Technical information: USDL 99-240
Household data: (202) 606-6378
Transmission of material in this release is
Establishment data: 606-6555 embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EDT),
Media contact: 606-5902 Friday, September 3, 1999.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: AUGUST 1999
Payroll employment rose modestly in August, and the unemployment rate
was essentially unchanged at 4.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment
increased by 124,000, following a much larger gain in July. August job
growth was slightly below average in the service-producing sector, and
manufacturing and construction both lost jobs.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
The number of unemployed persons, 5.9 million, and the unemployment
rate, 4.2 percent, were essentially unchanged in August. The rate has been
4.2 or 4.3 percent each month since March. Over the month, the jobless
rates for adult women (3.7 percent) and blacks (7.8 percent) declined,
while the rates for adult men (3.6 percent), teenagers (13.5 percent),
whites (3.7 percent), and Hispanics (6.5 percent) showed little or no
change. (See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
The civilian labor force, 139.3 million, and the labor force
participation rate, 66.9 percent, were about unchanged from July. Total
employment was virtually unchanged at 133.4 million, and the employment-
population ratio remained at 64.1 percent. (See table A-1.)
About 7.3 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in August. These multiple jobholders represented 5.4 percent of the
total employed, compared to 5.6 percent a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.1 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in August. These were people who wanted and
were available to work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12
months but were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for
work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged
workers--a subset of the marginally attached who were not currently looking
for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for
them--was 265,000 in August, essentially unchanged from a year earlier.
(See table A-10.)
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Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________| July-
Category | 1999 | 1999 | Aug.
|_________________|________ _________________|change
| I | II | June | July | Aug. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 139,144| 139,173| 139,408| 139,254| 139,264| 10
Employment..........| 133,191| 133,242| 133,432| 133,307| 133,411| 104
Unemployment........| 5,953| 5,931| 5,975| 5,947| 5,853| -94
Not in labor force....| 67,732| 68,259| 68,225| 68,574| 68,774| 200
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.3| 4.3| 4.3| 4.3| 4.2| -0.1
Adult men...........| 3.4| 3.5| 3.6| 3.5| 3.6| .1
Adult women.........| 3.8| 3.9| 3.9| 4.0| 3.7| -.3
Teenagers...........| 14.6| 13.4| 13.5| 12.7| 13.5| .8
White...............| 3.7| 3.8| 3.8| 3.7| 3.7| .0
Black...............| 8.0| 7.5| 7.3| 8.8| 7.8| -1.0
Hispanic origin.....| 6.4| 6.8| 6.8| 6.2| 6.5| .3
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA | Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 127,640| 128,246| 128,443|p128,781|p128,905| p124
Goods-producing 1/..| 25,310| 25,222| 25,180| p25,248| p25,153| p-95
Construction......| 6,213| 6,258| 6,258| p6,272| p6,243| p-29
Manufacturing.....| 18,542| 18,433| 18,396| p18,447| p18,384| p-63
Service-producing 1/| 102,331| 103,024| 103,263|p103,533|p103,752| p219
Retail trade......| 22,605| 22,756| 22,796| p22,895| p22,892| p-3
Services..........| 38,442| 38,810| 38,952| p39,030| p39,162| p132
Government........| 20,044| 20,094| 20,105| p20,156| p20,203| p47
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.6| 34.4| 34.5| p34.5| p34.6| p0.1
Manufacturing.......| 41.6| 41.7| 41.7| p41.9| p41.7| p-.2
Overtime..........| 4.5| 4.5| 4.7| p4.7| p4.6| p-.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 147.0| 147.3| 147.8| p148.3| p148.5| p0.2
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 2/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $13.07| $13.19| $13.24| p$13.28| p$13.30| p$0.02
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 451.79| 454.06| 456.78| p458.16| p460.18| p2.02
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
2/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.
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Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Total nonfarm employment rose by 124,000 in August to 128.9 million,
after seasonal adjustment. This follows a much sharper increase (338,000)
in July. The average growth for these 2 months (231,000) was about in line
with the monthly average (210,000) during the first half of 1999. In
August, employment growth in the service-producing sector was partly offset
by widespread losses in the goods-producing sector. (See table B-1.)
Employment in manufacturing decreased by 63,000 in August, following an
increase of 51,000 in July, after seasonal adjustment. The August loss
would have been 7,000 larger if not for the return of workers to the
shipbuilding industry following the settlement of a strike that began
several months earlier. The net manufacturing job loss over the two months
totaled 19,000, or 9,500 per month, after adjusting for the return of the
striking workers. Over the first half of the year, manufacturing lost an
average of 36,000 jobs per month. Electrical equipment had a net employment
increase of 8,000 over the past 2 months, compared with losses totaling
12,000 during the first half of the year. Motor vehicles added 14,000
workers over July and August, substantially more than the 4,000 increase
over the prior 6 months combined. Primary metals had a net 2-month job
gain of 2,000, compared with losses totaling 12,000 during the first half
of the year. In contrast, several industries continued on their trend of
declining employment. The largest job losses over the past 2 months were
in apparel (-16,000), industrial machinery (-11,000), aircraft (-7,000),
and food (-7,000).
The construction industry lost 29,000 jobs in August. This loss nearly
offset the total increase of the prior 2 months. Over the month, the
largest decline was in special trades (-15,000). General building
contractors lost 8,000 jobs, with residential construction accounting for
most of the decrease.
Mining lost 3,000 jobs in August, following an increase of the same
magnitude in July. Oil and gas extraction, which had accounted for most of
the job losses in mining between February 1998 and June 1999, has added a
small number of jobs over the past 2 months.
In the service-producing sector, the services industry gained 132,000
jobs in August, slightly above the average growth for the prior 12 months
(121,000), but well above the increase in July (78,000). Business services
accounted for about one-third of the increase. Within business services,
employment in computer services grew by 15,000, its average for the first
7 months of this year; help supply services, in contrast, grew by less than
its average. Employment in health services grew by 19,000 in August.
Within health services, doctors' offices continued to grow, adding 5,000
jobs, and hospitals had its largest monthly employment increase so far this
year (6,000). Over the month, employment was up sharply in both social
services (34,000) and amusement and recreation services (17,000), after
seasonal adjustment.
In August, employment in transportation and public utilities grew by
12,000, less than the average for the first 7 months of this year.
August's job gain was equally divided between transportation and
communications.
Employment in finance, insurance, and real estate also grew less in
August (11,000) than its average for the first 7 months of the year. Most
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of the growth in August was in finance (8,000), with half of this increase
in securities brokerages. Mortgage bankers and brokerages lost 2,000 jobs
for the third consecutive month, following 4 years of growth.
Employment in retail trade changed little in August, following a
substantial rise in July. Eating and drinking places lost 38,000 jobs in
August, following an increase of 74,000 in the prior month. Several retail
trade industries added jobs in August, including food stores (11,000) and
automotive dealers (8,000). Employment in wholesale trade increased by
20,000 in August, with the majority of the growth in durable goods
distribution (15,000).
Government employment rose by 47,000 in August, after seasonal
adjustment, with growth concentrated in local education (25,000) and state
education (13,000).
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls edged up 0.1 hour in August to 34.6 hours,
seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing workweek declined by 0.2 hour to
41.7 hours, reversing July's increase; factory overtime was down 0.1 hour
to 4.6 hours. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 0.1 percent to 148.5
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index fell by 0.7
percent in August to 106.4. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls increased by 2 cents in August to $13.30,
seasonally adjusted. This follows gains of 6 cents and 4 cents in June and
July, respectively. Over the month, average weekly earnings rose by 0.4
percent to $460.18, seasonally adjusted. Over the year, both average
hourly and weekly earnings rose by 3.5 percent. (See table B-3.)
______________________________
The Employment Situation for September 1999 is scheduled to be released
on Friday, October 8, 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 1999,
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 0.3 percent,
ranging from zero to 0.7 percent.
