Technical information: USDL 99-81
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, April 2, 1999.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: MARCH 1999
Employment was little changed in March, and the unemployment rate
declined to 4.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased
by only 46,000. Employment rose in most service-producing industries, but
unseasonably cold weather contributed to job losses in construction.
Manufacturing and mining employment continued to decline.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
Both the number of unemployed persons, 5.8 million, and the unemploy-
ment rate, 4.2 percent, decreased in March. From April 1998 through
February 1999, the rate had been in the 4.3- to 4.5-percent range. The
jobless rate for adult men dropped to 3.2 percent in March. Unemployment
rates for whites (3.6 percent) and Hispanics (5.8 percent) also decreased,
while rates for other major demographic groups--adult women (3.9 percent),
teenagers (14.3 percent), and blacks (8.1 percent)--were little changed.
(See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Among the major educational attainment categories, the unemployment
rate for persons 25 years and over with less than a high school diploma
fell to 6.1 percent in March. Jobless rates for high school graduates with
no college experience (3.4 percent), persons with college experience but no
bachelor's degree (2.8 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 essentially unchanged in March at 133.0 million,
seasonally adjusted. The employment-population ratio--the proportion of the
population age 16 and older with jobs--was 64.3 percent, little changed over
the month. (See table A-1.)
The civilian labor force decreased to 138.8 million, seasonally
adjusted. The labor force participation rate was 67.0 percent in March,
down from 67.3 percent a month earlier. (See table A-1.)
About 8.0 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in March. 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 1.2 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in March. 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.
- 2 -
Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________| Feb.-
Category | 1998 | 1999 1/| 1999 1/ | Mar.
|________|________|________ _________________|change
| IV | I | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 138,285| 139,144| 139,347| 139,271| 138,816| -455
Employment..........| 132,166| 133,191| 133,396| 133,144| 133,033| -111
Unemployment........| 6,120| 5,953| 5,950| 6,127| 5,783| -344
Not in labor force....| 67,813| 67,732| 67,372| 67,602| 68,220| 618
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.4| 4.3| 4.3| 4.4| 4.2| -0.2
Adult men...........| 3.6| 3.4| 3.4| 3.7| 3.2| -.5
Adult women.........| 4.0| 3.8| 3.7| 3.8| 3.9| .1
Teenagers...........| 14.9| 14.6| 15.5| 14.1| 14.3| .2
White...............| 3.8| 3.7| 3.8| 3.8| 3.6| -.2
Black...............| 8.4| 8.0| 7.8| 8.3| 8.1| -.2
Hispanic origin.....| 7.4| 6.4| 6.6| 6.7| 5.8| -.9
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA | Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 126,816|p127,548| 127,335|p127,632|p127,678| p46
Goods-producing 2/..| 25,221| p25,235| 25,251| p25,271| p25,182| p-89
Construction......| 6,072| p6,207| 6,170| p6,249| p6,202| p-47
Manufacturing.....| 18,588| p18,488| 18,534| p18,483| p18,448| p-35
Service-producing 2/| 101,596|p102,314| 102,084|p102,361|p102,496| p135
Retail trade......| 22,658| p22,805| 22,755| p22,836| p22,825| p-11
Services..........| 38,031| p38,359| 38,245| p38,369| p38,464| p95
Government........| 19,985| p20,087| 20,045| p20,098| p20,118| p20
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.6| p34.5| 34.5| p34.6| p34.5| p-0.1
Manufacturing.......| 41.7| p41.6| 41.6| p41.6| p41.6| p.0
Overtime..........| 4.5| p4.5| 4.6| p4.5| p4.5| p.0
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 146.0| p146.7| 146.4| p147.2| p146.5| p-0.7
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 3/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $12.94| p$13.06| $13.03| p$13.06| p$13.09| p$0.03
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 447.29| p451.01| 449.54| p451.88| p451.61| p-.27
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
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 -
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 295,000 in March. (See table A-10.)
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Nonfarm payroll employment rose by only 46,000 in March, to 127.7
million, seasonally adjusted. Over the prior 4 months, job gains had
averaged 276,000 a month. (See table B-1.)
Construction employment dropped by 47,000, seasonally adjusted, in
March, after increasing by 268,000 over the prior 5 months. Relatively
mild weather had helped bolster employment in the winter months. As a
result, there was less need for seasonal hiring in March. In addition,
unusually cold weather in much of the country during the March survey
reference period further slowed hiring. Most of the over-the-month
declines in construction employment, on a seasonally adjusted basis, were
in outside activities such as heavy construction and the masonry, concrete,
and roofing components of special trades.
Manufacturing employment fell by 35,000 in March, continuing a downward
trend that began a year earlier. In March, job reductions continued in
industrial machinery (-14,000) and fabricated metals (-4,000). Over the
past 12 months, manufacturing has lost 381,000 jobs. The largest over-the-
year employment declines occurred in industrial machinery (-89,000),
apparel (-83,000), and electrical equipment (-69,000).
Employment in mining declined by 7,000 in March and has fallen by
55,000 over the year. While the declines have been concentrated in oil and
gas extraction, the March drop was spread across all types of mining.
Within the service-producing sector, employment in retail trade was
little changed in March, after seasonal adjustment. Employment in eating
and drinking places fell by 48,000, reflecting below-normal seasonal
hiring. Other retail industries added jobs in March, including 14,000 in
general merchandise stores and 9,000 each in furniture stores and
miscellaneous retail establishments.
The services industry added 95,000 jobs in March, slightly below the
average monthly increase of 112,000 for the previous 12 months. Robust
employment growth continued in engineering and management services.
Computer services also grew, but the gain of 10,000 jobs in March fell
short of the average monthly gain of 17,000 over the prior year. Help
supply services added 13,000 jobs over the month; this industry has added
81,000 jobs since September, following a 7-month period with no net change.
Over the month, employment in health services rose by 15,000, with gains
occurring in doctors' offices and hospitals. Agricultural services
employment declined by 8,000, after seasonal adjustment. This industry
includes landscape and horticultural services, activities that likely were
affected by the harsh weather conditions in early March.
Employment in finance rose by 11,000 in March, as growth continued
throughout most of its component industries. The insurance industry posted
an increase of 6,000, in line with its recent trend. Real estate
employment declined slightly for the second straight month; it had risen by
62,000 over the prior 12 months.
Employment in transportation and public utilities increased by 8,000 in
March, below the industry's average monthly growth of 14,000 over the prior
year. Communications employment was essentially flat. Transportation
added 11,000 jobs, largely in trucking.
- 4 -
Wholesale trade employment rose by 9,000 in March, with increases split
between durable and nondurable goods distribution. Within government,
local education employment rose by 21,000 over the month.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls edged down 0.1 hour in March to 34.5 hours,
seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing workweek was 41.6 hours for the
third straight month. Factory overtime, at 4.5 hours, was unchanged over
the month. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls declined by 0.5 percent to 146.5
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index was down
0.4 percent in March to 106.3. (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 3 cents in March to $13.09, seasonally
adjusted. This followed a 3-cent gain (as revised) in February. Average
weekly earnings were $451.61 in March (seasonally adjusted), down less than
0.1 percent over the month. Over the year, average hourly earnings rose by
3.6 percent and average weekly earnings increased by 3.3 percent. (See
table B-3.)
________________________________________
The Employment Situation for April 1999 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, May 7, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).
