Technical information: USDL 99-346
Household data: (202) 606-6378
Transmission of material in this release is
Establishment data: 606-6555 embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EST),
Media contact: 691-5902 Friday, December 3, 1999.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: NOVEMBER 1999
Payroll employment rose in November, and the unemployment rate was
unchanged at 4.1 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased
by 234,000. Employment in manufacturing held near its October level, while
construction and services continued to add jobs over the month. Average
hourly earnings rose by 2 cents in November, following a rise of 4 cents
(as revised) in October.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
The number of unemployed persons, 5.7 million, was essentially unchanged
in November, and the unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent. The jobless
rate has been below 4.3 percent since August. Unemployment rates for the
major demographic groups--adult men (3.3 percent), adult women (3.6 percent),
teenagers (14.1 percent), whites (3.5 percent), blacks (8.1 percent), and
Hispanics (6.0 percent)--showed little or no change over the month.
(See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
The civilian labor force, at 139.8 million, was little changed in
November, and the labor force participation rate remained at 67.0 percent.
Total employment was essentially unchanged at 134.1 million. The employment-
population ratio--the proportion of the population age 16 and older with
jobs--was 64.3 percent in November, about unchanged from October.
(See table A-1.)
About 8.1 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in November. These multiple jobholders represented 6.0 percent of the
total employed, compared with 6.3 percent a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.1 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in November. 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 272,000 in November. (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 | |
|_________________|__________________________| Oct.-
Category | 1999 | 1999 | Nov.
|_________________|__________________________|change
| II | III | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 139,173| 139,301| 139,386| 139,662| 139,827| 165
Employment..........| 133,242| 133,423| 133,550| 133,896| 134,085| 189
Unemployment........| 5,931| 5,879| 5,836| 5,766| 5,743| -23
Not in labor force....| 68,259| 68,743| 68,879| 68,821| 68,839| 18
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........| 4.3 | 4.2| 4.2| 4.1| 4.1| .0
Adult men...........| 3.5 | 3.5| 3.4| 3.5| 3.3| -0.2
Adult women.........| 3.9 | 3.8| 3.7| 3.5| 3.6| .1
Teenagers...........| 13.4 | 13.7| 15.0| 13.9| 14.1| .2
White...............| 3.8 | 3.7| 3.6| 3.5| 3.5| .0
Black...............| 7.5 | 8.3| 8.3| 8.3| 8.1| -.2
Hispanic origin.....| 6.8 | 6.5| 6.7| 6.4| 6.0| -.4
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA | Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 128,246| 128,936| 129,048|p129,311|p129,545| p234
Goods-producing 1/..| 25,222| 25,194| 25,186| p25,193| p25,246| p53
Construction......| 6,258| 6,270| 6,293| p6,313| p6,368| p55
Manufacturing.....| 18,433| 18,398| 18,366| p18,352| p18,350| p-2
Service-producing 1/| 103,024| 103,743| 103,862|p104,118|p104,299| p181
Retail trade......| 22,756| 22,884| 22,862| p22,874| p22,875| p1
Services..........| 38,810| 39.172| 39,257| p39,429| p39,549| p120
Government........| 20,094| 20,194| 20,218| p20,242| p20,273| p31
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Hours of work 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 34.4| 34.5| 34.4| p34.5| p34.6| p0.1
Manufacturing.......| 41.7| 41.8| 41.8| p41.8| p41.7| p-.1
Overtime..........| 4.5| 4.7| 4.7| p4.7| p4.7| p.0
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........| 147.3| 148.3| 148.2| p148.8| p149.3| p0.5
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
| Earnings 2/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| $13.19| $13.31| $13.35| p$13.39| p$13.41| p$0.02
Avg. weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private.......| 454.06| 458.64| 459.24| p461.96| p463.99| p2.03
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
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 increased by 234,000 in November to 129.5
million, after seasonal adjustment. This gain was about the same as the
average monthly increase for the prior 12 months. In November, employment
rose in services and construction and was essentially unchanged in
manufacturing and retail trade. (See table B-1.)
In the goods-producing sector, construction employment increased by
55,000 in November, after seasonal adjustment. Dry weather and unusually
warm temperatures over most of the country during the survey reference
period may have contributed to the strong over-the-month gain. Special
trades contracting had a particularly large employment increase of 41,000.
Since August, construction employment has risen by 122,000.
Manufacturing employment was essentially unchanged at 18.4 million in
November, as small gains in some industries were offset by continued
declines in others. The recent downward trend in factory employment, which
began in April 1998, has slowed dramatically over the past several months.
The number of factory jobs has fallen by an average of 9,000 per month over
the past 5 months, compared with average monthly losses of 36,000 during
the first half of the year. Industries that had job increases in November
included lumber and wood products; stone, clay, and glass products; and
food and kindred products. In contrast, industrial machinery, motor
vehicles, aircraft, and apparel continued to lose jobs.
In the service-producing sector, the services industry added 120,000
jobs in November, about in line with its average growth for the prior 12
months. Business services added 45,000 jobs in November, following a much
larger increase in October. Within business services, computer services
added only 3,000 jobs over the month. Since August, employment gains in
this industry have averaged 6,000 per month, compared with an average
monthly increase of 14,000 for the first 8 months of the year. Engineering
and management services, an industry related to business services, also has
experienced a recent slowdown in job growth. Employment in this industry
rose by an average of 14,000 per month over the past 3 months, compared
with an average of 21,000 per month over the first 8 months of the year.
Elsewhere in services, social services added 25,000 jobs in November,
nearly half of which were in child day care services. Health services
employment rose by 14,000, and, in agricultural services, unseasonably warm
weather may have contributed to an over-the-month job gain of 10,000.
Employment in transportation and public utilities rose by 15,000 in
November, with all of the increase occurring in transportation industries.
Within transportation, trucking and warehousing added 10,000 jobs and air
transportation added 4,000.
Finance, insurance, and real estate added 8,000 jobs in November.
Within finance, employment increases in security and commodity brokerages
and holding and other investment offices were partially offset by declines
in commercial banks.
- 4 -
Government employment rose by 31,000 in November, after seasonal
adjustment, with growth concentrated in state and local government.
Employment in retail trade was essentially unchanged in November.
Eating and drinking places added 23,000 jobs, the first gain since July.
This increase and a small gain in car dealerships were offset by declines
in apparel, furniture, and miscellaneous retail establishments. Employment
growth in wholesale trade was below average in November, following a large
job increase in October.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour in November to 34.6 hours, seasonally
adjusted. The manufacturing workweek was down by 0.1 hour to 41.7 hours,
and manufacturing overtime was unchanged at 4.7 hours. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.3 percent to 149.3
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index declined by 0.2
percent in November to 106.0. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls rose by 2 cents in November to $13.41, seasonally
adjusted. This follows a gain of 4 cents in October (as revised). Over
the month, average weekly earnings rose by 0.4 percent to $463.99,
seasonally adjusted. Over the year, both average hourly earnings and
average weekly earnings increased by 3.6 percent. (See table B-3.)
______________________________
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| Following usual practice, the 6-month updates to seasonal |
| adjustment factors for the establishment survey data are |
| introduced with this release. These factors were used in the |
| revisions to the September and October data as well as in the |
| November estimates, and will be used through the April 2000 |
| estimates. These factors will be published in the December 1999|
| issue of Employment and Earnings and are available on the |
| Internet (http://stats.bls.gov/ceshome.htm) or by calling |
| (202) 606-6555. |
| Also in accordance with usual practice, the release of |
| December data will incorporate annual revisions in seasonally |
| adjusted unemployment and other labor force series from the |
| household survey. Seasonally adjusted data for the most recent |
| 5 years are subject to revision. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Employment Situation for December 1999 is scheduled to be released
on Friday, January 7, 2000, at 8:30 A.M. (EST). Release dates for the
balance of 2000 are as follows:
Feb. 4 May 5 Aug. 4 Nov. 3
March 3 June 2 Sept. 1 Dec. 8
April 7 July 7 Oct. 6
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Explanatory Note
This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the
information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears
in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
The establishment survey provides the information on the employment,
hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B
tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from
payroll records by BLS in cooperation with State agencies. In June 1999,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing about 48 million
people.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week
or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the
establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the
12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.
Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of
questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over
in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force.
People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours
in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they
were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather,
vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.
People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for
or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed
persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the
labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent
of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population.
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
Federal, State, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate
only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory
workers in the service-producing sector.
- 6 -
Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys
result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from
the surveys. Among these are:
--The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed,
unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed.
These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.
--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.
--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
--The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In
the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus
appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each
appearance.
Other differences between the two surveys are described in "Comparing
Employment Estimates from Household and Payroll Surveys," which may be
obtained from BLS upon request.
Seasonal adjustment
Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the
levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to
such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production,
harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The
effect of such seasonal variation can be very large; seasonal
fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month
changes in unemployment.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each
year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting
the statistics from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal
developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the
participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For example,
the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to
obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it
difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or
declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in
previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be
adjusted to allow for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal
adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful
tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity.
In both the household and establishment surveys, most seasonally adjusted
series are independently adjusted. However, the adjusted series for many
major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most major
industry divisions, total employment, and unemployment are computed by
aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example, total
unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major age-
sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration,
reasons, or more detailed age categories.
The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are
recalculated twice a year. For the household survey, the factors are
calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December
- 7 -
period. For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal
adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along
with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period. In both
surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject
to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the
entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample
selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the
estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total
employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus
376,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000
from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the
monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100,000 +/- 376,000).
These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these
magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range
includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment
rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely
(at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact,
occurred. The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in
unemployment is +/- 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment
rate it is +/- .21 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have
lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates
which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of
estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as
for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can
also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling
error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2
months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason,
these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after
two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.
Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is
the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new
firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth
(and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is
included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number
of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change. The size of the
- 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 0.3 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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 206,104 208,483 208,666 206,104 207,828 208,038 208,265 208,483 208,666
Civilian labor force............................ 138,288 139,761 139,895 138,193 139,254 139,264 139,386 139,662 139,827
Participation rate........................ 67.1 67.0 67.0 67.1 67.0 66.9 66.9 67.0 67.0
Employed...................................... 132,577 134,390 134,515 132,113 133,307 133,411 133,550 133,896 134,085
Employment-population ratio............... 64.3 64.5 64.5 64.1 64.1 64.1 64.1 64.2 64.3
Agriculture................................. 3,226 3,293 3,185 3,348 3,292 3,219 3,137 3,203 3,304
Nonagricultural industries.................. 129,351 131,096 131,330 128,765 130,015 130,192 130,413 130,693 130,781
Unemployed.................................... 5,711 5,372 5,380 6,080 5,947 5,853 5,836 5,766 5,743
Unemployment rate......................... 4.1 3.8 3.8 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1
Not in labor force.............................. 67,816 68,722 68,771 67,911 68,574 68,774 68,879 68,821 68,839
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 99,217 100,088 100,179 99,217 99,761 99,863 99,976 100,088 100,179
Civilian labor force............................ 74,162 74,623 74,545 74,345 74,500 74,400 74,634 74,655 74,707
Participation rate........................ 74.7 74.6 74.4 74.9 74.7 74.5 74.7 74.6 74.6
Employed...................................... 71,256 71,825 71,797 71,182 71,444 71,332 71,615 71,569 71,719
Employment-population ratio............... 71.8 71.8 71.7 71.7 71.6 71.4 71.6 71.5 71.6
Unemployed.................................... 2,906 2,799 2,748 3,163 3,056 3,067 3,019 3,087 2,989
Unemployment rate......................... 3.9 3.8 3.7 4.3 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.0
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 91,192 91,896 91,986 91,192 91,561 91,692 91,793 91,896 91,986
Civilian labor force............................ 70,065 70,401 70,441 70,023 70,164 70,179 70,326 70,291 70,389
Participation rate........................ 76.8 76.6 76.6 76.8 76.6 76.5 76.6 76.5 76.5
Employed...................................... 67,809 68,175 68,293 67,573 67,687 67,682 67,950 67,815 68,055
Employment-population ratio............... 74.4 74.2 74.2 74.1 73.9 73.8 74.0 73.8 74.0
Agriculture................................. 2,337 2,268 2,243 2,374 2,271 2,242 2,168 2,171 2,268
Nonagricultural industries.................. 65,472 65,907 66,050 65,199 65,416 65,440 65,782 65,644 65,787
Unemployed.................................... 2,256 2,226 2,148 2,450 2,477 2,496 2,376 2,477 2,335
Unemployment rate......................... 3.2 3.2 3.0 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.5 3.3
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 106,887 108,395 108,487 106,887 108,067 108,175 108,289 108,395 108,487
Civilian labor force............................ 64,126 65,138 65,350 63,848 64,754 64,864 64,753 65,007 65,120
Participation rate........................ 60.0 60.1 60.2 59.7 59.9 60.0 59.8 60.0 60.0
Employed...................................... 61,321 62,565 62,718 60,931 61,863 62,079 61,935 62,327 62,366
Employment-population ratio............... 57.4 57.7 57.8 57.0 57.2 57.4 57.2 57.5 57.5
Unemployed.................................... 2,805 2,573 2,632 2,917 2,891 2,786 2,817 2,679 2,754
Unemployment rate......................... 4.4 4.0 4.0 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.4 4.1 4.2
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 99,135 100,458 100,573 99,135 100,203 100,285 100,385 100,458 100,573
Civilian labor force............................ 60,326 61,292 61,440 59,896 60,791 60,908 60,793 60,920 61,037
Participation rate........................ 60.9 61.0 61.1 60.4 60.7 60.7 60.6 60.6 60.7
Employed...................................... 58,024 59,238 59,314 57,503 58,373 58,654 58,572 58,806 58,815
Employment-population ratio............... 58.5 59.0 59.0 58.0 58.3 58.5 58.3 58.5 58.5
Agriculture................................. 709 829 728 734 797 764 767 803 752