Additional statistics and other information
More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings,
published each month by BLS. It is available for $16.00 per issue or
$40.00 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
Aug. July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 205,479 207,828 208,038 205,479 207,236 207,427 207,632 207,828 208,038
Civilian labor force............................ 138,379 141,119 140,090 137,481 139,091 139,019 139,408 139,254 139,264
Participation rate........................ 67.3 67.9 67.3 66.9 67.1 67.0 67.1 67.0 66.9
Employed...................................... 132,206 134,800 134,264 131,264 133,069 133,224 133,432 133,307 133,411
Employment-population ratio............... 64.3 64.9 64.5 63.9 64.2 64.2 64.3 64.1 64.1
Agriculture................................. 3,818 3,718 3,525 3,492 3,384 3,295 3,354 3,292 3,219
Nonagricultural industries.................. 128,388 131,083 130,739 127,772 129,685 129,929 130,078 130,015 130,192
Unemployed.................................... 6,173 6,319 5,826 6,217 6,022 5,795 5,975 5,947 5,853
Unemployment rate......................... 4.5 4.5 4.2 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2
Not in labor force.............................. 67,100 66,709 67,948 67,998 68,145 68,408 68,225 68,574 68,774
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 98,892 99,761 99,863 98,892 99,465 99,563 99,668 99,761 99,863
Civilian labor force............................ 74,540 75,940 75,190 73,754 74,234 74,316 74,420 74,500 74,400
Participation rate........................ 75.4 76.1 75.3 74.6 74.6 74.6 74.7 74.7 74.5
Employed...................................... 71,537 72,803 72,348 70,503 71,225 71,198 71,321 71,444 71,332
Employment-population ratio............... 72.3 73.0 72.4 71.3 71.6 71.5 71.6 71.6 71.4
Unemployed.................................... 3,003 3,137 2,842 3,251 3,010 3,118 3,099 3,056 3,067
Unemployment rate......................... 4.0 4.1 3.8 4.4 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 90,889 91,561 91,692 90,889 91,302 91,368 91,487 91,561 91,692
Civilian labor force............................ 69,823 70,612 70,509 69,518 69,991 69,932 70,127 70,164 70,179
Participation rate........................ 76.8 77.1 76.9 76.5 76.7 76.5 76.7 76.6 76.5
Employed...................................... 67,464 68,212 68,210 66,940 67,608 67,399 67,633 67,687 67,682
Employment-population ratio............... 74.2 74.5 74.4 73.7 74.0 73.8 73.9 73.9 73.8
Agriculture................................. 2,556 2,468 2,377 2,420 2,353 2,212 2,248 2,271 2,242
Nonagricultural industries.................. 64,908 65,743 65,833 64,520 65,255 65,186 65,385 65,416 65,440
Unemployed.................................... 2,359 2,400 2,299 2,578 2,383 2,534 2,494 2,477 2,496
Unemployment rate......................... 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.7 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 106,587 108,067 108,175 106,587 107,771 107,864 107,964 108,067 108,175
Civilian labor force............................ 63,839 65,179 64,900 63,727 64,857 64,704 64,988 64,754 64,864
Participation rate........................ 59.9 60.3 60.0 59.8 60.2 60.0 60.2 59.9 60.0
Employed...................................... 60,669 61,997 61,917 60,761 61,845 62,026 62,112 61,863 62,079
Employment-population ratio............... 56.9 57.4 57.2 57.0 57.4 57.5 57.5 57.2 57.4
Unemployed.................................... 3,170 3,182 2,984 2,966 3,012 2,677 2,876 2,891 2,786
Unemployment rate......................... 5.0 4.9 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.3
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 98,901 100,203 100,285 98,901 99,923 100,008 100,131 100,203 100,285
Civilian labor force............................ 59,426 60,409 60,568 59,708 60,788 60,729 61,092 60,791 60,908
Participation rate........................ 60.1 60.3 60.4 60.4 60.8 60.7 61.0 60.7 60.7
Employed...................................... 56,786 57,837 58,093 57,295 58,320 58,520 58,719 58,373 58,654
Employment-population ratio............... 57.4 57.7 57.9 57.9 58.4 58.5 58.6 58.3 58.5
Agriculture................................. 883 894 840 806 801 831 869 797 764
Nonagricultural industries.................. 55,903 56,943 57,253 56,489 57,519 57,689 57,849 57,576 57,890
Unemployed.................................... 2,639 2,573 2,475 2,413 2,468 2,209 2,373 2,418 2,254
Unemployment rate......................... 4.4 4.3 4.1 4.0 4.1 3.6 3.9 4.0 3.7
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population............. 15,689 16,065 16,061 15,689 16,011 16,051 16,014 16,065 16,061
Civilian labor force............................ 9,130 10,098 9,014 8,255 8,312 8,358 8,189 8,300 8,177
Participation rate........................ 58.2 62.9 56.1 52.6 51.9 52.1 51.1 51.7 50.9
Employed...................................... 7,955 8,752 7,962 7,029 7,141 7,306 7,081 7,247 7,075
Employment-population ratio............... 50.7 54.5 49.6 44.8 44.6 45.5 44.2 45.1 44.0
Agriculture................................. 379 355 309 266 230 252 237 225 212
Nonagricultural industries.................. 7,577 8,397 7,653 6,763 6,911 7,054 6,843 7,023 6,862
Unemployed.................................... 1,175 1,347 1,051 1,226 1,171 1,052 1,108 1,053 1,102
Unemployment rate......................... 12.9 13.3 11.7 14.9 14.1 12.6 13.5 12.7 13.5
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, age, and Hispanic origin
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Employment status, race, sex, age, and
Hispanic origin
Aug. July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 171,655 173,133 173,275 171,655 172,730 172,859 172,999 173,133 173,275
Civilian labor force............................ 115,959 117,853 117,093 115,385 116,370 116,254 116,578 116,393 116,602
Participation rate.......................... 67.6 68.1 67.6 67.2 67.4 67.3 67.4 67.2 67.3
Employed...................................... 111,511 113,425 112,846 110,848 111,917 111,985 112,092 112,117 112,277
Employment-population ratio................. 65.0 65.5 65.1 64.6 64.8 64.8 64.8 64.8 64.8
Unemployed.................................... 4,448 4,429 4,246 4,537 4,454 4,269 4,486 4,276 4,325
Unemployment rate........................... 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.7
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 59,515 60,178 60,063 59,384 59,664 59,500 59,711 59,837 59,968
Participation rate.......................... 77.3 77.7 77.5 77.1 77.2 77.0 77.2 77.3 77.4
Employed...................................... 57,787 58,442 58,303 57,450 57,874 57,615 57,784 57,978 58,013
Employment-population ratio................. 75.0 75.5 75.2 74.6 74.9 74.5 74.7 74.9 74.8
Unemployed.................................... 1,728 1,736 1,760 1,934 1,790 1,884 1,927 1,859 1,955
Unemployment rate........................... 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.3 3.0 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.3
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 48,763 49,203 49,410 49,025 49,672 49,669 49,933 49,542 49,701
Participation rate.......................... 59.4 59.3 59.5 59.7 60.0 60.0 60.2 59.7 59.9
Employed...................................... 46,861 47,447 47,653 47,321 47,862 48,067 48,215 47,878 48,134
Employment-population ratio................. 57.1 57.2 57.4 57.6 57.8 58.0 58.2 57.7 58.0
Unemployed.................................... 1,902 1,756 1,757 1,704 1,811 1,602 1,718 1,665 1,567
Unemployment rate........................... 3.9 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.2
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 7,681 8,472 7,620 6,976 7,034 7,085 6,934 7,013 6,932
Participation rate.......................... 61.5 66.5 59.8 55.8 55.5 55.8 54.6 55.1 54.4
Employed...................................... 6,863 7,536 6,890 6,077 6,181 6,302 6,093 6,261 6,129
Employment-population ratio................. 54.9 59.2 54.1 48.6 48.8 49.7 48.0 49.2 48.1
Unemployed.................................... 818 937 730 899 853 783 840 753 803
Unemployment rate........................... 10.7 11.1 9.6 12.9 12.1 11.0 12.1 10.7 11.6
Men....................................... 11.4 11.2 9.7 14.2 12.6 11.9 11.8 10.9 12.2
Women..................................... 9.9 10.9 9.4 11.5 11.6 10.1 12.5 10.6 10.9
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 24,418 24,867 24,904 24,418 24,765 24,798 24,833 24,867 24,904
Civilian labor force............................ 16,129 16,747 16,474 15,937 16,286 16,303 16,300 16,384 16,279
Participation rate.......................... 66.1 67.3 66.2 65.3 65.8 65.7 65.6 65.9 65.4
Employed...................................... 14,663 15,146 15,156 14,517 15,029 15,079 15,103 14,949 15,005
Employment-population ratio................. 60.1 60.9 60.9 59.5 60.7 60.8 60.8 60.1 60.3
Unemployed.................................... 1,466 1,601 1,318 1,420 1,257 1,224 1,197 1,434 1,274
Unemployment rate........................... 9.1 9.6 8.0 8.9 7.7 7.5 7.3 8.8 7.8
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,055 7,194 7,183 7,021 7,118 7,206 7,152 7,132 7,151
Participation rate.......................... 72.4 72.5 72.2 72.1 72.0 72.8 72.1 71.8 71.9
Employed...................................... 6,548 6,647 6,760 6,487 6,681 6,727 6,712 6,601 6,706
Employment-population ratio................. 67.2 67.0 68.0 66.6 67.6 68.0 67.7 66.5 67.4
Unemployed.................................... 507 547 424 534 437 479 440 531 445
Unemployment rate........................... 7.2 7.6 5.9 7.6 6.1 6.6 6.1 7.4 6.2
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,912 8,315 8,239 7,903 8,241 8,177 8,214 8,318 8,229
Participation rate.......................... 64.7 66.8 66.1 64.7 66.4 65.8 66.0 66.8 66.0
Employed...................................... 7,267 7,610 7,627 7,302 7,681 7,653 7,671 7,663 7,658
