Technical information: USDL 98-407
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, October 2, 1998.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: SEPTEMBER 1998
Payroll employment rose slightly, and unemployment was virtually
unchanged at 4.6 percent in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment
was up by only 69,000. The number of manufacturing and construction jobs
declined, and growth in the services industry was weak for the second month
in a row.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
Both the number of unemployed persons, 6.3 million, and the unemployment
rate, 4.6 percent, remained essentially unchanged in September. The
jobless rate has been at or below 5 percent since April 1997. Among the
major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (3.8 percent),
adult women (4.0 percent), teenagers (15.4 percent), whites (3.9 percent),
blacks (9.2 percent), and Hispanics (7.4 percent) showed little movement in
September. (See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
Total employment rose by 597,000 in September to 131.8 million, after
seasonal adjustment. Over the year, employment has risen by 2.3 million,
after adjusting for changes in the composite estimation procedure
introduced with the January 1998 data. Over the month, the employment-
population ratio--the proportion of the population age 16 and older with
jobs--increased by 0.3 percentage point to 64.1 percent. (See table A-1.)
About 7.9 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in September. These multiple jobholders comprised 6.0 percent of the
total employed, the same as a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
The civilian labor force increased by 660,000 in September to 138.1
million (seasonally adjusted). Over the year, the labor force has grown by
1.9 million, after adjusting for the changes in the composite estimation
procedure. In September, the labor force participation rate edged up to
67.1 percent. (See table A-1.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.4 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in September, little changed over the year.
These were people who wanted and were available for work and had looked
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Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________| Aug.-
Category | 1998 1/ | 1998 1/ | Sept.
|_________________|__________________________|change
| II | III | July | Aug. | Sept. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 137,351| 137,596| 137,296| 137,415| 138,075| 660
Employment..........| 131,349| 131,333| 131,067| 131,168| 131,765| 597
Unemployment........| 6,002| 6,262| 6,230| 6,247| 6,310| 63
Not in labor force....| 67,554| 67,887| 67,973| 68,064| 67,624| -440
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.4| 4.6| 4.5| 4.5| 4.6| 0.1
Adult men...........| 3.6| 3.8| 3.9| 3.7| 3.8| .1
Adult women.........| 4.0| 4.0| 4.0| 4.1| 4.0| -.1
Teenagers...........| 14.0| 14.7| 13.8| 15.0| 15.4| .4
White...............| 3.8| 3.9| 3.8| 4.0| 3.9| -.1
Black...............| 8.7| 9.3| 9.7| 9.0| 9.2| .2
Hispanic origin.....| 6.9| 7.4| 7.2| 7.5| 7.4| -.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA 2/| Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 125,516|p126,098| 125,869|p126,178|p126,247| p69
Goods-producing 2/..| 25,315| p25,203| 25,135| p25,255| p25,219| p-36
Construction......| 5,931| p5,977| 5,970| p5,991| p5,971| p-20
Manufacturing.....| 18,804| p18,655| 18,594| p18,693| p18,677| p-16
Service-producing 2/| 100,201|p100,895| 100,734|p100,923|p101,028| p105
Retail trade......| 22,402| p22,553| 22,547| p22,537| p22,574| p37
Services..........| 37,347| p37,675| 37,614| p37,693| p37,717| p24
Government........| 19,802| p19,886| 19,826| p19,915| p19,916| p1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.6| p34.5| 34.6| p34.6| p34.4| p-0.2
Manufacturing.......| 41.7| p41.7| 41.7| p41.7| p41.7| p.0
Overtime..........| 4.6| p4.6| 4.6| p4.6| p4.5| p-.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 144.6| p145.0| 145.2| p145.3| p144.6| p-0.7
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 3/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $12.73| p$12.83| $12.79| p$12.85| p$12.86| p$0.01
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 440.46| p443.17| 442.53| p444.61| p442.38| p-2.23
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
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 -
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 317,000 in September, about the same as
a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Nonfarm payroll employment, at 126.2 million, increased by only 69,000
in September, after seasonal adjustment. After adjusting for the direct
impact of recent strikes and related shutdowns in automobile-related
manufacturing (which affected about 150,000 jobs), the past 3 months show
gains of about 270,000 in July, about 160,000 in August, and 69,000 in
September. The September figure reflected an unusually small increase in
services and declines in manufacturing and construction. (See table B-1.)
Manufacturing employment decreased by 16,000 in September; since March,
it has fallen by 152,000. All of the loss in September was in durable
goods (-29,000). The largest declines occurred in electronic equipment
(-7,000) and industrial machinery (-8,000); these two industries have
accounted for nearly two-fifths of all factory job losses since March. In
nondurable goods, employment in food and kindred products increased by
15,000 in September; weak summer hiring resulted in fewer layoffs than
usual, yielding a large employment gain after seasonal adjustment.
Employment in textiles also grew (3,000), although employment in the
industry has been on a downward trend for many years.
Construction employment decreased by 20,000 in September, with losses
occurring throughout the industry. Despite this drop, construction has
added 258,000 jobs over the year. Employment in mining was unchanged for
the second straight month, but the industry has lost 23,000 jobs over the
last 12 months.
The services industry added only 24,000 jobs in September, well below
its monthly average through August of this year (112,000). Health services
employment rose by 15,000, with gains in hospitals (9,000) and doctors'
offices (8,000). In contrast, home health care services continued to
decline and has lost 49,000 jobs over the year. Other industries that
added workers in September were amusement and recreation services (23,000)
and social services (13,000). Employment also increased in computer and
data processing services (10,000) and in engineering and management
services (6,000). In both industries, however, the gains in both August
and September were well below the average for the first 7 months of the
year. The gains in various service industries were largely offset by the
loss of 44,000 jobs in help supply services, where employment returned to
its January level.
Finance, insurance, and real estate resumed its strong pace of job growth
in September (23,000), following an unusually small increase in August.
Employment in real estate increased by 9,000 in September, after decreasing
by almost as much in August. Finance and insurance continued to grow, adding
8,000 and 6,000 jobs, respectively. Within finance, there were continued
gains in mortgage brokerages, security brokerages, and other investment
offices.
Employment in retail trade was up by 37,000 in September, following a
decline in August. The largest growth occurred in eating and drinking
places (27,000). Wholesale trade employment increased by 14,000 in
September after only moderate growth in the prior 3 months.
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Transportation and public utilities experienced only moderate growth in
September (6,000) due to a strike in communications. Employment in
transportation increased by 9,000, with most of this growth occurring in
air transportation.
There was little change in government employment in September. Over the
past 12 months, public-sector employment has risen by 309,000, with over
half of the increase taking place in local education.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls decreased by 0.2 hour in September to 34.4 hours,
seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing workweek was unchanged at 41.7
hours. Factory overtime edged down over the month by 0.1 hour to 4.5
hours. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls decreased by 0.5 percent to 144.6
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index was virtually
unchanged in September at 108.0. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls edged up 1 cent in September to $12.86, seasonally
adjusted. For the 3 months ending in September, the increase in average
hourly earnings (10 cents) was less than the increase in each of the prior
four quarters (13 cents). Average weekly earnings decreased by 0.5 percent
over the month to $442.38. Over the year, average hourly and weekly
earnings have risen by 4.0 and 3.4 percent, respectively. (See table B-3.)
________________________________________
The Employment Situation for October 1998 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, November 6, at 8:30 A.M. (EST).
- 5 -
Explanatory Note
This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the
information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears
in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
The establishment survey provides the information on the employment,
hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B
tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from
payroll records by BLS in cooperation with State agencies. In June 1998,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing about 48 million
people.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week
or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the
establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the
12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.
Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of
questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over
in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force.
People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours
in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they
were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather,
vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.
People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for
or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed
persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the
labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent
of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population.
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
Federal, State, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate
only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory
workers in the service-producing sector.
- 6 -
Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys
result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from
the surveys. Among these are:
--The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed,
unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed.
These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.
--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.
--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
--The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In
the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus
appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each
appearance.
Other differences between the two surveys are described in "Comparing
Employment Estimates from Household and Payroll Surveys," which may be
obtained from BLS upon request.
Seasonal adjustment
Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the
levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to
such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production,
harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The
effect of such seasonal variation can be very large; seasonal
fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month
changes in unemployment.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each
year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting
the statistics from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal
developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the
participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For example,
the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to
obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it
difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or
declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in
previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be
adjusted to allow for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal
adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful
tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity.
In both the household and establishment surveys, most seasonally adjusted
series are independently adjusted. However, the adjusted series for many
major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most major
industry divisions, total employment, and unemployment are computed by
aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example, total
unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major age-
sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration,
reasons, or more detailed age categories.
The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are
recalculated twice a year. For the household survey, the factors are
calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December
- 7 -
period. For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal
adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along
with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period. In both
surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject
to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the
entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample
selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the
estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total
employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus
376,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000
from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the
monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100,000 +/- 376,000).