Nonagricultural industries.................. 57,315 58,409 58,586 56,769 57,576 57,890 57,804 58,003 58,063
Unemployed.................................... 2,302 2,054 2,127 2,393 2,418 2,254 2,222 2,113 2,222
Unemployment rate......................... 3.8 3.4 3.5 4.0 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.6
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population............. 15,777 16,129 16,107 15,777 16,065 16,061 16,086 16,129 16,107
Civilian labor force............................ 7,897 8,068 8,014 8,274 8,300 8,177 8,267 8,451 8,401
Participation rate........................ 50.1 50.0 49.8 52.4 51.7 50.9 51.4 52.4 52.2
Employed...................................... 6,744 6,977 6,909 7,037 7,247 7,075 7,028 7,275 7,215
Employment-population ratio............... 42.7 43.3 42.9 44.6 45.1 44.0 43.7 45.1 44.8
Agriculture................................. 180 196 215 240 225 212 201 229 284
Nonagricultural industries.................. 6,564 6,781 6,694 6,797 7,023 6,862 6,827 7,046 6,931
Unemployed.................................... 1,153 1,091 1,106 1,237 1,053 1,102 1,238 1,176 1,186
Unemployment rate......................... 14.6 13.5 13.8 15.0 12.7 13.5 15.0 13.9 14.1
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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 172,084 173,585 173,709 172,084 173,133 173,275 173,432 173,585 173,709
Civilian labor force............................ 115,804 116,683 116,735 115,687 116,393 116,602 116,409 116,577 116,622
Participation rate.......................... 67.3 67.2 67.2 67.2 67.2 67.3 67.1 67.2 67.1
Employed...................................... 111,692 112,890 112,919 111,304 112,117 112,277 112,210 112,483 112,550
Employment-population ratio................. 64.9 65.0 65.0 64.7 64.8 64.8 64.7 64.8 64.8
Unemployed.................................... 4,112 3,793 3,816 4,383 4,276 4,325 4,198 4,093 4,072
Unemployment rate........................... 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.5
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 59,707 59,784 59,788 59,634 59,837 59,968 59,839 59,738 59,707
Participation rate.......................... 77.3 77.0 76.9 77.2 77.3 77.4 77.1 76.9 76.8
Employed...................................... 58,041 58,235 58,264 57,806 57,978 58,013 58,120 58,003 58,032
Employment-population ratio................. 75.1 75.0 74.9 74.8 74.9 74.8 74.9 74.7 74.6
Unemployed.................................... 1,666 1,549 1,524 1,828 1,859 1,955 1,719 1,735 1,675
Unemployment rate........................... 2.8 2.6 2.5 3.1 3.1 3.3 2.9 2.9 2.8
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 49,468 50,042 50,150 49,065 49,542 49,701 49,534 49,660 49,759
Participation rate.......................... 60.1 60.2 60.3 59.6 59.7 59.9 59.6 59.7 59.8
Employed...................................... 47,863 48,581 48,659 47,415 47,878 48,134 47,946 48,148 48,225
Employment-population ratio................. 58.2 58.4 58.5 57.6 57.7 58.0 57.7 57.9 57.9
Unemployed.................................... 1,605 1,460 1,491 1,650 1,665 1,567 1,587 1,512 1,534
Unemployment rate........................... 3.2 2.9 3.0 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.2 3.0 3.1
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 6,629 6,857 6,797 6,988 7,013 6,932 7,036 7,179 7,157
Participation rate.......................... 52.8 53.8 53.4 55.7 55.1 54.4 55.2 56.3 56.2
Employed...................................... 5,789 6,073 5,996 6,083 6,261 6,129 6,144 6,332 6,293
Employment-population ratio................. 46.1 47.7 47.1 48.5 49.2 48.1 48.2 49.7 49.4
Unemployed.................................... 840 784 801 905 753 803 892 847 864
Unemployment rate........................... 12.7 11.4 11.8 13.0 10.7 11.6 12.7 11.8 12.1
Men....................................... 13.6 11.4 12.5 14.1 10.9 12.2 13.0 11.6 13.0
Women..................................... 11.6 11.5 11.0 11.6 10.6 10.9 12.4 12.0 11.1
BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 24,529 24,985 25,019 24,529 24,867 24,904 24,946 24,985 25,019
Civilian labor force............................ 16,214 16,527 16,555 16,201 16,384 16,279 16,534 16,478 16,533
Participation rate.......................... 66.1 66.1 66.2 66.0 65.9 65.4 66.3 66.0 66.1
Employed...................................... 14,900 15,215 15,292 14,804 14,949 15,005 15,154 15,104 15,200
Employment-population ratio................. 60.7 60.9 61.1 60.4 60.1 60.3 60.7 60.5 60.8
Unemployed.................................... 1,315 1,311 1,263 1,397 1,434 1,274 1,380 1,374 1,333
Unemployment rate........................... 8.1 7.9 7.6 8.6 8.8 7.8 8.3 8.3 8.1
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 7,133 7,334 7,335 7,086 7,132 7,151 7,200 7,282 7,296
Participation rate.......................... 72.8 73.4 73.3 72.4 71.8 71.9 72.3 72.9 72.9
Employed...................................... 6,662 6,794 6,841 6,590 6,601 6,706 6,684 6,707 6,780
Employment-population ratio................. 68.0 68.0 68.4 67.3 66.5 67.4 67.1 67.2 67.8
Unemployed.................................... 471 540 493 496 531 445 516 575 516
Unemployment rate........................... 6.6 7.4 6.7 7.0 7.4 6.2 7.2 7.9 7.1
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................ 8,071 8,286 8,338 8,051 8,318 8,229 8,383 8,254 8,314
Participation rate.......................... 65.7 66.2 66.5 65.6 66.8 66.0 67.1 65.9 66.3
Employed...................................... 7,501 7,790 7,818 7,443 7,663 7,658 7,821 7,751 7,764
Employment-population ratio................. 61.1 62.2 62.4 60.6 61.5 61.4 62.6 61.9 61.9
Unemployed.................................... 570 496 520 608 654 571 562 502 550
Unemployment rate........................... 7.1 6.0 6.2 7.6 7.9 6.9 6.7 6.1 6.6
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force............................ 1,010 906 882 1,064 934 899 951 943 923
Participation rate.......................... 41.1 36.5 35.6 43.3 37.6 36.2 38.3 38.0 37.2
Employed...................................... 737 631 632 771 685 642 649 646 656
Employment-population ratio................. 30.0 25.4 25.5 31.4 27.6 25.8 26.1 26.0 26.4
Unemployed.................................... 274 275 250 293 249 257 302 297 267
Unemployment rate........................... 27.1 30.3 28.3 27.5 26.7 28.6 31.7 31.5 28.9
Men....................................... 32.1 32.7 31.0 33.0 30.8 29.4 30.6 36.4 31.8
Women..................................... 22.2 27.9 26.0 22.1 22.9 27.9 32.9 26.5 26.3
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 21,349 21,881 21,947 21,349 21,684 21,752 21,820 21,881 21,947
Civilian labor force............................ 14,384 14,837 14,841 14,389 14,592 14,734 14,756 14,797 14,873
Participation rate.......................... 67.4 67.8 67.6 67.4 67.3 67.7 67.6 67.6 67.8
Employed...................................... 13,425 13,922 14,001 13,345 13,685 13,776 13,763 13,853 13,973
Employment-population ratio................. 62.9 63.6 63.8 62.5 63.1 63.3 63.1 63.3 63.7
Unemployed.................................... 960 915 840 1,044 907 959 993 944 900
Unemployment rate........................... 6.7 6.2 5.7 7.3 6.2 6.5 6.7 6.4 6.0
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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
Less than a high school diploma
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 29,084 28,246 28,228 29,084 28,015 28,568 28,583 28,246 28,228
Civilian labor force.................... 12,410 12,039 12,197 12,463 12,069 12,412 12,198 12,297 12,209
Percent of population............... 42.7 42.6 43.2 42.9 43.1 43.4 42.7 43.5 43.3
Employed.............................. 11,548 11,303 11,424 11,574 11,244 11,530 11,358 11,487 11,413
Employment-population ratio......... 39.7 40.0 40.5 39.8 40.1 40.4 39.7 40.7 40.4
Unemployed............................ 862 735 773 889 825 883 840 810 796
Unemployment rate................... 6.9 6.1 6.3 7.1 6.8 7.1 6.9 6.6 6.5
High school graduates, no college(2)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 57,273 57,275 57,789 57,273 57,162 57,195 57,518 57,275 57,789
Civilian labor force.................... 37,560 37,170 37,830 37,408 36,941 36,845 37,133 37,019 37,678
Percent of population............... 65.6 64.9 65.5 65.3 64.6 64.4 64.6 64.6 65.2
Employed.............................. 36,159 36,038 36,665 35,947 35,629 35,550 35,807 35,823 36,483
Employment-population ratio......... 63.1 62.9 63.4 62.8 62.3 62.2 62.3 62.5 63.1
Unemployed............................ 1,400 1,132 1,165 1,461 1,313 1,294 1,325 1,195 1,195
Unemployment rate................... 3.7 3.0 3.1 3.9 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.2 3.2
Less than a bachelor's degree(3)
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 42,863 43,787 44,070 42,863 43,610 43,130 42,955 43,787 44,070
Civilian labor force.................... 32,126 32,564 32,688 31,727 32,102 31,803 32,076 32,177 32,373
Percent of population............... 75.0 74.4 74.2 74.0 73.6 73.7 74.7 73.5 73.5
Employed.............................. 31,280 31,714 31,883 30,825 31,097 30,795 31,211 31,307 31,505
Employment-population ratio......... 73.0 72.4 72.3 71.9 71.3 71.4 72.7 71.5 71.5
Unemployed............................ 846 851 805 902 1,005 1,008 866 871 868
Unemployment rate................... 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.8 3.1 3.2 2.7 2.7 2.7
College graduates
Civilian noninstitutional population...... 43,408 44,986 44,365 43,408 45,042 45,086 45,081 44,986 44,365
Civilian labor force.................... 34,775 35,992 35,253 34,554 35,981 36,142 35,745 35,717 35,049
Percent of population............... 80.1 80.0 79.5 79.6 79.9 80.2 79.3 79.4 79.0
Employed.............................. 34,180 35,420 34,697 33,922 35,317 35,579 35,157 35,104 34,456
Employment-population ratio......... 78.7 78.7 78.2 78.1 78.4 78.9 78.0 78.0 77.7
Unemployed............................ 594 573 556 632 664 563 588 613 592
Unemployment rate................... 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.7
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation, therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
2 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.
