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U.S. Workers and Their Jobs: The Changing Picture U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics 1976 vS\ Bulletin 1919 Material in this publication is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission of the Federal Government. P lease credit the Bureau of Labor Statistics and cite BLS Bulletin 1919. r U.S. Workers and Their Jobs: The Changing Picture U.S. Department of Labor W. J. Usery, Jr., Secretary Bureau of Labor Statistics Julius Shiskin, Commissioner 1976 Bulletin 1919 F o r s a le b y t h e S u p e r in te n d e n t o f D o c u m e n ts , U .S . G o v e r n m e n t P r in t in g O ffic e W a s h in g t o n , D .C . 20402 - P ric e 60 c e n ts S to c k N o . 0 2 9 - 0 0 1 - 0 1 9 1 7 - 3 / C a t a lo jr N o . L 2 .3 :1 9 1 9 T h e r e is a m in im u m c h a r g e o f $1.00 f o r e a c h m a il o r d e r ☆ U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1976 0 - 2 1 7 - 7 5 1 Preface For more than 90 years, since its begin n in g s as the Bureau of Labor in 1884, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been collecting and analyzing information on American workers and the factors affecting their welfare. Although the B u rea u ’s task has grown as the Nation has grown, its aim has rem ained the sa m e —to provide a c cu ra te and impar tial data to serve the n ee d s of many users. Today, as one of the major factfinding and statistical a g e n c ie s of the Federal Government, the Bureau publishes a wide array of detailed data on the labor force, em ploym ent and unemployment, ea rn in g s and hours of work, prices and living conditions, industrial relations, productivity and econom ic growth, occupational injuries and illnesses, and related subjects. To mark the Nation’s bicentennial year, the Bureau has prepared this brief chartbook b ase d on data from som e of its major statistical series to illustrate patterns of c h a n g e in the American econom y and labor force. The B u rea u ’s regular publications, listed under S o u rce s of Data at the back of the book, provide greater statistical detail as well as infor mation on how the d ata are obtained. The chartbook was prepared in the Office of Publications by Rosalie Epstein and Judith Goldstein, with the cooperation of the various pro gram offices of the Bureau. G raphics w ere d esig n ed by the Division of Graphic Services, U.S. Department of Labor. The Nation’s total labor force— that is, the proportion of the population at work, actively s e e k ing work, or in the Armed F orces— rose from only 2 million in 1800 to 95 million as 1976 opened. This rapid growth m ade possible the dramatic transform a tion of the United States from a largely agricultural country—as it w as in the early 1800’s—to its p r e s ent status as an advanced industrial nation. Labor force growth in the past century can be divided into three broad stages. From 1870 to 1910, great waves of immigrants from Europe swelled the work force. From 1910 to 1940, internal population growth a c co u n ted for most of the increase. From 1940 to the present, the increasing pro portion of women taking jobs out side the hom e has been an impor tant factor in labor force growth. I 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 I860 1870 1880 M illio n s r— 100 The Nation’s swift industrial advance would not have been possible without the rapid growth of its labor force. 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1900 Chart 1. 