- 5 -
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
- 8 -
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
Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 204,547 206,873 207,036 204,547 206,104 206,270 206,719 206,873 207,036
Civilian labor force............................ 136,967 138,202 138,418 137,340 138,193 138,547 139,347 139,271 138,816
Participation rate........................ 67.0 66.8 66.9 67.1 67.1 67.2 67.4 67.3 67.0
Employed...................................... 130,150 131,639 132,299 130,908 132,113 132,526 133,396 133,144 133,033
Employment-population ratio............... 63.6 63.6 63.9 64.0 64.1 64.2 64.5 64.4 64.3
Agriculture................................. 2,931 2,894 3,022 3,173 3,348 3,222 3,299 3,328 3,281
Nonagricultural industries.................. 127,219 128,744 129,277 127,735 128,765 129,304 130,097 129,817 129,752
Unemployed.................................... 6,816 6,563 6,119 6,432 6,080 6,021 5,950 6,127 5,783
Unemployment rate......................... 5.0 4.7 4.4 4.7 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.2
Not in labor force.............................. 67,580 68,671 68,618 67,207 67,911 67,723 67,372 67,602 68,220
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 98,405 99,279 99,362 98,405 99,217 99,309 99,198 99,279 99,362
Civilian labor force............................ 73,285 73,718 73,785 73,657 74,345 74,437 74,599 74,504 74,234
Participation rate........................ 74.5 74.3 74.3 74.9 74.9 75.0 75.2 75.0 74.7
Employed...................................... 69,506 70,084 70,544 70,295 71,182 71,204 71,459 71,276 71,352
Employment-population ratio............... 70.6 70.6 71.0 71.4 71.7 71.7 72.0 71.8 71.8
Unemployed.................................... 3,779 3,634 3,242 3,362 3,163 3,233 3,140 3,228 2,881
Unemployment rate......................... 5.2 4.9 4.4 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.3 3.9
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 90,502 91,189 91,215 90,502 91,192 91,220 91,124 91,189 91,215
Civilian labor force............................ 69,356 69,746 69,781 69,446 70,023 70,069 70,295 70,174 69,951
Participation rate........................ 76.6 76.5 76.5 76.7 76.8 76.8 77.1 77.0 76.7
Employed...................................... 66,263 66,730 67,185 66,769 67,573 67,553 67,884 67,577 67,713
Employment-population ratio............... 73.2 73.2 73.7 73.8 74.1 74.1 74.5 74.1 74.2
Agriculture................................. 2,066 1,953 2,086 2,194 2,374 2,237 2,312 2,212 2,222
Nonagricultural industries.................. 64,197 64,777 65,099 64,575 65,199 65,316 65,572 65,365 65,492
Unemployed.................................... 3,093 3,016 2,597 2,677 2,450 2,516 2,411 2,598 2,238
Unemployment rate......................... 4.5 4.3 3.7 3.9 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.7 3.2
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 106,141 107,593 107,674 106,141 106,887 106,960 107,521 107,593 107,674
Civilian labor force............................ 63,682 64,484 64,632 63,683 63,848 64,110 64,748 64,767 64,582
Participation rate........................ 60.0 59.9 60.0 60.0 59.7 59.9 60.2 60.2 60.0
Employed...................................... 60,644 61,555 61,755 60,613 60,931 61,322 61,937 61,869 61,680
Employment-population ratio............... 57.1 57.2 57.4 57.1 57.0 57.3 57.6 57.5 57.3
Unemployed.................................... 3,038 2,929 2,877 3,070 2,917 2,788 2,810 2,899 2,902
Unemployment rate......................... 4.8 4.5 4.5 4.8 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 98,534 99,746 99,833 98,534 99,135 99,181 99,686 99,746 99,833
Civilian labor force............................ 59,869 60,608 60,780 59,666 59,896 60,078 60,718 60,622 60,533
Participation rate........................ 60.8 60.8 60.9 60.6 60.4 60.6 60.9 60.8 60.6
Employed...................................... 57,316 58,210 58,400 57,136 57,503 57,745 58,466 58,291 58,183
Employment-population ratio............... 58.2 58.4 58.5 58.0 58.0 58.2 58.7 58.4 58.3
Agriculture................................. 676 757 764 734 734 753 808 839 834
Nonagricultural industries.................. 56,639 57,452 57,635 56,402 56,769 56,992 57,659 57,452 57,349
Unemployed.................................... 2,554 2,398 2,381 2,530 2,393 2,333 2,251 2,330 2,350
Unemployment rate......................... 4.3 4.0 3.9 4.2 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.9
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population............. 15,511 15,939 15,988 15,511 15,777 15,868 15,909 15,939 15,988
Civilian labor force............................ 7,742 7,849 7,856 8,228 8,274 8,400 8,334 8,475 8,331
Participation rate........................ 49.9 49.2 49.1 53.0 52.4 52.9 52.4 53.2 52.1
Employed...................................... 6,571 6,699 6,715 7,003 7,037 7,228 7,046 7,276 7,136
Employment-population ratio............... 42.4 42.0 42.0 45.1 44.6 45.5 44.3 45.7 44.6
Agriculture................................. 189 184 172 245 240 232 179 277 224
Nonagricultural industries.................. 6,383 6,515 6,543 6,758 6,797 6,996 6,867 6,999 6,912
Unemployed.................................... 1,170 1,150 1,142 1,225 1,237 1,172 1,288 1,199 1,195
Unemployment rate......................... 15.1 14.6 14.5 14.9 15.0 14.0 15.5 14.1 14.3
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
Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 171,016 172,491 172,597 171,016 172,084 172,197 172,394 172,491 172,597
Civilian labor force............................ 114,822 115,821 115,866 115,184 115,687 115,996 116,529 116,610 116,284
Participation rate.......................... 67.1 67.1 67.1 67.4 67.2 67.4 67.6 67.6 67.4
Employed...................................... 109,842 110,949 111,414 110,556 111,304 111,560 112,135 112,189 112,144
Employment-population ratio................. 64.2 64.3 64.6 64.6 64.7 64.8 65.0 65.0 65.0
Unemployed.................................... 4,980 4,873 4,451 4,628 4,383 4,436 4,394 4,420 4,140
Unemployment rate........................... 4.3 4.2 3.8 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.6
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 59,084 59,443 59,541 59,179 59,634 59,712 59,751 59,799 59,698
Participation rate.......................... 77.0 77.0 77.1 77.1 77.2 77.2 77.5 77.5 77.3
Employed...................................... 56,751 57,078 57,546 57,201 57,806 57,813 57,920 57,830 58,010
Employment-population ratio................. 73.9 74.0 74.5 74.5 74.8 74.8 75.1 75.0 75.1
Unemployed.................................... 2,333 2,365 1,995 1,978 1,828 1,899 1,831 1,969 1,688
Unemployment rate........................... 3.9 4.0 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.3 2.8
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 49,153 49,721 49,729 49,028 49,065 49,230 49,759 49,721 49,602
Participation rate.......................... 60.0 60.1 60.1 59.9 59.6 59.8 60.2 60.1 59.9
Employed...................................... 47,371 48,061 48,078 47,271 47,415 47,585 48,110 48,109 47,983
Employment-population ratio................. 57.8 58.1 58.1 57.7 57.6 57.8 58.2 58.2 58.0
Unemployed.................................... 1,783 1,660 1,650 1,757 1,650 1,645 1,650 1,612 1,620
Unemployment rate........................... 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 6,584 6,657 6,596 6,977 6,988 7,054 7,019 7,090 6,984
Participation rate.......................... 53.4 52.7 52.1 56.6 55.7 56.1 55.6 56.1 55.2
Employed...................................... 5,720 5,809 5,790 6,084 6,083 6,162 6,105 6,250 6,151
