Full text of The Employment Situation : August 1999

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Technical information:
USDL 99-240
Household data: (202) 606-6378

Establishment data:
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606-6555
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Transmission of material in this release is
embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EDT),
Friday, September 3, 1999.

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION:

AUGUST 1999

Payroll employment rose modestly in August, and the unemployment rate
was essentially unchanged at 4.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment
increased by 124,000, following a much larger gain in July. August job
growth was slightly below average in the service-producing sector, and
manufacturing and construction both lost jobs.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
The number of unemployed persons, 5.9 million, and the unemployment
rate, 4.2 percent, were essentially unchanged in August. The rate has been
4.2 or 4.3 percent each month since March. Over the month, the jobless
rates for adult women (3.7 percent) and blacks (7.8 percent) declined,
while the rates for adult men (3.6 percent), teenagers (13.5 percent),
whites (3.7 percent), and Hispanics (6.5 percent) showed little or no
change. (See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
The civilian labor force, 139.3 million, and the labor force
participation rate, 66.9 percent, were about unchanged from July. Total
employment was virtually unchanged at 133.4 million, and the employmentpopulation ratio remained at 64.1 percent. (See table A-1.)
About 7.3 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in August. These multiple jobholders represented 5.4 percent of the
total employed, compared to 5.6 percent a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.1 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in August. These were people who wanted and
were available to work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12
months but were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for
work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged
workers--a subset of the marginally attached who were not currently looking
for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for
them--was 265,000 in August, essentially unchanged from a year earlier.
(See table A-10.)

- 2 Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
|
Quarterly
|
Monthly data
|
|
averages
|
|
|_________________|__________________________| JulyCategory
|
1999
|
1999
| Aug.
|_________________|________ _________________|change
|
I
|
II
| June | July | Aug. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA
|
Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 139,144| 139,173| 139,408| 139,254| 139,264|
10
Employment..........| 133,191| 133,242| 133,432| 133,307| 133,411|
104
Unemployment........|
5,953|
5,931|
5,975|
5,947|
5,853|
-94
Not in labor force....| 67,732| 68,259| 68,225| 68,574| 68,774|
200
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........|
4.3|
4.3|
4.3|
4.3|
4.2|
-0.1
Adult men...........|
3.4|
3.5|
3.6|
3.5|
3.6|
.1
Adult women.........|
3.8|
3.9|
3.9|
4.0|
3.7|
-.3
Teenagers...........|
14.6|
13.4|
13.5|
12.7|
13.5|
.8
White...............|
3.7|
3.8|
3.8|
3.7|
3.7|
.0
Black...............|
8.0|
7.5|
7.3|
8.8|
7.8|
-1.0
Hispanic origin.....|
6.4|
6.8|
6.8|
6.2|
6.5|
.3
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA
|
Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 127,640| 128,246| 128,443|p128,781|p128,905|
p124
Goods-producing 1/..| 25,310| 25,222| 25,180| p25,248| p25,153|
p-95
Construction......|
6,213|
6,258|
6,258| p6,272| p6,243|
p-29
Manufacturing.....| 18,542| 18,433| 18,396| p18,447| p18,384|
p-63
Service-producing 1/| 102,331| 103,024| 103,263|p103,533|p103,752|
p219
Retail trade......| 22,605| 22,756| 22,796| p22,895| p22,892|
p-3
Services..........| 38,442| 38,810| 38,952| p39,030| p39,162|
p132
Government........| 20,044| 20,094| 20,105| p20,156| p20,203|
p47
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Hours of work 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........|
34.6|
34.4|
34.5|
p34.5|
p34.6|
p0.1
Manufacturing.......|
41.6|
41.7|
41.7|
p41.9|
p41.7|
p-.2
Overtime..........|
4.5|
4.5|
4.7|
p4.7|
p4.6|
p-.1
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........|
147.0|
147.3|
147.8| p148.3| p148.5|
p0.2
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Earnings 2/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, |
|
|
|
|
|
total private.......| $13.07| $13.19| $13.24| p$13.28| p$13.30| p$0.02
Avg. weekly earnings, |
|
|
|
|
|
total private.......| 451.79| 454.06| 456.78| p458.16| p460.18| p2.02
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
2/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.