3 Includes the categories, some college, no degree; and associate degree.
NOTE: Beginning in January 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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over................. 132,577 134,390 134,515 132,113 133,307 133,411 133,550 133,896 134,085
Married men, spouse present..................... 43,483 43,590 43,599 43,209 43,353 43,398 43,446 43,158 43,253
Married women, spouse present................... 33,264 33,928 33,920 32,953 33,302 33,458 33,204 33,525 33,617
Women who maintain families..................... 7,956 8,407 8,553 7,969 8,289 8,357 8,313 8,424 8,579
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty........... 39,779 40,973 40,558 39,459 40,901 40,893 40,843 40,690 40,267
Technical, sales, and administrative support.... 38,567 39,035 39,380 38,430 38,573 38,842 38,557 38,996 39,341
Service occupations............................. 18,065 17,444 17,548 18,024 18,035 18,034 17,907 17,566 17,495
Precision production, craft, and repair......... 14,478 14,776 14,919 14,552 14,405 14,241 14,589 14,881 14,994
Operators, fabricators, and laborers............ 18,276 18,675 18,813 18,067 17,985 18,058 18,260 18,396 18,569
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................. 3,413 3,487 3,298 3,538 3,423 3,422 3,346 3,343 3,421
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers....................... 1,884 1,950 1,946 2,005 1,938 1,900 1,929 1,915 2,068
Self-employed workers......................... 1,301 1,294 1,193 1,304 1,300 1,262 1,176 1,273 1,201
Unpaid family workers......................... 41 49 46 40 47 48 41 43 43
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers....................... 120,296 122,048 122,511 119,718 121,157 121,163 121,498 121,600 121,954
Government.................................. 18,861 18,796 19,098 18,607 19,068 19,243 19,131 18,759 18,834
Private industries.......................... 101,435 103,252 103,413 101,111 102,089 101,920 102,367 102,841 103,120
Private households........................ 967 939 932 969 943 871 1,039 931 941
Other industries.......................... 100,467 102,313 102,481 100,142 101,146 101,049 101,328 101,910 102,179
Self-employed workers......................... 8,951 8,959 8,715 8,929 8,837 9,066 8,820 8,879 8,672
Unpaid family workers......................... 104 89 104 112 74 91 98 100 112
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 3,159 2,832 3,045 3,340 3,299 3,248 3,269 3,151 3,249
Slack work or business conditions........... 1,816 1,718 1,804 1,910 1,983 1,871 1,895 1,926 1,922
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,095 895 974 1,157 1,044 1,057 1,087 975 1,034
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 19,814 19,644 19,744 18,634 19,122 19,359 18,787 18,816 18,573
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons................ 3,018 2,666 2,886 3,191 3,130 3,105 3,096 2,958 3,083
Slack work or business conditions........... 1,737 1,600 1,696 1,824 1,846 1,791 1,789 1,800 1,804
Could only find part-time work.............. 1,073 876 955 1,130 1,028 1,041 1,080 950 1,013
Part time for noneconomic reasons............. 19,305 19,081 19,193 18,110 18,618 18,781 18,288 18,277 18,005
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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
CHARACTERISTIC
Total, 16 years and over......................... 6,080 5,766 5,743 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1
Men, 20 years and over......................... 2,450 2,477 2,335 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.5 3.3
Women, 20 years and over....................... 2,393 2,113 2,222 4.0 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.6
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years..................... 1,237 1,176 1,186 15.0 12.7 13.5 15.0 13.9 14.1
Married men, spouse present.................... 992 996 911 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.1
Married women, spouse present.................. 987 840 880 2.9 2.9 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.6
Women who maintain families.................... 592 535 548 6.9 6.4 6.4 6.5 6.0 6.0
Full-time workers.............................. 4,736 4,637 4,514 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.0 3.9
Part-time workers.............................. 1,340 1,117 1,200 5.4 4.9 4.5 5.1 4.6 5.0
OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty.......... 712 761 749 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8
Technical, sales, and administrative support... 1,482 1,415 1,468 3.7 4.0 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.6
Precision production, craft, and repair........ 580 602 555 3.8 3.8 4.6 3.9 3.9 3.6
Operators, fabricators, and laborers........... 1,295 1,239 1,228 6.7 6.3 6.2 6.5 6.3 6.2
Farming, forestry, and fishing................. 237 191 253 6.3 6.4 6.2 4.9 5.4 6.9
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers 4,764 4,468 4,457 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.1
Goods-producing industries................... 1,307 1,290 1,174 4.6 4.4 5.0 4.9 4.5 4.1
Mining..................................... 13 25 21 2.2 6.4 4.0 7.1 4.3 4.0
Construction............................... 503 526 425 7.0 6.7 7.9 6.8 6.7 5.4
Manufacturing.............................. 791 739 727 3.8 3.5 3.9 4.1 3.7 3.6
Durable goods............................ 392 412 443 3.2 3.8 3.7 4.1 3.4 3.6
Nondurable goods......................... 399 327 284 4.8 3.0 4.2 3.9 4.2 3.6
Service-producing industries................. 3,457 3,177 3,283 4.5 4.4 4.0 4.2 4.0 4.2
Transportation and public utilities........ 246 250 273 3.2 3.6 3.1 2.7 3.2 3.5
Wholesale and retail trade................. 1,406 1,327 1,466 5.2 5.2 4.8 5.2 4.8 5.3
Finance, insurance, and real estate........ 230 186 192 2.8 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.4
Services................................... 1,575 1,414 1,351 4.6 4.5 4.0 4.1 4.0 3.8
Government workers............................. 394 391 381 2.1 2.3 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0
Agricultural wage and salary workers........... 165 149 189 7.6 8.9 9.8 5.3 7.2 8.4
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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks................................ 2,325 2,359 2,384 2,546 2,680 2,621 2,589 2,471 2,599
5 to 14 weeks.................................... 1,930 1,664 1,729 1,983 1,766 1,810 1,831 1,853 1,780
15 weeks and over................................ 1,456 1,348 1,268 1,611 1,505 1,449 1,392 1,427 1,386
15 to 26 weeks................................ 649 646 633 752 787 745 698 711 722
27 weeks and over............................. 807 702 635 859 718 704 694 716 664
Average (mean) duration, in weeks................ 14.3 13.8 12.9 14.4 13.6 13.2 12.8 13.2 12.9
Median duration, in weeks........................ 6.4 6.1 6.0 6.7 5.7 6.5 5.8 6.4 6.3
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Less than 5 weeks.............................. 40.7 43.9 44.3 41.5 45.0 44.6 44.5 43.0 45.1
5 to 14 weeks.................................. 33.8 31.0 32.1 32.3 29.7 30.8 31.5 32.2 30.9
15 weeks and over.............................. 25.5 25.1 23.6 26.2 25.3 24.6 23.9 24.8 24.0
15 to 26 weeks............................... 11.4 12.0 11.8 12.2 13.2 12.7 12.0 12.4 12.5
27 weeks and over............................ 14.1 13.1 11.8 14.0 12.1 12.0 11.9 12.4 11.5
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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 2,587 2,162 2,340 2,758 2,740 2,662 2,586 2,490 2,497
On temporary layoff............................. 739 535 755 850 850 929 890 781 872
Not on temporary layoff......................... 1,848 1,626 1,584 1,908 1,890 1,734 1,696 1,710 1,625
Permanent job losers.......................... 1,217 1,097 1,065 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs.......... 631 529 519 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers....................................... 651 789 792 677 755 797 737 766 836
