Technical information: USDL 97-186
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, June 6, 1997.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: MAY 1997
Nonfarm payroll employment rose in May, and unemployment was about
unchanged after falling in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The number of payroll jobs rose
by 138,000 in May, following an increase of 323,000 in April (as revised).
The May gain was below the average monthly increase so far this year. The
nation’s jobless rate, 4.8 percent in May, has fallen by half a percentage
point since the end of last year.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
Both the number of unemployed persons, 6.5 million, and the
unemployment rate, 4.8 percent, were little changed in May. The jobless
rate had declined by 0.3 percentage point in April. Among the major
demographic groups, the rate for adult men dropped by 0.4 percentage point
in May to 3.8 percent, while the rates for adult women (4.5 percent),
teenagers (15.6 percent), whites (4.0 percent), blacks (10.3 percent), and
Hispanics (7.4 percent) were essentially unchanged. (See tables A-1
and A-2.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
Total employment was little changed in May but has shown strong growth
so far this year. The proportion of the population with jobs (the
employment-population ratio) was 63.9 percent, a record high, and was up by
0.8 percentage point from a year earlier. (See table A-1.)
Approximately 8.2 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more
than one job in May, 351,000 more than a year earlier. These multiple
jobholders made up 6.3 percent of all employed persons. (See table A-9.)
The civilian labor force, 136.2 million persons (seasonally adjusted),
and the labor force participation rate, 67.1 percent, were about unchanged
in May. Both the level and rate of labor force participation have risen
substantially over the past year and a half. (See table A-1.)
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| The establishment data in this release have been revised as a |
|result of the annual benchmarking process and the updating of |
|seasonal adjustment factors. More information on the revisions |
|is contained in the note beginning on page 5. |
| Beginning this month, a convenient method of obtaining |
|historical data for both the household and establishment series |
|contained in this release are available through the BLS Internet |
|site. This feature can be accessed at the end of the Employment |
|Situation news release. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
- 2 -
Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________|Apr.-
Category | 1996 | 19971/ | 19971/ |May
|________|________|__________________________|change
| IV | I | Mar. | Apr. | May. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 134,830| 135,934| 136,319| 136,098| 136,173| 75
Employment..........| 127,705| 128,728| 129,175| 129,384| 129,639| 255
Unemployment........| 7,124| 7,206| 7,144| 6,714| 6,534| -180
Not in labor force....| 66,627| 66,462| 66,194| 66,577| 66,659| 82
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 5.3| 5.3| 5.2| 4.9| 4.8| -0.1
Adult men...........| 4.4| 4.5| 4.4| 4.2| 3.8| -.4
Adult women.........| 4.8| 4.7| 4.7| 4.4| 4.5| .1
Teenagers...........| 16.6| 17.0| 16.4| 15.4| 15.6| .2
White...............| 4.6| 4.5| 4.5| 4.2| 4.0| -.2
Black...............| 10.6| 10.9| 10.7| 9.8| 10.3| .5
Hispanic origin.....| 8.0| 8.3| 8.6| 8.1| 7.4| -.7
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA2/ | Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 120,452| 121,138| 121,344|p121,667|p121,805| p138
Goods-producing 3/..| 24,509| 24,635| 24,670| p24,663| p24,683| p20
Construction......| 5,494| 5,585| 5,609| p5,599| p5,622| p23
Manufacturing.....| 18,444| 18,476| 18,489| p18,491| p18,486| p-5
Service-producing 3/| 95,943| 96,504| 96,674| p97,004| p97,122| p118
Retail trade......| 21,850| 21,928| 21,945| p22,036| p22,032| p-4
Services..........| 34,800| 35,086| 35,176| p35,322| p35,447| p125
Government........| 19,499| 19,540| 19,545| p19,578| p19,550| p-28
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 4/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.5| 34.7| 34.8| p34.5| p34.5| p.0
Manufacturing.......| 41.8| 41.9| 42.1| p42.1| p42.0| p-0.1
Overtime..........| 4.6| 4.8| 4.9| p4.9| p4.8| p-.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 4/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $11.97| $12.10| $12.14| p$12.15| p$12.19| p$0.04
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 413.48| 419.36| 422.47| p419.18| p420.56| p1.38
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Beginning in January 1997, household data reflect revised population
controls used in the survey.
2/ Establishment data have been revised to reflect March 1996
benchmarks,
updated seasonal adjustment procedures, and recomputed seasonal adjustment
factors.
3/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
4/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.
- 3 -
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.4 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in May--that is, they wanted and were available
for work and had looked for jobs sometime in the prior 12 months. The
number of discouraged workers--a subset of the marginally attached who were
not currently looking for jobs specifically because they believed no jobs
were available for them or there were none for which they would qualify--
was 338,000 in May. (See table A-9.)
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 138,000 in May to 121.8
million, after seasonal adjustment. The average monthly employment gain
thus far in 1997 has been 229,000, in line with that recorded in 1996. In
May, the largest job gains were in the services and construction
industries. (See table B-1.)
The services industry added 125,000 jobs over the month. Health services
and hotels and lodging places each had a relatively large job gain--26,000
and 13,000, respectively--for the second month in a row. Amusement
and recreation services also recorded a strong job increase (32,000) in
May, after showing no change in the prior 2 months. Employment growth
continued in computer and data processing services, engineering and
management services, and social services. In contrast, employment in help
supply services declined for the second straight month, with the losses
totaling 55,000.
Construction employment grew by 23,000 in May, as favorable weather
helped the industry to rebound from a loss of 10,000 jobs (as revised) in
April. Job gains in 1997 have totaled 101,000, with the strongest growth
in the special trade component. Employment in heavy construction grew by
8,000 over the month but has shown no clear trend over the past year.
In May, employment growth continued in finance (8,000) and real estate
(3,000). Employment in insurance showed no change, following a gain in
April. Within the transportation industry, trucking and air transportation
continued their upward trends.
Retail trade employment held steady in May, following a large increase
(as revised) in the prior month. Furniture and home furnishings stores
added 9,000 jobs, while employment decreased in general merchandise stores.
Employment in eating and drinking places was flat over the month, after
posting a large gain in April. Wholesale trade added 7,000 jobs in May,
half its monthly average during the prior 12 months.
Government employment was down by 28,000 in May. State governments
lost 13,000 jobs, mainly in the noneducation component. Federal employment
continued to decline, and has fallen by 286,000 since its most recent peak
5 years ago.
Manufacturing employment edged down by 5,000 in May. There were
losses of 6,000 jobs each in food and kindred products and in apparel,
where a long-term employment decline continued. A strike in auto
manufacturing caused employment to decrease in that industry. Over the
month, employment rose in printing and publishing and in chemicals and
allied products. Growth continued in electronic components, industrial
machinery, and aircraft.
- 4 -
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged in May at 34.5 hours, seasonally
adjusted. The manufacturing workweek and factory overtime both edged down
0.1 hour to 42.0 and 4.8 hours, respectively. (See table B-2.)
Following a decline in April, the index of aggregate weekly hours of
private production or nonsupervisory workers on nonfarm payrolls rose by
0.3 percent to 140.0 (1982=100) in May, on a seasonally adjusted basis.
The manufacturing index declined by 0.4 percent to 108.2. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of private production or nonsupervisory
workers on nonfarm payrolls were up 4 cents in May to $12.19, seasonally
adjusted. Average weekly earnings increased by 0.3 percent to $420.56.
Over the past year, average hourly earnings have risen by 3.8 percent and
average weekly earnings by 4.4 percent. (See table B-3.)
________________________________________
The Employment Situation for June 1997 is scheduled to be released on
Thursday, July 3, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).
- 5 -
Revisions to Establishment Survey Data
In accordance with annual practice, the establishment survey data have
been revised to reflect comprehensive universe counts of payroll jobs
(benchmarks). These counts are derived principally from unemployment
insurance tax records for March 1996; the benchmarking process resulted in
revisions to all not seasonally adjusted data series from April 1995
forward, the time period since the last benchmark was established. In
addition, the unadjusted data from January 1988 forward for selected series
in the transportation and public utilities division have been revised to
reflect Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) coding changes for a group
of employers within the air transportation and trucking industries. These
recomputations had a slight effect on higher level aggregate series,
including total nonfarm employment. All seasonally adjusted data beginning
with January 1988 also have been revised. Although the usual practice is
to revise 5 years of seasonally adjusted data with benchmark updates,
additional years have been included to incorporate an updated version of
the X-12 ARIMA seasonal adjustment software.
Table B presents revised total nonfarm employment data on a seasonally
adjusted basis for the period January 1996 through February 1997, the last
month with final estimates under the previous benchmark. The revised data
for April 1996 forward incorporate the effect of applying the rate of
change measured by the sample to the new benchmark level and updated bias
adjustments, as well as new seasonal adjustment factors. In terms of data
revisions, the not seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment level for
March 1996 was raised by 57,000 (54,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis).
