Technical information: USDL 97-435
Household data: (202) 606-6378
Transmission of material in this
release is embargoed until
Establishment data: 606-6555 8:30 A.M. (EST),
Media contact: 606-5902 Friday, December 5, 1997.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: NOVEMBER 1997
Employment rose sharply in November, and the unemployment rate was
little changed at 4.6 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased
by 404,000 with gains widespread throughout the private sector.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
Both the number of unemployed persons, 6.2 million, and the unemployment
rate, 4.6 percent, were little changed in November. Since March, the
number of unemployed persons has fallen by 895,000 and the jobless rate by
0.6 percentage point. In November, the unemployment rates for adult men
and white workers each declined from 4.1 percent to 3.8 percent; the rate
for Hispanics (6.9 percent) was also down. The jobless rates for adult
women (4.0 percent), teenagers (15.0 percent), and blacks (9.6 percent)
showed little or no movement over the month. (See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Among the unemployed, the number of persons who had been looking for
work for fewer than 5 weeks declined in November, as did the number who had
been looking for work for 27 weeks or more. (See table A-5.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
Total employment rose by 671,000 in November to 130.6 million
(seasonally adjusted). That measure had changed little between May and
October. The proportion of the population that was employed (the
employment-population ratio) rose in November to 64.0 percent, an all-time
high. (See table A-1.)
About 8.2 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in November. These multiple jobholders comprised 6.2 percent of the
total employed. (See table A-9.)
The civilian labor force rose by 453,000 to 136.8 million in November,
after seasonal adjustment. The labor force participation rate was about
unchanged at 67.1 percent. (See table A-1.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.3 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in November. These were people who wanted and
were available for work and had looked for a job sometime
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Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
| Quarterly | Monthly data |
| averages | |
|_________________|__________________________|Oct.-
Category | 19971/ | 19971/ |Nov.
|_________________|__________________________|change
| II | III | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 136,157| 136,413| 136,467| 136,361| 136,814| 453
Employment..........| 129,462| 129,742| 129,715| 129,894| 130,565| 671
Unemployment........| 6,695| 6,671| 6,752| 6,467| 6,249| -218
Not in labor force....| 66,678| 66,954| 67,102| 67,407| 67,127| -280
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.9| 4.9| 4.9| 4.7| 4.6| -0.1
Adult men...........| 4.1| 4.1| 4.1| 4.1| 3.8| -.3
Adult women.........| 4.4| 4.3| 4.4| 4.0| 4.0| .0
Teenagers...........| 15.9| 16.5| 16.7| 15.3| 15.0| -.3
White...............| 4.1| 4.2| 4.3| 4.1| 3.8| -.3
Black...............| 10.2| 9.4| 9.6| 9.5| 9.6| .1
Hispanic origin.....| 7.7| 7.6| 7.6| 8.0| 6.9| -1.1
________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA | Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 121,854| 122,575| 122,792|p123,079|p123,483| p404
Goods-producing 2/..| 24,694| 24,750| 24,771| p24,815| p24,887| p72
Construction......| 5,616| 5,635| 5,642| p5,650| p5,679| p29
Manufacturing.....| 18,504| 18,541| 18,553| p18,591| p18,635| p44
Service-producing 2/| 97,159| 97,825| 98,021| p98,264| p98,596| p332
Retail trade......| 22,045| 22,188| 22,215| p22,249| p22,354| p105
Services..........| 35,436| 35,745| 35,850| p35,956| p36,136| p180
Government........| 19,594| 19,746| 19,714| p19,744| p19,739| p-5
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.5| 34.5| 34.5| p34.5| p34.8| p0.3
Manufacturing.......| 42.0| 41.8| 41.9| p42.0| p42.1| p.1
Overtime..........| 4.8| 4.7| 4.7| p4.8| p4.9| p.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 3/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $12.19| $12.30| $12.35| p$12.40| p$12.47| p$0.07
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 420.85| 424.36| 426.08| p427.80| p433.96| p6.16
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Beginning in January 1997, household data reflect revised population
controls used in the survey.
2/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
3/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.
- 3 -
in the prior 12 months, but were not counted as unemployed because they did
not search 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 jobs specifically because they believed
no jobs were available for them--was 331,000 in November, little changed
from a year earlier. (See table A-9.)
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 404,000 in November, after
seasonal adjustment. Job gains were widespread throughout the private
sector, with the largest increases occurring in services and retail trade.
(See table B-1.)
Employment in the services industry rose by 180,000 in November.
Business services added 77,000 jobs, mainly due to a large increase in the
help supply industry (53,000) and continued growth in computer and data
processing services (13,000). Employment growth also continued in
engineering and management, health, and educational services. Amusement
and recreation services added 20,000 jobs in November, its first large
increase since July.
Retail trade employment rose by 105,000 in November. Reflecting
strong hiring for the holiday season, there were large gains in department
stores (31,000) and miscellaneous retail establishments (27,000) such as
toy stores, gift shops, book stores, and catalog and mail-order outlets.
Employment in furniture and home furnishing stores continued to rise, while
employment in eating and drinking places showed its first large increase
(30,000) since July.
Elsewhere in the service-producing sector, wholesale trade exhibited
stronger-than-average employment growth for the second month in a row.
November also was the third consecutive month of above-average gains in the
finance industry. Employment rose in commercial banking, and rapid growth
continued in security and commodity brokerages. Transportation and public
utilities showed a small employment increase in November, following a large
gain in the previous month.
Overall, government employment was little changed over the month.
Federal government employment, excluding the Postal Service, fell by 12,000
in November, following a gain of similar magnitude in October. Nonpostal
federal employment has declined by 364,000 since its most recent peak in
May 1992.
In the goods-producing sector, manufacturing employment increased by
44,000 over the month. This was the third large increase in the last 4
months. Since its most recent trough in September 1996, manufacturing has
added 208,000 jobs. In November, motor vehicles had the largest gain
(17,000). Food products and printing and publishing added 11,000 and 4,000
employees, respectively. Three other manufacturing industries--aircraft
and parts, electronic components, and industrial machinery--have been
increasing at a steady pace, and growth in these industries continued in
November. Taken together, these three industries have added 171,000 jobs
since September 1996. In contrast, the apparel industry has lost 55,000
jobs over the same period.
Construction employment rose by 29,000 in November. The gain was
about twice the average monthly increase so far this year. Although growth
had been sluggish during the summer months, employment was up by 184,000
over the last 12 months.
- 4 -
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.3 hour in November to 34.8 hours,
seasonally adjusted. Both the manufacturing workweek and factory overtime
increased by 0.1 hour to 42.1 and 4.9 hours, respectively. (See
table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 1.1 percent to 142.8
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index rose by 0.6
percent to 109.4. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls rose 7 cents in November to $12.47, seasonally
adjusted. Average weekly earnings rose by 1.4 percent over the month to
$433.96. Over the past year, average hourly earnings have risen by 4.1
percent and average weekly earnings by 5.0 percent. (See table B-3.)
________________________________________
The Employment Situation for December 1997 is scheduled to be released
on Friday, January 9, 1998, at 8:30 A.M. (EST). Release dates for the
balance of 1998 are as follows:
Feb. 6 May 8 Aug. 7 Nov. 6
March 6 June 5 Sept. 4 Dec. 4
April 3 July 2 Oct. 2
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| Changes in Household Data Series |
| In accordance with usual practice, the release of December |
|data will incorporate annual revisions in seasonally adjusted |
|unemployment and other labor force series. Seasonally adjusted |
|data for the most recent 4 years are subject to revision. |
| Effective with the release of data for January 1998 in |
|February, improvements will be introduced into the composite |
|estimation procedures used in the household survey. These |
|changes will simplify processing of the monthly labor force data |
|at BLS and will allow users of the survey microdata to replicate |
|more easily the official estimates released by BLS. In addition,|
|there will be a slight decrease in the variance of some major |
|estimates, particularly employment levels and the over-the-month |
|change in those levels. The new procedures are expected to |
|produce somewhat lower estimates of the civilian labor force and |
|employment. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
- 5 -
Explanatory Note
This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the
information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears
in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
The establishment survey provides the information on the employment,
hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B
tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from
payroll records by BLS in cooperation with State agencies. In June 1997,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing about 48 million
people.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week
or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the
establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the
12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.
Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of
questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over
in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force.
People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours
in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they
were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather,
vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.
People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for
or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed
persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the
labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent
of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population.
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
Federal, State, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate
only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory
workers in the service-producing sector.
- 6 -
Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys
result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from
the surveys. Among these are:
--The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed,
unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed.
These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.
--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.