1910 1920 1930 U.S. total labor force 1940 1950 1960 1970 1975 Whether workers make nuts and bolts or type letters, their produc tivity can be measured by the amount they produce in an hour of work. Average output per hour of all persons has been rising over the years, although not always at a steady rate. From 1909 to 1950, productivity increased by 2 per cent a year. For the next 20 years, growth in productivity averaged a little under 3 percent a year. Since 1970, the annual increase has been under 2 percent. As a result of all these small yearly improve ments, workers today produce more than four times the hourly output of workers in the early 1900’s. Advances in technology, greater capital investment, and the in creasing skill and education of American workers are among the many causes of the long-term rise in productivity. 1909 1930 Today’s workers produce more than four times as much in one hour as workers did early in the century. Index, 1967= 100 120 100 — 60 20 0 1950 Chart 2. 1970 1975 Index of output per hour of all persons, total private economy io n s 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 During the Nation’s first century, most workers were employed in farming. By 1900, however, although farm employment was still increasing, more workers were employed in nonfarm indus tries such as manufacturing and trade. By 1920, farm employment had started its long-term decline. In 1975, fewer than 4 million per sons, 4 percent of those employed, worked on farms. But farm output increased greatly even though the farm work force was declining—yield per acre rose with the use of improved fer tilizer and feeds, pesticides, and mechanized equipment. The transfer of labor from agriculture to other industries has been an important source of growth for the economy as a whole. The number of workers in farm employment has been declining since the early 1 9 0 0 ’s. 1950 Chart 3. 1960 1970 Persons employed in agriculture 1975 Since 1925, service-producing in dustries have contributed almost 80 percent of the total growth in nonfarm employment. Among the industries creating the greatest number of jobs since 1950 have been State and local government, trade, and services such as health care. T r a n s p o r t a t i o n a n d u tilitie s In 1975, of the 77 million employees in nonfarm jobs, 54 million or 7 out of 10 worked in service-producing industries. D istrib u tio n of n o n a g ric u ltu ra l e m p lo y m e n t by in d u stry d iv isio n , 1975 Most of the employment growth in the past 5 0 years has been in industries which produce services rather than goods. 19 25 1950 Chart 4. Employees on nonagricultural payrolls by industry sector Since the first computer was built 30 years ago, computer-related occupations have mushroomed and now provide employment for hundreds of thousands of workers in professional, technical, clerical, and repair occupations. While technology has created some new occupations, it has also lessened the need for others. For example, the use of dictating machines has resulted in a sharp decline in the employment of stenographers. Elevator opera tors, too, find jobs much more scarce as automatic elevators replace the old manual models. Advances in technology have created new occupations. . . Opportunities for training, retrain ing, and continuing education become increasingly important for workers in a fast-changing world. . . . and caused others to decline. Thousands Thousands ---------------3 0 0 C om puter program m ers --------------- 1 0 0 Data processing m ach in e repairers — 75 — 50 — 25 200 100 • ••• •• • ••• • •• X. A...M 1970 C h a r t 5. 