Reentrants........................................ 2,027 1,956 1,833 2,130 2,011 1,896 1,965 1,952 1,918
New entrants...................................... 446 466 415 534 402 483 537 527 492
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........................................... 45.3 40.2 43.5 45.2 46.4 45.6 44.4 43.4 43.5
On temporary layoff............................ 12.9 10.0 14.0 13.9 14.4 15.9 15.3 13.6 15.2
Not on temporary layoff........................ 32.4 30.3 29.4 31.3 32.0 29.7 29.1 29.8 28.3
Job leavers...................................... 11.4 14.7 14.7 11.1 12.8 13.6 12.7 13.4 14.6
Reentrants....................................... 35.5 36.4 34.1 34.9 34.0 32.5 33.7 34.0 33.4
New entrants..................................... 7.8 8.7 7.7 8.8 6.8 8.3 9.2 9.2 8.6
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs........................................... 1.9 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8
Job leavers...................................... .5 .6 .6 .5 .5 .6 .5 .5 .6
Reentrants....................................... 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4
New entrants..................................... .3 .3 .3 .4 .3 .3 .4 .4 .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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
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 .9 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as
a percent of the civilian labor force................... 1.9 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor
force (official unemployment rate)...................... 4.1 3.8 3.8 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent
of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers.... 4.3 4.0 4.0 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all
other marginally attached workers, as a percent of the
civilian labor force plus all marginally
attached workers........................................ 5.0 4.7 4.6 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers,
plus total employed part time for economic reasons,
as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all
marginally attached workers............................. 7.2 6.7 6.8 (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
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999
Total, 16 years and over.......................... 6,080 5,766 5,743 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1
16 to 24 years.................................. 2,171 2,269 2,257 9.9 9.6 9.6 10.1 10.1 10.1
16 to 19 years................................ 1,237 1,176 1,186 15.0 12.7 13.5 15.0 13.9 14.1
16 to 17 years.............................. 595 541 566 18.0 14.6 15.8 16.3 15.9 16.8
18 to 19 years.............................. 646 630 623 13.0 11.4 12.1 14.1 12.5 12.4
20 to 24 years................................ 934 1,093 1,071 6.9 7.7 7.3 7.2 7.8 7.6
25 years and over............................... 3,879 3,496 3,466 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.0 3.0
25 to 54 years................................ 3,377 3,056 3,031 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.0
55 years and over............................. 516 470 449 3.0 3.0 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.5
Men, 16 years and over.......................... 3,163 3,087 2,989 4.3 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.0
16 to 24 years................................ 1,190 1,224 1,188 10.3 10.2 9.8 9.9 10.4 10.2
16 to 19 years.............................. 713 610 654 16.5 13.4 13.5 14.9 14.0 15.1
16 to 17 years............................ 344 261 297 20.0 15.4 15.8 16.6 14.9 17.2
18 to 19 years............................ 373 346 360 14.4 11.8 12.3 13.4 13.2 14.0
20 to 24 years.............................. 477 613 534 6.6 8.3 7.6 7.0 8.3 7.3
25 years and over............................. 1,952 1,863 1,779 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.0 3.0 2.8
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,652 1,601 1,529 3.1 2.9 3.2 3.0 3.0 2.9
55 years and over........................... 296 284 250 3.1 3.2 2.9 3.0 2.9 2.6
Women, 16 years and over........................ 2,917 2,679 2,754 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.4 4.1 4.2
16 to 24 years................................ 981 1,046 1,069 9.5 8.9 9.4 10.2 9.7 9.9
16 to 19 years.............................. 524 566 532 13.3 11.9 13.4 15.0 13.8 13.0
16 to 17 years............................ 251 280 268 15.9 13.8 15.8 15.9 16.8 16.4
18 to 19 years............................ 273 284 264 11.4 11.0 11.9 15.0 11.7 10.7
20 to 24 years.............................. 457 480 537 7.1 7.1 7.0 7.3 7.2 8.1
25 years and over............................. 1,927 1,633 1,686 3.6 3.6 3.3 3.2 3.0 3.1
25 to 54 years.............................. 1,725 1,455 1,502 3.8 3.7 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.2
55 years and over........................... 220 187 199 2.9 2.9 2.3 2.0 2.4 2.5
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
Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov.
1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force...................................... 67,816 68,771 25,056 25,633 42,761 43,137
Persons who currently want a job................................ 4,212 4,077 1,783 1,727 2,429 2,350
Searched for work and available to work now(1)............... 1,240 1,128 580 591 659 538
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2).................... 310 272 198 170 112 102
Reasons other than discouragement(3).................... 930 857 383 421 547 436
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders(4)...................................... 8,307 8,057 4,331 4,170 3,975 3,886
Percent of total employed..................................... 6.3 6.0 6.1 5.8 6.5 6.2
Primary job full time, secondary job part time................ 4,609 4,504 2,651 2,548 1,959 1,956
Primary and secondary jobs both part time..................... 1,794 1,759 544 551 1,250 1,208
Primary and secondary jobs both full time..................... 308 311 211 225 97 86
Hours vary on primary or secondary job........................ 1,563 1,440 906 824 657 616
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
Nov. Sept. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total......................... 127,902 129,451 130,190 130,583 126,841 128,816 128,945 129,048 129,311 129,545
Total private.................... 107,489 109,433 109,639 109,870 106,893 108,663 108,735 108,830 109,069 109,272
Goods-producing......................... 25,463 25,544 25,495 25,412 25,298 25,247 25,148 25,186 25,193 25,246
Mining................................ 577 535 535 532 574 528 524 527 528 528
Metal mining........................ 49.6 48.1 47.8 48.6 50 48 47 48 48 49
Coal mining......................... 90.4 82.6 82.3 82.5 90 85 83 83 82 82
Oil and gas extraction.............. 326.5 291.3 292.8 290.6 325 285 285 287 289 288
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.. 110.5 112.7 111.8 110.0 109 110 109 109 109 109
Construction.......................... 6,209 6,557 6,550 6,489 6,085 6,270 6,246 6,293 6,313 6,368
General building contractors........ 1,409.3 1,473.5 1,473.0 1,467.4 1,394 1,432 1,426 1,440 1,446 1,452
Heavy construction, except building. 885.0 935.7 932.7 898.5 850 857 852 857 860 868
Special trade contractors........... 3,914.3 4,148.1 4,143.8 4,123.3 3,841 3,981 3,968 3,996 4,007 4,048
Manufacturing......................... 18,677 18,452 18,410 18,391 18,639 18,449 18,378 18,366 18,352 18,350
Production workers................ 12,846 12,689 12,665 12,654 12,808 12,691 12,622 12,617 12,612 12,613
Durable goods........................ 11,111 10,978 10,968 10,966 11,092 11,015 10,975 10,959 10,951 10,945
Production workers................ 7,595 7,507 7,506 7,506 7,577 7,549 7,513 7,496 7,493 7,487
