Technical information: USDL 99-286
Household data:(202) 606-6378
Transmission of material in this release is
Establishment data: 606-6555 embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EDT),
Media contact: 606-5902 Friday, October 8, 1999.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: SEPTEMBER 1999
Payroll employment was essentially unchanged in September, and the
unemployment rate remained at 4.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Employment declined in
manufacturing and retail trade, and the services industry added relatively
few jobs over the month. Average hourly earnings rose by 7 cents in
September, following a 2-cent increase in August.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
The number of unemployed persons, 5.8 million, was essentially unchanged
in September, and the unemployment rate held at 4.2 percent. The rate has
been 4.2 or 4.3 percent each month since March. The jobless rates for most
major demographic groups--adult men (3.4 percent), adult women (3.7 percent),
whites (3.6 percent), blacks (8.3 percent), and Hispanics (6.7 percent)--
showed little or no change from August. The rate for teenagers rose to
15.0 percent in September. (See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
The civilian labor force, at 139.4 million, was essentially unchanged in
September. The labor force participation rate held at 66.9 percent. Total
employment also was about unchanged, at 133.6 million, and the employment-
population ratio remained at 64.1 percent. (See table A-1.)
About 7.6 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in September. These multiple jobholders represented 5.7 percent of the
total employed, down from 6.0 percent a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.2 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in September, down from 1.4 million a year
earlier. These were people who wanted and were available to work and had
looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but were not counted as
unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding
the survey. The number of discouraged workers--a subset of the marginally
attached who were not currently looking for work specifically because they
believed no jobs were available for them--was 289,000 in September.
(See table A-10.)
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Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________| Aug.-
Category | 1999 | 1999 | Sept.
|_________________|________ _________________|change
| II | III | July | Aug. | Sept. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 139,173| 139,301| 139,254| 139,264| 139,386| 122
Employment..........| 133,242| 133,423| 133,307| 133,411| 133,550| 139
Unemployment........| 5,931| 5,879| 5,947| 5,853| 5,836| -17
Not in labor force....| 68,259| 68,743| 68,574| 68,774| 68,879| 105
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.3 | 4.2| 4.3| 4.2| 4.2| .0
Adult men...........| 3.5 | 3.5| 3.5| 3.6| 3.4| -0.2
Adult women.........| 3.9 | 3.8| 4.0| 3.7| 3.7| .0
Teenagers...........| 13.4 | 13.7| 12.7| 13.5| 15.0| 1.5
White...............| 3.8 | 3.7| 3.7| 3.7| 3.6| -.1
Black...............| 7.5 | 8.3| 8.8| 7.8| 8.3| .5
Hispanic origin.....| 6.8 | 6.5| 6.2| 6.5| 6.7| .2
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA | Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 128,246|p128,882| 128,816|p128,919|p128,911| p-8
Goods-producing 1/..| 25,222| p25,176| 25,247| p25,140| p25,141| p1
Construction......| 6,258| p6,260| 6,270| p6,245| p6,266| p21
Manufacturing.....| 18,433| p18,391| 18,449| p18,372| p18,351| p-21
Service-producing 1/| 103,024|p103,706| 103,569|p103,779|p103,770| p-9
Retail trade......| 22,756| p22,873| 22,903| p22,882| p22,833| p-49
Services..........| 38,810| p39,165| 39,055| p39,201| p39,240| p39
Government........| 20,094| p20,180| 20,153| p20,205| p20,182| p-23
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.4| p34.5| 34.5| p34.5| p34.4| p-0.1
Manufacturing.......| 41.7| p41.8| 41.9| p41.8| p41.8| p.0
Overtime..........| 4.5| p4.7| 4.7| p4.7| p4.7| p.0
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 147.3| p148.1| 148.3| p148.4| p147.7| p-0.7
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 2/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $13.19| p$13.32| $13.28| p$13.30| p$13.37| p$0.07
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 454.06| p458.98| 458.16| p458.85| p459.93| p1.08
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
2/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.
- 3 -
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Nonfarm payroll employment was essentially unchanged in September at
128.9 million, seasonally adjusted. For the third quarter, the average
monthly payroll employment increase was 156,000, compared with an average
monthly gain of 210,000 over the first half of the year. The widespread
flooding and other serious problems caused by Hurricane Floyd during the
survey reference period negatively affected employment in some industries.
(In the establishment survey, persons who are on unpaid absence from work
for the entire reference period are not counted as employed.) Still,
employment growth was relatively slow even in the areas of the country
and industries that appear to have been unaffected by the hurricane.
(See table B-1.)
In the goods-producing sector, manufacturing lost 21,000 jobs in
September. Employment declined, on average, 15,000 per month in the third
quarter of this year, compared with 36,000 per month during the first half
of the year. In September, job losses continued in industrial machinery,
aircraft, apparel, and textiles. Employment in food and kindred products
rose by 11,000, but this followed a decline of 17,000 in the previous month.
Since January, the food processing industry has lost 24,000 jobs. In
contrast, employment in electrical equipment manufacturing increased by
6,000 in September and has had a net gain of 10,000 jobs since June. In
the first half of the year, the industry lost 12,000 jobs.
Construction employment increased by 21,000 in September, seasonally
adjusted, following a decline of about the same magnitude in August.
Employment in mining was essentially unchanged over the month. The number
of jobs in oil and gas extraction held steady in the third quarter,
following sharp losses in the first half of the year.
In the service-producing sector, employment in the services industry
grew by only 39,000 in September, well below the average monthly gain of
126,000 for the prior 12 months. The disruptions caused by Hurricane Floyd
may have contributed to employmentto employment declines or below-average
growth in personnel supply services, amusements and recreation, social
services, and membership organizations. In some other services industries,
below-average growth in September appears to be unrelated to the hurricane.
These include health services and engineering and management services. In
contrast, computer services continued its rapid growth, adding 12,000 jobs.
Employment in retail trade declined by 49,000 in September, the second
consecutive monthly decline; during the first 7 months of the year, the
average monthly employment gain in the industry was 54,000. Some of the
employment declines in eating and drinking places and other retail establish-
ments may have been related to the hurricane. For the fifth consecutive
month, department stores lost jobs; since April, employment in the industry
has fallen by 49,000. Employment in wholesale trade was essentially unchanged
in September.
- 4 -
Transportation and public utilities added 20,000 jobs in September,
nearly all of which were in trucking and air transportation. Employment
had been weak in both industries in August.
In September, employment in finance, insurance, and real estate was
virtually unchanged. Mortgage banking lost 6,000 jobs, the fourth monthly
decrease in a row after 4 years of growth. Real estate employment was
little changed in September and has shown a net increase of just 3,000
since June. In contrast, the industry added 25,000 jobs during the first
half of the year.
State and local government employment declined in September, partly
offsetting gains in the prior month. Federal government employment
continued its downward trend.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls edged down by 0.1 hour in September to 34.4 hours, seasonally
adjusted. Both the manufacturing workweek and overtime were unchanged at
41.8 and 4.7 hours, respectively. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls declined by 0.5 percent to 147.7
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index declined by
0.2 percent in September to 106.2. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls increased by 7 cents in September to $13.37,
seasonally adjusted. In each of the first 3 quarters of the year, average
hourly earnings increased by 13 cents. In September, average weekly earnings
rose by 0.2 percent to $459.93, seasonally adjusted. Over the year, average
hourly earnings increased by 3.8 percent, and average weekly earnings rose
by 3.5 percent. (See table B-3.)
_________________________
The Employment Situation for October 1999 is scheduled to be released
on Friday, November 5, 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 1999,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing about 48 million
people.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week
or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the
establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the
12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.
Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of
questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over
in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force.
People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours
in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they
were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather,
vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.
People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for
or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed
persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the
labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent
of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population.
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
Federal, State, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate
only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory
workers in the service-producing sector.
- 6 -
Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys
result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from
the surveys. Among these are:
--The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed,
unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed.
These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.
--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.
--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
--The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In
the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus
appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each
appearance.
Other differences between the two surveys are described in "Comparing
Employment Estimates from Household and Payroll Surveys," which may be
obtained from BLS upon request.
Seasonal adjustment
Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the
levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to
such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production,
harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The
effect of such seasonal variation can be very large; seasonal
fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month
changes in unemployment.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each
year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting
the statistics from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal
developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the
participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For example,
the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to
obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it
difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or
declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in
previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be
adjusted to allow for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal
adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful
tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity.
In both the household and establishment surveys, most seasonally adjusted
series are independently adjusted. However, the adjusted series for many
major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most major
industry divisions, total employment, and unemployment are computed by
aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example, total
unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major age-
sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration,
reasons, or more detailed age categories.
The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are
recalculated twice a year. For the household survey, the factors are
calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December
- 7 -
period. For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal
adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along
with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period. In both
surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject
to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the
entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample
selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the
estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total
employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus
376,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000
from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the
monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100,000 +/- 376,000).
