Technical information: USDL 99-125
Household data: (202) 606-6378
Transmission of material in this
release is embargoed until
Establishment data: 606-6555 8:30 A.M. (EDT),
Media contact: 606-5902 Friday, May 7, 1999.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: APRIL 1999
Payroll employment rose in April, and the unemployment rate was
essentially unchanged at 4.3 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment
grew by 234,000. Job gains occurred throughout the service-producing
sector, but losses continued in manufacturing and mining.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
The number of unemployed persons, 6.0 million, and the unemployment
rate, 4.3 percent, were about unchanged in April. The rate has been at or
below 4.5 percent since April 1998. Over the month, the unemployment rates
for whites and Hispanics increased to 3.8 and 6.9 percent, respectively, at
or near where they had been in February. The jobless rates for the other
major demographic groups--adult men (3.4 percent), adult women (4.1 percent),
teenagers (14.1 percent), and blacks (7.7 percent)--were little changed
over the month. Over the year, the unemployment rate for blacks was down
1.3 percentage points, while the rate for whites was little changed.
(See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
The civilian labor force, at 139.1 million, and the labor force
participation rate, at 67.1 percent, were little changed from March. Total
employment, at 133.1 million, was essentially unchanged from March. In
April, the employment-population ratio--the proportion of the population
age 16 and over with jobs--was 64.2 percent, also little changed from the
previous month. (See table A-1.)
About 7.6 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in April. These multiple jobholders represented 5.8 percent of the
total employed, compared with 6.1 percent 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 April. 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. (See table A-10.)
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 245,000 in April, down from 344,000 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 | |
|_________________|__________________________| Mar.-
Category | 1998 | 1999 1/| 1999 | Apr.
|________|________|________ _________________|change
| IV | I | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 138,285| 139,144| 139,271| 138,816| 139,091| 275
Employment..........| 132,166| 133,191| 133,144| 133,033| 133,069| 36
Unemployment........| 6,120| 5,953| 6,127| 5,783| 6,022| 239
Not in labor force....| 67,813| 67,732| 67,602| 68,220| 68,145| -75
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.4| 4.3| 4.4| 4.2| 4.3| 0.1
Adult men...........| 3.6| 3.4| 3.7| 3.2| 3.4| .2
Adult women.........| 4.0| 3.8| 3.8| 3.9| 4.1| .2
Teenagers...........| 14.9| 14.6| 14.1| 14.3| 14.1| -.2
White...............| 3.8| 3.7| 3.8| 3.6| 3.8| .2
Black...............| 8.4| 8.0| 8.3| 8.1| 7.7| -.4
Hispanic origin.....| 7.4| 6.4| 6.7| 5.8| 6.9| 1.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA | Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 126,816|p127,561| 127,670|p127,677|p127,911| p234
Goods-producing 2/..| 25,221| p25,233| 25,266| p25,182| p25,155| p-27
Construction......| 6,072| p6,205| 6,249| p6,196| p6,204| p8
Manufacturing.....| 18,588| p18,487| 18,478| p18,449| p18,420| p-29
Service-producing 2/| 101,596|p102,238| 102,404|p102,495|p102,756| p261
Retail trade......| 22,658| p22,814| 22,855| p22,831| p22,897| p66
Services..........| 38,031| p38,356| 38,377| p38,446| p38,577| p131
Government........| 19,985| p20,094| 20,107| p20,129| p20,137| p8
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.6| p34.5| 34.6| p34.4| p34.5| p0.1
Manufacturing.......| 41.7| p41.6| 41.6| p41.5| p41.7| p.2
Overtime..........| 4.5| p4.5| 4.5| p4.5| p4.4| p-.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 146.0| p146.7| 147.2| p146.4| p146.8| p0.4
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 3/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $12.94| p$13.05| $13.05| p$13.08| p$13.11| p$0.03
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 447.29| p450.34| 451.53| p449.95| p452.30| p2.35
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
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 Survey Data)
Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 234,000 in April, following virtually
no gain in March. The April increase was in line with the average monthly
growth for the prior 12 months. Strong growth occurred in several service-
producing industries, but job losses continued in manufacturing and mining.
Construction employment changed little in April after seasonal adjustment,
following a sharp decline in March. (See table B-1.)
The services industry added 131,000 jobs in April, somewhat above the
average gain for the prior 12 months. A large employment increase occurred
in business services (51,000), led by job gains in both help supply
services (18,000) and computer services (16,000). Employment in health
services increased by 23,000, more than twice the monthly average over the
prior year. Over-the-month job gains occurred in doctors' offices,
hospitals, and home health care services. Employment both in motion
pictures and in amusements and recreation grew in April, after changing
little in March. Job growth continued in engineering and management
services, but the gain of 11,000 in April was about half the average
increase for the prior 12 months.
Finance added 17,000 jobs in April after 2 months of small gains.
Nondepository institutions had a large increase of 8,000, and security
brokerages added 6,000 jobs after showing little net growth the prior
5 months. Employment in both insurance and real estate increased only
slightly in April. In the first 4 months of this year, average monthly
job growth in both industries has been below the average for 1998.
Transportation and public utilities employment rose by 22,000 in April.
Transportation accounted for most of the increase (20,000); the largest
gain occurred in local and interurban passenger transit (7,000).
Communications employment rose by 5,000, in line with its average for the
prior 12 months. Employment in public utilities continued its long-term
decline, losing 3,000 jobs in April.
Retail trade employment rose by 66,000 in April. Within retail trade,
employment in eating and drinking places increased by 64,000 after seasonal
adjustment; this follows a loss of about the same amount in the previous
month. In April, employment increased in furniture stores and in
automotive dealers and service stations but declined in general
merchandise stores and building materials stores.
Wholesale trade added 11,000 jobs in April, about equal to the
industry's average monthly growth over the past year. Government
employment was little changed in April. A loss in federal employment of
23,000 offset a gain in local government. The decline at the federal level
largely reflected a temporary reduction in the number of workers preparing
for the decennial census.
In the goods-producing sector, manufacturing employment continued to
decline in April, with a loss of 29,000 jobs. Part of the loss was due to
a strike of 7,000 workers in shipbuilding, which is within transportation
equipment manufacturing. (Persons on strike for the entire reference pay
period are not on payrolls and, thus, are not counted as employed in the
establishment survey.) Aircraft industry employment declined by 6,000 in
April and has fallen by 23,000 since its most recent peak last August. Job
losses continued in April in industrial machinery, fabricated metals,
instruments, apparel, and textiles.
Mining employment declined by 6,000 in April. Job losses in the
industry have totaled 26,000 for the year thus far, compared with 35,000
for all of 1998.
After seasonal adjustment, construction employment was little changed in
April, following a decline of 53,000 in March. Since October, construction
employment growth has averaged 32,000 a month, slightly above the average
for the prior 12-month period.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls edged up 0.1 hour in April to 34.5 hours, seasonally
adjusted. The manufacturing workweek increased by 0.2 hour to 41.7 hours.
Factory overtime edged down 0.1 hour to 4.4 hours. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 0.3 percent to 146.8
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index edged up 0.1
percent to 106.3. (See table B-5.)
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Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls rose by 3 cents in April to $13.11, seasonally
adjusted. Average weekly earnings rose by 0.5 percent over the month to
$452.30, seasonally adjusted. Over the year, hourly and weekly earnings
each rose by 3.2 percent. (See table B-3.)
___________________________
The Employment Situation for May 1999 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, June 4, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).