- 3 Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Total nonfarm employment rose by 124,000 in August to 128.9 million,
after seasonal adjustment. This follows a much sharper increase (338,000)
in July. The average growth for these 2 months (231,000) was about in line
with the monthly average (210,000) during the first half of 1999. In
August, employment growth in the service-producing sector was partly offset
by widespread losses in the goods-producing sector. (See table B-1.)
Employment in manufacturing decreased by 63,000 in August, following an
increase of 51,000 in July, after seasonal adjustment. The August loss
would have been 7,000 larger if not for the return of workers to the
shipbuilding industry following the settlement of a strike that began
several months earlier. The net manufacturing job loss over the two months
totaled 19,000, or 9,500 per month, after adjusting for the return of the
striking workers. Over the first half of the year, manufacturing lost an
average of 36,000 jobs per month. Electrical equipment had a net employment
increase of 8,000 over the past 2 months, compared with losses totaling
12,000 during the first half of the year. Motor vehicles added 14,000
workers over July and August, substantially more than the 4,000 increase
over the prior 6 months combined. Primary metals had a net 2-month job
gain of 2,000, compared with losses totaling 12,000 during the first half
of the year. In contrast, several industries continued on their trend of
declining employment. The largest job losses over the past 2 months were
in apparel (-16,000), industrial machinery (-11,000), aircraft (-7,000),
and food (-7,000).
The construction industry lost 29,000 jobs in August. This loss nearly
offset the total increase of the prior 2 months. Over the month, the
largest decline was in special trades (-15,000). General building
contractors lost 8,000 jobs, with residential construction accounting for
most of the decrease.
Mining lost 3,000 jobs in August, following an increase of the same
magnitude in July. Oil and gas extraction, which had accounted for most of
the job losses in mining between February 1998 and June 1999, has added a
small number of jobs over the past 2 months.
In the service-producing sector, the services industry gained 132,000
jobs in August, slightly above the average growth for the prior 12 months
(121,000), but well above the increase in July (78,000). Business services
accounted for about one-third of the increase. Within business services,
employment in computer services grew by 15,000, its average for the first
7 months of this year; help supply services, in contrast, grew by less than
its average. Employment in health services grew by 19,000 in August.
Within health services, doctors' offices continued to grow, adding 5,000
jobs, and hospitals had its largest monthly employment increase so far this
year (6,000). Over the month, employment was up sharply in both social
services (34,000) and amusement and recreation services (17,000), after
seasonal adjustment.
In August, employment in transportation and public utilities grew by
12,000, less than the average for the first 7 months of this year.
August's job gain was equally divided between transportation and
communications.
Employment in finance, insurance, and real estate also grew less in
August (11,000) than its average for the first 7 months of the year. Most

- 4 of the growth in August was in finance (8,000), with half of this increase
in securities brokerages. Mortgage bankers and brokerages lost 2,000 jobs
for the third consecutive month, following 4 years of growth.
Employment in retail trade changed little in August, following a
substantial rise in July. Eating and drinking places lost 38,000 jobs in
August, following an increase of 74,000 in the prior month. Several retail
trade industries added jobs in August, including food stores (11,000) and
automotive dealers (8,000). Employment in wholesale trade increased by
20,000 in August, with the majority of the growth in durable goods
distribution (15,000).
Government employment rose by 47,000 in August, after seasonal
adjustment, with growth concentrated in local education (25,000) and state
education (13,000).
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls edged up 0.1 hour in August to 34.6 hours,
seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing workweek declined by 0.2 hour to
41.7 hours, reversing July's increase; factory overtime was down 0.1 hour
to 4.6 hours. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 0.1 percent to 148.5
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index fell by 0.7
percent in August to 106.4. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls increased by 2 cents in August to $13.30,
seasonally adjusted. This follows gains of 6 cents and 4 cents in June and
July, respectively. Over the month, average weekly earnings rose by 0.4
percent to $460.18, seasonally adjusted. Over the year, both average
hourly and weekly earnings rose by 3.5 percent. (See table B-3.)
______________________________
The Employment Situation for September 1999 is scheduled to be released
on Friday, October 8, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).

- 5 Explanatory Note

This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the
information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears
in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
The establishment survey provides the information on the employment,
hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B
tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from
payroll records by BLS in cooperation with State agencies. In June 1999,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing about 48 million
people.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week
or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the
establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the
12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.
Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of
questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over
in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force.
People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours
in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they
were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather,
vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.
People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall
need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for
or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed
persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the
labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent
of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population.
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
Federal, State, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate
only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory
workers in the service-producing sector.