Employment-population ratio................. 59.5 61.1 61.1 59.7 61.9 61.6 61.7 61.5 61.4
Unemployed.................................... 645 705 613 601 560 524 544 654 571
Unemployment rate........................... 8.2 8.5 7.4 7.6 6.8 6.4 6.6 7.9 6.9
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 1,161 1,238 1,052 1,013 927 920 934 934 899
Participation rate.......................... 47.3 49.8 42.3 41.3 37.5 37.1 37.7 37.6 36.2
Employed...................................... 848 889 770 728 667 699 721 685 642
Employment-population ratio................. 34.6 35.8 31.0 29.7 26.9 28.2 29.0 27.6 25.8
Unemployed.................................... 313 349 282 285 260 222 214 249 257
Unemployment rate........................... 27.0 28.2 26.8 28.1 28.1 24.1 22.9 26.7 28.6
Men....................................... 28.8 32.2 27.8 29.7 33.0 26.2 26.7 30.8 29.4
Women..................................... 25.3 24.0 25.9 26.8 23.5 22.0 19.6 22.9 27.9
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 21,159 21,684 21,752 21,159 21,483 21,548 21,618 21,684 21,752
Civilian labor force............................ 14,420 14,738 14,843 14,316 14,543 14,535 14,643 14,592 14,734
Participation rate.......................... 68.2 68.0 68.2 67.7 67.7 67.5 67.7 67.3 67.7
Employed...................................... 13,349 13,767 13,872 13,257 13,541 13,558 13,654 13,685 13,776
Employment-population ratio................. 63.1 63.5 63.8 62.7 63.0 62.9 63.2 63.1 63.3
Unemployed.................................... 1,071 970 971 1,059 1,002 977 989 907 959
Unemployment rate........................... 7.4 6.6 6.5 7.4 6.9 6.7 6.8 6.2 6.5
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races"
group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January
1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-3. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Educational attainment
Aug. July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
Less than a high school diploma
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 29,204 28,015 28,568 29,204 27,991 28,298 28,515 28,015 28,568
Civilian labor force.................... 12,402 11,766 12,299 12,496 11,753 11,743 12,047 12,069 12,412
Percent of population............... 42.5 42.0 43.1 42.8 42.0 41.5 42.2 43.1 43.4
Employed.............................. 11,602 10,997 11,507 11,612 10,972 10,959 11,238 11,244 11,530
Employment-population ratio......... 39.7 39.3 40.3 39.8 39.2 38.7 39.4 40.1 40.4
Unemployed............................ 800 769 793 884 781 784 810 825 883
Unemployment rate................... 6.5 6.5 6.4 7.1 6.6 6.7 6.7 6.8 7.1
High school graduates, no college(2)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 57,729 57,162 57,195 57,729 57,945 57,931 57,963 57,162 57,195
Civilian labor force.................... 37,305 36,555 36,797 37,367 37,577 37,416 37,403 36,941 36,845
Percent of population............... 64.6 63.9 64.3 64.7 64.8 64.6 64.5 64.6 64.4
Employed.............................. 35,898 35,237 35,550 35,883 36,253 36,058 35,961 35,629 35,550
Employment-population ratio......... 62.2 61.6 62.2 62.2 62.6 62.2 62.0 62.3 62.2
Unemployed............................ 1,407 1,318 1,247 1,484 1,324 1,359 1,442 1,313 1,294
Unemployment rate................... 3.8 3.6 3.4 4.0 3.5 3.6 3.9 3.6 3.5
Less than a bachelor's degree(3)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 41,842 43,610 43,130 41,842 43,059 42,742 42,780 43,610 43,130
Civilian labor force.................... 31,106 32,289 31,751 31,117 32,160 31,930 31,937 32,102 31,803
Percent of population............... 74.3 74.0 73.6 74.4 74.7 74.7 74.7 73.6 73.7
Employed.............................. 30,227 31,284 30,765 30,231 31,202 31,043 31,130 31,097 30,795
Employment-population ratio......... 72.2 71.7 71.3 72.3 72.5 72.6 72.8 71.3 71.4
Unemployed............................ 879 1,005 986 886 958 886 806 1,005 1,008
Unemployment rate................... 2.8 3.1 3.1 2.8 3.0 2.8 2.5 3.1 3.2
College graduates
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 43,431 45,042 45,086 43,431 44,289 44,442 44,464 45,042 45,086
Civilian labor force.................... 34,504 35,837 35,915 34,739 35,493 35,771 35,856 35,981 36,142
Percent of population............... 79.4 79.6 79.7 80.0 80.1 80.5 80.6 79.9 80.2
Employed.............................. 33,757 35,105 35,223 34,129 34,742 35,107 35,128 35,317 35,579
Employment-population ratio......... 77.7 77.9 78.1 78.6 78.4 79.0 79.0 78.4 78.9
Unemployed............................ 747 733 692 610 752 664 727 664 563
Unemployment rate................... 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.8 2.1 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.6
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation, therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
2 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.
3 Includes the categories, some college, no degree; and associate degree.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-4. Selected employment indicators
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Category
Aug. July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over................. 132,206 134,800 134,264 131,264 133,069 133,224 133,432 133,307 133,411
Married men, spouse present..................... 42,875 43,310 43,398 42,874 43,190 42,882 43,291 43,353 43,398
Married women, spouse present................... 32,238 32,869 33,023 32,670 33,285 33,487 33,802 33,302 33,458
Women who maintain families..................... 7,900 8,156 8,332 7,928 8,050 8,039 7,991 8,289 8,357
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty........... 38,558 40,536 40,504 38,942 40,504 40,500 40,946 40,901 40,893
Technical, sales, and administrative support.... 39,045 38,959 38,998 38,843 38,866 39,103 38,729 38,573 38,842
Service occupations............................. 18,081 18,450 18,341 17,770 17,868 18,111 18,020 18,035 18,034
Precision production, craft, and repair......... 14,360 14,578 14,355 14,158 14,518 14,432 14,084 14,405 14,241
Operators, fabricators, and laborers............ 18,138 18,287 18,231 17,968 17,656 17,813 18,190 17,985 18,058
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................. 4,023 3,991 3,836 3,590 3,539 3,441 3,504 3,423 3,422
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers....................... 2,315 2,201 2,088 2,111 1,908 1,919 1,911 1,938 1,900
Self-employed workers......................... 1,466 1,460 1,379 1,342 1,439 1,348 1,369 1,300 1,262
Unpaid family workers......................... 37 56 58 31 31 33 37 47 48
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers....................... 119,366 122,062 121,595 118,840 120,785 121,168 121,005 121,157 121,163
Government.................................. 17,782 18,591 18,646 18,332 18,709 18,672 19,110 19,068 19,243
Private industries.......................... 101,584 103,471 102,949 100,508 102,076 102,496 101,895 102,089 101,920
Private households........................ 914 1,007 923 871 941 910 1,001 943 871
Other industries.......................... 100,670 102,464 102,026 99,637 101,135 101,586 100,894 101,146 101,049
Self-employed workers......................... 8,938 8,943 9,057 8,955 8,813 8,687 8,857 8,837 9,066
Unpaid family workers......................... 84 78 87 88 63 60 87 74 91
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 3,508 3,537 3,238 3,503 3,408 3,422 3,418 3,299 3,248
Slack work or business conditions........... 1,908 2,031 1,759 2,019 1,920 1,946 2,092 1,983 1,871
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,201 1,185 1,068 1,188 1,124 1,137 1,014 1,044 1,057
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 15,851 16,617 16,455 18,653 18,882 18,632 18,666 19,122 19,359
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 3,350 3,368 3,102 3,339 3,224 3,247 3,232 3,130 3,105
Slack work or business conditions........... 1,813 1,905 1,677 1,926 1,831 1,838 1,944 1,846 1,791
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,164 1,159 1,046 1,155 1,092 1,111 1,010 1,028 1,041
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 15,229 16,049 15,870 18,031 18,320 18,098 18,016 18,618 18,781
NOTE: Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for
reasons such as vacation, illness, or industrial dispute. Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually
work full time but worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad
weather. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-5. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Category
Aug. July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over......................... 6,217 5,947 5,853 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2
Men, 20 years and over......................... 2,578 2,477 2,496 3.7 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6
Women, 20 years and over....................... 2,413 2,418 2,254 4.0 4.1 3.6 3.9 4.0 3.7
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years..................... 1,226 1,053 1,102 14.9 14.1 12.6 13.5 12.7 13.5
Married men, spouse present.................... 1,029 1,001 1,022 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.3
Married women, spouse present.................. 1,053 990 921 3.1 2.9 2.5 2.7 2.9 2.7
Women who maintain families.................... 580 571 567 6.8 7.2 6.0 6.6 6.4 6.4
Full-time workers.............................. 4,919 4,732 4,756 4.4 4.2 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1
Part-time workers.............................. 1,298 1,216 1,118 5.3 4.9 5.1 5.4 4.9 4.5
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty.......... 735 808 733 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.8
Technical, sales, and administrative support... 1,512 1,594 1,448 3.7 3.9 3.3 3.6 4.0 3.6
