Full text of The Employment Situation : April 1997

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USDL 97-148
Household data: (202) 606-6378
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Establishment data:
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Friday, May 2, 1997.

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION:

APRIL 1997

Unemployment declined in April, and nonfarm payroll employment rose
modestly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor
reported today. The nation’s jobless rate fell from 5.2 to 4.9 percent.
The number of payroll jobs rose by 142,000 in April, and average hourly
earnings edged down by 1 cent.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
The number of unemployed persons declined by 430,000 to 6.7 million, and
the unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage point to 4.9 percent in April,
after seasonal adjustment. All of the major demographic groups contributed
to the improvement. The jobless rate for adult women decreased by 0.3
point to 4.4 percent, the rate for blacks fell by 0.9 point to 9.8 percent,
and the rate for whites dropped by 0.3 point to 4.2 percent. (See tables
A-1 and A-2.)
Among the unemployed, the number of persons in the newly jobless
category--those who had been looking for work fewer than 5 weeks--declined
in April, as did the number who had been looking for work for 5 to 14
weeks. The number of unemployed persons who had lost their job and did not
expect to be recalled also decreased over the month. (See tables A-5
and A-6.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
Total employment was about unchanged in April, following a substantial
gain in March. The proportion of the population with jobs (the employmentpopulation ratio) remained at 63.8 percent, the highest level since the
series began. (See table A-1.)
Approximately 7.9 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more
than one job in April, comprising 6.1 percent of all employed persons.
(See table A-9.)
Both the civilian labor force, 136.1 million persons (seasonally
adjusted), and the labor force participation rate, 67.2 percent, were
essentially unchanged in April. The labor force has shown substantial
growth since the beginning of last year. (See table A-1.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.5 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in April--that is, they wanted and were

- 2 Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
|
Quarterly
|
Monthly data
|
|
averages
|
|
|_________________|__________________________|Mar.Category
| 1996 | 19971/ |
19971/
|Apr.
|________|________|__________________________|change
|
IV
|
I
| Feb. | Mar. | Apr. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA
|
Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 134,830| 135,934| 135,634| 136,319| 136,098|
-221
Employment..........| 127,705| 128,728| 128,430| 129,175| 129,384|
209
Unemployment........|
7,124|
7,206|
7,205|
7,144|
6,714|
-430
Not in labor force....| 66,627| 66,462| 66,754| 66,194| 66,577|
383
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........|
5.3|
5.3|
5.3|
5.2|
4.9|
-0.3
Adult men...........|
4.4|
4.5|
4.4|
4.4|
4.2|
-.2
Adult women.........|
4.8|
4.7|
4.7|
4.7|
4.4|
-.3
Teenagers...........|
16.6|
17.0|
17.5|
16.4|
15.4|
-1.0
White...............|
4.6|
4.5|
4.5|
4.5|
4.2|
-.3
Black...............|
10.6|
10.9|
11.3|
10.7|
9.8|
-.9
Hispanic origin.....|
8.0|
8.3|
8.1|
8.6|
8.1|
-.5
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA
|
Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 120,509|p121,238| 121,296|p121,435|p121,577|
p142
Goods-producing 2/..| 24,320| p24,469| 24,508| p24,499| p24,442|
p-57
Construction......|
5,492| p5,596|
5,639| p5,614| p5,570|
p-44
Manufacturing.....| 18,262| p18,304| 18,299| p18,316| p18,302|
p-14
Service-producing 2/| 96,189| p96,769| 96,788| p96,936| p97,135|
p199
Retail trade......| 21,864| p21,952| 21,940| p21,993| p22,025|
p32
Services..........| 34,785| p35,096| 35,101| p35,173| p35,266|
p93
Government........| 19,510| p19,557| 19,577| p19,550| p19,582|
p32
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Hours of work 3/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........|
34.6|
p34.7|
34.9|
p34.9|
p34.6| p-0.3
Manufacturing.......|
41.8|
p41.9|
41.9|
p42.1|
p42.2|
p.1
Overtime..........|
4.5|
p4.8|
4.7|
p4.9|
p5.0|
p.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Earnings 3/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, |
|
|
|
|
|
total private.......| $11.98| p$12.10| $12.10| p$12.15| p$12.14|p-$0.01
Avg. weekly earnings, |
|
|
|
|
|
total private.......| 414.00| p419.48| 422.29| p424.04| p420.04| p-4.00
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Beginning in January 1997, household data reflect revised
population controls used in the survey.
2/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
3/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.

- 3 available for work, and had looked for jobs sometime in the prior 12 months.
The number of discouraged workers--a subset of the marginally attached who
were not currently looking for jobs specifically because they believed no
jobs were available for them or there were none for which they would
qualify--was 379,000 in April. (See table A-9.)
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 142,000 in April to 121.6
million, after seasonal adjustment. Job gains in many of the serviceproducing industries were offset somewhat by declines in construction and
manufacturing. (See table B-1.)
The services industry added 93,000 jobs in April, in line with the
average monthly change for the past year. Health services and engineering
and management services recorded strong increases of 34,000 and 29,000,
respectively. Social services had a relatively large job gain for the
second month in a row. In contrast, business services added only 19,000
jobs, as continued expansion in computer and data processing employment was
partly offset by a small decline in help supply services. Job growth in
help supply services has been both slow and sporadic since August.
Employment in amusement and recreation services declined in April,
reflecting, in part, slow seasonal hiring due to unusually cold weather
during the survey reference period.
In April, job growth continued in finance and real estate; insurance
also posted a gain. Strong job growth continued in transportation and
communications for the fourth consecutive month. Retail trade added 32,000
jobs in April, somewhat below the average monthly gain of the past year.
An employment increase of 46,000 in eating and drinking places offset a
loss of similar magnitude in March. Employment in general merchandise
stores declined in April, following a large increase in the prior month.
Employment in wholesale trade was unchanged in April after 2 months of
growth.
Government employment rose by 32,000 in April. The noneducation
component of local government increased by 19,000, following 2 months
without growth. Federal employment, which was unchanged over the month,
has declined by 275,000 since the most recent peak in May 1992.
Construction employment fell by 44,000 in April (after seasonal
adjustment); it had declined by 25,000 in March. Unfavorable weather in
both months contributed to this weakness. In contrast, the industry had a
substantial employment gain in February, when the weather was much warmer
than normal.
Manufacturing employment declined by 14,000 in April, following a gain
of 75,000 over the prior 6 months. Motor vehicles and equipment lost
13,000 jobs in April, mostly due to temporary shutdowns for inventory
control and a strike of 3,500 workers. Employment growth continued in
industrial machinery, fabricated metals, and aircraft; gains in these three
industries totaled 14,000 over the month and 102,000 over the past year.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls fell by 0.3 hour in April, to 34.6 hours, seasonally
adjusted. The manufacturing workweek edged up by 0.1 hour to 42.2 hours,

- 4 matching its post-World War II high reached in January 1995. Factory
overtime edged up to 5.0 hours, the highest level since the series began in
1956. (See table B-2.)
Reflecting the decline in the average workweek, the index of aggregate
weekly hours of private production or nonsupervisory workers on nonfarm
payrolls dropped by 0.8 percent to 139.6 (1982=100) in April, on a
seasonally adjusted basis. The manufacturing index, in contrast, edged up
by 0.2 percent to 107.6. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of private production or nonsupervisory workers
edged down 1 cent in April to $12.14, seasonally adjusted, following gains
totaling 11 cents in the first quarter. Average weekly earnings were down
0.9 percent to $420.04 in April. Over the past year, average hourly
earnings have increased by 3.6 percent and average weekly earnings by 4.5
percent. (See table B-3.)
________________________________________
The Employment Situation for May 1997 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, June 6, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).
-----------------------------------------------------------------|
Revisions in the Establishment Survey Data
|
| The Employment Situation news release of May data in June will |
|introduce revisions in the establishment-based series on nonfarm |
|payroll employment, hours, and earnings to reflect the regular
|
|annual benchmark adjustments for March 1996 and updated seasonal |
|adjustment factors.
|
| This year's benchmark process affects all unadjusted series
|
|from April 1995 forward. In addition, the unadjusted data from
|
|January 1988 forward for selected series in the transportation
|
|and public utilities division will be revised to reflect industry |
|coding changes for a group of employers within the airline and
|
|trucking industries. These recomputations will have a slight
|
|effect on higher level aggregate series, including total nonfarm |
|employment.
|
| All seasonally adjusted series will be revised from January
|
|1988 forward to incorporate an updated version of the X-12
|
|ARIMA seasonal adjustment software. Seasonal adjustment factors |
|for March through October 1997 will be available on May 30, 1 week|
|prior to the release of the May estimates, on the Internet
|
|(http://stats.bls.gov:80/ceshome.htm) or by calling
|
|(202) 606-6555.
|
------------------------------------------------------------------