These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these
magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range
includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment
rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely
(at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact,
occurred. The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in
unemployment is +/- 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment
rate it is +/- .21 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have
lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates
which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of
estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as
for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can
also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling
error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2
months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason,
these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after
two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.
Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is
the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new
firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth
(and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is
included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number
of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change. The size of the
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monthly bias adjustment is based largely on past relationships between the
sample-based estimates of employment and the total counts of employment
described below.
The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted
once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment
obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program.
The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and the
March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a
rough proxy for total survey error. The new benchmarks also incorporate
changes in the classification of industries. Over the past decade, the
benchmark revision for total nonfarm employment has averaged 0.3 percent,
ranging from zero to 0.7 percent.
Additional statistics and other information
More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings,
published each month by BLS. It is available for $16.00 per issue or
$40.00 per year from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402. All orders must be prepaid by sending a check or money order
payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or by charging to Mastercard or
Visa.
Employment and Earnings also provides measures of sampling error for the
household survey data published in this release. For unemployment and
other labor force categories, these measures appear in tables 1-B through
1-H of its "Explanatory Notes." Measures of the reliability of the data
drawn from the establishment survey and the actual amounts of revision due
to benchmark adjustments are provided in tables 2-B through 2-G of that
publication.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-606-STAT; TDD phone:
202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Employment status, sex, and age
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 205,699 208,038 208,265 205,699 207,427 207,632 207,828 208,038 208,265
Civilian labor force............................ 137,903 140,090 139,217 138,081 139,019 139,408 139,254 139,264 139,386
Participation rate........................ 67.0 67.3 66.8 67.1 67.0 67.1 67.0 66.9 66.9
Employed...................................... 131,864 134,264 133,555 131,818 133,224 133,432 133,307 133,411 133,550
Employment-population ratio............... 64.1 64.5 64.1 64.1 64.2 64.3 64.1 64.1 64.1
Agriculture................................. 3,671 3,525 3,342 3,470 3,295 3,354 3,292 3,219 3,137
Nonagricultural industries.................. 128,193 130,739 130,214 128,348 129,929 130,078 130,015 130,192 130,413
Unemployed.................................... 6,039 5,826 5,661 6,263 5,795 5,975 5,947 5,853 5,836
Unemployment rate......................... 4.4 4.2 4.1 4.5 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2
Not in labor force.............................. 67,796 67,948 69,048 67,618 68,408 68,225 68,574 68,774 68,879
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 99,006 99,863 99,976 99,006 99,563 99,668 99,761 99,863 99,976
Civilian labor force............................ 73,954 75,190 74,393 74,202 74,316 74,420 74,500 74,400 74,634
Participation rate........................ 74.7 75.3 74.4 74.9 74.6 74.7 74.7 74.5 74.7
Employed...................................... 70,866 72,348 71,603 70,841 71,198 71,321 71,444 71,332 71,615
Employment-population ratio............... 71.6 72.4 71.6 71.6 71.5 71.6 71.6 71.4 71.6
Unemployed.................................... 3,088 2,842 2,790 3,361 3,118 3,099 3,056 3,067 3,019
Unemployment rate......................... 4.2 3.8 3.8 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.0
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 91,003 91,692 91,793 91,003 91,368 91,487 91,561 91,692 91,793
Civilian labor force............................ 69,817 70,509 70,286 69,869 69,932 70,127 70,164 70,179 70,326
Participation rate........................ 76.7 76.9 76.6 76.8 76.5 76.7 76.6 76.5 76.6
Employed...................................... 67,416 68,210 68,078 67,262 67,399 67,633 67,687 67,682 67,950
Employment-population ratio............... 74.1 74.4 74.2 73.9 73.8 73.9 73.9 73.8 74.0
Agriculture................................. 2,526 2,377 2,296 2,402 2,212 2,248 2,271 2,242 2,168
Nonagricultural industries.................. 64,890 65,833 65,782 64,860 65,186 65,385 65,416 65,440 65,782
Unemployed.................................... 2,401 2,299 2,208 2,607 2,534 2,494 2,477 2,496 2,376
Unemployment rate......................... 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.4
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 106,693 108,175 108,289 106,693 107,864 107,964 108,067 108,175 108,289
Civilian labor force............................ 63,949 64,900 64,823 63,879 64,704 64,988 64,754 64,864 64,753
Participation rate........................ 59.9 60.0 59.9 59.9 60.0 60.2 59.9 60.0 59.8
Employed...................................... 60,998 61,917 61,952 60,977 62,026 62,112 61,863 62,079 61,935
Employment-population ratio............... 57.2 57.2 57.2 57.2 57.5 57.5 57.2 57.4 57.2
Unemployed.................................... 2,951 2,984 2,871 2,902 2,677 2,876 2,891 2,786 2,817
Unemployment rate......................... 4.6 4.6 4.4 4.5 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.4
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 98,994 100,285 100,385 98,994 100,008 100,131 100,203 100,285 100,385
Civilian labor force............................ 60,059 60,568 61,053 59,804 60,729 61,092 60,791 60,908 60,793
Participation rate........................ 60.7 60.4 60.8 60.4 60.7 61.0 60.7 60.7 60.6
Employed...................................... 57,610 58,093 58,753 57,426 58,520 58,719 58,373 58,654 58,572
Employment-population ratio............... 58.2 57.9 58.5 58.0 58.5 58.6 58.3 58.5 58.3
Agriculture................................. 834 840 833 767 831 869 797 764 767
Nonagricultural industries.................. 56,776 57,253 57,920 56,659 57,689 57,849 57,576 57,890 57,804
Unemployed.................................... 2,449 2,475 2,299 2,378 2,209 2,373 2,418 2,254 2,222
Unemployment rate......................... 4.1 4.1 3.8 4.0 3.6 3.9 4.0 3.7 3.7
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population............. 15,702 16,061 16,086 15,702 16,051 16,014 16,065 16,061 16,086
Civilian labor force............................ 8,027 9,014 7,878 8,408 8,358 8,189 8,300 8,177 8,267
Participation rate........................ 51.1 56.1 49.0 53.5 52.1 51.1 51.7 50.9 51.4
Employed...................................... 6,838 7,962 6,724 7,130 7,306 7,081 7,247 7,075 7,028
Employment-population ratio............... 43.5 49.6 41.8 45.4 45.5 44.2 45.1 44.0 43.7
Agriculture................................. 311 309 212 301 252 237 225 212 201
Nonagricultural industries.................. 6,527 7,653 6,512 6,829 7,054 6,843 7,023 6,862 6,827
Unemployed.................................... 1,189 1,051 1,154 1,278 1,052 1,108 1,053 1,102 1,238
Unemployment rate......................... 14.8 11.7 14.7 15.2 12.6 13.5 12.7 13.5 15.0
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, age, and Hispanic origin
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Employment status, race, sex, age, and
Hispanic origin
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 171,804 173,275 173,432 171,804 172,859 172,999 173,133 173,275 173,432
Civilian labor force............................ 115,599 117,093 116,243 115,751 116,254 116,578 116,393 116,602 116,409