1975 E m p lo y m e n t 1985 in s e le c te d 1970 o c c u p a t i o n s 1975 1985 T h e p ro p o rtio n in t h e o v e r th e fro m of w o m e n la b o r fo rc e h a s w h o a re in c r e a s e d p a s t q u a rte r- c e n tu r y — 3 3 .9 p e r c e n t o f all w o m e n 1 9 5 0 to 46.4 p e r c e n t T h e i n c r e a s e e v e n ly h a s a m o n g 1950, y o u n g n o t o c c u r r e d all a g e w o m e n g r o u p s . In ju st o u t of s c h o o l w e r e th e m o s t w o r k in g . in in 1 9 7 5 . likely to b e B y 1960, a relatively g r e a te r n u m b e r of o ld e r w o m e n w e r e at w o rk , h a v in g jo b s a n d th eir h o m e h a d th e o b ta in e d after th eir c h ild re n le s s e n e d . B e tw e e n p re s e n t, th e r e s u b s ta n tia l fo rc e h a s in c r e a s e p a rtic ip a tio n th eir tw e n tie s a n d e v e n a m o n g h a d g r o w n re s p o n s ib ilitie s 1 9 6 0 a n d b e e n in t h e a The changing role of women in society is mirrored in the rising proportion of women who are in the labor force . . . la b o r of w o m e n in e a rly thirties, t h o s e w ith y o u n g c h ild re n . R isin g d iv o rc e ra te s a n d birth a n d s e p a r a tio n th e s te e p ra te h a v e d e c lin e a ls o in t h e i n c r e a s e d rate of e n try of w o m e n th e into th e la b o r fo rce. In c o n t r a s t , e a r l i e r r e t i r e m e n t s h a v e lo w e re d m e n 's p a rtic ip a tio n rate s. O th e r a lte rn a tiv e s to w o rk s u c h a s e d u c a tio n p la y e d a ls o a role. h a v e . . . At the same time, men’s participation has been declining. P r o p o r t i o n in l a b o r f o r c e C h a r t 6. L a b o r fo rc e p a rtic ip a tio n r a te s b y s e x S i n c e th e e n d th e r e h a v e of W o rld b e e n d o w n tu r n s , e a c h m a r k e d u n e m p lo y m e n t. T h e d o w n tu r n W a r II, six b u s i n e s s in 1 9 7 3 - 7 5 by h ig h m o s t r e c e n t ra is e d u n e m p l o y m e n t to its h i g h e s t le v e l in 3 5 y e a r s . T h e u n e m p l o y e d n u m b e r of a v e r a g e d 7.8 m illio n in 1 9 7 5 , o r 8 .5 p e r c e n t o f t h e la b o r fo rc e . Y o u n g o u ts, b la c k p e o p le , h ig h w o r k e r s u n e m p l o y m e n t in t h e s c h o o l d r o p b lu e -c o lla r w o rk e rs , a n d h a v e h a d h ig h e r ra te s th e n o th e r s la b o r force. Sharp increases in unemployment have been a recurring problem in our economy. Percent — C h a r t 7. U n e m p lo y e d a s p e r c e n t of civilian la b o r fo rc e 9 B la c k c e n t a b o u t th e w o r k e r s of th e th e m a d e la b o r s a m e p o p u la tio n . w e r e 19 p e r c e n t u p fo rc e a s 11 in th eir H o w e v e r, of p e r 1975, s h a r e th e y th e u n e m p lo y e d . H ig h e r b la c k of h a v e r a te s re fle c te d , fa c to rs, sk ille d a of u n e m p l o y m e n t c o m p a r e d lo w e r th e s e c u r e o fte n level of a n d w h ite a m o n g le s s jo b s a tta in m e n t, to h e ld for w o r k e r s o th e r a n d by lo w e r b la c k s , e d u c a tio n a l racial d isc rim in a tio n . Civilian labor force U nem ploym ent 1950 1955 1960 The unemployment rate of black workers has averaged about tw ice the rate of white workers. — 1 l 1 l l I r 1970 1965 C h a r t 8. U n e m p lo y e d a s p e r c e n t of civilian 1975 la b o r fo rc e b y r a c e 9 C o n s u m e r p r ic e s r o s e p e r c e n t a y e a r o n th e fro m a n 1 9 6 5 to 1975. c o m p a r e d i n c r e a s e a y e a r fro m of le s s th a n a lr e a d y for th e V ie t so c ia l p r o g r a m s p riv a te s p e n d i n g h ig h . p ric e a n d in t h e g o v e r n m e n t u p s p e n d i n g W a r a n d tim e w h e n w ith 2 p e r c e n t to rise rap id ly m i d - 1 9 6 0 ’s a s t h e n a m 7 1 9 5 5 to 1965. P r ic e s s ta rte d s t e p p e d m o r e th a n a v e r a g e In t h e e a r l y w a g e at a w a s 1 9 7 0 ’s , c o n t r o l s — t h e first p u t i n t o e f f e c t in p e a c e t i m e — s lo w e d inflation te m p o ra rily , b u t p r ic e s c lim b e d a n d th e s h a rp ly 1974. A m o n g rise w e r e d e m a n d th e in 1 9 7 3 r e a s o n s in c r e a s e d for w o rld for U .S. p r o d u c ts , g r a in in p a r tic u la r , t h e s h u to f f o f oil s u p p lie s e n d by A r a b c o u n trie s , a n d of p ric e c o n tro ls. e ffe c ts of th e w o r ld w id e d o w n tu r n p ric e h e lp e d s