Employment-population ratio................. 46.4 46.0 45.8 49.3 48.5 49.0 48.4 49.5 48.6
Unemployed.................................... 864 848 806 893 905 892 913 840 833
Unemployment rate........................... 13.1 12.7 12.2 12.8 13.0 12.6 13.0 11.8 11.9
Men....................................... 15.8 13.6 13.7 14.7 14.1 14.5 14.1 12.2 12.7
Women..................................... 10.3 11.8 10.7 10.7 11.6 10.6 11.9 11.4 11.1
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 24,257 24,697 24,729 24,257 24,529 24,561 24,665 24,697 24,729
Civilian labor force............................ 15,855 16,004 16,125 15,931 16,201 16,157 16,356 16,242 16,212
Participation rate.......................... 65.4 64.8 65.2 65.7 66.0 65.8 66.3 65.8 65.6
Employed...................................... 14,357 14,622 14,798 14,463 14,804 14,884 15,085 14,900 14,904
Employment-population ratio................. 59.2 59.2 59.8 59.6 60.4 60.6 61.2 60.3 60.3
Unemployed.................................... 1,498 1,381 1,327 1,468 1,397 1,273 1,271 1,342 1,308
Unemployment rate........................... 9.4 8.6 8.2 9.2 8.6 7.9 7.8 8.3 8.1
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,023 7,050 7,031 7,037 7,086 7,063 7,210 7,160 7,065
Participation rate.......................... 72.6 71.5 71.2 72.7 72.4 72.0 73.3 72.7 71.6
Employed...................................... 6,439 6,529 6,583 6,503 6,590 6,588 6,782 6,682 6,656
Employment-population ratio................. 66.5 66.3 66.7 67.2 67.3 67.2 68.9 67.8 67.4
Unemployed.................................... 584 521 448 534 496 475 428 477 409
Unemployment rate........................... 8.3 7.4 6.4 7.6 7.0 6.7 5.9 6.7 5.8
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,930 8,057 8,166 7,902 8,051 8,035 8,114 8,082 8,129
Participation rate.......................... 65.3 65.1 65.9 65.0 65.6 65.4 65.7 65.3 65.6
Employed...................................... 7,277 7,457 7,575 7,256 7,443 7,474 7,579 7,509 7,545
Employment-population ratio................. 59.9 60.3 61.2 59.7 60.6 60.8 61.3 60.7 60.9
Unemployed.................................... 653 600 590 646 608 561 535 573 584
Unemployment rate........................... 8.2 7.4 7.2 8.2 7.6 7.0 6.6 7.1 7.2
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 902 897 928 992 1,064 1,059 1,032 1,000 1,018
Participation rate.......................... 37.2 36.3 37.6 40.9 43.3 43.0 41.8 40.5 41.2
Employed...................................... 641 637 639 704 771 822 725 708 702
Employment-population ratio................. 26.4 25.8 25.9 29.0 31.4 33.4 29.3 28.6 28.4
Unemployed.................................... 261 261 289 288 293 237 307 293 316
Unemployment rate........................... 28.9 29.0 31.1 29.0 27.5 22.4 29.8 29.2 31.0
Men....................................... 30.0 31.8 34.7 28.5 33.0 27.3 34.2 31.6 32.9
Women..................................... 28.0 26.5 27.5 29.5 22.1 17.6 25.0 27.0 29.1
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 20,851 21,355 21,414 20,851 21,349 21,405 21,296 21,355 21,414
Civilian labor force............................ 14,225 14,466 14,523 14,254 14,389 14,488 14,511 14,591 14,570
Participation rate.......................... 68.2 67.7 67.8 68.4 67.4 67.7 68.1 68.3 68.0
Employed...................................... 13,132 13,420 13,595 13,263 13,345 13,383 13,550 13,610 13,732
Employment-population ratio................. 63.0 62.8 63.5 63.6 62.5 62.5 63.6 63.7 64.1
Unemployed.................................... 1,093 1,046 929 991 1,044 1,105 960 980 838
Unemployment rate........................... 7.7 7.2 6.4 7.0 7.3 7.6 6.6 6.7 5.8
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
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
Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999
Less than a high school diploma
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 29,251 28,112 28,442 29,251 29,084 29,094 28,901 28,112 28,442
Civilian labor force.................... 12,568 11,917 12,119 12,516 12,463 12,500 12,379 12,164 12,094
Percent of population............... 43.0 42.4 42.6 42.8 42.9 43.0 42.8 43.3 42.5
Employed.............................. 11,535 10,897 11,265 11,622 11,574 11,626 11,459 11,257 11,356
Employment-population ratio......... 39.4 38.8 39.6 39.7 39.8 40.0 39.7 40.0 39.9
Unemployed............................ 1,033 1,020 854 894 889 874 920 907 739
Unemployment rate................... 8.2 8.6 7.0 7.1 7.1 7.0 7.4 7.5 6.1
High school graduates, no college(2)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 57,885 57,062 57,805 57,885 57,273 57,115 57,477 57,062 57,805
Civilian labor force.................... 37,873 37,063 37,734 37,850 37,408 37,296 37,590 37,261 37,740
Percent of population............... 65.4 65.0 65.3 65.4 65.3 65.3 65.4 65.3 65.3
Employed.............................. 36,113 35,583 36,302 36,262 35,947 35,873 36,291 35,979 36,448
Employment-population ratio......... 62.4 62.4 62.8 62.6 62.8 62.8 63.1 63.1 63.1
Unemployed............................ 1,760 1,479 1,432 1,588 1,461 1,423 1,299 1,282 1,292
Unemployment rate................... 4.6 4.0 3.8 4.2 3.9 3.8 3.5 3.4 3.4
Less than a bachelor's degree(3)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 42,313 43,911 43,028 42,313 42,863 43,022 43,154 43,911 43,028
Civilian labor force.................... 31,424 32,601 31,826 31,459 31,727 31,800 32,399 32,465 31,892
Percent of population............... 74.3 74.2 74.0 74.3 74.0 73.9 75.1 73.9 74.1
Employed.............................. 30,319 31,525 30,835 30,448 30,825 30,911 31,470 31,462 30,989
Employment-population ratio......... 71.7 71.8 71.7 72.0 71.9 71.8 72.9 71.6 72.0
Unemployed............................ 1,105 1,077 991 1,011 902 889 929 1,003 903
Unemployment rate................... 3.5 3.3 3.1 3.2 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.1 2.8
College graduates
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 42,085 43,949 43,859 42,085 43,408 43,484 43,516 43,949 43,859
Civilian labor force.................... 33,957 35,149 35,124 33,833 34,554 34,838 34,950 35,040 34,997
Percent of population............... 80.7 80.0 80.1 80.4 79.6 80.1 80.3 79.7 79.8
Employed.............................. 33,344 34,471 34,483 33,210 33,922 34,205 34,325 34,368 34,345
Employment-population ratio......... 79.2 78.4 78.6 78.9 78.1 78.7 78.9 78.2 78.3
Unemployed............................ 614 678 641 623 632 633 624 673 652
Unemployment rate................... 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 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 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
Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over................. 130,150 131,639 132,299 130,908 132,113 132,526 133,396 133,144 133,033
Married men, spouse present..................... 42,608 42,757 42,941 42,789 43,209 43,227 43,542 43,016 43,114
Married women, spouse present................... 33,003 33,092 33,300 32,853 32,953 33,093 33,652 33,092 33,134
Women who maintain families..................... 7,901 8,105 8,254 7,802 7,969 8,087 8,076 8,113 8,148
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty........... 38,661 39,607 40,138 38,433 39,459 39,729 39,836 39,531 39,900
Technical, sales, and administrative support.... 38,577 38,979 38,854 38,631 38,430 38,307 38,846 39,254 38,893
Service occupations............................. 17,698 18,000 17,965 17,796 18,024 17,976 18,070 18,163 18,074
Precision production, craft, and repair......... 14,421 14,477 14,543 14,552 14,552 14,685 14,751 14,742 14,661