Participation rate.......................... 67.3 67.6 67.0 67.4 67.3 67.4 67.2 67.3 67.1
Employed...................................... 111,316 112,846 112,241 111,221 111,985 112,092 112,117 112,277 112,210
Employment-population ratio................. 64.8 65.1 64.7 64.7 64.8 64.8 64.8 64.8 64.7
Unemployed.................................... 4,284 4,246 4,002 4,530 4,269 4,486 4,276 4,325 4,198
Unemployment rate........................... 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.6
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 59,542 60,063 59,808 59,587 59,500 59,711 59,837 59,968 59,839
Participation rate.......................... 77.2 77.5 77.1 77.3 77.0 77.2 77.3 77.4 77.1
Employed...................................... 57,756 58,303 58,236 57,615 57,615 57,784 57,978 58,013 58,120
Employment-population ratio................. 74.9 75.2 75.1 74.7 74.5 74.7 74.9 74.8 74.9
Unemployed.................................... 1,785 1,760 1,571 1,972 1,884 1,927 1,859 1,955 1,719
Unemployment rate........................... 3.0 2.9 2.6 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.3 2.9
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 49,348 49,410 49,746 49,108 49,669 49,933 49,542 49,701 49,534
Participation rate.......................... 60.0 59.5 59.9 59.8 60.0 60.2 59.7 59.9 59.6
Employed...................................... 47,682 47,653 48,138 47,456 48,067 48,215 47,878 48,134 47,946
Employment-population ratio................. 58.0 57.4 57.9 57.7 58.0 58.2 57.7 58.0 57.7
Unemployed.................................... 1,667 1,757 1,608 1,652 1,602 1,718 1,665 1,567 1,587
Unemployment rate........................... 3.4 3.6 3.2 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.2
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 6,709 7,620 6,690 7,056 7,085 6,934 7,013 6,932 7,036
Participation rate.......................... 53.6 59.8 52.5 56.4 55.8 54.6 55.1 54.4 55.2
Employed...................................... 5,878 6,890 5,867 6,150 6,302 6,093 6,261 6,129 6,144
Employment-population ratio................. 46.9 54.1 46.0 49.1 49.7 48.0 49.2 48.1 48.2
Unemployed.................................... 832 730 823 906 783 840 753 803 892
Unemployment rate........................... 12.4 9.6 12.3 12.8 11.0 12.1 10.7 11.6 12.7
Men....................................... 14.1 9.7 12.4 14.7 11.9 11.8 10.9 12.2 13.0
Women..................................... 10.5 9.4 12.2 10.8 10.1 12.5 10.6 10.9 12.4
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 24,458 24,904 24,946 24,458 24,798 24,833 24,867 24,904 24,946
Civilian labor force............................ 15,996 16,474 16,494 16,027 16,303 16,300 16,384 16,279 16,534
Participation rate.......................... 65.4 66.2 66.1 65.5 65.7 65.6 65.9 65.4 66.3
Employed...................................... 14,552 15,156 15,113 14,584 15,079 15,103 14,949 15,005 15,154
Employment-population ratio................. 59.5 60.9 60.6 59.6 60.8 60.8 60.1 60.3 60.7
Unemployed.................................... 1,444 1,318 1,381 1,443 1,224 1,197 1,434 1,274 1,380
Unemployment rate........................... 9.0 8.0 8.4 9.0 7.5 7.3 8.8 7.8 8.3
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,024 7,183 7,216 6,999 7,206 7,152 7,132 7,151 7,200
Participation rate.......................... 72.0 72.2 72.4 71.7 72.8 72.1 71.8 71.9 72.3
Employed...................................... 6,534 6,760 6,711 6,499 6,727 6,712 6,601 6,706 6,684
Employment-population ratio................. 66.9 68.0 67.3 66.6 68.0 67.7 66.5 67.4 67.1
Unemployed.................................... 490 424 506 500 479 440 531 445 516
Unemployment rate........................... 7.0 5.9 7.0 7.1 6.6 6.1 7.4 6.2 7.2
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,932 8,239 8,361 7,948 8,177 8,214 8,318 8,229 8,383
Participation rate.......................... 64.8 66.1 66.9 64.9 65.8 66.0 66.8 66.0 67.1
Employed...................................... 7,277 7,627 7,774 7,320 7,653 7,671 7,663 7,658 7,821
Employment-population ratio................. 59.4 61.1 62.2 59.8 61.6 61.7 61.5 61.4 62.6
Unemployed.................................... 655 613 587 628 524 544 654 571 562
Unemployment rate........................... 8.3 7.4 7.0 7.9 6.4 6.6 7.9 6.9 6.7
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 1,040 1,052 917 1,080 920 934 934 899 951
Participation rate.......................... 42.3 42.3 36.9 44.0 37.1 37.7 37.6 36.2 38.3
Employed...................................... 742 770 628 765 699 721 685 642 649
Employment-population ratio................. 30.2 31.0 25.3 31.1 28.2 29.0 27.6 25.8 26.1
Unemployed.................................... 299 282 289 315 222 214 249 257 302
Unemployment rate........................... 28.7 26.8 31.5 29.2 24.1 22.9 26.7 28.6 31.7
Men....................................... 30.5 27.8 28.7 32.7 26.2 26.7 30.8 29.4 30.6
Women..................................... 26.9 25.9 34.2 25.7 22.0 19.6 22.9 27.9 32.9
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 21,224 21,752 21,820 21,224 21,548 21,618 21,684 21,752 21,820
Civilian labor force............................ 14,487 14,843 14,768 14,457 14,535 14,643 14,592 14,734 14,756
Participation rate.......................... 68.3 68.2 67.7 68.1 67.5 67.7 67.3 67.7 67.6
Employed...................................... 13,481 13,872 13,818 13,394 13,558 13,654 13,685 13,776 13,763
Employment-population ratio................. 63.5 63.8 63.3 63.1 62.9 63.2 63.1 63.3 63.1
Unemployed.................................... 1,007 971 950 1,063 977 989 907 959 993
Unemployment rate........................... 6.9 6.5 6.4 7.4 6.7 6.8 6.2 6.5 6.7
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races"
group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January
1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-3. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Educational attainment
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
Less than a high school diploma
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 29,290 28,568 28,583 29,290 28,298 28,515 28,015 28,568 28,583
Civilian labor force.................... 12,642 12,299 12,275 12,563 11,743 12,047 12,069 12,412 12,198
Percent of population............... 43.2 43.1 42.9 42.9 41.5 42.2 43.1 43.4 42.7
Employed.............................. 11,845 11,507 11,506 11,692 10,959 11,238 11,244 11,530 11,358
Employment-population ratio......... 40.4 40.3 40.3 39.9 38.7 39.4 40.1 40.4 39.7
Unemployed............................ 797 793 769 871 784 810 825 883 840
Unemployment rate................... 6.3 6.4 6.3 6.9 6.7 6.7 6.8 7.1 6.9
High school graduates, no college(2)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 57,589 57,195 57,518 57,589 57,931 57,963 57,162 57,195 57,518
Civilian labor force.................... 37,468 36,797 37,286 37,289 37,416 37,403 36,941 36,845 37,133
Percent of population............... 65.1 64.3 64.8 64.8 64.6 64.5 64.6 64.4 64.6
Employed.............................. 36,050 35,550 36,022 35,783 36,058 35,961 35,629 35,550 35,807
Employment-population ratio......... 62.6 62.2 62.6 62.1 62.2 62.0 62.3 62.2 62.3
Unemployed............................ 1,418 1,247 1,264 1,506 1,359 1,442 1,313 1,294 1,325
Unemployment rate................... 3.8 3.4 3.4 4.0 3.6 3.9 3.6 3.5 3.6
Less than a bachelor's degree(3)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 41,769 43,130 42,955 41,769 42,742 42,780 43,610 43,130 42,955
Civilian labor force.................... 31,184 31,751 31,930 31,271 31,930 31,937 32,102 31,803 32,076
Percent of population............... 74.7 73.6 74.3 74.9 74.7 74.7 73.6 73.7 74.7
Employed.............................. 30,276 30,765 31,086 30,343 31,043 31,130 31,097 30,795 31,211
Employment-population ratio......... 72.5 71.3 72.4 72.6 72.6 72.8 71.3 71.4 72.7
Unemployed............................ 907 986 844 928 886 806 1,005 1,008 866
Unemployment rate................... 2.9 3.1 2.6 3.0 2.8 2.5 3.1 3.2 2.7
College graduates
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 43,669 45,086 45,081 43,669 44,442 44,464 45,042 45,086 45,081
Civilian labor force.................... 35,059 35,915 35,948 34,914 35,771 35,856 35,981 36,142 35,745
Percent of population............... 80.3 79.7 79.7 80.0 80.5 80.6 79.9 80.2 79.3
Employed.............................. 34,453 35,223 35,333 34,335 35,107 35,128 35,317 35,579 35,157
Employment-population ratio......... 78.9 78.1 78.4 78.6 79.0 79.0 78.4 78.9 78.0
Unemployed............................ 606 692 615 579 664 727 664 563 588
Unemployment rate................... 1.7 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.6
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation, therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
2 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.
