52.6 52.4 50.1 49.5
Construction.......................... 141.4 165.3 147.4 149.1 162.4 164.8 164.4 171.1 171.2 173.9
Manufacturing......................... 108.8 109.8 105.6 105.4 110.3 107.8 107.3 107.4 107.0 106.7
Durable goods........................ 113.3 113.8 109.1 109.2 114.5 111.6 110.9 111.0 110.3 110.2
Lumber and wood products............ 138.2 147.2 141.7 140.5 143.4 143.9 144.6 146.9 148.6 146.0
Furniture and fixtures.............. 131.7 137.8 132.8 132.3 133.1 132.4 131.4 133.0 134.0 133.7
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 108.7 117.0 109.1 109.5 116.2 115.7 116.8 118.4 118.1 117.0
Primary metal industries............ 95.7 92.7 90.3 89.7 95.8 91.6 90.9 90.4 89.8 89.6
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 73.9 69.1 68.4 67.8 74.6 70.1 68.6 68.2 68.6 68.3
Fabricated metal products........... 118.8 120.7 115.8 115.1 120.1 117.5 116.6 116.8 116.2 116.1
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 112.0 108.6 105.0 104.5 111.3 108.4 106.9 105.7 104.7 103.9
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 112.2 109.2 105.6 105.7 112.8 108.0 106.6 105.5 105.4 106.0
Transportation equipment............ 128.8 132.2 124.0 125.7 130.1 127.1 126.9 128.0 124.6 126.1
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 164.9 172.5 160.1 163.7 166.6 161.1 162.2 164.1 161.2 164.6
Instruments and related products.... 77.7 76.0 74.9 75.7 77.6 75.0 74.5 74.2 74.9 75.4
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 102.3 99.3 94.0 96.1 103.8 98.6 96.9 97.5 97.0 97.5
Nondurable goods..................... 102.7 104.3 100.7 100.1 104.6 102.6 102.3 102.4 102.4 102.0
Food and kindred products........... 113.6 122.2 117.3 115.8 118.5 118.2 119.5 121.0 121.5 120.7
Tobacco products.................... 61.0 61.1 60.9 57.1 61.0 59.1 58.8 53.9 58.5 56.6
Textile mill products............... 87.5 84.5 82.1 80.9 88.6 85.2 83.4 83.4 83.0 81.9
Apparel and other textile products.. 69.8 65.1 61.9 61.9 70.8 65.2 64.3 64.2 63.0 62.8
Paper and allied products........... 109.6 110.5 108.2 106.7 111.1 109.2 108.6 108.1 108.4 108.4
Printing and publishing............. 124.7 126.3 121.4 120.9 126.0 124.5 123.9 123.0 124.0 122.3
Chemicals and allied products....... 102.7 103.4 101.6 101.6 103.2 102.8 102.1 101.3 102.2 102.1
Petroleum and coal products......... 68.4 74.7 70.6 71.1 71.9 73.6 74.1 77.5 72.4 75.3
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 147.1 151.3 146.3 146.9 147.9 147.1 146.8 147.5 146.8 147.9
Leather and leather products........ 37.7 33.9 31.6 31.7 38.7 33.9 34.1 33.4 32.6 32.3
Service-producing....................... 154.6 161.5 155.1 157.7 157.0 159.7 159.9 160.3 160.5 161.8
Transportation and public utilities... 129.7 132.8 129.6 130.5 131.1 131.6 131.8 131.6 133.2 132.6
Wholesale trade....................... 126.9 129.8 127.5 128.4 128.2 129.1 130.0 129.9 130.2 130.5
Retail trade.......................... 135.0 148.2 135.3 138.1 139.9 142.0 141.9 142.1 142.4 144.7
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 134.5 136.3 135.2 136.4 133.4 136.6 137.4 137.3 137.4 138.0