- 6 Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys
result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from
the surveys. Among these are:
--The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed,
unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed.
These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.
--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.
--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
--The household survey has no duplication
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 0.3 percent,
ranging from zero to 0.7 percent.
Additional statistics and other information
More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings,
published each month by BLS. It is available for $16.00 per issue or
$40.00 per year from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402. All orders must be prepaid by sending a check or money order
payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or by charging to Mastercard or
Visa.
Employment and Earnings also provides measures of sampling error for the
household survey data published in this release. For unemployment and
other labor force categories, these measures appear in tables 1-B through
1-H of its "Explanatory Notes." Measures of the reliability of the data
drawn from the establishment survey and the actual amounts of revision due
to benchmark adjustments are provided in tables 2-B through 2-G of that
publication.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-606-STAT; TDD phone:
202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577.

HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-1.

HOUSEHOLD DATA
Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age

(Numbers in thousands)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted(1)

Employment status, sex, and age

Aug.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999

Aug.
1999

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

205,479
138,379
67.3
132,206
64.3
3,818
128,388
6,173
4.5
67,100

207,828
141,119
67.9
134,800
64.9
3,718
131,083
6,319
4.5
66,709

208,038
140,090
67.3
134,264
64.5
3,525
130,739
5,826
4.2
67,948

205,479
137,481
66.9
131,264
63.9
3,492
127,772
6,217
4.5
67,998

207,236
139,091
67.1
133,069
64.2
3,384
129,685
6,022
4.3
68,145

207,427
139,019
67.0
133,224
64.2
3,295
129,929
5,795
4.2
68,408

207,632
139,408
67.1
133,432
64.3
3,354
130,078
5,975
4.3
68,225

207,828
139,254
67.0
133,307
64.1
3,292
130,015
5,947
4.3
68,574

208,038
139,264
66.9
133,411
64.1
3,219
130,192
5,853
4.2
68,774

98,892
74,540
75.4
71,537
72.3
3,003
4.0

99,761
75,940
76.1
72,803
73.0
3,137
4.1

99,863
75,190
75.3
72,348
72.4
2,842
3.8

98,892
73,754
74.6
70,503
71.3
3,251
4.4

99,465
74,234
74.6
71,225
71.6
3,010
4.1

99,563
74,316
74.6
71,198
71.5
3,118
4.2

99,668
74,420
74.7
71,321
71.6
3,099
4.2

99,761
74,500
74.7
71,444
71.6
3,056
4.1

99,863
74,400
74.5
71,332
71.4
3,067
4.1

90,889
69,823
76.8
67,464
74.2
2,556
64,908
2,359
3.4

91,561
70,612
77.1
68,212
74.5
2,468
65,743
2,400
3.4

91,692
70,509
76.9
68,210
74.4
2,377
65,833
2,299
3.3

90,889
69,518
76.5
66,940
73.7
2,420
64,520
2,578
3.7

91,302
69,991
76.7
67,608
74.0
2,353
65,255
2,383
3.4

91,368
69,932
76.5
67,399
73.8
2,212
65,186
2,534
3.6

91,487
70,127
76.7
67,633
73.9
2,248
65,385
2,494
3.6

91,561
70,164
76.6
67,687
73.9
2,271
65,416
2,477
3.5

91,692
70,179
76.5
67,682
73.8
2,242
65,440
2,496
3.6

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.............. 106,587 108,067 108,175 106,587 107,771 107,864 107,964 108,067 108,175
Civilian labor force............................ 63,839 65,179 64,900 63,727 64,857 64,704 64,988 64,754 64,864
Participation rate........................
59.9
60.3
60.0
59.8
60.2
60.0
60.2
59.9
60.0
Employed...................................... 60,669 61,997 61,917 60,761 61,845 62,026 62,112 61,863 62,079
Employment-population ratio...............
56.9
57.4
57.2
57.0
57.4
57.5
57.5
57.2
57.4
Unemployed....................................
3,170
3,182
2,984
2,966
3,012
2,677
2,876
2,891
2,786
Unemployment rate.........................
5.0
4.9
4.6
4.7
4.6
4.1
4.4
4.5
4.3
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population..............
Civilian labor force............................
Participation rate........................
Employed......................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Agriculture.................................
Nonagricultural industries..................
Unemployed....................................
Unemployment rate.........................