3 Includes the categories, some college, no degree; and associate degree.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-4. Selected employment indicators
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Category
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over................. 131,864 134,264 133,555 131,818 133,224 133,432 133,307 133,411 133,550
Married men, spouse present..................... 43,385 43,398 43,663 43,170 42,882 43,291 43,353 43,398 43,446
Married women, spouse present................... 33,067 33,023 33,403 32,891 33,487 33,802 33,302 33,458 33,204
Women who maintain families..................... 8,042 8,332 8,380 7,984 8,039 7,991 8,289 8,357 8,313
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty........... 39,572 40,504 40,892 39,553 40,500 40,946 40,901 40,893 40,843
Technical, sales, and administrative support.... 38,485 38,998 38,519 38,478 39,103 38,729 38,573 38,842 38,557
Service occupations............................. 17,835 18,341 17,817 17,926 18,111 18,020 18,035 18,034 17,907
Precision production, craft, and repair......... 14,060 14,355 14,531 14,045 14,432 14,084 14,405 14,241 14,589
Operators, fabricators, and laborers............ 18,073 18,231 18,202 18,118 17,813 18,190 17,985 18,058 18,260
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................. 3,838 3,836 3,594 3,585 3,441 3,504 3,423 3,422 3,346
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers....................... 2,260 2,088 2,051 2,145 1,919 1,911 1,938 1,900 1,929
Self-employed workers......................... 1,368 1,379 1,246 1,290 1,348 1,369 1,300 1,262 1,176
Unpaid family workers......................... 43 58 44 40 33 37 47 48 41
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers....................... 118,974 121,595 121,255 119,148 121,168 121,005 121,157 121,163 121,498
Government.................................. 18,268 18,646 18,939 18,448 18,672 19,110 19,068 19,243 19,131
Private industries.......................... 100,706 102,949 102,316 100,700 102,496 101,895 102,089 101,920 102,367
Private households........................ 887 923 1,006 918 910 1,001 943 871 1,039
Other industries.......................... 99,818 102,026 101,310 99,782 101,586 100,894 101,146 101,049 101,328
Self-employed workers......................... 9,131 9,057 8,864 9,096 8,687 8,857 8,837 9,066 8,820
Unpaid family workers......................... 88 87 95 88 60 87 74 91 98
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 3,112 3,238 2,948 3,419 3,422 3,418 3,299 3,248 3,269
Slack work or business conditions........... 1,721 1,759 1,689 1,913 1,946 2,092 1,983 1,871 1,895
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,113 1,068 1,031 1,168 1,137 1,014 1,044 1,057 1,087
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 18,989 16,455 19,069 18,687 18,632 18,666 19,122 19,359 18,787
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 2,928 3,102 2,814 3,191 3,247 3,232 3,130 3,105 3,096
Slack work or business conditions........... 1,619 1,677 1,596 1,800 1,838 1,944 1,846 1,791 1,789
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,072 1,046 1,015 1,132 1,111 1,010 1,028 1,041 1,080
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 18,378 15,870 18,490 18,161 18,098 18,016 18,618 18,781 18,288
NOTE: Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for
reasons such as vacation, illness, or industrial dispute. Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually
work full time but worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad
weather. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-5. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Category
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over......................... 6,263 5,853 5,836 4.5 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2
Men, 20 years and over......................... 2,607 2,496 2,376 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.4
Women, 20 years and over....................... 2,378 2,254 2,222 4.0 3.6 3.9 4.0 3.7 3.7
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years..................... 1,278 1,102 1,238 15.2 12.6 13.5 12.7 13.5 15.0
Married men, spouse present.................... 1,006 1,022 955 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.1
Married women, spouse present.................. 921 921 885 2.7 2.5 2.7 2.9 2.7 2.6
Women who maintain families.................... 653 567 574 7.6 6.0 6.6 6.4 6.4 6.5
Full-time workers.............................. 4,916 4,756 4,553 4.3 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.0
Part-time workers.............................. 1,298 1,118 1,247 5.3 5.1 5.4 4.9 4.5 5.1
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty.......... 711 733 744 1.8 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.8
Technical, sales, and administrative support... 1,550 1,448 1,390 3.9 3.3 3.6 4.0 3.6 3.5
Precision production, craft, and repair........ 628 682 586 4.3 4.1 4.9 3.8 4.6 3.9
Operators, fabricators, and laborers........... 1,357 1,187 1,277 7.0 6.5 6.0 6.3 6.2 6.5
Farming, forestry, and fishing................. 269 228 172 7.0 8.0 7.5 6.4 6.2 4.9
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers 5,024 4,536 4,663 4.8 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.4
Goods-producing industries................... 1,474 1,383 1,375 5.1 4.4 4.7 4.4 5.0 4.9
Mining..................................... 18 25 44 3.0 5.9 4.7 6.4 4.0 7.1
Construction............................... 601 586 519 8.6 7.2 7.5 6.7 7.9 6.8
Manufacturing.............................. 855 773 812 4.0 3.4 3.8 3.5 3.9 4.1
Durable goods............................ 470 447 510 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.7 4.1
Nondurable goods......................... 385 326 302 4.6 3.6 4.0 3.0 4.2 3.9
Service-producing industries................. 3,550 3,153 3,288 4.6 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.0 4.2
Transportation and public utilities........ 257 245 217 3.5 3.3 2.8 3.6 3.1 2.7
Wholesale and retail trade................. 1,547 1,282 1,415 5.7 5.3 5.4 5.2 4.8 5.2
Finance, insurance, and real estate........ 191 196 178 2.4 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.2
Services................................... 1,555 1,430 1,477 4.5 3.9 4.2 4.5 4.0 4.1
Government workers............................. 422 405 381 2.2 2.6 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.0
Agricultural wage and salary workers........... 183 206 108 7.9 10.7 9.6 8.9 9.8 5.3
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which
is small relative to the trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-6. Duration of unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Duration
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks................................ 2,665 2,498 2,627 2,638 2,467 2,529 2,680 2,621 2,589
5 to 14 weeks.................................... 1,793 1,976 1,664 1,968 1,816 1,736 1,766 1,810 1,831
15 weeks and over................................ 1,581 1,352 1,370 1,636 1,523 1,668 1,505 1,449 1,392
15 to 26 weeks................................ 686 633 672 732 794 824 787 745 698
27 weeks and over............................. 896 719 698 904 729 844 718 704 694
Average (mean) duration, in weeks................ 14.5 13.1 13.1 14.3 13.4 14.5 13.6 13.2 12.8
Median duration, in weeks........................ 6.8 6.7 6.0 6.6 6.7 6.2 5.7 6.5 5.8
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.............................. 44.1 42.9 46.4 42.3 42.5 42.6 45.0 44.6 44.5
5 to 14 weeks.................................. 29.7 33.9 29.4 31.5 31.3 29.3 29.7 30.8 31.5
15 weeks and over.............................. 26.2 23.2 24.2 26.2 26.2 28.1 25.3 24.6 23.9
15 to 26 weeks............................... 11.4 10.9 11.9 11.7 13.7 13.9 13.2 12.7 12.0
27 weeks and over............................ 14.8 12.3 12.3 14.5 12.6 14.2 12.1 12.0 11.9
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-7. Reason for unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Reason
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 2,534 2,559 2,299 2,865 2,663 2,683 2,740 2,662 2,586
On temporary layoff............................. 628 784 620 909 821 892 850 929 890
Not on temporary layoff......................... 1,905 1,775 1,678 1,956 1,842 1,791 1,890 1,734 1,696
Permanent job losers.......................... 1,237 1,250 1,158 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs.......... 668 525 520 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers....................................... 854 866 871 727 789 864 755 797 737
Reentrants........................................ 2,223 1,925 2,028 2,161 2,040 2,057 2,011 1,896 1,965
New entrants...................................... 428 477 464 501 415 349 402 483 537
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........................................... 42.0 43.9 40.6 45.8 45.1 45.1 46.4 45.6 44.4
On temporary layoff............................ 10.4 13.5 11.0 14.5 13.9 15.0 14.4 15.9 15.3
Not on temporary layoff........................ 31.5 30.5 29.6 31.3 31.2 30.1 32.0 29.7 29.1
Job leavers...................................... 14.1 14.9 15.4 11.6 13.4 14.5 12.8 13.6 12.7
Reentrants....................................... 36.8 33.0 35.8 34.6 34.5 34.6 34.0 32.5 33.7
New entrants..................................... 7.1 8.2 8.2 8.0 7.0 5.9 6.8 8.3 9.2
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 1.8 1.8 1.7 2.1 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.9
Job leavers...................................... .6 .6 .6 .5 .6 .6 .5 .6 .5
Reentrants....................................... 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4
New entrants..................................... .3 .3 .3 .4 .3 .3 .3 .3 .4
1 Not available.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-8. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization
(Percent)
Not seasonally Seasonally adjusted
adjusted
Measure
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of
the civilian labor force................................ 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as
a percent of the civilian labor force................... 1.8 1.8 1.7 2.1 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.9
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor
force (official unemployment rate)...................... 4.4 4.2 4.1 4.5 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent
of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers.... 4.6 4.3 4.3 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all
other marginally attached workers, as a percent of the
civilian labor force plus all marginally
attached workers........................................ 5.3 4.9 4.9 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers,
plus total employed part time for economic reasons,
as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all
marginally attached workers............................. 7.6 7.2 7.0 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
1 Not available.
NOTE: This range of alternative measures of labor underutilization replaces the U1-U7 range published in table A-7 of
this release prior to 1994. Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work
but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged
workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently looking for a job.
Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to
settle for a part-time schedule. For further information, see "BLS introduces new range of alternative unemployment
measures," in the October 1995 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised
population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-9. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Age and sex
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 6,263 5,853 5,836 4.5 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2
16 to 24 years.................................. 2,400 2,126 2,245 10.9 9.4 9.9 9.6 9.6 10.1
16 to 19 years................................ 1,278 1,102 1,238 15.2 12.6 13.5 12.7 13.5 15.0
16 to 17 years.............................. 596 517 532 17.6 15.9 16.1 14.6 15.8 16.3
18 to 19 years.............................. 679 592 706 13.5 10.6 11.8 11.4 12.1 14.1
20 to 24 years................................ 1,122 1,023 1,007 8.2 7.5 7.7 7.7 7.3 7.2
25 years and over............................... 3,894 3,745 3,630 3.4 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1
25 to 54 years................................ 3,416 3,272 3,168 3.5 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.2
55 years and over............................. 464 472 458 2.7 2.6 3.0 3.0 2.6 2.6
Men, 16 years and over.......................... 3,361 3,067 3,019 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.0
16 to 24 years................................ 1,374 1,126 1,162 11.9 10.2 10.7 10.2 9.8 9.9
16 to 19 years.............................. 754 571 642 17.4 13.3 14.1 13.4 13.5 14.9
16 to 17 years............................ 352 270 281 20.2 17.7 16.5 15.4 15.8 16.6
18 to 19 years............................ 386 308 345 15.1 10.6 12.8 11.8 12.3 13.4
20 to 24 years.............................. 620 555 519 8.6 8.3 8.7 8.3 7.6 7.0
25 years and over............................. 1,994 1,963 1,873 3.2 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.0
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,711 1,680 1,581 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.0
55 years and over........................... 286 286 296 3.0 2.7 2.6 3.2 2.9 3.0
Women, 16 years and over........................ 2,902 2,786 2,817 4.5 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.4
16 to 24 years................................ 1,026 1,000 1,083 9.8 8.6 9.0 8.9 9.4 10.2
16 to 19 years.............................. 524 531 596 12.9 11.8 12.9 11.9 13.4 15.0
16 to 17 years............................ 244 248 250 14.9 13.8 15.7 13.8 15.8 15.9
18 to 19 years............................ 293 284 360 11.9 10.6 10.7 11.0 11.9 15.0
20 to 24 years.............................. 502 469 487 7.8 6.7 6.7 7.1 7.0 7.3
25 years and over............................. 1,900 1,782 1,758 3.6 3.2 3.5 3.6 3.3 3.2
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,705 1,593 1,587 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.4
55 years and over........................... 178 185 161 2.3 2.6 3.5 2.9 2.3 2.0
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-10. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Category
Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept.
1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force...................................... 67,796 69,048 25,051 25,582 42,744 43,466
Persons who currently want a job................................ 4,753 4,196 1,951 1,797 2,801 2,398
Searched for work and available to work now(1)............... 1,377 1,172 634 578 743 594
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2).................... 317 289 188 158 129 131
Reasons other than discouragement(3).................... 1,060 883 446 420 614 463
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4)...................................... 7,906 7,584 4,156 3,899 3,750 3,685
Percent of total employed..................................... 6.0 5.7 5.9 5.4 6.1 5.9
Primary job full time, secondary job part time................ 4,442 4,171 2,550 2,430 1,892 1,742
Primary and secondary jobs both part time..................... 1,635 1,667 534 482 1,101 1,186
Primary and secondary jobs both full time..................... 310 279 228 193 82 86
Hours vary on primary or secondary job........................ 1,461 1,420 827 766 634 654
1 Data refer to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available to take a job during the
reference week.
2 Includes thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and
other types of discrimination.
3 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as child-care and transportation
problems, as well as a small number for which reason for nonparticipation was not determined.
4 Includes persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown separately.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total......................... 126,769 128,802 128,732 129,362 126,361 128,162 128,443 128,816 128,919 128,911
Total private.................... 107,086 109,711 109,734 109,372 106,470 108,085 108,338 108,663 108,714 108,729
Goods-producing......................... 25,705 25,567 25,622 25,518 25,333 25,199 25,180 25,247 25,140 25,141
Mining................................ 590 536 534 532 583 531 526 528 523 524
Metal mining........................ 50.3 49.0 47.4 47.0 50 49 48 48 46 47
Coal mining......................... 89.7 84.2 83.5 82.4 90 86 84 85 83 82
Oil and gas extraction.............. 336.7 289.4 289.7 290.2 334 287 285 285 285 286
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 112.9 113.8 113.3 112.8 109 109 109 110 109 109
Construction.......................... 6,282 6,620 6,620 6,546 6,009 6,239 6,258 6,270 6,245 6,266
General building contractors........ 1,417.7 1,504.7 1,494.7 1,464.7 1,382 1,427 1,430 1,432 1,424 1,429
Heavy construction, except building. 917.8 927.8 932.7 932.4 837 854 857 857 852 851
Special trade contractors........... 3,946.3 4,187.3 4,192.7 4,148.8 3,790 3,958 3,971 3,981 3,969 3,986
Manufacturing......................... 18,833 18,411 18,468 18,440 18,741 18,429 18,396 18,449 18,372 18,351
Production workers................ 12,980 12,615 12,678 12,688 12,893 12,662 12,623 12,691 12,613 12,607
Durable goods........................ 11,176 10,967 10,983 10,974 11,159 10,971 10,960 11,015 10,971 10,954
Production workers................ 7,639 7,482 7,497 7,508 7,628 7,504 7,487 7,549 7,507 7,495
Lumber and wood products............ 825.4 838.5 841.5 837.1 815 824 824 826 828 828
Furniture and fixtures.............. 531.0 540.7 542.1 540.5 532 537 538 546 543 541
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 574.4 577.7 579.8 579.0 565 569 568 571 568 570
Primary metal industries............ 711.9 684.7 687.6 685.7 712 689 687 692 689 685
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 230.6 222.2 222.8 220.7 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,500.9 1,476.9 1,482.9 1,486.4 1,500 1,487 1,485 1,493 1,485 1,484
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,189.2 2,125.1 2,113.8 2,111.0 2,197 2,129 2,128 2,131 2,122 2,116
Computer and office equipment..... 377.0 361.9 361.2 357.7 377 362 364 360 360 358
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,691.8 1,662.4 1,659.2 1,667.4 1,692 1,658 1,657 1,667 1,661 1,667
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 649.5 640.1 641.6 642.3 651 635 637 639 641 643
Transportation equipment............ 1,892.7 1,834.7 1,850.5 1,842.2 1,891 1,853 1,849 1,863 1,852 1,841
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 997.7 986.8 1,009.9 1,006.9 996 996 998 1,014 1,011 1,006
Aircraft and parts................ 524.5 487.3 481.1 477.3 525 498 491 488 483 477
Instruments and related products.... 863.5 841.1 837.6 834.0 863 839 837 840 836 834
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 395.5 385.0 388.1 390.9 392 386 387 386 387 388
Nondurable goods..................... 7,657 7,444 7,485 7,466 7,582 7,458 7,436 7,434 7,401 7,397
Production workers................ 5,341 5,133 5,181 5,180 5,265 5,158 5,136 5,142 5,106 5,112
Food and kindred products........... 1,749.1 1,704.6 1,733.8 1,733.0 1,687 1,688 1,680 1,681 1,664 1,675
Tobacco products.................... 41.7 35.4 36.1 37.5 40 38 39 39 36 36
Textile mill products............... 596.5 556.4 557.0 555.6 593 563 560 559 557 554
Apparel and other textile products.. 758.0 672.0 675.2 673.4 751 691 686 679 671 666
Paper and allied products........... 673.6 660.8 660.6 657.6 672 661 659 659 658 658
Printing and publishing............. 1,560.3 1,554.5 1,553.2 1,549.6 1,565 1,551 1,552 1,554 1,554 1,554