By February 1997, the previously published level was revised downward by
54,000 (134,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis).
The June 1997 issue of Employment and Earnings will contain an article
that discusses the effects of the benchmark and post-benchmark revisions.
This issue also will provide revised seasonal adjustment factors for March
through October 1997 and revised estimates for all regularly published
tables containing national establishment survey data on employment, hours,
and earnings.
The BLS public database on the Internet, LABSTAT, contains all
historical data revised as a result of this benchmark and updated
seasonal adjustment factors. The data can be accessed from
http://stats.bls.gov/cgi-bin/dsrv?ee or through the Current Employment
Statistics homepage at http://stats.bls.gov/ceshome.htm. The full history
of all establishment data series also is available on magnetic tape
(call 202-606-5957).
Further information on the revisions released today may be obtained by
calling 202-606-6555.
- 6 -
Table B. Revisions in total nonfarm employment,
seasonally adjusted, January 1996-February 1997
(In thousands)
--------------------------------------------------
| | |
Year | As | |
and | previously | As |Difference
month | published | revised |
-------------|------------|------------|----------
| | |
1996: | | |
January....| 118,070 | 118,058 | -12
February...| 118,579 | 118,550 | -29
March......| 118,750 | 118,804 | 54
April......| 118,922 | 118,966 | 44
May........| 119,332 | 119,263 | -69
June.......| 119,537 | 119,516 | -21
July.......| 119,772 | 119,691 | -81
August.....| 120,052 | 119,983 | -69
September..| 120,050 | 120,019 | -31
October....| 120,311 | 120,248 | -63
November...| 120,492 | 120,450 | -42
December...| 120,723 | 120,659 | -64
| | |
1997: | | |
January....| 120,982 | 120,909 | -73
February...| 121,296 | 121,162 | -134
--------------------------------------------------
- 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 1997,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing about 48 million
people.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week
or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the
establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the
12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.
Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of
questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over
in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force.
People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours
in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they
were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather,
vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.
People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for
or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed
persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the
labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent
of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population.
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
Federal, State, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate
only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory
workers in the service-producing sector.
- 6 -
Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys
result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from
the surveys. Among these are:
--The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed,
unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed.
These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.
--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.
--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
--The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In
the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus
appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each
appearance.
Other differences between the two surveys are described in "Comparing
Employment Estimates from Household and Payroll Surveys," which may be
obtained from BLS upon request.
Seasonal adjustment
Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the
levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to
such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production,
harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The
effect of such seasonal variation can be very large; seasonal
fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month
changes in unemployment.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each
year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting
the statistics from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal
developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the
participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For example,
the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to
obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it
difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or
declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in
previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be
adjusted to allow for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal
adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful
tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity.
In both the household and establishment surveys, most seasonally adjusted
series are independently adjusted. However, the adjusted series for many
major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most major
industry divisions, total employment, and unemployment are computed by
aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example, total
unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major age-
sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration,
reasons, or more detailed age categories.
The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are
recalculated twice a year. For the household survey, the factors are
calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December
- 7 -
period. For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal
adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along
with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period. In both
surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject
to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the
entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample
selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the
estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total
employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus
376,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000
from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the
monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100,000 +/- 376,000).
These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these
magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range
includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment
rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely
(at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact,
occurred. The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in
unemployment is +/- 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment
rate it is +/- .21 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have
lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates
which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of
estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as
for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can
also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling
error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2
months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason,
these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after
two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.
Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is
the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new
firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth
(and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is
included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number
of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change. The size of the
- 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 $13.00 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
May Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 200,278 202,674 202,832 200,278 202,285 202,389 202,513 202,674 202,832
Civilian labor force.......................... 133,558 135,181 135,963 133,759 135,848 135,634 136,319 136,098 136,173
Participation rate...................... 66.7 66.7 67.0 66.8 67.2 67.0 67.3 67.2 67.1
Employed.................................... 126,391 128,629 129,565 126,428 128,580 128,430 129,175 129,384 129,639
Employment-population ratio............. 63.1 63.5 63.9 63.1 63.6 63.5 63.8 63.8 63.9
Agriculture............................... 3,698 3,425 3,652 3,474 3,468 3,292 3,386 3,497 3,430
Nonagricultural industries................ 122,693 125,205 125,912 122,954 125,112 125,138 125,789 125,887 126,209
Unemployed.................................. 7,166 6,551 6,398 7,331 7,268 7,205 7,144 6,714 6,534
Unemployment rate....................... 5.4 4.8 4.7 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.2 4.9 4.8