Lumber and wood products............ 822.3 834.7 834.3 832.6 820 826 826 827 828 830
Furniture and fixtures.............. 533.7 542.3 545.6 543.8 532 546 543 544 546 543
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 571.3 577.7 575.4 574.1 568 571 568 569 567 571
Primary metal industries............ 701.8 686.6 685.4 689.2 700 692 688 685 685 687
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 225.9 221.2 220.8 223.7 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Fabricated metal products........... 1,497.9 1,486.9 1,489.7 1,490.3 1,494 1,493 1,484 1,486 1,486 1,486
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,172.5 2,114.5 2,109.9 2,110.1 2,177 2,131 2,122 2,117 2,116 2,114
Computer and office equipment..... 373.0 358.4 357.3 354.3 373 360 359 358 357 354
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 1,677.5 1,663.6 1,665.2 1,667.1 1,673 1,667 1,662 1,662 1,665 1,663
Electronic components and
accessories.................... 642.0 639.2 641.2 640.1 643 639 641 640 642 641
Transportation equipment............ 1,891.6 1,847.6 1,838.9 1,836.2 1,887 1,863 1,859 1,848 1,840 1,831
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 999.7 1,007.9 1,002.9 1,001.8 996 1,014 1,012 1,006 1,002 997
Aircraft and parts................ 522.9 476.5 471.8 468.9 520 488 483 476 471 467
Instruments and related products.... 853.5 833.5 830.0 831.4 855 840 836 833 830 832
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 389.2 390.4 393.7 391.2 386 386 387 388 388 388
Nondurable goods..................... 7,566 7,474 7,442 7,425 7,547 7,434 7,403 7,407 7,401 7,405
Production workers................ 5,251 5,182 5,159 5,148 5,231 5,142 5,109 5,121 5,119 5,126
Food and kindred products........... 1,697.9 1,735.4 1,708.8 1,694.7 1,690 1,681 1,666 1,679 1,679 1,687
Tobacco products.................... 42.3 39.4 40.7 40.5 40 39 36 38 39 38
Textile mill products............... 585.8 554.9 552.2 551.2 586 559 557 553 550 551
Apparel and other textile products.. 731.5 675.9 671.3 663.3 729 679 672 669 665 661
Paper and allied products........... 666.7 656.8 654.2 656.4 666 659 658 657 655 656
Printing and publishing............. 1,569.1 1,548.9 1,551.4 1,555.0 1,564 1,554 1,553 1,552 1,552 1,550
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,041.6 1,032.9 1,030.7 1,032.4 1,043 1,032 1,030 1,033 1,032 1,033
Petroleum and coal products......... 140.7 138.6 138.4 136.4 140 138 136 137 136 135
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 1,010.3 1,018.5 1,021.2 1,022.9 1,010 1,021 1,022 1,017 1,021 1,023
Leather and leather products........ 80.1 72.6 72.7 72.3 79 72 73 72 72 71
Service-producing....................... 102,439 103,907 104,695 105,171 101,543 103,569 103,797 103,862 104,118 104,299
Transportation and public utilities... 6,713 6,873 6,891 6,903 6,671 6,799 6,813 6,831 6,840 6,855
Transportation...................... 4,379 4,498 4,511 4,520 4,335 4,438 4,445 4,455 4,457 4,472
Railroad transportation........... 231.0 228.8 227.7 227.6 230 230 226 227 227 227
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................ 489.8 498.0 502.7 501.4 474 483 488 486 485 485
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,782.3 1,854.2 1,859.8 1,850.2 1,770 1,817 1,817 1,825 1,828 1,838
Water transportation.............. 181.8 186.4 182.6 178.3 184 182 182 182 182 180
Transportation by air............. 1,218.1 1,245.4 1,253.0 1,275.2 1,201 1,240 1,246 1,250 1,251 1,255
Pipelines, except natural gas..... 13.8 12.9 12.9 13.0 14 13 13 13 13 13
Transportation services........... 461.9 472.7 472.6 473.9 462 473 473 472 471 474
Communications and public utilities. 2,334 2,375 2,380 2,383 2,336 2,361 2,368 2,376 2,383 2,383
Communications.................... 1,484.3 1,532.0 1,540.5 1,542.9 1,484 1,519 1,525 1,533 1,541 1,541
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services....................... 849.8 842.9 839.1 840.0 852 842 843 843 842 842
Wholesale trade....................... 6,904 7,048 7,081 7,086 6,891 7,012 7,031 7,041 7,066 7,072
Durable goods....................... 4,072 4,163 4,183 4,192 4,074 4,154 4,169 4,172 4,189 4,193
Nondurable goods.................... 2,832 2,885 2,898 2,894 2,817 2,858 2,862 2,869 2,877 2,879
Retail trade.......................... 22,808 22,920 22,864 23,230 22,443 22,903 22,888 22,862 22,874 22,875
Building materials and garden
supplies......................... 952.7 991.8 995.2 991.1 961 986 988 992 1,002 1,000
General merchandise stores.......... 2,974.5 2,721.6 2,789.3 2,973.5 2,750 2,778 2,774 2,762 2,751 2,757
Department stores................. 2,652.6 2,423.8 2,484.9 2,649.1 2,447 2,476 2,468 2,460 2,449 2,451
Food stores......................... 3,521.9 3,470.1 3,479.5 3,509.5 3,488 3,478 3,484 3,478 3,475 3,476
Automotive dealers and service
stations......................... 2,359.6 2,427.7 2,424.4 2,419.4 2,361 2,407 2,409 2,415 2,419 2,422
New and used car dealers.......... 1,054.6 1,094.1 1,094.9 1,096.7 1,055 1,085 1,089 1,091 1,092 1,097
Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,199.5 1,175.6 1,193.6 1,243.3 1,148 1,192 1,191 1,189 1,199 1,190
Furniture and home furnishings
stores........................... 1,067.1 1,086.8 1,098.9 1,116.9 1,042 1,090 1,094 1,097 1,099 1,093
Eating and drinking places.......... 7,736.4 8,072.3 7,863.7 7,870.5 7,808 7,989 7,960 7,932 7,922 7,945
Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,996.7 2,974.2 3,019.7 3,106.2 2,885 2,983 2,988 2,997 3,007 2,992
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 7,500 7,656 7,644 7,653 7,520 7,647 7,650 7,653 7,667 7,675
Finance............................. 3,645 3,706 3,705 3,716 3,651 3,715 3,716 3,715 3,718 3,723
Depository institutions........... 2,039.0 2,040.7 2,036.8 2,038.8 2,044 2,044 2,046 2,047 2,046 2,044
Commercial banks................ 1,462.5 1,460.3 1,456.5 1,457.9 1,466 1,462 1,464 1,466 1,463 1,461
Savings institutions............ 256.3 253.7 252.9 252.6 258 256 255 255 254 254
Nondepository institutions........ 691.6 712.0 706.8 706.7 693 721 719 713 710 709
Mortgage bankers and brokers.... 354.3 360.7 355.5 356.7 355 369 366 361 357 359
Security and commodity brokers.... 657.9 686.3 690.9 696.1 658 682 685 686 691 696
Holding and other investment
offices........................ 256.5 266.9 270.7 274.2 256 268 266 269 271 274
Insurance........................... 2,375 2,406 2,409 2,412 2,375 2,404 2,407 2,410 2,415 2,413
Insurance carriers................ 1,620.0 1,634.4 1,636.8 1,638.2 1,619 1,635 1,636 1,637 1,641 1,638
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................ 754.9 771.4 772.3 773.6 756 769 771 773 774 775
Real estate......................... 1,480 1,544 1,530 1,525 1,494 1,528 1,527 1,528 1,534 1,539
Services2............................. 38,101 39,392 39,664 39,586 38,070 39,055 39,205 39,257 39,429 39,549
Agricultural services............... 727.4 804.8 794.5 776.8 726 760 757 763 766 776
Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,713.5 1,859.6 1,811.2 1,736.1 1,782 1,807 1,813 1,811 1,807 1,806
Personal services................... 1,167.8 1,175.0 1,183.3 1,185.2 1,198 1,207 1,207 1,210 1,212 1,215
Business services................... 8,907.3 9,302.0 9,455.7 9,473.1 8,779 9,148 9,186 9,204 9,293 9,338
Services to buildings............. 962.8 1,005.2 1,003.2 1,006.9 962 992 998 1,000 1,002 1,006
Personnel supply services......... 3,376.8 3,512.0 3,624.1 3,609.0 3,267 3,422 3,418 3,440 3,484 3,494
Help supply services............ 3,006.4 3,114.6 3,216.3 3,202.1 2,903 3,025 3,024 3,032 3,093 3,094
Computer and data processing
services....................... 1,678.4 1,807.6 1,812.5 1,826.5 1,675 1,794 1,806 1,814 1,821 1,824
Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,157.7 1,191.0 1,195.9 1,194.7 1,160 1,185 1,185 1,190 1,197 1,197
Miscellaneous repair services....... 388.5 398.2 401.6 403.4 388 395 396 398 400 403
Motion pictures..................... 569.0 600.5 599.7 601.2 575 609 608 608 611 608