Operators, fabricators, and laborers............ 17,831 17,648 17,763 18,226 18,067 18,480 18,476 18,021 18,177
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................. 2,962 2,928 3,035 3,326 3,538 3,396 3,422 3,490 3,417
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers....................... 1,733 1,646 1,721 1,905 2,005 1,912 1,987 1,895 1,893
Self-employed workers......................... 1,168 1,220 1,267 1,264 1,304 1,304 1,298 1,381 1,376
Unpaid family workers......................... 30 28 34 34 40 34 30 44 39
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers....................... 118,294 120,119 120,509 118,797 119,718 120,380 121,115 121,066 121,005
Government.................................. 18,289 19,027 18,867 18,124 18,607 18,686 18,913 18,782 18,699
Private industries.......................... 100,005 101,093 101,642 100,673 101,111 101,694 102,202 102,283 102,306
Private households........................ 1,010 832 929 997 969 943 881 849 917
Other industries.......................... 98,994 100,261 100,713 99,676 100,142 100,751 101,321 101,434 101,389
Self-employed workers......................... 8,819 8,511 8,642 8,831 8,929 8,814 8,830 8,658 8,650
Unpaid family workers......................... 106 114 126 105 112 122 121 114 125
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 4,011 3,594 3,703 3,866 3,340 3,417 3,562 3,426 3,564
Slack work or business conditions........... 2,300 2,174 2,160 2,183 1,910 1,927 2,093 1,984 2,045
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,467 1,132 1,269 1,398 1,157 1,148 1,115 1,141 1,208
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 19,260 19,481 19,398 18,434 18,634 18,674 18,485 18,642 18,545
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 3,834 3,443 3,499 3,698 3,191 3,257 3,413 3,298 3,374
Slack work or business conditions........... 2,166 2,085 2,055 2,062 1,824 1,841 1,989 1,906 1,955
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,448 1,109 1,225 1,370 1,130 1,116 1,094 1,108 1,159
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 18,736 18,964 18,841 17,872 18,110 18,155 17,921 18,061 17,944
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
Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over......................... 6,432 6,127 5,783 4.7 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.2
Men, 20 years and over......................... 2,677 2,598 2,238 3.9 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.7 3.2
Women, 20 years and over....................... 2,530 2,330 2,350 4.2 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.9
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years..................... 1,225 1,199 1,195 14.9 15.0 14.0 15.5 14.1 14.3
Married men, spouse present.................... 1,092 1,059 907 2.5 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.1
Married women, spouse present.................. 1,084 967 913 3.2 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7
Women who maintain families.................... 636 561 585 7.5 6.9 6.3 6.1 6.5 6.7
Full-time workers.............................. 5,079 4,929 4,617 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.0
Part-time workers.............................. 1,386 1,196 1,191 5.6 5.4 5.2 5.2 4.9 4.9
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty.......... 707 765 765 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9
Technical, sales, and administrative support... 1,616 1,611 1,516 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.8
Precision production, craft, and repair........ 677 672 550 4.4 3.8 3.2 3.5 4.4 3.6
Operators, fabricators, and laborers........... 1,340 1,147 1,147 6.8 6.7 6.7 5.9 6.0 5.9
Farming, forestry, and fishing................. 247 297 254 6.9 6.3 7.5 7.7 7.8 6.9
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers 4,960 4,626 4,534 4.7 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.2
Goods-producing industries................... 1,429 1,346 1,218 5.0 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.3
Mining..................................... 21 43 32 3.4 2.2 4.3 7.4 7.7 5.3
Construction............................... 593 545 490 8.4 7.0 6.4 7.3 7.5 6.7
Manufacturing.............................. 815 758 697 3.9 3.8 4.0 3.5 3.7 3.4
Durable goods............................ 450 415 369 3.6 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.3 2.9
Nondurable goods......................... 365 343 328 4.3 4.8 4.9 3.8 4.3 4.1
Service-producing industries................. 3,531 3,280 3,316 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.2 4.2 4.2
Transportation and public utilities........ 252 245 219 3.3 3.2 3.2 2.5 3.2 2.9
Wholesale and retail trade................. 1,474 1,446 1,469 5.5 5.2 5.5 5.2 5.2 5.4
Finance, insurance, and real estate........ 201 192 157 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.4 2.4 1.9
Services................................... 1,604 1,397 1,471 4.7 4.6 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.2
Government workers............................. 518 436 397 2.8 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.1
Agricultural wage and salary workers........... 192 241 200 9.2 7.6 8.3 9.6 11.3 9.5
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
Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks................................ 2,524 2,497 2,253 2,792 2,546 2,614 2,353 2,601 2,478
5 to 14 weeks.................................... 2,274 2,386 2,190 1,971 1,983 1,839 2,071 1,944 1,891
15 weeks and over................................ 2,019 1,681 1,676 1,728 1,611 1,578 1,469 1,550 1,434
15 to 26 weeks................................ 1,055 864 929 830 752 754 753 766 736
27 weeks and over............................. 964 816 747 898 859 824 716 784 697
Average (mean) duration, in weeks................ 15.2 13.8 14.1 14.6 14.4 14.1 13.4 13.8 13.5
Median duration, in weeks........................ 8.0 7.4 8.0 6.9 6.7 6.7 6.9 7.0 6.9
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.............................. 37.0 38.0 36.8 43.0 41.5 43.3 39.9 42.7 42.7
5 to 14 weeks.................................. 33.4 36.3 35.8 30.4 32.3 30.5 35.1 31.9 32.6
15 weeks and over.............................. 29.6 25.6 27.4 26.6 26.2 26.2 24.9 25.4 24.7
15 to 26 weeks............................... 15.5 13.2 15.2 12.8 12.2 12.5 12.8 12.6 12.7
27 weeks and over............................ 14.1 12.4 12.2 13.8 14.0 13.7 12.1 12.9 12.0
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
Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 3,311 3,151 2,888 2,950 2,758 2,754 2,696 2,738 2,563
On temporary layoff............................. 1,238 1,159 1,047 966 850 841 864 849 812
Not on temporary layoff......................... 2,073 1,993 1,841 1,984 1,908 1,913 1,832 1,889 1,751
Permanent job losers.......................... 1,511 1,308 1,295 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs.......... 562 685 547 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers....................................... 755 765 788 745 677 709 699 751 780
Reentrants........................................ 2,246 2,182 2,048 2,187 2,130 2,031 1,993 2,110 1,988
New entrants...................................... 505 466 395 544 534 504 537 509 431
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........................................... 48.6 48.0 47.2 45.9 45.2 45.9 45.5 44.8 44.5
On temporary layoff............................ 18.2 17.7 17.1 15.0 13.9 14.0 14.6 13.9 14.1
Not on temporary layoff........................ 30.4 30.4 30.1 30.9 31.3 31.9 30.9 30.9 30.4