Precision production, craft, and repair........ 667 568 682 4.5 3.8 4.1 4.9 3.8 4.6
Operators, fabricators, and laborers........... 1,277 1,216 1,187 6.6 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.3 6.2
Farming, forestry, and fishing................. 225 236 228 5.9 7.3 8.0 7.5 6.4 6.2
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers 4,963 4,710 4,536 4.7 4.4 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.3
Goods-producing industries................... 1,374 1,240 1,383 4.8 4.5 4.4 4.7 4.4 5.0
Mining..................................... 22 40 25 3.6 9.3 5.9 4.7 6.4 4.0
Construction............................... 523 491 586 7.4 7.4 7.2 7.5 6.7 7.9
Manufacturing.............................. 829 709 773 3.9 3.3 3.4 3.8 3.5 3.9
Durable goods............................ 455 474 447 3.5 3.1 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.7
Nondurable goods......................... 374 235 326 4.5 3.7 3.6 4.0 3.0 4.2
Service-producing industries................. 3,589 3,470 3,153 4.7 4.3 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.0
Transportation and public utilities........ 259 278 245 3.5 2.8 3.3 2.8 3.6 3.1
Wholesale and retail trade................. 1,502 1,396 1,282 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.4 5.2 4.8
Finance, insurance, and real estate........ 213 191 196 2.7 3.2 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.4
Services................................... 1,615 1,605 1,430 4.7 4.1 3.9 4.2 4.5 4.0
Government workers............................. 408 439 405 2.2 2.5 2.6 2.4 2.3 2.1
Agricultural wage and salary workers........... 169 189 206 7.4 9.7 10.7 9.6 8.9 9.8
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which
is small relative to the trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-6. Duration of unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Duration
Aug. July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks................................ 2,509 2,910 2,498 2,652 2,788 2,467 2,529 2,680 2,621
5 to 14 weeks.................................... 2,150 1,934 1,976 1,956 1,867 1,816 1,736 1,766 1,810
15 weeks and over................................ 1,514 1,475 1,352 1,644 1,446 1,523 1,668 1,505 1,449
15 to 26 weeks................................ 679 714 633 810 773 794 824 787 745
27 weeks and over............................. 835 761 719 834 673 729 844 718 704
Average (mean) duration, in weeks................ 13.7 13.1 13.1 13.7 13.1 13.4 14.5 13.6 13.2
Median duration, in weeks........................ 7.0 5.4 6.7 6.8 6.1 6.7 6.2 5.7 6.5
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.............................. 40.6 46.1 42.9 42.4 45.7 42.5 42.6 45.0 44.6
5 to 14 weeks.................................. 34.8 30.6 33.9 31.3 30.6 31.3 29.3 29.7 30.8
15 weeks and over.............................. 24.5 23.3 23.2 26.3 23.7 26.2 28.1 25.3 24.6
15 to 26 weeks............................... 11.0 11.3 10.9 13.0 12.7 13.7 13.9 13.2 12.7
27 weeks and over............................ 13.5 12.0 12.3 13.3 11.0 12.6 14.2 12.1 12.0
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-7. Reason for unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Reason
Aug. July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 2,715 2,729 2,559 2,834 2,700 2,663 2,683 2,740 2,662
On temporary layoff............................. 782 862 784 937 838 821 892 850 929
Not on temporary layoff......................... 1,932 1,867 1,775 1,897 1,862 1,842 1,791 1,890 1,734
Permanent job losers.......................... 1,342 1,267 1,250 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs.......... 590 600 525 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers....................................... 795 817 866 734 841 789 864 755 797
Reentrants........................................ 2,157 2,101 1,925 2,124 2,044 2,040 2,057 2,011 1,896
New entrants...................................... 506 672 477 507 469 415 349 402 483
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........................................... 44.0 43.2 43.9 45.7 44.6 45.1 45.1 46.4 45.6
On temporary layoff............................ 12.7 13.6 13.5 15.1 13.9 13.9 15.0 14.4 15.9
Not on temporary layoff........................ 31.3 29.5 30.5 30.6 30.8 31.2 30.1 32.0 29.7
Job leavers...................................... 12.9 12.9 14.9 11.8 13.9 13.4 14.5 12.8 13.6
Reentrants....................................... 34.9 33.2 33.0 34.3 33.8 34.5 34.6 34.0 32.5
New entrants..................................... 8.2 10.6 8.2 8.2 7.7 7.0 5.9 6.8 8.3
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 2.0 1.9 1.8 2.1 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.9
Job leavers...................................... .6 .6 .6 .5 .6 .6 .6 .5 .6
Reentrants....................................... 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4
New entrants..................................... .4 .5 .3 .4 .3 .3 .3 .3 .3
1 Not available.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-8. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization
(Percent)
Not seasonally Seasonally adjusted
adjusted
Measure
Aug. July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of
the civilian labor force................................ 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.0
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as
a percent of the civilian labor force................... 2.0 1.9 1.8 2.1 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.9
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor
force (official unemployment rate)...................... 4.5 4.5 4.2 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent
of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers.... 4.7 4.7 4.3 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all
other marginally attached workers, as a percent of the
civilian labor force plus all marginally
attached workers........................................ 5.3 5.2 4.9 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers,
plus total employed part time for economic reasons,
as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all
marginally attached workers............................. 7.8 7.7 7.2 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
1 Not available.
NOTE: This range of alternative measures of labor underutilization replaces the U1-U7 range published in table A-7 of
this release prior to 1994. Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work
but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged
workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently looking for a job.
Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to
settle for a part-time schedule. For further information, see "BLS introduces new range of alternative unemployment
measures," in the October 1995 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised
population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-9. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Age and sex
Aug. July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 6,217 5,947 5,853 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2
16 to 24 years.................................. 2,366 2,128 2,126 10.8 10.0 9.4 9.9 9.6 9.6
16 to 19 years................................ 1,226 1,053 1,102 14.9 14.1 12.6 13.5 12.7 13.5
16 to 17 years.............................. 565 493 517 17.1 16.9 15.9 16.1 14.6 15.8
18 to 19 years.............................. 669 563 592 13.5 12.3 10.6 11.8 11.4 12.1
20 to 24 years................................ 1,140 1,075 1,023 8.4 7.6 7.5 7.7 7.7 7.3
25 years and over............................... 3,865 3,792 3,745 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2
25 to 54 years................................ 3,419 3,242 3,272 3.5 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3
55 years and over............................. 449 544 472 2.6 2.9 2.6 3.0 3.0 2.6
Men, 16 years and over.......................... 3,251 3,056 3,067 4.4 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1
16 to 24 years................................ 1,286 1,180 1,126 11.3 10.5 10.2 10.7 10.2 9.8
16 to 19 years.............................. 673 579 571 15.9 14.8 13.3 14.1 13.4 13.5
16 to 17 years............................ 320 271 270 18.9 19.2 17.7 16.5 15.4 15.8
18 to 19 years............................ 360 303 308 14.2 12.2 10.6 12.8 11.8 12.3
20 to 24 years.............................. 613 601 555 8.5 8.0 8.3 8.7 8.3 7.6
25 years and over............................. 1,983 1,866 1,963 3.2 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,739 1,559 1,680 3.3 2.9 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.2
55 years and over........................... 247 316 286 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.6 3.2 2.9
Women, 16 years and over........................ 2,966 2,891 2,786 4.7 4.6 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.3
16 to 24 years................................ 1,080 948 1,000 10.4 9.5 8.6 9.0 8.9 9.4
16 to 19 years.............................. 553 473 531 13.8 13.4 11.8 12.9 11.9 13.4
16 to 17 years............................ 245 222 248 15.3 14.5 13.8 15.7 13.8 15.8
18 to 19 years............................ 309 260 284 12.8 12.5 10.6 10.7 11.0 11.9
20 to 24 years.............................. 527 475 469 8.2 7.1 6.7 6.7 7.1 7.0
25 years and over............................. 1,882 1,926 1,782 3.5 3.6 3.2 3.5 3.6 3.3
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,680 1,683 1,593 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.7 3.4
55 years and over........................... 202 228 185 2.7 3.3 2.6 3.5 2.9 2.3
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-10. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Category
Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug.