Amusement and recreation services... 1,479.6 1,806.8 1,673.0 1,561.3 1,641 1,694 1,712 1,713 1,730 1,727
Health services..................... 9,902.3 9,990.4 10012.0 10035.4 9,892 9,975 9,993 9,999 10,009 10,023
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................ 1,831.5 1,872.7 1,877.4 1,880.2 1,831 1,868 1,874 1,876 1,879 1,880
Nursing and personal care
facilities..................... 1,760.3 1,756.9 1,757.3 1,760.5 1,757 1,754 1,755 1,756 1,756 1,757
Hospitals......................... 3,952.6 3,971.8 3,980.8 3,984.6 3,950 3,968 3,973 3,977 3,979 3,982
Home health care services......... 656.3 656.6 659.0 663.3 651 655 658 657 658 659
Legal services...................... 984.6 1,001.6 1,005.6 1,012.4 986 1,000 1,004 1,007 1,009 1,014
Educational services................ 2,392.6 2,234.5 2,441.5 2,481.4 2,214 2,278 2,288 2,289 2,286 2,296
Social services..................... 2,705.3 2,800.5 2,827.2 2,852.0 2,695 2,763 2,799 2,803 2,818 2,843
Child day care services........... 629.6 638.0 648.1 657.4 615 632 631 631 633 644
Residential care.................. 757.9 785.1 790.5 795.4 760 781 785 788 793 797
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens........................... 91.6 94.7 95.9 93.5 94 94 95 94 95 96
Membership organizations............ 2,360.0 2,385.9 2,395.5 2,395.6 2,375 2,403 2,409 2,408 2,409 2,411
Engineering and management services. 3,261.3 3,451.2 3,476.1 3,487.8 3,273 3,441 3,458 3,464 3,491 3,500
Engineering and architectural
services....................... 918.8 949.9 956.0 960.1 919 948 948 948 955 961
Management and public relations... 1,082.4 1,185.4 1,193.8 1,196.7 1,081 1,165 1,178 1,180 1,194 1,196
Services, nec....................... 55.1 57.5 58.0 58.4 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Government............................ 20,413 20,018 20,551 20,713 19,948 20,153 20,210 20,218 20,242 20,273
Federal............................. 2,717 2,647 2,632 2,643 2,723 2,656 2,651 2,654 2,643 2,648
Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,828.9 1,784.4 1,768.8 1,763.3 1,843 1,779 1,779 1,785 1,780 1,777
State............................... 4,772 4,688 4,848 4,871 4,637 4,682 4,706 4,717 4,726 4,736
Education......................... 2,079.8 1,926.4 2,094.6 2,129.9 1,923 1,947 1,965 1,965 1,963 1,972
Other State government............ 2,691.9 2,761.6 2,753.1 2,741.4 2,714 2,735 2,741 2,752 2,763 2,764
Local............................... 12,924 12,683 13,071 13,199 12,588 12,815 12,853 12,847 12,873 12,889
Education......................... 7,503.5 7,144.8 7,567.9 7,693.5 7,132 7,268 7,308 7,295 7,306 7,314
Other local government............ 5,420.0 5,538.6 5,503.1 5,505.0 5,456 5,547 5,545 5,552 5,567 5,575
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
Nov. Sept. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 34.7 34.3 34.6 34.5 34.6 34.5 34.5 34.4 34.5 34.6
Goods-producing......................... 41.2 40.9 41.5 41.4 41.0 41.2 41.1 41.1 41.1 41.3
Mining................................ 43.8 44.4 44.6 44.5 43.3 45.1 44.2 44.3 44.1 44.0
Construction.......................... 38.6 38.6 40.0 39.6 39.1 38.9 39.0 39.1 39.1 40.2
Manufacturing......................... 42.2 41.7 42.0 42.1 41.7 41.9 41.8 41.8 41.8 41.7
Overtime hours.................... 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.5 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7
Durable goods........................ 42.8 42.1 42.4 42.6 42.3 42.5 42.4 42.4 42.3 42.1
Overtime hours.................... 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.0 4.6 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.8 4.7
Lumber and wood products............ 41.5 40.9 41.3 41.3 41.2 41.1 41.3 41.1 41.0 41.0
Furniture and fixtures.............. 40.9 40.4 40.4 40.4 40.3 40.6 40.3 40.4 40.1 39.9
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 43.8 44.0 44.0 44.2 43.6 43.6 43.6 43.6 43.4 44.0
Primary metal industries............ 44.2 44.3 44.4 44.8 43.8 44.5 44.4 44.4 44.4 44.4
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 43.7 44.9 45.0 45.3 43.7 45.2 45.1 45.0 45.1 45.3
Fabricated metal products........... 42.8 41.8 42.5 42.7 42.2 42.3 42.4 42.3 42.2 42.1
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 42.7 41.7 42.3 42.4 42.4 42.4 42.4 42.4 42.4 42.1
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 42.1 41.3 41.7 42.2 41.4 41.7 41.7 41.6 41.5 41.5
Transportation equipment............ 44.6 44.0 43.9 43.6 44.1 44.4 44.0 44.0 43.7 43.0
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 45.2 45.5 45.0 44.3 44.6 46.0 45.2 45.2 45.0 43.8
Instruments and related products.... 41.5 41.1 41.4 41.9 41.1 41.7 41.6 41.6 41.5 41.5
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 40.0 39.7 40.2 40.1 39.4 40.1 40.1 40.0 39.8 39.5
Nondurable goods..................... 41.3 41.0 41.3 41.4 40.8 41.1 40.9 40.9 41.0 41.0
Overtime hours.................... 4.6 4.8 4.7 4.8 4.3 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.5
Food and kindred products........... 42.4 42.1 42.4 42.5 41.7 42.0 41.6 41.7 42.0 41.9
Tobacco products.................... 38.9 39.9 42.9 43.4 38.5 41.1 40.0 40.2 41.5 43.0
Textile mill products............... 41.1 40.7 41.4 41.6 40.8 41.3 40.9 40.8 41.2 41.2
Apparel and other textile products.. 37.7 36.8 37.6 37.6 37.3 37.5 37.3 37.5 37.4 37.3
Paper and allied products........... 43.9 43.8 43.9 44.0 43.5 43.5 43.7 43.5 43.6 43.6
Printing and publishing............. 38.7 38.6 38.6 38.8 38.1 38.4 38.3 38.3 38.4 38.3
Chemicals and allied products....... 43.2 43.3 43.0 43.4 42.9 43.1 43.3 43.2 43.0 43.1
Petroleum and coal products......... 43.9 43.1 43.2 43.1 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 42.1 41.5 41.6 42.0 41.6 41.7 41.6 41.7 41.5 41.6
Leather and leather products........ 38.0 37.3 37.8 38.5 37.4 37.9 38.2 37.2 37.6 38.1
Service-producing....................... 33.0 32.6 32.8 32.8 32.9 32.9 32.9 32.8 32.9 32.9
Transportation and public utilities... 39.7 38.5 38.4 38.5 39.2 38.7 38.9 38.6 38.5 38.4
Wholesale trade....................... 38.7 38.3 38.6 38.5 38.4 38.4 38.4 38.5 38.6 38.5
Retail trade.......................... 28.9 28.8 28.9 28.8 29.0 29.1 29.0 28.8 29.0 29.0
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 36.9 36.0 36.1 36.1 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Services.............................. 32.8 32.3 32.7 32.7 32.7 32.6 32.7 32.6 32.7 32.8
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.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... $13.00 $13.38 $13.41 $13.44 $451.10 $458.93 $463.99 $463.68
Seasonally adjusted............. 12.94 13.35 13.39 13.41 447.72 459.24 461.96 463.99
Goods-producing......................... 14.50 15.06 15.04 15.01 597.40 615.95 624.16 621.41
Mining................................ 17.29 17.10 17.02 16.99 757.30 759.24 759.09 756.06
Construction.......................... 16.82 17.41 17.49 17.36 649.25 672.03 699.60 687.46
Manufacturing......................... 13.60 14.11 14.03 14.06 573.92 588.39 589.26 591.93
Durable goods........................ 14.07 14.63 14.54 14.54 602.20 615.92 616.50 619.40
Lumber and wood products............ 11.24 11.55 11.57 11.59 466.46 472.40 477.84 478.67
Furniture and fixtures.............. 10.99 11.33 11.33 11.34 449.49 457.73 457.73 458.14
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 13.65 14.12 14.01 14.03 597.87 621.28 616.44 620.13
Primary metal industries............ 15.35 16.20 16.02 16.13 678.47 717.66 711.29 722.62
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 18.32 19.05 18.96 19.22 800.58 855.35 853.20 870.67
Fabricated metal products........... 13.21 13.61 13.50 13.53 565.39 568.90 573.75 577.73
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 14.64 15.23 15.18 15.26 625.13 635.09 642.11 647.02
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 13.17 13.62 13.56 13.59 554.46 562.51 565.45 573.50
Transportation equipment............ 17.52 18.56 18.40 18.26 781.39 816.64 807.76 796.14