Job leavers...................................... 11.1 11.6 12.9 11.6 11.1 11.8 11.8 12.3 13.5
Reentrants....................................... 32.9 33.2 33.5 34.0 34.9 33.9 33.6 34.5 34.5
New entrants..................................... 7.4 7.1 6.5 8.5 8.8 8.4 9.1 8.3 7.5
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0 1.8
Job leavers...................................... .6 .6 .6 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .6
Reentrants....................................... 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.4
New entrants..................................... .4 .3 .3 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .3
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
Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of
the civilian
labor force.............................................. 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as
a percent of the
civilian labor force..................................... 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0 1.8
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor
force
(official unemployment rate)............................. 5.0 4.7 4.4 4.7 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.2
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent
of the civilian
labor force plus discouraged workers.................... 5.2 4.9 4.6 (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 5.6 5.3 (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 8.2 7.9 (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 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
Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 6,432 6,127 5,783 4.7 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.2
16 to 24 years.................................. 2,321 2,274 2,223 10.6 9.9 9.8 10.1 10.2 10.0
16 to 19 years................................ 1,225 1,199 1,195 14.9 15.0 14.0 15.5 14.1 14.3
16 to 17 years.............................. 572 520 554 16.9 18.0 16.9 18.4 15.5 16.6
18 to 19 years.............................. 655 666 640 13.5 13.0 12.1 13.1 13.1 12.8
20 to 24 years................................ 1,096 1,075 1,028 8.1 6.9 7.2 6.9 7.7 7.4
25 years and over............................... 4,115 3,835 3,573 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.1
25 to 54 years................................ 3,661 3,359 3,087 3.7 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.1
55 years and over............................. 476 501 504 2.8 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9
Men, 16 years and over.......................... 3,362 3,228 2,881 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.3 3.9
16 to 24 years................................ 1,280 1,179 1,151 11.2 10.3 10.8 10.7 10.1 9.9
16 to 19 years.............................. 685 630 643 16.3 16.5 16.4 16.9 14.6 15.0
16 to 17 years............................ 322 262 286 18.3 20.0 19.9 19.7 15.3 16.9
18 to 19 years............................ 364 368 354 14.8 14.4 14.0 14.7 14.1 13.6
20 to 24 years.............................. 595 548 508 8.3 6.6 7.3 7.1 7.5 7.0
25 years and over............................. 2,068 2,036 1,721 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.2 2.7
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,805 1,750 1,481 3.4 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.3 2.8
55 years and over........................... 275 295 252 3.0 3.1 3.1 2.8 3.0 2.6
Women, 16 years and over........................ 3,070 2,899 2,902 4.8 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5
16 to 24 years................................ 1,041 1,095 1,071 10.0 9.5 8.7 9.5 10.2 10.0
16 to 19 years.............................. 540 568 551 13.4 13.3 11.3 13.9 13.7 13.6
16 to 17 years............................ 250 259 267 15.4 15.9 13.8 16.9 15.7 16.2
18 to 19 years............................ 291 298 286 12.1 11.4 10.2 11.5 12.1 11.9
20 to 24 years.............................. 501 527 520 7.8 7.1 7.1 6.7 8.0 7.8
25 years and over............................. 2,047 1,799 1,852 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.4
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,856 1,609 1,606 4.1 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.5
55 years and over........................... 201 206 251 2.7 2.9 2.8 3.1 2.7 3.2
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
Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar.
1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force...................................... 67,580 68,618 25,121 25,577 42,459 43,042
Persons who currently want a job................................ 4,756 4,471 2,010 1,913 2,746 2,559
Searched for work and vailable to work now(1)................ 1,426 1,245 642 573 784 672
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2).................... 343 295 185 166 158 129
Reasons other than discouragement(3)................. 1,083 949 457 407 626 543
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4)...................................... 7,987 8,027 4,187 4,239 3,800 3,788
Percent of total employed..................................... 6.1 6.1 6.0 6.0 6.3 6.1
Primary job full time, secondary job part time................ 4,632 4,458 2,697 2,622 1,935 1,836
Primary and secondary jobs both part time..................... 1,635 1,700 476 532 1,158 1,168
Primary and secondary jobs both full time..................... 216 309 142 194 74 114
Hours vary on primary or secondary job........................ 1,471 1,523 854 864 617 659
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
Mar. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999p 1999p
Total......................... 124,006 125,176 126,047 126,697 124,914 126,804 127,118 127,335 127,632 127,678
Total private.................... 103,880 105,219 105,655 106,185 105,186 106,818 107,096 107,290 107,534 107,560
Goods-producing......................... 24,780 24,630 24,638 24,681 25,276 25,184 25,269 25,251 25,271 25,182
Mining................................ 577 535 526 524 587 560 557 547 539 532
Metal mining........................ 50.4 49.9 49.6 49.5 51 50 50 51 51 50
Coal mining......................... 93.0 88.4 87.1 86.2 93 90 90 89 88 86
Oil and gas extraction.............. 330.8 297.2 289.0 285.4 336 312 308 299 292 289
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 102.8 99.0 100.3 102.4 107 108 109 108 108 107
Construction.......................... 5,459 5,676 5,725 5,784 5,860 6,051 6,153 6,170 6,249 6,202
General building contractors........ 1,300.6 1,375.6 1,377.7 1,386.0 1,373 1,414 1,433 1,448 1,461 1,462
Heavy construction, except building. 713.6 715.6 725.7 748.5 805 834 861 862 863 848
Special trade contractors........... 3,445.1 3,584.3 3,621.7 3,649.1 3,682 3,803 3,859 3,860 3,925 3,892
Manufacturing......................... 18,744 18,419 18,387 18,373 18,829 18,573 18,559 18,534 18,483 18,448
Production workers................ 12,954 12,648 12,630 12,635 13,013 12,765 12,763 12,740 12,701 12,681
Durable goods........................ 11,140 10,925 10,913 10,909 11,166 11,011 10,996 10,974 10,951 10,929
Production workers................ 7,657 7,458 7,458 7,469 7,669 7,522 7,519 7,494 7,480 7,472
Lumber and wood products............ 785.7 803.1 803.0 803.2 801 809 813 818 819 818
Furniture and fixtures.............. 521.1 527.0 528.2 529.8 520 524 527 527 528 530
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 546.4 547.5 551.9 556.3 558 568 571 568 571 568
Primary metal industries............ 719.3 695.5 694.5 693.8 719 699 698 694 694 693
