Technical information: USDL 98-333
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, August 7, 1998.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: JULY 1998
Payroll employment rose slightly, and unemployment was unchanged in
July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor
reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 66,000 to 125.8
million, as growth was curtailed by strikes and plant shutdowns in
automobile-related manufacturing. The jobless rate remained at 4.5
percent.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
The number of unemployed persons, 6.2 million in July, was little
changed over the month. The unemployment rate remained at 4.5 percent; it
has been below 5.0 percent since July 1997. The jobless rate for whites
edged down by 0.2 percentage point to 3.8 percent, about the same as in
May. The jobless rate for blacks increased over the month to 9.7 percent.
Unemployment rates for the other major demographic groups--adult men (3.9
percent), adult women (4.0 percent), teenagers (13.8 percent), and
Hispanics (7.2 percent)--were essentially unchanged in July. (See
tables A-1 and A-2.)
The number of unemployed persons on temporary layoff--those who have
been given a date to return to work or expect to return within 6 months--
increased by 125,000 over the month to 966,000, reflecting the plant
shutdowns in automobile-related manufacturing. The unemployment rate in
durable goods manufacturing rose from 2.9 to 4.3 percent. (See tables A-5
and A-7.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
Total employment was essentially unchanged over the month at 131.1
million. The employment-population ratio--the proportion of the population
age 16 and older with jobs--was 63.9 percent, little changed from the
previous month’s rate. (See table A-1.)
About 7.6 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in July. These multiple jobholders comprised 5.8 percent of total
employment. In both June and July, the multiple jobholding rate was lower
than it had been a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
The civilian labor force was about unchanged at 137.3 million in July.
The labor force participation rate was 66.9 percent, down from its all-time
high of 67.3 percent at the beginning of the year. (See table A-1.)
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 July. 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.)
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Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________| June-
Category | 1998 1/ | 1998 1/ | July
|_________________|__________________________|change
| I | II | May | June | July |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 137,524| 137,351| 137,364| 137,447| 137,296| -151
Employment..........| 131,080| 131,349| 131,453| 131,209| 131,067| -142
Unemployment........| 6,444| 6,002| 5,910| 6,237| 6,230| -7
Not in labor force....| 66,871| 67,554| 67,535| 67,639| 67,973| 334
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.7| 4.4| 4.3| 4.5| 4.5| .0
Adult men...........| 3.8| 3.6| 3.5| 3.7| 3.9| 0.2
Adult women.........| 4.3| 4.0| 3.9| 4.1| 4.0| -.1
Teenagers...........| 14.6| 14.0| 14.2| 14.6| 13.8| -.8
White...............| 4.0| 3.8| 3.7| 4.0| 3.8| -.2
Black...............| 9.4| 8.7| 9.0| 8.2| 9.7| 1.5
Hispanic origin.....| 6.9| 6.9| 6.8| 7.6| 7.2| -.4
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA 2/| Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 124,795|p125,518| 125,562|p125,758|p125,824| p66
Goods-producing 2/..| 25,296| p25,312| 25,301| p25,297| p25,134| p-163
Construction......| 5,881| p5,930| 5,917| p5,942| p5,960| p18
Manufacturing.....| 18,825| p18,803| 18,805| p18,776| p18,600| p-176
Service-producing 2/| 99,500|p100,206| 100,261|p100,461|p100,690| p229
Retail trade......| 22,274| p22,404| 22,423| p22,454| p22,579| p125
Services..........| 37,019| p37,349| 37,350| p37,501| p37,566| p65
Government........| 19,711| p19,803| 19,828| p19,816| p19,804| p-12
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.7| p34.6| 34.7| p34.6| p34.6| p.0
Manufacturing.......| 42.0| p41.7| 41.8| p41.8| p41.7| p-0.1
Overtime..........| 4.8| p4.6| 4.6| p4.6| p4.8| p.2
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 144.3| p144.6| 144.9| p144.8| p145.2| p0.4
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 3/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $12.59| p$12.73| $12.73| p$12.76| p$12.79| p$0.03
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 436.75| p440.46| 441.73| p441.50| p442.53| p1.03
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Beginning in January 1998, household data reflect new composite
estimation procedures and revised population controls.
2/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
3/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.
- 3 -
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--totaled 374,000 in July, slightly higher
than a year earlier.
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 66,000 in July, after seasonal
adjustment. A large strike-related decline in manufacturing partly offset
a substantial increase in retail trade and gains in other service-producing
industries and construction. (See table B-1.)
Manufacturing employment fell by 176,000, as two strikes and related
parts shortages led to plant shutdowns in several auto-related industries.
(Persons on strike or on layoff for the entire survey reference period are
not on payrolls and, thus, are not counted as employed in the establishment
survey.) Employment in motor vehicles and equipment was down by 111,000
jobs; other declines at least partly attributable to the strikes (which
were settled after the survey reference period) occurred in primary metals
(-14,000), industrial machinery (-13,000), fabricated metals (-10,000),
rubber and miscellaneous plastics (-7,000), and apparel and other textiles
(-4,000). Manufacturing industries that had job losses unrelated to the
strikes included food products (-9,000), electronic components (-7,000),
and textile mill products (-5,000).
Construction added 18,000 jobs in July and has added 238,000 jobs since
October. Mining employment fell by 5,000, with the losses occurring in oil
and gas extraction.
A large increase in retail trade employment (125,000) reflected unusual
strength in eating and drinking places (up 69,000), where growth has
accelerated after a weak first quarter. Also contributing to the increase
in retail trade were food stores and miscellaneous retail establishments,
with gains of 16,000 jobs each, and building materials and garden supply
stores and furniture stores, which added 6,000 jobs each. In wholesale
trade, employment was essentially flat for the second month in a row.
Finance, insurance, and real estate continued its strong growth trend,
adding 32,000 jobs in July. All three components contributed to the gain.
In finance, employment rose by 18,000, with security and mortgage
brokerages accounting for most of the growth. Insurance continued to add
jobs (8,000), and real estate employment grew by 6,000, following little
change in the prior 2 months.
Transportation and public utilities added 18,000 jobs in July. All of
the gain was in transportation, which had experienced little growth in the
prior month. The largest increases were in trucking, local and interurban
passenger transit, and water transportation.
Employment in services grew by 65,000 in July, only about half the
average gain for the previous 12 months. Help supply services had a
decline of 33,000 jobs, some of which was attributable to the shutdowns in
the auto industry. Health services, which typically adds jobs each month,
did not grow in July. Job losses in home health care and nursing homes
offset gains in doctors’ offices and hospitals. Elsewhere in the services
industry, robust growth continued in engineering and management services
(26,000) and computer services (20,000). Amusement and recreation services
and hotels and other lodging places also added jobs over the month.
Government employment was little changed overall in July. Local
government except education showed a decline of 18,000, as summer hiring
was lighter than usual, and federal employment continued its long-term
downward trend. An increase in state government employment mainly
reflected a return to payrolls of public transportation workers following
the settlement of a strike.
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Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls was unchanged in July at 34.6 hours, seasonally adjusted.
The manufacturing workweek edged down by 0.1 hour to 41.7 hours, while
factory overtime rose by 0.2 hour to 4.8 hours. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.3 percent to 145.2
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index fell by 1.6
percent to 107.3, reflecting in large part the effects of the strikes and
layoffs in the auto-related industries. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls rose by 3 cents in July to $12.79, seasonally
adjusted. Average weekly earnings increased by 0.2 percent to $442.53.
Over the year, average hourly and weekly earnings have risen by 4.2 and
4.5 percent, respectively. (See table B-3.)
________________________________________
The Employment Situation for August 1998 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, September 4, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).
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Explanatory Note
This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the
information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears
in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
The establishment survey provides the information on the employment,
hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B
tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from
payroll records by BLS in cooperation with State agencies. In June 1998,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing about 48 million
people.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week
or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the
establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the
12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.
Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of
questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over
in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force.
People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours
in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they
were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather,
vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.
People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for
or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed
persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the
labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent
of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population.
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
Federal, State, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate
only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory
workers in the service-producing sector.
- 6 -
Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys
result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from
the surveys. Among these are:
--The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed,
unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed.
These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.
--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.
--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
--The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In
the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus
appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each
appearance.
Other differences between the two surveys are described in "Comparing
Employment Estimates from Household and Payroll Surveys," which may be
obtained from BLS upon request.
Seasonal adjustment
Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the
levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to
such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production,
harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The
effect of such seasonal variation can be very large; seasonal
fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month
changes in unemployment.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each
year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting
the statistics from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal
developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the
participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For example,
the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to
obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it
difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or
declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in
previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be
adjusted to allow for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal
adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful
tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity.