1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force...................................... 67,100 67,948 24,352 24,674 42,748 43,275
Persons who currently want a job................................ 5,180 4,742 1,992 1,863 3,188 2,879
Searched for work and available to work now(1)............... 1,251 1,134 580 525 671 609
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2).................... 280 265 168 153 112 112
Reasons other than discouragement(3).................... 971 869 412 372 559 497
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4)...................................... 7,462 7,298 4,015 3,909 3,447 3,389
Percent of total employed..................................... 5.6 5.4 5.6 5.4 5.7 5.5
Primary job full time, secondary job part time................ 4,344 3,992 2,541 2,350 1,803 1,641
Primary and secondary jobs both part time..................... 1,408 1,514 469 499 939 1,014
Primary and secondary jobs both full time..................... 271 332 184 260 87 72
Hours vary on primary or secondary job........................ 1,384 1,418 796 777 588 641
1 Data refer to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available to take a job during the
reference week.
2 Includes thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and
other types of discrimination.
3 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as child-care and transportation
problems, as well as a small number for which reason for nonparticipation was not determined.
4 Includes persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown separately.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
Aug. June July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total......................... 125,966 129,593 128,768 128,721 126,170 128,134 128,162 128,443 128,781 128,905
Total private.................... 107,290 109,415 109,675 109,724 106,301 108,035 108,085 108,338 108,625 108,702
Goods-producing......................... 25,812 25,530 25,569 25,634 25,344 25,288 25,199 25,180 25,248 25,153
Mining................................ 597 533 538 536 585 538 531 526 529 526
Metal mining........................ 50.9 49.3 49.0 47.4 50 49 49 48 48 46
Coal mining......................... 90.9 84.8 84.4 84.2 90 86 86 84 85 84
Oil and gas extraction.............. 342.1 286.3 290.5 291.7 336 294 287 285 286 287
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 113.3 112.9 113.7 113.0 109 109 109 109 110 109
Construction.......................... 6,363 6,499 6,622 6,617 6,005 6,277 6,239 6,258 6,272 6,243
General building contractors........ 1,447.6 1,475.8 1,506.5 1,497.1 1,381 1,428 1,427 1,430 1,434 1,426
Heavy construction, except building. 921.8 917.1 928.1 931.2 842 874 854 857 857 851
Special trade contractors........... 3,993.2 4,106.1 4,187.5 4,189.1 3,782 3,975 3,958 3,971 3,981 3,966
Manufacturing......................... 18,852 18,498 18,409 18,481 18,754 18,473 18,429 18,396 18,447 18,384
Production workers................ 12,959 12,702 12,620 12,704 12,891 12,696 12,662 12,623 12,694 12,639
Durable goods........................ 11,188 11,030 10,965 10,987 11,177 10,993 10,971 10,960 11,013 10,975
Production workers................ 7,625 7,547 7,483 7,509 7,634 7,519 7,504 7,487 7,549 7,518
Lumber and wood products............ 826.7 833.6 838.4 840.7 813 824 824 824 826 827
Furniture and fixtures.............. 531.3 541.0 540.2 541.0 532 536 537 538 546 542
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 575.4 579.3 577.4 578.7 564 570 569 568 570 567
Primary metal industries............ 711.4 690.5 684.9 688.2 713 691 689 687 692 689
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 231.4 221.5 222.2 223.4 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,500.2 1,492.2 1,476.5 1,482.7 1,502 1,489 1,487 1,485 1,493 1,484
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,194.8 2,140.1 2,123.9 2,108.6 2,203 2,132 2,129 2,128 2,130 2,117
Computer and office equipment..... 378.6 364.7 362.2 359.7 378 361 362 364 361 359
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,696.1 1,663.2 1,662.8 1,662.8 1,698 1,658 1,658 1,657 1,667 1,665
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 654.9 640.2 639.9 641.8 655 635 635 637 639 642
Transportation equipment............ 1,891.7 1,860.1 1,835.2 1,858.8 1,894 1,864 1,853 1,849 1,863 1,861
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 995.9 1,007.2 987.8 1,011.2 997 996 996 998 1,015 1,012
Aircraft and parts................ 523.7 489.9 486.9 482.0 526 503 498 491 488 484
Instruments and related products.... 867.3 840.7 841.1 836.6 866 842 839 837 840 835
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 393.0 389.1 384.9 389.0 392 387 386 387 386 388
Nondurable goods..................... 7,664 7,468 7,444 7,494 7,577 7,480 7,458 7,436 7,434 7,409
Production workers................ 5,334 5,155 5,137 5,195 5,257 5,177 5,158 5,136 5,145 5,121
Food and kindred products........... 1,745.3 1,678.5 1,705.6 1,742.4 1,675 1,689 1,688 1,680 1,682 1,673
Tobacco products.................... 40.4 35.7 35.5 36.0 40 38 38 39 39 36
Textile mill products............... 594.7 564.1 556.5 556.9 594 567 563 560 559 557
Apparel and other textile products.. 759.3 692.6 672.6 674.2 755 698 691 686 680 670
Paper and allied products........... 675.0 663.5 660.8 660.8 673 662 661 659 659 659
Printing and publishing............. 1,565.9 1,554.4 1,553.8 1,552.0 1,566 1,555 1,551 1,552 1,553 1,552
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,049.5 1,039.6 1,036.7 1,037.7 1,044 1,038 1,036 1,033 1,031 1,032
Petroleum and coal products......... 143.0 139.8 141.1 140.5 140 139 138 137 138 137
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 1,009.8 1,024.3 1,011.6 1,021.3 1,009 1,019 1,018 1,016 1,021 1,021
Leather and leather products........ 81.5 75.1 69.5 71.7 81 75 74 74 72 72
Service-producing....................... 100,154 104,063 103,199 103,087 100,826 102,846 102,963 103,263 103,533 103,752
Transportation and public utilities... 6,610 6,816 6,782 6,795 6,625 6,750 6,758 6,781 6,797 6,809
Transportation...................... 4,278 4,445 4,409 4,419 4,305 4,397 4,402 4,423 4,439 4,445
Railroad transportation........... 232.9 234.1 231.7 231.9 232 234 233 233 230 231
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 409.6 482.0 421.0 416.5 475 483 480 483 484 482
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,786.6 1,827.3 1,840.9 1,850.6 1,755 1,800 1,802 1,810 1,817 1,818
Water transportation.............. 192.0 187.9 192.9 194.1 184 180 180 181 183 186
Transportation by air............. 1,186.2 1,230.4 1,238.4 1,239.3 1,190 1,220 1,226 1,234 1,241 1,243
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 14.1 13.3 13.4 13.3 14 14 13 13 13 13
Transportation services........... 456.7 470.0 471.1 473.4 455 466 468 469 471 472
Communications and public utilities. 2,332 2,371 2,373 2,376 2,320 2,353 2,356 2,358 2,358 2,364
Communications.................... 1,473.0 1,519.2 1,523.4 1,530.1 1,467 1,508 1,513 1,513 1,518 1,524
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 858.8 851.6 849.2 846.2 853 845 843 845 840 840
Wholesale trade....................... 6,877 7,036 7,061 7,062 6,846 6,965 6,977 6,993 7,011 7,031
Durable goods....................... 4,070 4,165 4,183 4,184 4,055 4,113 4,124 4,139 4,154 4,169