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,042.9 1,037.3 1,035.6 1,031.9 1,043 1,036 1,033 1,032 1,030 1,031
Petroleum and coal products......... 142.2 141.1 139.9 138.4 140 138 137 138 137 136
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 1,011.4 1,012.2 1,021.1 1,015.9 1,010 1,018 1,016 1,021 1,021 1,014
Leather and leather products........ 80.8 69.6 72.8 73.0 81 74 74 72 73 73
Service-producing....................... 101,064 103,235 103,110 103,844 101,028 102,963 103,263 103,569 103,779 103,770
Transportation and public utilities... 6,681 6,784 6,794 6,868 6,637 6,758 6,781 6,799 6,808 6,828
Transportation...................... 4,356 4,410 4,415 4,500 4,313 4,402 4,423 4,438 4,441 4,459
Railroad transportation........... 234.5 231.7 227.2 227.6 233 233 233 230 226 225
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 483.0 420.1 421.4 498.1 471 480 483 483 488 486
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,787.5 1,841.1 1,850.2 1,858.0 1,759 1,802 1,810 1,817 1,817 1,828
Water transportation.............. 188.0 192.1 189.9 187.8 183 180 181 182 182 184
Transportation by air............. 1,191.5 1,238.1 1,239.2 1,243.0 1,196 1,226 1,234 1,240 1,243 1,250
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 13.9 13.4 13.2 13.0 14 13 13 13 13 13
Transportation services........... 457.5 473.2 473.5 472.7 457 468 469 473 472 473
Communications and public utilities. 2,325 2,374 2,379 2,368 2,324 2,356 2,358 2,361 2,367 2,369
Communications.................... 1,473.4 1,523.7 1,529.5 1,525.7 1,472 1,513 1,513 1,519 1,524 1,526
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 851.8 850.5 849.3 842.1 852 843 845 842 843 843
Wholesale trade....................... 6,880 7,062 7,064 7,050 6,871 6,977 6,993 7,012 7,033 7,040
Durable goods....................... 4,060 4,183 4,186 4,166 4,066 4,124 4,139 4,154 4,171 4,171
Nondurable goods.................... 2,820 2,879 2,878 2,884 2,805 2,853 2,854 2,858 2,862 2,869
Retail trade.......................... 22,436 23,044 23,036 22,890 22,382 22,748 22,796 22,903 22,882 22,833
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 957.0 1,023.6 1,008.7 989.5 954 979 982 986 988 987
General merchandise stores.......... 2,709.9 2,719.5 2,720.1 2,718.3 2,745 2,784 2,782 2,778 2,773 2,755
Department stores................. 2,407.5 2,423.3 2,422.6 2,420.2 2,437 2,486 2,482 2,476 2,467 2,450
Food stores......................... 3,482.3 3,503.4 3,503.9 3,477.8 3,486 3,487 3,479 3,478 3,489 3,486
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,364.2 2,439.5 2,438.6 2,426.9 2,349 2,400 2,403 2,407 2,410 2,412
New and used car dealers.......... 1,052.9 1,090.4 1,092.2 1,093.8 1,050 1,077 1,080 1,085 1,088 1,091
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,131.2 1,185.0 1,192.1 1,170.8 1,150 1,172 1,178 1,192 1,189 1,184
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,021.7 1,080.9 1,083.3 1,085.5 1,033 1,084 1,091 1,090 1,094 1,097
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,911.5 8,165.1 8,147.7 8,068.9 7,782 7,880 7,911 7,989 7,953 7,934
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,858.4 2,927.0 2,941.4 2,952.6 2,883 2,962 2,970 2,983 2,986 2,978
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 7,473 7,747 7,732 7,653 7,467 7,621 7,636 7,647 7,650 7,647
Finance............................. 3,617 3,744 3,737 3,704 3,623 3,706 3,709 3,715 3,717 3,712
Depository institutions........... 2,036.1 2,061.0 2,058.0 2,039.8 2,040 2,047 2,045 2,044 2,046 2,046
Commercial banks................ 1,462.0 1,474.6 1,473.7 1,459.4 1,465 1,465 1,463 1,462 1,465 1,465
Savings institutions............ 256.4 258.4 256.4 254.1 258 256 256 256 255 255
Nondepository institutions........ 670.9 723.9 721.6 712.4 673 720 721 721 719 714
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 341.4 371.7 368.8 360.8 342 374 372 369 367 361
Security and commodity brokers.... 656.7 689.5 690.9 686.1 656 672 676 682 685 685
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 252.8 269.1 266.9 266.0 254 267 267 268 267 267
Insurance........................... 2,359 2,417 2,414 2,403 2,362 2,399 2,402 2,404 2,406 2,407
Insurance carriers................ 1,609.8 1,645.5 1,641.8 1,632.7 1,611 1,635 1,638 1,635 1,635 1,634
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 749.3 771.9 772.6 770.7 751 764 764 769 771 773
Real estate......................... 1,497 1,586 1,581 1,546 1,482 1,516 1,525 1,528 1,527 1,528
Services2............................. 37,911 39,507 39,486 39,393 37,780 38,782 38,952 39,055 39,201 39,240
Agricultural services............... 750.6 841.6 826.3 803.7 712 751 757 760 756 762
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,836.0 1,952.6 1,946.5 1,854.2 1,785 1,786 1,797 1,807 1,808 1,807
Personal services................... 1,160.1 1,164.4 1,164.7 1,176.6 1,195 1,189 1,200 1,207 1,207 1,214
Business services................... 8,759.0 9,190.9 9,297.0 9,306.1 8,654 9,047 9,088 9,148 9,189 9,198
Services to buildings............. 958.5 999.8 1,005.9 1,007.7 956 979 984 992 997 1,003
Personnel supply services......... 3,334.7 3,423.9 3,507.8 3,500.5 3,230 3,366 3,387 3,422 3,420 3,420
Help supply services............ 2,972.9 3,033.9 3,113.3 3,102.0 2,874 2,986 3,000 3,025 3,025 3,018
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,634.8 1,796.5 1,808.0 1,811.6 1,639 1,765 1,781 1,794 1,807 1,819
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,154.7 1,193.5 1,192.7 1,191.4 1,153 1,182 1,184 1,185 1,186 1,189
Miscellaneous repair services....... 386.6 399.6 400.4 397.1 384 398 395 395 397 396
Motion pictures..................... 569.3 618.8 621.0 608.6 577 604 611 609 608 616
Amusement and recreation services... 1,707.4 2,006.6 1,981.9 1,793.1 1,622 1,675 1,695 1,694 1,712 1,697
Health services..................... 9,862.3 10006.9 10011.7 9,996.8 9,873 9,954 9,964 9,975 9,996 10,004
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,816.7 1,875.9 1,882.4 1,872.5 1,818 1,860 1,864 1,868 1,876 1,874
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,761.2 1,759.8 1,760.1 1,755.9 1,761 1,755 1,755 1,754 1,755 1,754
Hospitals......................... 3,937.7 3,984.3 3,980.5 3,975.3 3,943 3,966 3,969 3,968 3,973 3,978
Home health care services......... 658.3 654.2 655.6 658.0 658 653 653 655 658 658
Legal services...................... 973.6 1,018.0 1,010.3 1,000.9 980 999 1,002 1,000 1,004 1,006
Educational services................ 2,139.4 1,989.9 1,961.6 2,243.2 2,189 2,265 2,272 2,278 2,285 2,296
Social services..................... 2,661.6 2,780.4 2,758.5 2,791.0 2,672 2,760 2,778 2,763 2,799 2,791
Child day care services........... 613.9 579.5 580.0 631.5 610 629 633 632 631 622
Residential care.................. 750.5 787.1 789.1 785.7 753 775 777 781 785 788
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 94.2 102.7 101.6 94.8 93 93 94 94 95 94
Membership organizations............ 2,347.9 2,476.1 2,449.3 2,388.5 2,369 2,394 2,409 2,403 2,409 2,411
Engineering and management services. 3,217.5 3,469.2 3,466.8 3,452.2 3,231 3,391 3,411 3,441 3,455 3,463
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 916.1 962.3 961.9 947.5 913 940 942 948 947 944
Management and public relations... 1,058.8 1,177.9 1,182.2 1,185.2 1,058 1,143 1,153 1,165 1,176 1,178
Services, nec....................... 52.8 58.2 57.7 57.7 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 19,683 19,091 18,998 19,990 19,891 20,077 20,105 20,153 20,205 20,182
Federal............................. 2,685 2,668 2,658 2,642 2,689 2,666 2,664 2,656 2,652 2,649
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,818.0 1,803.6 1,795.3 1,776.2 1,815 1,788 1,789 1,779 1,780 1,775
State............................... 4,603 4,458 4,447 4,663 4,647 4,677 4,675 4,682 4,705 4,695
Education......................... 1,886.8 1,666.0 1,671.1 1,911.4 1,939 1,941 1,934 1,947 1,965 1,952
Other State government............ 2,715.7 2,792.3 2,775.4 2,751.3 2,708 2,736 2,741 2,735 2,740 2,743
Local............................... 12,395 11,965 11,893 12,685 12,555 12,734 12,766 12,815 12,848 12,838
Education......................... 6,947.9 6,111.1 6,121.0 7,152.6 7,103 7,225 7,239 7,268 7,304 7,302
Other local government............ 5,447.0 5,853.7 5,771.7 5,532.4 5,452 5,509 5,527 5,547 5,544 5,536
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.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 34.3 34.7 35.1 34.2 34.5 34.4 34.5 34.5 34.5 34.4
Goods-producing......................... 40.5 40.9 41.3 40.8 40.9 41.0 41.2 41.2 41.1 41.2