lo w th e B y 1975, th e b u s in e s s th e in c r e a s e s . p a c e of Consumer prices have risen almost four times as fast since 1965 as in the previous 10 years. I n d e x , 1 96 7 = 1 0 0 ■170 ■150 ■130 ■ 110 90 70 50 197 5 Chart 9. Consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers Workers’ hourly earnings have in creased by 73 percent since 1967. However, in “ real” terms— measured in dollars of constant purchasing power—earnings have advanced only 7 percent. Since 1973, prices have risen more rapidly than money earnings so that real earnings have actually declined. Years of high rates of inflation have spurred union efforts to obtain cost-of-living escalator clauses in collective bargaining agreements. Escalator clauses provide for periodic automatic adjustment of wage rates based on changes in prices. More than 6 million workers were covered by such provisions in 1975. Although workers’ hourly earnings have risen steadily, much of the gain in recent years has been eroded by rapidly rising prices. j j 1967 1969 I n d e x , 1 96 7 = 100 — 180 160 140 120 100 Chart 10. Hourly earnings index, production and nonsupervisory workers in the private nonfarm economy, in current and 1967 dollars At the turn of the century, most workers were paid only for the time they worked. Today, in addi tion to pay for working time, workers receive a variety of sup plements that contribute to their well-being and financial protec tion. The supplements are in the form of 1) retirement programs fi nanced by employers through Federal social security contribu tions or private pension plans; 2) paid time off for vacation and holi days; and 3) life insurance and health benefits. Other supple ments include unemployment in surance, matching payments into savings funds, and year-end bonuses. Supplements to pay have grown as a share of total compensation. For production workers in manufacturing, supplements were about 15 percent of compensation in 1959 and 21 percent in 1974. Retirement benefits, paid vacations, and other supplements to pay have become a larger share of workers’ total compensation. P e rc e n t --------1 0 0 R e tire m e n t p ro g ra m s V a c a tio n a n d h o lid a y pay — 90 — 80 — 70 — 60 — 50 — 40 — 30 — 20 — 10 L ife in s u ra n c e a n d h e a lth b e n e fits O th e r P a y fo r w o rk in g tim e 0 197 4 Chart 11. Employee compensation, manufacturing production workers, percent distribution Young people have been staying in school longer. For example, in 1952 only 43 percent of the labor force were high school graduates; by 1975, this proportion had in creased to 71 percent. The propor tion of workers having some col lege education almost doubled between 1952 and 1975. In contrast, 38 percent of the work force in 1952 had not progressed beyond an elementary school education; in 1975 only 12 percent had so little education. Over the past two decades, the rise in the educational level of American workers has gone hand in hand with the increasing de mand for more highly trained and educated workers. In future years, however, the continuing increase in the proportion of young people going to college may result in more graduates than the number of jobs requiring a college educa tion. As graduates settle for jobs for which they may be “ overqualified,” dissatisfaction and in creased job-hopping may be the result. 