These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these
magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range
includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment
rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely
(at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact,
occurred. The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in
unemployment is +/- 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment
rate it is +/- .21 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have
lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates
which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of
estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as
for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can
also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling
error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2
months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason,
these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after
two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.
Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is
the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new
firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth
(and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is
included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number
of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change. The size of the
- 8 -
monthly bias adjustment is based largely on past relationships between the
sample-based estimates of employment and the total counts of employment
described below.
The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted
once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment
obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program.
The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and the
March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a
rough proxy for total survey error. The new benchmarks also incorporate
changes in the classification of industries. Over the past decade, the
benchmark revision for total nonfarm employment has averaged 0.2 percent,
ranging from zero to 0.6 percent.
Additional statistics and other information
More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings,
published each month by BLS. It is available for $17.00 per issue or
$35.00 per year from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402. All orders must be prepaid by sending a check or money order
payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or by charging to Mastercard or
Visa.
Employment and Earnings also provides measures of sampling error for the
household survey data published in this release. For unemployment and
other labor force categories, these measures appear in tables 1-B through
1-H of its "Explanatory Notes." Measures of the reliability of the data
drawn from the establishment survey and the actual amounts of revision due
to benchmark adjustments are provided in tables 2-B through 2-G of that
publication.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-606-STAT; TDD phone:
202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age
(Numbers in thousands)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| |
|Not seasonally adjusted| Seasonally adjusted(1)
| |
Employment status, sex, and age | |
_______________________________________________________________________
| |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sept. | Aug. | Sept. | Sept. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
TOTAL | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population..............|203,570|205,479|205,699|203,570|204,899|205,085|205,270|205,479|205,699
Civilian labor force............................|136,375|138,379|137,903|136,439|137,364|137,447|137,296|137,415|138,075
Participation rate........................| 67.0| 67.3| 67.0| 67.0| 67.0| 67.0| 66.9| 66.9| 67.1
Employed......................................|129,972|132,206|131,864|129,761|131,453|131,209|131,067|131,168|131,765
Employment-population ratio...............| 63.8| 64.3| 64.1| 63.7| 64.2| 64.0| 63.9| 63.8| 64.1
Agriculture.................................| 3,569| 3,818| 3,671| 3,422| 3,335| 3,343| 3,441| 3,529| 3,518
Nonagricultural industries..................|126,403|128,388|128,193|126,339|128,118|127,867|127,626|127,640|128,247
Unemployed....................................| 6,403| 6,173| 6,039| 6,678| 5,910| 6,237| 6,230| 6,247| 6,310
Unemployment rate.........................| 4.7| 4.5| 4.4| 4.9| 4.3| 4.5| 4.5| 4.5| 4.6
Not in labor force..............................| 67,195| 67,100| 67,796| 67,131| 67,535| 67,639| 67,973| 68,064| 67,624
| | | | | | | | |
Men, 16 years and over | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population..............| 97,946| 98,892| 99,006| 97,946| 98,591| 98,691| 98,785| 98,892| 99,006
Civilian labor force............................| 73,068| 74,540| 73,954| 73,192| 73,783| 73,818| 74,027| 73,695| 74,165
Participation rate........................| 74.6| 75.4| 74.7| 74.7| 74.8| 74.8| 74.9| 74.5| 74.9
Employed......................................| 69,890| 71,537| 70,866| 69,656| 70,685| 70,570| 70,605| 70,441| 70,751
Employment-population ratio...............| 71.4| 72.3| 71.6| 71.1| 71.7| 71.5| 71.5| 71.2| 71.5
Unemployed....................................| 3,178| 3,003| 3,088| 3,536| 3,098| 3,249| 3,422| 3,253| 3,414
Unemployment rate.........................| 4.3| 4.0| 4.2| 4.8| 4.2| 4.4| 4.6| 4.4| 4.6
| | | | | | | | |
Men, 20 years and over | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population..............| 90,068| 90,889| 91,003| 90,068| 90,622| 90,700| 90,802| 90,889| 91,003
Civilian labor force............................| 69,204| 69,823| 69,817| 69,136| 69,624| 69,545| 69,790| 69,490| 69,829
Participation rate........................| 76.8| 76.8| 76.7| 76.8| 76.8| 76.7| 76.9| 76.5| 76.7
Employed......................................| 66,648| 67,464| 67,416| 66,298| 67,190| 66,950| 67,040| 66,901| 67,185
Employment-population ratio...............| 74.0| 74.2| 74.1| 73.6| 74.1| 73.8| 73.8| 73.6| 73.8
Agriculture.................................| 2,474| 2,556| 2,526| 2,383| 2,324| 2,333| 2,394| 2,443| 2,424
Nonagricultural industries..................| 64,174| 64,908| 64,890| 63,915| 64,866| 64,617| 64,646| 64,457| 64,761
Unemployed....................................| 2,556| 2,359| 2,401| 2,838| 2,434| 2,595| 2,750| 2,589| 2,645
Unemployment rate.........................| 3.7| 3.4| 3.4| 4.1| 3.5| 3.7| 3.9| 3.7| 3.8
| | | | | | | | |
Women, 16 years and over | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population..............|105,623|106,587|106,693|105,623|106,308|106,394|106,484|106,587|106,693
Civilian labor force............................| 63,307| 63,839| 63,949| 63,247| 63,581| 63,628| 63,270| 63,721| 63,910
Participation rate........................| 59.9| 59.9| 59.9| 59.9| 59.8| 59.8| 59.4| 59.8| 59.9
Employed......................................| 60,082| 60,669| 60,998| 60,105| 60,768| 60,640| 60,462| 60,727| 61,014
Employment-population ratio...............| 56.9| 56.9| 57.2| 56.9| 57.2| 57.0| 56.8| 57.0| 57.2
Unemployed....................................| 3,225| 3,170| 2,951| 3,142| 2,813| 2,989| 2,808| 2,994| 2,896
Unemployment rate.........................| 5.1| 5.0| 4.6| 5.0| 4.4| 4.7| 4.4| 4.7| 4.5
| | | | | | | | |
Women, 20 years and over | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population..............| 98,082| 98,901| 98,994| 98,082| 98,668| 98,735| 98,778| 98,901| 98,994
Civilian labor force............................| 59,705| 59,426| 60,059| 59,432| 59,573| 59,599| 59,359| 59,712| 59,804
Participation rate........................| 60.9| 60.1| 60.7| 60.6| 60.4| 60.4| 60.1| 60.4| 60.4
Employed......................................| 57,038| 56,786| 57,610| 56,883| 57,253| 57,172| 57,000| 57,286| 57,435
Employment-population ratio...............| 58.2| 57.4| 58.2| 58.0| 58.0| 57.9| 57.7| 57.9| 58.0
Agriculture.................................| 886| 883| 834| 826| 755| 747| 793| 819| 773
Nonagricultural industries..................| 56,153| 55,903| 56,776| 56,057| 56,499| 56,424| 56,207| 56,468| 56,663
Unemployed....................................| 2,666| 2,639| 2,449| 2,549| 2,320| 2,427| 2,359| 2,426| 2,368
Unemployment rate.........................| 4.5| 4.4| 4.1| 4.3| 3.9| 4.1| 4.0| 4.1| 4.0
| | | | | | | | |
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population.............| 15,420| 15,689| 15,702| 15,420| 15,609| 15,651| 15,690| 15,689| 15,702
Civilian labor force............................| 7,466| 9,130| 8,027| 7,871| 8,166| 8,302| 8,147| 8,213| 8,442
Participation rate........................| 48.4| 58.2| 51.1| 51.0| 52.3| 53.0| 51.9| 52.4| 53.8
Employed......................................| 6,285| 7,955| 6,838| 6,580| 7,010| 7,088| 7,027| 6,981| 7,145
Employment-population ratio...............| 40.8| 50.7| 43.5| 42.7| 44.9| 45.3| 44.8| 44.5| 45.5
Agriculture.................................| 209| 379| 311| 213| 256| 262| 254| 267| 322