- 5 Explanatory Note

This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the
information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears
in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
The establishment survey provides the information on the employment,
hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B
tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from
payroll records by BLS in cooperation with State agencies. In June 1996,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing over 47 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
individuals are counted only once, even if
the establishment survey, employees working
appearing on more than one payroll would be
appearance.

of individuals, because
they hold more than one job. In
at more than one job and thus
counted separately for each

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 agesex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration,
reasons, or more detailed age categories.
The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are
recalculated twice a year. For the household survey, the factors are
calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December

- 7 period. For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal
adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along
with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period. In both
surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject
to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the
entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample
selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the
estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total
employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus
376,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000
from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the
monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100,000 +/- 376,000).
These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these
magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range
includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment
rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely
(at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact,
occurred. The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in
unemployment is +/- 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment
rate it is +/- .21 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have
lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates
which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of
estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as
for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can
also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling
error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2
months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason,
these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after
two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.
Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is
the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new
firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth
(and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is
included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number
of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change. The size of the

- 8 monthly bias adjustment is based largely on past relationships between the
sample-based estimates of employment and the total counts of employment
described below.
The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted
once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment
obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program.
The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and the
March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a
rough proxy for total survey error. The new benchmarks also incorporate
changes in the classification of industries. Over the past decade, the
benchmark revision for total nonfarm employment has averaged 0.2 percent,
ranging from zero to 0.6 percent.
Additional statistics and other information
More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings,
published each month by BLS. It is available for $13.00 per issue or
$35.00 per year from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402. All orders must be prepaid by sending a check or money order
payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or by charging to Mastercard or
Visa.
Employment and Earnings also provides measures of sampling error for the
household survey data published in this release. For unemployment and
other labor force categories, these measures appear in tables 1-B through 1H 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: 202-6065897; 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

Apr.
1996

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population............
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate......................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio.............
Agriculture...............................
Nonagricultural industries................
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.......................
Not in labor force............................

200,101
132,512
66.2
125,388
62.7
3,344
122,044
7,124
5.4
67,589

202,513
135,524
66.9
128,125
63.3
3,166
124,959
7,399
5.5
66,989

202,674
135,180
66.7
128,629
63.5
3,425
125,205
6,551
4.8
67,494

200,101
133,427
66.7
126,125
63.0
3,412
122,713
7,302
5.5
66,674

201,636
135,022
67.0
127,855
63.4
3,426
124,429
7,167
5.3
66,614

202,285
135,848
67.2
128,580
63.6
3,468
125,112
7,268
5.4
66,437

202,388
135,634
67.0
128,430
63.5
3,292
125,138
7,205
5.3
66,754

202,513
136,319
67.3
129,175
63.8
3,386
125,789
7,144
5.2
66,194

202,674
136,098
67.2
129,384
63.8
3,497
125,887
6,714
4.9
66,577

95,955
71,450
74.5
67,415
70.3
4,036
5.6

97,386
72,731
74.7
68,573
70.4
4,158
5.7

97,474
72,755
74.6
69,105
70.9
3,650
5.0

95,955
71,922
75.0
67,932
70.8
3,990
5.5

96,742
72,414
74.9
68,707
71.0
3,707
5.1

97,264
73,106
75.2
69,164
71.1
3,942
5.4

97,320
72,987
75.0
69,232
71.1
3,755
5.1

97,386
73,268
75.2
69,478
71.3
3,790
5.2

97,474
73,232
75.1
69,627
71.4
3,604
4.9

88,440
67,624
76.5
64,296
72.7
2,283
62,014
3,328
4.9

89,604
68,937
76.9
65,502
73.1
2,244
63,257
3,435
5.0

89,680
68,933
76.9
65,956
73.5
2,396
63,560
2,976
4.3

88,440
67,829
76.7
64,573
73.0
2,310
62,263
3,256
4.8

89,040
68,369
76.8
65,367
73.4
2,356
63,011
3,002
4.4

89,446
68,998
77.1
65,813
73.6
2,364
63,449
3,185
4.6

89,556
68,827
76.9
65,818
73.5
2,276
63,542
3,009
4.4

89,604
69,111
77.1
66,066
73.7
2,362
63,703
3,045
4.4

89,680
69,147
77.1
66,243
73.9
2,428
63,815
2,904
4.2

Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate......................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio.............
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.......................
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate......................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio.............
Agriculture...............................
Nonagricultural industries................
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.......................
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 104,146 105,127 105,200 104,146 104,894 105,022 105,068 105,127 105,200
Civilian labor force.......................... 61,062 62,794 62,426 61,505 62,608 62,742 62,647 63,051 62,866
Participation rate......................
58.6
59.7
59.3
59.1
59.7
59.7
59.6
60.0
59.8
Employed.................................... 57,973 59,552 59,525 58,193 59,148 59,416 59,197 59,697 59,756
Employment-population ratio.............
55.7
56.6
56.6
55.9
56.4
56.6
56.3
56.8
56.8
Unemployed..................................
3,089
3,241
2,901
3,312
3,460
3,327
3,450
3,354
3,109
Unemployment rate.......................
5.1
5.2
4.6
5.4
5.5
5.3
5.5
5.3
4.9
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population............
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate......................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio.............
Agriculture...............................
Nonagricultural industries................
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.......................

96,856
57,636
59.5
55,081
56.9
834
54,247
2,555
4.4

97,638
59,160
60.6
56,442
57.8
710
55,732
2,718
4.6

97,685
58,794
60.2
56,388
57.7
775
55,613
2,406
4.1

96,856
57,817
59.7
55,075
56.9
842
54,233
2,742
4.7

97,457
58,728
60.3
55,871
57.3
772
55,099
2,857
4.9

97,520
58,894
60.4
56,165
57.6
797
55,369
2,729
4.6

97,571
58,743
60.2
55,954
57.3
775
55,179
2,788
4.7

97,638
59,130
60.6
56,359
57.7
739
55,620
2,771
4.7

97,685
58,974
60.4
56,392
57.7
779
55,613
2,581
4.4

14,805
7,252
49.0
6,011
40.6
227
5,784
1,241
17.1

15,271
7,428
48.6
6,182
40.5
212
5,970
1,246
16.8

15,309
7,453
48.7
6,285
41.1
253
6,031
1,169
15.7

14,805
7,781
52.6
6,477
43.7
260
6,217
1,304
16.8

15,139
7,925
52.3
6,617
43.7
298
6,319
1,308
16.5

15,318
7,956
51.9
6,601
43.1
307
6,294
1,354
17.0

15,261
8,065
52.8
6,657
43.6
240
6,417
1,408
17.5

15,271
8,078
52.9
6,750
44.2
285
6,465
1,328
16.4

15,309
7,977
52.1
6,748
44.1
290
6,458
1,229
15.4

Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population...........
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate......................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio.............
Agriculture...............................
Nonagricultural industries................
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.......................

1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-2.

Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, age, and Hispanic origin

(Numbers in thousands)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted(1)

Employment status, race, sex, age, and
Hispanic origin
Apr.
1996

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population............ 167,973 169,569 169,675 167,973 169,044 169,436 169,492 169,569 169,675
Civilian labor force.......................... 111,965 114,135 113,867 112,720 113,991 114,377 114,333 114,736 114,618
Participation rate........................
66.7
67.3
67.1
67.1
67.4
67.5
67.5
67.7
67.6
Employed.................................... 106,724 108,745 109,177 107,364 108,734 109,151 109,197 109,630 109,831
Employment-population ratio...............
63.5
64.1
64.3
63.9
64.3
64.4
64.4
64.7
64.7
Unemployed..................................
5,241
5,389
4,690
5,356
5,257
5,226
5,136
5,106
4,786
Unemployment rate.........................
4.7
4.7
4.1
4.8
4.6
4.6
4.5
4.5
4.2
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate........................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.........................

58,003
77.0
55,499
73.7
2,504
4.3

59,000
77.5
56,411
74.1
2,589
4.4

58,983
77.4
56,772
74.5
2,212
3.7

58,193
77.3
55,765
74.0
2,428
4.2

58,623
77.4
56,356
74.4
2,267
3.9

59,042
77.7
56,653
74.5
2,388
4.0

58,968
77.5
56,692
74.5
2,275
3.9

59,161
77.7
56,923
74.8
2,238
3.8

59,196
77.7
57,057
74.9
2,139
3.6

Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate........................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.........................

47,821
59.1
45,983
56.8
1,838
3.8

48,852
60.1
46,962
57.7
1,891
3.9

48,526
59.6
46,902
57.6
1,624
3.3

47,977
59.3
45,984
56.8
1,993
4.2

48,686
59.9
46,614
57.3
2,072
4.3

48,631
59.8
46,750
57.5
1,881
3.9

48,619
59.8
46,747
57.5
1,872
3.9

48,832
60.0
46,915
57.7
1,917
3.9

48,662
59.8
46,902
57.6
1,759
3.6

Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate........................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.........................
Men.....................................
Women...................................