-------------------------------------------------------------
| Revisions in the Establishment Survey Data |
| |
| With the release of May data in June, BLS will introduce |
| revisions in the establishment-based series on nonfarm pay- |
| roll employment, hours, and earnings to reflect the annual |
| benchmark adjustments for March 1998 and updated seasonal |
| adjustment factors. Unadjusted data since April 1997 and |
| seasonally adjusted data since January 1994 are subject to |
| revision. Seasonal adjustment factors for March through |
| October 1999 will be available on the Internet on May 28, |
| one week prior to the release of the May estimates |
| (http://stats.bls.gov/ceshome.htm). Further information on |
| these revisions is available by calling (202) 606-6555. |
-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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
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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
Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 204,731 207,036 207,236 204,731 206,270 206,719 206,873 207,036 207,236
Civilian labor force............................ 136,379 138,418 138,240 137,232 138,547 139,347 139,271 138,816 139,091
Participation rate........................ 66.6 66.9 66.7 67.0 67.2 67.4 67.3 67.0 67.1
Employed...................................... 130,735 132,299 132,552 131,280 132,526 133,396 133,144 133,033 133,069
Employment-population ratio............... 63.9 63.9 64.0 64.1 64.2 64.5 64.4 64.3 64.2
Agriculture................................. 3,315 3,022 3,320 3,381 3,222 3,299 3,328 3,281 3,384
Nonagricultural industries.................. 127,421 129,277 129,232 127,899 129,304 130,097 129,817 129,752 129,685
Unemployed.................................... 5,643 6,119 5,688 5,952 6,021 5,950 6,127 5,783 6,022
Unemployment rate......................... 4.1 4.4 4.1 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.3
Not in labor force.............................. 68,352 68,618 68,996 67,499 67,723 67,372 67,602 68,220 68,145
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 98,503 99,362 99,465 98,503 99,309 99,198 99,279 99,362 99,465
Civilian labor force............................ 73,336 73,785 73,837 73,723 74,437 74,599 74,504 74,234 74,234
Participation rate........................ 74.5 74.3 74.2 74.8 75.0 75.2 75.0 74.7 74.6
Employed...................................... 70,348 70,544 70,877 70,695 71,204 71,459 71,276 71,352 71,225
Employment-population ratio............... 71.4 71.0 71.3 71.8 71.7 72.0 71.8 71.8 71.6
Unemployed.................................... 2,988 3,242 2,959 3,028 3,233 3,140 3,228 2,881 3,010
Unemployment rate......................... 4.1 4.4 4.0 4.1 4.3 4.2 4.3 3.9 4.1
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 90,580 91,215 91,302 90,580 91,220 91,124 91,189 91,215 91,302
Civilian labor force............................ 69,480 69,781 69,848 69,616 70,069 70,295 70,174 69,951 69,991
Participation rate........................ 76.7 76.5 76.5 76.9 76.8 77.1 77.0 76.7 76.7
Employed...................................... 67,027 67,185 67,463 67,173 67,553 67,884 67,577 67,713 67,608
Employment-population ratio............... 74.0 73.7 73.9 74.2 74.1 74.5 74.1 74.2 74.0
Agriculture................................. 2,406 2,086 2,339 2,423 2,237 2,312 2,212 2,222 2,353
Nonagricultural industries.................. 64,621 65,099 65,124 64,750 65,316 65,572 65,365 65,492 65,255
Unemployed.................................... 2,453 2,597 2,385 2,443 2,516 2,411 2,598 2,238 2,383
Unemployment rate......................... 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.7 3.2 3.4
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 106,228 107,674 107,771 106,228 106,960 107,521 107,593 107,674 107,771
Civilian labor force............................ 63,043 64,632 64,403 63,509 64,110 64,748 64,767 64,582 64,857
Participation rate........................ 59.3 60.0 59.8 59.8 59.9 60.2 60.2 60.0 60.2
Employed...................................... 60,387 61,755 61,675 60,585 61,322 61,937 61,869 61,680 61,845
Employment-population ratio............... 56.8 57.4 57.2 57.0 57.3 57.6 57.5 57.3 57.4
Unemployed.................................... 2,655 2,877 2,729 2,924 2,788 2,810 2,899 2,902 3,012
Unemployment rate......................... 4.2 4.5 4.2 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5 4.6
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 98,583 99,833 99,923 98,583 99,181 99,686 99,746 99,833 99,923
Civilian labor force............................ 59,345 60,780 60,604 59,539 60,078 60,718 60,622 60,533 60,788
Participation rate........................ 60.2 60.9 60.7 60.4 60.6 60.9 60.8 60.6 60.8
Employed...................................... 57,131 58,400 58,354 57,117 57,745 58,466 58,291 58,183 58,320
Employment-population ratio............... 58.0 58.5 58.4 57.9 58.2 58.7 58.4 58.3 58.4
Agriculture................................. 705 764 777 726 753 808 839 834 801
Nonagricultural industries.................. 56,426 57,635 57,577 56,391 56,992 57,659 57,452 57,349 57,519
Unemployed.................................... 2,213 2,381 2,250 2,422 2,333 2,251 2,330 2,350 2,468
Unemployment rate......................... 3.7 3.9 3.7 4.1 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.9 4.1
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population............. 15,569 15,988 16,011 15,569 15,868 15,909 15,939 15,988 16,011
Civilian labor force............................ 7,554 7,856 7,787 8,077 8,400 8,334 8,475 8,331 8,312
Participation rate........................ 48.5 49.1 48.6 51.9 52.9 52.4 53.2 52.1 51.9
Employed...................................... 6,577 6,715 6,735 6,990 7,228 7,046 7,276 7,136 7,141
Employment-population ratio............... 42.2 42.0 42.1 44.9 45.5 44.3 45.7 44.6 44.6
Agriculture................................. 204 172 204 232 232 179 277 224 230
Nonagricultural industries.................. 6,373 6,543 6,531 6,758 6,996 6,867 6,999 6,912 6,911
Unemployed.................................... 977 1,142 1,052 1,087 1,172 1,288 1,199 1,195 1,171
Unemployment rate......................... 12.9 14.5 13.5 13.5 14.0 15.5 14.1 14.3 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
Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 171,141 172,597 172,730 171,141 172,197 172,394 172,491 172,597 172,730
Civilian labor force............................ 114,380 115,866 115,633 115,121 115,996 116,529 116,610 116,284 116,370
Participation rate.......................... 66.8 67.1 66.9 67.3 67.4 67.6 67.6 67.4 67.4
Employed...................................... 110,343 111,414 111,439 110,858 111,560 112,135 112,189 112,144 111,917
Employment-population ratio................. 64.5 64.6 64.5 64.8 64.8 65.0 65.0 65.0 64.8
Unemployed.................................... 4,037 4,451 4,194 4,263 4,436 4,394 4,420 4,140 4,454
Unemployment rate........................... 3.5 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.8
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 59,185 59,541 59,548 59,324 59,712 59,751 59,799 59,698 59,664
Participation rate.......................... 77.0 77.1 77.1 77.2 77.2 77.5 77.5 77.3 77.2
Employed...................................... 57,390 57,546 57,758 57,538 57,813 57,920 57,830 58,010 57,874
Employment-population ratio................. 74.7 74.5 74.8 74.9 74.8 75.1 75.0 75.1 74.9
Unemployed.................................... 1,795 1,995 1,790 1,786 1,899 1,831 1,969 1,688 1,790
Unemployment rate........................... 3.0 3.4 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.3 2.8 3.0