--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
--The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In
the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus
appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each
appearance.
Other differences between the two surveys are described in "Comparing
Employment Estimates from Household and Payroll Surveys," which may be
obtained from BLS upon request.
Seasonal adjustment
Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the
levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to
such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production,
harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The
effect of such seasonal variation can be very large; seasonal
fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month
changes in unemployment.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each
year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting
the statistics from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal
developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the
participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For example,
the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to
obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it
difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or
declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in
previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be
adjusted to allow for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal
adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful
tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity.
In both the household and establishment surveys, most seasonally adjusted
series are independently adjusted. However, the adjusted series for many
major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most major
industry divisions, total employment, and unemployment are computed by
aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example, total
unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major age-
sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration,
reasons, or more detailed age categories.
The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are
recalculated twice a year. For the household survey, the factors are
calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December
- 7 -
period. For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal
adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along
with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period. In both
surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject
to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the
entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample
selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the
estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total
employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus
376,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000
from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the
monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100,000 +/- 376,000).
These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these
magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range
includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment
rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely
(at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact,
occurred. The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in
unemployment is +/- 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment
rate it is +/- .21 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have
lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates
which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of
estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as
for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can
also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling
error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2
months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason,
these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after
two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.
Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is
the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new
firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth
(and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is
included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number
of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change. The size of the
- 8 -
monthly bias adjustment is based largely on past relationships between the
sample-based estimates of employment and the total counts of employment
described below.
The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted
once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment
obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program.
The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and the
March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a
rough proxy for total survey error. The new benchmarks also incorporate
changes in the classification of industries. Over the past decade, the
benchmark revision for total nonfarm employment has averaged 0.2 percent,
ranging from zero to 0.6 percent.
Additional statistics and other information
More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings,
published each month by BLS. It is available for $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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 201,463 203,767 203,941 201,463 203,166 203,364 203,570 203,767 203,941
Civilian labor force.......................... 134,973 136,665 136,912 134,831 136,290 136,480 136,467 136,361 136,814
Participation rate...................... 67.0 67.1 67.1 66.9 67.1 67.1 67.0 66.9 67.1
Employed.................................... 128,157 130,671 130,999 127,644 129,708 129,804 129,715 129,894 130,565
Employment-population ratio............. 63.6 64.1 64.2 63.4 63.8 63.8 63.7 63.7 64.0
Agriculture............................... 3,253 3,372 3,259 3,354 3,482 3,383 3,450 3,303 3,381
Nonagricultural industries................ 124,904 127,299 127,739 124,290 126,226 126,421 126,265 126,591 127,184
Unemployed.................................. 6,816 5,995 5,914 7,187 6,583 6,677 6,752 6,467 6,249
Unemployment rate....................... 5.0 4.4 4.3 5.3 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.7 4.6
Not in labor force............................ 66,489 67,102 67,029 66,632 66,876 66,884 67,102 67,407 67,127
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 96,654 98,050 98,141 96,654 97,733 97,838 97,946 98,050 98,141
Civilian labor force.......................... 72,119 73,345 73,426 72,362 73,230 73,315 73,190 73,333 73,753
Participation rate...................... 74.6 74.8 74.8 74.9 74.9 74.9 74.7 74.8 75.1
Employed.................................... 68,565 70,215 70,328 68,589 69,749 69,791 69,639 69,790 70,441
Employment-population ratio............. 70.9 71.6 71.7 71.0 71.4 71.3 71.1 71.2 71.8
Unemployed.................................. 3,555 3,130 3,098 3,773 3,481 3,524 3,551 3,543 3,313
Unemployment rate....................... 4.9 4.3 4.2 5.2 4.8 4.8 4.9 4.8 4.5
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 88,971 90,140 90,251 88,971 89,888 89,982 90,068 90,140 90,251
Civilian labor force.......................... 68,375 69,361 69,455 68,391 69,203 69,301 69,171 69,202 69,522
Participation rate...................... 76.9 76.9 77.0 76.9 77.0 77.0 76.8 76.8 77.0
Employed.................................... 65,502 66,855 66,951 65,349 66,414 66,491 66,325 66,331 66,861
Employment-population ratio............. 73.6 74.2 74.2 73.4 73.9 73.9 73.6 73.6 74.1
Agriculture............................... 2,324 2,363 2,275 2,355 2,411 2,300 2,407 2,288 2,314
Nonagricultural industries................ 63,178 64,491 64,676 62,994 64,003 64,191 63,918 64,043 64,547
Unemployed.................................. 2,874 2,506 2,504 3,042 2,789 2,810 2,846 2,871 2,661
Unemployment rate....................... 4.2 3.6 3.6 4.4 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.1 3.8
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 104,809 105,718 105,799 104,809 105,433 105,527 105,623 105,718 105,799
Civilian labor force.......................... 62,854 63,321 63,486 62,469 63,060 63,165 63,277 63,027 63,061
Participation rate...................... 60.0 59.9 60.0 59.6 59.8 59.9 59.9 59.6 59.6
Employed.................................... 59,593 60,456 60,670 59,055 59,958 60,013 60,076 60,104 60,125
Employment-population ratio............. 56.9 57.2 57.3 56.3 56.9 56.9 56.9 56.9 56.8
Unemployed.................................. 3,261 2,865 2,816 3,414 3,102 3,152 3,201 2,923 2,936
Unemployment rate....................... 5.2 4.5 4.4 5.5 4.9 5.0 5.1 4.6 4.7
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 97,366 98,144 98,212 97,366 97,919 98,000 98,082 98,144 98,212
Civilian labor force.......................... 59,100 59,777 59,787 58,574 59,186 59,408 59,483 59,320 59,233
Participation rate...................... 60.7 60.9 60.9 60.2 60.4 60.6 60.6 60.4 60.3
Employed.................................... 56,395 57,397 57,495 55,753 56,685 56,819 56,882 56,926 56,855
Employment-population ratio............. 57.9 58.5 58.5 57.3 57.9 58.0 58.0 58.0 57.9
Agriculture............................... 760 834 806 786 841 836 841 812 838
Nonagricultural industries................ 55,635 56,562 56,689 54,967 55,844 55,983 56,041 56,114 56,017
Unemployed.................................. 2,705 2,380 2,292 2,821 2,501 2,589 2,601 2,395 2,378
Unemployment rate....................... 4.6 4.0 3.8 4.8 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.0 4.0
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population........... 15,126 15,483 15,478 15,126 15,359 15,382 15,420 15,483 15,478
Civilian labor force.......................... 7,498 7,528 7,670 7,866 7,901 7,771 7,813 7,839 8,060
Participation rate...................... 49.6 48.6 49.6 52.0 51.4 50.5 50.7 50.6 52.1
Employed.................................... 6,261 6,419 6,552 6,542 6,608 6,493 6,508 6,637 6,849
Employment-population ratio............. 41.4 41.5 42.3 43.3 43.0 42.2 42.2 42.9 44.3
Agriculture............................... 169 174 179 213 229 246 202 203 230