1 o r m o re y e a rs o f c o lle g e 4 y e a rs o f h ig h s c h o o l 1 - 3 y e a rs o f h ig h s c h o o l 8 y e a rs o f e le m e n ta r y s c h o o l or less 1952 The level of education of American workers has risen substantially in the last quarter-century. P e rc e n t 100 — 90 — 80 — 70 — 60 — 50 — 40 — 30 — 20 — 10 -------0 1975 Chart 12. Educational attainment of the civilian labor force, percent distribution The unemployment insurance system provides weekly payments to unemployed workers while they are looking for jobs. Established in the 1930’s, unemployment com pensation was at first available to fewer than half of all workers. Over the years, both Federal and State laws extended insurance protection—by 1974, 82 percent of all workers were covered. Eligibility requirements and the amount and duration of benefits vary from State to State. Still outside the regular program are most household workers, farm workers, and local government employees, and some State government employees. Tempor ary legislation passed in 1974 authorized payments to these workers during periods of high unemployment. Some private employers have set up supplemental unemployment benefit plans which provide addi tional income for workers when they are laid off. 1938 Government unemployment insurance now gives 4 out of 5 workers some income protection during periods of joblessness. 1974 Chart 13. Proportion of workers covered by Federal and State unemployment insurance programs Passage of the Wagner Act in 1935—which guaranteed the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively—marked the beginning of the rapid growth of unions in the United States. By the end of World War II, U.S. union membership had quadrupled. Over the following decades, mem bership grew at a much slower rate—to 20 million in 1974. Despite this expansion in num bers, union membership has failed to keep up with the growth of the labor force. Union representation in the labor force in 1974, at 21.7 percent, was at its lowest level since 1944. Union membership alone is no longer an accurate measure of the number of workers represented by labor organizations. Since the early 1960’s, professional and government employee associ ations increasingly have shifted to bargaining activities. Together, unions and employee associ ations count 22.8 million U.S. workers as members, about onefourth of the labor force. Although union membership has continued to grow . . . . . . growth has not kept pace with the increase in the labor force. M illio n s Chart 14. U.S. membership in labor unions and membership as a proportion of labor force Most labor-management disputes in the United States are settled without a strike. In 28 of the 30 years since the end of World War II, idleness due to work stoppages has amounted to less than onehalf of 1 percent of working time. Most strikes are settled in 2 weeks or less. Wages and other economic benefits have been the primary issues in most strikes, but working conditions, union security, and disputes among unions also have caused work stoppages. Average idleness due to strikes in the United States compared with other industrialized countries in the first five years of the 1970’s is shown below. D a y s id le p e r th o u s a n d e m p lo y e e s . 1 9 7 0 -7 4 a n n u a l a v e r a g e Particular strikes often receive wide publicity, but the actual amount of time away from work because of labor-management disputes is relatively small. ja H F ' . iig i: **; - V w S trik e id le n e s s 197 5 0 .1 8 p e rc e n t Chart 15. Work stoppages: Idleness as a percent of total estimated working time The labor force grew at a particu larly rapid pace during the last decade. This rate will not continue into the 1980’s because the num ber of young people reaching working age will decline substan tially, reflecting the steep drop in the birth rate during the 1960’s. Nevertheless, the total labor force is expected to approach the 117million mark by 1990. Women are expected to account for much of the labor force expan sion in the 1980's as an increasing proportion take jobs outside the home and as men’s labor force participation continues to decline. During the next 15 years, more than 2 0 million workers are expected to join the labor force. Imtttt mtm mmi ttttttt 1 97 0 1 _ ^ r-rn T fT T 100 tttttttttittttm ttftttttttttttttt ttttmmtmm 80 60 40 20 0 198 0 Chart 16. 