Nondurable goods.................... 2,807 2,871 2,878 2,878 2,791 2,852 2,853 2,854 2,857 2,862
Retail trade.......................... 22,507 22,992 23,035 23,045 22,353 22,724 22,748 22,796 22,895 22,892
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 970.5 1,032.7 1,023.6 1,010.9 950 982 979 982 986 990
General merchandise stores.......... 2,684.7 2,718.6 2,722.7 2,737.0 2,733 2,799 2,784 2,782 2,781 2,791
Department stores................. 2,386.3 2,424.8 2,426.1 2,439.1 2,429 2,499 2,486 2,482 2,478 2,484
Food stores......................... 3,497.8 3,497.4 3,500.3 3,501.2 3,483 3,492 3,487 3,479 3,475 3,486
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,372.2 2,425.5 2,439.9 2,444.2 2,345 2,399 2,400 2,403 2,408 2,416
New and used car dealers.......... 1,052.1 1,084.3 1,090.0 1,093.8 1,048 1,074 1,077 1,080 1,085 1,090
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,152.0 1,167.0 1,180.0 1,184.7 1,149 1,163 1,172 1,178 1,187 1,182
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,020.9 1,078.6 1,079.4 1,086.2 1,031 1,081 1,084 1,091 1,089 1,097
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,969.6 8,148.0 8,161.5 8,142.1 7,779 7,863 7,880 7,911 7,985 7,947
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,839.2 2,924.5 2,927.3 2,938.6 2,883 2,945 2,962 2,970 2,984 2,983
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 7,526 7,707 7,745 7,738 7,445 7,611 7,621 7,636 7,644 7,655
Finance............................. 3,635 3,728 3,743 3,740 3,616 3,697 3,706 3,709 3,713 3,721
Depository institutions........... 2,054.9 2,057.4 2,059.4 2,054.9 2,043 2,050 2,047 2,045 2,042 2,043
Commercial banks................ 1,476.2 1,472.6 1,473.4 1,469.5 1,467 1,467 1,465 1,463 1,461 1,461
Savings institutions............ 259.2 257.9 258.2 257.0 258 257 256 256 256 256
Nondepository institutions........ 670.9 723.4 724.3 724.0 669 716 720 721 721 722
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 339.2 375.2 372.5 370.7 337 370 374 372 370 368
Security and commodity brokers.... 658.1 678.9 689.5 691.5 653 668 672 676 682 686
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 250.7 267.8 269.4 269.9 251 263 267 267 268 270
Insurance........................... 2,364 2,411 2,417 2,415 2,355 2,395 2,399 2,402 2,404 2,406
Insurance carriers................ 1,613.6 1,643.5 1,644.9 1,641.1 1,607 1,631 1,635 1,638 1,634 1,634
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 749.9 767.0 772.2 773.5 748 764 764 764 770 772
Real estate......................... 1,527 1,568 1,585 1,583 1,474 1,519 1,516 1,525 1,527 1,528
Services (2).......................... 37,958 39,334 39,483 39,450 37,688 38,697 38,782 38,952 39,030 39,162
Agricultural services............... 775.1 841.3 838.6 825.0 709 755 751 757 757 755
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,920.2 1,898.3 1,953.8 1,948.7 1,784 1,791 1,786 1,797 1,808 1,810
Personal services................... 1,154.7 1,172.6 1,163.5 1,162.8 1,197 1,204 1,189 1,200 1,206 1,205
Business services................... 8,751.1 9,137.5 9,182.1 9,292.9 8,649 9,010 9,047 9,088 9,139 9,185
Services to buildings............. 960.5 994.6 997.7 1,004.3 952 978 979 984 990 996
Personnel supply services......... 3,333.9 3,403.2 3,418.7 3,507.2 3,249 3,350 3,366 3,387 3,416 3,419
Help supply services............ 2,971.0 3,017.3 3,030.1 3,117.8 2,887 2,975 2,986 3,000 3,021 3,030
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,626.9 1,781.5 1,796.0 1,808.6 1,626 1,749 1,765 1,781 1,793 1,808
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,157.0 1,192.3 1,193.4 1,193.2 1,150 1,178 1,182 1,184 1,185 1,186
Miscellaneous repair services....... 385.7 398.6 399.5 401.1 382 396 398 395 394 397
Motion pictures..................... 586.6 613.2 607.2 611.5 575 587 604 611 597 599
Amusement and recreation services... 1,862.2 1,949.3 2,006.4 1,981.1 1,608 1,668 1,675 1,695 1,694 1,711
Health services..................... 9,874.8 9,989.3 10008.0 10010.8 9,859 9,951 9,954 9,964 9,976 9,995
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,817.6 1,868.7 1,877.2 1,882.1 1,811 1,856 1,860 1,864 1,870 1,875
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,765.4 1,756.9 1,759.1 1,760.0 1,760 1,753 1,755 1,755 1,753 1,755
Hospitals......................... 3,944.4 3,976.6 3,984.5 3,981.2 3,937 3,966 3,966 3,969 3,968 3,974
Home health care services......... 658.8 655.3 653.9 655.1 661 656 653 653 655 658
Legal services...................... 983.3 1,016.4 1,018.0 1,010.4 977 998 999 1,002 1,000 1,004
Educational services................ 1,868.1 2,069.6 1,986.3 1,949.8 2,176 2,254 2,265 2,272 2,274 2,271
Social services..................... 2,620.9 2,776.5 2,782.4 2,758.4 2,660 2,755 2,760 2,778 2,765 2,799
Child day care services........... 560.7 619.3 578.7 576.1 610 628 629 633 631 627
Residential care.................. 753.3 782.9 786.8 788.3 749 772 775 777 780 784
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 99.4 101.2 102.6 101.2 93 94 93 94 94 94
Membership organizations............ 2,405.0 2,447.7 2,476.8 2,447.0 2,365 2,392 2,394 2,409 2,404 2,406
Engineering and management services. 3,224.3 3,435.1 3,468.8 3,462.5 3,214 3,370 3,391 3,411 3,441 3,451
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 926.3 955.4 963.7 963.4 912 939 940 942 949 949
Management and public relations... 1,050.8 1,162.6 1,176.5 1,180.8 1,046 1,133 1,143 1,153 1,163 1,175
Services, nec....................... 52.5 57.4 58.3 56.5 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 18,676 20,178 19,093 18,997 19,869 20,099 20,077 20,105 20,156 20,203
Federal............................. 2,695 2,682 2,669 2,665 2,688 2,688 2,666 2,664 2,657 2,659
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,834.1 1,815.1 1,800.9 1,793.5 1,818 1,809 1,788 1,789 1,777 1,778
State............................... 4,379 4,533 4,458 4,443 4,633 4,688 4,677 4,675 4,683 4,701
Education......................... 1,641.9 1,758.8 1,666.1 1,667.6 1,931 1,955 1,941 1,934 1,948 1,961
Other State government............ 2,737.1 2,774.6 2,792.3 2,775.4 2,702 2,733 2,736 2,741 2,735 2,740
Local............................... 11,602 12,963 11,966 11,889 12,548 12,723 12,734 12,766 12,816 12,843
Education......................... 5,940.0 7,266.1 6,111.3 6,111.6 7,109 7,206 7,225 7,239 7,268 7,293
Other local government............ 5,662.1 5,696.6 5,854.3 5,777.8 5,439 5,517 5,509 5,527 5,548 5,550
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
Aug. June July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 35.2 34.6 34.7 35.1 34.6 34.4 34.4 34.5 34.5 34.6
Goods-producing......................... 41.4 41.3 40.9 41.3 41.1 40.9 41.0 41.2 41.2 41.1
Mining................................ 44.0 44.2 44.6 44.5 43.7 43.8 44.1 44.0 45.0 44.2
Construction.......................... 40.2 39.8 39.9 40.0 39.2 38.6 38.9 39.4 38.9 39.0
Manufacturing......................... 41.7 41.8 41.2 41.7 41.7 41.6 41.7 41.7 41.9 41.7
Overtime hours.................... 4.7 4.7 4.4 4.7 4.5 4.3 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.6
Durable goods........................ 42.2 42.4 41.6 42.2 42.3 42.1 42.2 42.3 42.5 42.3
Overtime hours.................... 4.8 4.8 4.5 4.7 4.7 4.3 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.7
Lumber and wood products............ 41.6 41.6 41.2 41.5 41.2 41.2 41.2 41.1 41.2 41.1