Nonagricultural industries................ 6,092 6,245 6,373 6,329 6,379 6,247 6,306 6,434 6,619
Unemployed.................................. 1,237 1,108 1,118 1,324 1,293 1,278 1,305 1,201 1,211
Unemployment rate....................... 16.5 14.7 14.6 16.8 16.4 16.4 16.7 15.3 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 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, age, and Hispanic origin
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Employment status, race, sex, age, and
Hispanic origin
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 168,924 170,427 170,545 168,924 170,010 170,148 170,290 170,427 170,545
Civilian labor force.......................... 113,881 114,963 115,098 113,816 114,627 114,649 114,694 114,718 115,094
Participation rate........................ 67.4 67.5 67.5 67.4 67.4 67.4 67.4 67.3 67.5
Employed.................................... 108,900 110,653 110,913 108,570 109,853 109,782 109,770 109,985 110,693
Employment-population ratio............... 64.5 64.9 65.0 64.3 64.6 64.5 64.5 64.5 64.9
Unemployed.................................. 4,981 4,309 4,186 5,246 4,774 4,867 4,924 4,734 4,401
Unemployment rate......................... 4.4 3.7 3.6 4.6 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.1 3.8
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 58,546 59,214 59,340 58,549 59,096 59,129 59,035 59,070 59,405
Participation rate........................ 77.3 77.4 77.5 77.3 77.4 77.4 77.2 77.2 77.6
Employed.................................... 56,410 57,374 57,490 56,276 57,030 57,018 56,901 56,919 57,433
Employment-population ratio............... 74.5 75.0 75.1 74.3 74.7 74.6 74.4 74.4 75.0
Unemployed.................................. 2,136 1,840 1,849 2,273 2,066 2,111 2,134 2,152 1,972
Unemployment rate......................... 3.6 3.1 3.1 3.9 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.3
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 48,981 49,356 49,286 48,558 48,756 48,927 48,997 48,961 48,852
Participation rate........................ 60.3 60.4 60.3 59.8 59.8 60.0 60.0 60.0 59.8
Employed.................................... 47,029 47,701 47,717 46,530 47,055 47,123 47,165 47,275 47,245
Employment-population ratio............... 57.9 58.4 58.4 57.3 57.7 57.8 57.8 57.9 57.8
Unemployed.................................. 1,952 1,655 1,569 2,028 1,701 1,805 1,831 1,686 1,608
Unemployment rate......................... 4.0 3.4 3.2 4.2 3.5 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.3
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force.......................... 6,354 6,393 6,472 6,709 6,775 6,593 6,663 6,687 6,837
Participation rate........................ 53.0 52.3 52.9 56.0 55.6 54.0 54.5 54.7 55.8
Employed.................................... 5,461 5,579 5,705 5,764 5,768 5,641 5,704 5,791 6,015
Employment-population ratio............... 45.6 45.6 46.6 48.1 47.3 46.2 46.7 47.3 49.1
Unemployed.................................. 893 814 767 945 1,007 951 959 896 822
Unemployment rate......................... 14.0 12.7 11.9 14.1 14.9 14.4 14.4 13.4 12.0
Men..................................... 15.6 14.2 12.5 15.5 15.4 15.5 14.6 14.6 12.6
Women................................... 12.4 11.0 11.1 12.6 14.3 13.2 14.1 12.0 11.4
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 23,762 24,117 24,149 23,762 24,006 24,043 24,081 24,117 24,149
Civilian labor force.......................... 15,298 15,624 15,627 15,290 15,510 15,804 15,746 15,514 15,620
Participation rate........................ 64.4 64.8 64.7 64.3 64.6 65.7 65.4 64.3 64.7
Employed.................................... 13,772 14,208 14,232 13,673 14,055 14,341 14,236 14,045 14,126
Employment-population ratio............... 58.0 58.9 58.9 57.5 58.5 59.6 59.1 58.2 58.5
Unemployed.................................. 1,526 1,416 1,395 1,617 1,455 1,463 1,510 1,469 1,494
Unemployment rate......................... 10.0 9.1 8.9 10.6 9.4 9.3 9.6 9.5 9.6
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 6,916 7,004 6,993 6,899 6,957 7,072 7,006 6,940 6,972
Participation rate........................ 72.9 72.9 72.4 72.7 72.6 73.7 72.9 72.2 72.2
Employed.................................... 6,294 6,469 6,486 6,264 6,386 6,541 6,459 6,361 6,447
Employment-population ratio............... 66.3 67.3 67.2 66.0 66.6 68.1 67.2 66.2 66.8
Unemployed.................................. 622 535 507 635 572 532 548 579 525
Unemployment rate......................... 9.0 7.6 7.3 9.2 8.2 7.5 7.8 8.3 7.5
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force.......................... 7,537 7,742 7,740 7,499 7,689 7,803 7,818 7,647 7,704
Participation rate........................ 63.4 64.1 64.0 63.0 64.0 64.8 64.8 63.3 63.7
Employed.................................... 6,910 7,105 7,132 6,833 7,053 7,146 7,161 7,020 7,055
Employment-population ratio............... 58.1 58.8 59.0 57.4 58.7 59.4 59.4 58.1 58.3
Unemployed.................................. 627 637 608 666 636 658 657 627 649
Unemployment rate......................... 8.3 8.2 7.8 8.9 8.3 8.4 8.4 8.2 8.4
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force.......................... 845 878 894 892 864 928 921 927 944
Participation rate........................ 35.5 36.1 37.2 37.5 35.7 38.5 38.3 38.1 39.3
Employed.................................... 569 634 614 576 616 655 616 664 624
Employment-population ratio............... 23.9 26.0 25.5 24.2 25.5 27.2 25.6 27.3 25.9
Unemployed.................................. 276 244 280 316 247 273 305 263 320
Unemployment rate......................... 32.7 27.8 31.4 35.4 28.6 29.4 33.1 28.4 33.9
Men..................................... 37.5 25.1 30.9 41.2 32.9 33.1 38.7 27.8 35.4
Women................................... 28.3 30.3 31.7 30.0 25.1 26.2 28.4 29.0 32.7
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 19,454 20,519 20,575 19,454 20,351 20,407 20,464 20,519 20,575
Civilian labor force.......................... 13,248 14,002 13,964 13,182 13,866 13,910 13,827 13,911 13,940
Participation rate........................ 68.1 68.2 67.9 67.8 68.1 68.2 67.6 67.8 67.8
Employed.................................... 12,183 12,953 13,050 12,094 12,768 12,911 12,780 12,799 12,985
Employment-population ratio............... 62.6 63.1 63.4 62.2 62.7 63.3 62.5 62.4 63.1
Unemployed.................................. 1,065 1,049 914 1,088 1,098 999 1,047 1,112 955
Unemployment rate......................... 8.0 7.5 6.5 8.3 7.9 7.2 7.6 8.0 6.9
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races"
group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January
1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-3. Selected employment indicators
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Category
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over............... 128,157 130,671 130,999 127,644 129,708 129,804 129,715 129,894 130,565
Married men, spouse present................... 42,681 43,159 43,129 42,631 42,589 42,697 42,527 42,817 43,043
Married women, spouse present................. 32,867 33,318 33,162 32,509 32,866 32,933 32,843 33,021 32,801
Women who maintain families................... 7,498 7,866 7,740 7,444 7,901 7,941 7,891 7,866 7,709
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty......... 37,509 38,080 38,300 37,177 37,558 37,775 37,869 37,803 37,980
Technical, sales, and administrative support.. 37,962 38,630 38,660 37,821 38,193 38,322 38,600 38,591 38,544
Service occupations........................... 17,298 17,657 17,781 17,408 17,523 17,774 17,809 17,710 17,870
Precision production, craft, and repair....... 13,644 14,110 14,186 13,508 14,282 13,972 13,822 13,984 14,129
Operators, fabricators, and laborers.......... 18,476 18,696 18,723 18,259 18,515 18,473 18,226 18,382 18,498
Farming, forestry, and fishing................ 3,268 3,499 3,349 3,445 3,554 3,407 3,499 3,384 3,540
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers..................... 1,757 1,805 1,747 1,829 1,913 1,841 1,898 1,787 1,845
Self-employed workers....................... 1,435 1,506 1,466 1,464 1,492 1,487 1,527 1,463 1,497
Unpaid family workers....................... 61 61 46 68 53 51 40 60 49
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers..................... 115,737 118,260 118,638 115,133 117,104 117,323 117,286 117,623 118,104
Government................................ 18,456 18,137 18,384 18,270 18,338 18,254 18,033 18,029 18,184
Private industries........................ 97,282 100,123 100,255 96,863 98,766 99,069 99,253 99,594 99,920
Private households...................... 953 893 913 956 910 946 864 865 907
Other industries........................ 96,329 99,230 99,341 95,907 97,856 98,122 98,389 98,729 99,013
Self-employed workers....................... 9,035 8,948 9,009 9,023 8,887 8,923 8,926 8,904 9,027
Unpaid family workers....................... 132 90 92 140 131 129 81 89 98
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons.............. 3,860 3,602 3,768 3,983 4,017 3,992 3,916 3,898 3,893
Slack work or business conditions......... 2,052 1,983 2,153 2,107 2,211 2,122 2,159 2,196 2,224
Could only find part-time work............ 1,499 1,343 1,334 1,559 1,522 1,519 1,476 1,399 1,381
Part time for noneconomic reasons........... 19,398 19,001 19,316 17,957 18,015 18,093 17,690 18,131 17,951
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons.............. 3,700 3,439 3,575 3,815 3,872 3,854 3,728 3,726 3,678
Slack work or business conditions......... 1,959 1,885 2,041 2,001 2,102 2,037 2,040 2,095 2,096
Could only find part-time work............ 1,480 1,312 1,300 1,543 1,509 1,485 1,435 1,364 1,337
Part time for noneconomic reasons........... 18,751 18,392 18,708 17,313 17,418 17,519 17,180 17,549 17,371
NOTE: Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for
reasons such as vacation, illness, or industrial dispute. Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually
work full time but worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad
weather. Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-4. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Category
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over....................... 7,187 6,467 6,249 5.3 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.7 4.6
Men, 20 years and over....................... 3,042 2,871 2,661 4.4 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.1 3.8