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 235.2 224.9 224.1 224.1 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,494.6 1,482.0 1,478.3 1,475.7 1,497 1,481 1,480 1,484 1,481 1,477
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,211.0 2,133.5 2,134.2 2,122.8 2,205 2,162 2,152 2,133 2,130 2,116
Computer and office equipment..... 379.0 358.2 356.7 348.3 381 370 367 359 358 349
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,718.4 1,656.7 1,651.9 1,651.1 1,722 1,668 1,664 1,657 1,653 1,653
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 679.7 642.5 642.4 643.2 681 649 646 642 643 643
Transportation equipment............ 1,888.6 1,867.3 1,857.8 1,863.1 1,887 1,877 1,871 1,874 1,857 1,859
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 1,003.5 990.7 984.8 991.2 1,002 998 990 996 985 988
Aircraft and parts................ 522.9 515.9 510.0 508.1 525 519 518 516 510 509
Instruments and related products.... 867.3 840.1 838.7 836.0 868 845 842 841 840 837
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 388.0 372.4 374.8 376.7 389 378 378 378 378 378
Nondurable goods..................... 7,604 7,494 7,474 7,464 7,663 7,562 7,563 7,560 7,532 7,519
Production workers................ 5,297 5,190 5,172 5,166 5,344 5,243 5,244 5,246 5,221 5,209
Food and kindred products........... 1,663.8 1,686.7 1,679.4 1,677.4 1,704 1,710 1,718 1,723 1,718 1,717
Tobacco products.................... 40.5 42.1 40.5 38.6 41 40 39 40 39 39
Textile mill products............... 602.5 575.6 570.1 567.4 604 584 581 578 572 569
Apparel and other textile products.. 792.0 718.1 710.5 711.1 796 736 734 727 714 713
Paper and allied products........... 684.6 670.0 670.0 667.4 688 674 673 672 672 670
Printing and publishing............. 1,560.6 1,559.6 1,557.1 1,555.3 1,564 1,566 1,561 1,563 1,561 1,560
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,034.1 1,027.3 1,030.2 1,028.7 1,036 1,035 1,035 1,032 1,034 1,031
Petroleum and coal products......... 133.2 129.3 129.9 130.5 136 134 136 134 134 134
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 1,007.8 1,009.4 1,011.6 1,012.7 1,009 1,005 1,008 1,014 1,013 1,012
Leather and leather products........ 85.1 76.1 75.0 74.6 85 78 78 77 75 74
Service-producing....................... 99,226 100,546 101,409 102,016 99,638 101,620 101,849 102,084 102,361 102,496
Transportation and public utilities... 6,456 6,580 6,594 6,617 6,504 6,604 6,627 6,644 6,657 6,665
Transportation...................... 4,132 4,220 4,229 4,250 4,170 4,249 4,262 4,273 4,279 4,290
Railroad transportation........... 228.0 232.0 231.4 230.8 231 231 233 236 235 234
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 472.8 477.0 480.3 484.9 460 468 468 467 469 470
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,658.1 1,699.3 1,702.5 1,712.5 1,690 1,721 1,730 1,741 1,741 1,748
Water transportation.............. 176.9 180.8 180.5 179.7 183 193 191 190 189 186
Transportation by air............. 1,136.6 1,164.0 1,167.6 1,170.8 1,146 1,167 1,169 1,168 1,177 1,181
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 14.1 14.0 14.0 14.0 14 14 14 14 14 14
Transportation services........... 445.9 452.4 452.7 456.8 446 455 457 457 454 457
Communications and public utilities. 2,324 2,360 2,365 2,367 2,334 2,355 2,365 2,371 2,378 2,375
Communications.................... 1,469.2 1,513.9 1,520.0 1,521.8 1,475 1,502 1,512 1,522 1,528 1,527
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 855.2 845.6 845.4 844.7 859 853 853 849 850 848
Wholesale trade....................... 6,744 6,850 6,855 6,880 6,783 6,877 6,882 6,907 6,910 6,919
Durable goods....................... 4,027 4,093 4,105 4,117 4,039 4,102 4,104 4,116 4,126 4,130
Nondurable goods.................... 2,717 2,757 2,750 2,763 2,744 2,775 2,778 2,791 2,784 2,789
Retail trade.......................... 21,823 22,354 22,282 22,357 22,259 22,672 22,712 22,755 22,836 22,825
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 930.5 947.2 952.2 974.9 966 991 997 1,003 1,012 1,010
General merchandise stores.......... 2,660.0 2,845.9 2,737.6 2,742.6 2,759 2,842 2,823 2,847 2,841 2,855
Department stores................. 2,343.2 2,511.4 2,417.9 2,426.4 2,428 2,504 2,490 2,514 2,510 2,525
Food stores......................... 3,486.8 3,535.0 3,522.2 3,514.3 3,536 3,558 3,561 3,548 3,557 3,562
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,311.2 2,353.3 2,364.8 2,375.7 2,333 2,370 2,377 2,384 2,396 2,399
New and used car dealers.......... 1,054.7 1,067.8 1,073.2 1,079.7 1,056 1,069 1,073 1,074 1,078 1,083
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,064.0 1,114.3 1,086.2 1,086.0 1,098 1,105 1,101 1,108 1,122 1,121
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,037.2 1,102.9 1,096.9 1,098.9 1,048 1,082 1,084 1,094 1,101 1,110
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,519.8 7,507.6 7,595.1 7,667.7 7,645 7,807 7,854 7,838 7,855 7,807
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,813.7 2,947.9 2,926.5 2,897.1 2,874 2,917 2,915 2,933 2,952 2,961
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 7,213 7,428 7,428 7,458 7,258 7,441 7,458 7,488 7,491 7,505
Finance............................. 3,504 3,620 3,619 3,634 3,512 3,605 3,615 3,628 3,631 3,642
Depository institutions........... 2,034.8 2,048.2 2,043.5 2,049.4 2,041 2,043 2,046 2,051 2,052 2,056
Commercial banks................ 1,459.0 1,458.9 1,455.0 1,457.3 1,465 1,455 1,457 1,460 1,461 1,462
Savings institutions............ 261.8 265.1 264.1 265.7 262 265 264 266 265 266
Nondepository institutions........ 602.3 657.0 659.9 664.7 602 649 652 659 661 664
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 275.6 312.0 313.9 319.5 276 310 313 314 316 320
Security and commodity brokers.... 630.5 664.8 661.8 664.4 633 663 666 667 664 667
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 236.3 250.4 254.2 255.5 236 250 251 251 254 255
Insurance........................... 2,298 2,357 2,358 2,366 2,302 2,357 2,360 2,363 2,364 2,370
Insurance carriers................ 1,562.7 1,608.2 1,606.3 1,611.0 1,566 1,606 1,610 1,613 1,612 1,615
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 735.7 748.8 751.3 755.3 736 751 750 750 752 755
Real estate......................... 1,411 1,451 1,451 1,458 1,444 1,479 1,483 1,497 1,496 1,493
Services2............................. 36,864 37,377 37,858 38,192 37,106 38,040 38,148 38,245 38,369 38,464
Agricultural services............... 617.3 637.3 638.4 667.4 695 737 751 758 761 753
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,688.8 1,673.5 1,689.3 1,707.8 1,755 1,777 1,776 1,780 1,778 1,781
Personal services................... 1,239.8 1,224.7 1,243.0 1,231.4 1,178 1,180 1,186 1,186 1,177 1,172
Business services................... 8,285.6 8,564.0 8,638.9 8,734.4 8,412 8,715 8,756 8,792 8,836 8,867
Services to buildings............. 959.5 983.2 984.3 990.0 966 989 991 1,000 998 997
Personnel supply services......... 3,041.2 3,028.1 3,074.3 3,143.8 3,149 3,177 3,202 3,218 3,242 3,253
Help supply services............ 2,710.8 2,690.1 2,729.6 2,795.4 2,819 2,840 2,857 2,866 2,886 2,899
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,544.5 1,708.7 1,724.7 1,737.8 1,538 1,680 1,691 1,709 1,724 1,734
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,144.2 1,168.6 1,181.3 1,183.5 1,145 1,175 1,177 1,183 1,189 1,186
Miscellaneous repair services....... 378.8 389.6 388.6 390.9 382 391 393 396 395 394
Motion pictures..................... 567.2 557.8 571.6 571.5 565 563 564 559 570 569
Amusement and recreation services... 1,502.7 1,494.5 1,533.1 1,601.0 1,647 1,744 1,742 1,748 1,745 1,758
Health services..................... 9,848.3 9,934.8 9,944.9 9,971.3 9,867 9,955 9,955 9,959 9,971 9,986