Furniture and fixtures.............. 41.0 40.3 40.2 40.7 40.6 40.4 40.4 40.4 40.6 40.3
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 44.2 43.9 43.7 44.3 43.6 43.1 43.4 43.4 43.5 43.7
Primary metal industries............ 43.8 44.4 43.6 44.1 44.1 44.0 44.3 44.3 44.5 44.4
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 44.2 45.2 44.6 44.7 44.4 44.5 44.8 45.2 45.1 44.9
Fabricated metal products........... 42.2 42.3 41.5 42.3 42.3 41.8 42.1 42.1 42.3 42.4
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 42.6 42.1 41.7 42.1 42.9 41.9 42.1 42.0 42.4 42.5
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 41.5 41.5 40.8 41.2 41.5 41.1 41.5 41.5 41.6 41.3
Transportation equipment............ 42.8 44.1 42.1 43.5 43.0 44.0 43.5 44.2 44.3 43.7
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 42.5 45.4 42.5 44.3 43.0 45.1 44.4 45.4 45.7 44.8
Instruments and related products.... 41.2 41.5 41.0 41.2 41.3 41.6 41.6 41.5 41.7 41.4
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 40.0 39.9 39.2 40.1 40.0 39.6 40.2 40.0 40.0 40.2
Nondurable goods..................... 41.0 41.0 40.6 41.0 40.9 40.9 41.0 41.0 41.0 40.9
Overtime hours.................... 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.4
Food and kindred products........... 42.0 41.6 41.8 41.9 41.7 41.9 41.8 41.8 42.0 41.6
Tobacco products.................... 39.3 40.1 40.3 38.5 39.2 38.6 39.9 39.1 41.0 38.4
Textile mill products............... 41.2 41.0 40.6 41.1 41.0 41.0 41.0 40.6 41.3 40.9
Apparel and other textile products.. 37.6 38.1 36.9 37.4 37.4 37.5 37.8 37.7 37.4 37.2
Paper and allied products........... 43.1 43.5 43.0 43.4 43.3 43.6 43.5 43.5 43.5 43.7
Printing and publishing............. 38.6 37.9 38.0 38.4 38.5 38.1 38.3 38.3 38.3 38.3
Chemicals and allied products....... 43.0 43.0 42.6 43.1 43.2 43.0 43.0 43.0 43.0 43.3
Petroleum and coal products......... 44.0 43.0 43.6 42.6 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 41.5 41.9 41.0 41.4 41.7 41.5 41.9 41.8 41.7 41.6
Leather and leather products........ 38.4 38.4 36.7 38.2 37.9 38.1 38.4 37.9 37.1 37.8
Service-producing....................... 33.5 32.9 33.1 33.5 32.9 32.8 32.8 32.8 32.9 32.9
Transportation and public utilities... 39.9 39.0 39.0 39.7 39.4 39.0 38.8 38.9 38.8 39.2
Wholesale trade....................... 38.7 38.4 38.4 38.8 38.4 38.4 38.3 38.4 38.4 38.5
Retail trade.......................... 29.9 29.4 29.8 30.0 29.0 29.0 29.1 29.1 29.1 29.1
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 36.9 35.9 36.1 36.8 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 33.2 32.6 32.8 33.2 32.7 32.5 32.5 32.6 32.6 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
Aug. June July Aug. Aug. June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... $12.76 $13.14 $13.16 $13.21 $449.15 $454.64 $456.65 $463.67
Seasonally adjusted............. 12.85 13.24 13.28 13.30 444.61 456.78 458.16 460.18
Goods-producing......................... 14.41 14.83 14.91 14.92 596.57 612.48 609.82 616.20
Mining................................ 16.88 16.93 17.14 17.08 742.72 748.31 764.44 760.06
Construction.......................... 16.77 17.08 17.23 17.27 674.15 679.78 687.48 690.80
Manufacturing......................... 13.45 13.91 13.92 13.93 560.87 581.44 573.50 580.88
Durable goods........................ 13.92 14.40 14.38 14.44 587.42 610.56 598.21 609.37
Lumber and wood products............ 11.18 11.45 11.51 11.55 465.09 476.32 474.21 479.33
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.96 11.16 11.25 11.28 449.36 449.75 452.25 459.10
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 13.63 13.94 14.01 13.91 602.45 611.97 612.24 616.21
Primary metal industries............ 15.45 15.91 16.04 15.97 676.71 706.40 699.34 704.28
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 18.46 19.05 19.19 18.97 815.93 861.06 855.87 847.96
Fabricated metal products........... 13.04 13.46 13.46 13.52 550.29 569.36 558.59 571.90
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 14.46 14.99 15.06 15.14 616.00 631.08 628.00 637.39
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 13.10 13.40 13.49 13.42 543.65 556.10 550.39 552.90
Transportation equipment............ 17.29 18.20 17.94 18.09 740.01 802.62 755.27 786.92
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 17.52 18.68 18.23 18.39 744.60 848.07 774.78 814.68
Instruments and related products.... 13.79 14.13 14.26 14.34 568.15 586.40 584.66 590.81
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.85 11.30 11.30 11.29 434.00 450.87 442.96 452.73
Nondurable goods..................... 12.75 13.15 13.22 13.18 522.75 539.15 536.73 540.38
Food and kindred products........... 11.76 12.16 12.15 12.09 493.92 505.86 507.87 506.57
Tobacco products.................... 18.96 20.79 21.22 20.51 745.13 833.68 855.17 789.64
Textile mill products............... 10.37 10.76 10.71 10.72 427.24 441.16 434.83 440.59
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.54 8.89 8.83 8.87 321.10 338.71 325.83 331.74
Paper and allied products........... 15.54 15.98 16.07 16.01 669.77 695.13 691.01 694.83
Printing and publishing............. 13.47 13.73 13.80 13.81 519.94 520.37 524.40 530.30
Chemicals and allied products....... 17.14 17.35 17.48 17.46 737.02 746.05 744.65 752.53
Petroleum and coal products......... 20.80 21.14 21.37 21.29 915.20 909.02 931.73 906.95
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.84 12.25 12.36 12.30 491.36 513.28 506.76 509.22
Leather and leather products........ 9.28 9.57 9.56 9.67 356.35 367.49 350.85 369.39
Service-producing....................... 12.22 12.60 12.61 12.67 409.37 414.54 417.39 424.45
Transportation and public utilities... $15.30 $15.56 $15.73 $15.66 $610.47 $606.84 $613.47 $621.70
Wholesale trade....................... 14.18 14.44 14.54 14.64 548.77 554.50 558.34 568.03
Retail trade.......................... 8.72 9.02 9.02 9.03 260.73 265.19 268.80 270.90
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 14.12 14.50 14.53 14.66 521.03 520.55 524.53 539.49
Services.............................. 12.75 13.23 13.20 13.28 423.30 431.30 432.96 440.90
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
Aug. Apr. May June July Aug. change
Industry 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p from:
July 1999-
Aug. 1999
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $12.85 $13.14 $13.18 $13.24 $13.28 $13.30 0.2
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.78 7.83 7.85 7.89 7.88 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 14.39 14.67 14.75 14.85 14.91 14.89 -.1
Mining...................... 17.00 16.87 17.05 16.96 17.25 17.20 -.3
Construction................ 16.67 16.97 17.08 17.16 17.19 17.16 -.2
Manufacturing............... 13.53 13.79 13.85 13.95 14.02 14.01 -.1
Excluding overtime4....... 12.82 13.09 13.13 13.20 13.27 13.27 .0
Service-producing............. 12.35 12.65 12.68 12.73 12.77 12.80 .2
Transportation and public
utilities................ 15.33 15.60 15.65 15.65 15.77 15.69 -.5
Wholesale trade............. 14.17 14.44 14.48 14.56 14.60 14.62 .1
Retail trade................ 8.80 9.03 9.04 9.06 9.10 9.12 .2
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 14.14 14.58 14.60 14.62 14.68 14.68 .0
Services.................... 12.94 13.28 13.33 13.38 13.42 13.47 .4
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to
deflate this series.