Nonagricultural industries..................| 6,076| 7,577| 6,527| 6,367| 6,754| 6,826| 6,773| 6,715| 6,823
Unemployed....................................| 1,181| 1,175| 1,189| 1,291| 1,156| 1,215| 1,120| 1,232| 1,297
Unemployment rate.........................| 15.8| 12.9| 14.8| 16.4| 14.2| 14.6| 13.8| 15.0| 15.4
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sept. | Aug. | Sept. | Sept. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
WHITE | | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population..............|170,290|171,655|171,804|170,290|171,257|171,387|171,513|171,655|171,804
Civilian labor force............................|114,614|115,959|115,599|114,758|115,309|115,137|114,975|115,275|115,776
Participation rate..........................| 67.3| 67.6| 67.3| 67.4| 67.3| 67.2| 67.0| 67.2| 67.4
Employed......................................|110,018|111,511|111,316|109,904|111,025|110,535|110,630|110,708|111,233
Employment-population ratio.................| 64.6| 65.0| 64.8| 64.5| 64.8| 64.5| 64.5| 64.5| 64.7
Unemployed....................................| 4,596| 4,448| 4,284| 4,854| 4,284| 4,602| 4,346| 4,567| 4,543
Unemployment rate...........................| 4.0| 3.8| 3.7| 4.2| 3.7| 4.0| 3.8| 4.0| 3.9
| | | | | | | | |
Men, 20 years and over | | | | | | | | |
Civilian labor force............................| 59,052| 59,515| 59,542| 59,110| 59,366| 59,257| 59,403| 59,314| 59,592
Participation rate..........................| 77.2| 77.3| 77.2| 77.3| 77.2| 77.0| 77.2| 77.0| 77.3
Employed......................................| 57,186| 57,787| 57,756| 56,989| 57,516| 57,302| 57,436| 57,385| 57,584
Employment-population ratio.................| 74.8| 75.0| 74.9| 74.5| 74.8| 74.5| 74.6| 74.5| 74.7
Unemployed....................................| 1,867| 1,728| 1,785| 2,121| 1,850| 1,955| 1,967| 1,929| 2,008
Unemployment rate...........................| 3.2| 2.9| 3.0| 3.6| 3.1| 3.3| 3.3| 3.3| 3.4
| | | | | | | | |
Women, 20 years and over | | | | | | | | |
Civilian labor force............................| 49,214| 48,763| 49,348| 48,955| 49,019| 48,886| 48,705| 49,013| 49,110
Participation rate..........................| 60.3| 59.4| 60.0| 60.0| 59.8| 59.6| 59.3| 59.7| 59.8
Employed......................................| 47,354| 46,861| 47,682| 47,165| 47,416| 47,197| 47,087| 47,287| 47,492
Employment-population ratio.................| 58.0| 57.1| 58.0| 57.8| 57.8| 57.5| 57.4| 57.6| 57.8
Unemployed....................................| 1,861| 1,902| 1,667| 1,790| 1,603| 1,688| 1,618| 1,726| 1,618
Unemployment rate...........................| 3.8| 3.9| 3.4| 3.7| 3.3| 3.5| 3.3| 3.5| 3.3
| | | | | | | | |
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years | | | | | | | | |
Civilian labor force............................| 6,347| 7,681| 6,709| 6,693| 6,924| 6,994| 6,867| 6,949| 7,074
Participation rate..........................| 51.9| 61.5| 53.6| 54.8| 55.8| 56.2| 55.1| 55.6| 56.5
Employed......................................| 5,479| 6,863| 5,878| 5,750| 6,093| 6,036| 6,107| 6,036| 6,158
Employment-population ratio.................| 44.8| 54.9| 46.9| 47.0| 49.1| 48.5| 49.0| 48.3| 49.2
Unemployed....................................| 868| 818| 832| 943| 831| 958| 760| 913| 917
Unemployment rate...........................| 13.7| 10.7| 12.4| 14.1| 12.0| 13.7| 11.1| 13.1| 13.0
Men.......................................| 13.7| 11.4| 14.1| 14.4| 14.0| 14.7| 13.1| 14.3| 15.0
Women.....................................| 13.7| 9.9| 10.5| 13.7| 9.8| 12.6| 8.9| 11.9| 10.7
| | | | | | | | |
BLACK | | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population..............| 24,081| 24,418| 24,458| 24,081| 24,317| 24,349| 24,381| 24,418| 24,458
Civilian labor force............................| 15,706| 16,129| 15,996| 15,691| 15,756| 16,013| 16,059| 15,907| 15,982
Participation rate..........................| 65.2| 66.1| 65.4| 65.2| 64.8| 65.8| 65.9| 65.1| 65.3
Employed......................................| 14,220| 14,663| 14,552| 14,180| 14,344| 14,700| 14,508| 14,476| 14,510
Employment-population ratio.................| 59.1| 60.1| 59.5| 58.9| 59.0| 60.4| 59.5| 59.3| 59.3
Unemployed....................................| 1,487| 1,466| 1,444| 1,511| 1,412| 1,313| 1,551| 1,431| 1,472
Unemployment rate...........................| 9.5| 9.1| 9.0| 9.6| 9.0| 8.2| 9.7| 9.0| 9.2
| | | | | | | | |
Men, 20 years and over | | | | | | | | |
Civilian labor force............................| 7,026| 7,055| 7,024| 6,978| 7,009| 7,088| 7,120| 7,017| 6,975
Participation rate..........................| 73.1| 72.4| 72.0| 72.6| 72.2| 73.0| 73.2| 72.0| 71.5
Employed......................................| 6,484| 6,548| 6,534| 6,424| 6,536| 6,599| 6,485| 6,470| 6,475
Employment-population ratio.................| 67.4| 67.2| 66.9| 66.8| 67.4| 67.9| 66.7| 66.4| 66.3
Unemployed....................................| 542| 507| 490| 554| 473| 489| 635| 547| 499
Unemployment rate...........................| 7.7| 7.2| 7.0| 7.9| 6.7| 6.9| 8.9| 7.8| 7.2
| | | | | | | | |
Women, 20 years and over | | | | | | | | |
Civilian labor force............................| 7,810| 7,912| 7,932| 7,790| 7,787| 7,866| 7,921| 7,894| 7,918
Participation rate..........................| 64.8| 64.7| 64.8| 64.6| 64.0| 64.5| 64.9| 64.6| 64.7
Employed......................................| 7,132| 7,267| 7,277| 7,135| 7,130| 7,256| 7,296| 7,296| 7,277
Employment-population ratio.................| 59.2| 59.5| 59.4| 59.2| 58.6| 59.5| 59.8| 59.7| 59.4
Unemployed....................................| 678| 645| 655| 655| 657| 609| 625| 597| 641
Unemployment rate...........................| 8.7| 8.2| 8.3| 8.4| 8.4| 7.7| 7.9| 7.6| 8.1
| | | | | | | | |
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years | | | | | | | | |
Civilian labor force............................| 870| 1,161| 1,040| 923| 960| 1,060| 1,018| 996| 1,089
Participation rate..........................| 36.1| 47.3| 42.3| 38.3| 39.4| 43.4| 41.6| 40.6| 44.3
Employed......................................| 603| 848| 742| 621| 678| 846| 727| 709| 758
Employment-population ratio.................| 25.0| 34.6| 30.2| 25.8| 27.8| 34.6| 29.7| 28.9| 30.8
Unemployed....................................| 267| 313| 299| 302| 283| 214| 291| 287| 332
Unemployment rate...........................| 30.7| 27.0| 28.7| 32.7| 29.4| 20.2| 28.6| 28.8| 30.4
Men.......................................| 33.0| 28.8| 30.5| 37.6| 30.2| 20.4| 30.6| 29.7| 34.1
Women.....................................| 28.7| 25.3| 26.9| 28.6| 28.8| 20.1| 26.4| 28.1| 26.8
HISPANIC ORIGIN | | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population..............| 20,464| 21,159| 21,224| 20,464| 20,975| 21,036| 21,097| 21,159| 21,224
Civilian labor force............................| 13,864| 14,420| 14,487| 13,861| 14,458| 14,420| 14,240| 14,277| 14,484
Participation rate..........................| 67.8| 68.2| 68.3| 67.7| 68.9| 68.5| 67.5| 67.5| 68.2
Employed......................................| 12,882| 13,349| 13,481| 12,807| 13,480| 13,328| 13,219| 13,203| 13,413
Employment-population ratio.................| 62.9| 63.1| 63.5| 62.6| 64.3| 63.4| 62.7| 62.4| 63.2
Unemployed....................................| 982| 1,071| 1,007| 1,054| 978| 1,092| 1,022| 1,074| 1,071
Unemployment rate...........................| 7.1| 7.4| 6.9| 7.6| 6.8| 7.6| 7.2| 7.5| 7.4
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races"
group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January
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 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sept. | Aug. | Sept. | Sept. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Less than a high school diploma | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population......| 29,350 | 29,204 | 29,290 | 29,350 | 29,931 | 30,064 | 29,027 | 29,204 | 29,290
Civilian labor force....................| 12,583 | 12,402 | 12,642 | 12,555 | 12,690 | 12,888 | 12,548 | 12,450 | 12,597
Percent of population...............| 42.9 | 42.5 | 43.2 | 42.8 | 42.4 | 42.9 | 43.2 | 42.6 | 43.0
Employed..............................| 11,663 | 11,602 | 11,845 | 11,548 | 11,839 | 11,963 | 11,648 | 11,567 | 11,728
Employment-population ratio.........| 39.7 | 39.7 | 40.4 | 39.3 | 39.6 | 39.8 | 40.1 | 39.6 | 40.0
Unemployed............................| 921 | 800 | 797 | 1,007 | 851 | 925 | 901 | 883 | 869
Unemployment rate...................| 7.3 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 8.0 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 6.9
| | | | | | | | |
High school graduates, no college (2) | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population......| 57,483 | 57,729 | 57,589 | 57,483 | 57,706 | 57,446 | 57,374 | 57,729 | 57,589
Civilian labor force....................| 37,873 | 37,305 | 37,468 | 37,585 | 37,496 | 37,096 | 37,219 | 37,381 | 37,218
Percent of population...............| 65.9 | 64.6 | 65.1 | 65.4 | 65.0 | 64.6 | 64.9 | 64.8 | 64.6
Employed..............................| 36,405 | 35,898 | 36,050 | 36,003 | 36,114 | 35,602 | 35,694 | 35,898 | 35,693