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,790.3 1,851.5 1,851.9 1,857.0 1,796 1,849 1,845 1,856 1,858 1,862
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,756.8 1,746.9 1,742.9 1,745.8 1,761 1,753 1,751 1,753 1,749 1,749
Hospitals......................... 3,924.9 3,972.4 3,978.8 3,986.7 3,925 3,978 3,980 3,978 3,984 3,989
Home health care services......... 694.8 649.0 654.7 658.8 698 661 661 652 659 661
Legal services...................... 966.2 991.9 993.2 996.4 970 994 997 997 999 1,001
Educational services................ 2,324.2 2,192.0 2,405.5 2,430.8 2,189 2,245 2,252 2,240 2,271 2,286
Social services..................... 2,595.9 2,677.5 2,703.6 2,727.6 2,587 2,672 2,686 2,697 2,711 2,720
Child day care services........... 589.3 598.5 606.3 612.1 575 586 589 592 597 598
Residential care.................. 742.0 765.2 770.1 775.2 744 764 766 770 774 776
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 86.2 85.6 85.8 88.2 92 94 94 94 94 94
Membership organizations............ 2,248.6 2,252.3 2,271.0 2,282.4 2,263 2,279 2,283 2,290 2,293 2,296
Engineering and management services. 3,175.7 3,335.7 3,372.6 3,408.2 3,164 3,321 3,338 3,367 3,380 3,401
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 895.1 926.9 929.6 935.8 904 932 934 937 943 945
Management and public relations... 1,007.5 1,097.1 1,110.4 1,126.8 1,012 1,092 1,098 1,113 1,118 1,133
Services, nec....................... 50.8 54.0 53.9 55.9 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 20,126 19,957 20,392 20,512 19,728 19,986 20,022 20,045 20,098 20,118
Federal............................. 2,662 2,677 2,698 2,691 2,671 2,725 2,706 2,702 2,713 2,702
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,808.9 1,802.1 1,825.1 1,818.6 1,815 1,845 1,818 1,825 1,837 1,826
State............................... 4,741 4,617 4,797 4,836 4,619 4,674 4,690 4,685 4,705 4,712
Education......................... 2,064.8 1,903.1 2,075.7 2,106.9 1,928 1,945 1,957 1,947 1,963 1,967
Other State government............ 2,676.1 2,713.8 2,721.5 2,728.6 2,691 2,729 2,733 2,738 2,742 2,745
Local............................... 12,723 12,663 12,897 12,985 12,438 12,587 12,626 12,658 12,680 12,704
Education......................... 7,390.7 7,295.7 7,509.3 7,573.8 7,003 7,114 7,133 7,155 7,166 7,187
Other local government............ 5,331.8 5,367.1 5,387.9 5,411.2 5,435 5,473 5,493 5,503 5,514 5,517
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
Mar. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 34.5 34.0 34.3 34.2 34.6 34.5 34.6 34.5 34.6 34.5
Goods-producing......................... 40.9 40.5 40.5 40.5 41.0 41.0 41.2 41.1 41.0 40.7
Mining................................ 43.4 42.4 42.5 42.1 43.8 43.5 43.4 42.7 42.8 42.7
Construction.......................... 37.9 37.8 37.9 37.7 38.5 38.8 39.5 39.7 39.3 38.4
Manufacturing......................... 41.7 41.3 41.3 41.5 41.8 41.7 41.7 41.6 41.6 41.6
Overtime hours.................... 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.4 4.8 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.5
Durable goods........................ 42.4 41.9 41.9 42.0 42.5 42.3 42.3 42.1 42.2 42.1
Overtime hours.................... 4.9 4.5 4.4 4.6 5.0 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.7
Lumber and wood products............ 40.8 40.7 40.3 40.6 41.2 41.2 41.6 41.8 41.0 41.0
Furniture and fixtures.............. 40.4 40.1 39.9 40.5 40.7 40.1 40.2 40.5 40.4 40.8
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 42.5 42.4 42.2 42.4 43.2 43.5 43.8 44.0 43.4 43.0
Primary metal industries............ 44.5 43.8 43.7 43.7 44.6 43.9 43.7 43.7 43.7 43.7
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 45.2 44.0 43.7 44.2 45.3 43.7 43.2 43.9 43.8 44.2
Fabricated metal products........... 42.2 41.8 41.7 41.8 42.4 42.1 42.2 41.9 42.0 42.0
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 43.5 42.2 42.2 41.9 43.3 42.4 42.1 42.1 42.2 41.7
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 41.4 41.0 41.3 41.2 41.4 41.4 41.1 41.1 41.5 41.3
Transportation equipment............ 43.7 43.3 43.8 44.0 43.4 44.1 44.6 43.3 44.0 43.8
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 43.9 44.0 44.8 45.1 43.5 44.7 45.2 44.1 45.1 44.8
Instruments and related products.... 41.7 41.2 41.4 41.4 41.5 41.0 41.0 41.2 41.3 41.3
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 40.5 39.0 39.5 40.0 40.5 39.3 39.4 39.5 39.7 39.9
Nondurable goods..................... 40.7 40.6 40.5 40.7 40.8 40.8 40.9 40.8 40.9 40.8
Overtime hours.................... 4.2 4.2 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.4
Food and kindred products........... 40.9 41.6 41.2 41.3 41.5 41.7 42.0 42.0 41.8 41.9
Tobacco products.................... 37.0 37.3 37.2 37.2 37.7 38.3 36.3 38.0 38.3 38.0
Textile mill products............... 41.2 40.7 40.3 40.5 41.2 40.7 40.9 40.9 40.7 40.5
Apparel and other textile products.. 37.2 36.7 37.2 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.3 36.9 37.5 37.1
Paper and allied products........... 43.1 43.5 42.9 43.4 43.4 43.5 43.4 43.4 43.4 43.7
Printing and publishing............. 38.4 37.7 37.7 37.9 38.4 38.2 38.1 38.3 38.0 37.9
Chemicals and allied products....... 43.4 42.8 42.7 42.9 43.4 43.0 42.6 42.8 42.8 42.9
Petroleum and coal products......... 43.2 43.9 43.8 43.8 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 41.5 41.3 41.5 41.7 41.5 41.6 41.7 41.3 41.7 41.8
Leather and leather products........ 37.7 36.7 37.3 37.2 37.9 37.6 37.5 37.1 38.0 37.3
Service-producing....................... 32.9 32.4 32.7 32.6 32.8 32.9 32.9 32.9 33.0 32.9
Transportation and public utilities... 39.4 38.8 39.0 39.0 39.8 39.3 39.1 39.5 39.2 39.3
Wholesale trade....................... 38.4 38.0 38.3 38.3 38.3 38.5 38.4 38.4 38.5 38.5
Retail trade.......................... 28.7 28.1 28.6 28.6 28.9 29.0 29.0 29.0 29.2 29.0
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 36.8 36.0 36.4 36.2 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.7 32.3 32.5 32.4 32.6 32.6 32.7 32.6 32.7 32.6
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
Mar. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... $12.68 $13.09 $13.09 $13.11 $437.46 $445.06 $448.99 $448.36
Seasonally adjusted............. 12.63 13.03 13.06 13.09 437.00 449.54 451.88 451.61
Goods-producing......................... 14.18 14.45 14.45 14.51 579.96 585.23 585.23 587.66
Mining................................ 16.89 17.28 17.21 17.32 733.03 732.67 731.43 729.17
Construction.......................... 16.29 16.72 16.65 16.77 617.39 632.02 631.04 632.23
Manufacturing......................... 13.47 13.66 13.66 13.71 561.70 564.16 564.16 568.97
Durable goods........................ 14.02 14.12 14.13 14.18 594.45 591.63 592.05 595.56
Lumber and wood products............ 10.95 11.30 11.28 11.29 446.76 459.91 454.58 458.37
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.80 11.10 11.05 11.09 436.32 445.11 440.90 449.15
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 13.46 13.67 13.66 13.71 572.05 579.61 576.45 581.30
Primary metal industries............ 15.52 15.39 15.40 15.50 690.64 674.08 672.98 677.35
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 18.32 18.40 18.49 18.56 828.06 809.60 808.01 820.35
Fabricated metal products........... 13.01 13.31 13.31 13.35 549.02 556.36 555.03 558.03
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 14.36 14.68 14.70 14.77 624.66 619.50 620.34 618.86
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 13.06 13.27 13.26 13.29 540.68 544.07 547.64 547.55
Transportation equipment............ 17.92 17.50 17.55 17.61 783.10 757.75 768.69 774.84