Women, 20 years and over..................... 2,821 2,395 2,378 4.8 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.0 4.0
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years................... 1,324 1,201 1,211 16.8 16.4 16.4 16.7 15.3 15.0
Married men, spouse present.................. 1,327 1,137 1,013 3.0 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.3
Married women, spouse present................ 1,227 948 938 3.6 3.1 3.0 3.1 2.8 2.8
Women who maintain families.................. 715 659 682 8.8 7.4 8.1 7.7 7.7 8.1
Full-time workers............................ 5,800 5,188 4,907 5.3 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.6 4.4
Part-time workers............................ 1,384 1,281 1,338 5.6 5.4 5.6 5.5 5.2 5.4
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty........ 866 689 640 2.3 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.7
Technical, sales, and administrative support. 1,800 1,551 1,562 4.5 4.1 4.2 3.9 3.9 3.9
Precision production, craft, and repair...... 811 799 636 5.7 4.9 4.7 4.8 5.4 4.3
Operators, fabricators, and laborers......... 1,524 1,393 1,414 7.7 7.4 7.7 8.0 7.0 7.1
Farming, forestry, and fishing............... 286 285 245 7.7 6.0 7.4 6.4 7.8 6.5
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary
workers...................................... 5,595 4,974 4,855 5.5 4.9 5.0 5.1 4.8 4.6
Goods-producing industries................. 1,717 1,406 1,299 6.1 5.4 5.4 5.2 4.9 4.5
Mining................................... 28 41 21 4.9 3.8 5.3 2.9 6.0 3.1
Construction............................. 689 597 533 10.3 8.7 9.3 8.6 8.7 7.6
Manufacturing............................ 1,000 767 745 4.7 4.3 4.1 4.2 3.7 3.6
Durable goods.......................... 563 365 374 4.5 3.4 3.6 3.3 3.0 3.0
Nondurable goods....................... 437 403 371 5.1 5.5 4.9 5.5 4.7 4.3
Service-producing industries............... 3,878 3,568 3,555 5.2 4.7 4.9 5.0 4.7 4.7
Transportation and public utilities...... 250 238 213 3.5 3.4 3.9 3.9 3.2 2.8
Wholesale and retail trade............... 1,654 1,638 1,644 6.3 6.0 6.2 6.3 6.2 6.2
Finance, insurance, and real estate...... 211 223 183 2.9 3.2 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.3
Services................................. 1,763 1,469 1,516 5.3 4.3 4.5 4.7 4.3 4.4
Government workers........................... 533 438 417 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.6 2.4 2.2
Agricultural wage and salary workers......... 224 194 171 10.9 7.5 9.5 8.9 9.8 8.5
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which
is small relative to the trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-5. Duration of unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Duration
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks.............................. 2,721 2,362 2,295 2,819 2,352 2,598 2,470 2,639 2,357
5 to 14 weeks.................................. 2,109 1,802 1,943 2,252 2,071 2,134 2,142 1,883 2,078
15 weeks and over.............................. 1,986 1,830 1,675 2,184 2,157 2,012 2,127 1,983 1,840
15 to 26 weeks.............................. 907 831 791 1,018 1,082 931 1,035 890 882
27 weeks and over........................... 1,079 999 884 1,166 1,074 1,082 1,092 1,093 958
Average (mean) duration, in weeks.............. 15.8 16.6 15.3 16.0 16.6 15.9 16.0 16.6 15.6
Median duration, in weeks...................... 7.3 7.5 7.3 7.7 8.5 7.8 8.4 7.6 7.8
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............................ 39.9 39.4 38.8 38.9 35.7 38.5 36.7 40.6 37.6
5 to 14 weeks................................ 30.9 30.1 32.9 31.0 31.5 31.6 31.8 28.9 33.1
15 weeks and over............................ 29.1 30.5 28.3 30.1 32.8 29.8 31.6 30.5 29.3
15 to 26 weeks............................. 13.3 13.9 13.4 14.0 16.5 13.8 15.4 13.7 14.1
27 weeks and over.......................... 15.8 16.7 15.0 16.1 16.3 16.0 16.2 16.8 15.3
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-6. Reason for unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally Seasonally adjusted
adjusted
Reason
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs..... 3,126 2,525 2,698 3,261 2,903 3,064 3,017 2,906 2,799
On temporary layoff................................... 871 668 707 994 877 865 878 987 801
Not on temporary layoff............................... 2,255 1,857 1,992 2,267 2,026 2,199 2,140 1,920 1,998
Permanent job losers................................ 1,549 1,252 1,304 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs................ 706 606 688 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers............................................. 838 769 661 825 822 915 868 723 647
Reentrants.............................................. 2,370 2,225 2,099 2,523 2,244 2,144 2,259 2,245 2,230
New entrants............................................ 482 475 456 586 553 544 561 553 562
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed........................................
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs.... 45.9 42.1 45.6 45.3 44.5 46.0 45.0 45.2 44.9
On temporary layoff.................................. 12.8 11.1 12.0 13.8 13.4 13.0 13.1 15.4 12.8
Not on temporary layoff.............................. 33.1 31.0 33.7 31.5 31.1 33.0 31.9 29.9 32.0
Job leavers............................................ 12.3 12.8 11.2 11.5 12.6 13.7 12.9 11.2 10.4
Reentrants............................................. 34.8 37.1 35.5 35.1 34.4 32.2 33.7 34.9 35.8
New entrants........................................... 7.1 7.9 7.7 8.1 8.5 8.2 8.4 8.6 9.0
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs.... 2.3 1.8 2.0 2.4 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0
Job leavers............................................ .6 .6 .5 .6 .6 .7 .6 .5 .5
Reentrants............................................. 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.9 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.6
New entrants........................................... .4 .3 .3 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4 .4
1 Not available.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-7. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization
(Percent)
Not seasonally Seasonally adjusted
adjusted
Measure
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer,
as a percent of the civilian labor force....................... 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.3
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed
temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian
labor force.................................................... 2.3 1.8 2.0 2.4 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the
civilian labor force (official unemployment rate).............. 5.0 4.4 4.3 5.3 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.7 4.6
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged
workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force
plus discouraged workers....................................... 5.3 4.6 4.5 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other
marginally attached workers, as a percent of the civilian
labor force plus all marginally attached workers............... 6.1 5.3 5.2 (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.. 8.9 7.9 8.0 (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 1997,
data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-8. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates(1)
(in thousands)
Age and sex
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 7,187 6,467 6,249 5.3 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.7 4.6
16 to 24 years.................................. 2,531 2,364 2,352 11.9 10.9 11.3 11.3 11.1 10.8
16 to 19 years................................ 1,324 1,201 1,211 16.8 16.4 16.4 16.7 15.3 15.0
16 to 17 years.............................. 555 563 589 17.0 17.5 17.7 19.5 17.3 17.9
18 to 19 years.............................. 788 649 642 17.0 15.8 15.6 14.6 14.1 13.4
20 to 24 years................................ 1,207 1,162 1,141 9.0 7.7 8.3 8.1 8.6 8.4
25 years and over............................... 4,630 4,089 3,868 4.1 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.6 3.4
25 to 54 years................................ 4,131 3,632 3,395 4.2 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.5
55 years and over............................. 493 465 473 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1 2.8 2.8
Men, 16 years and over.......................... 3,773 3,543 3,313 5.2 4.8 4.8 4.9 4.8 4.5
16 to 24 years................................ 1,378 1,368 1,331 12.5 11.4 12.0 12.1 12.2 11.6
16 to 19 years.............................. 731 672 652 18.4 17.2 17.8 17.5 16.3 15.4
16 to 17 years............................ 309 310 331 18.9 18.6 17.5 18.9 18.0 19.0
18 to 19 years............................ 448 362 344 19.0 16.2 18.1 16.5 14.9 13.7
20 to 24 years.............................. 647 696 679 9.2 8.1 8.7 9.1 9.8 9.4
25 years and over............................. 2,390 2,162 1,972 3.9 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.2
25 to 54 years.............................. 2,098 1,882 1,698 4.0 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.2
55 years and over........................... 283 271 273 3.1 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9
Women, 16 years and over........................ 3,414 2,923 2,936 5.5 4.9 5.0 5.1 4.6 4.7
16 to 24 years................................ 1,153 996 1,021 11.3 10.4 10.5 10.3 9.9 10.0
16 to 19 years.............................. 593 529 559 15.2 15.5 15.0 15.8 14.3 14.6
16 to 17 years............................ 246 252 257 15.1 16.4 17.8 20.1 16.5 16.8
18 to 19 years............................ 340 287 299 15.0 15.4 13.1 12.6 13.2 13.1
20 to 24 years.............................. 560 467 462 8.9 7.3 7.8 7.1 7.3 7.2
25 years and over............................. 2,240 1,926 1,896 4.3 3.9 4.0 4.1 3.6 3.6
25 to 54 years.............................. 2,033 1,750 1,697 4.5 4.1 4.1 4.2 3.8 3.7
55 years and over........................... 210 194 200 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.4 2.6 2.7
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-9. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Category
Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov.