Mining................................ 42.9 44.7 44.5 44.1 43.3 44.1 44.0 45.1 44.2 44.1
Construction.......................... 37.5 39.9 40.0 38.5 38.6 38.9 39.4 38.9 39.0 39.3
Manufacturing......................... 41.5 41.2 41.8 41.6 41.6 41.7 41.7 41.9 41.8 41.8
Overtime hours.................... 4.7 4.4 4.8 4.9 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7
Durable goods........................ 41.8 41.6 42.4 42.0 42.2 42.2 42.3 42.5 42.5 42.5
Overtime hours.................... 4.6 4.5 4.9 4.9 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.9 5.0
Lumber and wood products............ 40.5 41.1 41.6 40.8 40.7 41.2 41.1 41.1 41.2 40.9
Furniture and fixtures.............. 39.8 40.2 40.7 40.4 40.2 40.4 40.4 40.6 40.3 40.8
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 43.9 43.8 44.0 43.8 43.4 43.4 43.4 43.6 43.5 43.4
Primary metal industries............ 43.8 43.6 44.1 44.4 43.9 44.3 44.3 44.5 44.4 44.7
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 44.4 44.7 44.8 45.2 44.2 44.8 45.2 45.2 45.0 45.2
Fabricated metal products........... 41.6 41.5 42.3 41.8 42.2 42.1 42.1 42.3 42.4 42.5
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 41.8 41.7 42.2 41.8 42.6 42.1 42.0 42.4 42.6 42.7
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 41.0 40.9 41.6 41.1 41.4 41.5 41.5 41.7 41.7 41.5
Transportation equipment............ 43.3 42.2 43.7 43.8 43.8 43.5 44.2 44.4 44.0 44.0
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 43.8 42.8 44.7 45.3 44.3 44.4 45.4 46.0 45.2 45.6
Instruments and related products.... 40.6 41.0 41.3 41.2 41.1 41.6 41.5 41.7 41.5 41.8
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 39.3 39.3 40.1 39.6 39.5 40.2 40.0 40.1 40.2 39.9
Nondurable goods..................... 41.0 40.7 41.0 40.9 40.8 41.0 41.0 41.1 40.9 40.7
Overtime hours.................... 4.7 4.4 4.6 4.8 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.4
Food and kindred products........... 42.5 41.8 41.9 41.9 41.7 41.8 41.8 42.0 41.6 41.3
Tobacco products.................... 37.4 40.4 39.9 39.6 37.7 39.9 39.1 41.1 39.8 39.7
Textile mill products............... 40.5 40.6 41.0 40.6 40.4 41.0 40.6 41.3 40.8 40.5
Apparel and other textile products.. 36.7 37.0 37.6 36.6 37.2 37.8 37.7 37.5 37.4 37.1
Paper and allied products........... 44.1 43.0 43.5 43.6 43.6 43.5 43.5 43.5 43.8 43.2
Printing and publishing............. 38.6 38.1 38.4 38.5 38.2 38.3 38.3 38.4 38.3 38.1
Chemicals and allied products....... 43.4 42.7 43.2 43.1 43.2 43.0 43.0 43.1 43.4 43.1
Petroleum and coal products......... 43.2 43.3 42.9 43.1 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 41.4 41.0 41.4 41.5 41.7 41.9 41.8 41.7 41.6 41.8
Leather and leather products........ 37.3 37.4 38.8 37.9 37.4 38.4 37.9 37.9 38.4 37.8
Service-producing....................... 32.7 33.2 33.5 32.5 32.8 32.8 32.8 32.9 32.9 32.7
Transportation and public utilities... 39.3 38.9 39.4 38.5 39.3 38.8 38.9 38.7 38.9 38.5
Wholesale trade....................... 38.1 38.4 38.8 38.2 38.3 38.3 38.4 38.4 38.5 38.3
Retail trade.......................... 29.1 29.8 29.9 28.7 29.0 29.1 29.1 29.1 29.0 28.6
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 35.9 36.2 36.9 36.0 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.3 32.8 33.2 32.3 32.5 32.5 32.6 32.6 32.7 32.6
1 Data relate to production workers in mining and manufacturing; construction workers in construction; and
nonsupervisory workers in transportation and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real
estate; and services. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employees on private nonfarm
payrolls.
2 These series are not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
industry
Average hourly earnings Average weekly earnings
Industry
Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... $12.90 $13.15 $13.20 $13.39 $442.47 $456.31 $463.32 $457.94
Seasonally adjusted............. 12.88 13.28 13.30 13.37 444.36 458.16 458.85 459.93
Goods-producing......................... 14.49 14.91 14.93 15.07 586.85 609.82 616.61 614.86
Mining................................ 17.11 17.12 17.04 17.11 734.02 765.26 758.28 754.55
Construction.......................... 16.79 17.22 17.27 17.44 629.63 687.08 690.80 671.44
Manufacturing......................... 13.60 13.92 13.95 14.12 564.40 573.50 583.11 587.39
Durable goods........................ 14.07 14.38 14.46 14.63 588.13 598.21 613.10 614.46
Lumber and wood products............ 11.17 11.52 11.53 11.56 452.39 473.47 479.65 471.65
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.99 11.24 11.28 11.34 437.40 451.85 459.10 458.14
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 13.82 14.00 13.97 14.18 606.70 613.20 614.68 621.08
Primary metal industries............ 15.61 16.03 15.94 16.17 683.72 698.91 702.95 717.95
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 18.76 19.12 18.90 19.05 832.94 854.66 846.72 861.06
Fabricated metal products........... 13.16 13.45 13.48 13.61 547.46 558.18 570.20 568.90
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 14.55 15.07 15.12 15.28 608.19 628.42 638.06 638.70
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 13.23 13.49 13.49 13.64 542.43 551.74 561.18 560.60
Transportation equipment............ 17.49 17.94 18.25 18.50 757.32 757.07 797.53 810.30
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 17.77 18.23 18.61 18.92 778.33 780.24 831.87 857.08
Instruments and related products.... 13.88 14.25 14.27 14.34 563.53 584.25 589.35 590.81
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.98 11.32 11.32 11.45 431.51 444.88 453.93 453.42
Nondurable goods..................... 12.93 13.22 13.18 13.37 530.13 538.05 540.38 546.83
Food and kindred products........... 11.95 12.15 12.07 12.24 507.88 507.87 505.73 512.86
Tobacco products.................... 17.92 21.15 21.09 19.47 670.21 854.46 841.49 771.01
Textile mill products............... 10.48 10.71 10.72 10.82 424.44 434.83 439.52 439.29
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.63 8.83 8.88 9.00 316.72 326.71 333.89 329.40
Paper and allied products........... 15.84 16.05 15.98 16.29 698.54 690.15 695.13 710.24
Printing and publishing............. 13.65 13.80 13.82 13.97 526.89 525.78 530.69 537.85
Chemicals and allied products....... 17.30 17.49 17.51 17.78 750.82 746.82 756.43 766.32
Petroleum and coal products......... 20.83 21.35 21.35 21.73 899.86 924.46 915.92 936.56
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.98 12.35 12.30 12.47 495.97 506.35 509.22 517.51
Leather and leather products........ 9.35 9.61 9.74 9.88 348.76 359.41 377.91 374.45
Service-producing....................... 12.38 12.60 12.66 12.85 404.83 418.32 424.11 417.63
Transportation and public utilities... $15.41 $15.66 $15.65 $15.76 $605.61 $609.17 $616.61 $606.76
Wholesale trade....................... 14.16 14.55 14.66 14.71 539.50 558.72 568.81 561.92
Retail trade.......................... 8.88 9.02 9.04 9.19 258.41 268.80 270.30 263.75
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 14.10 14.53 14.63 14.64 506.19 525.99 539.85 527.04
Services.............................. 12.97 13.20 13.25 13.50 418.93 432.96 439.90 436.05
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-4. Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm
payrolls by industry, seasonally adjusted
Percent
Sept. May June July Aug. Sept. change
Industry 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p from:
Aug. 1999-
Sept. 1999
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $12.88 $13.18 $13.24 $13.28 $13.30 $13.37 0.5
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.80 7.85 7.89 7.88 7.87 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 14.41 14.75 14.85 14.90 14.91 14.97 .4
Mining...................... 17.06 17.05 16.96 17.23 17.15 17.16 .1
Construction................ 16.60 17.08 17.16 17.18 17.16 17.23 .4
Manufacturing............... 13.58 13.85 13.95 14.02 14.03 14.08 .4
Excluding overtime4....... 12.86 13.13 13.20 13.26 13.27 13.30 .2
Service-producing............. 12.38 12.68 12.73 12.77 12.79 12.87 .6
Transportation and public
utilities................ 15.37 15.65 15.65 15.70 15.68 15.76 .5
Wholesale trade............. 14.18 14.48 14.56 14.61 14.64 14.73 .6
Retail trade................ 8.84 9.04 9.06 9.10 9.13 9.17 .4
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 14.16 14.60 14.62 14.68 14.65 14.70 .3
Services.................... 12.98 13.33 13.38 13.42 13.44 13.51 .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 -.1 percent from June 1999 to July 1999, the latest month available.