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 18.52 17.73 17.80 17.98 813.03 780.12 797.44 810.90
Instruments and related products.... 13.73 13.88 13.86 13.88 572.54 571.86 573.80 574.63
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.79 11.14 11.15 11.21 437.00 434.46 440.43 448.40
Nondurable goods..................... 12.63 12.98 12.96 13.01 514.04 526.99 524.88 529.51
Food and kindred products........... 11.70 11.94 11.91 11.94 478.53 496.70 490.69 493.12
Tobacco products.................... 18.54 17.25 17.93 19.10 685.98 643.43 667.00 710.52
Textile mill products............... 10.29 10.63 10.59 10.62 423.95 432.64 426.78 430.11
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.43 8.67 8.65 8.69 313.60 318.19 321.78 322.40
Paper and allied products........... 15.27 15.71 15.70 15.76 658.14 683.39 673.53 683.98
Printing and publishing............. 13.36 13.65 13.66 13.67 513.02 514.61 514.98 518.09
Chemicals and allied products....... 16.97 17.25 17.20 17.22 736.50 738.30 734.44 738.74
Petroleum and coal products......... 21.16 21.20 21.62 21.90 914.11 930.68 946.96 959.22
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.78 12.19 12.16 12.21 488.87 503.45 504.64 509.16
Leather and leather products........ 9.32 9.65 9.55 9.53 351.36 354.16 356.22 354.52
Service-producing....................... 12.19 12.66 12.67 12.67 401.05 410.18 414.31 413.04
Transportation and public utilities... $15.24 $15.61 $15.57 $15.51 $600.46 $605.67 $607.23 $604.89
Wholesale trade....................... 13.86 14.36 14.33 14.29 532.22 545.68 548.84 547.31
Retail trade.......................... 8.67 9.02 9.00 9.01 248.83 253.46 257.40 257.69
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 13.97 14.47 14.56 14.55 514.10 520.92 529.98 526.71
Services.............................. 12.77 13.30 13.33 13.35 417.58 429.59 433.23 432.54
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
Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. change
Industry 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999p 1999p from:
Feb. 1999-
Mar. 1999
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $12.63 $12.94 $12.98 $13.03 $13.06 $13.09 0.2
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.71 7.80 7.81 7.83 7.84 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 14.25 14.46 14.50 14.51 14.55 14.59 .3
Mining...................... 16.82 17.37 17.26 17.09 17.06 17.27 1.2
Construction................ 16.40 16.75 16.82 16.74 16.78 16.90 .7
Manufacturing............... 13.46 13.58 13.58 13.63 13.66 13.70 .3
Excluding overtime4....... 12.73 12.89 12.89 12.93 12.97 12.98 .1
Service-producing............. 12.10 12.45 12.49 12.56 12.58 12.62 .3
Transportation and public
utilities................ 15.27 15.45 15.53 15.55 15.53 15.53 .0
Wholesale trade............. 13.84 14.23 14.26 14.35 14.30 14.36 .4
Retail trade................ 8.64 8.85 8.91 8.96 8.97 8.98 .1
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 13.85 14.35 14.43 14.49 14.51 14.54 .2
Services.................... 12.65 13.06 13.09 13.18 13.23 13.29 .5
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 .1 percent from January 1999 to February 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
Mar. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 141.6 141.0 142.7 143.2 143.8 145.7 146.4 146.4 147.2 146.5
Goods-producing......................... 111.8 109.5 109.7 110.1 115.1 114.1 115.3 114.8 115.1 113.5
Mining................................ 54.1 48.5 47.8 47.0 55.6 52.6 52.4 50.1 49.3 48.5
Construction.......................... 143.0 147.5 149.5 150.2 158.7 164.4 171.1 171.3 174.2 166.8
Manufacturing......................... 109.0 105.4 105.3 105.6 109.7 107.3 107.4 106.8 106.7 106.3
Durable goods........................ 113.4 108.9 109.1 109.5 113.7 110.9 111.0 110.1 110.1 109.6
Lumber and wood products............ 139.1 141.5 140.4 141.3 143.6 144.6 146.9 148.3 145.9 145.7
Furniture and fixtures.............. 132.1 132.6 132.4 135.0 132.7 131.4 133.0 134.0 133.7 135.6
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 109.5 109.0 109.6 110.8 113.9 116.8 118.4 118.1 117.3 115.2
Primary metal industries............ 95.3 90.3 89.8 89.7 95.5 90.9 90.4 89.8 89.8 89.5
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 73.9 68.6 67.8 68.7 74.4 68.6 68.2 68.6 68.4 69.0
Fabricated metal products........... 118.4 115.8 115.2 115.4 119.1 116.6 116.8 116.2 116.0 115.9
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 112.4 105.0 105.2 104.1 111.1 106.9 105.7 104.6 104.7 102.8
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 111.1 105.2 105.4 105.4 111.3 106.6 105.5 105.1 105.7 105.5
Transportation equipment............ 129.8 123.2 124.6 126.0 128.7 126.9 128.0 123.8 124.9 124.7
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 166.4 158.3 161.3 164.6 164.6 162.2 164.1 159.6 161.7 162.4
Instruments and related products.... 77.3 74.6 75.0 75.0 76.8 74.5 74.2 74.7 74.7 74.7
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 103.6 94.1 96.5 98.4 104.1 96.9 97.5 97.0 97.9 98.4
Nondurable goods..................... 102.9 100.6 100.0 100.3 104.3 102.3 102.4 102.3 101.9 101.7
Food and kindred products........... 113.6 117.2 115.7 115.8 118.5 119.5 121.0 121.5 120.7 120.9
Tobacco products.................... 57.8 60.7 57.3 54.2 59.7 58.8 53.9 58.3 56.9 56.5
Textile mill products............... 87.7 82.3 80.7 81.0 87.8 83.4 83.4 83.1 81.8 81.1
Apparel and other textile products.. 69.8 61.8 61.9 61.8 70.2 64.3 64.2 62.9 62.7 61.9
Paper and allied products........... 109.7 107.9 106.1 106.9 111.1 108.6 108.1 107.9 107.7 108.2
Printing and publishing............. 125.4 121.4 121.1 121.8 125.3 123.9 123.0 123.9 122.5 121.9
Chemicals and allied products....... 103.3 101.2 101.1 101.4 103.4 102.1 101.3 101.6 101.4 101.3
Petroleum and coal products......... 71.1 70.8 70.8 71.1 73.6 74.1 77.5 72.4 75.1 73.8
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 147.1 146.3 147.6 148.8 147.2 146.8 147.5 147.0 148.6 149.0
Leather and leather products........ 37.3 31.6 32.0 31.6 37.3 34.1 33.4 32.5 32.7 31.5
Service-producing....................... 154.9 155.1 157.6 158.0 156.7 159.9 160.3 160.6 161.5 161.3
Transportation and public utilities... 128.5 129.6 130.6 130.9 130.9 131.8 131.6 133.5 132.8 133.1
Wholesale trade....................... 126.9 127.7 128.7 129.0 127.6 130.0 129.9 130.3 130.6 130.7
Retail trade.......................... 135.4 135.3 137.5 137.6 139.3 141.9 142.1 142.5 144.0 143.0
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 134.5 135.3 136.8 136.6 133.6 137.4 137.3 137.5 138.3 138.4
Services.............................. 190.9 190.7 194.4 195.3 191.9 196.3 197.4 197.0 198.3 198.2
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.............. 54.5 p52.8 p48.6
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 58.1
1999.............. p59.0 p52.1
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 60.8 p57.4 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 62.8 p63.6 p62.1
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.............. 43.9 p39.6 p40.3
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 38.1
1999.............. p39.2 p33.5
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 38.5 p31.3 p29.9
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 32.7 p32.0 p29.5
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: CPS Main
Contact: (cpsinfo@bls.gov) Division of Labor Force Statistics-BLS
Last revised: September 30, 1999
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_0399.htm
CPS Publications - Historical Monthly Employment Reports: 1999 Page
CPS Main Page