In both the household and establishment surveys, most seasonally adjusted
series are independently adjusted. However, the adjusted series for many
major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most major
industry divisions, total employment, and unemployment are computed by
aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example, total
unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major age-
sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration,
reasons, or more detailed age categories.
The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are
recalculated twice a year. For the household survey, the factors are
calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December
- 7 -
period. For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal
adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along
with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period. In both
surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject
to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the
entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample
selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the
estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total
employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus
376,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000
from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the
monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100,000 +/- 376,000).
These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these
magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range
includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment
rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely
(at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact,
occurred. The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in
unemployment is +/- 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment
rate it is +/- .21 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have
lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates
which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of
estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as
for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can
also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling
error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2
months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason,
these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after
two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.
Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is
the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new
firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth
(and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is
included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number
of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change. The size of the
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monthly bias adjustment is based largely on past relationships between the
sample-based estimates of employment and the total counts of employment
described below.
The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted
once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment
obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program.
The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and the
March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a
rough proxy for total survey error. The new benchmarks also incorporate
changes in the classification of industries. Over the past decade, the
benchmark revision for total nonfarm employment has averaged 0.2 percent,
ranging from zero to 0.6 percent.
Additional statistics and other information
More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings,
published each month by BLS. It is available for $17.00 per issue or
$35.00 per year from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402. All orders must be prepaid by sending a check or money order
payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or by charging to Mastercard or
Visa.
Employment and Earnings also provides measures of sampling error for the
household survey data published in this release. For unemployment and
other labor force categories, these measures appear in tables 1-B through
1-H of its "Explanatory Notes." Measures of the reliability of the data
drawn from the establishment survey and the actual amounts of revision due
to benchmark adjustments are provided in tables 2-B through 2-G of that
publication.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-606-STAT; TDD phone:
202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Employment status, sex, and age
July June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 203,166 205,085 205,270 203,166 204,547 204,731 204,899 205,085 205,270
Civilian labor force.......................... 138,331 138,798 139,336 136,294 137,523 137,242 137,364 137,447 137,296
Participation rate...................... 68.1 67.7 67.9 67.1 67.2 67.0 67.0 67.0 66.9
Employed.................................... 131,350 132,265 132,769 129,661 130,994 131,383 131,453 131,209 131,067
Employment-population ratio............. 64.7 64.5 64.7 63.8 64.0 64.2 64.2 64.0 63.9
Agriculture............................... 3,849 3,718 3,866 3,452 3,132 3,350 3,335 3,343 3,441
Nonagricultural industries................ 127,501 128,546 128,903 126,209 127,862 128,033 128,118 127,867 127,626
Unemployed.................................. 6,981 6,534 6,567 6,633 6,529 5,859 5,910 6,237 6,230
Unemployment rate....................... 5.0 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.7 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5
Not in labor force............................ 64,835 66,287 65,934 66,872 67,024 67,489 67,535 67,639 67,973
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 97,733 98,691 98,785 97,733 98,405 98,503 98,591 98,691 98,785
Civilian labor force.......................... 74,674 74,945 75,467 73,218 73,695 73,799 73,783 73,818 74,027
Participation rate...................... 76.4 75.9 76.4 74.9 74.9 74.9 74.8 74.8 74.9
Employed.................................... 71,157 71,618 72,049 69,711 70,297 70,831 70,685 70,570 70,605
Employment-population ratio............. 72.8 72.6 72.9 71.3 71.4 71.9 71.7 71.5 71.5
Unemployed.................................. 3,517 3,326 3,418 3,507 3,399 2,969 3,098 3,249 3,422
Unemployment rate....................... 4.7 4.4 4.5 4.8 4.6 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.6
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 89,888 90,700 90,802 89,888 90,502 90,580 90,622 90,700 90,802
Civilian labor force.......................... 69,614 69,968 70,202 69,171 69,451 69,697 69,624 69,545 69,790
Participation rate...................... 77.4 77.1 77.3 77.0 76.7 76.9 76.8 76.7 76.9
Employed.................................... 66,962 67,531 67,619 66,361 66,753 67,301 67,190 66,950 67,040
Employment-population ratio............. 74.5 74.5 74.5 73.8 73.8 74.3 74.1 73.8 73.8
Agriculture............................... 2,575 2,527 2,586 2,390 2,168 2,420 2,324 2,333 2,394
Nonagricultural industries................ 64,387 65,004 65,034 63,971 64,585 64,881 64,866 64,617 64,646
Unemployed.................................. 2,653 2,437 2,582 2,810 2,699 2,396 2,434 2,595 2,750
Unemployment rate....................... 3.8 3.5 3.7 4.1 3.9 3.4 3.5 3.7 3.9
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 105,433 106,394 106,484 105,433 106,141 106,228 106,308 106,394 106,484
Civilian labor force.......................... 63,656 63,854 63,869 63,076 63,827 63,443 63,581 63,628 63,270
Participation rate...................... 60.4 60.0 60.0 59.8 60.1 59.7 59.8 59.8 59.4
Employed.................................... 60,193 60,646 60,720 59,950 60,697 60,553 60,768 60,640 60,462
Employment-population ratio............. 57.1 57.0 57.0 56.9 57.2 57.0 57.2 57.0 56.8
Unemployed.................................. 3,463 3,207 3,149 3,126 3,130 2,890 2,813 2,989 2,808
Unemployment rate....................... 5.4 5.0 4.9 5.0 4.9 4.6 4.4 4.7 4.4
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 97,919 98,735 98,778 97,919 98,534 98,583 98,668 98,735 98,778
Civilian labor force.......................... 58,952 59,277 59,101 59,232 59,771 59,486 59,573 59,599 59,359
Participation rate...................... 60.2 60.0 59.8 60.5 60.7 60.3 60.4 60.4 60.1
Employed.................................... 56,243 56,828 56,569 56,693 57,186 57,075 57,253 57,172 57,000
Employment-population ratio............. 57.4 57.6 57.3 57.9 58.0 57.9 58.0 57.9 57.7
Agriculture............................... 902 799 868 831 717 705 755 747 793
Nonagricultural industries................ 55,342 56,030 55,701 55,862 56,470 56,370 56,499 56,424 56,207
Unemployed.................................. 2,708 2,449 2,532 2,539 2,585 2,411 2,320 2,427 2,359
Unemployment rate....................... 4.6 4.1 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.1 3.9 4.1 4.0
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population........... 15,359 15,651 15,690 15,359 15,511 15,569 15,609 15,651 15,690
Civilian labor force.......................... 9,764 9,553 10,033 7,891 8,300 8,059 8,166 8,302 8,147
Participation rate...................... 63.6 61.0 63.9 51.4 53.5 51.8 52.3 53.0 51.9
Employed.................................... 8,145 7,905 8,580 6,607 7,055 7,007 7,010 7,088 7,027
Employment-population ratio............. 53.0 50.5 54.7 43.0 45.5 45.0 44.9 45.3 44.8