Employment-population ratio.........| 63.3 | 62.2 | 62.6 | 62.6 | 62.6 | 62.0 | 62.2 | 62.2 | 62.0
Unemployed............................| 1,468 | 1,407 | 1,418 | 1,582 | 1,383 | 1,494 | 1,525 | 1,483 | 1,525
Unemployment rate...................| 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.1
| | | | | | | | |
Less than a bachelor's degree(3) | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population......| 42,075 | 41,842 | 41,769 | 42,075 | 42,024 | 41,880 | 42,293 | 41,842 | 41,769
Civilian labor force....................| 31,431 | 31,106 | 31,184 | 31,401 | 31,408 | 31,227 | 31,174 | 30,863 | 31,152
Percent of population...............| 74.7 | 74.3 | 74.7 | 74.6 | 74.7 | 74.6 | 73.7 | 73.8 | 74.6
Employed..............................| 30,439 | 30,227 | 30,276 | 30,382 | 30,437 | 30,333 | 30,224 | 29,987 | 30,216
Employment-population ratio.........| 72.3 | 72.2 | 72.5 | 72.2 | 72.4 | 72.4 | 71.5 | 71.7 | 72.3
Unemployed............................| 991 | 879 | 907 | 1,019 | 971 | 894 | 950 | 876 | 937
Unemployment rate...................| 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.0
| | | | | | | | |
College graduates | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Civilian noninstitutional population......| 41,769 | 43,431 | 43,669 | 41,769 | 42,090 | 42,464 | 43,309 | 43,431 | 43,669
Civilian labor force....................| 33,627 | 34,504 | 35,059 | 33,577 | 33,920 | 34,274 | 34,721 | 34,847 | 35,015
Percent of population...............| 80.5 | 79.4 | 80.3 | 80.4 | 80.6 | 80.7 | 80.2 | 80.2 | 80.2
Employed..............................| 32,887 | 33,757 | 34,453 | 32,891 | 33,364 | 33,674 | 34,146 | 34,236 | 34,453
Employment-population ratio.........| 78.7 | 77.7 | 78.9 | 78.7 | 79.3 | 79.3 | 78.8 | 78.8 | 78.9
Unemployed............................| 740 | 747 | 606 | 686 | 556 | 600 | 575 | 611 | 562
Unemployment rate...................| 2.2 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 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 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 | |
_______________________________________________________________________
| |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sept. | Aug. | Sept. | Sept. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
CHARACTERISTIC | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total employed, 16 years and over.................|129,972|132,206|131,864|129,761|131,453|131,209|131,067|131,168|131,765
Married men, spouse present.....................| 42,825| 42,875| 43,385| 42,648| 42,471| 42,539| 42,837| 42,833| 43,255
Married women, spouse present...................| 33,007| 32,238| 33,067| 32,846| 32,805| 32,805| 32,658| 32,597| 32,870
Women who maintain families.....................| 7,899| 7,900| 8,042| 7,876| 7,848| 7,922| 7,846| 7,932| 8,002
| | | | | | | | |
OCCUPATION | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Managerial and professional specialty...........| 37,833| 38,558| 39,572| 37,860| 38,641| 38,732| 39,011| 38,916| 39,607
Technical, sales, and administrative support....| 38,523| 39,045| 38,485| 38,535| 38,401| 38,567| 38,500| 38,889| 38,485
Service occupations.............................| 17,595| 18,081| 17,835| 17,746| 17,749| 17,873| 17,584| 17,727| 17,961
Precision production, craft, and repair.........| 13,988| 14,360| 14,060| 13,859| 14,853| 14,509| 14,312| 14,079| 13,963
Operators, fabricators, and laborers............| 18,345| 18,138| 18,073| 18,302| 18,322| 18,120| 18,145| 17,866| 18,047
Farming, forestry, and fishing..................| 3,688| 4,023| 3,838| 3,483| 3,479| 3,503| 3,503| 3,618| 3,621
| | | | | | | | |
CLASS OF WORKER | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Agriculture: | | | | | | | | |
Wage and salary workers.......................| 1,940| 2,315| 2,260| 1,889| 1,871| 1,841| 2,018| 2,165| 2,213
Self-employed workers.........................| 1,586| 1,466| 1,368| 1,495| 1,395| 1,470| 1,383| 1,345| 1,280
Unpaid family workers.........................| 43| 37| 43| 44| 51| 48| 30| 28| 43
Nonagricultural industries: | | | | | | | | |
Wage and salary workers.......................|117,380|119,366|118,974|117,303|119,013|118,654|118,543|118,676|118,978
Government..................................| 17,979| 17,782| 18,268| 18,109| 18,034| 18,497| 18,364| 18,257| 18,415
Private industries..........................| 99,401|101,584|100,706| 99,194|100,979|100,157|100,179|100,419|100,563
Private households........................| 869| 914| 887| 877| 1,015| 961| 974| 853| 900
Other industries..........................| 98,532|100,670| 99,818| 98,317| 99,964| 99,195| 99,205| 99,566| 99,663
Self-employed workers.........................| 8,935| 8,938| 9,131| 8,949| 9,023| 8,969| 9,094| 8,947| 9,159
Unpaid family workers.........................| 87| 84| 88| 83| 97| 100| 91| 83| 85
| | | | | | | | |
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
All industries: | | | | | | | | |
Part time for economic reasons................| 3,638| 3,508| 3,112| 3,928| 3,772| 3,837| 3,783| 3,463| 3,365
Slack work or business conditions...........| 1,986| 1,908| 1,721| 2,187| 2,104| 2,230| 2,372| 1,989| 1,897
Could only find part-time work..............| 1,405| 1,201| 1,113| 1,455| 1,344| 1,246| 1,192| 1,175| 1,152
Part time for noneconomic reasons.............| 18,097| 15,851| 18,989| 17,901| 18,662| 18,665| 18,584| 18,648| 18,857
| | | | | | | | |
Nonagricultural industries: | | | | | | | | |
Part time for economic reasons................| 3,475| 3,350| 2,928| 3,739| 3,630| 3,676| 3,632| 3,307| 3,152
Slack work or business conditions...........| 1,881| 1,813| 1,619| 2,067| 2,024| 2,151| 2,261| 1,900| 1,779
Could only find part-time work..............| 1,365| 1,164| 1,072| 1,417| 1,315| 1,199| 1,162| 1,143| 1,113
Part time for noneconomic reasons.............| 17,506| 15,229| 18,378| 17,381| 18,067| 18,019| 17,972| 18,001| 18,305
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sept. | Aug. | Sept. | Sept. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
CHARACTERISTIC | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total, 16 years and over.........................| 6,678| 6,247| 6,310| 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6
Men, 20 years and over.........................| 2,838| 2,589| 2,645| 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.8
Women, 20 years and over.......................| 2,549| 2,426| 2,368| 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.0
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years.....................| 1,291| 1,232| 1,297| 16.4 | 14.2 | 14.6 | 13.8 | 15.0 | 15.4
| | | | | | | | |
Married men, spouse present....................| 1,139| 1,038| 1,004| 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.3
Married women, spouse present..................| 1,034| 1,070| 884| 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.6
Women who maintain families....................| 666| 575| 660| 7.8 | 7.7 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 7.6
| | | | | | | | |
Full-time workers..............................| 5,309| 4,941| 4,963| 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4
Part-time workers..............................| 1,328| 1,301| 1,305| 5.5 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.3
| | | | | | | | |
OCCUPATION(2) | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Managerial and professional specialty..........| 765| 745| 710| 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.8
Technical, sales, and administrative support...| 1,591| 1,497| 1,557| 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.9
Precision production, craft, and repair........| 696| 680| 626| 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.3
Operators, fabricators, and laborers...........| 1,558| 1,286| 1,401| 7.8 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.7 | 7.2
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................| 249| 212| 295| 6.7 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 5.5 | 7.5
| | | | | | | | |
INDUSTRY | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers| 5,232| 4,991| 5,052| 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.8
Goods-producing industries...................| 1,485| 1,380| 1,516| 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.3
Mining.....................................| 23| 24| 18| 3.4 | 1.3 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.0
Construction...............................| 591| 520| 625| 8.7 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 9.0
Manufacturing..............................| 871| 835| 873| 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.1
Durable goods............................| 407| 470| 492| 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.8
Nondurable goods.........................| 464| 365| 381| 5.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.6
Service-producing industries.................| 3,747| 3,611| 3,537| 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.6
Transportation and public utilities........| 284| 269| 266| 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.6