Not in labor force............................ 66,721 67,494 66,870 66,519 66,437 66,754 66,194 66,577 66,659
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 96,048 97,474 97,559 96,048 97,264 97,320 97,387 97,474 97,559
Civilian labor force.......................... 72,125 72,755 73,191 72,120 73,106 72,987 73,268 73,232 73,200
Participation rate...................... 75.1 74.6 75.0 75.1 75.2 75.0 75.2 75.1 75.0
Employed.................................... 68,258 69,105 69,968 68,188 69,164 69,232 69,478 69,627 69,929
Employment-population ratio............. 71.1 70.9 71.7 71.0 71.1 71.1 71.3 71.4 71.7
Unemployed.................................. 3,867 3,650 3,223 3,932 3,942 3,755 3,790 3,604 3,271
Unemployment rate....................... 5.4 5.0 4.4 5.5 5.4 5.1 5.2 4.9 4.5
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 88,530 89,680 89,766 88,530 89,446 89,556 89,604 89,680 89,766
Civilian labor force.......................... 68,095 68,933 69,146 67,996 68,998 68,827 69,111 69,147 69,059
Participation rate...................... 76.9 76.9 77.0 76.8 77.1 76.9 77.1 77.1 76.9
Employed.................................... 64,963 65,957 66,564 64,788 65,813 65,818 66,066 66,243 66,418
Employment-population ratio............. 73.4 73.5 74.2 73.2 73.6 73.5 73.7 73.9 74.0
Agriculture............................... 2,482 2,396 2,566 2,342 2,364 2,276 2,362 2,428 2,421
Nonagricultural industries................ 62,480 63,560 63,997 62,446 63,449 63,542 63,703 63,815 63,997
Unemployed.................................. 3,133 2,976 2,582 3,208 3,185 3,009 3,045 2,904 2,640
Unemployment rate....................... 4.6 4.3 3.7 4.7 4.6 4.4 4.4 4.2 3.8
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 104,230 105,200 105,274 104,230 105,022 105,068 105,127 105,200 105,274
Civilian labor force.......................... 61,433 62,426 62,772 61,639 62,742 62,647 63,051 62,866 62,973
Participation rate...................... 58.9 59.3 59.6 59.1 59.7 59.6 60.0 59.8 59.8
Employed.................................... 58,133 59,525 59,597 58,240 59,416 59,197 59,697 59,756 59,710
Employment-population ratio............. 55.8 56.6 56.6 55.9 56.6 56.3 56.8 56.8 56.7
Unemployed.................................. 3,300 2,901 3,175 3,399 3,327 3,450 3,354 3,109 3,263
Unemployment rate....................... 5.4 4.6 5.1 5.5 5.3 5.5 5.3 4.9 5.2
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 96,925 97,685 97,767 96,925 97,520 97,571 97,638 97,685 97,767
Civilian labor force.......................... 57,735 58,794 58,984 57,885 58,894 58,743 59,130 58,974 59,130
Participation rate...................... 59.6 60.2 60.3 59.7 60.4 60.2 60.6 60.4 60.5
Employed.................................... 55,058 56,388 56,464 55,067 56,165 55,955 56,359 56,392 56,481
Employment-population ratio............. 56.8 57.7 57.8 56.8 57.6 57.3 57.7 57.7 57.8
Agriculture............................... 875 775 782 831 797 775 739 779 743
Nonagricultural industries................ 54,183 55,613 55,682 54,236 55,369 55,179 55,620 55,613 55,738
Unemployed.................................. 2,677 2,406 2,520 2,818 2,729 2,788 2,771 2,581 2,650
Unemployment rate....................... 4.6 4.1 4.3 4.9 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.4 4.5
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population........... 14,823 15,309 15,300 14,823 15,318 15,261 15,271 15,309 15,300
Civilian labor force.......................... 7,727 7,453 7,832 7,878 7,956 8,065 8,078 7,977 7,984
Participation rate...................... 52.1 48.7 51.2 53.1 51.9 52.8 52.9 52.1 52.2
Employed.................................... 6,371 6,285 6,537 6,573 6,601 6,657 6,750 6,748 6,740
Employment-population ratio............. 43.0 41.1 42.7 44.3 43.1 43.6 44.2 44.1 44.1
Agriculture............................... 341 253 304 301 307 240 285 290 266
Nonagricultural industries................ 6,030 6,031 6,233 6,272 6,294 6,417 6,465 6,458 6,474
Unemployed.................................. 1,356 1,169 1,296 1,305 1,354 1,408 1,328 1,229 1,244
Unemployment rate....................... 17.6 15.7 16.5 16.6 17.0 17.5 16.4 15.4 15.6
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 1997, 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
May Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 168,098 169,675 169,782 168,098 169,436 169,492 169,569 169,675 169,782
Civilian labor force.......................... 112,854 113,867 114,486 113,025 114,377 114,333 114,736 114,618 114,630
Participation rate........................ 67.1 67.1 67.4 67.2 67.5 67.5 67.7 67.6 67.5
Employed.................................... 107,536 109,177 110,004 107,576 109,151 109,197 109,630 109,831 110,052
Employment-population ratio............... 64.0 64.3 64.8 64.0 64.4 64.4 64.7 64.7 64.8
Unemployed.................................. 5,317 4,690 4,481 5,449 5,226 5,136 5,106 4,786 4,578
Unemployment rate......................... 4.7 4.1 3.9 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.2 4.0
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 58,367 58,983 59,137 58,261 59,042 58,968 59,161 59,196 59,008
Participation rate........................ 77.4 77.4 77.6 77.3 77.7 77.5 77.7 77.7 77.4
Employed.................................... 56,026 56,772 57,284 55,861 56,653 56,692 56,923 57,057 57,112
Employment-population ratio............... 74.3 74.5 75.2 74.1 74.5 74.5 74.8 74.9 74.9
Unemployed.................................. 2,341 2,212 1,853 2,400 2,388 2,275 2,238 2,139 1,895
Unemployment rate......................... 4.0 3.7 3.1 4.1 4.0 3.9 3.8 3.6 3.2
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 47,939 48,526 48,705 48,114 48,631 48,619 48,832 48,662 48,874
Participation rate........................ 59.2 59.6 59.8 59.4 59.8 59.8 60.0 59.8 60.0
Employed.................................... 45,976 46,902 47,000 46,010 46,750 46,747 46,915 46,902 47,047
Employment-population ratio............... 56.8 57.6 57.7 56.8 57.5 57.5 57.7 57.6 57.8
Unemployed.................................. 1,964 1,624 1,705 2,104 1,881 1,872 1,917 1,759 1,827
Unemployment rate......................... 4.1 3.3 3.5 4.4 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.6 3.7
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force.......................... 6,547 6,357 6,644 6,650 6,704 6,746 6,742 6,760 6,748
Participation rate........................ 55.6 52.4 54.7 56.5 55.3 55.6 55.6 55.7 55.5
Employed.................................... 5,535 5,503 5,721 5,705 5,747 5,758 5,792 5,872 5,893
Employment-population ratio............... 47.0 45.4 47.1 48.5 47.4 47.5 47.7 48.4 48.5
Unemployed.................................. 1,012 854 923 945 957 988 951 888 855
Unemployment rate......................... 15.5 13.4 13.9 14.2 14.3 14.6 14.1 13.1 12.7
Men..................................... 16.1 14.7 13.3 15.3 14.9 14.6 15.0 14.3 12.7
Women................................... 14.8 12.1 14.5 13.0 13.6 14.7 13.1 11.9 12.7
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 23,549 23,923 23,950 23,549 23,847 23,872 23,895 23,923 23,950
Civilian labor force.......................... 15,080 15,265 15,370 15,138 15,372 15,408 15,439 15,365 15,434
Participation rate........................ 64.0 63.8 64.2 64.3 64.5 64.5 64.6 64.2 64.4
Employed.................................... 13,571 13,801 13,825 13,584 13,709 13,672 13,784 13,863 13,837
Employment-population ratio............... 57.6 57.7 57.7 57.7 57.5 57.3 57.7 57.9 57.8
Unemployed.................................. 1,510 1,463 1,545 1,554 1,663 1,736 1,655 1,503 1,597
Unemployment rate......................... 10.0 9.6 10.0 10.3 10.8 11.3 10.7 9.8 10.3
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 6,808 6,796 6,849 6,793 6,829 6,765 6,803 6,805 6,831
Participation rate........................ 72.4 71.3 71.7 72.3 71.8 71.0 71.6 71.4 71.5
Employed.................................... 6,173 6,221 6,287 6,144 6,198 6,159 6,173 6,234 6,255
Employment-population ratio............... 65.7 65.3 65.8 65.4 65.2 64.7 65.0 65.4 65.5
Unemployed.................................. 635 575 563 649 632 605 629 571 575
Unemployment rate......................... 9.3 8.5 8.2 9.6 9.2 9.0 9.3 8.4 8.4
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 7,331 7,631 7,641 7,374 7,574 7,636 7,641 7,641 7,693
Participation rate........................ 62.1 63.7 63.7 62.4 63.4 63.9 63.9 63.8 64.1
Employed.................................... 6,751 6,997 6,967 6,757 6,880 6,851 6,934 6,997 6,974
Employment-population ratio............... 57.2 58.4 58.1 57.2 57.6 57.3 57.9 58.4 58.1
Unemployed.................................. 580 635 675 617 694 785 706 644 719
Unemployment rate......................... 7.9 8.3 8.8 8.4 9.2 10.3 9.2 8.4 9.4
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force.......................... 941 838 879 971 969 1,007 996 920 910
Participation rate........................ 40.2 34.7 36.6 41.5 40.4 42.0 41.1 38.1 37.9
Employed.................................... 647 583 572 683 631 662 676 632 608
Employment-population ratio............... 27.6 24.2 23.8 29.2 26.3 27.6 27.9 26.2 25.3
Unemployed.................................. 295 254 307 288 337 346 319 287 302
Unemployment rate......................... 31.3 30.4 34.9 29.7 34.8 34.3 32.1 31.2 33.2
Men..................................... 33.1 37.4 35.9 30.0 42.7 37.4 41.4 37.3 32.6