Agriculture............................... 371 392 412 231 247 225 256 262 254
Nonagricultural industries................ 7,773 7,513 8,168 6,376 6,808 6,782 6,754 6,826 6,773
Unemployed.................................. 1,620 1,648 1,453 1,284 1,245 1,052 1,156 1,215 1,120
Unemployment rate....................... 16.6 17.2 14.5 16.3 15.0 13.1 14.2 14.6 13.8
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used
in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, age, and Hispanic origin
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Employment status, race, sex, age, and
Hispanic origin
July June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 170,010 171,387 171,513 170,010 171,016 171,141 171,257 171,387 171,513
Civilian labor force.......................... 116,265 116,297 116,570 114,622 115,297 115,057 115,309 115,137 114,975
Participation rate........................ 68.4 67.9 68.0 67.4 67.4 67.2 67.3 67.2 67.0
Employed.................................... 111,323 111,576 112,047 109,851 110,605 110,859 111,025 110,535 110,630
Employment-population ratio............... 65.5 65.1 65.3 64.6 64.7 64.8 64.8 64.5 64.5
Unemployed.................................. 4,942 4,721 4,523 4,771 4,692 4,198 4,284 4,602 4,346
Unemployment rate......................... 4.3 4.1 3.9 4.2 4.1 3.6 3.7 4.0 3.8
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 59,465 59,618 59,768 59,096 59,201 59,307 59,366 59,257 59,403
Participation rate........................ 77.9 77.5 77.7 77.4 77.1 77.2 77.2 77.0 77.2
Employed.................................... 57,543 57,817 57,953 57,011 57,209 57,562 57,516 57,302 57,436
Employment-population ratio............... 75.4 75.2 75.3 74.7 74.5 74.9 74.8 74.5 74.6
Unemployed.................................. 1,922 1,801 1,816 2,085 1,992 1,745 1,850 1,955 1,967
Unemployment rate......................... 3.2 3.0 3.0 3.5 3.4 2.9 3.1 3.3 3.3
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 48,575 48,665 48,445 48,790 49,077 48,955 49,019 48,886 48,705
Participation rate........................ 59.6 59.3 59.0 59.9 59.9 59.7 59.8 59.6 59.3
Employed.................................... 46,726 46,961 46,711 47,072 47,276 47,300 47,416 47,197 47,087
Employment-population ratio............... 57.3 57.2 56.9 57.8 57.7 57.7 57.8 57.5 57.4
Unemployed.................................. 1,849 1,704 1,734 1,718 1,801 1,654 1,603 1,688 1,618
Unemployment rate......................... 3.8 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.3 3.5 3.3
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force.......................... 8,226 8,014 8,356 6,736 7,019 6,795 6,924 6,994 6,867
Participation rate........................ 67.5 64.4 67.0 55.3 56.9 54.9 55.8 56.2 55.1
Employed.................................... 7,055 6,797 7,384 5,768 6,120 5,996 6,093 6,036 6,107
Employment-population ratio............... 57.9 54.6 59.2 47.3 49.6 48.5 49.1 48.5 49.0
Unemployed.................................. 1,171 1,217 972 968 899 799 831 958 760
Unemployment rate......................... 14.2 15.2 11.6 14.4 12.8 11.8 12.0 13.7 11.1
Men..................................... 14.5 16.0 12.9 15.0 14.9 12.7 14.0 14.7 13.1
Women................................... 14.0 14.3 10.2 13.7 10.6 10.7 9.8 12.6 8.9
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 24,006 24,349 24,381 24,006 24,257 24,289 24,317 24,349 24,381
Civilian labor force.......................... 15,877 16,182 16,413 15,524 15,971 15,907 15,756 16,013 16,059
Participation rate........................ 66.1 66.5 67.3 64.7 65.8 65.5 64.8 65.8 65.9
Employed.................................... 14,218 14,709 14,708 14,040 14,498 14,499 14,344 14,700 14,508
Employment-population ratio............... 59.2 60.4 60.3 58.5 59.8 59.7 59.0 60.4 59.5
Unemployed.................................. 1,659 1,473 1,706 1,484 1,473 1,408 1,412 1,313 1,551
Unemployment rate......................... 10.4 9.1 10.4 9.6 9.2 8.9 9.0 8.2 9.7
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 6,992 7,105 7,173 6,946 7,044 7,097 7,009 7,088 7,120
Participation rate........................ 73.0 73.1 73.7 72.5 72.8 73.2 72.2 73.0 73.2
Employed.................................... 6,411 6,619 6,537 6,371 6,511 6,573 6,536 6,599 6,485
Employment-population ratio............... 66.9 68.1 67.2 66.5 67.3 67.8 67.4 67.9 66.7
Unemployed.................................. 580 486 636 575 533 524 473 489 635
Unemployment rate......................... 8.3 6.8 8.9 8.3 7.6 7.4 6.7 6.9 8.9
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 7,688 7,841 7,910 7,691 7,935 7,822 7,787 7,866 7,921
Participation rate........................ 64.0 64.3 64.8 64.1 65.3 64.3 64.0 64.5 64.9
Employed.................................... 6,989 7,220 7,238 7,048 7,284 7,182 7,130 7,256 7,296
Employment-population ratio............... 58.2 59.2 59.3 58.7 60.0 59.0 58.6 59.5 59.8
Unemployed.................................. 699 621 673 643 651 640 657 609 625
Unemployment rate......................... 9.1 7.9 8.5 8.4 8.2 8.2 8.4 7.7 7.9
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force.......................... 1,197 1,236 1,330 887 992 988 960 1,060 1,018
Participation rate........................ 49.5 50.5 54.3 36.7 40.9 40.6 39.4 43.4 41.6
Employed.................................... 817 871 933 621 703 744 678 846 727
Employment-population ratio............... 33.8 35.6 38.1 25.7 29.0 30.6 27.8 34.6 29.7
Unemployed.................................. 379 365 397 266 289 244 283 214 291
Unemployment rate......................... 31.7 29.6 29.9 30.0 29.1 24.7 29.4 20.2 28.6
Men..................................... 35.4 30.2 31.8 34.6 27.8 23.9 30.2 20.4 30.6
Women................................... 28.1 29.0 27.7 25.9 30.3 25.3 28.8 20.1 26.4
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 20,351 21,036 21,097 20,351 20,851 20,915 20,975 21,036 21,097
Civilian labor force.......................... 14,057 14,436 14,438 13,861 14,298 14,369 14,458 14,420 14,240
Participation rate........................ 69.1 68.6 68.4 68.1 68.6 68.7 68.9 68.5 67.5
Employed.................................... 12,909 13,394 13,351 12,772 13,305 13,434 13,480 13,328 13,219
Employment-population ratio............... 63.4 63.7 63.3 62.8 63.8 64.2 64.3 63.4 62.7
Unemployed.................................. 1,149 1,042 1,087 1,089 993 935 978 1,092 1,022
Unemployment rate......................... 8.2 7.2 7.5 7.9 6.9 6.5 6.8 7.6 7.2
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races"
group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January
1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-3. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Educational attainment
July June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998
Less than a high school diploma
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 29,288 30,064 29,027 29,288 29,251 29,638 29,931 30,064 29,027
Civilian labor force.................. 12,281 12,988 12,269 12,554 12,392 12,664 12,690 12,888 12,548
Percent of population............. 41.9 43.2 42.3 42.9 42.4 42.7 42.4 42.9 43.2
Employed............................ 11,369 12,130 11,426 11,579 11,500 11,773 11,839 11,963 11,648
Employment-population ratio....... 38.8 40.3 39.4 39.5 39.3 39.7 39.6 39.8 40.1
Unemployed.......................... 911 858 842 975 891 891 851 925 901
Unemployment rate................. 7.4 6.6 6.9 7.8 7.2 7.0 6.7 7.2 7.2
High school graduates, no college (2)
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 57,581 57,446 57,374 57,581 57,885 57,484 57,706 57,446 57,374
Civilian labor force.................. 37,700 37,174 36,912 37,987 37,931 37,340 37,496 37,096 37,219
Percent of population............. 65.5 64.7 64.3 66.0 65.5 65.0 65.0 64.6 64.9
Employed............................ 36,124 35,780 35,408 36,382 36,331 35,885 36,114 35,602 35,694
Employment-population ratio....... 62.7 62.3 61.7 63.2 62.8 62.4 62.6 62.0 62.2
Unemployed.......................... 1,576 1,394 1,504 1,605 1,600 1,454 1,383 1,494 1,525
Unemployment rate................. 4.2 3.8 4.1 4.2 4.2 3.9 3.7 4.0 4.1
Less than a bachelor's degree(3)
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 42,322 41,880 42,293 42,322 42,313 42,303 42,024 41,880 42,293
Civilian labor force.................. 31,489 31,008 31,448 31,227 31,515 31,517 31,408 31,227 31,174
Percent of population............. 74.4 74.0 74.4 73.8 74.5 74.5 74.7 74.6 73.7
Employed............................ 30,492 30,151 30,496 30,239 30,471 30,669 30,437 30,333 30,224
Employment-population ratio....... 72.0 72.0 72.1 71.4 72.0 72.5 72.4 72.4 71.5
Unemployed.......................... 998 857 952 988 1,043 848 971 894 950
Unemployment rate................. 3.2 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.3 2.7 3.1 2.9 3.0
College graduates
Civilian noninstitutional population.... 41,171 42,464 43,309 41,171 42,085 42,197 42,090 42,464 43,309
Civilian labor force.................. 32,930 33,957 34,481 33,159 33,777 33,989 33,920 34,274 34,721
Percent of population............. 80.0 80.0 79.6 80.5 80.3 80.5 80.6 80.7 80.2
Employed............................ 32,168 33,337 33,839 32,474 33,145 33,419 33,364 33,674 34,146
Employment-population ratio....... 78.1 78.5 78.1 78.9 78.8 79.2 79.3 79.3 78.8
Unemployed.......................... 762 620 643 685 632 571 556 600 575
Unemployment rate................. 2.3 1.8 1.9 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.7
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation, therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and
seasonally adjusted columns.