Wholesale and retail trade.................| 1,655| 1,503| 1,572| 6.2 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.8
Finance, insurance, and real estate........| 231| 213| 186| 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 2.3
Services...................................| 1,577| 1,627| 1,513| 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.4
Government workers.............................| 478| 408| 431| 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.3
Agricultural wage and salary workers...........| 186| 164| 189| 9.0 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 7.0 | 7.9
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sept. | Aug. | Sept. | Sept. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Less than 5 weeks................................| 2,525| 2,509| 2,665| 2,484| 2,634| 2,519| 2,625| 2,675| 2,639
5 to 14 weeks....................................| 1,896| 2,150| 1,793| 2,115| 1,954| 2,084| 1,983| 1,960| 1,999
15 weeks and over................................| 1,982| 1,514| 1,581| 2,109| 1,462| 1,621| 1,600| 1,647| 1,651
15 to 26 weeks................................| 933| 679| 686| 1,031| 656| 852| 793| 820| 733
27 weeks and over.............................| 1,049| 835| 896| 1,078| 806| 769| 807| 827| 918
| | | | | | | | |
Average (mean) duration, in weeks................| 16.0| 13.7| 14.5| 15.9| 14.6| 13.8| 14.3| 13.5| 14.3
Median duration, in weeks........................| 8.3| 7.0| 6.8| 8.1| 5.9| 6.6| 6.6| 6.9| 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..............................| 39.4| 40.6| 44.1| 37.0| 43.5| 40.5| 42.3| 42.6| 42.0
5 to 14 weeks..................................| 29.6| 34.8| 29.7| 31.5| 32.3| 33.5| 31.9| 31.2| 31.8
15 weeks and over..............................| 31.0| 24.5| 26.2| 31.4| 24.2| 26.0| 25.8| 26.2| 26.2
15 to 26 weeks...............................| 14.6| 11.0| 11.4| 15.4| 10.8| 13.7| 12.8| 13.0| 11.7
27 weeks and over............................| 16.4| 13.5| 14.8| 16.1| 13.3| 12.4| 13.0| 13.2| 14.6
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sept. | Aug. | Sept. | Sept. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Job losers and persons who completed temporary | | | | | | | | |
jobs...........................................| 2,616| 2,715| 2,534| 3,007| 2,772| 2,819| 2,908| 2,852| 2,902
On temporary layoff.............................| 595| 782| 628| 893| 786| 841| 966| 978| 939
Not on temporary layoff.........................| 2,021| 1,932| 1,905| 2,114| 1,986| 1,978| 1,941| 1,874| 1,963
Permanent job losers..........................| 1,384| 1,342| 1,237| (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs..........| 637| 590| 668| (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (1)
Job leavers.......................................| 980| 795| 854| 853| 748| 766| 799| 740| 724
Reentrants........................................| 2,307| 2,157| 2,223| 2,263| 2,033| 2,096| 2,042| 2,132| 2,195
New entrants......................................| 501| 506| 428| 560| 493| 532| 463| 503| 487
| | | | | | | | |
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...........................................| 40.9| 44.0| 42.0| 45.0| 45.8| 45.4| 46.8| 45.8| 46.0
On temporary layoff............................| 9.3| 12.7| 10.4| 13.4| 13.0| 13.5| 15.6| 15.7| 14.9
Not on temporary layoff........................| 31.6| 31.3| 31.5| 31.6| 32.8| 31.8| 31.3| 30.1| 31.1
Job leavers......................................| 15.3| 12.9| 14.1| 12.8| 12.4| 12.3| 12.9| 11.9| 11.5
Reentrants.......................................| 36.0| 34.9| 36.8| 33.9| 33.6| 33.7| 32.9| 34.2| 34.8
New entrants.....................................| 7.8| 8.2| 7.1| 8.4| 8.2| 8.6| 7.5| 8.1| 7.7
| | | | | | | | |
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE | | | | | | | | |
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Job losers and persons who completed temporary | | | | | | | | |
jobs...........................................| 1.9| 2.0| 1.8| 2.2| 2.0| 2.1| 2.1| 2.1| 2.1
Job leavers......................................| .7| .6| .6| .6| .5| .6| .6| .5| .5
Reentrants.......................................| 1.7| 1.6| 1.6| 1.7| 1.5| 1.5| 1.5| 1.6| 1.6
New entrants.....................................| .4| .4| .3| .4| .4| .4| .3| .4| .4
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 | |
______________________________________________________________
| |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sept.| Aug. | Sept.| Sept.| May | June | July | Aug. | Sept.
| 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| 1.5| 1.1| 1.2| 1.2| 1.2| 1.2
| | | | | | | | |
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as | | | | | | | | |
a percent of the | | | | | | | | |
civilian labor force.....................................| 1.9| 2.0| 1.8| 2.2| 2.0| 2.1| 2.1| 2.1| 2.1
| | | | | | | | |
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor | | | | | | | | |
force | | | | | | | | |
(official unemployment rate).............................| 4.7| 4.5| 4.4| 4.9| 4.3| 4.5| 4.5| 4.5| 4.6
| | | | | | | | |
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent | | | | | | | | |
of the civilian | | | | | | | | |
labor force plus discouraged workers....................| 4.9| 4.7| 4.6| (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (1)
| | | | | | | | |
U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all | | | | | | | | |
other marginally | | | | | | | | |
attached workers, as a percent of the civilian labor | | | | | | | | |
force plus all marginally | | | | | | | | |
attached workers........................................| 5.6| 5.3| 5.3| (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (1)
| | | | | | | | |
U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, | | | | | | | | |
plus total employed | | | | | | | | |
part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the | | | | | | | | |
civilian labor force plus | | | | | | | | |
all marginally attached workers.........................| 8.3| 7.8| 7.6| (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 | |
_______________________________________________________________________
| |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sept. | Aug. | Sept. | Sept. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998 | 1998
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total, 16 years and over..........................| 6,678| 6,247| 6,310| 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6
16 to 24 years..................................| 2,408| 2,417| 2,438| 11.2 | 10.0 | 10.6 | 10.3 | 11.1 | 11.0
16 to 19 years................................| 1,291| 1,232| 1,297| 16.4 | 14.2 | 14.6 | 13.8 | 15.0 | 15.4
16 to 17 years..............................| 631| 557| 611| 19.3 | 15.8 | 18.2 | 15.2 | 17.1 | 17.9
18 to 19 years..............................| 669| 678| 696| 14.5 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 13.8
20 to 24 years................................| 1,117| 1,185| 1,141| 8.2 | 7.6 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 8.3
25 years and over...............................| 4,304| 3,853| 3,888| 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.4
25 to 54 years................................| 3,791| 3,391| 3,421| 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.5
55 years and over.............................| 512| 450| 471| 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.7
| | | | | | | | |
Men, 16 years and over..........................| 3,536| 3,253| 3,414| 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.6
16 to 24 years................................| 1,347| 1,301| 1,403| 12.0 | 11.0 | 10.8 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 12.1
16 to 19 years..............................| 698| 664| 769| 17.2 | 16.0 | 15.3 | 15.9 | 15.8 | 17.7
16 to 17 years............................| 314| 311| 365| 18.8 | 17.9 | 21.0 | 17.3 | 18.6 | 20.7
18 to 19 years............................| 381| 357| 401| 16.1 | 14.8 | 11.8 | 14.6 | 14.2 | 15.7
20 to 24 years..............................| 649| 637| 634| 9.1 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 8.9 | 8.7
25 years and over.............................| 2,182| 1,979| 2,002| 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.2
25 to 54 years..............................| 1,901| 1,729| 1,715| 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2
55 years and over...........................| 276| 241| 296| 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 3.1
| | | | | | | | |
Women, 16 years and over........................| 3,142| 2,994| 2,896| 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.5
16 to 24 years................................| 1,061| 1,116| 1,036| 10.4 | 9.0 | 10.3 | 9.1 | 10.7 | 9.8
16 to 19 years..............................| 593| 568| 528| 15.5 | 12.3 | 13.9 | 11.5 | 14.2 | 12.9
16 to 17 years............................| 317| 246| 246| 19.8 | 13.5 | 15.1 | 12.9 | 15.5 | 14.8
18 to 19 years............................| 288| 322| 295| 12.8 | 11.4 | 12.7 | 11.2 | 13.3 | 11.9