1996 1997 1996 1997 1996 1997
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force.................................... 66,489 67,029 24,534 24,715 41,955 42,313
Persons who currently want a job.............................. 4,878 4,469 2,023 1,841 2,855 2,628
Searched for work and available to work now(1)............. 1,503 1,337 702 589 801 748
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2).................. 346 331 190 182 156 149
Reasons other than discouragement(3)............... 1,157 1,006 512 407 645 599
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4).................................... 8,494 8,156 4,453 4,311 4,041 3,844
Percent of total employed................................... 6.6 6.2 6.5 6.1 6.8 6.3
Primary job full time, secondary job part time.............. 4,648 4,609 2,749 2,741 1,899 1,868
Primary and secondary jobs both part time................... 1,851 1,849 537 512 1,314 1,337
Primary and secondary jobs both full time................... 258 194 190 132 68 62
Hours vary on primary or secondary job...................... 1,697 1,468 963 906 735 562
1 Data refer to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available to take a job during
the reference week.
2 Includes thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or
old, and other types of discrimination.
3 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as child-care and
transportation problems, as well as a small number for which reason for nonparticipation was not determined.
4 Includes persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown
separately.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Industry
Nov. Sept. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997p 1997p 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997p 1997p
Total......................... 121,505 123,229 124,105 124,494 120,450 122,440 122,492 122,792 123,079 123,483
Total private.................... 101,537 103,748 104,080 104,333 100,956 102,721 102,688 103,078 103,335 103,744
Goods-producing......................... 24,682 25,176 25,165 25,081 24,508 24,713 24,765 24,771 24,815 24,887
Mining................................ 575 582 580 575 571 574 573 576 574 573
Metal mining........................ 54.1 54.2 53.6 53.1 54 54 54 54 54 54
Coal mining......................... 94.7 91.3 91.0 90.2 94 91 91 91 91 90
Oil and gas extraction.............. 318.0 324.5 325.8 323.7 316 321 321 323 322 322
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 108.4 111.6 110.0 108.3 107 108 107 108 107 107
Construction.......................... 5,620 5,933 5,921 5,814 5,495 5,625 5,637 5,642 5,650 5,679
General building contractors........ 1,290.2 1,348.5 1,350.4 1,346.3 1,272 1,308 1,306 1,305 1,311 1,327
Heavy construction, except building. 802.7 843.1 838.0 789.4 773 761 764 762 756 757
Special trade contractors........... 3,527.1 3,740.9 3,732.3 3,678.1 3,450 3,556 3,567 3,575 3,583 3,595
Manufacturing......................... 18,487 18,661 18,664 18,692 18,442 18,514 18,555 18,553 18,591 18,635
Production workers................ 12,779 12,922 12,920 12,932 12,737 12,792 12,815 12,818 12,852 12,879
Durable goods........................ 10,814 10,977 11,006 11,051 10,791 10,910 10,957 10,952 10,986 11,018
Production workers................ 7,408 7,541 7,562 7,595 7,390 7,482 7,525 7,518 7,546 7,568
Lumber and wood products............ 791.0 810.9 808.7 806.1 787 796 798 798 799 801
Furniture and fixtures.............. 506.9 508.1 512.1 514.9 504 510 506 508 509 511
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 545.7 551.5 553.0 547.2 541 541 541 541 545 544
Primary metal industries............ 709.9 712.9 713.1 716.4 708 708 711 713 715 714
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 237.4 236.2 235.1 235.8 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,461.2 1,480.1 1,484.8 1,489.6 1,457 1,468 1,475 1,477 1,481 1,483
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,109.4 2,158.8 2,165.2 2,175.5 2,115 2,155 2,165 2,168 2,175 2,181
Computer and office equipment..... 364.7 382.7 384.3 384.7 365 381 385 384 385 385
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,653.6 1,664.4 1,670.1 1,681.1 1,649 1,658 1,661 1,663 1,667 1,674
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 607.7 638.2 643.8 647.3 609 632 637 639 644 647
Transportation equipment............ 1,791.3 1,843.4 1,848.7 1,873.9 1,790 1,826 1,855 1,840 1,850 1,870
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 959.6 977.3 976.8 993.7 960 965 985 973 977 994
Aircraft and parts................ 477.4 514.7 519.3 525.2 475 510 514 515 518 522
Instruments and related products.... 854.0 858.6 859.9 859.8 854 859 858 858 860 859
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 390.8 388.1 390.4 386.8 386 389 387 386 385 381
Nondurable goods..................... 7,673 7,684 7,658 7,641 7,651 7,604 7,598 7,601 7,605 7,617
Production workers................ 5,371 5,381 5,358 5,337 5,347 5,310 5,290 5,300 5,306 5,311
Food and kindred products........... 1,692.9 1,755.9 1,726.6 1,709.0 1,688 1,684 1,679 1,688 1,690 1,701
Tobacco products.................... 43.6 42.6 43.9 44.0 42 41 40 40 41 42
Textile mill products............... 617.4 606.5 603.1 602.8 616 608 604 605 603 602
Apparel and other textile products.. 850.2 810.4 809.1 802.0 844 810 810 803 801 798
Paper and allied products........... 679.5 677.4 675.8 675.4 679 675 675 675 676 675
Printing and publishing............. 1,541.5 1,542.6 1,548.7 1,557.1 1,535 1,549 1,547 1,547 1,548 1,552
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,026.1 1,025.8 1,026.5 1,027.7 1,028 1,023 1,024 1,026 1,028 1,029
Petroleum and coal products......... 141.6 140.1 139.1 138.1 141 138 138 138 137 137
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 987.1 992.8 995.5 995.0 985 986 991 990 992 992
Leather and leather products........ 93.5 89.9 90.0 89.5 93 90 90 89 89 89
Service-producing....................... 96,823 98,053 98,940 99,413 95,942 97,727 97,727 98,021 98,264 98,596
Transportation and public utilities... 6,356 6,514 6,546 6,555 6,303 6,443 6,289 6,473 6,500 6,509
Transportation...................... 4,128 4,268 4,293 4,300 4,078 4,202 4,049 4,232 4,250 4,256
Railroad transportation........... 230.2 228.6 229.4 229.7 229 229 225 227 226 229
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 463.6 470.9 477.4 477.7 447 461 464 457 459 462
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,667.3 1,732.5 1,733.4 1,727.0 1,649 1,692 1,703 1,708 1,711 1,709
Water transportation.............. 170.1 180.0 180.7 176.4 173 176 179 176 180 179
Transportation by air............. 1,157.3 1,202.3 1,215.8 1,234.7 1,142 1,193 1,025 1,211 1,220 1,222
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 14.3 14.3 14.2 14.2 14 14 14 14 14 14
Transportation services........... 424.7 439.6 441.8 440.4 424 437 439 439 440 441
Communications and public utilities. 2,228 2,246 2,253 2,255 2,225 2,241 2,240 2,241 2,250 2,253