2 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.
3 Includes the categories, some college, no degree; and associate degree.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the
household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-4. Selected employment indicators
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Category
July June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over............... 131,350 132,265 132,769 129,661 130,994 131,383 131,453 131,209 131,067
Married men, spouse present................... 42,589 42,582 42,794 42,582 42,779 42,865 42,471 42,539 42,837
Married women, spouse present................. 32,406 32,412 32,266 32,813 32,872 32,973 32,805 32,805 32,658
Women who maintain families................... 7,767 7,938 7,752 7,875 7,776 7,813 7,848 7,922 7,846
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty......... 37,209 38,449 38,620 37,598 38,454 38,643 38,641 38,732 39,011
Technical, sales, and administrative support.. 38,651 38,605 38,923 38,240 38,693 38,585 38,401 38,567 38,500
Service occupations........................... 18,066 18,123 18,111 17,550 17,752 17,478 17,749 17,873 17,584
Precision production, craft, and repair....... 14,539 14,799 14,584 14,234 14,656 14,673 14,853 14,509 14,312
Operators, fabricators, and laborers.......... 18,773 18,344 18,431 18,476 18,179 18,447 18,322 18,120 18,145
Farming, forestry, and fishing................ 4,111 3,944 4,098 3,531 3,269 3,495 3,479 3,503 3,503
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers..................... 2,156 2,145 2,285 1,897 1,866 1,987 1,871 1,841 2,018
Self-employed workers....................... 1,628 1,524 1,543 1,478 1,242 1,324 1,395 1,470 1,383
Unpaid family workers....................... 64 49 38 52 32 28 51 48 30
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers..................... 118,362 119,370 119,638 117,146 119,131 118,774 119,013 118,654 118,543
Government................................ 17,825 18,220 17,905 18,303 18,072 18,202 18,034 18,497 18,364
Private industries........................ 100,537 101,151 101,733 98,843 101,058 100,571 100,979 100,157 100,179
Private households...................... 960 968 1,021 911 1,022 1,014 1,015 961 974
Other industries........................ 99,578 100,183 100,712 97,932 100,037 99,557 99,964 99,195 99,205
Self-employed workers....................... 9,002 9,068 9,167 8,927 8,784 9,069 9,023 8,969 9,094
Unpaid family workers....................... 137 108 98 129 102 124 97 100 91
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons.............. 4,279 4,033 4,025 4,019 3,902 3,735 3,772 3,837 3,783
Slack work or business conditions......... 2,211 2,159 2,344 2,236 2,188 2,074 2,104 2,230 2,372
Could only find part-time work............ 1,726 1,431 1,383 1,489 1,445 1,300 1,344 1,246 1,192
Part time for noneconomic reasons........... 15,727 17,191 16,168 18,055 18,448 18,084 18,662 18,665 18,584
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons.............. 4,123 3,871 3,882 3,858 3,726 3,608 3,630 3,676 3,632
Slack work or business conditions......... 2,115 2,086 2,256 2,121 2,057 1,998 2,024 2,151 2,261
Could only find part-time work............ 1,683 1,373 1,339 1,462 1,416 1,276 1,315 1,199 1,162
Part time for noneconomic reasons........... 15,102 16,595 15,528 17,452 17,929 17,470 18,067 18,019 17,972
NOTE: Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for
reasons such as vacation, illness, or industrial dispute. Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually
work full time but worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad
weather. Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used
in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-5. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Category
July June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over....................... 6,633 6,237 6,230 4.9 4.7 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5
Men, 20 years and over....................... 2,810 2,595 2,750 4.1 3.9 3.4 3.5 3.7 3.9
Women, 20 years and over..................... 2,539 2,427 2,359 4.3 4.3 4.1 3.9 4.1 4.0
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years................... 1,284 1,215 1,120 16.3 15.0 13.1 14.2 14.6 13.8
Married men, spouse present.................. 1,149 952 998 2.6 2.5 2.2 2.4 2.2 2.3
Married women, spouse present................ 1,049 991 947 3.1 3.3 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.8
Women who maintain families.................. 652 591 576 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.7 6.9 6.8
Full-time workers............................ 5,329 4,905 4,957 4.8 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.4
Part-time workers............................ 1,305 1,300 1,285 5.4 5.7 4.8 4.7 5.2 5.3
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty........ 751 670 676 2.0 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.7
Technical, sales, and administrative support. 1,626 1,559 1,522 4.1 4.1 3.7 3.9 3.9 3.8
Precision production, craft, and repair...... 729 648 655 4.9 4.5 3.7 4.4 4.3 4.4
Operators, fabricators, and laborers......... 1,470 1,339 1,354 7.4 6.9 6.1 6.5 6.9 6.9
Farming, forestry, and fishing............... 244 244 263 6.5 7.1 5.8 6.4 6.5 7.0
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary
workers...................................... 5,105 4,908 4,863 4.9 4.7 4.3 4.5 4.7 4.6
Goods-producing industries................. 1,539 1,323 1,408 5.3 5.0 4.4 4.6 4.7 4.9
Mining................................... 27 26 24 4.1 3.7 2.3 1.3 3.9 3.7
Construction............................. 604 549 452 8.7 8.6 6.3 8.0 8.0 6.7
Manufacturing............................ 908 748 932 4.3 3.8 3.9 3.6 3.6 4.4
Durable goods.......................... 433 370 555 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.0 2.9 4.3
Nondurable goods....................... 475 378 377 5.4 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.6 4.5
Service-producing industries............... 3,566 3,585 3,455 4.8 4.6 4.3 4.5 4.7 4.5
Transportation and public utilities...... 249 264 246 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.0 3.6 3.4
Wholesale and retail trade............... 1,610 1,522 1,482 6.1 5.4 5.2 5.1 5.7 5.6
Finance, insurance, and real estate...... 241 161 151 3.1 2.6 2.2 2.0 2.1 2.0
Services................................. 1,466 1,638 1,575 4.4 4.7 4.3 4.8 4.7 4.5
Government workers........................... 510 386 464 2.7 2.9 2.0 2.4 2.0 2.5
Agricultural wage and salary workers......... 173 163 181 8.4 9.7 8.0 7.9 8.1 8.2
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which
is small relative to the trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used
in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-6. Duration of unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Duration
July June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks.............................. 2,643 3,174 2,845 2,446 2,858 2,632 2,634 2,519 2,625
5 to 14 weeks.................................. 2,284 1,801 2,179 2,097 1,979 1,901 1,954 2,084 1,983
15 weeks and over.............................. 2,053 1,559 1,543 2,128 1,731 1,417 1,462 1,621 1,600
15 to 26 weeks.............................. 925 808 685 1,061 841 584 656 852 793
27 weeks and over........................... 1,128 751 858 1,067 891 833 806 769 807
Average (mean) duration, in weeks.............. 15.8 12.8 13.7 16.5 14.3 14.3 14.6 13.8 14.3
Median duration, in weeks...................... 7.7 4.9 6.3 8.2 6.8 6.4 5.9 6.6 6.6
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed............................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Less than 5 weeks............................ 37.9 48.6 43.3 36.7 43.5 44.2 43.5 40.5 42.3
5 to 14 weeks................................ 32.7 27.6 33.2 31.4 30.1 31.9 32.3 33.5 31.9
15 weeks and over............................ 29.4 23.9 23.5 31.9 26.4 23.8 24.2 26.0 25.8
15 to 26 weeks............................. 13.3 12.4 10.4 15.9 12.8 9.8 10.8 13.7 12.8
27 weeks and over.......................... 16.2 11.5 13.1 16.0 13.6 14.0 13.3 12.4 13.0
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used
in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-7. Reason for unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Reason
July June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs......................................... 2,895 2,628 2,847 2,954 2,980 2,631 2,772 2,819 2,908
On temporary layoff........................... 873 713 935 894 980 696 786 841 966
Not on temporary layoff....................... 2,022 1,915 1,912 2,060 2,000 1,935 1,986 1,978 1,941
Permanent job losers........................ 1,381 1,289 1,316 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs........ 642 626 596 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers..................................... 836 714 817 812 744 625 748 766 799
Reentrants...................................... 2,417 2,360 2,173 2,263 2,215 2,096 2,033 2,096 2,042
New entrants.................................... 833 832 731 564 549 511 493 532 463
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......................................... 41.5 40.2 43.3 44.8 45.9 44.9 45.8 45.4 46.8