20 to 24 years..............................| 468| 548| 508| 7.3 | 6.9 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 8.6 | 7.9
25 years and over.............................| 2,122| 1,874| 1,886| 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5
25 to 54 years..............................| 1,890| 1,663| 1,706| 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7
55 years and over...........................| 236| 209| 175| 3.2 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 2.3
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 | | |
| | | | | |
| Sept. | Sept. | Sept. | Sept. | Sept. | Sept.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998 | 1997 | 1998
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE | | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
Total not in the labor force......................................| 67,195 | 67,796 | 24,878 | 25,051 | 42,317 | 42,744
Persons who currently want a job................................| 4,705 | 4,753 | 1,888 | 1,951 | 2,816 | 2,801
Searched for work and vailable to work now(1)................| 1,363 | 1,377 | 667 | 634 | 696 | 743
Reason not currently looking: | | | | | |
Discouragement over job prospects(2)....................| 328 | 317 | 213 | 188 | 115 | 129
Reasons other than discouragement(3).................| 1,035 | 1,060 | 454 | 446 | 581 | 614
| | | | | |
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Total multiple jobholders(4)......................................| 7,838 | 7,906 | 4,220 | 4,156 | 3,618 | 3,750
Percent of total employed.....................................| 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 6.1
| | | | | |
Primary job full time, secondary job part time................| 4,438 | 4,442 | 2,611 | 2,550 | 1,827 | 1,892
Primary and secondary jobs both part time.....................| 1,601 | 1,635 | 514 | 534 | 1,087 | 1,101
Primary and secondary jobs both full time.....................| 238 | 310 | 183 | 228 | 55 | 82
Hours vary on primary or secondary job........................| 1,528 | 1,461 | 894 | 827 | 634 | 634
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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
Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1997 1998 1998p 1998p 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998p 1998p
Total......................... 123,688 125,841 125,991 126,676 123,280 125,562 125,751 125,869 126,178 126,247
Total private.................... 104,294 107,040 107,273 106,970 103,673 105,734 105,938 106,043 106,263 106,331
Goods-producing......................... 25,379 25,451 25,720 25,611 24,993 25,301 25,304 25,135 25,255 25,219
Mining................................ 600 583 582 576 594 579 578 571 571 571
Metal mining........................ 53.9 51.4 51.2 50.3 53 51 51 50 50 50
Coal mining......................... 95.2 89.6 90.4 90.1 95 92 90 89 90 90
Oil and gas extraction.............. 339.4 330.5 328.3 324.4 338 329 330 325 323 323
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 111.4 111.5 112.0 111.6 108 107 107 107 108 108
Construction.......................... 5,995 6,305 6,343 6,262 5,713 5,917 5,946 5,970 5,991 5,971
General building contractors........ 1,359.7 1,475.0 1,479.4 1,449.5 1,320 1,388 1,401 1,410 1,414 1,408
Heavy construction, except building. 873.4 895.6 905.7 901.2 792 819 821 828 830 818
Special trade contractors........... 3,761.4 3,934.4 3,958.3 3,911.0 3,601 3,710 3,724 3,732 3,747 3,745
Manufacturing......................... 18,784 18,563 18,795 18,773 18,686 18,805 18,780 18,594 18,693 18,677
Production workers................ 13,012 12,690 12,926 12,950 12,915 12,971 12,943 12,746 12,841 12,856
Durable goods........................ 11,048 10,942 11,117 11,100 11,030 11,156 11,144 10,989 11,109 11,080
Production workers................ 7,591 7,409 7,582 7,599 7,573 7,642 7,626 7,468 7,584 7,580
Lumber and wood products............ 805.4 814.5 819.1 816.3 794 803 801 802 804 805
Furniture and fixtures.............. 509.4 519.3 522.7 523.2 510 526 524 528 525 523
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 562.7 569.1 574.7 572.4 553 559 562 561 564 562
Primary metal industries............ 712.3 697.5 711.8 711.2 714 716 717 706 715 713
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 235.5 233.8 232.8 231.3 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,482.1 1,462.6 1,488.9 1,491.8 1,480 1,495 1,490 1,477 1,491 1,490
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,166.7 2,187.1 2,178.7 2,172.0 2,175 2,201 2,202 2,193 2,189 2,181
Computer and office equipment..... 377.7 376.6 372.2 368.4 379 376 375 375 371 369
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,698.5 1,697.1 1,693.9 1,688.8 1,698 1,716 1,714 1,701 1,695 1,688
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 662.8 668.0 662.4 658.9 664 677 672 667 661 660
Transportation equipment............ 1,855.0 1,748.0 1,881.9 1,882.1 1,852 1,886 1,882 1,772 1,884 1,879
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 990.4 858.2 996.3 996.3 986 998 993 878 997 992
Aircraft and parts................ 509.6 524.2 522.7 524.0 510 524 524 526 526 524
Instruments and related products.... 864.9 861.5 858.8 854.0 865 866 864 861 857 854
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 391.4 384.8 386.2 387.8 389 388 388 388 385 385
Nondurable goods..................... 7,736 7,621 7,678 7,673 7,656 7,649 7,636 7,605 7,584 7,597
Production workers................ 5,421 5,281 5,344 5,351 5,342 5,329 5,317 5,278 5,257 5,276
Food and kindred products........... 1,754.7 1,727.4 1,764.0 1,770.9 1,688 1,710 1,706 1,696 1,690 1,705
Tobacco products.................... 42.5 36.5 40.0 40.8 40 41 40 40 40 39
Textile mill products............... 614.8 591.7 593.2 596.5 613 603 599 594 592 595
Apparel and other textile products.. 823.6 759.3 765.1 764.8 817 780 776 772 759 758
Paper and allied products........... 686.9 682.5 682.6 681.9 685 685 682 680 680 680
Printing and publishing............. 1,550.9 1,570.2 1,566.2 1,558.2 1,556 1,566 1,570 1,571 1,567 1,564
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,033.1 1,042.7 1,041.8 1,035.2 1,033 1,039 1,037 1,038 1,036 1,035
Petroleum and coal products......... 141.5 138.3 137.7 136.8 139 136 137 135 134 135
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 998.5 993.1 1,007.0 1,008.5 997 1,006 1,006 998 1,006 1,007
Leather and leather products........ 89.0 79.0 80.5 79.6 88 83 83 81 80 79
Service-producing....................... 98,309 100,390 100,271 101,065 98,287 100,261 100,447 100,734 100,923 101,028
Transportation and public utilities... 6,476 6,541 6,559 6,622 6,435 6,534 6,538 6,550 6,572 6,578
Transportation...................... 4,177 4,183 4,206 4,284 4,141 4,191 4,196 4,208 4,236 4,245
Railroad transportation........... 228.0 234.2 235.4 234.8 227 232 232 231 233 234
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 463.1 403.0 405.0 483.7 451 459 458 466 470 471
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,707.1 1,731.7 1,745.1 1,747.8 1,680 1,703 1,709 1,709 1,719 1,719
Water transportation.............. 183.4 197.7 198.9 194.9 180 185 183 188 192 191
Transportation by air............. 1,139.2 1,153.7 1,156.4 1,158.8 1,147 1,151 1,154 1,154 1,160 1,167
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 14.3 14.6 14.5 14.4 14 14 14 14 14 14
Transportation services........... 442.3 447.9 450.3 450.0 442 447 446 446 448 449
Communications and public utilities. 2,299 2,358 2,353 2,338 2,294 2,343 2,342 2,342 2,336 2,333
Communications.................... 1,436.4 1,495.6 1,493.3 1,487.5 1,432 1,486 1,488 1,488 1,484 1,483
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 862.6 862.7 859.4 850.1 862 857 854 854 852 850
Wholesale trade....................... 6,687 6,877 6,866 6,856 6,679 6,815 6,821 6,827 6,834 6,848
Durable goods....................... 3,958 4,102 4,094 4,080 3,964 4,059 4,067 4,072 4,080 4,087
Nondurable goods.................... 2,729 2,775 2,772 2,776 2,715 2,756 2,754 2,755 2,754 2,761
Retail trade.......................... 22,126 22,662 22,690 22,621 22,078 22,423 22,448 22,547 22,537 22,574
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 943.8 1,014.1 1,001.1 983.2 939 972 975 977 979 979
General merchandise stores.......... 2,692.2 2,734.0 2,745.1 2,756.6 2,726 2,788 2,784 2,790 2,781 2,793
Department stores................. 2,367.6 2,411.2 2,420.7 2,427.0 2,397 2,462 2,457 2,454 2,456 2,459
Food stores......................... 3,501.8 3,574.3 3,569.0 3,556.0 3,506 3,542 3,538 3,552 3,553 3,560
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,336.6 2,385.3 2,382.5 2,371.4 2,321 2,345 2,351 2,355 2,353 2,355
New and used car dealers.......... 1,056.6 1,069.3 1,067.3 1,068.8 1,053 1,060 1,064 1,066 1,063 1,066
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,080.3 1,102.2 1,112.6 1,098.7 1,100 1,106 1,108 1,111 1,113 1,118
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,009.2 1,054.6 1,059.4 1,060.0 1,019 1,055 1,058 1,063 1,071 1,070