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 48,801 49,729 49,486 48,972 49,230 49,759 49,721 49,602 49,672
Participation rate.......................... 59.5 60.1 59.8 59.8 59.8 60.2 60.1 59.9 60.0
Employed...................................... 47,300 48,078 47,862 47,304 47,585 48,110 48,109 47,983 47,862
Employment-population ratio................. 57.7 58.1 57.8 57.7 57.8 58.2 58.2 58.0 57.8
Unemployed.................................... 1,501 1,650 1,624 1,668 1,645 1,650 1,612 1,620 1,811
Unemployment rate........................... 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.6
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 6,394 6,596 6,599 6,825 7,054 7,019 7,090 6,984 7,034
Participation rate.......................... 51.7 52.1 52.1 55.2 56.1 55.6 56.1 55.2 55.5
Employed...................................... 5,653 5,790 5,819 6,016 6,162 6,105 6,250 6,151 6,181
Employment-population ratio................. 45.7 45.8 45.9 48.6 49.0 48.4 49.5 48.6 48.8
Unemployed.................................... 741 806 780 809 892 913 840 833 853
Unemployment rate........................... 11.6 12.2 11.8 11.9 12.6 13.0 11.8 11.9 12.1
Men....................................... 12.6 13.7 12.2 12.9 14.5 14.1 12.2 12.7 12.6
Women..................................... 10.5 10.7 11.4 10.7 10.6 11.9 11.4 11.1 11.6
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 24,289 24,729 24,765 24,289 24,561 24,665 24,697 24,729 24,765
Civilian labor force............................ 15,776 16,125 16,159 15,901 16,157 16,356 16,242 16,212 16,286
Participation rate.......................... 64.9 65.2 65.2 65.5 65.8 66.3 65.8 65.6 65.8
Employed...................................... 14,429 14,798 14,979 14,477 14,884 15,085 14,900 14,904 15,029
Employment-population ratio................. 59.4 59.8 60.5 59.6 60.6 61.2 60.3 60.3 60.7
Unemployed.................................... 1,347 1,327 1,180 1,424 1,273 1,271 1,342 1,308 1,257
Unemployment rate........................... 8.5 8.2 7.3 9.0 7.9 7.8 8.3 8.1 7.7
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,050 7,031 7,092 7,077 7,063 7,210 7,160 7,065 7,118
Participation rate.......................... 72.7 71.2 71.7 73.0 72.0 73.3 72.7 71.6 72.0
Employed...................................... 6,527 6,583 6,661 6,548 6,588 6,782 6,682 6,656 6,681
Employment-population ratio................. 67.4 66.7 67.4 67.6 67.2 68.9 67.8 67.4 67.6
Unemployed.................................... 523 448 431 529 475 428 477 409 437
Unemployment rate........................... 7.4 6.4 6.1 7.5 6.7 5.9 6.7 5.8 6.1
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,814 8,166 8,222 7,830 8,035 8,114 8,082 8,129 8,241
Participation rate.......................... 64.2 65.9 66.3 64.4 65.4 65.7 65.3 65.6 66.4
Employed...................................... 7,196 7,575 7,681 7,192 7,474 7,579 7,509 7,545 7,681
Employment-population ratio................. 59.2 61.2 61.9 59.1 60.8 61.3 60.7 60.9 61.9
Unemployed.................................... 618 590 541 638 561 535 573 584 560
Unemployment rate........................... 7.9 7.2 6.6 8.1 7.0 6.6 7.1 7.2 6.8
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 912 928 845 994 1,059 1,032 1,000 1,018 927
Participation rate.......................... 37.4 37.6 34.1 40.8 43.0 41.8 40.5 41.2 37.5
Employed...................................... 705 639 637 737 822 725 708 702 667
Employment-population ratio................. 29.0 25.9 25.7 30.3 33.4 29.3 28.6 28.4 26.9
Unemployed.................................... 207 289 208 257 237 307 293 316 260
Unemployment rate........................... 22.7 31.1 24.6 25.9 22.4 29.8 29.2 31.0 28.1
Men....................................... 22.7 34.7 30.2 26.0 27.3 34.2 31.6 32.9 33.0
Women..................................... 22.7 27.5 19.7 25.7 17.6 25.0 27.0 29.1 23.5
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 20,915 21,414 21,483 20,915 21,405 21,296 21,355 21,414 21,483
Civilian labor force............................ 14,179 14,523 14,434 14,289 14,488 14,511 14,591 14,570 14,543
Participation rate.......................... 67.8 67.8 67.2 68.3 67.7 68.1 68.3 68.0 67.7
Employed...................................... 13,259 13,595 13,474 13,332 13,383 13,550 13,610 13,732 13,541
Employment-population ratio................. 63.4 63.5 62.7 63.7 62.5 63.6 63.7 64.1 63.0
Unemployed.................................... 919 929 960 957 1,105 960 980 838 1,002
Unemployment rate........................... 6.5 6.4 6.7 6.7 7.6 6.6 6.7 5.8 6.9
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
Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999
Less than a high school diploma
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 29,638 28,442 27,991 29,638 29,094 28,901 28,112 28,442 27,991
Civilian labor force.................... 12,857 12,119 11,971 12,624 12,500 12,379 12,164 12,094 11,753
Percent of population............... 43.4 42.6 42.8 42.6 43.0 42.8 43.3 42.5 42.0
Employed.............................. 11,938 11,265 11,170 11,729 11,626 11,459 11,257 11,356 10,972
Employment-population ratio......... 40.3 39.6 39.9 39.6 40.0 39.7 40.0 39.9 39.2
Unemployed............................ 920 854 802 895 874 920 907 739 781
Unemployment rate................... 7.2 7.0 6.7 7.1 7.0 7.4 7.5 6.1 6.6
High school graduates, no college(2)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 57,484 57,805 57,945 57,484 57,115 57,477 57,062 57,805 57,945
Civilian labor force.................... 37,374 37,734 37,551 37,412 37,296 37,590 37,261 37,740 37,577
Percent of population............... 65.0 65.3 64.8 65.1 65.3 65.4 65.3 65.3 64.8
Employed.............................. 35,921 36,302 36,253 35,935 35,873 36,291 35,979 36,448 36,253
Employment-population ratio......... 62.5 62.8 62.6 62.5 62.8 63.1 63.1 63.1 62.6
Unemployed............................ 1,453 1,432 1,297 1,477 1,423 1,299 1,282 1,292 1,324
Unemployment rate................... 3.9 3.8 3.5 3.9 3.8 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.5
Less than a bachelor's degree(3)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 42,303 43,028 43,059 42,303 43,022 43,154 43,911 43,028 43,059
Civilian labor force.................... 31,177 31,826 31,889 31,435 31,800 32,399 32,465 31,892 32,160
Percent of population............... 73.7 74.0 74.1 74.3 73.9 75.1 73.9 74.1 74.7
Employed.............................. 30,331 30,835 30,953 30,572 30,911 31,470 31,462 30,989 31,202
Employment-population ratio......... 71.7 71.7 71.9 72.3 71.8 72.9 71.6 72.0 72.5
Unemployed............................ 846 991 936 863 889 929 1,003 903 958
Unemployment rate................... 2.7 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.8 2.9 3.1 2.8 3.0
College graduates
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 42,197 43,859 44,289 42,197 43,484 43,516 43,949 43,859 44,289
Civilian labor force.................... 33,986 35,124 35,418 34,039 34,838 34,950 35,040 34,997 35,493
Percent of population............... 80.5 80.1 80.0 80.7 80.1 80.3 79.7 79.8 80.1
Employed.............................. 33,485 34,483 34,776 33,456 34,205 34,325 34,368 34,345 34,742
Employment-population ratio......... 79.4 78.6 78.5 79.3 78.7 78.9 78.2 78.3 78.4
Unemployed............................ 501 641 642 583 633 624 673 652 752
Unemployment rate................... 1.5 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 2.1
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
Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over................. 130,735 132,299 132,552 131,280 132,526 133,396 133,144 133,033 133,069
Married men, spouse present..................... 42,780 42,941 43,104 42,860 43,227 43,542 43,016 43,114 43,190