Communications.................... 1,351.1 1,379.8 1,389.3 1,394.1 1,347 1,372 1,376 1,376 1,386 1,390
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 876.6 865.7 863.2 860.7 878 869 864 865 864 863
Wholesale trade....................... 6,563 6,699 6,732 6,745 6,549 6,664 6,675 6,687 6,709 6,733
Durable goods....................... 3,845 3,957 3,977 3,995 3,847 3,938 3,957 3,962 3,976 3,996
Nondurable goods.................... 2,718 2,742 2,755 2,750 2,702 2,726 2,718 2,725 2,733 2,737
Retail trade.......................... 22,205 22,289 22,332 22,701 21,847 22,159 22,189 22,215 22,249 22,354
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 904.5 932.5 929.5 926.3 909 930 929 926 926 933
General merchandise stores.......... 2,980.5 2,787.8 2,884.8 3,058.1 2,761 2,803 2,822 2,818 2,825 2,848
Department stores................. 2,610.6 2,445.0 2,534.6 2,693.2 2,418 2,458 2,470 2,469 2,476 2,507
Food stores......................... 3,502.1 3,503.4 3,521.0 3,558.3 3,467 3,502 3,505 3,507 3,519 3,523
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,297.0 2,345.5 2,341.4 2,339.3 2,300 2,318 2,325 2,331 2,335 2,343
New and used car dealers.......... 1,045.7 1,062.2 1,062.9 1,063.1 1,045 1,055 1,057 1,057 1,060 1,064
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,159.4 1,084.2 1,103.3 1,151.3 1,107 1,096 1,102 1,102 1,107 1,105
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,033.9 1,041.3 1,056.9 1,086.1 1,010 1,042 1,044 1,049 1,053 1,061
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,458.0 7,762.6 7,606.7 7,580.5 7,530 7,639 7,618 7,626 7,623 7,653
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,869.2 2,831.6 2,888.7 3,000.7 2,763 2,829 2,844 2,856 2,861 2,888
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 6,930 7,090 7,097 7,102 6,949 7,058 7,068 7,082 7,106 7,125
Finance............................. 3,330 3,422 3,430 3,446 3,334 3,405 3,414 3,427 3,440 3,455
Depository institutions........... 2,026.5 2,045.4 2,045.6 2,053.0 2,029 2,048 2,048 2,048 2,051 2,058
Commercial banks................ 1,471.6 1,489.7 1,490.3 1,496.0 1,473 1,490 1,491 1,491 1,494 1,499
Savings institutions............ 256.7 250.0 248.7 248.9 257 253 252 251 250 250
Nondepository institutions........ 529.3 553.2 553.8 556.3 530 545 549 554 558 559
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 237.0 248.0 248.4 250.2 238 243 245 249 251 252
Security and commodity brokers.... 563.0 599.8 604.3 608.1 564 592 595 600 604 609
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 210.9 223.6 225.9 228.6 211 220 222 225 227 229
Insurance........................... 2,216 2,230 2,239 2,242 2,220 2,230 2,232 2,232 2,239 2,243
Insurance carriers................ 1,503.6 1,510.1 1,516.7 1,519.1 1,507 1,509 1,510 1,511 1,516 1,519
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 711.9 720.0 721.9 722.8 713 721 722 721 723 724
Real estate......................... 1,384 1,438 1,428 1,414 1,395 1,423 1,422 1,423 1,427 1,427
Services2............................. 34,801 35,980 36,208 36,149 34,800 35,684 35,702 35,850 35,956 36,136
Agricultural services............... 636.8 717.9 712.8 684.9 639 673 675 680 685 690
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,664.3 1,802.9 1,761.6 1,693.4 1,731 1,747 1,747 1,756 1,765 1,762
Personal services................... 1,166.9 1,153.7 1,161.1 1,163.0 1,194 1,182 1,185 1,187 1,189 1,197
Business services................... 7,497.9 7,841.2 7,932.9 7,966.8 7,398 7,682 7,657 7,732 7,761 7,838
Services to buildings............. 895.7 906.1 904.5 904.0 896 901 894 902 901 904
Personnel supply services......... 2,789.1 2,868.1 2,922.1 2,924.3 2,706 2,767 2,732 2,762 2,770 2,817
Help supply services............ 2,467.1 2,525.3 2,575.7 2,574.0 2,391 2,425 2,395 2,423 2,427 2,480
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,247.2 1,369.8 1,386.9 1,402.9 1,246 1,347 1,360 1,375 1,388 1,401
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,103.7 1,146.5 1,150.7 1,155.1 1,107 1,137 1,139 1,145 1,149 1,158
Miscellaneous repair services....... 378.5 390.3 390.9 393.0 380 387 388 388 389 392
Motion pictures..................... 523.8 541.7 542.5 550.2 528 539 550 549 551 552
Amusement and recreation services... 1,326.0 1,646.7 1,516.3 1,413.8 1,481 1,576 1,563 1,568 1,561 1,581
Health services..................... 9,561.5 9,719.6 9,751.8 9,776.7 9,552 9,697 9,712 9,731 9,748 9,769
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,700.0 1,752.8 1,763.0 1,768.5 1,700 1,745 1,745 1,754 1,762 1,771
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,749.7 1,764.3 1,765.9 1,770.8 1,745 1,762 1,765 1,764 1,766 1,767
Hospitals......................... 3,833.7 3,885.8 3,896.1 3,909.4 3,834 3,877 3,884 3,892 3,898 3,908
Home health care services......... 677.9 685.5 689.4 688.3 674 685 685 684 683 685
Legal services...................... 937.5 954.9 959.3 969.7 939 957 957 962 963 971
Educational services................ 2,202.6 2,058.8 2,255.8 2,294.2 2,041 2,089 2,094 2,105 2,115 2,125
Social services..................... 2,438.1 2,489.1 2,517.5 2,527.3 2,425 2,494 2,497 2,502 2,509 2,516
Child day care services........... 593.1 598.9 612.7 616.2 576 594 600 597 596 598
Residential care.................. 679.9 704.0 707.4 709.5 681 702 703 707 710 711
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 83.8 89.5 89.8 86.7 86 88 88 88 88 89
Membership organizations............ 2,178.8 2,182.4 2,193.3 2,189.9 2,190 2,209 2,206 2,202 2,205 2,202
Engineering and management services. 2,886.8 3,028.2 3,054.5 3,066.6 2,894 3,010 3,027 3,038 3,061 3,076
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 853.6 889.1 893.5 897.6 852 878 881 886 891 896
Management and public relations... 904.0 970.1 980.0 979.2 904 959 968 969 977 979
Services, nec....................... 46.8 48.7 49.1 49.8 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 19,968 19,481 20,025 20,161 19,494 19,719 19,804 19,714 19,744 19,739
Federal............................. 2,719 2,679 2,669 2,671 2,732 2,689 2,690 2,680 2,689 2,686
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,858.8 1,830.1 1,820.5 1,807.6 1,874 1,839 1,830 1,824 1,834 1,822
State............................... 4,760 4,610 4,771 4,794 4,620 4,671 4,664 4,662 4,655 4,662
Education......................... 2,086.3 1,906.1 2,081.5 2,109.3 1,925 1,972 1,961 1,962 1,954 1,952
Other State government............ 2,673.7 2,704.0 2,689.3 2,684.9 2,695 2,699 2,703 2,700 2,701 2,710
Local............................... 12,489 12,192 12,585 12,696 12,142 12,359 12,450 12,372 12,400 12,391
Education......................... 7,165.8 6,789.4 7,222.7 7,330.2 6,807 6,954 7,030 6,957 6,965 6,965
Other local government............ 5,323.5 5,402.1 5,362.3 5,365.3 5,335 5,405 5,420 5,415 5,435 5,426
1 This series is not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
2 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.