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,761.9 7,940.2 7,949.8 7,915.7 7,641 7,714 7,726 7,781 7,766 7,793
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,800.3 2,857.7 2,870.7 2,879.8 2,826 2,901 2,908 2,918 2,921 2,906
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 7,131 7,457 7,454 7,402 7,125 7,311 7,333 7,370 7,372 7,395
Finance............................. 3,429 3,591 3,592 3,575 3,434 3,536 3,547 3,565 3,572 3,580
Depository institutions........... 2,024.2 2,058.7 2,054.0 2,038.2 2,027 2,044 2,042 2,042 2,042 2,041
Commercial banks................ 1,457.1 1,471.1 1,467.2 1,455.7 1,459 1,463 1,459 1,459 1,458 1,457
Savings institutions............ 260.0 266.6 265.1 262.4 261 264 264 265 264 264
Nondepository institutions........ 576.2 626.2 630.3 628.6 576 611 616 624 628 629
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 256.2 292.0 296.6 296.4 256 281 284 289 295 297
Security and commodity brokers.... 605.6 660.8 662.2 661.3 606 641 648 655 657 662
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 223.4 245.5 245.5 246.5 225 240 241 244 245 248
Insurance........................... 2,263 2,346 2,347 2,341 2,267 2,320 2,328 2,337 2,339 2,345
Insurance carriers................ 1,538.5 1,601.0 1,601.7 1,597.1 1,540 1,579 1,586 1,594 1,595 1,599
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 724.8 745.4 745.4 743.5 727 741 742 743 744 746
Real estate......................... 1,439 1,520 1,515 1,486 1,424 1,455 1,458 1,468 1,461 1,470
Services2............................. 36,495 38,052 37,984 37,858 36,363 37,350 37,494 37,614 37,693 37,717
Agricultural services............... 729.1 792.1 786.4 760.3 690 700 706 713 718 719
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,792.8 1,921.5 1,914.9 1,826.0 1,745 1,769 1,773 1,781 1,785 1,779
Personal services................... 1,147.4 1,142.0 1,141.0 1,143.5 1,180 1,190 1,186 1,184 1,184 1,176
Business services................... 8,221.2 8,607.8 8,707.3 8,700.1 8,112 8,491 8,556 8,565 8,619 8,588
Services to buildings............. 949.0 987.2 988.4 984.4 947 975 975 980 978 982
Personnel supply services......... 3,120.8 3,168.0 3,256.0 3,251.0 3,013 3,156 3,189 3,151 3,176 3,139
Help supply services............ 2,790.5 2,833.2 2,915.1 2,912.1 2,686 2,818 2,853 2,815 2,848 2,804
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,445.3 1,620.8 1,633.3 1,640.0 1,448 1,578 1,601 1,622 1,634 1,644
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,132.6 1,170.2 1,172.7 1,168.6 1,131 1,153 1,159 1,162 1,166 1,167
Miscellaneous repair services....... 380.1 391.0 390.3 390.1 378 385 387 385 386 388
Motion pictures..................... 547.5 573.8 575.7 559.4 556 567 554 564 565 567
Amusement and recreation services... 1,669.4 2,014.3 1,982.8 1,813.1 1,593 1,662 1,670 1,694 1,707 1,730
Health services..................... 9,755.0 9,940.4 9,934.9 9,921.3 9,766 9,887 9,905 9,902 9,917 9,932
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,752.5 1,826.0 1,832.6 1,832.3 1,754 1,806 1,813 1,817 1,826 1,834
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,757.6 1,763.0 1,761.3 1,757.7 1,757 1,762 1,761 1,756 1,755 1,758
Hospitals......................... 3,878.1 3,974.7 3,972.0 3,968.0 3,885 3,945 3,953 3,960 3,966 3,975
Home health care services......... 717.6 673.3 667.0 668.4 716 684 683 673 669 667
Legal services...................... 946.0 1,000.6 993.2 982.2 953 977 980 984 986 989
Educational services................ 2,093.5 1,926.3 1,896.4 2,165.4 2,136 2,195 2,200 2,205 2,203 2,210
Social services..................... 2,528.2 2,654.0 2,605.8 2,632.6 2,541 2,609 2,627 2,657 2,632 2,645
Child day care services........... 576.1 532.7 535.3 580.1 572 575 581 583 585 576
Residential care.................. 722.9 757.4 758.3 756.5 726 749 747 749 752 760
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 91.5 100.0 98.9 94.1 90 91 91 91 92 93
Membership organizations............ 2,229.9 2,342.3 2,312.1 2,247.5 2,250 2,266 2,270 2,272 2,273 2,268
Engineering and management services. 3,037.2 3,279.2 3,275.1 3,257.8 3,048 3,212 3,234 3,259 3,264 3,270
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 880.0 937.7 940.3 928.3 876 913 921 925 928 924
Management and public relations... 963.0 1,060.4 1,060.0 1,061.4 962 1,029 1,037 1,052 1,054 1,060
Services, nec....................... 50.1 53.0 52.6 52.6 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 19,394 18,801 18,718 19,706 19,607 19,828 19,813 19,826 19,915 19,916
Federal............................. 2,679 2,689 2,695 2,678 2,684 2,671 2,674 2,672 2,683 2,682
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,830.1 1,833.9 1,834.0 1,814.1 1,827 1,810 1,813 1,810 1,816 1,811
State............................... 4,556 4,424 4,409 4,615 4,604 4,637 4,632 4,645 4,659 4,661
Education......................... 1,866.8 1,657.1 1,659.1 1,890.9 1,921 1,932 1,933 1,938 1,947 1,944
Other State government............ 2,689.0 2,766.5 2,750.3 2,723.7 2,683 2,705 2,699 2,707 2,712 2,717
Local............................... 12,159 11,688 11,614 12,413 12,319 12,520 12,507 12,509 12,573 12,573
Education......................... 6,790.0 5,936.8 5,934.3 6,960.7 6,941 7,053 7,045 7,078 7,123 7,111
Other local government............ 5,369.2 5,750.9 5,679.4 5,452.4 5,378 5,467 5,462 5,431 5,450 5,462
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
Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1997 1998 1998p 1998p 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998p 1998p
Total private.................... 34.8 34.8 35.2 34.3 34.6 34.7 34.6 34.6 34.6 34.4
Goods-producing......................... 41.9 40.9 41.3 40.5 41.3 41.1 41.0 41.1 41.1 40.7
Mining................................ 45.5 44.0 44.0 42.3 45.1 44.6 43.8 44.8 43.8 42.2
Construction.......................... 40.1 40.1 40.1 37.4 39.1 38.6 38.4 39.2 39.1 38.0
Manufacturing......................... 42.4 41.1 41.7 41.5 41.9 41.8 41.8 41.7 41.7 41.7
Overtime hours.................... 5.2 4.4 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.5
Durable goods........................ 43.1 41.5 42.2 41.8 42.7 42.4 42.3 42.2 42.3 42.3
Overtime hours.................... 5.5 4.4 4.8 4.6 5.0 4.8 4.8 4.8 4.8 4.7
Lumber and wood products............ 41.5 41.2 41.8 40.5 40.9 41.2 41.3 41.2 41.4 40.8
Furniture and fixtures.............. 41.1 40.3 41.0 39.9 40.4 40.7 41.0 40.7 40.7 40.1
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 44.2 43.7 44.1 43.9 43.2 43.5 43.2 43.5 43.6 43.0
Primary metal industries............ 45.3 43.1 43.7 43.8 45.0 44.5 44.4 43.6 44.0 43.8
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 45.2 43.9 44.2 44.2 45.0 45.6 45.1 43.8 44.5 44.1
Fabricated metal products........... 43.0 41.6 42.2 41.7 42.5 42.6 42.5 42.4 42.3 42.3
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 43.7 42.3 42.6 42.4 43.5 43.0 43.2 43.0 43.1 43.2
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 42.1 40.6 41.4 40.9 41.8 41.4 41.4 41.3 41.6 41.2
Transportation equipment............ 44.3 41.0 42.7 42.9 44.0 43.3 42.7 42.6 42.6 43.7
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 44.6 39.6 42.3 43.3 44.3 43.3 42.4 41.7 42.1 44.3
Instruments and related products.... 42.1 40.6 41.1 40.5 42.0 41.4 41.3 41.3 41.4 40.8
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 40.8 39.2 39.9 39.4 40.3 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.1 40.0
Nondurable goods..................... 41.4 40.6 41.0 41.1 40.8 41.0 40.9 41.0 40.9 40.8
Overtime hours.................... 4.9 4.3 4.5 4.7 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.3
Food and kindred products........... 42.3 41.6 42.0 42.7 41.2 41.8 41.7 42.0 41.6 41.8
Tobacco products.................... 39.4 39.3 39.3 37.9 38.2 39.3 39.0 40.6 39.6 37.5
Textile mill products............... 42.0 40.4 41.2 41.1 41.5 41.3 41.1 41.0 41.0 40.6
Apparel and other textile products.. 37.5 37.0 37.6 37.1 37.3 37.4 37.4 37.4 37.5 37.5
Paper and allied products........... 44.1 43.0 43.1 43.6 43.6 43.5 43.6 43.5 43.3 43.2
Printing and publishing............. 39.2 38.1 38.5 38.6 38.6 38.4 38.2 38.4 38.5 38.1
Chemicals and allied products....... 43.5 42.7 43.0 43.1 43.3 43.1 43.2 43.0 43.3 43.0
Petroleum and coal products......... 43.3 44.8 43.9 44.0 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 42.0 41.1 41.4 41.3 41.7 42.1 42.0 42.1 41.6 41.3
Leather and leather products........ 39.0 36.9 38.5 38.3 38.4 37.3 37.6 37.0 38.3 38.4
Service-producing....................... 32.8 33.2 33.5 32.7 32.8 33.0 32.9 32.9 32.9 32.8
Transportation and public utilities... 40.3 39.7 40.0 39.2 39.9 39.8 39.5 39.6 39.4 39.0
Wholesale trade....................... 38.4 38.3 38.7 38.1 38.4 38.5 38.2 38.3 38.4 38.2
Retail trade.......................... 29.0 29.8 29.9 29.2 28.9 29.1 29.0 29.1 29.0 29.1
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 35.8 36.1 36.9 35.9 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.5 32.9 33.2 32.3 32.6 32.7 32.7 32.7 32.7 32.5
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
Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. July Aug. Sept.