On temporary layoff.......................... 12.5 10.9 14.2 13.6 15.1 11.9 13.0 13.5 15.6
Not on temporary layoff...................... 29.0 29.3 29.1 31.2 30.8 33.0 32.8 31.8 31.3
Job leavers.................................... 12.0 10.9 12.4 12.3 11.5 10.7 12.4 12.3 12.9
Reentrants..................................... 34.6 36.1 33.1 34.3 34.1 35.7 33.6 33.7 32.9
New entrants................................... 11.9 12.7 11.1 8.6 8.5 8.7 8.2 8.6 7.5
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs......................................... 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.2 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.1
Job leavers.................................... .6 .5 .6 .6 .5 .5 .5 .6 .6
Reentrants..................................... 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
New entrants................................... .6 .6 .5 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .3
1 Not available.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used
in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-8. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization
(Percent)
Not seasonally Seasonally adjusted
adjusted
Measure
July June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of
the civilian
labor force.............................................. 1.5 1.1 1.1 1.6 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.2
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as
a percent of the
civilian labor force..................................... 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.2 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.1
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor
force
(official unemployment rate)............................. 5.0 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.7 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent
of the civilian
labor force plus discouraged workers.................... 5.3 4.9 5.0 (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........................................ 5.9 5.5 5.6 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers,
plus total employed
part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the
civilian labor force plus
all marginally attached workers......................... 9.0 8.4 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 1998, data reflect new composite
estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-9. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Age and sex
July June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 6,633 6,237 6,230 4.9 4.7 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5
16 to 24 years.................................. 2,350 2,318 2,230 11.0 10.7 9.5 10.0 10.6 10.3
16 to 19 years................................ 1,284 1,215 1,120 16.3 15.0 13.1 14.2 14.6 13.8
16 to 17 years.............................. 571 597 494 17.9 16.9 15.2 15.8 18.2 15.2
18 to 19 years.............................. 729 618 637 15.5 13.7 11.6 13.2 12.3 12.9
20 to 24 years................................ 1,066 1,103 1,109 7.9 8.0 7.4 7.6 8.1 8.2
25 years and over............................... 4,245 3,901 3,940 3.7 3.6 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.4
25 to 54 years................................ 3,750 3,480 3,460 3.8 3.8 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.5
55 years and over............................. 488 427 479 3.0 2.9 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.8
Men, 16 years and over.......................... 3,507 3,249 3,422 4.8 4.6 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.6
16 to 24 years................................ 1,293 1,246 1,293 11.5 11.2 9.7 11.0 10.8 11.4
16 to 19 years.............................. 697 653 672 17.2 16.5 14.0 16.0 15.3 15.9
16 to 17 years............................ 309 363 294 18.8 18.5 14.9 17.9 21.0 17.3
18 to 19 years............................ 385 303 371 16.1 15.2 13.3 14.8 11.8 14.6
20 to 24 years.............................. 596 592 621 8.3 8.1 7.3 8.1 8.2 8.7
25 years and over............................. 2,201 1,991 2,104 3.6 3.4 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.4
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,928 1,762 1,816 3.7 3.5 3.0 3.1 3.3 3.4
55 years and over........................... 274 231 283 3.0 3.1 2.6 2.4 2.5 2.9
Women, 16 years and over........................ 3,126 2,989 2,808 5.0 4.9 4.6 4.4 4.7 4.4
16 to 24 years................................ 1,057 1,073 937 10.4 10.1 9.2 9.0 10.3 9.1
16 to 19 years.............................. 587 562 448 15.3 13.4 12.1 12.3 13.9 11.5
16 to 17 years............................ 262 235 200 16.9 15.2 15.5 13.5 15.1 12.9
18 to 19 years............................ 344 315 266 14.8 12.2 9.8 11.4 12.7 11.2
20 to 24 years.............................. 470 511 489 7.5 7.9 7.5 6.9 8.0 7.7
25 years and over............................. 2,044 1,910 1,836 3.9 3.9 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.5
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,822 1,718 1,644 4.0 4.1 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.6
55 years and over........................... 214 196 196 3.0 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.6
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used
in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-10. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Category
July July July July July July
1997 1998 1997 1998 1997 1998
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force.................................... 64,835 65,934 23,059 23,319 41,777 42,616
Persons who currently want a job.............................. 4,777 4,763 1,855 1,813 2,922 2,950
Searched for work and vailable to work now(1).............. 1,281 1,328 584 635 697 692
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2).................. 311 374 170 225 140 149
Reasons other than discouragement(3)............... 971 953 414 410 557 543
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4).................................... 8,053 7,643 4,366 4,099 3,687 3,544
Percent of total employed................................... 6.1 5.8 6.1 5.7 6.1 5.8
Primary job full time, secondary job part time.............. 4,514 4,253 2,703 2,485 1,810 1,769
Primary and secondary jobs both part time................... 1,608 1,563 534 539 1,075 1,024
Primary and secondary jobs both full time................... 258 308 185 223 72 86
Hours vary on primary or secondary job...................... 1,625 1,456 920 821 705 636
1 Data refer to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available to take a job during the
reference week.
2 Includes thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and other
types of discrimination.
3 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as child-care and transportation
problems, as well as a small number for which reason for nonparticipation was not determined.
4 Includes persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown separately.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the
household survey.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
July May June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998p 1998p 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998p 1998p
Total......................... 122,660 126,166 126,882 125,797 122,811 124,914 125,234 125,562 125,758 125,824
Total private.................... 104,125 105,956 106,989 107,012 103,219 105,186 105,470 105,734 105,942 106,020
Goods-producing......................... 25,204 25,323 25,628 25,447 24,923 25,276 25,339 25,301 25,297 25,134
Mining................................ 603 579 585 584 593 587 582 579 579 574
Metal mining........................ 55.1 50.7 51.7 51.8 54 51 51 51 51 51
Coal mining......................... 96.0 91.9 90.9 91.0 95 93 92 92 90 91
Oil and gas extraction.............. 339.9 326.8 331.3 329.8 336 336 332 329 331 325
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 112.1 110.0 111.1 111.4 108 107 107 107 107 107
Construction.......................... 6,005 5,972 6,171 6,293 5,682 5,860 5,930 5,917 5,942 5,960
General building contractors........ 1,377.7 1,384.5 1,441.2 1,467.3 1,316 1,373 1,385 1,388 1,400 1,403
Heavy construction, except building. 855.6 850.2 877.0 894.6 789 805 819 819 820 828
Special trade contractors........... 3,771.5 3,737.4 3,852.6 3,930.8 3,577 3,682 3,726 3,710 3,722 3,729
Manufacturing......................... 18,596 18,772 18,872 18,570 18,648 18,829 18,827 18,805 18,776 18,600
Production workers................ 12,810 12,948 13,013 12,716 12,889 13,013 13,007 12,971 12,944 12,773
Durable goods........................ 10,934 11,161 11,207 10,947 10,988 11,166 11,170 11,156 11,144 10,993
Production workers................ 7,472 7,655 7,683 7,434 7,536 7,669 7,666 7,642 7,629 7,492
Lumber and wood products............ 802.8 799.9 810.7 813.1 793 801 802 803 800 801
Furniture and fixtures.............. 502.2 524.7 526.7 518.9 510 520 524 526 524 527
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 561.0 564.8 573.4 571.6 553 558 561 559 562 563
Primary metal industries............ 702.4 715.1 719.3 695.3 708 719 718 716 717 703