Women................................... 29.5 23.4 34.0 29.3 27.5 31.3 23.7 25.3 33.8
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 19,131 20,180 20,236 19,131 20,013 20,067 20,119 20,180 20,236
Civilian labor force.......................... 12,487 13,427 13,630 12,602 13,795 13,640 13,662 13,572 13,746
Participation rate........................ 65.3 66.5 67.4 65.9 68.9 68.0 67.9 67.3 67.9
Employed.................................... 11,388 12,358 12,666 11,438 12,653 12,538 12,493 12,470 12,730
Employment-population ratio............... 59.5 61.2 62.6 59.8 63.2 62.5 62.1 61.8 62.9
Unemployed.................................. 1,099 1,069 964 1,164 1,142 1,102 1,169 1,102 1,016
Unemployment rate......................... 8.8 8.0 7.1 9.2 8.3 8.1 8.6 8.1 7.4
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
1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-3. Selected employment indicators
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Category
May Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over............... 126,391 128,629 129,565 126,428 128,580 128,430 129,175 129,384 129,639
Married men, spouse present................... 42,618 42,371 42,484 42,395 42,909 42,513 42,509 42,329 42,273
Married women, spouse present................. 32,491 32,603 32,575 32,339 32,826 32,578 32,699 32,473 32,445
Women who maintain families................... 7,372 7,908 7,913 7,323 7,501 7,556 7,720 7,838 7,858
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty......... 36,339 37,565 37,391 36,271 37,478 37,525 37,723 37,599 37,318
Technical, sales, and administrative support.. 37,417 37,998 38,132 37,615 38,163 38,073 38,158 38,150 38,362
Service occupations........................... 17,329 17,319 17,407 17,318 17,171 17,170 17,292 17,267 17,390
Precision production, craft, and repair....... 13,372 14,087 14,265 13,469 13,902 14,140 14,200 14,301 14,380
Operators, fabricators, and laborers.......... 18,181 18,183 18,514 18,311 18,317 18,144 18,234 18,415 18,647
Farming, forestry, and fishing................ 3,752 3,478 3,856 3,575 3,528 3,388 3,507 3,605 3,680
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers..................... 2,130 1,965 2,117 1,957 1,988 1,932 1,905 1,989 1,941
Self-employed workers....................... 1,517 1,393 1,483 1,472 1,448 1,353 1,414 1,424 1,444
Unpaid family workers....................... 51 67 53 48 62 15 59 70 50
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers..................... 113,630 115,947 116,611 113,940 115,560 115,987 116,533 116,608 116,969
Government................................ 18,567 18,307 18,128 18,240 18,385 18,144 17,994 18,036 17,807
Private industries........................ 95,063 97,640 98,483 95,700 97,176 97,843 98,539 98,572 99,162
Private households...................... 873 871 910 925 1,002 882 869 922 967
Other industries........................ 94,190 96,769 97,573 94,775 96,174 96,962 97,671 97,650 98,195
Self-employed workers....................... 8,940 9,132 9,151 8,882 9,445 9,124 9,292 9,159 9,106
Unpaid family workers....................... 123 126 150 121 162 136 108 130 148
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons.............. 4,175 4,244 3,891 4,311 4,426 4,262 4,153 4,402 4,019
Slack work or business conditions......... 2,150 2,419 2,192 2,255 2,423 2,378 2,344 2,491 2,300
Could only find part-time work............ 1,705 1,571 1,395 1,704 1,552 1,550 1,518 1,629 1,391
Part time for noneconomic reasons........... 17,920 19,139 18,592 17,643 18,340 18,070 18,120 18,176 18,336
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons.............. 4,003 4,066 3,707 4,109 4,163 4,098 3,937 4,235 3,806
Slack work or business conditions......... 2,057 2,279 2,079 2,136 2,310 2,277 2,210 2,374 2,159
Could only find part-time work............ 1,658 1,547 1,354 1,655 1,512 1,523 1,475 1,603 1,347
Part time for noneconomic reasons........... 17,277 18,562 17,993 17,039 17,737 17,452 17,565 17,661 17,780
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 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-4. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Category
May Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over....................... 7,331 6,714 6,534 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.2 4.9 4.8
Men, 20 years and over....................... 3,208 2,904 2,640 4.7 4.6 4.4 4.4 4.2 3.8
Women, 20 years and over..................... 2,818 2,581 2,650 4.9 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.4 4.5
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years................... 1,305 1,229 1,244 16.6 17.0 17.5 16.4 15.4 15.6
Married men, spouse present.................. 1,302 1,161 1,143 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.6
Married women, spouse present................ 1,251 1,026 1,076 3.7 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.2
Women who maintain families.................. 676 637 650 8.5 9.1 9.0 9.1 7.5 7.6
Full-time workers............................ 5,903 5,329 5,274 5.4 5.2 5.1 5.1 4.8 4.7
Part-time workers............................ 1,453 1,415 1,283 5.9 5.7 6.0 5.7 5.7 5.2
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty........ 860 755 798 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.1
Technical, sales, and administrative support. 1,822 1,683 1,526 4.6 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.2 3.8
Precision production, craft, and repair...... 764 714 688 5.4 5.3 4.7 4.9 4.8 4.6
Operators, fabricators, and laborers......... 1,648 1,453 1,421 8.3 7.9 8.1 8.1 7.3 7.1
Farming, forestry, and fishing............... 340 256 243 8.7 7.5 7.5 7.4 6.6 6.2
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary
workers...................................... 5,794 5,221 5,199 5.7 5.4 5.3 5.2 5.0 5.0
Goods-producing industries................. 1,735 1,578 1,526 6.2 6.0 5.6 5.5 5.4 5.2
Mining................................... 12 13 19 2.2 6.0 4.2 4.0 2.0 3.0
Construction............................. 668 618 600 10.2 10.1 9.0 9.6 8.7 8.4
Manufacturing............................ 1,055 947 908 5.0 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.4 4.2
Durable goods.......................... 585 457 446 4.7 4.4 4.0 3.6 3.6 3.5
Nondurable goods....................... 470 490 462 5.5 4.8 5.3 5.2 5.8 5.3
Service-producing industries............... 4,059 3,643 3,672 5.5 5.2 5.2 5.1 4.9 4.9
Transportation and public utilities...... 300 208 273 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.1 2.8 3.6
Wholesale and retail trade............... 1,721 1,658 1,631 6.5 6.4 6.5 6.3 6.2 6.1
Finance, insurance, and real estate...... 194 255 240 2.6 3.5 3.0 3.2 3.4 3.2
Services................................. 1,844 1,522 1,528 5.7 4.9 5.0 4.8 4.6 4.6
Government workers........................... 599 438 436 3.2 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.4 2.4
Agricultural wage and salary workers......... 225 212 149 10.3 8.6 8.8 9.5 9.6 7.1
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 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-5. Duration of unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Duration
May Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks.............................. 2,767 2,131 2,535 2,754 2,801 2,591 2,650 2,354 2,523
5 to 14 weeks.................................. 1,932 1,981 1,691 2,310 2,223 2,382 2,380 2,156 2,022
15 weeks and over.............................. 2,467 2,439 2,172 2,354 2,155 2,163 2,064 2,092 2,071
15 to 26 weeks.............................. 1,119 1,293 1,144 1,048 943 1,025 1,001 1,058 1,078
27 weeks and over........................... 1,348 1,147 1,028 1,306 1,212 1,138 1,063 1,034 993
Average (mean) duration, in weeks.............. 17.5 16.7 15.7 16.9 16.0 16.0 15.3 15.2 15.1
Median duration, in weeks...................... 8.5 10.2 7.8 8.4 7.7 8.4 7.9 8.3 7.7
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............................ 38.6 32.5 39.6 37.1 39.0 36.3 37.4 35.7 38.1
5 to 14 weeks................................ 27.0 30.2 26.4 31.1 31.0 33.4 33.6 32.7 30.6
15 weeks and over............................ 34.4 37.2 33.9 31.7 30.0 30.3 29.1 31.7 31.3
15 to 26 weeks............................. 15.6 19.7 17.9 14.1 13.1 14.4 14.1 16.0 16.3
27 weeks and over.......................... 18.8 17.5 16.1 17.6 16.9 15.9 15.0 15.7 15.0
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-6. Reason for unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally Seasonally adjusted
adjusted
Reason
May Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs..... 3,164 3,050 2,696 3,409 3,245 3,163 3,187 2,979 2,902
On temporary layoff................................... 868 988 704 1,070 953 944 1,021 976 871
Not on temporary layoff............................... 2,297 2,062 1,992 2,339 2,293 2,218 2,167 2,003 2,031
Permanent job losers................................ 1,627 1,453 1,391 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs................ 670 609 602 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers............................................. 621 723 721 688 890 787 784 754 801
Reentrants.............................................. 2,834 2,239 2,412 2,709 2,505 2,648 2,535 2,420 2,306
New entrants............................................ 547 540 569 546 600 647 647 577 574
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed........................................