4 Derived by assuming that overtime hours are paid at the rate of time and one-half.
N.A. = not available.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-5. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
industry
(1982=100)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 145.4 150.8 152.2 147.9 145.1 147.2 147.8 148.3 148.4 147.7
Goods-producing......................... 115.7 116.1 117.7 115.7 114.7 114.4 114.6 115.1 114.3 114.4
Mining................................ 54.8 51.6 51.3 50.8 54.6 50.1 49.7 50.9 49.8 49.9
Construction.......................... 167.4 187.2 187.5 178.4 162.7 170.0 172.8 170.7 170.4 172.0
Manufacturing......................... 108.6 104.9 106.9 106.4 108.3 106.5 106.3 107.3 106.4 106.2
Durable goods........................ 111.3 108.7 110.8 110.1 112.4 110.5 110.4 111.9 111.2 111.1
Lumber and wood products............ 145.5 149.8 152.0 148.4 144.0 147.3 146.9 147.3 147.7 146.8
Furniture and fixtures.............. 132.1 135.9 137.9 136.7 134.0 135.9 136.2 138.8 137.1 138.5
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 119.6 119.7 120.8 119.8 115.7 117.0 116.8 118.1 116.8 116.8
Primary metal industries............ 92.5 88.2 89.5 90.1 92.7 90.3 89.8 91.1 90.4 90.7
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 70.9 69.2 69.4 69.5 70.6 69.2 69.4 69.8 69.5 69.4
Fabricated metal products........... 116.9 114.2 116.9 115.9 118.4 116.9 116.6 118.2 117.4 117.5
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 106.4 102.8 102.7 102.2 109.1 104.5 104.0 105.3 104.6 104.7
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 107.4 104.7 106.7 106.1 108.6 106.2 105.9 108.0 107.4 107.2
Transportation equipment............ 125.4 118.1 124.1 124.1 127.2 123.4 125.0 127.1 126.0 125.0
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 160.0 154.3 166.2 168.3 162.3 162.4 165.9 172.1 169.9 170.1
Instruments and related products.... 74.9 74.5 74.6 73.9 75.7 75.6 75.2 76.0 75.1 75.2
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 102.2 98.2 101.3 101.4 101.5 101.4 100.9 101.1 101.4 101.4
Nondurable goods..................... 104.8 99.7 101.5 101.3 102.7 101.1 100.5 100.9 99.9 99.5
Food and kindred products........... 125.7 120.0 123.0 123.1 117.7 118.5 117.9 119.1 116.1 116.1
Tobacco products.................... 61.3 50.3 50.2 52.8 57.9 55.3 56.2 59.0 49.3 49.2
Textile mill products............... 85.1 79.3 80.3 79.5 84.3 81.1 79.8 81.3 79.8 79.1
Apparel and other textile products.. 65.6 57.7 59.1 57.5 65.8 61.4 60.4 59.3 58.6 57.6
Paper and allied products........... 110.5 105.0 105.9 106.1 108.6 106.3 106.0 106.0 106.1 105.1
Printing and publishing............. 125.1 121.3 122.5 122.7 124.5 122.3 122.3 122.4 122.3 121.6
Chemicals and allied products....... 104.0 101.2 102.5 102.7 103.4 102.3 101.9 102.1 102.7 102.7
Petroleum and coal products......... 77.8 77.1 76.1 76.0 76.3 73.9 72.9 74.4 73.1 73.9
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 147.2 145.2 148.4 148.3 147.9 149.5 148.6 149.6 149.0 149.0
Leather and leather products........ 34.4 29.2 32.3 31.4 34.5 32.4 32.0 30.9 31.9 31.4
Service-producing....................... 158.7 166.4 167.8 162.4 158.8 161.9 162.7 163.2 163.7 162.6
Transportation and public utilities... 133.4 133.6 135.5 134.2 132.5 133.0 133.7 133.2 134.1 133.4
Wholesale trade....................... 129.1 133.4 134.6 132.1 129.3 131.5 132.0 132.3 132.8 132.1
Retail trade.......................... 141.1 149.0 149.1 142.1 140.2 143.3 143.6 144.4 143.7 141.2
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 136.1 142.6 144.7 139.1 137.5 138.8 139.4 141.2 140.7 140.1
Services.............................. 193.9 205.0 207.0 200.8 194.7 199.3 200.7 201.1 202.4 202.1
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-6. Diffusion indexes of employment change, seasonally adjusted
(Percent)
Time span Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Private nonfarm payrolls, 356 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1995.............. 63.8 58.0 54.6 56.5 47.5 54.8 55.6 59.1 57.9 56.9 55.2 57.7
1996.............. 49.6 64.9 59.4 55.1 61.9 60.8 57.0 62.5 57.3 63.5 59.7 61.2
1997.............. 56.2 61.0 61.9 62.8 58.8 56.3 60.7 61.0 59.4 65.4 63.6 62.1
1998.............. 63.8 57.9 58.8 60.5 55.9 57.9 58.0 55.8 54.6 52.9 59.1 58.6
1999.............. 54.4 58.3 52.1 58.8 51.5 57.0 57.6 p49.4 p52.5
Over 3-month span:
1995.............. 63.8 62.9 58.0 53.5 53.9 52.7 59.3 61.0 59.4 58.6 57.3 55.3
1996.............. 62.6 62.5 63.3 63.1 63.1 64.3 64.3 62.2 64.6 64.2 66.2 63.2
1997.............. 63.8 63.6 67.7 67.3 62.6 61.7 61.4 66.2 67.3 69.9 70.8 71.2
1998.............. 66.7 66.2 64.5 63.9 61.4 58.7 60.0 58.4 57.6 57.6 59.0 60.4
1999.............. 60.7 55.9 59.6 54.6 56.3 56.2 p57.2 p55.6
Over 6-month span:
1995.............. 66.7 59.7 58.6 56.5 59.0 60.0 57.7 61.0 60.5 59.3 61.7 63.2
1996.............. 62.6 65.2 64.5 65.2 64.7 64.6 67.0 65.4 65.9 66.7 66.9 66.7
1997.............. 67.4 68.3 65.6 67.0 65.6 64.9 66.3 68.4 69.7 71.3 71.3 71.9
1998.............. 70.6 66.9 65.9 62.4 62.6 61.1 58.0 59.8 60.0 60.8 60.8 58.0
1999.............. 61.1 58.8 57.3 59.0 p55.6 p54.8
Over 12-month span:
1995.............. 63.6 62.4 62.6 63.3 61.7 61.9 58.7 62.2 62.2 61.5 63.5 65.4
1996.............. 64.5 66.7 64.5 65.6 68.5 67.3 67.7 66.4 68.0 69.9 68.7 66.9
1997.............. 69.0 67.3 68.3 69.7 69.5 70.1 70.1 70.4 70.5 69.7 69.8 71.3
1998.............. 70.4 68.3 67.1 64.0 62.1 61.7 61.8 63.8 59.8 59.0 59.3 58.6
1999.............. 60.1 p58.0 p57.3
Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1995.............. 57.2 50.4 47.1 52.9 41.4 45.3 45.0 51.1 48.6 51.1 45.3 48.2
1996.............. 42.4 55.4 46.8 41.0 55.8 51.4 47.1 56.5 48.9 55.0 50.7 54.0
1997.............. 50.0 52.9 53.6 56.1 52.2 53.2 51.1 55.4 53.6 62.2 61.2 55.4
1998.............. 58.6 51.8 50.4 50.4 40.6 46.8 40.3 45.3 42.1 36.3 39.9 45.0
1999.............. 40.3 42.4 39.6 44.6 36.3 45.3 57.2 p39.9 p42.4
Over 3-month span:
1995.............. 55.4 51.4 44.2 41.7 43.5 37.4 42.1 43.9 48.2 46.8 44.6 41.4
1996.............. 46.8 46.0 43.5 46.0 48.2 51.1 51.8 49.6 53.2 52.5 55.0 50.7
1997.............. 51.8 51.4 57.6 56.8 54.3 51.8 53.6 55.4 59.7 68.3 65.8 64.4
1998.............. 59.4 57.9 51.8 44.2 41.7 34.9 37.4 37.1 38.1 34.2 35.6 35.3
1999.............. 37.4 31.7 37.1 30.2 33.8 43.9 p45.7 p45.7
Over 6-month span:
1995.............. 55.4 45.7 43.2 38.1 41.7 42.8 41.0 42.1 43.5 43.2 44.2 45.0
1996.............. 41.4 46.0 45.7 47.1 46.0 48.6 52.9 50.4 51.8 51.4 52.5 51.8
1997.............. 54.7 54.0 51.4 54.3 52.5 52.2 55.4 61.2 61.5 64.7 66.2 65.1
1998.............. 59.7 49.3 48.2 36.7 36.7 36.7 28.4 31.3 33.5 35.3 32.7 28.1
1999.............. 33.1 29.1 28.1 36.0 p32.4 p33.5
Over 12-month span:
1995.............. 46.0 44.2 46.0 47.8 41.0 41.7 38.5 38.8 36.3 38.5 39.9 44.6
1996.............. 43.5 47.5 45.3 45.3 50.4 49.6 50.4 48.6 51.1 55.0 54.3 50.7
1997.............. 54.7 52.5 54.0 54.0 55.4 56.8 57.2 57.9 58.3 56.5 55.4 57.2
1998.............. 54.0 49.3 46.0 40.6 35.6 33.8 30.9 32.0 26.6 26.6 25.5 26.3
1999.............. 32.7 p27.0 p27.0
1 Based on seasonally adjusted data for 1-, 3-, and 6-month spans and unadjusted data for the 12-month span. Data are
centered within the span.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Figures are the percent of industries with employment increasing plus one-half of the industries with
unchanged employment, where 50 percent indicates an equal balance between industries with increasing and decreasing
employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Contact: (cpsinfo@bls.gov) Division of Labor Force Statistics-BLS
Last revised: November 05, 1999
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_0999.htm
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