Married women, spouse present................... 33,006 33,300 33,351 32,919 33,093 33,652 33,092 33,134 33,285
Women who maintain families..................... 7,938 8,254 8,163 7,829 8,087 8,076 8,113 8,148 8,050
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty........... 38,631 40,138 40,526 38,617 39,729 39,836 39,531 39,900 40,504
Technical, sales, and administrative support.... 38,431 38,854 38,711 38,568 38,307 38,846 39,254 38,893 38,866
Service occupations............................. 17,460 17,965 17,779 17,527 17,976 18,070 18,163 18,074 17,868
Precision production, craft, and repair......... 14,556 14,543 14,533 14,566 14,685 14,751 14,742 14,661 14,518
Operators, fabricators, and laborers............ 18,253 17,763 17,550 18,374 18,480 18,476 18,021 18,177 17,656
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................. 3,404 3,035 3,454 3,494 3,396 3,422 3,490 3,417 3,539
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers....................... 2,003 1,721 1,925 1,990 1,912 1,987 1,895 1,893 1,908
Self-employed workers......................... 1,281 1,267 1,367 1,345 1,304 1,298 1,381 1,376 1,439
Unpaid family workers......................... 31 34 28 33 34 30 44 39 31
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers....................... 118,217 120,509 120,331 118,705 120,380 121,115 121,066 121,005 120,785
Government.................................. 18,475 18,867 18,952 18,231 18,686 18,913 18,782 18,699 18,709
Private industries.......................... 99,742 101,642 101,379 100,474 101,694 102,202 102,283 102,306 102,076
Private households........................ 952 929 899 996 943 881 849 917 941
Other industries.......................... 98,790 100,713 100,479 99,478 100,751 101,321 101,434 101,389 101,135
Self-employed workers......................... 9,087 8,642 8,839 9,064 8,814 8,830 8,658 8,650 8,813
Unpaid family workers......................... 117 126 62 119 122 121 114 125 63
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 3,649 3,703 3,316 3,755 3,417 3,562 3,426 3,564 3,408
Slack work or business conditions........... 2,099 2,160 1,926 2,095 1,927 2,093 1,984 2,045 1,920
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,256 1,269 1,082 1,308 1,148 1,115 1,141 1,208 1,124
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 18,808 19,398 19,788 18,296 18,674 18,485 18,642 18,545 18,882
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 3,496 3,499 3,130 3,606 3,257 3,413 3,298 3,374 3,224
Slack work or business conditions........... 2,010 2,055 1,835 2,010 1,841 1,989 1,906 1,955 1,831
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,232 1,225 1,051 1,282 1,116 1,094 1,108 1,159 1,092
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 18,204 18,841 19,181 17,653 18,155 17,921 18,061 17,944 18,320
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
Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over......................... 5,952 5,783 6,022 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.3
Men, 20 years and over......................... 2,443 2,238 2,383 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.7 3.2 3.4
Women, 20 years and over....................... 2,422 2,350 2,468 4.1 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.9 4.1
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years..................... 1,087 1,195 1,171 13.5 14.0 15.5 14.1 14.3 14.1
Married men, spouse present.................... 988 907 1,010 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.1 2.3
Married women, spouse present.................. 961 913 1,006 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.9
Women who maintain families.................... 637 585 623 7.5 6.3 6.1 6.5 6.7 7.2
Full-time workers.............................. 4,763 4,617 4,805 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.0 4.2
Part-time workers.............................. 1,192 1,191 1,214 4.9 5.2 5.2 4.9 4.9 4.9
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty.......... 728 765 796 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.9
Technical, sales, and administrative support... 1,487 1,516 1,584 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.8 3.9
Precision production, craft, and repair........ 580 550 580 3.8 3.2 3.5 4.4 3.6 3.8
Operators, fabricators, and laborers........... 1,256 1,147 1,220 6.4 6.7 5.9 6.0 5.9 6.5
Farming, forestry, and fishing................. 228 254 278 6.1 7.5 7.7 7.8 6.9 7.3
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers 4,632 4,534 4,645 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.4
Goods-producing industries................... 1,286 1,218 1,257 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.3 4.5
Mining..................................... 18 32 56 2.9 4.3 7.4 7.7 5.3 9.3
Construction............................... 462 490 520 6.6 6.4 7.3 7.5 6.7 7.4
Manufacturing.............................. 806 697 682 3.9 4.0 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.3
Durable goods............................ 432 369 390 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.3 2.9 3.1
Nondurable goods......................... 374 328 292 4.5 4.9 3.8 4.3 4.1 3.7
Service-producing industries................. 3,346 3,316 3,387 4.4 4.4 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.3
Transportation and public utilities........ 242 219 211 3.2 3.2 2.5 3.2 2.9 2.8
Wholesale and retail trade................. 1,440 1,469 1,455 5.4 5.5 5.2 5.2 5.4 5.4
Finance, insurance, and real estate........ 181 157 264 2.3 2.8 2.4 2.4 1.9 3.2
Services................................... 1,483 1,471 1,458 4.3 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.2 4.1
Government workers............................. 380 397 473 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.5
Agricultural wage and salary workers........... 174 200 205 8.0 8.3 9.6 11.3 9.5 9.7
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
Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks................................ 2,250 2,253 2,378 2,626 2,614 2,353 2,601 2,478 2,788
5 to 14 weeks.................................... 1,734 2,190 1,671 1,929 1,839 2,071 1,944 1,891 1,867
15 weeks and over................................ 1,660 1,676 1,638 1,461 1,578 1,469 1,550 1,434 1,446
15 to 26 weeks................................ 754 929 928 605 754 753 766 736 773
27 weeks and over............................. 906 747 711 856 824 716 784 697 673
Average (mean) duration, in weeks................ 15.6 14.1 14.0 14.5 14.1 13.4 13.8 13.5 13.1
Median duration, in weeks........................ 8.1 8.0 7.4 6.6 6.7 6.9 7.0 6.9 6.1
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.............................. 39.9 36.8 41.8 43.7 43.3 39.9 42.7 42.7 45.7
5 to 14 weeks.................................. 30.7 35.8 29.4 32.1 30.5 35.1 31.9 32.6 30.6
15 weeks and over.............................. 29.4 27.4 28.8 24.3 26.2 24.9 25.4 24.7 23.7
15 to 26 weeks............................... 13.4 15.2 16.3 10.1 12.5 12.8 12.6 12.7 12.7
27 weeks and over............................ 16.1 12.2 12.5 14.2 13.7 12.1 12.9 12.0 11.0
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
Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 2,647 2,888 2,633 2,706 2,754 2,696 2,738 2,563 2,700
On temporary layoff............................. 723 1,047 835 723 841 864 849 812 838
Not on temporary layoff......................... 1,923 1,841 1,797 1,983 1,913 1,832 1,889 1,751 1,862
Permanent job losers.......................... 1,381 1,295 1,263 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs.......... 542 547 534 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers....................................... 579 788 754 641 709 699 751 780 841