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs.... 44.2 46.6 42.1 46.4 44.8 43.7 44.6 44.3 44.1
On temporary layoff.................................. 12.1 15.1 11.0 14.6 13.2 13.0 14.3 14.5 13.2
Not on temporary layoff.............................. 32.0 31.5 31.1 31.8 31.7 30.6 30.3 29.8 30.9
Job leavers............................................ 8.7 11.0 11.3 9.4 12.3 10.9 11.0 11.2 12.2
Reentrants............................................. 39.5 34.2 37.7 36.8 34.6 36.6 35.4 36.0 35.0
New entrants........................................... 7.6 8.2 8.9 7.4 8.3 8.9 9.0 8.6 8.7
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs.... 2.4 2.3 2.0 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.1
Job leavers............................................ .5 .5 .5 .5 .7 .6 .6 .6 .6
Reentrants............................................. 2.1 1.7 1.8 2.0 1.8 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.7
New entrants........................................... .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .5 .5 .4 .4
1 Not available.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-7. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization
(Percent)
Not seasonally Seasonally adjusted
adjusted
Measure
May Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer,
as a percent of the civilian labor force....................... 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed
temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian
labor force.................................................... 2.4 2.3 2.0 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.1
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the
civilian labor force (official unemployment rate).............. 5.4 4.8 4.7 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.2 4.9 4.8
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged
workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force
plus discouraged workers....................................... 5.6 5.1 4.9 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other
marginally attached workers, as a percent of the civilian
labor force plus all marginally attached workers............... 6.4 5.9 5.7 (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.. 9.5 9.0 8.5 (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 1997,
data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-8. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Age and sex
May Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 7,331 6,714 6,534 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.2 4.9 4.8
16 to 24 years.................................. 2,581 2,449 2,357 12.1 12.2 12.0 11.8 11.4 10.9
16 to 19 years................................ 1,305 1,229 1,244 16.6 17.0 17.5 16.4 15.4 15.6
16 to 17 years.............................. 636 618 585 19.5 17.7 19.7 19.4 18.5 18.4
18 to 19 years.............................. 667 617 657 14.4 16.6 15.2 14.6 13.3 13.7
20 to 24 years................................ 1,276 1,220 1,114 9.5 9.4 8.7 9.0 9.0 8.2
25 years and over............................... 4,784 4,253 4,209 4.3 4.0 4.1 4.0 3.7 3.7
25 to 54 years................................ 4,223 3,750 3,733 4.4 4.2 4.2 4.1 3.8 3.8
55 years and over............................. 561 487 481 3.5 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.0 2.9
Men, 16 years and over.......................... 3,932 3,604 3,271 5.5 5.4 5.1 5.2 4.9 4.5
16 to 24 years................................ 1,444 1,331 1,175 12.8 12.9 12.0 12.2 11.8 10.3
16 to 19 years.............................. 724 701 630 17.6 18.4 17.9 17.9 17.2 15.2
16 to 17 years............................ 343 350 290 20.5 20.4 19.6 21.4 20.5 17.8
18 to 19 years............................ 381 362 339 15.5 17.1 15.4 15.7 15.2 13.5
20 to 24 years.............................. 720 631 544 10.1 9.8 8.6 8.9 8.7 7.5
25 years and over............................. 2,504 2,267 2,113 4.1 4.0 3.9 3.9 3.7 3.4
25 to 54 years.............................. 2,204 2,003 1,846 4.2 4.1 4.0 3.9 3.8 3.5
55 years and over........................... 296 272 263 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.0 2.8
Women, 16 years and over........................ 3,399 3,109 3,263 5.5 5.3 5.5 5.3 4.9 5.2
16 to 24 years................................ 1,137 1,118 1,183 11.3 11.4 11.9 11.3 10.9 11.6
16 to 19 years.............................. 581 528 614 15.5 15.5 16.9 14.9 13.6 16.0
16 to 17 years............................ 293 268 295 18.4 14.9 19.7 17.1 16.5 19.0
18 to 19 years............................ 286 255 318 13.2 16.2 15.0 13.3 11.3 13.8
20 to 24 years.............................. 556 589 569 8.9 8.9 8.8 9.1 9.3 8.9
25 years and over............................. 2,280 1,986 2,096 4.4 4.1 4.2 4.2 3.8 4.0
25 to 54 years.............................. 2,019 1,747 1,887 4.5 4.3 4.5 4.3 3.9 4.2
55 years and over........................... 265 214 218 3.8 2.9 2.6 3.1 3.0 3.0
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-9. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Category
May May May May May May
1996 1997 1996 1997 1996 1997
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force.................................... 66,721 66,870 23,923 24,368 42,797 42,502
Persons who currently want a job.............................. 6,215 5,901 2,608 2,488 3,607 3,412
Searched for work and available to work now(1)............. 1,475 1,431 694 639 780 792
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2).................. 352 338 221 198 131 140
Reasons other than discouragement(3)............... 1,123 1,093 474 441 649 652
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4).................................... 7,846 8,197 4,352 4,398 3,494 3,800
Percent of total employed................................... 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.3 6.0 6.4
Primary job full time, secondary job part time.............. 4,455 4,594 2,743 2,773 1,711 1,820
Primary and secondary jobs both part time................... 1,709 1,713 558 546 1,151 1,167
Primary and secondary jobs both full time................... 245 262 158 190 87 73
Hours vary on primary or secondary job...................... 1,408 1,608 884 875 524 733
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 1997, 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
May Mar. Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997p 1997p 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997p 1997p
Total......................... 119,888 120,472 121,439 122,453 119,263 120,909 121,162 121,344 121,667 121,805
Total private.................... 100,044 100,522 101,485 102,463 99,847 101,380 101,615 101,799 102,089 102,255
Goods-producing......................... 24,453 24,163 24,411 24,704 24,432 24,581 24,653 24,670 24,663 24,683
Mining................................ 576 562 567 574 579 574 574 572 573 575
Metal mining........................ 53.7 53.5 53.7 54.4 54 55 54 54 54 54
Coal mining......................... 96.8 92.4 92.6 92.9 97 94 93 93 93 93
Oil and gas extraction.............. 317.2 312.7 314.0 317.1 322 317 319 317 319 321
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 108.1 103.1 106.6 109.5 106 108 108 108 107 107
Construction.......................... 5,430 5,204 5,437 5,666 5,384 5,542 5,604 5,609 5,599 5,622
General building contractors........ 1,250.2 1,227.1 1,257.4 1,294.8 1,254 1,287 1,298 1,298 1,294 1,299
Heavy construction, except building. 799.9 685.3 747.1 804.9 771 774 791 777 768 776
Special trade contractors........... 3,379.4 3,291.7 3,432.3 3,565.9 3,359 3,481 3,515 3,534 3,537 3,547
Manufacturing......................... 18,447 18,397 18,407 18,464 18,469 18,465 18,475 18,489 18,491 18,486
Production workers................ 12,739 12,705 12,711 12,762 12,762 12,758 12,762 12,771 12,772 12,783
Durable goods........................ 10,775 10,821 10,836 10,870 10,762 10,821 10,836 10,848 10,856 10,856
Production workers................ 7,383 7,422 7,434 7,465 7,371 7,417 7,427 7,437 7,440 7,451
Lumber and wood products............ 774.1 780.5 786.2 796.3 778 789 793 797 799 800
Furniture and fixtures.............. 503.5 507.1 505.2 508.2 503 506 507 507 506 508
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 546.7 529.5 539.0 546.4 541 543 543 542 541 540
Primary metal industries............ 710.4 708.9 708.3 707.3 711 708 708 709 709 708
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 241.3 235.9 234.8 234.7 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,440.8 1,461.0 1,464.0 1,468.0 1,441 1,460 1,462 1,463 1,468 1,468
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,117.3 2,142.3 2,145.9 2,149.7 2,112 2,126 2,132 2,136 2,143 2,145
Computer and office equipment..... 363.2 371.5 373.4 374.8 363 367 370 372 375 375
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,649.9 1,642.1 1,638.1 1,641.0 1,653 1,645 1,645 1,645 1,643 1,644
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 609.9 614.3 617.2 620.3 611 610 612 614 618 622
Transportation equipment............ 1,790.2 1,812.1 1,809.7 1,812.8 1,781 1,802 1,804 1,810 1,804 1,803
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 974.8 969.2 960.6 960.4 968 966 964 969 957 953
Aircraft and parts................ 454.8 489.9 495.2 497.3 455 483 487 491 495 498