3 Change was -.1 percent from June 1999 to July 1999, the latest month available.
4 Derived by assuming that overtime hours are paid at the rate of time and one-half.
N.A. = not available.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-5. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
industry
(1982=100)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
Aug. June July Aug. Aug. Apr. May June July Aug.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 149.4 150.0 150.7 152.4 145.5 147.0 147.2 147.8 148.3 148.5
Goods-producing......................... 118.7 117.0 116.1 117.7 115.4 114.2 114.4 114.6 115.1 114.3
Mining................................ 57.0 50.5 51.5 51.5 55.3 50.4 50.1 49.7 51.0 50.1
Construction.......................... 182.0 182.8 187.3 187.6 165.4 169.2 170.0 172.8 170.8 170.2
Manufacturing......................... 109.0 107.1 104.9 106.9 108.5 106.5 106.5 106.3 107.2 106.4
Durable goods........................ 112.4 111.6 108.6 110.7 112.6 110.4 110.5 110.4 111.8 111.0
Lumber and wood products............ 149.7 150.6 149.6 151.6 145.5 147.5 147.3 146.9 147.5 147.3
Furniture and fixtures.............. 136.3 136.7 135.6 137.8 135.3 135.6 135.9 136.2 138.8 136.8
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 120.2 120.8 119.6 121.5 116.0 116.2 117.0 116.8 117.5 117.3
Primary metal industries............ 92.4 90.7 88.2 89.4 93.3 89.9 90.3 89.8 91.1 90.4
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 70.9 69.8 69.1 69.1 71.3 69.1 69.2 69.4 69.6 69.3
Fabricated metal products........... 118.1 117.9 114.1 116.8 118.6 116.2 116.9 116.6 118.2 117.4
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 108.3 104.9 102.7 102.5 110.0 104.1 104.5 104.0 105.2 104.4
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 108.6 106.1 104.7 105.8 109.1 105.6 106.2 105.9 107.9 106.6
Transportation equipment............ 123.6 126.0 118.0 124.5 125.1 125.5 123.4 125.0 127.1 126.1
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 154.1 168.4 154.1 165.5 157.3 164.8 162.4 165.9 171.6 169.1
Instruments and related products.... 75.9 75.7 74.5 74.3 76.3 75.8 75.6 75.2 75.8 74.7
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 103.2 101.3 98.2 101.8 103.2 100.3 101.4 100.9 100.9 101.8
Nondurable goods..................... 104.5 100.9 99.7 101.7 102.8 101.2 101.1 100.5 100.9 100.1
Food and kindred products........... 123.5 117.0 119.9 123.9 116.5 118.9 118.5 117.9 119.2 116.9
Tobacco products.................... 60.6 50.8 50.1 49.8 60.2 55.4 55.3 56.2 58.9 49.4
Textile mill products............... 86.0 81.2 79.3 80.3 85.7 81.6 81.1 79.8 81.3 79.9
Apparel and other textile products.. 67.2 61.6 57.8 58.8 66.5 61.4 61.4 60.4 59.4 58.3
Paper and allied products........... 108.2 106.8 105.0 106.2 108.1 106.7 106.3 106.0 105.8 106.3
Printing and publishing............. 125.6 121.0 121.2 122.5 125.4 121.9 122.3 122.3 122.1 122.3
Chemicals and allied products....... 103.3 102.4 101.3 102.7 103.4 102.4 102.3 101.9 102.1 102.8
Petroleum and coal products......... 79.6 75.2 77.6 76.0 76.6 74.5 73.9 72.9 74.9 73.3
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 146.8 150.4 145.2 148.6 147.7 148.5 149.5 148.6 149.6 149.4
Leather and leather products........ 36.1 32.9 28.7 31.2 35.5 32.8 32.4 32.0 30.2 30.8
Service-producing....................... 163.1 164.8 166.3 168.0 159.0 161.6 161.9 162.7 163.2 163.8
Transportation and public utilities... 133.8 134.8 134.0 136.9 132.6 133.6 133.0 133.7 133.6 135.5
Wholesale trade....................... 130.9 133.1 133.5 134.6 129.2 131.6 131.5 132.0 132.3 132.6
Retail trade.......................... 145.6 146.6 148.8 149.6 140.1 142.6 143.3 143.6 144.4 144.2
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 141.3 140.5 142.1 144.2 137.2 139.1 138.8 139.4 140.7 140.4
Services.............................. 200.1 202.9 204.8 207.0 195.4 198.9 199.3 200.7 201.0 202.2
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-6. Diffusion indexes of employment change, seasonally adjusted
(Percent)
Time span Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Private nonfarm payrolls, 356 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1995.............. 63.8 58.0 54.6 56.5 47.5 54.8 55.6 59.1 57.9 56.9 55.2 57.7
1996.............. 49.6 64.9 59.4 55.1 61.9 60.8 57.0 62.5 57.3 63.5 59.7 61.2
1997.............. 56.2 61.0 61.9 62.8 58.8 56.3 60.7 61.0 59.4 65.4 63.6 62.1
1998.............. 63.8 57.9 58.8 60.5 55.9 57.9 58.0 55.8 54.6 52.9 59.1 58.6
1999.............. 54.4 58.3 52.1 58.8 51.5 57.0 p57.9 p50.1
Over 3-month span:
1995.............. 63.8 62.9 58.0 53.5 53.9 52.7 59.3 61.0 59.4 58.6 57.3 55.3
1996.............. 62.6 62.5 63.3 63.1 63.1 64.3 64.3 62.2 64.6 64.2 66.2 63.2
1997.............. 63.8 63.6 67.7 67.3 62.6 61.7 61.4 66.2 67.3 69.9 70.8 71.2
1998.............. 66.7 66.2 64.5 63.9 61.4 58.7 60.0 58.4 57.6 57.6 59.0 60.4
1999.............. 60.7 55.9 59.6 54.6 56.3 p56.3 p55.5
Over 6-month span:
1995.............. 66.7 59.7 58.6 56.5 59.0 60.0 57.7 61.0 60.5 59.3 61.7 63.2
1996.............. 62.6 65.2 64.5 65.2 64.7 64.6 67.0 65.4 65.9 66.7 66.9 66.7
1997.............. 67.4 68.3 65.6 67.0 65.6 64.9 66.3 68.4 69.7 71.3 71.3 71.9
1998.............. 70.6 66.9 65.9 62.4 62.6 61.1 58.0 59.8 60.0 60.8 60.8 58.0
1999.............. 61.1 58.8 57.3 p59.4 p55.6
Over 12-month span:
1995.............. 63.6 62.4 62.6 63.3 61.7 61.9 58.7 62.2 62.2 61.5 63.5 65.4
1996.............. 64.5 66.7 64.5 65.6 68.5 67.3 67.7 66.4 68.0 69.9 68.7 66.9
1997.............. 69.0 67.3 68.3 69.7 69.5 70.1 70.1 70.4 70.5 69.7 69.8 71.3
1998.............. 70.4 68.3 67.1 64.0 62.1 61.7 61.8 63.8 59.8 59.0 59.3 58.6
1999.............. p59.7 p56.7
Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1995.............. 57.2 50.4 47.1 52.9 41.4 45.3 45.0 51.1 48.6 51.1 45.3 48.2
1996.............. 42.4 55.4 46.8 41.0 55.8 51.4 47.1 56.5 48.9 55.0 50.7 54.0
1997.............. 50.0 52.9 53.6 56.1 52.2 53.2 51.1 55.4 53.6 62.2 61.2 55.4
1998.............. 58.6 51.8 50.4 50.4 40.6 46.8 40.3 45.3 42.1 36.3 39.9 45.0
1999.............. 40.3 42.4 39.6 44.6 36.3 45.3 p57.9 p39.2
Over 3-month span:
1995.............. 55.4 51.4 44.2 41.7 43.5 37.4 42.1 43.9 48.2 46.8 44.6 41.4
1996.............. 46.8 46.0 43.5 46.0 48.2 51.1 51.8 49.6 53.2 52.5 55.0 50.7
1997.............. 51.8 51.4 57.6 56.8 54.3 51.8 53.6 55.4 59.7 68.3 65.8 64.4
1998.............. 59.4 57.9 51.8 44.2 41.7 34.9 37.4 37.1 38.1 34.2 35.6 35.3
1999.............. 37.4 31.7 37.1 30.2 33.8 p43.9 p44.6
Over 6-month span:
1995.............. 55.4 45.7 43.2 38.1 41.7 42.8 41.0 42.1 43.5 43.2 44.2 45.0
1996.............. 41.4 46.0 45.7 47.1 46.0 48.6 52.9 50.4 51.8 51.4 52.5 51.8
1997.............. 54.7 54.0 51.4 54.3 52.5 52.2 55.4 61.2 61.5 64.7 66.2 65.1
1998.............. 59.7 49.3 48.2 36.7 36.7 36.7 28.4 31.3 33.5 35.3 32.7 28.1
1999.............. 33.1 29.1 28.1 p36.3 p31.7
Over 12-month span:
1995.............. 46.0 44.2 46.0 47.8 41.0 41.7 38.5 38.8 36.3 38.5 39.9 44.6
1996.............. 43.5 47.5 45.3 45.3 50.4 49.6 50.4 48.6 51.1 55.0 54.3 50.7
1997.............. 54.7 52.5 54.0 54.0 55.4 56.8 57.2 57.9 58.3 56.5 55.4 57.2
1998.............. 54.0 49.3 46.0 40.6 35.6 33.8 30.9 32.0 26.6 26.6 25.5 26.3
1999.............. p31.7 p25.9
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: U.S. Census Bureau
Contact: (cpsinfo@bls.gov) Division of Labor Force Statistics-BLS
Last revised: September 24, 2001
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_0899.htm
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