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 17.68 19.04 18.82 18.61 799.14 866.32 846.90 824.42
Instruments and related products.... 13.91 14.30 14.39 14.36 577.27 587.73 595.75 601.68
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 11.03 11.46 11.47 11.49 441.20 454.96 461.09 460.75
Nondurable goods..................... 12.90 13.35 13.26 13.34 532.77 547.35 547.64 552.28
Food and kindred products........... 11.95 12.19 12.10 12.22 506.68 513.20 513.04 519.35
Tobacco products.................... 17.31 18.88 18.00 18.09 673.36 753.31 772.20 785.11
Textile mill products............... 10.51 10.78 10.71 10.80 431.96 438.75 443.39 449.28
Apparel and other textile products.. 8.64 9.01 8.98 8.97 325.73 331.57 337.65 337.27
Paper and allied products........... 15.64 16.27 16.12 16.17 686.60 712.63 707.67 711.48
Printing and publishing............. 13.57 13.97 13.95 14.01 525.16 539.24 538.47 543.59
Chemicals and allied products....... 17.27 17.78 17.71 17.72 746.06 769.87 761.53 769.05
Petroleum and coal products......... 20.96 21.62 21.62 21.70 920.14 931.82 933.98 935.27
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 11.97 12.46 12.37 12.42 503.94 517.09 514.59 521.64
Leather and leather products........ 9.44 9.86 9.85 9.79 358.72 367.78 372.33 376.92
Service-producing....................... 12.52 12.84 12.89 12.93 413.16 418.58 422.79 424.10
Transportation and public utilities... 15.48 15.78 15.75 15.81 614.56 607.53 604.80 608.69
Wholesale trade....................... 14.34 14.73 14.78 14.84 554.96 564.16 570.51 571.34
Retail trade.......................... 8.86 9.18 9.21 9.22 256.05 264.38 266.17 265.54
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 14.43 14.63 14.68 14.76 532.47 526.68 529.95 532.84
Services.............................. 13.15 13.48 13.54 13.62 431.32 435.40 442.76 445.37
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 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p from:
Oct. 1999-
Nov. 1999
Total private:
Current dollars.............. $12.94 $13.28 $13.29 $13.35 $13.39 $13.41 0.1
Constant (1982) dollars2..... 7.80 7.88 7.87 7.86 7.87 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............... 14.47 14.90 14.90 14.93 14.97 14.98 .1
Mining...................... 17.27 17.23 17.12 17.09 17.11 16.97 -.8
Construction................ 16.76 17.18 17.15 17.21 17.27 17.30 .2
Manufacturing............... 13.58 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.06 14.04 -.1
Excluding overtime4....... 12.88 13.26 13.28 13.29 13.32 13.30 -.2
Service-producing............. 12.45 12.77 12.79 12.85 12.89 12.91 .2
Transportation and public
utilities................ 15.41 15.70 15.70 15.76 15.75 15.75 .0
Wholesale trade............. 14.27 14.61 14.63 14.74 14.80 14.83 .2
Retail trade................ 8.85 9.10 9.13 9.15 9.19 9.21 .2
Finance, insurance, and real
estate................... 14.32 14.68 14.63 14.70 14.72 14.76 .3
Services.................... 13.05 13.42 13.44 13.49 13.55 13.57 .1
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 September 1999 to October 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
Nov. Sept. Oct. Nov. Nov. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.
1998 1999 1999p 1999p 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999p 1999p
Total private.................... 147.7 148.2 149.9 150.0 146.1 148.3 148.4 148.2 148.8 149.3
Goods-producing......................... 116.6 116.1 117.6 117.1 115.0 115.1 114.3 114.6 114.7 115.6
Mining................................ 54.9 51.4 51.9 51.5 53.7 50.9 49.8 50.3 50.6 50.3
Construction.......................... 169.3 179.1 185.3 181.3 167.5 170.7 170.3 172.4 173.2 179.8
Manufacturing......................... 109.2 106.6 107.2 107.4 107.7 107.3 106.4 106.4 106.2 106.0
Durable goods........................ 113.3 110.3 111.1 111.5 111.8 111.9 111.2 110.9 110.5 109.9
Lumber and wood products............ 148.2 148.0 149.5 148.8 146.6 147.3 147.6 147.1 147.0 147.0
Furniture and fixtures.............. 136.4 136.9 138.0 137.5 134.3 138.8 137.5 137.5 137.1 135.5
Stone, clay, and glass products..... 118.3 120.1 119.8 119.8 116.8 118.1 116.8 117.0 116.2 118.4
Primary metal industries............ 92.0 89.9 90.2 91.4 90.8 91.1 90.4 90.2 90.0 90.4
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products....................... 68.4 69.4 69.4 70.5 68.3 69.8 70.0 69.9 70.0 70.3
Fabricated metal products........... 120.0 116.0 118.0 118.8 117.9 118.2 117.4 117.2 117.0 116.7
Industrial machinery and equipment.. 108.1 102.2 103.3 103.8 107.6 105.3 104.4 104.2 104.1 103.3
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................ 109.2 106.1 107.2 109.1 106.9 108.0 107.2 106.7 106.6 106.9
Transportation equipment............ 129.5 125.1 124.1 123.0 127.6 127.1 126.6 125.4 124.0 120.9
Motor vehicles and equipment...... 166.0 169.2 166.6 163.7 163.0 172.1 169.9 168.0 166.8 160.9
Instruments and related products.... 75.7 73.9 74.7 75.6 75.2 76.0 75.4 75.1 75.1 75.1
Miscellaneous manufacturing......... 102.2 101.6 104.0 102.8 99.8 101.1 101.1 101.3 100.8 100.4
Nondurable goods..................... 103.6 101.6 101.8 101.9 102.0 100.9 99.9 100.2 100.4 100.5
Food and kindred products........... 120.8 124.0 122.3 121.4 118.1 119.1 116.2 117.7 118.6 119.1
Tobacco products.................... 64.5 56.0 63.5 66.4 59.1 59.0 49.5 53.7 57.6 59.6
Textile mill products............... 84.6 79.4 80.5 80.6 83.9 81.3 80.0 79.5 79.8 79.9
Apparel and other textile products.. 64.6 58.0 59.0 58.3 63.6 59.3 58.6 58.6 58.0 57.5
Paper and allied products........... 108.7 106.3 106.0 106.8 107.5 106.0 105.9 105.6 105.2 105.9
Printing and publishing............. 125.9 122.7 123.2 123.9 123.5 122.4 122.1 122.1 122.6 121.7
Chemicals and allied products....... 103.3 103.1 102.8 104.3 102.5 102.1 102.3 102.7 102.8 103.6
Petroleum and coal products......... 78.0 75.4 75.3 73.5 77.3 74.4 72.5 73.9 73.2 72.6
Rubber and misc. plastics products.. 149.4 148.8 149.8 151.4 147.5 149.6 149.4 149.2 149.2 149.8
Leather and leather products........ 35.0 31.0 31.2 31.4 33.9 30.9 31.7 30.9 30.6 30.4
Service-producing....................... 161.6 162.7 164.4 164.8 160.1 163.2 163.7 163.3 164.2 164.4
Transportation and public utilities... 135.6 134.1 134.1 134.2 132.9 133.2 134.1 133.5 133.3 132.9
Wholesale trade....................... 131.2 132.7 134.1 133.8 130.0 132.3 132.5 133.1 133.6 133.4
Retail trade.......................... 142.6 142.9 143.0 144.9 140.6 144.4 143.8 142.6 143.4 143.4
Finance, insurance, and real estate... 140.3 139.1 139.1 139.0 138.6 141.2 140.7 140.2 140.5 140.1
Services.............................. 198.1 200.9 204.9 204.5 197.2 201.1 202.4 202.3 203.9 204.9
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 50.0 55.1 p56.7 p58.0
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 56.2 59.0 p56.5 p58.6
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 55.2 57.4 p57.6 p61.8
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 57.3 57.0 p57.2 p58.0
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 38.5 42.8 p48.6 p51.4
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 43.2 44.6 p37.8 p47.1
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 30.9 34.5 p37.1 p46.4
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 25.9 28.4 p28.8 p28.8
1 Based on seasonally adjusted data for 1-, 3-, and 6-month spans and unadjusted data for the 12-month span. Data are
centered within the span.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Figures are the percent of industries with employment increasing plus one-half of the industries with
unchanged employment, where 50 percent indicates an equal balance between industries with increasing and decreasing
employment.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Contact: (cpsinfo@bls.gov) Division of Labor Force Statistics-BLS
Last revised: December 07, 2001
URL: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/pub/empsit_1199.htm
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