6,141
52.4
5,242
44.7
899
14.6
15.8
13.4

6,282
51.8
5,373
44.3
910
14.5
16.0
12.8

6,357
52.4
5,503
45.4
854
13.4
14.7
12.1

6,550
55.9
5,615
47.9
935
14.3
15.3
13.1

6,682
55.6
5,764
48.0
918
13.7
14.8
12.6

6,704
55.3
5,747
47.4
957
14.3
14.9
13.6

6,746
55.6
5,758
47.5
988
14.6
14.6
14.7

6,742
55.6
5,792
47.7
951
14.1
15.0
13.1

6,760
55.7
5,872
48.4
888
13.1
14.3
11.9

BLACK
Civilian noninstitutional population............
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate........................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.........................

23,519
14,900
63.4
13,368
56.8
1,532
10.3

23,895
15,325
64.1
13,677
57.2
1,649
10.8

23,923
15,265
63.8
13,801
57.7
1,463
9.6

23,519
15,004
63.8
13,432
57.1
1,572
10.5

23,794
15,306
64.3
13,693
57.5
1,613
10.5

23,847
15,372
64.5
13,709
57.5
1,663
10.8

23,872
15,408
64.5
13,672
57.3
1,736
11.3

23,895
15,439
64.6
13,784
57.7
1,655
10.7

23,923
15,365
64.2
13,863
57.9
1,503
9.8

Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate........................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.........................

6,716
71.5
6,067
64.6
648
9.7

6,812
71.7
6,149
64.7
663
9.7

6,796
71.3
6,221
65.3
575
8.5

6,724
71.6
6,081
64.8
643
9.6

6,833
72.0
6,235
65.7
598
8.8

6,829
71.8
6,198
65.2
632
9.2

6,765
71.0
6,159
64.7
605
9.0

6,803
71.6
6,173
65.0
629
9.3

6,805
71.4
6,234
65.4
571
8.4

Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate........................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.........................

7,308
61.9
6,707
56.8
601
8.2

7,628
63.7
6,928
57.9
700
9.2

7,631
63.7
6,997
58.4
635
8.3

7,319
62.0
6,706
56.8
613
8.4

7,544
63.3
6,851
57.5
693
9.2

7,574
63.4
6,880
57.6
694
9.2

7,636
63.9
6,851
57.3
785
10.3

7,641
63.9
6,934
57.9
706
9.2

7,641
63.8
6,997
58.4
644
8.4

877
37.6
594
25.5
283
32.3
35.0
29.5

886
36.5
600
24.8
285
32.2
43.7
22.0

838
34.7
583
24.2
254
30.4
37.4
23.4

961
41.3
645
27.7
316
32.9
34.9
30.8

929
38.9
607
25.4
322
34.7
38.6
31.2

969
40.4
631
26.3
337
34.8
42.7
27.5

1,007
42.0
662
27.6
346
34.3
37.4
31.3

996
41.1
676
27.9
319
32.1
41.4
23.7

920
38.1
632
26.2
287
31.2
37.3
25.3

19,080
12,417
65.1
11,260
59.0
1,158
9.3

20,119
13,620
67.7
12,381
61.5
1,239
9.1

20,180
13,427
66.5
12,358
61.2
1,069
8.0

19,080
12,552
65.8
11,357
59.5
1,195
9.5

19,505
13,150
67.4
12,141
62.2
1,009
7.7

20,013
13,795
68.9
12,653
63.2
1,142
8.3

20,067
13,640
68.0
12,538
62.5
1,102
8.1

20,119
13,662
67.9
12,493
62.1
1,169
8.6

20,180
13,572
67.3
12,470
61.8
1,102
8.1

Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate........................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.........................
Men.....................................
Women...................................
HISPANIC ORIGIN
Civilian noninstitutional population............
Civilian labor force..........................
Participation rate........................
Employed....................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Unemployed..................................
Unemployment rate.........................

1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races"
group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January
1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-3. Selected employment indicators
(In thousands)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Category

Apr.
1996

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over............... 125,388 128,125 128,629 126,125 127,855 128,580 128,430 129,175 129,384
Married men, spouse present................... 42,152 42,339 42,371 42,127 42,607 42,909 42,513 42,509 42,329
Married women, spouse present................. 32,123 32,830 32,603 31,983 32,631 32,826 32,578 32,699 32,473
Women who maintain families...................
7,426
7,812
7,908
7,366
7,500
7,501
7,556
7,720
7,838
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty.........
Technical, sales, and administrative support..
Service occupations...........................
Precision production, craft, and repair.......
Operators, fabricators, and laborers..........
Farming, forestry, and fishing................

36,094
37,450
17,074
13,364
17,975
3,431

37,811
38,044
17,275
13,887
17,931
3,177

37,565
37,998
17,319
14,087
18,183
3,478

36,116
37,584
17,033
13,572
18,206
3,561

37,234
37,902
17,271
13,574
18,310
3,496

37,478
38,163
17,171
13,902
18,317
3,528

37,525
38,073
17,170
14,140
18,144
3,388

37,723
38,158
17,292
14,200
18,234
3,507

37,599
38,150
17,267
14,301
18,415
3,605

CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers.....................
1,830
1,764
1,965
1,852
1,878
1,988
1,932
1,905
1,989
Self-employed workers.......................
1,466
1,348
1,393
1,502
1,475
1,448
1,353
1,414
1,424
Unpaid family workers.......................
48
55
67
51
66
62
15
59
70
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers..................... 112,936 115,601 115,947 113,577 115,212 115,560 115,987 116,533 116,608
Government................................ 18,564 18,282 18,307 18,307 18,266 18,385 18,144 17,994 18,036
Private industries........................ 94,372 97,319 97,640 95,270 96,946 97,176 97,843 98,539 98,572
Private households......................
827
875
871
873
934
1,002
882
869
922
Other industries........................ 93,545 96,444 96,769 94,397 96,012 96,174 96,962 97,671 97,650
Self-employed workers.......................
9,008
9,245
9,132
9,045
9,109
9,445
9,124
9,292
9,159
Unpaid family workers.......................
101
113
126
104
149
162
136
108
130
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons..............
Slack work or business conditions.........
Could only find part-time work............
Part time for noneconomic reasons...........

4,299
2,501
1,522
18,291

4,277
2,459
1,542
18,918

4,244
2,419
1,571
19,139

4,466
2,581
1,577
17,712

4,338
2,353
1,653
17,868

4,426
2,423
1,552
18,340

4,262
2,378
1,550
18,070

4,153
2,344
1,518
18,120

4,402
2,491
1,629
18,176

Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons..............
Slack work or business conditions.........
Could only find part-time work............
Part time for noneconomic reasons...........

4,081
2,362
1,491
17,690

4,075
2,329
1,516
18,338

4,066
2,279
1,547
18,562

4,251
2,462
1,543
17,068

4,162
2,214
1,622
17,237

4,163
2,310
1,512
17,737

4,098
2,277
1,523
17,452

3,937
2,210
1,475
17,565

4,235
2,374
1,603
17,661

NOTE: Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for
reasons such as vacation, illness, or industrial dispute. Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually
work full time but worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad
weather. Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-4. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted

Number of
unemployed persons
(in thousands)

Unemployment rates(1)

Category
Apr.
1996

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Total, 16 years and over.......................
Men, 20 years and over.......................
Women, 20 years and over.....................
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years...................

7,302
3,256
2,742
1,304

7,144
3,045
2,771
1,328

6,714
2,904
2,581
1,229

5.5
4.8
4.7
16.8

5.3
4.4
4.9
16.5

5.4
4.6
4.6
17.0

5.3
4.4
4.7
17.5

5.2
4.4
4.7
16.4

4.9
4.2
4.4
15.4

Married men, spouse present..................
Married women, spouse present................
Women who maintain families..................

1,307
1,223
582

1,218
1,096
769

1,161
1,026
637

3.0
3.7
7.3

3.0
3.7
8.4

2.8
3.3
9.1

2.8
3.4
9.0

2.8
3.2
9.1

2.7
3.1
7.5

Full-time workers............................
Part-time workers............................