Instruments and related products.... 855.3 852.5 853.4 854.5 855 854 854 853 855 854
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 386.6 384.9 386.0 385.9 387 388 388 386 388 386
Nondurable goods..................... 7,672 7,576 7,571 7,594 7,707 7,644 7,639 7,641 7,635 7,630
Production workers................ 5,356 5,283 5,277 5,297 5,391 5,341 5,335 5,334 5,332 5,332
Food and kindred products........... 1,665.8 1,653.0 1,648.8 1,660.7 1,698 1,695 1,694 1,698 1,699 1,693
Tobacco products.................... 38.2 40.8 38.2 36.8 41 41 42 42 40 40
Textile mill products............... 628.2 611.0 608.9 610.9 626 615 612 612 609 609
Apparel and other textile products.. 875.5 822.8 821.0 820.1 871 835 831 827 822 816
Paper and allied products........... 679.7 673.1 672.6 675.1 682 678 678 677 677 677
Printing and publishing............. 1,534.2 1,533.9 1,537.9 1,540.5 1,538 1,534 1,534 1,535 1,540 1,544
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,031.0 1,025.6 1,025.2 1,027.8 1,034 1,028 1,028 1,028 1,028 1,031
Petroleum and coal products......... 142.8 136.5 138.0 139.9 142 139 139 140 139 139
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 980.3 986.4 987.5 989.7 978 985 987 988 988 988
Leather and leather products........ 96.7 93.3 92.9 92.5 97 94 94 94 93 93
Service-producing....................... 95,435 96,309 97,028 97,749 94,831 96,328 96,509 96,674 97,004 97,122
Transportation and public utilities... 6,250 6,353 6,387 6,437 6,246 6,351 6,376 6,405 6,426 6,433
Transportation...................... 4,034 4,123 4,155 4,202 4,027 4,121 4,142 4,164 4,184 4,194
Railroad transportation........... 233.2 223.8 226.0 226.1 231 228 227 226 226 224
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 452.5 467.3 469.8 473.6 436 452 453 455 459 456
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,631.4 1,640.1 1,653.9 1,677.9 1,641 1,656 1,664 1,671 1,678 1,687
Water transportation.............. 174.9 169.9 176.4 180.5 170 175 175 175 178 175
Transportation by air............. 1,111.2 1,176.4 1,181.1 1,193.5 1,119 1,168 1,178 1,191 1,194 1,202
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 14.6 14.2 14.2 14.3 15 14 14 14 14 14
Transportation services........... 415.7 431.6 434.0 435.8 415 428 431 432 435 436
Communications and public utilities. 2,216 2,230 2,232 2,235 2,219 2,230 2,234 2,241 2,242 2,239
Communications.................... 1,328.4 1,358.9 1,363.0 1,365.3 1,332 1,354 1,358 1,364 1,369 1,369
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 887.2 871.1 869.4 870.1 887 876 876 877 873 870
Wholesale trade....................... 6,468 6,571 6,602 6,641 6,457 6,570 6,593 6,611 6,623 6,630
Durable goods....................... 3,794 3,877 3,895 3,914 3,788 3,863 3,879 3,889 3,900 3,908
Nondurable goods.................... 2,674 2,694 2,707 2,727 2,669 2,707 2,714 2,722 2,723 2,722
Retail trade.......................... 21,589 21,494 21,757 22,071 21,547 21,917 21,922 21,945 22,036 22,032
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 919.2 888.3 936.8 967.0 885 914 918 922 931 931
General merchandise stores.......... 2,633.8 2,674.1 2,682.7 2,705.8 2,720 2,757 2,752 2,783 2,800 2,791
Department stores................. 2,305.9 2,351.7 2,356.3 2,375.3 2,388 2,420 2,416 2,452 2,446 2,458
Food stores......................... 3,412.9 3,430.3 3,438.9 3,472.9 3,421 3,474 3,477 3,478 3,480 3,481
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,265.6 2,292.8 2,308.5 2,321.8 2,259 2,307 2,311 2,315 2,318 2,315
New and used car dealers.......... 1,029.8 1,051.5 1,053.8 1,055.4 1,029 1,051 1,053 1,055 1,056 1,055
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,075.1 1,071.1 1,074.7 1,076.2 1,097 1,107 1,103 1,104 1,104 1,099
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 964.8 1,014.7 1,015.6 1,023.1 975 1,020 1,022 1,025 1,026 1,035
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,647.8 7,386.1 7,558.3 7,731.1 7,493 7,552 7,556 7,525 7,579 7,577
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,669.6 2,736.3 2,741.4 2,773.1 2,697 2,786 2,783 2,793 2,798 2,803
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 6,885 6,951 6,985 7,029 6,888 6,971 6,980 6,992 7,019 7,030
Finance............................. 3,286 3,359 3,369 3,384 3,291 3,351 3,355 3,366 3,380 3,388
Depository institutions........... 2,016.6 2,030.3 2,032.2 2,041.2 2,021 2,032 2,034 2,037 2,041 2,045
Commercial banks................ 1,458.6 1,476.0 1,477.5 1,485.9 1,463 1,478 1,479 1,482 1,486 1,490
Savings institutions............ 265.9 253.5 253.1 252.8 266 255 255 254 253 253
Nondepository institutions........ 512.8 535.4 537.7 541.4 513 533 530 534 537 541
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 230.7 241.3 241.8 243.3 229 239 241 242 241 242
Security and commodity brokers.... 545.4 576.7 580.9 581.8 547 572 576 579 584 584
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 210.7 216.1 218.5 219.4 210 214 215 216 218 218
Insurance........................... 2,217 2,215 2,217 2,220 2,218 2,218 2,219 2,217 2,221 2,221
Insurance carriers................ 1,510.8 1,498.3 1,499.2 1,501.0 1,512 1,505 1,503 1,500 1,502 1,502
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 706.2 717.0 718.1 718.9 706 713 716 717 719 719
Real estate......................... 1,382 1,377 1,399 1,425 1,379 1,402 1,406 1,409 1,418 1,421
Services2............................. 34,399 34,990 35,343 35,581 34,277 34,990 35,091 35,176 35,322 35,447
Agricultural services............... 669.0 580.0 668.6 721.9 618 647 649 648 663 667
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,730.6 1,676.5 1,708.5 1,787.9 1,715 1,743 1,746 1,746 1,757 1,770
Personal services................... 1,168.2 1,257.1 1,257.9 1,185.9 1,182 1,195 1,197 1,196 1,197 1,199
Business services................... 7,170.4 7,459.1 7,489.4 7,551.5 7,216 7,476 7,521 7,577 7,593 7,601
Services to buildings............. 905.8 890.8 898.3 906.3 902 893 897 896 901 903
Personnel supply services......... 2,596.0 2,676.2 2,670.0 2,697.4 2,634 2,743 2,758 2,787 2,752 2,738
Help supply services............ 2,293.6 2,349.6 2,337.9 2,362.9 2,332 2,427 2,432 2,457 2,419 2,402
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,192.2 1,298.1 1,309.8 1,321.3 1,195 1,268 1,278 1,291 1,307 1,325
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,075.7 1,125.4 1,131.5 1,136.3 1,075 1,117 1,123 1,126 1,131 1,136
Miscellaneous repair services....... 375.7 377.5 380.9 386.0 375 380 379 380 382 385
Motion pictures..................... 523.7 532.8 529.3 533.9 523 530 532 529 527 532
Amusement and recreation services... 1,541.4 1,372.8 1,480.2 1,607.0 1,465 1,490 1,495 1,494 1,494 1,526
Health services..................... 9,438.7 9,603.7 9,626.2 9,654.9 9,453 9,586 9,600 9,612 9,643 9,669
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,670.0 1,716.1 1,722.2 1,732.4 1,674 1,713 1,720 1,721 1,727 1,736
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,723.6 1,749.4 1,753.6 1,757.7 1,730 1,750 1,751 1,753 1,759 1,764
Hospitals......................... 3,804.2 3,851.1 3,852.0 3,858.5 3,809 3,841 3,846 3,852 3,856 3,863
Home health care services......... 667.1 677.0 681.7 684.2 665 677 676 678 684 683
Legal services...................... 921.8 942.9 944.7 945.9 927 942 943 946 950 951
Educational services................ 2,044.7 2,178.0 2,190.0 2,100.7 2,010 2,042 2,046 2,047 2,060 2,066
Social services..................... 2,425.3 2,459.0 2,470.6 2,491.1 2,401 2,432 2,438 2,445 2,457 2,465
Child day care services........... 588.1 595.5 597.5 607.3 568 578 579 580 581 587
Residential care.................. 669.4 688.4 690.8 694.1 669 684 686 690 693 694
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 87.8 81.4 85.4 89.7 85 87 87 87 87 87
Membership organizations............ 2,185.2 2,178.3 2,185.0 2,197.4 2,187 2,192 2,192 2,193 2,198 2,199
Engineering and management services. 2,826.3 2,950.1 2,979.3 2,974.5 2,830 2,916 2,927 2,934 2,967 2,978
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 833.3 857.7 863.7 872.2 834 857 862 866 870 873
Management and public relations... 864.8 921.8 934.7 943.5 864 913 919 923 936 942
Services, nec....................... 47.1 47.6 48.0 48.4 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 19,844 19,950 19,954 19,990 19,416 19,529 19,547 19,545 19,578 19,550
Federal............................. 2,773 2,700 2,702 2,702 2,770 2,723 2,716 2,709 2,709 2,698
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,920.7 1,849.7 1,853.9 1,854.8 1,914 1,862 1,861 1,856 1,857 1,848
State............................... 4,688 4,748 4,758 4,680 4,629 4,621 4,624 4,622 4,633 4,620
Education......................... 1,983.7 2,069.3 2,074.6 1,993.4 1,926 1,928 1,931 1,929 1,939 1,935
Other State government............ 2,704.4 2,679.0 2,683.1 2,686.3 2,703 2,693 2,693 2,693 2,694 2,685
Local............................... 12,383 12,502 12,494 12,608 12,017 12,185 12,207 12,214 12,236 12,232
Education......................... 7,090.5 7,237.6 7,206.5 7,254.4 6,700 6,831 6,849 6,853 6,858 6,855
Other local government............ 5,292.4 5,264.2 5,287.2 5,353.1 5,317 5,354 5,358 5,361 5,378 5,377
1 This series is not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
2 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect March 1996 benchmarks, updated seasonal adjustment procedures, and
recomputed seasonal adjustment factors.