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 234.8 234.5 236.2 234.0 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,457.4 1,494.6 1,497.4 1,465.3 1,472 1,497 1,498 1,495 1,490 1,480
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,159.5 2,206.7 2,212.1 2,182.2 2,165 2,205 2,201 2,201 2,201 2,188
Computer and office equipment..... 379.3 376.8 375.7 372.7 377 381 377 376 374 371
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,683.6 1,710.3 1,717.0 1,699.1 1,690 1,722 1,720 1,716 1,715 1,703
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 656.5 674.9 675.0 666.8 655 681 678 677 673 666
Transportation equipment............ 1,814.9 1,892.4 1,893.4 1,752.9 1,840 1,887 1,890 1,886 1,883 1,777
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 957.5 1,005.3 1,002.4 862.0 980 1,002 1,004 998 993 882
Aircraft and parts................ 503.0 522.8 523.7 525.1 504 525 525 524 524 527
Instruments and related products.... 865.0 864.4 867.1 863.3 865 868 867 866 864 863
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 385.2 387.9 389.9 385.1 392 389 389 388 388 388
Nondurable goods..................... 7,662 7,611 7,665 7,623 7,660 7,663 7,657 7,649 7,632 7,607
Production workers................ 5,338 5,293 5,330 5,282 5,353 5,344 5,341 5,329 5,315 5,281
Food and kindred products........... 1,715.5 1,676.8 1,703.9 1,728.9 1,687 1,704 1,708 1,710 1,706 1,697
Tobacco products.................... 38.0 37.4 36.7 36.5 42 41 42 41 40 40
Textile mill products............... 611.6 603.1 602.2 590.7 616 604 605 603 598 593
Apparel and other textile products.. 806.4 783.0 781.6 757.1 824 796 787 780 774 770
Paper and allied products........... 687.1 682.3 687.4 683.7 684 688 686 685 682 681
Printing and publishing............. 1,555.9 1,565.2 1,572.0 1,572.0 1,556 1,564 1,565 1,566 1,570 1,573
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,035.8 1,037.6 1,043.8 1,042.0 1,031 1,036 1,035 1,039 1,037 1,037
Petroleum and coal products......... 142.7 136.6 138.8 139.1 139 136 137 136 136 136
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 982.5 1,005.8 1,014.5 994.1 991 1,009 1,008 1,006 1,006 999
Leather and leather products........ 86.0 83.6 83.7 79.3 90 85 84 83 83 81
Service-producing....................... 97,456 100,843 101,254 100,350 97,888 99,638 99,895 100,261 100,461 100,690
Transportation and public utilities... 6,395 6,544 6,570 6,544 6,411 6,504 6,513 6,534 6,537 6,555
Transportation...................... 4,090 4,202 4,215 4,187 4,120 4,170 4,173 4,191 4,194 4,213
Railroad transportation........... 230.0 232.6 233.2 234.4 228 231 231 232 232 232
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 390.3 477.4 458.5 401.8 451 460 453 459 458 464
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,685.5 1,697.6 1,722.2 1,736.8 1,670 1,690 1,702 1,703 1,708 1,715
Water transportation.............. 190.9 186.8 189.9 196.6 180 183 181 185 183 187
Transportation by air............. 1,137.2 1,145.8 1,149.5 1,154.6 1,137 1,146 1,147 1,151 1,153 1,155
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 14.6 14.1 14.5 14.6 14 14 14 14 14 14
Transportation services........... 441.8 447.3 447.2 447.9 440 446 445 447 446 446
Communications and public utilities. 2,305 2,342 2,355 2,357 2,291 2,334 2,340 2,343 2,343 2,342
Communications.................... 1,431.3 1,484.9 1,494.4 1,494.9 1,425 1,475 1,484 1,486 1,489 1,488
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 874.0 856.9 860.7 862.5 866 859 856 857 854 854
Wholesale trade....................... 6,698 6,818 6,862 6,870 6,655 6,783 6,798 6,815 6,819 6,820
Durable goods....................... 3,966 4,065 4,094 4,104 3,942 4,039 4,050 4,059 4,068 4,074
Nondurable goods.................... 2,732 2,753 2,768 2,766 2,713 2,744 2,748 2,756 2,751 2,746
Retail trade.......................... 22,104 22,432 22,649 22,696 21,987 22,259 22,335 22,423 22,454 22,579
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 975.9 1,013.5 1,023.2 1,017.1 940 966 971 972 974 980
General merchandise stores.......... 2,658.7 2,701.5 2,728.1 2,740.1 2,713 2,759 2,784 2,788 2,788 2,796
Department stores................. 2,337.5 2,382.3 2,405.5 2,417.1 2,385 2,428 2,447 2,462 2,461 2,460
Food stores......................... 3,523.5 3,521.6 3,558.0 3,576.1 3,500 3,536 3,533 3,542 3,538 3,554
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,339.7 2,349.9 2,372.1 2,384.6 2,311 2,333 2,337 2,345 2,351 2,354
New and used car dealers.......... 1,054.8 1,059.8 1,065.3 1,070.4 1,051 1,056 1,058 1,060 1,064 1,067
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,082.9 1,080.1 1,097.4 1,103.1 1,093 1,098 1,105 1,106 1,110 1,111
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,000.2 1,041.9 1,048.3 1,056.5 1,010 1,048 1,045 1,055 1,059 1,065
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,775.1 7,861.5 7,960.3 7,952.8 7,616 7,645 7,681 7,714 7,724 7,793
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,747.5 2,861.7 2,861.8 2,865.3 2,804 2,874 2,879 2,901 2,910 2,926
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 7,188 7,310 7,404 7,452 7,095 7,258 7,289 7,311 7,334 7,366
Finance............................. 3,439 3,531 3,569 3,592 3,413 3,512 3,521 3,536 3,549 3,567
Depository institutions........... 2,044.1 2,038.5 2,055.5 2,062.2 2,027 2,041 2,041 2,044 2,043 2,046
Commercial banks................ 1,472.8 1,458.6 1,469.4 1,473.4 1,459 1,465 1,463 1,463 1,460 1,461
Savings institutions............ 263.9 263.9 266.3 267.8 262 262 263 264 265 266
Nondepository institutions........ 569.2 612.0 620.5 626.9 567 602 605 611 618 624
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 252.4 283.2 288.3 292.1 251 276 278 281 285 289
Security and commodity brokers.... 603.2 640.0 650.3 660.1 598 633 636 641 647 655
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 222.5 240.1 242.3 243.0 221 236 239 240 241 242
Insurance........................... 2,272 2,319 2,336 2,346 2,259 2,302 2,312 2,320 2,328 2,336
Insurance carriers................ 1,543.5 1,578.3 1,590.8 1,601.1 1,534 1,566 1,574 1,579 1,586 1,594
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 728.5 740.5 744.7 745.2 725 736 738 741 742 742
Real estate......................... 1,477 1,460 1,499 1,514 1,423 1,444 1,456 1,455 1,457 1,463
Services2............................. 36,536 37,529 37,876 38,003 36,148 37,106 37,196 37,350 37,501 37,566
Agricultural services............... 758.3 758.0 789.3 792.6 682 695 706 700 707 713
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,878.4 1,788.3 1,874.7 1,920.5 1,738 1,755 1,767 1,769 1,773 1,780
Personal services................... 1,137.8 1,176.8 1,157.9 1,142.1 1,179 1,178 1,186 1,190 1,185 1,184
Business services................... 8,074.2 8,467.9 8,585.4 8,599.9 8,035 8,412 8,422 8,491 8,549 8,557
Services to buildings............. 944.9 980.0 985.9 986.1 940 966 965 975 975 979
Personnel supply services......... 3,018.7 3,134.4 3,192.2 3,172.5 3,004 3,149 3,140 3,156 3,184 3,156
Help supply services............ 2,691.7 2,801.4 2,850.9 2,831.6 2,673 2,819 2,806 2,818 2,847 2,814
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,417.7 1,575.0 1,597.1 1,618.2 1,420 1,538 1,561 1,578 1,599 1,619
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,133.6 1,154.7 1,167.2 1,172.2 1,125 1,145 1,146 1,153 1,160 1,164
Miscellaneous repair services....... 381.5 385.3 390.3 390.4 377 382 383 385 387 385
Motion pictures..................... 555.7 565.3 557.2 565.1 548 565 563 567 553 555
Amusement and recreation services... 1,873.9 1,755.5 1,941.9 2,005.3 1,582 1,647 1,660 1,662 1,675 1,686
Health services..................... 9,759.8 9,881.2 9,927.2 9,941.1 9,731 9,867 9,873 9,887 9,905 9,902
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,751.4 1,804.0 1,818.0 1,827.1 1,745 1,796 1,801 1,806 1,812 1,818
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,761.9 1,756.9 1,762.1 1,762.7 1,756 1,761 1,760 1,762 1,760 1,756
Hospitals......................... 3,883.9 3,938.9 3,960.3 3,972.8 3,871 3,925 3,938 3,945 3,954 3,959
Home health care services......... 716.5 686.0 684.5 674.2 716 698 687 684 683 674
Legal services...................... 963.7 971.8 994.7 1,000.7 948 970 972 977 980 984
Educational services................ 1,853.5 2,228.2 2,012.6 1,923.7 2,122 2,189 2,192 2,195 2,209 2,202
Social services..................... 2,516.1 2,634.6 2,625.9 2,633.6 2,531 2,587 2,595 2,609 2,630 2,637
Child day care services........... 518.1 597.6 569.5 537.9 572 575 577 575 583 588
Residential care.................. 727.0 748.4 755.1 759.9 719 744 746 749 748 752
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 98.4 94.8 98.3 99.9 90 92 92 91 91 91
Membership organizations............ 2,322.1 2,265.3 2,305.7 2,341.8 2,253 2,263 2,265 2,266 2,269 2,272
Engineering and management services. 3,035.0 3,206.0 3,252.0 3,278.1 3,013 3,164 3,178 3,212 3,232 3,258
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 882.6 911.5 932.7 940.3 870 904 910 913 921 928
Management and public relations... 958.6 1,031.5 1,045.2 1,053.9 949 1,012 1,011 1,029 1,036 1,045
Services, nec....................... 50.5 51.6 52.4 52.7 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 18,535 20,210 19,893 18,785 19,592 19,728 19,764 19,828 19,816 19,804