5,876
1,448

5,736
1,428

5,329
1,415

5.4
5.9

5.2
5.8

5.2
5.7

5.1
6.0

5.1
5.7

4.8
5.7

859
1,750
799
1,565
303

787
1,702
732
1,616
279

755
1,683
714
1,453
256

2.3
4.4
5.6
7.9
7.8

2.4
4.6
5.4
7.6
7.7

2.1
4.4
5.3
7.9
7.5

2.1
4.3
4.7
8.1
7.5

2.0
4.3
4.9
8.1
7.4

2.0
4.2
4.8
7.3
6.6

5,705
1,714
26
685
1,003
576
427
3,991
299
1,712
181
1,799
545
228

5,447
1,615
26
674
915
467
448
3,832
296
1,675
247
1,614
523
200

5,221
1,578
13
618
947
457
490
3,643
208
1,658
255
1,522
438
212

5.6
6.1
4.6
10.3
4.8
4.7
5.0
5.5
4.2
6.5
2.4
5.6
2.9
11.0

5.4
5.9
7.6
9.4
4.8
4.7
5.0
5.2
4.0
6.2
3.1
5.2
3.0
10.3

5.4
6.0
6.0
10.1
4.6
4.4
4.8
5.2
4.1
6.4
3.5
4.9
2.9
8.6

5.3
5.6
4.2
9.0
4.5
4.0
5.3
5.2
4.3
6.5
3.0
5.0
2.9
8.8

5.2
5.5
4.0
9.6
4.3
3.6
5.2
5.1
4.1
6.3
3.2
4.8
2.8
9.5

5.0
5.4
2.0
8.7
4.4
3.6
5.8
4.9
2.8
6.2
3.4
4.6
2.4
9.6

CHARACTERISTIC

OCCUPATION(2)
Managerial and professional specialty........
Technical, sales, and administrative support.
Precision production, craft, and repair......
Operators, fabricators, and laborers.........
Farming, forestry, and fishing...............
INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary
workers......................................
Goods-producing industries.................
Mining...................................
Construction.............................
Manufacturing............................
Durable goods..........................
Nondurable goods.......................
Service-producing industries...............
Transportation and public utilities......
Wholesale and retail trade...............
Finance, insurance, and real estate......
Services.................................
Government workers...........................
Agricultural wage and salary workers.........

1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which
is small relative to the trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-5. Duration of unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Duration
Apr.
1996

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Less than 5 weeks..............................
5 to 14 weeks..................................
15 weeks and over..............................
15 to 26 weeks..............................
27 weeks and over...........................

2,221
2,133
2,770
1,343
1,427

2,313
2,663
2,423
1,259
1,164

2,131
1,981
2,439
1,293
1,147

2,450
2,330
2,387
1,098
1,289

2,671
2,357
2,179
976
1,203

2,801
2,223
2,155
943
1,212

2,591
2,382
2,163
1,025
1,138

2,650
2,380
2,064
1,001
1,063

2,354
2,156
2,092
1,058
1,034

Average (mean) duration, in weeks..............
Median duration, in weeks......................

18.9
10.6

16.3
9.3

16.7
10.2

17.3
8.6

15.8
7.8

16.0
7.7

16.0
8.4

15.3
7.9

15.2
8.3

100.0
31.2
29.9
38.9
18.8
20.0

100.0
31.3
36.0
32.7
17.0
15.7

100.0
32.5
30.2
37.2
19.7
17.5

100.0
34.2
32.5
33.3
15.3
18.0

100.0
37.1
32.7
30.2
13.5
16.7

100.0
39.0
31.0
30.0
13.1
16.9

100.0
36.3
33.4
30.3
14.4
15.9

100.0
37.4
33.6
29.1
14.1
15.0

100.0
35.7
32.7
31.7
16.0
15.7

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED

PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed...............................
Less than 5 weeks............................
5 to 14 weeks................................
15 weeks and over............................
15 to 26 weeks.............................
27 weeks and over..........................

NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-6. Reason for unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)

Not seasonally
adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Reason

Apr.
1996

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

3,610
1,094
2,517
1,828
689
694
2,291
530

3,493
1,250
2,243
1,560
683
808
2,530
568

3,050
988
2,062
1,453
609
723
2,239
540

3,535
1,092
2,443
(1)
(1)
723
2,487
567

3,221
987
2,234
(1)
(1)
845
2,556
626

3,245
953
2,293
(1)
(1)
890
2,505
600

3,163
944
2,218
(1)
(1)
787
2,648
647

3,187
1,021
2,167
(1)
(1)
784
2,535
647

2,979
976
2,003
(1)
(1)
754
2,420
577

50.7
15.4
35.3
9.7
32.2
7.4

47.2
16.9
30.3
10.9
34.2
7.7

46.6
15.1
31.5
11.0
34.2
8.2

48.3
14.9
33.4
9.9
34.0
7.8

44.4
13.6
30.8
11.7
35.3
8.6

44.8
13.2
31.7
12.3
34.6
8.3

43.7
13.0
30.6
10.9
36.6
8.9

44.6
14.3
30.3
11.0
35.4
9.0

44.3
14.5
29.8
11.2
36.0
8.6

2.7
.5
1.7
.4

2.6
.6
1.9
.4

2.3
.5
1.7
.4

2.6
.5
1.9
.4

2.4
.6
1.9
.5

2.4
.7
1.8
.4

2.3
.6
2.0
.5

2.3
.6
1.9
.5

2.2
.6
1.8
.4

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs.....
On temporary layoff...................................
Not on temporary layoff...............................
Permanent job losers................................
Persons who completed temporary jobs................
Job leavers.............................................
Reentrants..............................................
New entrants............................................
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed........................................
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs....
On temporary layoff..................................
Not on temporary layoff..............................
Job leavers............................................
Reentrants.............................................
New entrants...........................................
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs....
Job leavers............................................
Reentrants.............................................
New entrants...........................................

1 Not available.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-7. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization
(Percent)

Not seasonally
adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Measure

Apr.
1996

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer,
as a percent of the civilian labor force.......................

2.1

1.8

1.8

1.8

1.6

1.6

1.6

1.5

1.5

U-2 Job losers and persons who completed
temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian
labor force....................................................

2.7

2.6

2.3

2.6

2.4

2.4

2.3

2.3

2.2

U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the
civilian labor force (official unemployment rate)..............

5.4

5.5

4.8

5.5

5.3

5.4

5.3

5.2

4.9

U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged
workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force
plus discouraged workers.......................................

5.7

5.7

5.1

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other
marginally attached workers, as a percent of the civilian
labor force plus all marginally attached workers...............

6.4

6.5

5.9

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus
total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of
the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers..

9.7

9.6

9.0

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

1 Not available.
NOTE: This range of alternative measures of labor underutilization replaces the U1-U7 range published in table A-7
of this release prior to 1994. Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking
for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past.
Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently
looking for a job. Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time
work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule. For further information, see "BLS introduces new range of
alternative unemployment measures," in the October 1995 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Beginning in January 1997,
data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-8. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted

Number of
unemployed persons
(in thousands)

Unemployment rates(1)

Age and sex

Apr.
1996

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997

Apr.
1997

Total, 16 years and over..........................
16 to 24 years..................................
16 to 19 years................................
16 to 17 years..............................
18 to 19 years..............................
20 to 24 years................................
25 years and over...............................
25 to 54 years................................
55 years and over.............................

7,302
2,533
1,304
621
692
1,229
4,748
4,203
525

7,144
2,554
1,328
637
697
1,226
4,591
4,018
550

6,714
2,449
1,229
618
617
1,220
4,253
3,750
487

5.5
11.9
16.8
19.0
15.3
9.1
4.2
4.4
3.3

5.3
11.9
16.5
19.3
14.7
9.1
4.1
4.2
3.3

5.4
12.2
17.0
17.7
16.6
9.4
4.0
4.2
3.1

5.3
12.0
17.5
19.7
15.2
8.7
4.1
4.2
3.0

5.2
11.8
16.4
19.4
14.6
9.0
4.0
4.1
3.3

4.9
11.4
15.4
18.5
13.3
9.0
3.7
3.8
3.0

Men, 16 years and over..........................
16 to 24 years................................
16 to 19 years..............................
16 to 17 years............................
18 to 19 years............................
20 to 24 years..............................
25 years and over.............................
25 to 54 years..............................
55 years and over...........................

3,990
1,430
734
357
391
696
2,551
2,288
273

3,790
1,384
745
368
386
640
2,390
2,058
323

3,604
1,331
701
350
362
631
2,267
2,003
272

5.5
12.8
17.9
21.2
16.2
9.8
4.2
4.4
3.1

5.1
12.3
17.4
20.6
15.4
9.3
3.8
3.9
3.4

5.4
12.9
18.4
20.4
17.1
9.8
4.0
4.1
3.2

5.1
12.0
17.9
19.6
15.4
8.6
3.9
4.0
3.3

5.2
12.2
17.9
21.4
15.7
8.9
3.9
3.9
3.5

4.9
11.8
17.2
20.5
15.2
8.7
3.7
3.8
3.0

Women, 16 years and over........................
16 to 24 years................................
16 to 19 years..............................
16 to 17 years............................
18 to 19 years............................
20 to 24 years..............................
25 years and over.............................
25 to 54 years..............................
55 years and over...........................