Reentrants........................................ 1,939 2,048 1,874 2,115 2,031 1,993 2,110 1,988 2,044
New entrants...................................... 479 395 427 518 504 537 509 431 469
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........................................... 46.9 47.2 46.3 45.3 45.9 45.5 44.8 44.5 44.6
On temporary layoff............................ 12.8 17.1 14.7 12.1 14.0 14.6 13.9 14.1 13.9
Not on temporary layoff........................ 34.1 30.1 31.6 33.2 31.9 30.9 30.9 30.4 30.8
Job leavers...................................... 10.3 12.9 13.3 10.7 11.8 11.8 12.3 13.5 13.9
Reentrants....................................... 34.4 33.5 33.0 35.4 33.9 33.6 34.5 34.5 33.8
New entrants..................................... 8.5 6.5 7.5 8.7 8.4 9.1 8.3 7.5 7.7
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.9
Job leavers...................................... .4 .6 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .6 .6
Reentrants....................................... 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5
New entrants..................................... .4 .3 .3 .4 .4 .4 .4 .3 .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
Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of
the civilian
labor force.............................................. 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as
a percent of the
civilian labor force..................................... 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.9
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor
force
(official unemployment rate)............................. 4.1 4.4 4.1 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.3
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent
of the civilian
labor force plus discouraged workers.................... 4.4 4.6 4.3 (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........................................ 5.0 5.3 5.0 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers,
plus total employed
part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the
civilian labor force plus
all marginally attached workers......................... 7.7 7.9 7.4 (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
Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 5,952 5,783 6,022 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.3
16 to 24 years.................................. 2,122 2,223 2,217 9.8 9.8 10.1 10.2 10.0 10.0
16 to 19 years................................ 1,087 1,195 1,171 13.5 14.0 15.5 14.1 14.3 14.1
16 to 17 years.............................. 521 554 572 15.7 16.9 18.4 15.5 16.6 16.9
18 to 19 years.............................. 576 640 608 12.1 12.1 13.1 13.1 12.8 12.3
20 to 24 years................................ 1,035 1,028 1,046 7.6 7.2 6.9 7.7 7.4 7.6
25 years and over............................... 3,815 3,573 3,792 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.2
25 to 54 years................................ 3,365 3,087 3,271 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.1 3.3
55 years and over............................. 434 504 513 2.6 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9
Men, 16 years and over.......................... 3,028 2,881 3,010 4.1 4.3 4.2 4.3 3.9 4.1
16 to 24 years................................ 1,135 1,151 1,192 10.0 10.8 10.7 10.1 9.9 10.5
16 to 19 years.............................. 585 643 627 14.2 16.4 16.9 14.6 15.0 14.8
16 to 17 years............................ 269 286 332 15.9 19.9 19.7 15.3 16.9 19.2
18 to 19 years............................ 329 354 310 13.5 14.0 14.7 14.1 13.6 12.2
20 to 24 years.............................. 550 508 565 7.6 7.3 7.1 7.5 7.0 8.0
25 years and over............................. 1,898 1,721 1,827 3.0 3.2 3.0 3.2 2.7 2.9
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,640 1,481 1,562 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.3 2.8 2.9
55 years and over........................... 250 252 258 2.7 3.1 2.8 3.0 2.6 2.6
Women, 16 years and over........................ 2,924 2,902 3,012 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5 4.6
16 to 24 years................................ 987 1,071 1,025 9.5 8.7 9.5 10.2 10.0 9.5
16 to 19 years.............................. 502 551 544 12.6 11.3 13.9 13.7 13.6 13.4
16 to 17 years............................ 252 267 240 15.5 13.8 16.9 15.7 16.2 14.5
18 to 19 years............................ 247 286 298 10.6 10.2 11.5 12.1 11.9 12.5
20 to 24 years.............................. 485 520 481 7.6 7.1 6.7 8.0 7.8 7.1
25 years and over............................. 1,917 1,852 1,965 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.6
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,725 1,606 1,709 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.7
55 years and over........................... 184 251 256 2.4 2.8 3.1 2.7 3.2 3.3
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
Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr.
1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force...................................... 68,352 68,996 25,167 25,628 43,185 43,368
Persons who currently want a job................................ 4,901 4,797 2,111 2,052 2,790 2,745
Searched for work and available to work now(1)............... 1,278 1,257 588 625 690 632
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2).................... 344 245 198 156 146 88
Reasons other than discouragement(3).................... 934 1,012 390 468 544 544
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4)...................................... 7,930 7,648 4,204 4,012 3,726 3,635
Percent of total employed..................................... 6.1 5.8 6.0 5.7 6.2 5.9
Primary job full time, secondary job part time................ 4,523 4,269 2,631 2,442 1,892 1,827
Primary and secondary jobs both part time..................... 1,610 1,615 519 496 1,091 1,119
Primary and secondary jobs both full time..................... 266 282 181 214 85 67
Hours vary on primary or secondary job........................ 1,480 1,446 839 841 641 605
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
Apr. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total......................... 125,088 126,092 126,690 127,775 125,234 127,118 127,335 127,670 127,677 127,911
Total private.................... 104,958 105,690 106,168 107,266 105,470 107,096 107,290 107,563 107,548 107,774
Goods-producing......................... 25,084 24,638 24,680 24,929 25,339 25,269 25,251 25,266 25,182 25,155
Mining................................ 577 527 528 526 582 557 547 539 537 531
Metal mining........................ 50.2 49.6 49.4 49.0 51 50 51 51 50 50
Coal mining......................... 92.1 87.4 86.4 85.2 92 90 89 88 87 85
Oil and gas extraction.............. 327.4 289.4 289.5 284.3 332 308 299 292 293 288
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 107.2 100.4 102.7 107.9 107 109 108 108 107 108
Construction.......................... 5,758 5,725 5,778 6,045 5,930 6,153 6,170 6,249 6,196 6,204
General building contractors........ 1,346.8 1,376.3 1,382.1 1,413.4 1,385 1,433 1,448 1,460 1,458 1,446
Heavy construction, except building. 791.3 726.5 746.7 829.0 819 861 862 864 846 855
Special trade contractors........... 3,620.2 3,622.0 3,649.2 3,802.6 3,726 3,859 3,860 3,925 3,892 3,903
Manufacturing......................... 18,749 18,386 18,374 18,358 18,827 18,559 18,534 18,478 18,449 18,420
Production workers................ 12,946 12,631 12,635 12,613 13,007 12,763 12,740 12,700 12,684 12,658
Durable goods........................ 11,153 10,912 10,915 10,909 11,170 10,996 10,974 10,948 10,935 10,917