Services.............................. 189.9 196.0 190.6 194.5 192.0 196.4 196.3 197.4 197.0 198.6
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:
1995.............. 62.5 60.0 54.9 55.6 47.8 55.6 54.8 59.0 58.0 55.8 54.5 58.8
1996.............. 50.8 64.6 59.6 56.6 62.8 61.0 57.3 61.5 56.0 62.5 62.2 60.7
1997.............. 58.0 61.4 59.8 63.6 60.1 54.6 61.1 59.1 60.0 64.3 62.4 64.9
1998.............. 63.8 58.7 59.6 56.9 56.6 59.0 55.1 53.9 53.5 52.4 54.8 56.6
1999.............. p53.1 p53.4
Over 3-month span:
1995.............. 63.6 61.4 59.4 53.1 55.2 53.2 59.7 60.1 59.1 58.0 56.6 54.6
1996.............. 61.9 62.8 64.0 63.8 63.5 64.9 64.2 61.5 63.9 64.2 67.0 66.6
1997.............. 64.9 63.3 65.6 66.2 63.9 61.2 60.1 65.9 67.4 68.1 70.8 71.9
1998.............. 68.4 67.3 64.2 61.7 60.4 58.4 57.2 56.7 56.0 53.7 57.6 p57.9
1999.............. p58.1
Over 6-month span:
1995.............. 66.4 60.1 59.1 57.3 59.0 60.1 57.6 60.4 59.7 59.3 61.1 63.2
1996.............. 62.8 65.4 64.7 65.7 66.2 65.0 66.4 66.0 66.2 67.6 66.9 66.3
1997.............. 67.6 67.0 65.3 64.9 65.6 67.3 68.0 67.3 70.6 72.3 73.3 72.6
1998.............. 72.1 70.9 69.4 63.5 64.5 61.8 59.0 58.1 58.1 p59.7 p56.3
1999..............
Over 12-month span:
1995.............. 63.6 62.4 62.6 63.3 61.7 61.9 58.7 62.2 62.2 61.5 63.5 65.4
1996.............. 64.5 66.7 64.5 65.6 68.5 67.3 67.7 66.4 68.0 69.9 69.1 68.3
1997.............. 69.8 67.6 69.2 70.1 69.8 69.8 71.2 71.2 71.1 73.0 72.9 72.3
1998.............. 71.2 69.5 69.5 66.6 65.2 64.0 p62.8 p62.9
1999..............
Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1995.............. 54.7 54.3 46.4 53.2 42.4 44.2 46.4 49.6 48.6 52.2 45.3 48.2
1996.............. 42.8 54.7 48.2 42.1 55.4 50.7 47.1 55.4 47.8 52.9 54.3 55.4
1997.............. 49.3 54.3 50.0 56.8 51.4 52.2 50.4 48.9 56.5 57.2 56.1 60.8
1998.............. 55.8 51.8 52.5 48.6 45.0 47.8 39.6 47.5 43.2 38.8 37.1 45.7
1999.............. p43.5 p41.4
Over 3-month span:
1995.............. 56.8 50.0 47.8 42.1 43.2 38.8 40.6 43.5 48.2 47.1 45.3 39.9
1996.............. 43.9 46.8 46.0 47.5 46.4 49.3 51.4 50.0 53.6 51.1 57.6 54.7
1997.............. 54.3 49.3 54.3 54.0 55.4 50.4 47.5 52.2 57.9 62.6 64.7 65.5
1998.............. 60.1 59.0 50.7 46.4 43.2 38.8 36.7 34.2 41.4 30.9 35.6 p37.1
1999.............. p39.6
Over 6-month span:
1995.............. 55.4 46.4 42.8 40.3 41.4 42.4 41.0 41.0 43.9 43.2 43.2 45.3
1996.............. 42.1 45.3 46.4 47.1 48.2 48.6 51.1 50.4 52.9 52.9 53.2 52.2
1997.............. 54.3 54.3 51.4 52.9 51.4 55.0 56.8 57.6 60.4 64.4 67.6 65.8
1998.............. 61.5 56.8 52.2 39.2 40.6 34.5 30.9 28.1 31.7 p37.4 p30.6
1999..............
Over 12-month span:
1995.............. 46.0 44.2 46.0 47.8 41.0 41.7 38.5 38.8 36.3 38.5 39.9 44.6
1996.............. 43.5 47.5 45.3 45.3 50.4 49.6 50.4 48.6 51.1 55.0 54.0 51.8
1997.............. 57.2 52.5 54.7 56.5 57.9 57.6 58.6 58.6 60.4 60.4 59.4 58.3
1998.............. 50.7 51.1 50.4 41.7 38.5 36.7 p32.7 p31.7
1999..............
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: April 02, 1999
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_0299.htm
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