3,312
1,103
570
264
301
533
2,197
1,915
252

3,354
1,170
583
269
311
587
2,202
1,960
227

3,109
1,118
528
268
255
589
1,986
1,747
214

5.4
11.0
15.5
16.7
14.3
8.4
4.3
4.3
3.6

5.5
11.4
15.5
18.1
14.0
8.9
4.5
4.7
3.3

5.3
11.4
15.5
14.9
16.2
8.9
4.1
4.3
2.9

5.5
11.9
16.9
19.7
15.0
8.8
4.2
4.5
2.6

5.3
11.3
14.9
17.1
13.3
9.1
4.2
4.3
3.1

4.9
10.9
13.6
16.5
11.3
9.3
3.8
3.9
3.0

1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-9. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)

Total

Men

Women

Category
Apr.
1996

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Apr.
1997

Apr.
1996

Apr.
1997

67,589
5,378
1,516

67,494
4,836
1,480

24,504
2,265
749

24,719
2,070
700

43,084
3,113
767

42,775
2,766
780

403
1,113

379
1,101

270
479

206
494

133
634

173
606

Total multiple jobholders(4)....................................
Percent of total employed...................................

7,500
6.0

7,874
6.1

4,117
6.1

4,123
6.0

3,383
5.8

3,751
6.3

Primary job full time, secondary job part time..............
Primary and secondary jobs both part time...................
Primary and secondary jobs both full time...................
Hours vary on primary or secondary job......................

4,250
1,690
241
1,301

4,445
1,826
221
1,351

2,594
544
169
796

2,631
559
162
762

1,655
1,146
72
506

1,814
1,267
59
590

NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE

Total not in the labor force....................................
Persons who currently want a job..............................
Searched for work and available to work now(1).............
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects(2)..................
Reasons other than discouragement(3)...............
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS

1 Data refer to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available to take a job during
the reference week.
2 Includes thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or
old, and other types of discrimination.
3 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as child-care and
transportation problems, as well as a small number for which reason for nonparticipation was not determined.
4 Includes persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown
separately.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry
(In thousands)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Industry
Apr.
1996

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997p

Apr.
1997p

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997p

Apr.
1997p

Total......................... 118,765 119,717 120,534 121,369 118,922 120,723 120,982 121,296 121,435 121,577
Total private....................

98,980

99,865 100,566 101,405

99,527 101,199 101,438 101,719 101,885 101,995

Goods-producing.........................

23,968

23,824

23,971

24,192

24,209

24,356

24,399

24,508

24,499

24,442

Mining................................
Metal mining........................
Coal mining.........................
Oil and gas extraction..............
Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels..

567
50.5
100.3
308.5
107.2

556
51.1
95.9
307.5
101.4

558
51.3
95.8
306.4
104.5

564
51.6
96.0
307.9
108.2

573
51
101
314
107

566
52
97
308
109

568
52
97
309
110

570
52
96
312
110

569
52
96
311
110

570
52
97
313
108

Construction..........................
5,199
5,087
5,197
5,411
General building contractors........ 1,188.0 1,185.8 1,195.6 1,220.9
Heavy construction, except building.
742.2
650.5
678.9
739.3
Special trade contractors........... 3,268.4 3,250.6 3,322.2 3,450.7

5,353
1,227
765
3,361

5,520
1,250
766
3,504

5,535
1,260
765
3,510

5,639
1,271
784
3,584

5,614
1,267
773
3,574

5,570
1,259
761
3,550

Manufacturing.........................
Production workers................

18,202
12,566

18,181
12,546

18,216
12,577

18,217
12,574

18,283
12,624

18,270
12,616

18,296
12,636

18,299
12,642

18,316
12,651

18,302
12,638

Durable goods........................
Production workers................
Lumber and wood products............
Furniture and fixtures..............
Stone, clay, and glass products.....
Primary metal industries............
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products.......................
Fabricated metal products...........
Industrial machinery and equipment..
Computer and office equipment.....
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................
Electronic components and
accessories....................
Transportation equipment............
Motor vehicles and equipment......
Aircraft and parts................
Instruments and related products....
Miscellaneous manufacturing.........

10,639
7,288
748.8
497.3
533.0
703.7

10,694
7,329
760.2
503.6
518.9
702.9

10,728
7,360
764.3
504.3
525.5
703.0

10,740
7,369
769.4
501.6
535.1
702.3

10,654
7,289
761
498
534
704

10,710
7,333
771
503
539
702

10,734
7,355
771
503
539
703

10,746
7,368
775
505
540
703

10,764
7,382
781
506
538
704

10,761
7,379
781
502
537
703

237.4
233.1
233.0
231.3
1,437.8 1,462.1 1,465.0 1,466.8
2,088.5 2,107.2 2,115.8 2,119.0
356.7
363.8
367.3
368.4

238
1,440
2,086
358

233
1,462
2,092
361

234
1,466
2,101
362

234
1,466
2,106
365

234
1,467
2,111
369

232
1,471
2,117
370

1,646.4 1,640.7 1,640.1 1,640.0

1,650

1,645

1,642

1,643

1,644

1,645

613.0
613.9
617.2
620.1
1,768.1 1,784.3 1,794.6 1,788.9
961.0
953.2
960.3
950.9
447.9
480.0
482.7
486.3
831.2
830.0
829.6
831.2
384.6
383.6
386.1
385.2

615
1,763
955
447
832
386

611
1,776
953
472
834
386

612
1,788
959
476
832
389

614
1,788
954
481
831
389

618
1,796
961
483
830
387

622
1,786
948
487
832
387

Nondurable goods.....................
7,563
7,487
7,488
7,477
Production workers................
5,278
5,217
5,217
5,205
Food and kindred products........... 1,613.2 1,612.3 1,612.8 1,605.9
Tobacco products....................
38.9
41.8
40.1
39.4
Textile mill products...............
636.9
622.8
623.8
622.0
Apparel and other textile products..
857.5
809.2
805.3
804.3
Paper and allied products...........
672.9
669.8
668.7
667.7
Printing and publishing............. 1,525.1 1,521.9 1,524.1 1,523.8
Chemicals and allied products....... 1,021.0 1,012.2 1,013.9 1,014.3
Petroleum and coal products.........
137.8
132.5
132.6
134.2
Rubber and misc. plastics products..
962.4
972.1
973.7
973.5
Leather and leather products........
97.3
92.3
92.7
92.1

7,629
5,335
1,667
41
636
858
677
1,527
1,024
139
962
98

7,560
5,283
1,649
41
628
824
674
1,523
1,016
138
973
94

7,562
5,281
1,659
40
630
818
673
1,523
1,017
136
972
94

7,553
5,274
1,654
41
625
814
674
1,524
1,016
137
975
93

7,552
5,269
1,658
42
626
808
673
1,524
1,017
136
975
93

7,541
5,259
1,656
42
620
806
672
1,527
1,017
135
974
92

97,177

94,713

96,367

96,583

96,788

96,936

97,135

Transportation and public utilities...
6,257
6,332
6,360
6,395
Transportation......................
3,987
4,050
4,070
4,104
Railroad transportation...........
232.6
223.8
223.1
224.8
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................
455.1
476.8
480.5
483.1
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,847.3 1,837.7 1,844.4 1,861.9
Water transportation..............
170.2
168.2
169.9
174.4
Transportation by air.............
833.2
877.9
882.9
886.6
Pipelines, except natural gas.....
13.9
13.7
13.6
13.6
Transportation services...........
434.2
452.1
455.1
459.2
Communications and public utilities.
2,270
2,282
2,290
2,291
Communications.................... 1,373.4 1,404.4 1,411.7 1,416.3
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services.......................
896.2
877.7
878.0
874.7

6,294
4,015
233

6,340
4,057
229

6,378
4,091
229

6,403
4,108
227

6,416
4,115
225

6,434
4,132
225

442
1,882
173
837
14
434
2,279
1,378

462
1,852
172
878
14
450
2,283
1,397

465
1,881
176
876
14
450
2,287
1,404

465
1,890
175
883
14
454
2,295
1,412

467
1,892
176
887
14
454
2,301
1,417

471
1,897
176
890
14
459
2,302
1,423

Service-producing.......................