1997 1998 1998p 1998p 1997 1998 1998p 1998p
Total private.................... $12.40 $12.66 $12.74 $12.87 $431.52 $440.57 $448.45 $441.44
Seasonally adjusted............. 12.37 12.79 12.85 12.86 428.00 442.53 444.61 442.38
Goods-producing......................... 14.07 14.33 14.40 14.43 589.53 586.10 594.72 584.42
Mining................................ 16.26 16.81 16.90 16.91 739.83 739.64 743.60 715.29
Construction.......................... 16.30 16.63 16.74 16.75 653.63 666.86 671.27 626.45
Manufacturing......................... 13.23 13.37 13.45 13.56 560.95 549.51 560.87 562.74
Durable goods........................ 13.80 13.77 13.94 14.04 594.78 571.46 588.27 586.87
Lumber and wood products............ 10.87 11.18 11.20 11.22 451.11 460.62 468.16 454.41
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.70 10.90 10.95 11.03 439.77 439.27 448.95 440.10
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 13.27 13.60 13.61 13.72 586.53 594.32 600.20 602.31
Primary metal industries............ 15.27 15.56 15.44 15.57 691.73 670.64 674.73 681.97
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 18.30 18.49 18.41 18.44 827.16 811.71 813.72 815.05
Fabricated metal products........... 12.81 12.89 13.08 13.14 550.83 536.22 551.98 547.94
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 14.19 14.42 14.44 14.47 620.10 609.97 615.14 613.53
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 12.85 13.15 13.16 13.23 540.99 533.89 544.82 541.11
Transportation equipment............ 17.57 16.88 17.32 17.46 778.35 692.08 739.56 749.03
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 18.02 16.87 17.61 17.75 803.69 668.05 744.90 768.58
Instruments and related products.... 13.62 13.74 13.76 13.88 573.40 557.84 565.54 562.14
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.64 10.84 10.83 10.94 434.11 424.93 432.12 431.04
Nondurable goods..................... 12.40 12.79 12.73 12.88 513.36 519.27 521.93 529.37
Food and kindred products........... 11.51 11.80 11.76 11.95 486.87 490.88 493.92 510.27
Tobacco products.................... 18.32 20.66 19.10 18.15 721.81 811.94 750.63 687.89
Textile mill products............... 10.10 10.36 10.38 10.42 424.20 418.54 427.66 428.26
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.32 8.48 8.52 8.53 312.00 313.76 320.35 316.46
Paper and allied products........... 15.17 15.63 15.53 15.89 669.00 672.09 669.34 692.80
Printing and publishing............. 13.21 13.43 13.46 13.64 517.83 511.68 518.21 526.50
Chemicals and allied products....... 16.63 17.19 17.14 17.32 723.41 734.01 737.02 746.49
Petroleum and coal products......... 20.24 20.81 20.77 20.83 876.39 932.29 911.80 916.52
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.64 11.91 11.83 11.92 488.88 489.50 489.76 492.30
Leather and leather products........ 9.11 9.16 9.29 9.29 355.29 338.00 357.67 355.81
Service-producing....................... 11.83 12.13 12.21 12.36 388.02 402.72 409.04 404.17
Transportation and public utilities... $15.06 $15.31 $15.36 $15.42 $606.92 $607.81 $614.40 $604.46
Wholesale trade....................... 13.53 13.99 14.12 14.11 519.55 535.82 546.44 537.59
Retail trade.......................... 8.45 8.71 8.73 8.90 245.05 259.56 261.03 259.88
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 13.48 13.94 14.10 14.05 482.58 503.23 520.29 504.40
Services.............................. 12.36 12.67 12.75 12.98 401.70 416.84 423.30 419.25
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Average hourly and weekly earnings, respectively, have been corrected as follows: in June 1998,
manufacturing, $13.44 and $561.79; fabricated metal products, $13.02 and $554.65 in June, and $13.04 and $554.20 in May.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-4. Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm
payrolls by industry, seasonally adjusted
Percent
Sept. May June July Aug. Sept. change
Industry 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998p 1998p from:
Aug. 1998-
Sept. 1998
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $12.37 $12.73 $12.76 $12.79 $12.85 $12.86 0.1
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.58 7.73 7.75 7.75 7.78 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 13.98 14.27 14.28 14.31 14.39 14.35 -.3
Mining...................... 16.24 16.77 16.73 16.88 17.06 16.89 -1.0
Construction................ 16.10 16.46 16.51 16.64 16.67 16.55 -.7
Manufacturing............... 13.22 13.47 13.47 13.42 13.53 13.55 .1
Excluding overtime4....... 12.50 12.78 12.76 12.71 12.82 12.84 .2
Service-producing............. 11.83 12.23 12.26 12.30 12.35 12.38 .2
Transportation and public
utilities................ 15.01 15.31 15.29 15.33 15.38 15.37 -.1
Wholesale trade............. 13.54 14.00 13.98 14.07 14.15 14.12 -.2
Retail trade................ 8.42 8.72 8.73 8.78 8.82 8.87 .6
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 13.53 14.03 14.07 14.10 14.15 14.11 -.3
Services.................... 12.38 12.81 12.87 12.90 12.95 13.01 .5
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to
deflate this series.
3 Change was .4 percent from July 1998 to August 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.
NOTE: Average hourly earnings for manufacturing in June have been corrected.
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
Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1997 1998 1998p 1998p 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998p 1998p
Total private.................... 143.7 147.5 149.3 145.1 142.1 144.9 144.8 145.2 145.3 144.6
Goods-producing......................... 118.6 115.2 118.2 115.3 114.6 115.3 114.9 114.2 114.8 113.6
Mining................................ 59.1 55.7 55.6 52.9 57.6 56.0 54.7 55.5 54.0 52.0
Construction.......................... 170.9 179.5 180.9 165.8 157.1 160.5 160.5 164.6 164.5 158.7
Manufacturing......................... 111.2 105.2 108.7 108.5 109.2 109.4 109.0 107.2 108.1 108.0
Durable goods........................ 114.2 107.2 111.7 110.9 112.8 113.1 112.7 109.9 111.9 111.8
Lumber and wood products............ 146.0 146.2 149.1 143.9 141.2 143.8 143.7 144.0 144.7 142.4
Furniture and fixtures.............. 131.0 130.6 134.1 130.6 128.6 134.0 134.4 134.3 133.7 131.1
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 117.8 117.4 120.0 119.0 112.6 114.7 114.4 115.2 115.7 114.1
Primary metal industries............ 95.8 88.9 92.2 92.5 95.4 94.6 94.4 91.1 93.2 92.6
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 73.6 71.4 71.3 70.8 73.5 74.5 73.7 71.2 71.9 70.9
Fabricated metal products........... 119.5 113.1 117.3 116.3 117.9 119.2 118.4 117.0 117.6 117.8
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 109.8 107.0 107.6 107.1 109.9 110.1 110.9 109.8 110.0 109.9
Electronic and other electrical
equipmen