Production workers................ 7,661 7,459 7,475 7,466 7,666 7,519 7,494 7,478 7,480 7,464
Lumber and wood products............ 790.9 803.3 804.6 806.7 802 813 818 819 819 817
Furniture and fixtures.............. 523.3 528.0 528.8 529.2 524 527 527 528 529 529
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 559.0 552.1 556.1 567.6 561 571 568 571 568 569
Primary metal industries............ 717.2 694.2 693.3 692.1 718 698 694 694 693 693
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 234.2 224.1 224.0 223.4 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,494.2 1,478.1 1,476.3 1,473.1 1,498 1,480 1,484 1,480 1,478 1,475
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,206.8 2,134.9 2,129.8 2,124.6 2,201 2,152 2,133 2,131 2,123 2,119
Computer and office equipment..... 376.4 356.8 355.3 356.9 377 367 359 358 356 358
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,714.5 1,652.0 1,652.4 1,648.8 1,720 1,664 1,657 1,653 1,654 1,653
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 676.7 642.1 643.3 641.4 678 646 642 642 643 642
Transportation equipment............ 1,891.6 1,856.7 1,862.0 1,854.0 1,890 1,871 1,874 1,856 1,858 1,850
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 1,004.9 984.9 991.2 995.0 1,004 990 996 985 988 993
Aircraft and parts................ 523.7 508.9 508.2 501.8 525 518 516 509 509 503
Instruments and related products.... 866.3 838.2 835.6 832.5 867 842 841 839 836 833
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 389.2 374.7 376.4 379.9 389 378 378 377 377 379
Nondurable goods..................... 7,596 7,474 7,459 7,449 7,657 7,563 7,560 7,530 7,514 7,503
Production workers................ 5,285 5,172 5,160 5,147 5,341 5,244 5,246 5,222 5,204 5,194
Food and kindred products........... 1,663.2 1,680.3 1,676.2 1,671.9 1,708 1,718 1,723 1,718 1,715 1,714
Tobacco products.................... 39.5 40.5 38.0 35.9 42 39 40 39 39 37
Textile mill products............... 603.9 570.7 568.0 565.1 605 581 578 573 570 565
Apparel and other textile products.. 784.7 710.7 708.3 702.5 787 734 727 714 711 705
Paper and allied products........... 682.2 669.6 667.5 666.5 686 673 672 672 670 670
Printing and publishing............. 1,564.0 1,556.9 1,554.6 1,555.5 1,565 1,561 1,563 1,560 1,559 1,557
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,032.1 1,029.2 1,028.4 1,027.8 1,035 1,035 1,032 1,033 1,030 1,031
Petroleum and coal products......... 135.6 130.0 130.5 133.0 137 136 134 134 134 134
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 1,006.4 1,011.3 1,012.4 1,016.6 1,008 1,008 1,014 1,012 1,012 1,017
Leather and leather products........ 84.5 75.0 74.7 73.9 84 78 77 75 74 73
Service-producing....................... 100,004 101,454 102,010 102,846 99,895 101,849 102,084 102,404 102,495 102,756
Transportation and public utilities... 6,484 6,593 6,614 6,653 6,513 6,627 6,644 6,653 6,665 6,687
Transportation...................... 4,153 4,228 4,245 4,281 4,173 4,262 4,273 4,276 4,287 4,307
Railroad transportation........... 230.9 230.9 230.8 232.1 231 233 236 234 234 232
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 467.0 480.8 484.4 486.9 453 468 467 469 470 477
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,674.8 1,701.8 1,710.0 1,726.0 1,702 1,730 1,741 1,740 1,746 1,751
Water transportation.............. 180.2 180.6 178.8 185.5 181 191 190 189 185 188
Transportation by air............. 1,139.8 1,166.7 1,172.4 1,178.7 1,147 1,169 1,168 1,176 1,183 1,187
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 14 14 14 14 14 14
Transportation services........... 446.2 453.0 454.6 458.0 445 457 457 454 455 458
Communications and public utilities. 2,331 2,365 2,369 2,372 2,340 2,365 2,371 2,377 2,378 2,380
Communications.................... 1,477.3 1,520.2 1,522.2 1,528.2 1,484 1,512 1,522 1,528 1,528 1,533
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 853.5 844.4 846.3 844.2 856 853 849 849 850 847
Wholesale trade....................... 6,781 6,862 6,884 6,917 6,798 6,882 6,907 6,917 6,923 6,934
Durable goods....................... 4,047 4,108 4,118 4,134 4,050 4,104 4,116 4,129 4,131 4,137
Nondurable goods.................... 2,734 2,754 2,766 2,783 2,748 2,778 2,791 2,788 2,792 2,797
Retail trade.......................... 22,085 22,298 22,363 22,643 22,335 22,712 22,755 22,855 22,831 22,897
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 979.7 952.3 978.1 1,019.8 971 997 1,003 1,012 1,014 1,008
General merchandise stores.......... 2,674.6 2,738.2 2,747.6 2,739.6 2,784 2,823 2,847 2,842 2,860 2,838
Department stores................. 2,355.9 2,417.6 2,428.7 2,423.3 2,447 2,490 2,514 2,510 2,527 2,515
Food stores......................... 3,489.0 3,526.5 3,516.8 3,524.8 3,533 3,561 3,548 3,561 3,565 3,572
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,327.9 2,365.9 2,374.0 2,393.3 2,337 2,377 2,384 2,398 2,397 2,403
New and used car dealers.......... 1,056.5 1,073.4 1,078.3 1,084.7 1,058 1,073 1,074 1,078 1,081 1,087
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,076.3 1,088.8 1,088.7 1,091.6 1,105 1,101 1,108 1,125 1,123 1,120
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,035.3 1,098.1 1,097.1 1,103.1 1,045 1,084 1,094 1,103 1,108 1,117
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,677.0 7,599.4 7,661.1 7,853.8 7,681 7,854 7,838 7,860 7,800 7,864
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,825.3 2,929.1 2,899.9 2,916.6 2,879 2,915 2,933 2,954 2,964 2,975
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 7,261 7,431 7,454 7,496 7,289 7,458 7,488 7,495 7,501 7,524
Finance............................. 3,514 3,620 3,630 3,646 3,521 3,615 3,628 3,632 3,638 3,655
Depository institutions........... 2,035.0 2,043.9 2,047.2 2,049.5 2,041 2,046 2,051 2,052 2,053 2,056
Commercial banks................ 1,457.2 1,455.0 1,455.2 1,456.2 1,463 1,457 1,460 1,461 1,460 1,461
Savings institutions............ 263.0 264.4 265.7 264.8 263 264 266 266 266 265
Nondepository institutions........ 605.4 660.1 664.4 671.8 605 652 659 661 664 672
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 278.8 314.6 320.1 323.2 278 313 314 316 320 322
Security and commodity brokers.... 634.3 662.5 664.4 669.9 636 666 667 665 667 673
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 239.2 253.9 254.3 255.2 239 251 251 254 254 254
Insurance........................... 2,309 2,358 2,365 2,369 2,312 2,360 2,363 2,365 2,369 2,372
Insurance carriers................ 1,572.1 1,606.3 1,609.6 1,611.1 1,574 1,610 1,613 1,612 1,614 1,613
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 737.1 751.8 755.2 758.1 738 750 750 753 755 759
Real estate......................... 1,438 1,453 1,459 1,481 1,456 1,483 1,497 1,498 1,494 1,497
Services2............................. 37,263 37,868 38,173 38,628 37,196 38,148 38,245 38,377 38,446 38,577
Agricultural services............... 709.6 640.0 667.9 762.5 706 751 758 763 754 755
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,720.5 1,689.8 1,706.2 1,731.0 1,767 1,776 1,780 1,778 1,779 1,776
Personal services................... 1,242.9 1,242.2 1,234.4 1,242.8 1,186 1,186 1,186 1,176 1,175 1,183
Business services................... 8,356.9 8,648.9 8,740.4 8,839.7 8,422 8,756 8,792 8,846 8,874 8,925
Services to buildings............. 966.3 985.4 991.1 1,002.9 965 991 1,000 999 998 1,003
Personnel supply services......... 3,080.6 3,077.5 3,141.2 3,201.6 3,140 3,202 3,218 3,245 3,250 3,269
Help supply services............ 2,746.7 2,733.3 2,793.7 2,849.4 2,806 2,857 2,866 2,890 2,897 2,915
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,560.6 1,725.1 1,738.5 1,752.3 1,561 1,691 1,709 1,725 1,734 1,750