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
May Mar. Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997p 1997p 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997p 1997p
Total private.................... 34.3 34.6 34.4 34.5 34.3 34.4 34.8 34.8 34.5 34.5
Goods-producing......................... 41.0 41.2 41.2 41.4 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.4 41.4 41.4
Mining................................ 45.2 45.7 45.1 45.9 45.3 44.7 45.8 45.9 45.3 46.1
Construction.......................... 38.9 38.4 38.8 39.7 38.5 38.6 38.8 38.9 39.0 39.4
Manufacturing......................... 41.6 42.0 41.8 41.9 41.6 41.8 41.9 42.1 42.1 42.0
Overtime hours.................... 4.3 4.7 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.9 4.8
Durable goods........................ 42.4 42.9 42.7 42.8 42.5 42.5 42.7 42.9 43.0 42.8
Overtime hours.................... 4.7 5.1 5.0 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.2 5.3 5.2
Lumber and wood products............ 41.2 40.7 41.2 41.5 40.9 40.7 40.8 41.0 41.2 41.2
Furniture and fixtures.............. 39.1 39.9 39.5 39.7 39.6 39.8 39.9 40.3 40.1 40.3
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 43.6 42.5 43.0 43.5 43.3 42.6 43.3 43.1 43.1 43.2
Primary metal industries............ 44.1 44.8 44.6 44.5 44.1 44.4 44.6 44.8 45.0 44.6
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 44.3 44.7 44.4 44.1 44.3 44.7 44.6 44.8 44.7 44.1
Fabricated metal products........... 42.3 42.5 42.5 42.5 42.5 42.4 42.5 42.6 43.0 42.6
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 43.0 43.8 43.5 43.5 43.1 43.2 43.4 43.5 43.8 43.6
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 41.1 42.2 41.9 41.8 41.4 41.3 41.9 42.1 42.4 42.1
Transportation equipment............ 44.5 45.0 44.6 44.6 44.3 44.7 44.6 45.0 44.7 44.4
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 45.9 45.8 45.4 45.5 45.7 45.6 45.3 45.7 45.3 45.2
Instruments and related products.... 41.5 42.2 41.7 41.8 41.6 41.6 42.1 42.0 41.9 42.0
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 39.5 40.3 40.2 39.9 39.8 39.9 40.5 40.2 40.5 40.2
Nondurable goods..................... 40.4 40.7 40.5 40.6 40.5 40.7 40.8 40.9 40.9 40.8
Overtime hours.................... 3.8 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.3
Food and kindred products........... 40.7 40.7 40.4 41.0 41.0 41.2 41.3 41.3 41.1 41.3
Tobacco products.................... 39.9 39.1 38.4 38.6 39.6 39.9 40.8 40.2 39.0 38.3
Textile mill products............... 40.6 41.2 41.3 41.2 40.7 41.2 40.9 41.2 41.7 41.4
Apparel and other textile products.. 37.3 37.5 37.2 37.2 37.1 37.2 37.2 37.5 37.5 37.1
Paper and allied products........... 43.0 43.5 43.4 43.4 43.3 43.7 43.7 43.8 43.9 43.8
Printing and publishing............. 38.0 38.7 38.4 38.2 38.2 38.3 38.5 38.6 38.6 38.4
Chemicals and allied products....... 43.0 43.2 43.1 43.2 43.1 43.2 43.3 43.3 43.2 43.4
Petroleum and coal products......... 42.6 43.0 42.7 42.9 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 41.6 41.8 41.8 41.7 41.5 41.4 41.7 41.8 42.1 41.6
Leather and leather products........ 38.2 38.5 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.4 38.9 38.7 38.4 38.1
Service-producing....................... 32.5 32.9 32.6 32.7 32.5 32.7 33.0 33.0 32.7 32.7
Transportation and public utilities... 39.2 39.5 39.3 39.4 39.4 39.5 39.7 39.8 39.4 39.6
Wholesale trade....................... 38.2 38.5 38.3 38.6 38.1 38.2 38.6 38.6 38.4 38.5
Retail trade.......................... 28.7 28.7 28.6 28.8 28.8 28.8 29.1 29.1 28.9 28.9
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 35.6 36.5 35.8 35.8 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.2 32.6 32.4 32.4 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
1 Data relate to production workers in mining and manufacturing; construction workers in construction; and
nonsupervisory workers in transportation and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real
estate; and services. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employees on private nonfarm
payrolls.
2 These series are not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect March 1996 benchmarks, updated seasonal adjustment procedures, and
recomputed seasonal adjustment factors.
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
May Mar. Apr. May May Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997p 1997p 1996 1997 1997p 1997p
Total private.................... $11.72 $12.17 $12.17 $12.17 $402.00 $421.08 $418.65 $419.87
Seasonally adjusted............. 11.74 12.14 12.15 12.19 402.68 422.47 419.18 420.56
Goods-producing......................... 13.37 13.72 13.78 13.83 548.17 565.26 567.74 572.56
Mining................................ 15.44 15.98 16.05 16.00 697.89 730.29 723.86 734.40
Construction.......................... 15.29 15.67 15.76 15.85 594.78 601.73 611.49 629.25
Manufacturing......................... 12.71 13.08 13.09 13.09 528.74 549.36 547.16 548.47
Durable goods........................ 13.27 13.64 13.64 13.65 562.65 585.16 582.43 584.22
Lumber and wood products............ 10.34 10.60 10.64 10.71 426.01 431.42 438.37 444.47
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.08 10.43 10.43 10.50 394.13 416.16 411.99 416.85
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 12.74 13.03 13.07 13.15 555.46 553.78 562.01 572.03
Primary metal industries............ 14.82 15.16 15.12 15.14 653.56 679.17 674.35 673.73
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 17.52 17.86 17.88 17.89 776.14 798.34 793.87 788.95
Fabricated metal products........... 12.46 12.78 12.81 12.82 527.06 543.15 544.43 544.85
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 13.45 13.93 13.93 13.93 578.35 610.13 605.96 605.96
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 12.09 12.49 12.56 12.54 496.90 527.08 526.26 524.17
Transportation equipment............ 17.19 17.51 17.48 17.47 764.96 787.95 779.61 779.16
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 17.84 18.01 18.01 17.99 818.86 824.86 817.65 818.55
Instruments and related products.... 13.04 13.47 13.48 13.55 541.16 568.43 562.12 566.39
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.34 10.56 10.52 10.54 408.43 425.57 422.90 420.55
Nondurable goods..................... 11.89 12.25 12.27 12.26 480.36 498.58 496.94 497.76
Food and kindred products........... 11.18 11.40 11.45 11.40 455.03 463.98 462.58 467.40
Tobacco products.................... 21.04 19.40 20.30 20.77 839.50 758.54 779.52 801.72
Textile mill products............... 9.62 9.92 9.94 9.94 390.57 408.70 410.52 409.53
Apparel and other textile products.. 7.94 8.24 8.21 8.21 296.16 309.00 305.41 305.41
Paper and allied products........... 14.59 14.93 15.01 15.05 627.37 649.46 651.43 653.17
Printing and publishing............. 12.54 13.01 12.97 12.89 476.52 503.49 498.05 492.40
Chemicals and allied products....... 16.04 16.42 16.43 16.49 689.72 709.34 708.13 712.37
Petroleum and coal products......... 18.99 20.51 20.01 19.96 808.97 881.93 854.43 856.28
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.20 11.50 11.54 11.53 465.92 480.70 482.37 480.80
Leather and leather products........ 8.42 8.86 8.87 8.89 321.64 341.11 337.06 338.71
Service-producing....................... 11.15 11.66 11.64 11.61 362.38 383.61 379.46 379.65
Transportation and public utilities... $14.34 $14.70 $14.78 $14.72 $562.13 $580.65 $580.85 $579.97
Wholesale trade....................... 12.75 13.28 13.33 13.31 487.05 511.28 510.54 513.77
Retail trade.......................... 7.92 8.27 8.29 8.27 227.30 237.35 237.09 238.18
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 12.74 13.20 13.10 13.15 453.54 481.80 468.98 470.77
Services.............................. 11.67 12.24 12.20 12.17 375.77 399.02 395.28 394.31
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect March 1996 benchmarks, updated seasonal adjustment procedures, and
recomputed seasonal adjustment factors.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-4. Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm
payrolls by industry, seasonally adjusted
Percent
May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May change
Industry 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997p 1997p from:
Apr. 1997-
May 1997
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $11.74 $12.05 $12.10 $12.14 $12.15 $12.19 0.3
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.40 7.46 7.47 7.49 7.50 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 13.40 13.73 13.76 13.79 13.80 13.86 .4
Mining...................... 15.50 15.98 15.96 15.94 15.96 16.07 .7
Construction................ 15.37 15.73 15.79 15.80 15.87 15.93 .4
Manufacturing............... 12.73 13.02 13.03 13.07 13.07 13.11 .3
Excluding overtime4....... 12.06 12.34 12.35 12.37 12.38 12.38 .0
Service-producing............. 11.17 11.49 11.54 11.59 11.59 11.63 .3
Transportation and public
utilities................ 14.42 14.74 14.64 14.73 14.77 14.80 .2
Wholesale trade............. 12.76 13.12 13.23 13.30 13.27 13.32 .4
Retail trade................ 7.93 8.19 8.21 8.25 8.27 8.28 .1
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 12.73 12.95 13.08 13.12 13.01 13.15 1.1
Services.................... 11.70 12.05 12.12 12.16 12.16 12.20 .3
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to
deflate this series.
3 Change was .1 percent from March 1997 to April 1997, 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.
NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect March 1996 benchmarks, updated seasonal adjustment
procedures, and recomputed seasonal adjustment factors.