Federal............................. 2,713 2,676 2,695 2,689 2,691 2,671 2,674 2,671 2,674 2,672
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,867.5 1,821.9 1,839.2 1,835.0 1,839 1,815 1,814 1,810 1,813 1,811
State............................... 4,382 4,697 4,487 4,414 4,617 4,619 4,620 4,637 4,626 4,634
Education......................... 1,645.5 1,993.3 1,753.3 1,649.3 1,933 1,928 1,925 1,932 1,926 1,929
Other State government............ 2,736.0 2,703.7 2,734.1 2,764.2 2,684 2,691 2,695 2,705 2,700 2,705
Local............................... 11,440 12,837 12,711 11,682 12,284 12,438 12,470 12,520 12,516 12,498
Education......................... 5,770.7 7,404.0 7,083.4 5,913.7 6,913 7,003 7,023 7,053 7,050 7,050
Other local government............ 5,669.4 5,433.2 5,628.0 5,768.5 5,371 5,435 5,447 5,467 5,466 5,448
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
July May June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998p 1998p 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998p 1998p
Total private.................... 34.8 34.6 34.7 34.8 34.5 34.6 34.5 34.7 34.6 34.6
Goods-producing......................... 41.0 41.2 41.2 40.9 41.3 41.0 40.8 41.1 41.0 41.1
Mining................................ 45.1 44.4 44.0 43.6 45.3 43.8 44.1 44.6 43.8 44.4
Construction.......................... 40.1 39.2 39.1 40.0 39.0 38.5 38.7 38.6 38.4 39.1
Manufacturing......................... 41.2 41.8 41.8 41.1 41.9 41.8 41.4 41.8 41.8 41.7
Overtime hours.................... 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.4 4.8 4.8 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.8
Durable goods........................ 41.9 42.5 42.5 41.4 42.7 42.5 41.9 42.4 42.4 42.1
Overtime hours.................... 4.7 4.8 4.8 4.5 5.1 5.0 4.6 4.8 4.8 4.9
Lumber and wood products............ 40.8 41.4 41.6 41.0 41.2 41.2 41.2 41.2 41.3 41.0
Furniture and fixtures.............. 39.5 40.1 40.9 40.3 40.0 40.7 40.7 40.7 41.1 40.7
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 43.3 43.9 43.9 43.9 43.2 43.2 43.3 43.5 43.3 43.7
Primary metal industries............ 43.9 44.5 44.5 43.3 44.6 44.6 43.9 44.5 44.5 43.8
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 44.3 45.4 44.9 44.0 44.3 45.3 44.9 45.6 45.0 43.9
Fabricated metal products........... 41.6 42.5 42.6 41.4 42.5 42.4 41.8 42.6 42.5 42.2
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 42.8 43.1 43.2 42.3 43.5 43.3 42.6 43.0 43.2 43.0
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 41.2 41.2 41.4 40.7 42.1 41.4 41.1 41.4 41.4 41.4
Transportation equipment............ 42.4 43.7 43.0 40.8 44.1 43.4 42.1 43.3 42.8 42.4
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 42.1 44.1 42.7 39.5 44.4 43.5 42.0 43.3 42.4 41.6
Instruments and related products.... 41.2 41.2 41.3 40.6 41.8 41.5 41.3 41.4 41.3 41.3
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 39.5 39.9 39.9 39.2 40.4 40.5 40.1 40.0 40.0 40.0
Nondurable goods..................... 40.3 40.8 40.9 40.5 40.7 40.8 40.7 41.0 40.9 41.0
Overtime hours.................... 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.5
Food and kindred products........... 41.1 41.5 41.4 41.6 41.2 41.5 41.3 41.8 41.6 42.0
Tobacco products.................... 35.3 39.0 39.8 39.3 36.6 37.7 38.2 39.3 38.9 40.6
Textile mill products............... 40.6 41.1 41.5 40.5 41.4 41.2 41.0 41.3 41.1 41.1
Apparel and other textile products.. 36.6 37.4 37.8 36.9 37.1 37.2 37.7 37.4 37.4 37.3
Paper and allied products........... 43.3 43.3 43.5 42.8 43.5 43.4 43.0 43.5 43.6 43.3
Printing and publishing............. 38.1 38.1 38.0 38.2 38.4 38.4 38.2 38.4 38.3 38.5
Chemicals and allied products....... 42.7 43.0 43.1 42.6 43.1 43.4 43.1 43.1 43.1 42.9
Petroleum and coal products......... 42.8 42.9 43.3 43.8 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 41.0 41.9 42.0 41.1 41.7 41.5 41.7 42.1 42.0 42.1
Leather and leather products........ 37.8 37.4 38.1 36.1 38.3 37.9 37.3 37.3 37.6 36.2
Service-producing....................... 33.1 32.8 33.0 33.3 32.7 32.8 32.9 33.0 32.9 33.0
Transportation and public utilities... 39.5 39.5 39.7 39.7 39.3 39.8 39.6 39.8 39.6 39.6
Wholesale trade....................... 38.3 38.4 38.3 38.4 38.3 38.3 38.3 38.5 38.2 38.4
Retail trade.......................... 29.6 29.0 29.3 29.9 28.9 28.9 29.0 29.1 29.0 29.2
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 35.9 36.1 36.0 36.1 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.8 32.5 32.7 32.9 32.5 32.6 32.6 32.7 32.7 32.7
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
July May June July July May June July
1997 1998 1998p 1998p 1997 1998 1998p 1998p
Total private.................... $12.17 $12.70 $12.66 $12.67 $423.52 $439.42 $439.30 $440.92
Seasonally adjusted............. 12.27 12.73 12.76 12.79 423.32 441.73 441.50 442.53
Goods-producing......................... 13.93 14.28 14.27 14.35 571.13 588.34 587.92 586.92
Mining................................ 16.07 16.73 16.72 16.75 724.76 742.81 735.68 730.30
Construction.......................... 16.03 16.42 16.43 16.64 642.80 643.66 642.41 665.60
Manufacturing......................... 13.10 13.47 13.44 13.40 539.72 563.05 561.79 550.74
Durable goods........................ 13.61 13.98 13.94 13.83 570.26 594.15 592.45 572.56
Lumber and wood products............ 10.83 11.06 11.09 11.17 441.86 457.88 461.34 457.97
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.53 10.79 10.81 10.95 415.94 432.68 442.13 441.29
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 13.20 13.58 13.59 13.65 571.56 596.16 596.60 599.24
Primary metal industries............ 15.28 15.54 15.53 15.69 670.79 691.53 691.09 679.38
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 18.13 18.55 18.56 18.81 803.16 842.17 833.34 827.64
Fabricated metal products........... 12.66 13.02 13.00 12.89 526.66 553.35 553.80 533.65
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 14.02 14.36 14.41 14.45 600.06 618.92 622.51 611.24
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 12.69 13.05 13.07 13.16 522.83 537.66 541.10 535.61
Transportation equipment............ 17.20 17.65 17.47 17.06 729.28 771.31 751.21 696.05
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 17.52 18.16 17.86 17.21 737.59 800.86 762.62 679.80
Instruments and related products.... 13.50 13.75 13.69 13.76 556.20 566.50 565.40 558.66
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.51 10.79 10.81 10.81 415.15 430.52 431.32 423.75
Nondurable goods..................... 12.36 12.71 12.69 12.79 498.11 518.57 519.02 518.00
Food and kindred products........... 11.52 11.78 11.76 11.77 473.47 488.87 486.86 489.63
Tobacco products.................... 20.96 20.35 20.87 21.11 739.89 793.65 830.63 829.62
Textile mill products............... 10.02 10.37 10.36 10.40 406.81 426.21 429.94 421.20
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.19 8.46 8.50 8.49 299.75 316.40 321.30 313.28
Paper and allied products........... 15.16 15.50 15.44 15.65 656.43 671.15 671.64 669.82
Printing and publishing............. 13.01 13.32 13.30 13.38 495.68 507.49 505.40 511.12
Chemicals and allied products....... 16.59 17.11 17.05 17.23 708.39 735.73 734.86 734.00
Petroleum and coal products......... 20.00 20.80 20.74 20.80 856.00 892.32 898.04 911.04
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.57 11.85 11.82 11.91 474.37 496.52 496.44 489.50
Leather and leather products........ 8.78 9.33 9.35 9.27 331.88 348.94 356.24 334.65
Service-producing....................... 11.58 12.18 12.13 12.13 383.30 399.50 400.29 403.93
Transportation and public utilities... $14.99 $15.21 $15.24 $15.35 $592.11 $600.80 $605.03 $609.40
Wholesale trade....................... 13.38 13.96 13.89 13.98 512.45 536.06 531.99 536.83
Retail trade.......................... 8.27 8.71 8.69 8.70 244.79 252.59 254.62 260.13
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 13.21 13.99 13.94 13.95 474.24 505.04 501.84 503.60
Services.............................. 12.06 12.75 12.70 12.68 395.57 414.38 415.29 417.17
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
July Mar. Apr. May June July change
Industry 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998p 1998p from:
June 1998-
July 1998
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $12.27 $12.63 $12.70 $12.73 $12.76 $12.79 0.2
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.55 7.72 7.74 7.73 7.75 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 13.89 14.25 14.25 14.27 14.28 14.33 .4
Mining...................... 16.15 16.82 16.72 16.77 16.72 16.82 .6
Construction................ 15.99 16.40 16.45 16.46 16.50 16.65 .9
Manufacturing............... 13.13 13.46 13.44 13.47 13.47 13.45 -.1
Excluding overtime4....... 12.42 12.73 12.76 12.78 12.76 12.73 -.2
Service-producing............. 11.73 12.10 12.19 12.23 12.26 12.30 .3
Transportation and public
utilities................ 14.99 15.27 15.32 15.31 15.31 15.37 .4
Wholesale trade............. 13.45 13.84 13.88 14.00 13.98 14.06 .6
Retail trade................ 8.33 8.64 8.70 8.72 8.72 8.77 .6
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 13.36 13.85 14.00 14.03 14.08 14.11 .2
Services.................... 12.28 12.65 12.76 12.81 12.87 12.91 .3
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to
deflate this series.