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,144.1 1,181.5 1,185.9 1,185.5 1,146 1,177 1,183 1,189 1,188 1,188
Miscellaneous repair services....... 383.1 389.2 391.2 395.2 383 393 396 395 395 396
Motion pictures..................... 561.7 571.1 569.2 576.3 563 564 559 569 567 579
Amusement and recreation services... 1,637.1 1,534.0 1,590.5 1,734.3 1,660 1,742 1,748 1,746 1,746 1,759
Health services..................... 9,859.7 9,950.4 9,975.0 9,998.9 9,873 9,955 9,959 9,976 9,990 10,013
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,797.4 1,853.7 1,859.5 1,865.6 1,801 1,845 1,856 1,859 1,864 1,869
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,756.0 1,744.5 1,745.0 1,744.5 1,760 1,751 1,753 1,751 1,749 1,748
Hospitals......................... 3,932.2 3,979.7 3,985.8 3,989.6 3,938 3,980 3,978 3,985 3,988 3,995
Home health care services......... 687.8 655.5 660.2 665.1 687 661 652 660 662 665
Legal services...................... 968.0 994.1 996.8 1,000.1 972 997 997 1,000 1,001 1,005
Educational services................ 2,329.7 2,396.1 2,413.6 2,416.3 2,192 2,252 2,240 2,262 2,270 2,271
Social services..................... 2,612.7 2,703.6 2,726.1 2,742.1 2,595 2,686 2,697 2,711 2,718 2,727
Child day care services........... 594.1 606.8 611.8 615.0 577 589 592 597 598 598
Residential care.................. 745.2 769.6 774.4 777.9 746 766 770 774 776 778
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 90.4 85.7 88.3 92.4 92 94 94 94 94 94
Membership organizations............ 2,252.6 2,270.6 2,283.9 2,286.6 2,265 2,283 2,290 2,293 2,298 2,298
Engineering and management services. 3,199.1 3,373.4 3,406.0 3,426.2 3,178 3,338 3,367 3,380 3,399 3,410
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 901.6 928.8 933.3 938.0 910 934 937 942 943 946
Management and public relations... 1,015.2 1,111.3 1,125.7 1,137.8 1,011 1,098 1,113 1,119 1,132 1,136
Services, nec....................... 51.7 53.9 53.7 54.2 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 20,130 20,402 20,522 20,509 19,764 20,022 20,045 20,107 20,129 20,137
Federal............................. 2,668 2,697 2,697 2,681 2,674 2,706 2,702 2,712 2,709 2,686
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,814.4 1,824.0 1,824.5 1,810.0 1,814 1,818 1,825 1,836 1,832 1,810
State............................... 4,747 4,804 4,839 4,850 4,620 4,690 4,685 4,711 4,716 4,725
Education......................... 2,059.5 2,082.4 2,110.7 2,110.8 1,925 1,957 1,947 1,969 1,971 1,977
Other State government............ 2,687.6 2,721.8 2,727.8 2,739.0 2,695 2,733 2,738 2,742 2,745 2,748
Local............................... 12,715 12,901 12,986 12,978 12,470 12,626 12,658 12,684 12,704 12,726
Education......................... 7,364.7 7,514.6 7,576.2 7,544.3 7,023 7,133 7,155 7,171 7,189 7,198
Other local government............ 5,350.3 5,386.6 5,409.3 5,433.6 5,447 5,493 5,503 5,513 5,515 5,528
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
Apr. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 34.2 34.3 34.2 34.3 34.5 34.6 34.5 34.6 34.4 34.5
Goods-producing......................... 40.1 40.5 40.5 40.9 40.8 41.2 41.1 41.0 40.7 40.9
Mining................................ 43.4 42.7 42.3 43.5 44.1 43.4 42.7 43.0 42.9 43.8
Construction.......................... 38.0 37.9 37.6 38.6 38.7 39.5 39.7 39.3 38.3 38.6
Manufacturing......................... 40.8 41.3 41.4 41.6 41.4 41.7 41.6 41.6 41.5 41.7
Overtime hours.................... 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.4
Durable goods........................ 41.3 41.9 42.0 42.3 41.9 42.3 42.1 42.2 42.0 42.2
Overtime hours.................... 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.5
Lumber and wood products............ 40.8 40.3 40.9 41.3 41.2 41.6 41.8 41.0 41.3 41.2
Furniture and fixtures.............. 39.7 39.8 40.0 40.3 40.7 40.2 40.5 40.3 40.3 40.6
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 42.9 42.2 42.2 43.2 43.3 43.8 44.0 43.4 42.8 43.2
Primary metal industries............ 43.4 43.7 43.8 43.9 43.9 43.7 43.7 43.7 43.8 43.8
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 44.8 43.7 44.0 44.2 44.9 43.2 43.9 43.8 44.0 44.1
Fabricated metal products........... 40.9 41.8 41.8 42.1 41.8 42.2 41.9 42.1 42.0 42.1
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 41.9 42.1 42.1 42.2 42.6 42.1 42.1 42.1 41.9 42.0
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 40.4 41.1 40.8 41.1 41.1 41.1 41.1 41.3 40.9 41.2
Transportation equipment............ 41.4 43.9 44.0 44.4 42.1 44.6 43.3 44.1 43.8 44.0
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 41.2 45.0 45.1 45.9 42.0 45.2 44.1 45.3 44.8 45.4
Instruments and related products.... 40.6 41.5 41.4 41.4 41.3 41.0 41.2 41.4 41.3 41.6
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 39.4 39.5 39.9 39.8 40.1 39.4 39.5 39.7 39.8 39.6
Nondurable goods..................... 40.0 40.5 40.6 40.7 40.7 40.9 40.8 40.8 40.8 40.9
Overtime hours.................... 3.8 4.0 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.3
Food and kindred products........... 40.4 41.2 41.1 41.1 41.3 42.0 42.0 41.8 41.7 41.8
Tobacco products.................... 37.0 37.1 38.1 37.4 38.2 36.3 38.0 38.2 39.0 38.1
Textile mill products............... 40.1 40.2 40.4 40.8 41.0 40.9 40.9 40.6 40.4 40.9
Apparel and other textile products.. 36.5 37.3 37.4 37.5 37.7 37.3 36.9 37.6 37.4 37.5
Paper and allied products........... 42.5 42.9 43.4 43.5 43.0 43.4 43.4 43.4 43.7 43.6
Printing and publishing............. 37.8 37.7 37.9 38.0 38.2 38.1 38.3 38.0 37.9 38.1
Chemicals and allied products....... 42.9 42.7 42.9 42.6 43.1 42.6 42.8 42.8 42.9 42.9
Petroleum and coal products......... 42.8 43.4 44.2 43.4 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 41.0 41.4 41.7 41.8 41.7 41.7 41.3 41.6 41.8 41.6
Leather and leather products........ 36.5 37.2 37.4 37.4 37.3 37.5 37.1 37.9 37.5 37.8
Service-producing....................... 32.6 32.7 32.6 32.7 32.9 32.9 32.9 33.0 32.8 32.9
Transportation and public utilities... 39.1 39.0 38.9 38.7 39.6 39.1 39.5 39.2 39.2 39.0
Wholesale trade....................... 38.1 38.3 38.3 38.4 38.3 38.4 38.4 38.5 38.5 38.5
Retail trade.......................... 28.7 28.6 28.6 28.8 29.0 29.0 29.0 29.2 29.0 29.1
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 36.1 36.3 36.1 36.0 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.4 32.5 32.4 32.5 32.6 32.7 32.6 32.7 32.6 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
Apr. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... $12.69 $13.09 $13.09 $13.12 $434.00 $448.99 $447.68 $450.02
Seasonally adjusted............. 12.70 13.05 13.08 13.11 438.15 451.53 449.95 452.30
Goods-producing......................... 14.23 14.44 14.51 14.63 570.62 584.82 587.66 598.37
Mining................................ 16.84 17.13 17.09 17.01 730.86 731.45 722.91 739.94
Construction.......................... 16.34 16.63 16.76 16.83 620.92 630.28 630.18 649.64
Manufacturing......................... 13.46 13.66 13.72 13.80 549.17 564.16 568.01 574.08
Durable goods........................ 13.96 14.13 14.20 14.26 576.55 592.05 596.40 603.20
Lumber and wood products............ 10.99 11.27 11.32 11.38 448.39 454.18 462.99 469.99
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.85 11.05 11.09 11.13 430.75 439.79 443.60 448.54
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 13.63 13.65 13.70 13.77 584.73 576.03 578.14 594.86
Primary metal industries............ 15.66 15.40 15.50 15.58 679.64 672.98 678.90 683.96
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 18.66 18.49 18.51 18.60 835.97 808.01 814.44 822.12
Fabricated metal products........... 12.89 13.31 13.36 13.40 527.20 556.36 558.45 564.14
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 14.32 14.71 14.79 14.80 600.01 619.29 622.66 624.56