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
Nov. Sept. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997p 1997p 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997p 1997p
Total private.................... 34.5 34.7 34.6 34.7 34.5 34.4 34.6 34.5 34.5 34.8
Goods-producing......................... 41.4 41.9 41.6 41.4 41.1 41.2 41.1 41.2 41.3 41.2
Mining................................ 45.5 45.6 45.3 45.4 45.3 45.4 45.5 45.1 45.1 45.3
Construction.......................... 38.8 40.0 39.7 37.8 38.8 39.0 38.6 38.9 38.8 38.1
Manufacturing......................... 42.1 42.4 42.2 42.6 41.7 41.8 41.8 41.9 42.0 42.1
Overtime hours.................... 4.8 5.2 5.0 5.2 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.9
Durable goods........................ 42.9 43.1 42.9 43.3 42.5 42.6 42.7 42.6 42.7 42.8
Overtime hours.................... 5.1 5.5 5.3 5.5 4.8 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.1 5.2
Lumber and wood products............ 41.0 41.5 41.4 41.5 40.9 41.1 40.8 40.9 41.0 41.3
Furniture and fixtures.............. 40.5 41.1 40.7 41.3 39.8 40.0 40.0 40.2 40.0 40.6
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 43.5 44.2 43.9 43.1 43.2 43.1 43.0 43.1 43.1 42.9
Primary metal industries............ 44.5 45.3 45.1 45.5 44.3 44.4 45.0 44.9 45.1 45.3
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 45.1 45.2 45.0 45.2 44.6 44.3 45.2 45.1 45.3 45.0
Fabricated metal products........... 43.0 43.0 42.8 43.3 42.3 42.4 42.3 42.4 42.5 42.6
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 43.3 43.7 43.3 44.0 43.1 43.4 43.4 43.4 43.4 43.8
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 42.1 42.1 42.0 42.5 41.5 42.0 41.7 41.7 41.9 41.9
Transportation equipment............ 44.5 44.4 44.5 44.4 44.3 43.7 44.3 43.9 44.3 43.9
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 45.2 44.7 44.9 44.6 44.9 44.0 44.7 44.1 44.8 44.1
Instruments and related products.... 42.2 42.1 41.9 42.7 41.9 41.7 42.3 42.0 41.9 42.3
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 40.6 40.8 40.8 41.3 39.9 40.4 40.2 40.3 40.2 40.6
Nondurable goods..................... 41.2 41.4 41.2 41.5 40.7 40.6 40.7 40.9 40.9 41.1
Overtime hours.................... 4.4 4.9 4.6 4.7 4.2 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5
Food and kindred products........... 41.8 42.3 41.9 42.2 41.1 41.1 41.0 41.2 41.3 41.6
Tobacco products.................... 41.2 39.4 39.5 39.5 40.6 36.1 37.5 38.1 38.5 39.3
Textile mill products............... 41.7 42.0 41.4 42.0 41.2 41.3 41.2 41.4 41.3 41.6
Apparel and other textile products.. 37.7 37.6 37.6 37.6 37.3 36.9 37.1 37.3 37.2 37.1
Paper and allied products........... 44.1 44.1 43.8 44.3 43.6 43.5 43.4 43.7 43.7 44.0
Printing and publishing............. 38.7 39.2 38.9 39.3 38.2 38.4 38.3 38.7 38.7 38.9
Chemicals and allied products....... 43.7 43.5 43.3 43.9 43.3 43.0 43.3 43.4 43.2 43.6
Petroleum and coal products......... 44.0 43.3 43.3 43.9 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 41.6 42.0 42.0 42.4 41.3 41.7 41.7 41.6 41.9 42.1
Leather and leather products........ 39.3 39.0 38.6 39.3 38.9 38.4 38.0 38.4 38.6 38.8
Service-producing....................... 32.6 32.8 32.8 33.0 32.7 32.7 32.9 32.8 32.8 33.1
Transportation and public utilities... 39.8 40.2 39.8 40.1 39.8 39.0 40.1 39.9 39.8 40.0
Wholesale trade....................... 38.3 38.4 38.4 38.8 38.3 38.3 38.4 38.3 38.3 38.8
Retail trade.......................... 28.6 29.0 28.8 28.8 28.9 28.8 29.1 28.8 28.9 28.9
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 35.8 35.8 35.9 36.7 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.4 32.5 32.6 32.8 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
1 Data relate to production workers in mining and manufacturing; construction workers in construction; and
nonsupervisory workers in transportation and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real
estate; and services. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employees on private nonfarm
payrolls.
2 These series are not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
p = preliminary.
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
Nov. Sept. Oct. Nov. Nov. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997p 1997p 1996 1997 1997p 1997p
Total private.................... $12.00 $12.39 $12.43 $12.51 $414.00 $429.93 $430.08 $434.10
Seasonally adjusted............. 11.98 12.35 12.40 12.47 413.31 426.08 427.80 433.96
Goods-producing......................... 13.63 14.07 14.11 14.10 564.28 589.53 586.98 583.74
Mining................................ 15.67 16.23 16.19 16.44 712.99 740.09 733.41 746.38
Construction.......................... 15.62 16.27 16.30 16.21 606.06 650.80 647.11 612.74
Manufacturing......................... 12.93 13.24 13.29 13.37 544.35 561.38 560.84 569.56
Durable goods........................ 13.49 13.81 13.90 13.95 578.72 595.21 596.31 604.04
Lumber and wood products............ 10.57 10.86 10.86 10.90 433.37 450.69 449.60 452.35
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.28 10.70 10.67 10.67 416.34 439.77 434.27 440.67
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 12.96 13.27 13.31 13.38 563.76 586.53 584.31 576.68
Primary metal industries............ 15.18 15.27 15.33 15.27 675.51 691.73 691.38 694.79
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 18.05 18.26 18.22 17.92 814.06 825.35 819.90 809.98
Fabricated metal products........... 12.62 12.85 12.89 12.94 542.66 552.55 551.69 560.30
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 13.80 14.18 14.21 14.30 597.54 619.67 615.29 629.20
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 12.36 12.85 12.95 13.01 520.36 540.99 543.90 552.93
Transportation equipment............ 17.35 17.60 17.94 17.94 772.08 781.44 798.33 796.54
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 17.85 18.05 18.52 18.51 806.82 806.84 831.55 825.55
Instruments and related products.... 13.34 13.66 13.64 13.74 562.95 575.09 571.52 586.70
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 10.52 10.65 10.67 10.78 427.11 434.52 435.34 445.21
Nondurable goods..................... 12.12 12.40 12.40 12.50 499.34 513.36 510.88 518.75
Food and kindred products........... 11.38 11.51 11.46 11.62 475.68 486.87 480.17 490.36
Tobacco products.................... 18.60 18.19 17.93 17.81 766.32 716.69 708.24 703.50
Textile mill products............... 9.77 10.09 10.09 10.14 407.41 423.78 417.73 425.88
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.01 8.33 8.34 8.35 301.98 313.21 313.58 313.96
Paper and allied products........... 14.86 15.19 15.19 15.24 655.33 669.88 665.32 675.13
Printing and publishing............. 12.83 13.22 13.19 13.22 496.52 518.22 513.09 519.55
Chemicals and allied products....... 16.38 16.63 16.65 16.89 715.81 723.41 720.95 741.47
Petroleum and coal products......... 19.61 20.25 20.28 20.54 862.84 876.83 878.12 901.71
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.33 11.65 11.64 11.66 471.33 489.30 488.88 494.38
Leather and leather products........ 8.73 9.07 9.13 9.24 343.09 353.73 352.42 363.13
Service-producing....................... 11.45 11.82 11.86 11.99 373.27 387.70 389.01 395.67
Transportation and public utilities... $14.57 $15.01 $15.04 $15.16 $579.89 $603.40 $598.59 $607.92
Wholesale trade....................... 13.06 13.52 13.55 13.74 500.20 519.17 520.32 533.11
Retail trade.......................... 8.13 8.45 8.47 8.50 232.52 245.05 243.94 244.80
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 12.97 13.45 13.53 13.68 464.33 481.51 485.73 502.06
Services.............................. 12.04 12.36 12.42 12.58 390.10 401.70 404.89 412.62
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
Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. change
Industry 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997p 1997p from:
Oct. 1997-
Nov. 1997
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $11.98 $12.24 $12.31 $12.35 $12.40 $12.47 0.6
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.44 7.53 7.56 7.56 7.58 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 13.62 13.86 13.94 13.97 14.07 14.10 .2
Mining...................... 15.77 16.10 16.07 16.20 16.27 16.49 1.4
Construction................ 15.58 15.96 16.03 16.08 16.12 16.18 .4
Manufacturing............... 12.93 13.11 13.20 13.22 13.35 13.37 .1
Excluding overtime4....... 12.26 12.41 12.50 12.61 12.60 12.62 .2
Service-producing............. 11.43 11.70 11.77 11.81 11.85 11.94 .8
Transportation and public
utilities................ 14.53 14.95 15.01 14.95 15.01 15.07 .4
Wholesale trade............. 13.08 13.38 13.54 13.54 13.56 13.73 1.3
Retail trade................ 8.13 8.32 8.36 8.42 8.46 8.49 .4
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 12.98 13.30 13.49 13.47 13.54 13.63 .7
Services.................... 11.99 12.26 12.33 12.36 12.41 12.50 .7
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to
deflate this series.
3 Change was .3 percent from September 1997 to October 1997, the latest month available.
4 Derived by assuming that overtime hours are paid at the rate of time and one-half.
N.A. = not available.
p = preliminary.