1 98 5 U.S. total labor force by sex: Projections to 1990 1990 Sources of Data C h a rt 1. 1 8 0 0 -1 9 2 0 — S ta n le y L e b e r g o tt, M a n p o w e r in E c o n o m ic G r o w th : T h e A m e r ic a n R e c o r d S in c e 1 8 00, M c G r a w H ill. 1964. pp . 510 . 512; 1 9 3 0 -7 5 — E m p lo y m e n t a n d E a r n in g s , M a y 197 6 . ta b le A -1. D a ta fo r 1 8 0 0 -1 8 9 0 a re fo r p e rs o n s 10 y e a rs o f a g e a n d o ld e r; 1 9 0 0 -1 9 4 0 . p e rs o n s 14 y e a rs o f a g e a n d o ld e r; 1 9 5 0 -7 5 . p e rs o n s 16 y e a rs o f a g e a n d o ld e r. C h a rt 2. 1 9 0 9 -1 9 3 0 — u n p u b lis h e d d a ta . D iv is io n o f P ro d u c tiv ity R e s e a rc h . B u re a u o f L a b o r S ta tis tic s : 1 9 5 0 -7 5 — M o n t h ly L a b o r R e v ie w . M a y 1976. p. 103. ta b le 31. C h a rt 3. 1 9 0 0 -1 9 4 0 — L e b e r g o tt, M a n p o w e r in E c o n o m ic G r o w th , p. 5 12; 1 9 5 0 -7 5 — E m p lo y m e n t a n d E a r n in g s , M a y 1 9 7 6 , ta b le A - 1 . D a ta fo r 1 9 0 0 -1 9 4 0 a re fo r p e rs o n s 14 y e a r s o f a g e a n d o ld e r; 1 9 5 0 -7 5 . p e rs o n s 16 y e a rs o f a g e a n d o ld e r. C h a rt 4. E m p lo y m e n t a n d E a r n in g s , M a y 197 6 , ta b le B - 1 . C h a rt 5. 1 96 0 — 1 96 0 D e c e n n ia l C e n s u s , B u re a u o f th e C e n s u s ; 1 9 7 0 -8 5 . B u re a u o f L a b o r S ta tis tic s . D a ta fo r 1 9 7 0 a n d 198 5 a re u n p u b lis h e d ; d a ta fo r 1 97 5 a re in E m p lo y m e n t a n d E a r n in g s , J a n u a r y 197 6 , p. 11. C h a rt 6. E m p lo y m e n t a n d E a r n in g s , M a y 197 6 . t a b le A -2 . C h a rt 7. E m p lo y m e n t a n d E a r n in g s , M a y 197 6 , t a b le A - 1 . C h a rt 8. 1 9 5 0 -7 4 — H a n d b o o k o f L a b o r S t a t is t ic s 1 9 7 5 , ta b le 6 0 ; 197 5 — E m p lo y m e n t a n d E a r n in g s , J a n u a r y 197 6 , p. 138, ta b le 3. C h a rt 9. C h a rt 10. C h a rt 11. 1 95 5 a n d 1 9 6 5 — H a n d b o o k o f L a b o r S t a t is t ic s 1 9 75, ta b le 122: 1 97 5 — M o n t h ly L a b o r R e v ie w , M a y 1 97 6 . p. 89. t a b le 23. C u r r e n t W a g e D e v e lo p m e n ts , M a y 1976, p. 43. t a b le 1. 1 9 5 9 — H a n d b o o k o f L a b o r S t a t is t ic s 1 9 7 5 , t a b le 119; 1974— u n p u b lis h e d d a ta . D iv is io n o f G e n e r a l C o m p e n s a tio n S tr u c tu r e s , B u re a u o f L a b o r S ta tis tic s . C h a rt 12. 1 9 5 2 — H a n d b o o k o f L a b o r S t a t is t ic s 1 9 75, ta b le 12; 1 97 5 — M o n t h ly L a b o r R e v ie w , F e b ru a ry 197 6 , p. 48, ta b le 2. D a ta fo r 1 95 2 a re fo r p e rs o n s 18 y e a rs o f a g e a n d o ld e r; 1975. p e rs o n s 16 y e a rs o f a g e a n d o ld e r. C h a rt 13. E m p lo y m e n t a n d W a g e s , F o u rth Q u a r te r 1 9 7 4 , t a b le 1. C h a rt 14. 1 9 3 0 -7 2 — H a n d b o o k o f L a b o r S t a t is t ic s 1 9 7 5 , t a b le 158; 1974— u n p u b lis h e d d a ta , D iv is io n o f In d u s tria l R e la tio n s , B u re a u o f L a b o r S ta tis tic s . C h a rt 15. M o n t h ly L a b o r R e v ie w , M a y 197 6 , p. 107, t a b le 37; c o m p a ris o n w ith fo r e ig n c o u n trie s c a lc u la t e d fro m d a ta in H a n d b o o k o f L a b o r S t a t is t ic s 1975, ta b le 177. C h a rt 16. 1 9 7 0 a n d 1 9 7 5 — E m p lo y m e n t a n d E a r n in g s , M a y 1 9 7 6 , ta b le A -2; p r o je c tio n s — u n p u b lis h e d d a ta , D iv is io n o f L a b o r F o rc e S tu d ie s , B u re a u o f L a b o r S ta tis tic s . U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D C. 20210 Postage and Fees Paid U.S. Department of Labor Official Business Lab-441 Penalty for private use, $ 3 0 0 .0 0 Third Class Mail
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