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 13.09 13.26 13.30 13.38 528.84 544.99 542.64 549.92
Transportation equipment............ 17.71 17.54 17.63 17.82 733.19 770.01 775.72 791.21
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 18.35 17.78 18.03 18.24 756.02 800.10 813.15 837.22
Instruments and related products.... 13.75 13.90 13.95 13.94 558.25 576.85 577.53 577.12
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.76 11.16 11.18 11.19 423.94 440.82 446.08 445.36
Nondurable goods..................... 12.71 12.96 13.02 13.10 508.40 524.88 528.61 533.17
Food and kindred products........... 11.75 11.91 11.94 12.06 474.70 490.69 490.73 495.67
Tobacco products.................... 18.94 17.94 19.27 20.36 700.78 665.57 734.19 761.46
Textile mill products............... 10.39 10.60 10.61 10.65 416.64 426.12 428.64 434.52
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.47 8.65 8.78 8.85 309.16 322.65 328.37 331.88
Paper and allied products........... 15.44 15.68 15.77 15.83 656.20 672.67 684.42 688.61
Printing and publishing............. 13.32 13.65 13.71 13.72 503.50 514.61 519.61 521.36
Chemicals and allied products....... 17.15 17.21 17.20 17.37 735.74 734.87 737.88 739.96
Petroleum and coal products......... 20.99 21.42 21.79 21.92 898.37 929.63 963.12 951.33
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.84 12.16 12.20 12.24 485.44 503.42 508.74 511.63
Leather and leather products........ 9.28 9.57 9.54 9.57 338.72 356.00 356.80 357.92
Service-producing....................... 12.20 12.66 12.65 12.65 397.72 413.98 412.39 413.66
Transportation and public utilities... $15.27 $15.59 $15.54 $15.63 $597.06 $608.01 $604.51 $604.88
Wholesale trade....................... 13.90 14.33 14.23 14.18 529.59 548.84 545.01 544.51
Retail trade.......................... 8.70 9.00 8.98 8.96 249.69 257.40 256.83 258.05
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 13.98 14.55 14.53 14.62 504.68 528.17 524.53 526.32
Services.............................. 12.77 13.32 13.33 13.34 413.75 432.90 431.89 433.55
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
Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. change
Industry 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999p 1999p from:
Mar. 1999-
Apr. 1999
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $12.70 $12.98 $13.03 $13.05 $13.08 $13.11 0.2
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.73 7.81 7.83 7.84 7.85 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 14.25 14.50 14.51 14.54 14.59 14.66 .5
Mining...................... 16.72 17.26 17.09 16.98 17.04 16.93 -.6
Construction................ 16.45 16.82 16.74 16.76 16.89 16.94 .3
Manufacturing............... 13.44 13.58 13.63 13.66 13.71 13.78 .5
Excluding overtime4....... 12.76 12.89 12.93 12.97 12.99 13.03 .3
Service-producing............. 12.19 12.49 12.56 12.57 12.60 12.62 .2
Transportation and public
utilities................ 15.32 15.53 15.55 15.55 15.56 15.66 .6
Wholesale trade............. 13.88 14.26 14.35 14.30 14.30 14.17 -.9
Retail trade................ 8.70 8.91 8.96 8.97 8.95 8.95 .0
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 14.00 14.43 14.49 14.50 14.52 14.61 .6
Services.................... 12.76 13.09 13.18 13.22 13.27 13.32 .4
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 February 1999 to March 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
Apr. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 141.8 142.9 143.2 145.4 144.0 146.4 146.4 147.2 146.4 146.8
Goods-producing......................... 111.6 109.7 110.0 112.4 114.9 115.3 114.8 115.1 113.4 113.7
Mining................................ 54.1 47.9 47.5 48.6 55.4 52.4 50.1 49.4 49.1 49.6
Construction.......................... 153.3 149.5 149.9 162.3 161.5 171.1 171.3 174.3 166.3 167.6
Manufacturing......................... 106.4 105.3 105.6 105.9 108.7 107.4 106.8 106.6 106.2 106.3
Durable goods........................ 110.3 109.1 109.5 110.1 112.2 111.0 110.1 110.1 109.7 109.8
Lumber and wood products............ 140.2 140.5 142.6 144.6 143.8 146.9 148.3 145.9 147.0 146.2
Furniture and fixtures.............. 130.3 131.9 132.9 133.8 133.7 133.0 134.0 133.3 133.7 134.7
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 113.3 109.7 110.6 116.0 114.1 118.4 118.1 117.3 114.9 116.5
Primary metal industries............ 92.7 89.8 89.9 89.9 93.7 90.4 89.8 89.8 89.8 89.7
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 72.9 68.0 68.5 68.8 73.4 68.2 68.6 68.4 68.7 68.9
Fabricated metal products........... 114.8 115.3 115.4 115.9 117.5 116.8 116.2 116.2 115.9 116.0
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 108.0 105.2 104.9 104.6 109.1 105.7 104.6 104.5 103.5 103.5
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 107.9 104.9 104.8 105.1 110.1 105.5 105.1 105.1 104.8 105.5
Transportation equipment............ 123.0 124.8 126.0 126.3 124.6 128.0 123.8 125.1 124.7 124.3
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 156.2 161.9 164.2 167.8 158.9 164.1 159.6 162.4 162.2 164.8
Instruments and related products.... 75.2 75.2 75.0 74.7 76.6 74.2 74.7 74.9 74.7 74.9
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 101.4 96.4 98.2 99.1 103.4 97.5 97.0 97.9 98.1 98.4
Nondurable goods..................... 101.1 100.0 100.2 100.0 104.0 102.4 102.3 101.9 101.5 101.5
Food and kindred products........... 111.8 115.8 115.4 114.3 118.3 121.0 121.5 120.8 120.3 120.0
Tobacco products.................... 55.8 57.2 54.3 49.3 62.5 53.9 58.3 56.8 56.0 52.8
Textile mill products............... 85.5 80.6 80.8 81.3 87.4 83.4 83.1 81.6 81.1 81.4
Apparel and other textile products.. 67.8 62.1 62.1 61.9 70.0 64.2 62.9 63.0 62.2 62.1
Paper and allied products........... 107.6 106.1 106.8 107.0 109.9 108.1 107.9 107.7 108.0 108.0
Printing and publishing............. 123.5 121.2 121.5 121.5 124.7 123.0 123.9 122.5 121.7 121.9
Chemicals and allied products....... 101.8 101.0 101.1 100.8 102.7 101.3 101.6 101.4 101.3 101.7
Petroleum and coal products......... 72.5 70.1 72.1 72.6 73.1 77.5 72.4 74.3 75.3 72.9
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 145.1 147.3 148.3 149.4 148.1 147.5 147.0 148.1 148.4 148.9
Leather and leather products........ 35.8 31.8 31.8 31.3 36.7 33.4 32.5 32.6 31.7 31.4
Service-producing....................... 155.3 157.7 158.1 160.2 157.0 160.3 160.6 161.6 161.2 161.7
Transportation and public utilities... 127.8 130.7 130.5 130.5 130.2 131.6 133.5 132.8 132.6 132.3
Wholesale trade....................... 126.6 129.0 129.2 130.1 127.9 129.9 130.3 130.9 131.0 131.1
Retail trade.......................... 136.9 137.7 138.0 140.7 139.8 142.1 142.5 144.2 143.2 144.0
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 132.8 136.5 136.1 136.6 134.2 137.3 137.5 137.9 138.0 137.7
Services.............................. 191.4 194.7 195.5 198.5 192.3 197.4 197.0 198.3 198.1 198.8
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 54.1 p46.5 p55.2
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.............. 59.0 p52.5 p53.2
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 58.3 p56.7
1999.............. p57.2
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 64.2 p61.9 p59.6
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 41.4 p36.7 p43.9
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.............. 39.9 p32.0 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 33.1 p30.2
1999.............. p29.5
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 32.0 p28.8 p27.3
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: June 04, 1999
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_0499.htm
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