94,797

95,893

96,563

901

886

883

883

884

879

6,689
3,921
2,768
21,753

6,550
3,844
2,706
21,415

6,655
3,894
2,761
21,931

6,662
3,897
2,765
21,922

6,690
3,914
2,776
21,940

6,709
3,924
2,785
21,993

6,710
3,926
2,784
22,025

901.9
892.9
918.6
968.6
2,573.8 2,657.8 2,681.9 2,657.5
2,264.3 2,349.3 2,377.0 2,349.4
3,365.2 3,432.9 3,430.8 3,440.1

896
2,675
2,360
3,401

948
2,781
2,454
3,461

942
2,736
2,416
3,469

945
2,747
2,432
3,472

956
2,794
2,483
3,479

964
2,780
2,446
3,480

2,244.3 2,292.5 2,304.5 2,319.4
1,022.0 1,044.5 1,047.3 1,049.8
1,070.4 1,069.9 1,073.7 1,075.5

2,253
1,024
1,098

2,313
1,044
1,102

2,315
1,047
1,108

2,322
1,050
1,103

2,328
1,050
1,106

2,328
1,051
1,103

949.2 1,014.4 1,011.3 1,008.9
7,449.3 7,301.3 7,392.3 7,572.6
2,616.2 2,739.3 2,712.8 2,710.6

957
7,468
2,667

1,016
7,558
2,752

1,017
7,571
2,764

1,020
7,574
2,757

1,021
7,539
2,770

1,019
7,585
2,766

Finance, insurance, and real estate...
6,912
7,023
7,056
7,086
Finance.............................
3,294
3,376
3,390
3,400
Depository institutions........... 2,014.7 2,030.0 2,033.8 2,035.2
Commercial banks................ 1,459.1 1,478.2 1,481.7 1,483.3
Savings institutions............
265.4
253.1
252.4
251.6
Nondepository institutions........
505.4
535.9
542.6
546.5
Mortgage bankers and brokers....
228.4
243.1
247.3
249.2
Security and commodity brokers....
532.4
561.3
563.6
567.2
Holding and other investment
offices........................
241.5
248.3
249.6
251.2
Insurance...........................
2,253
2,260
2,264
2,265
Insurance carriers................ 1,546.9 1,545.4 1,544.9 1,543.7
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................
706.2
714.2
719.3
720.8
Real estate.........................
1,365
1,387
1,402
1,421

6,942
3,303
2,023
1,467
265
505
(1)
534

7,052
3,369
2,035
1,480
257
533
(1)
555

7,062
3,379
2,035
1,484
255
536
(1)
560

7,077
3,384
2,037
1,484
255
534
(1)
564

7,095
3,397
2,041
1,488
253
541
(1)
566

7,118
3,410
2,043
1,491
252
546
(1)
570

241
2,256
1,549

246
2,265
1,551

248
2,260
1,549

249
2,264
1,549

249
2,263
1,544

251
2,268
1,546

707
1,383

714
1,418

711
1,423

715
1,429

719
1,435

722
1,440

34,117
606
1,673
1,179
7,085
899
2,569
2,272

34,865
623
1,700
1,183
7,326
885
2,690
2,379

35,015
634
1,711
1,189
7,389
878
2,762
2,448

35,101
638
1,714
1,195
7,414
885
2,732
2,408

35,173
631
1,709
1,191
7,467
883
2,755
2,427

35,266
632
1,708
1,194
7,486
886
2,753
2,422

Wholesale trade.......................
Durable goods.......................
Nondurable goods....................
Retail trade..........................
Building materials and garden
supplies.........................
General merchandise stores..........
Department stores.................
Food stores.........................
Automotive dealers and service
stations.........................
New and used car dealers..........
Apparel and accessory stores........
Furniture and home furnishings
stores...........................
Eating and drinking places..........
Miscellaneous retail establishments.

Services2.............................
Agricultural services...............
Hotels and other lodging places.....
Personal services...................
Business services...................
Services to buildings.............
Personnel supply services.........
Help supply services............

6,530
3,838
2,692
21,170

34,143
612.3
1,625.1
1,237.7
6,998.9
895.8
2,510.8
2,216.9

6,631
3,891
2,740
21,401

34,654
533.1
1,622.7
1,264.3
7,229.9
873.9
2,575.3
2,262.3

6,665
3,909
2,756
21,526

34,988
564.8
1,639.9
1,256.3
7,338.6
877.7
2,653.9
2,331.7

35,290
639.3
1,659.7
1,256.5
7,376.3
883.3
2,668.1
2,341.2

Computer and data processing
services.......................
Auto repair, services, and parking..
Miscellaneous repair services.......
Motion pictures.....................
Amusement and recreation services...
Health services.....................
Offices and clinics of medical
doctors........................
Nursing and personal care
facilities.....................
Hospitals.........................
Home health care services.........
Legal services......................
Educational services................
Social services.....................
Child day care services...........
Residential care..................
Museums and botanical and zoological
gardens...........................
Membership organizations............
Engineering and management services.
Engineering and architectural
services.......................
Management and public relations...
Services, nec.......................
Government............................
Federal.............................
Federal, except Postal Service....
State...............................
Education.........................
Other State government............
Local...............................
Education.........................
Other local government............

1,170.1
1,072.2
361.7
522.0
1,497.6
9,500.4

1,291.7
1,133.8
363.7
533.9
1,381.3
9,694.8

1,319.1
1,148.2
371.4
529.6
1,529.8
9,754.2

1,169
1,072
363
517
1,516
9,520

1,262
1,128
370
532
1,559
9,679

1,277
1,133
369
536
1,565
9,709

1,291
1,143
369
537
1,557
9,721

1,307
1,144
370
530
1,556
9,737

1,320
1,149
372
526
1,541
9,771

1,654.3 1,708.3 1,710.4 1,718.4

1,659

1,697

1,711

1,716

1,716

1,723

1,726.8
3,837.4
654.1
922.0
2,118.8
2,397.3
585.1
658.2

1,766.1
3,897.2
671.0
952.0
2,158.6
2,465.7
600.9
685.4

1,733
3,844
658
926
1,994
2,389
569
661

1,760
3,880
665
943
2,021
2,416
575
676

1,763
3,880
670
944
2,016
2,425
580
678

1,765
3,887
665
946
2,029
2,431
581
679

1,767
3,895
667
953
2,031
2,441
582
684

1,772
3,901
673
958
2,031
2,453
584
688

82.3
79.1
81.2
85.8
2,125.1 2,130.7 2,141.3 2,143.6
2,876.6 2,970.2 2,992.7 3,024.1

84
2,137
2,863

87
2,153
2,952

86
2,154
2,961

87
2,153
2,973

87
2,156
2,976

88
2,157
3,005

1,758.0
3,883.2
661.9
943.3
2,148.3
2,431.7
592.1
676.7

1,307.9
1,143.3
367.2
537.3
1,442.4
9,726.9

1,762.9
3,893.5
666.1
949.2
2,160.1
2,452.4
598.6
682.0

827.7
891.7
45.4

854.6
942.4
46.0

861.4
950.7
46.9

869.9
964.4
47.7

834
893
(3)

859
942
(3)

861
941
(3)

867
949
(3)

873
952
(3)

877
965
(3)

19,785
2,767
1,914.2
4,772
2,095.4
2,677.0
12,246
7,034.2
5,211.4

19,852
2,700
1,848.6
4,748
2,088.3
2,659.9
12,404
7,165.6
5,238.4

19,968
2,702
1,851.2
4,773
2,108.3
2,664.2
12,493
7,228.0
5,265.0

19,964
2,702
1,852.8
4,781
2,111.2
2,669.7
12,481
7,195.1
5,286.2

19,395
2,776
1,919
4,643
1,956
2,687
11,976
6,682
5,294

19,524
2,729
1,870
4,642
1,963
2,679
12,153
6,801
5,352

19,544
2,725
1,860
4,638
1,960
2,678
12,181
6,823
5,358

19,577
2,714
1,860
4,648
1,970
2,678
12,215
6,857
5,358

19,550
2,709
1,858
4,642
1,962
2,680
12,199
6,841
5,358

19,582
2,709
1,857
4,653
1,972
2,681
12,220
6,843
5,377

1 This series is not suitable for seasonal adjustment because it has very little seasonal and irregular movement.
Thus, the not seasonally adjusted series can be used for analysis of cyclical and long-term trends.
2 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
3 This series is not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
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
Apr.
1996

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997p

Apr.
1997p

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997p

Apr.
1997p

Total private....................

34.1

34.5

34.6

34.4

34.3

34.8

34.2

34.9

34.9

34.6

Goods-producing.........................

40.7

40.7

41.2

41.2

41.0

41.3

40.8

41.3

41.4

41.5

Mining................................

44.9

45.6

45.5

45.0

45.0

45.7

44.3

46.2

46.1

45.2

Construction..........................

38.6

37.4

38.3

38.7

38.9

38.8

37.8

39.0

38.9

38.9

Manufacturing.........................
Overtime hours....................

41.2
4.2

41.6
4.5

42.0
4.7

41.8
4.6

41.5
4.6

42.0
4.6

41.7
4.7

41.9
4.7

42.1
4.9

42.2
5.0

Durable goods........................
Overtime hours....................

42.0
4.5

42.5
4.8

42.9
5.1

42.7
5.0

42.4
4.9

42.7
4.9

42.4
5.0

42.8
5.0

42.9
5.3

43.1
5.4

Lumber and wood products............
Furniture and fixtures..............
Stone, clay, and glass products.....
Primary metal industries............
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products.......................
Fabricated metal products...........
Industrial machinery and equipment..
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................
Transportation equipment............
Motor vehicles and equipment......
Instruments and related products....
Miscellaneous manufacturing.........