3 Change was .3 percent from May 1998 to June 1998, the latest month available.
4 Derived by assuming that overtime hours are paid at the rate of time and one-half.
N.A. = not available.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-5. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
industry
(1982=100)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
July May June July July Mar. Apr. May June July
1997 1998 1998p 1998p 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998p 1998p
Total private.................... 143.6 144.9 146.9 147.5 141.3 143.8 144.0 144.9 144.8 145.2
Goods-producing......................... 115.1 115.8 117.3 115.2 114.2 115.1 114.9 115.3 114.9 114.2
Mining................................ 58.8 55.7 55.8 55.2 57.8 55.6 55.4 56.0 54.7 54.8
Construction.......................... 171.4 165.2 170.9 179.0 156.1 158.7 161.5 160.5 160.5 163.8
Manufacturing......................... 106.5 109.0 109.8 105.3 108.9 109.7 108.7 109.4 109.1 107.3
Durable goods........................ 109.1 113.4 113.8 107.5 112.3 113.7 112.2 113.1 112.8 110.2
Lumber and wood products............ 142.7 143.6 146.7 145.4 142.3 143.6 143.8 143.8 143.7 143.1
Furniture and fixtures.............. 123.3 132.0 134.5 130.8 127.9 132.7 133.7 134.0 134.7 134.3
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 114.8 117.1 119.0 118.4 112.6 113.9 114.1 114.7 114.4 116.2
Primary metal industries............ 91.1 94.5 95.2 89.0 93.7 95.5 93.7 94.6 94.8 91.1
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 71.9 74.1 73.8 71.6 72.0 74.4 73.4 74.5 73.5 71.7
Fabricated metal products........... 113.0 118.8 119.5 113.0 117.2 119.1 117.5 119.2 118.4 116.8
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 106.8 110.9 111.4 106.8 109.3 111.1 109.1 110.1 110.8 109.4
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 108.1 109.7 110.5 106.8 111.4 111.3 110.1 110.7 110.4 109.5
Transportation equipment............ 120.5 129.3 126.8 107.1 127.7 128.7 124.6 127.0 125.1 113.3
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 153.5 166.3 160.2 121.6 166.5 164.6 158.9 161.8 157.2 131.9
Instruments and related products.... 74.7 76.2 76.5 75.4 76.1 76.8 76.6 76.6 76.3 76.8
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 100.1 101.9 102.5 98.8 104.2 104.1 103.4 102.0 102.0 102.0
Nondurable goods..................... 102.9 103.1 104.2 102.3 104.1 104.3 104.0 104.4 103.9 103.4
Food and kindred products........... 118.2 115.7 118.0 120.3 116.2 118.5 118.3 119.9 119.1 119.0
Tobacco products.................... 49.2 54.5 53.8 52.7 58.0 59.7 62.5 62.3 59.7 62.4
Textile mill products............... 87.4 87.4 88.2 84.2 90.0 87.8 87.4 87.7 86.8 85.9
Apparel and other textile products.. 70.4 69.2 69.6 65.6 73.4 70.2 70.0 68.8 68.3 67.9
Paper and allied products........... 110.6 109.7 111.1 108.5 110.7 111.1 109.9 110.7 110.5 109.1
Printing and publishing............. 124.9 124.2 124.1 124.5 126.1 125.3 124.7 125.6 125.4 125.7
Chemicals and allied products....... 99.4 102.5 103.4 101.5 100.4 103.4 102.7 102.8 102.8 102.2
Petroleum and coal products......... 77.1 73.6 75.8 76.5 74.5 73.6 73.1 73.9 73.3 73.8
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 140.7 148.0 149.8 143.0 145.2 147.2 148.1 148.9 148.4 147.4
Leather and leather products........ 37.3 36.5 37.0 33.0 40.0 37.3 36.7 36.1 36.4 34.5
Service-producing....................... 156.3 157.9 160.2 162.0 153.5 156.7 157.0 158.2 158.2 159.2
Transportation and public utilities... 129.7 130.6 131.9 131.6 129.3 130.9 130.2 131.5 130.7 131.5
Wholesale trade....................... 127.0 128.4 129.3 129.4 125.8 127.6 127.9 128.8 127.9 128.5
Retail trade.......................... 141.8 140.9 143.7 146.6 137.7 139.3 139.8 141.1 140.7 142.6
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 130.5 133.9 135.9 137.0 129.2 133.6 134.2 134.9 134.9 136.0
Services.............................. 190.5 193.6 196.4 198.7 186.8 191.9 192.3 193.7 194.5 194.8
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:
1994.............. 59.3 60.5 67.0 64.5 58.6 63.3 63.8 61.7 61.5 60.4 64.0 61.7
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 p59.1 p52.9
Over 3-month span:
1994.............. 64.5 69.2 69.9 68.4 66.6 67.1 69.0 69.5 66.2 65.6 66.6 66.3
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 p60.4 p57.6
Over 6-month span:
1994.............. 70.9 69.9 69.7 71.2 70.2 69.8 69.8 70.2 68.7 67.4 66.7 65.4
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 p68.8 p63.5
Over 12-month span:
1994.............. 70.2 71.6 71.8 71.8 72.1 71.8 71.5 72.1 70.1 69.5 66.6 65.0
1995.............. 63.6 62.4 62.6 63.3 61.7 61.9 58.7 62.2 62.2 61.5 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 p72.1
1998.............. p71.3
Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1994.............. 56.8 56.5 60.1 59.0 53.6 58.3 59.0 55.8 53.6 56.5 58.3 56.8
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 p46.8 p41.4
Over 3-month span:
1994.............. 60.4 63.7 63.7 60.4 57.6 59.7 61.9 56.8 54.3 55.4 60.8 59.0
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 p42.8 p39.9
Over 6-month span:
1994.............. 60.4 62.9 61.2 62.6 59.4 57.2 57.6 58.6 58.6 54.7 57.2 55.0
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 p51.4 p41.0
Over 12-month span:
1994.............. 57.9 58.6 60.8 60.8 60.8 63.3 59.4 60.1 57.2 56.5 50.4 49.6
1995.............. 46.0 44.2 46.0 47.8 41.0 41.7 38.5 38.8 36.3 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 p57.9
1998.............. p54.0
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: September 04, 1998
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_0798.htm
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