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
May Mar. Apr. May May Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
1996 1997 1997p 1997p 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997p 1997p
Total private.................... 136.0 137.5 138.2 140.2 135.7 138.2 140.0 140.2 139.6 140.0
Goods-producing......................... 111.2 110.0 111.2 113.8 111.0 112.0 113.1 113.3 113.4 113.6
Mining................................ 55.0 55.1 55.1 57.1 55.4 54.8 56.4 56.6 56.0 57.6
Construction.......................... 148.8 138.2 147.4 158.6 145.8 151.0 154.5 154.0 153.6 155.9
Manufacturing......................... 106.8 107.6 107.2 107.8 107.2 107.4 107.9 108.3 108.6 108.2
Durable goods........................ 109.3 111.0 110.8 111.4 109.2 110.0 110.7 111.3 111.7 111.3
Lumber and wood products............ 138.2 138.1 140.8 143.7 138.2 140.3 140.7 142.2 143.3 143.8
Furniture and fixtures.............. 122.2 126.2 124.5 125.8 123.9 125.1 125.7 127.3 126.4 127.6
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 112.2 105.7 108.9 111.9 109.9 108.9 111.0 110.0 109.4 109.7
Primary metal industries............ 92.5 94.0 93.4 93.2 92.4 93.1 93.5 93.9 94.3 93.3
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 73.7 72.7 72.0 71.5 74.0 73.4 72.9 73.2 73.0 71.6
Fabricated metal products........... 113.8 116.2 116.4 117.0 114.2 115.7 116.2 116.7 118.2 117.1
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 104.9 108.9 108.7 108.7 104.8 106.0 106.9 107.7 109.0 108.5
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 107.3 108.9 107.7 108.0 108.1 106.6 108.3 108.8 109.4 108.9
Transportation equipment............ 125.3 128.1 126.8 127.3 124.1 126.4 126.1 127.6 126.2 125.9
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 171.5 169.3 165.9 166.5 168.7 167.7 165.9 167.9 164.4 163.6
Instruments and related products.... 75.1 75.9 74.8 74.7 75.2 75.1 76.0 75.4 75.1 75.1
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 101.3 102.5 102.4 101.6 102.3 102.5 104.1 102.5 103.7 102.9
Nondurable goods..................... 103.4 102.8 102.2 102.9 104.4 104.0 104.0 104.3 104.3 104.0
Food and kindred products........... 112.5 112.0 110.8 113.3 116.3 117.0 117.0 117.4 116.9 117.0
Tobacco products.................... 55.9 60.6 55.1 53.3 62.8 63.2 64.7 63.7 59.9 58.8
Textile mill products............... 89.5 88.8 88.8 88.7 89.3 89.4 88.2 88.8 89.6 88.8
Apparel and other textile products.. 78.7 74.1 73.2 73.2 77.7 74.6 74.2 74.3 73.9 72.6
Paper and allied products........... 107.7 108.8 108.3 109.0 108.9 110.2 110.2 110.2 110.4 110.4
Printing and publishing............. 122.9 124.8 124.1 123.9 123.9 123.3 123.9 124.3 124.7 125.0
Chemicals and allied products....... 100.8 100.0 99.8 100.2 101.6 100.1 100.3 100.3 100.3 101.1
Petroleum and coal products......... 74.8 72.8 73.8 75.9 75.4 78.0 76.3 76.1 74.2 75.9
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 142.9 144.8 144.8 144.9 142.5 143.1 144.5 145.0 146.3 144.7
Leather and leather products........ 44.1 42.2 41.5 41.4 44.0 42.5 43.0 42.8 41.9 41.6
Service-producing....................... 147.1 149.9 150.3 152.0 146.8 150.0 152.1 152.3 151.3 151.8
Transportation and public utilities... 126.3 129.2 129.3 130.7 126.7 129.3 130.5 131.4 130.5 131.2
Wholesale trade....................... 122.4 125.1 124.8 126.5 121.9 124.3 125.9 126.3 125.6 126.2
Retail trade.......................... 134.3 133.6 134.7 137.7 134.5 136.7 138.2 138.5 137.9 137.9
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 123.5 127.6 126.0 126.9 123.6 124.7 128.9 129.0 126.4 126.9
Services.............................. 176.3 181.3 181.9 183.0 175.5 180.2 182.6 182.6 181.6 182.2
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect March 1996 benchmarks, updated seasonal adjustment procedures, and
recomputed seasonal adjustment factors.
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:
1993.............. 59.7 61.0 49.6 57.6 61.5 56.2 55.5 58.3 62.2 59.6 61.7 59.3
1994.............. 57.6 61.9 67.1 64.5 57.7 63.9 62.5 62.6 61.4 60.3 63.8 62.4
1995.............. 62.4 60.1 54.5 55.6 48.0 53.9 54.1 59.8 57.0 54.9 57.2 57.9
1996.............. 51.7 64.3 60.1 54.9 62.9 60.5 56.5 59.3 54.4 62.6 58.1 61.0
1997.............. 59.3 59.1 59.0 p60.5 p55.6
Over 3-month span:
1993.............. 64.7 60.8 60.5 58.6 62.9 63.6 59.6 62.9 64.7 66.9 64.3 63.6
1994.............. 65.3 69.5 70.4 68.7 67.1 67.0 69.1 69.7 65.7 65.6 67.0 66.2
1995.............. 65.4 62.5 58.7 53.2 54.6 52.4 57.9 59.6 59.7 59.0 57.0 56.3
1996.............. 62.6 63.6 62.6 61.2 62.1 63.1 62.6 58.8 62.8 60.4 64.7 65.0
1997.............. 64.6 62.2 p63.3 p63.8
Over 6-month span:
1993.............. 62.9 64.6 64.3 64.3 62.2 65.6 66.0 64.9 66.3 66.7 69.4 69.2
1994.............. 71.1 69.8 69.8 70.9 70.1 69.8 69.7 69.4 69.4 67.4 67.7 66.2
1995.............. 66.9 61.4 58.1 56.6 58.1 58.1 56.7 59.8 60.3 59.1 61.5 63.3
1996.............. 62.2 63.5 63.5 63.5 62.6 61.2 65.3 63.6 62.6 64.5 64.2 67.4
1997.............. p66.7 p66.2
Over 12-month span:
1993.............. 64.9 63.9 64.0 65.4 67.0 67.6 67.6 67.0 70.2 69.5 69.2 70.1
1994.............. 70.2 71.6 71.8 71.8 72.1 71.8 71.5 72.1 70.1 69.5 66.6 65.0
1995.............. 63.6 62.4 62.6 63.3 61.7 61.9 58.7 62.2 62.2 61.1 62.2 63.3
1996.............. 63.5 64.7 62.4 62.9 64.7 64.2 65.0 63.1 63.8 p65.7 p64.7
1997..............
Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1993.............. 52.2 56.8 49.6 44.2 53.2 46.4 49.3 51.8 57.9 52.2 54.0 55.8
1994.............. 55.8 59.0 60.4 58.6 52.9 58.6 59.4 56.1 52.9 55.0 58.6 58.3
1995.............. 54.3 56.1 44.2 51.4 42.1 42.8 43.5 52.2 47.1 50.0 47.5 50.7
1996.............. 45.7 54.3 47.8 39.2 52.2 52.2 44.2 52.9 44.2 50.7 49.6 52.2
1997.............. 54.0 50.4 52.9 p50.4 p50.7
Over 3-month span:
1993.............. 61.5 59.0 54.0 46.8 48.6 54.3 51.1 58.3 57.2 59.4 54.7 58.3
1994.............. 61.9 64.7 65.5 59.7 57.6 60.1 62.2 57.9 55.0 55.4 60.1 59.4
1995.............. 59.7 50.4 47.5 40.3 42.4 36.3 38.5 43.9 49.3 46.4 45.3 43.9
1996.............. 47.5 47.8 42.1 38.5 43.2 45.0 48.9 43.2 50.4 46.4 52.5 52.5
1997.............. 53.2 51.4 p48.6 p51.8
Over 6-month span:
1993.............. 55.8 58.6 58.6 55.8 51.8 57.2 59.7 57.2 57.6 58.3 62.6 60.8
1994.............. 62.2 62.2 62.6 63.3 59.4 56.5 56.5 58.6 58.6 55.0 58.3 55.0
1995.............. 55.8 48.6 43.9 38.8 39.2 39.6 38.8 39.6 43.9 45.0 44.2 44.6
1996.............. 41.4 41.7 41.0 38.1 39.6 40.6 47.5 46.8 45.3 50.4 48.2 53.2
1997.............. p51.8 p52.5
Over 12-month span:
1993.............. 56.8 57.9 55.8 58.6 57.2 57.6 58.6 59.0 61.2 59.7 60.1 57.6
1994.............. 57.9 58.6 60.8 60.8 60.8 63.3 59.4 60.1 57.2 56.5 50.4 49.6
1995.............. 46.0 44.2 46.0 47.8 41.0 41.7 38.5 38.8 36.3 37.4 38.1 39.9
1996.............. 39.6 42.8 39.2 39.6 42.4 40.3 43.5 40.3 43.5 p45.3 p45.0
1997..............
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. Data have been revised to reflect March 1996 benchmarks, updated seasonal adjustment procedures, and
recomputed seasonal adjustment factors.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Contact: (cpsinfo@bls.gov) Division of Labor Force Statistics-BLS
Last revised: July 03, 1997
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_0597.htm
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