40.7
38.7
43.2
43.6

40.2
38.9
42.0
44.6

40.7
39.9
42.6
44.8

41.3
39.5
42.9
44.6

40.8
39.2
43.4
43.9

41.0
40.2
43.4
44.6

40.4
39.7
42.3
44.4

40.8
39.8
43.5
44.7

41.0
40.3
43.2
44.8

41.3
40.2
43.0
45.0

44.0
41.8
42.7

44.5
42.2
43.5

44.6
42.5
43.8

44.2
42.5
43.6

44.1
42.3
43.2

44.6
42.5
43.2

44.8
42.1
43.1

44.6
42.5
43.5

44.7
42.6
43.5

44.5
43.1
43.9

40.7
44.1
45.4
41.3
39.4

41.7
44.3
45.0
42.0
40.1

42.1
44.9
45.8
42.2
40.4

41.9
44.6
45.3
41.8
40.2

40.9
44.6
46.0
41.4
39.6

41.8
44.5
45.1
42.1
40.6

41.1
45.0
45.9
41.6
40.0

42.1
44.4
45.1
42.3
40.7

42.1
45.1
45.9
42.0
40.3

42.4
44.7
45.4
42.1
40.5

Nondurable goods.....................
Overtime hours....................

40.0
3.8

40.4
4.0

40.7
4.2

40.6
4.1

40.4
4.2

41.0
4.3

40.6
4.2

40.8
4.3

41.0
4.4

41.0
4.4

Food and kindred products...........
Tobacco products....................
Textile mill products...............
Apparel and other textile products..
Paper and allied products...........
Printing and publishing.............
Chemicals and allied products.......
Petroleum and coal products.........
Rubber and misc. plastics products..
Leather and leather products........

40.2
39.4
40.1
36.4
42.9
37.9
42.8
43.4
41.1
37.5

40.7
39.1
40.3
36.8
43.3
38.1
43.2
43.4
41.5
37.8

40.7
39.1
41.2
37.5
43.6
38.8
43.2
42.8
41.8
38.6

40.6
38.7
41.3
37.2
43.5
38.4
43.1
42.9
41.7
38.5

41.1
40.4
40.3
36.5
43.4
38.1
42.9
(2)
41.4
37.6

41.4
41.6
41.6
37.4
43.8
38.4
43.6
(2)
41.8
38.8

41.0
39.4
41.1
37.1
43.7
38.1
43.2
(2)
41.2
38.0

41.3
41.4
40.6
37.1
43.7
38.5
43.4
(2)
41.6
38.8

41.3
39.7
41.2
37.5
44.0
38.8
43.2
(2)
41.9
38.8

41.4
39.3
41.5
37.5
43.9
38.6
43.2
(2)
42.0
38.9

Service-producing.......................

32.4

32.9

32.9

32.7

32.5

33.0

32.4

33.2

33.1

32.8

Transportation and public utilities...

39.2

39.8

39.8

39.6

39.4

40.0

39.4

40.1

40.2

39.7

Wholesale trade.......................

38.1

38.5

38.5

38.3

38.1

38.6

38.0

38.8

38.7

38.3

Retail trade..........................

28.4

28.7

28.8

28.6

28.6

28.9

28.7

29.4

29.2

28.9

Finance, insurance, and real estate...

35.6

36.7

36.5

35.8

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

Services..............................

32.2

32.7

32.6

32.4

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

1 Data relate to production workers in mining and manufacturing; construction workers in construction; and
nonsupervisory workers in transportation and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real
estate; and services. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employees on private nonfarm
payrolls.
2 These series are not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
p = preliminary.

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
industry

Average hourly earnings

Average weekly earnings

Industry
Apr.
1996

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997p

Apr.
1997p

Apr.
1996

Total private....................
Seasonally adjusted.............

$11.75
11.72

$12.14
12.10

$12.17
12.15

$12.18
12.14

$400.68
402.00

Goods-producing.........................

13.35

13.66

13.72

13.78

Mining................................

15.55

16.05

16.03

Construction..........................

15.19

15.65

Manufacturing.........................

12.73

13.02

Durable goods........................
Lumber and wood products............
Furniture and fixtures..............
Stone, clay, and glass products.....
Primary metal industries............
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products.......................
Fabricated metal products...........
Industrial machinery and equipment..
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................
Transportation equipment............
Motor vehicles and equipment......
Instruments and related products....
Miscellaneous manufacturing.........

13.29
10.33
10.06
12.76
15.00

Nondurable goods.....................
Food and kindred products...........
Tobacco products....................
Textile mill products...............
Apparel and other textile products..
Paper and allied products...........
Printing and publishing.............
Chemicals and allied products.......
Petroleum and coal products.........
Rubber and misc. plastics products..
Leather and leather products........

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997p

Apr.
1997p

$418.83
422.29

$421.08
424.04

$418.99
420.04

543.35

555.96

565.26

567.74

16.18

698.20

731.88

729.37

728.10

15.64

15.72

586.33

585.31

599.01

608.36

13.08

13.10

524.48

541.63

549.36

547.58

13.58
10.60
10.34
13.04
15.10

13.64
10.61
10.43
13.00
15.16

13.65
10.64
10.42
13.04
15.17

558.18
420.43
389.32
551.23
654.00

577.15
426.12
402.23
547.68
673.46

585.16
431.83
416.16
553.80
679.17

582.86
439.43
411.59
559.42
676.58

17.92
12.43
13.44

17.78
12.72
13.89

17.87
12.75
13.94

18.02
12.80
13.96

788.48
519.57
573.89

791.21
536.78
604.22

797.00
541.88
610.57

796.48
544.00
608.66

12.00
17.27
17.97
13.03
10.35

12.41
17.43
17.96
13.38
10.57

12.50
17.54
18.08
13.46
10.56

12.57
17.55
18.13
13.45
10.56

488.40
761.61
815.84
538.14
407.79

517.50
772.15
808.20
561.96
423.86

526.25
787.55
828.06
568.01
426.62

526.68
782.73
821.29
562.21
424.51

11.93
11.21
20.55
9.65
7.94
14.61
12.52
16.17
19.30
11.19
8.41

12.20
11.34
18.79
9.89
8.18
14.79
12.89
16.53
20.40
11.45
8.92

12.26
11.43
19.67
9.91
8.23
14.94
12.99
16.48
20.48
11.50
8.87

12.28
11.47
20.52
9.93
8.22
15.01
12.94
16.46
20.13
11.55
8.89

477.20
450.64
809.67
386.97
289.02
626.77
474.51
692.08
837.62
459.91
315.38

492.88
461.54
734.69
398.57
301.02
640.41
491.11
714.10
885.36
475.18
337.18

498.98
465.20
769.10
408.29
308.63
651.38
504.01
711.94
876.54
480.70
342.38

498.57
465.68
794.12
410.11
305.78
652.94
496.90
709.43
863.58
481.64
342.27

Service-producing.......................

11.22

11.65

11.67

11.65

363.53

383.29

383.94

380.96

Transportation and public utilities...

$14.49

$14.67

$14.68

$14.76

$568.01

$583.87

$584.26

$584.50

Wholesale trade.......................

12.76

13.23

13.25

13.30

486.16

509.36

510.13

509.39

Retail trade..........................

7.92

8.23

8.26

8.28

224.93

236.20

237.89

236.81

Finance, insurance, and real estate...

12.76

13.16

13.22

13.14

454.26

482.97

482.53

470.41

Services..............................

11.72

12.25

12.26

12.22

377.38

400.58

399.68

395.93

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
change
from:
Mar. 1997Apr. 1997

Apr.
1996

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997p

Apr.
1997p

Total private:
Current dollars..............
Constant (1982) dollars2.....

$11.72
7.40

$12.04
7.46

$12.05
7.46

$12.10
7.47

$12.15
7.50

$12.14
N.A.

-0.1
(3)

Goods-producing...............
Mining......................
Construction................
Manufacturing...............
Excluding overtime4.......

13.40
15.44
15.28
12.74
12.09

13.69
15.90
15.66
12.99
12.30

13.73
16.01
15.72
13.03
12.34

13.75
15.95
15.76
13.02
12.32

13.79
15.99
15.77
13.08
12.38

13.81
16.10
15.84
13.09
12.35

.1
.7
.4
.1
-.2

Service-producing.............
Transportation and public
utilities................
Wholesale trade.............
Retail trade................
Finance, insurance, and real
estate...................
Services....................

11.15

11.50

11.49

11.55

11.61

11.59

-.2

14.49
12.71
7.90

14.61
13.16
8.16

14.75
13.08
8.18

14.63
13.20
8.20

14.70
13.28
8.24

14.75
13.24
8.26

.3
-.3
.2

12.64
11.65

13.01
12.07

12.95
12.06

13.08
12.15

13.15
12.19

13.05
12.17

-.8
-.2

Industry

1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to
deflate this series.
3 Change was .4 percent from February 1997 to March 1997, the latest month available.
4 Derived by assuming that overtime hours are paid at the rate of time and one-half.
N.A. = not available.
p = preliminary.

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Table B-5. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
industry
(1982=100)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Industry
Apr.
1996

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997p

Apr.
1997p

Apr.
1996

Feb.
1997

Mar.
1997p

Apr.
1997p

Total private....................