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
Nov. Sept. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1996 1997 1997p 1997p 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997p 1997p
Total private.................... 138.8 142.8 142.9 143.6 137.9 140.2 140.8 140.9 141.2 142.8
Goods-producing......................... 113.6 117.6 116.9 115.6 111.7 112.9 113.0 113.3 113.6 113.8
Mining................................ 56.0 57.5 57.0 56.4 55.2 56.3 56.3 56.1 56.1 55.8
Construction.......................... 154.7 168.9 167.2 155.1 150.0 154.1 152.9 154.2 153.5 151.9
Manufacturing......................... 108.6 110.5 109.9 111.0 107.2 107.8 108.1 108.3 108.8 109.4
Durable goods........................ 110.8 113.4 113.3 114.7 109.6 111.1 112.0 111.8 112.5 113.1
Lumber and wood products............ 141.3 147.0 146.1 145.7 140.1 142.3 141.5 142.1 142.6 144.1
Furniture and fixtures.............. 127.2 130.7 130.5 132.8 124.5 127.3 126.7 127.6 127.3 129.9
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 112.0 115.5 114.5 111.2 110.2 110.0 109.7 110.0 110.5 109.7
Primary metal industries............ 93.5 95.7 95.5 96.9 92.7 93.2 95.2 95.0 95.7 96.2
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 73.9 73.8 73.1 73.6 72.9 72.0 73.4 74.1 73.6 73.1
Fabricated metal products........... 117.4 119.5 119.4 120.9 115.1 116.5 117.2 117.4 118.1 118.3
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 105.0 109.2 108.8 111.0 104.9 108.5 108.9 108.9 109.6 111.0
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 109.5 110.0 110.2 112.6 107.4 109.1 108.9 109.0 109.6 110.4
Transportation equipment............ 124.9 129.0 129.6 131.6 124.7 125.7 129.7 127.6 129.6 130.0
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 165.1 167.0 167.9 169.8 164.3 163.1 169.1 164.7 167.8 168.2
Instruments and related products.... 76.1 75.8 75.5 76.8 75.6 75.1 75.8 75.6 75.4 76.0
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 105.6 104.5 105.2 104.9 101.8 103.4 102.5 102.0 101.8 100.9
Nondurable goods..................... 105.6 106.4 105.4 105.9 103.9 103.1 102.8 103.5 103.6 104.4
Food and kindred products........... 118.6 125.4 121.7 120.7 116.0 115.6 114.8 116.2 116.8 118.3
Tobacco products.................... 70.2 66.0 68.1 68.4 66.4 57.2 57.6 58.5 61.0 64.2
Textile mill products............... 90.6 89.7 88.1 89.4 89.4 88.5 87.6 88.2 88.0 88.3
Apparel and other textile products.. 76.9 72.9 73.0 72.3 75.5 72.0 71.7 71.6 71.3 70.9
Paper and allied products........... 111.1 111.0 109.9 111.3 109.9 109.0 108.5 109.5 109.5 110.3
Printing and publishing............. 125.9 126.6 126.4 128.2 123.4 125.4 124.5 125.6 125.9 126.4
Chemicals and allied products....... 101.6 101.3 101.1 102.5 100.7 99.3 100.1 100.9 100.8 101.9
Petroleum and coal products......... 77.1 76.2 75.8 76.1 76.6 73.5 74.9 74.2 73.1 74.8
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 144.6 146.5 146.8 148.5 142.9 144.3 144.9 144.7 145.8 146.6
Leather and leather products........ 43.2 40.7 40.4 40.9 42.4 40.7 39.7 39.5 39.7 39.9
Service-producing....................... 150.1 154.2 154.6 156.2 149.7 152.5 153.2 153.3 153.6 155.8
Transportation and public utilities... 130.5 134.3 133.4 134.4 129.2 129.3 128.2 132.2 132.3 132.9
Wholesale trade....................... 124.5 127.0 127.6 128.9 124.2 126.0 126.5 126.2 126.6 128.7
Retail trade.......................... 138.0 139.9 139.4 141.7 136.7 138.2 139.7 138.5 139.2 140.0
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 124.8 127.8 128.4 131.5 126.0 127.4 129.4 128.6 128.1 132.7
Services.............................. 179.0 185.6 187.1 188.1 179.1 184.4 184.9 185.0 185.4 188.5
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:
1993.............. 59.7 61.0 49.6 57.6 61.5 56.2 55.5 58.3 62.2 59.6 61.7 59.3
1994.............. 57.6 61.9 67.1 64.5 57.7 63.9 62.5 62.6 61.4 60.3 63.8 62.4
1995.............. 62.4 60.1 54.5 55.6 48.0 53.9 54.1 59.8 57.0 54.9 57.2 57.9
1996.............. 51.7 64.3 60.1 54.9 62.9 60.5 56.5 59.3 54.4 62.6 58.1 61.0
1997.............. 59.3 59.1 59.0 61.1 57.4 50.7 58.8 58.7 56.5 p63.9 p61.4
Over 3-month span:
1993.............. 64.7 60.8 60.5 58.6 62.9 63.6 59.6 62.9 64.7 66.9 64.3 63.6
1994.............. 65.3 69.5 70.4 68.7 67.1 67.0 69.1 69.7 65.7 65.6 67.0 66.2
1995.............. 65.4 62.5 58.7 53.2 54.6 52.4 57.9 59.6 59.7 59.0 57.0 56.3
1996.............. 62.6 63.6 62.6 61.2 62.1 63.1 62.6 58.8 62.8 60.4 64.7 65.0
1997.............. 64.6 62.2 64.2 65.6 59.7 58.7 59.1 65.0 p64.9 p67.3
Over 6-month span:
1993.............. 62.9 64.6 64.3 64.3 62.2 65.6 66.0 64.9 66.3 66.7 69.4 69.2
1994.............. 71.1 69.8 69.8 70.9 70.1 69.8 69.7 69.4 69.4 67.4 67.7 66.2
1995.............. 66.9 61.4 58.1 56.6 58.1 58.1 56.7 59.8 60.3 59.1 61.5 63.3
1996.............. 62.2 63.5 63.5 63.5 62.6 61.2 65.3 63.6 62.6 64.5 64.2 67.4
1997.............. 67.6 66.6 64.5 64.6 64.3 66.7 p66.7 p68.4
Over 12-month span:
1993.............. 64.9 63.9 64.0 65.4 67.0 67.6 67.6 67.0 70.2 69.5 69.2 70.1
1994.............. 70.2 71.6 71.8 71.8 72.1 71.8 71.5 72.1 70.1 69.5 66.6 65.0
1995.............. 63.6 62.4 62.6 63.3 61.7 61.9 58.7 62.2 62.2 61.1 62.2 63.3
1996.............. 63.5 64.7 62.4 62.9 64.7 64.2 65.0 63.1 63.8 66.7 65.7 65.0
1997.............. 67.3 66.2 69.4 p70.2 p68.4
Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1
Over 1-month span:
1993.............. 52.2 56.8 49.6 44.2 53.2 46.4 49.3 51.8 57.9 52.2 54.0 55.8
1994.............. 55.8 59.0 60.4 58.6 52.9 58.6 59.4 56.1 52.9 55.0 58.6 58.3
1995.............. 54.3 56.1 44.2 51.4 42.1 42.8 43.5 52.2 47.1 50.0 47.5 50.7
1996.............. 45.7 54.3 47.8 39.2 52.2 52.2 44.2 52.9 44.2 50.7 49.6 52.2
1997.............. 54.0 50.4 52.9 52.9 51.4 49.3 51.8 49.6 54.3 p58.3 p56.5
Over 3-month span:
1993.............. 61.5 59.0 54.0 46.8 48.6 54.3 51.1 58.3 57.2 59.4 54.7 58.3
1994.............. 61.9 64.7 65.5 59.7 57.6 60.1 62.2 57.9 55.0 55.4 60.1 59.4
1995.............. 59.7 50.4 47.5 40.3 42.4 36.3 38.5 43.9 49.3 46.4 45.3 43.9
1996.............. 47.5 47.8 42.1 38.5 43.2 45.0 48.9 43.2 50.4 46.4 52.5 52.5
1997.............. 53.2 51.4 50.7 52.5 48.6 48.9 48.6 53.6 p55.8 p62.9
Over 6-month span:
1993.............. 55.8 58.6 58.6 55.8 51.8 57.2 59.7 57.2 57.6 58.3 62.6 60.8
1994.............. 62.2 62.2 62.6 63.3 59.4 56.5 56.5 58.6 58.6 55.0 58.3 55.0
1995.............. 55.8 48.6 43.9 38.8 39.2 39.6 38.8 39.6 43.9 45.0 44.2 44.6
1996.............. 41.4 41.7 41.0 38.1 39.6 40.6 47.5 46.8 45.3 50.4 48.2 53.2
1997.............. 53.2 53.2 50.4 49.3 48.6 52.2 p55.4 p56.8
Over 12-month span:
1993.............. 56.8 57.9 55.8 58.6 57.2 57.6 58.6 59.0 61.2 59.7 60.1 57.6
1994.............. 57.9 58.6 60.8 60.8 60.8 63.3 59.4 60.1 57.2 56.5 50.4 49.6
1995.............. 46.0 44.2 46.0 47.8 41.0 41.7 38.5 38.8 36.3 37.4 38.1 39.9
1996.............. 39.6 42.8 39.2 39.6 42.4 40.3 43.5 40.3 43.5 46.8 46.4 47.1
1997.............. 51.4 47.8 52.2 p55.4 p55.4
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: January 09, 1998
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_1197.htm
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