133.6

136.1

137.6

138.1

137.1

140.7

140.7

139.6

Goods-producing.........................

107.7

106.9

109.0

111.6

110.5

112.6

112.7

112.4

Mining................................

53.7

54.2

54.6

55.1

54.0

56.7

56.8

55.7

Construction..........................

140.2

Manufacturing.........................

104.3

146.2

146.8

151.3

147.9

156.3

154.3

152.3

106.1

105.7

106.8

106.1

106.9

107.4

107.6

Durable goods........................
Lumber and wood products............
Furniture and fixtures..............
Stone, clay, and glass products.....
Primary metal industries............
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products.......................
Fabricated metal products...........
Industrial machinery and equipment..
Electronic and other electrical
equipment........................
Transportation equipment............
Motor vehicles and equipment......
Instruments and related products....
Miscellaneous manufacturing.........

110.1
135.1
125.3
105.1
93.2

109.9
138.2
123.6
108.1
92.8

107.7
134.8
120.8
108.9
91.0

109.3
137.7
125.4
110.2
92.6

108.8
135.6
124.2
107.4
92.2

110.0
137.6
125.1
111.0
92.9

110.5
139.6
127.0
109.4
93.1

110.9
140.6
126.1
108.7
93.6

71.4
115.5
106.1

71.6
116.5
107.3

70.8
116.8
106.9

72.4
113.5
103.6

72.1
115.9
104.0

72.8
115.3
104.4

72.1
116.5
105.8

72.2
117.0
106.0

71.5
118.8
107.3

105.8
122.4
167.3
72.9
100.5

107.9
123.6
163.2
74.0
102.0

108.9
126.6
167.7
74.2
103.2

108.3
125.0
163.9
73.3
102.3

106.8
122.9
167.4
72.9
101.4

107.9
123.9
163.9
74.2
103.9

105.9
126.1
167.7
73.3
103.5

108.9
124.0
163.5
74.5
105.0

108.9
126.7
167.5
73.8
103.5

109.9
124.7
163.2
73.8
103.7

Nondurable goods.....................
Food and kindred products...........
Tobacco products....................
Textile mill products...............
Apparel and other textile products..
Paper and allied products...........
Printing and publishing.............
Chemicals and allied products.......
Petroleum and coal products.........
Rubber and misc. plastics products..
Leather and leather products........

100.9
107.2
57.2
89.7
75.4
106.6
122.2
99.7
73.0
138.7
43.6

100.7
109.1
63.2
88.5
71.7
107.7
121.7
98.3
70.9
141.7
41.1

101.6
108.8
59.4
90.8
72.5
108.1
124.1
98.6
71.0
142.9
42.1

100.9
107.7
57.0
90.7
71.7
108.0
122.9
98.4
72.9
142.4
41.7

102.9
114.1
64.0
90.1
75.5
108.5
122.7
100.1
72.8
139.7
43.9

103.4
114.2
65.9
92.1
73.9
109.8
123.2
99.8
75.5
142.6
43.5

102.5
113.7
60.5
91.2
73.1
109.5
121.8
98.7
76.3
140.3
42.0

102.7
114.1
65.6
89.2
72.7
109.5
123.2
99.1
73.8
142.4
42.9

103.1
114.2
62.9
90.9
72.8
110.0
124.2
98.7
74.1
143.5
42.3

103.0
114.2
62.3
90.9
72.3
109.8
123.4
99.0
72.9
143.8
42.4

Service-producing.......................

145.3

149.2

150.4

150.6

146.6

151.7

149.1

153.4

153.3

151.8

Transportation and public utilities...

126.0

129.6

130.4

130.5

127.6

130.6

129.6

132.3

133.0

131.6

Wholesale trade.......................

123.1

126.0

126.8

126.5

123.7

127.2

125.4

128.5

128.5

127.1

Retail trade..........................

129.9

132.5

133.7

134.5

132.7

137.1

136.0

139.6

139.2

137.8

Finance, insurance, and real estate...

123.9

129.5

129.5

127.8

124.2

130.6

125.6

131.1

131.3

128.1

Services..............................

174.4

179.4

181.1

181.6

175.1

181.5

177.7

183.0

183.0

181.7

1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.

Dec.
1996

Jan.
1997

135.2

139.3

110.2

110.0

54.7

54.7

131.3

137.7

105.2

106.5

106.8
132.2
119.4
108.2
90.5

108.6
132.7
122.2
102.1
92.6

71.8
112.0
102.8

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Table B-6.

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Diffusion indexes of employment change, seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Time span

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Private nonfarm payrolls, 356 industries1

Over 1-month span:
1993..............
1994..............
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............

60.0
58.8
63.2
52.4
59.8

60.8
62.1
59.3
63.2
58.7

51.3
66.0
54.9
60.0
p55.6

58.6
64.2
54.6
52.4
p54.2

61.7
60.3
51.4
62.2

55.2
63.5
55.1
57.4

57.7
61.5
54.1
55.8

57.0
62.1
57.4
57.3

61.8
60.8
51.8
52.7

59.7
61.5
54.8
63.1

61.8
63.1
56.3
57.2

59.6
63.9
59.4
59.0

Over 3-month span:
1993..............
1994..............
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............

63.8
67.1
66.6
60.7
64.6

61.2
69.5
63.2
61.8
p63.8

61.1
70.4
56.9
61.2
p58.8

59.8
68.7
53.4
60.0

63.1
66.4
54.2
61.0

62.9
66.0
52.9
63.6

59.7
68.5
56.6
60.3

63.1
69.5
53.8
56.7

64.5
65.3
54.2
60.8

67.1
65.6
54.6
60.0

64.6
68.0
58.3
64.6

63.5
67.8
57.0
62.9

Over 6-month span:
1993..............
1994..............
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............

63.3
70.8
66.3
60.3
p65.9

65.2
71.6
60.8
62.9

63.8
69.0
58.7
63.8

64.2
69.8
54.4
63.8

62.4
69.5
53.5
62.6

65.9
69.5
54.1
59.0

65.7
69.2
53.1
65.2

63.9
69.0
56.3
62.6

66.3
69.2
55.9
61.8

67.3
68.5
54.1
63.9

70.6
69.1
56.2
65.6

69.5
66.6
61.8
p67.0

64.9
70.2
62.6
61.0

63.9
71.6
60.8
61.7

64.0
71.8
60.1
61.5

65.4
71.8
61.2
61.1

67.0
72.1
58.1
62.8

67.6
71.8
57.7
64.3

67.6
71.5
54.5
64.2

67.0
72.1
58.7
64.6

70.2
70.1
58.6
p64.6

69.5
69.4
57.3
p66.0

69.2
65.7
59.4

70.1
65.0
59.8

Over 12-month span:
1993..............
1994..............
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............

Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1

Over 1-month span:
1993..............
1994..............
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............

52.5
56.5
56.8
42.1
54.0

56.5
60.1
55.0
48.2
50.4

50.7
59.7
46.0
48.2
p49.3

45.7
58.6
45.3
39.6
p49.6

54.0
53.2
39.2
53.2

45.7
57.9
40.3
49.6

49.3
57.6
45.0
43.9

49.3
53.6
45.0
50.0

59.4
55.8
42.4
44.6

53.2
54.7
45.3
54.3

53.6
57.2
46.4
48.2

55.0
59.4
47.5
52.9

Over 3-month span:
1993..............
1994..............
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............

60.8
63.7
60.4
38.8
55.8

58.3
64.4
51.8
39.9
p51.1

53.2
66.2
43.5
37.8
p47.5

47.8
60.8
34.9
43.2

48.9
56.1
33.1
45.3

54.0
56.8
32.0
47.5

50.4
60.8
33.1
45.7

58.3
58.6
35.6
40.6

57.6
54.0
38.8
50.7

59.7
56.1
39.6
47.1

54.7
60.1
40.6
51.8

57.6
60.8
38.8
51.4

Over 6-month span:
1993..............
1994..............
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............

56.5
62.2
55.4
32.0
p50.4

59.0
64.4
45.0
37.4

56.8
60.4
38.5
37.1

55.4
61.5
33.5
38.1

50.7
59.0
27.7
42.4

57.9
56.8
28.8
37.8

59.4
56.5
28.8
48.6

56.5
57.2
30.6
43.5

57.6
60.1
33.5
45.0

58.6
55.8
33.1
51.1

64.4
59.7
34.2
50.0

60.8
55.8
38.8
p52.2

56.8
57.9
42.1
33.1

57.9
58.6
40.3
33.1

55.8
60.8
39.9
33.8

58.6
60.8
40.6
35.6

57.2
60.8
34.5
37.1

57.6
63.3
31.7
41.0

58.6
59.4
25.9
40.6

59.0
60.1
28.8
41.0

61.2
57.2
28.1
p44.6

59.7
55.8
24.1
p45.0

60.1
49.6
27.0

57.6
47.5
29.1

Over 12-month span:
1993..............
1994..............
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............

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.