98,901 100,203 100,285
59,426 60,409 60,568
60.1
60.3
60.4
56,786 57,837 58,093
57.4
57.7
57.9
883
894
840
55,903 56,943 57,253
2,639
2,573
2,475
4.4
4.3
4.1

98,901
59,708
60.4
57,295
57.9
806
56,489
2,413
4.0

99,923 100,008 100,131 100,203 100,285
60,788 60,729 61,092 60,791 60,908
60.8
60.7
61.0
60.7
60.7
58,320 58,520 58,719 58,373 58,654
58.4
58.5
58.6
58.3
58.5
801
831
869
797
764
57,519 57,689 57,849 57,576 57,890
2,468
2,209
2,373
2,418
2,254
4.1
3.6
3.9
4.0
3.7

15,689
9,130
58.2
7,955
50.7
379
7,577
1,175
12.9

15,689
8,255
52.6
7,029
44.8
266
6,763
1,226
14.9

16,011
8,312
51.9
7,141
44.6
230
6,911
1,171
14.1

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

16,065
10,098
62.9
8,752
54.5
355
8,397
1,347
13.3

16,061
9,014
56.1
7,962
49.6
309
7,653
1,051
11.7

16,051
8,358
52.1
7,306
45.5
252
7,054
1,052
12.6

16,014
8,189
51.1
7,081
44.2
237
6,843
1,108
13.5

16,065
8,300
51.7
7,247
45.1
225
7,023
1,053
12.7

16,061
8,177
50.9
7,075
44.0
212
6,862
1,102
13.5

1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-2.

HOUSEHOLD DATA
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
Aug.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999

Aug.
1999

WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 171,655 173,133 173,275 171,655 172,730 172,859 172,999 173,133 173,275
Civilian labor force............................ 115,959 117,853 117,093 115,385 116,370 116,254 116,578 116,393 116,602
Participation rate..........................
67.6
68.1
67.6
67.2
67.4
67.3
67.4
67.2
67.3
Employed...................................... 111,511 113,425 112,846 110,848 111,917 111,985 112,092 112,117 112,277
Employment-population ratio.................
65.0
65.5
65.1
64.6
64.8
64.8
64.8
64.8
64.8
Unemployed....................................
4,448
4,429
4,246
4,537
4,454
4,269
4,486
4,276
4,325
Unemployment rate...........................
3.8
3.8
3.6
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.8
3.7
3.7
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................
Participation rate..........................
Employed......................................
Employment-population ratio.................
Unemployed....................................
Unemployment rate...........................

59,515
77.3
57,787
75.0
1,728
2.9

60,178
77.7
58,442
75.5
1,736
2.9

60,063
77.5
58,303
75.2
1,760
2.9

59,384
77.1
57,450
74.6
1,934
3.3

59,664
77.2
57,874
74.9
1,790
3.0

59,500
77.0
57,615
74.5
1,884
3.2

59,711
77.2
57,784
74.7
1,927
3.2

59,837
77.3
57,978
74.9
1,859
3.1

59,968
77.4
58,013
74.8
1,955
3.3

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

48,763
59.4
46,861
57.1
1,902
3.9

49,203
59.3
47,447
57.2
1,756
3.6

49,410
59.5
47,653
57.4
1,757
3.6

49,025
59.7
47,321
57.6
1,704
3.5

49,672
60.0
47,862
57.8
1,811
3.6

49,669
60.0
48,067
58.0
1,602
3.2

49,933
60.2
48,215
58.2
1,718
3.4

49,542
59.7
47,878
57.7
1,665
3.4

49,701
59.9
48,134
58.0
1,567
3.2

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

7,681
61.5
6,863
54.9
818
10.7
11.4
9.9

8,472
66.5
7,536
59.2
937
11.1
11.2
10.9

7,620
59.8
6,890
54.1
730
9.6
9.7
9.4

6,976
55.8
6,077
48.6
899
12.9
14.2
11.5

7,034
55.5
6,181
48.8
853
12.1
12.6
11.6

7,085
55.8
6,302
49.7
783
11.0
11.9
10.1

6,934
54.6
6,093
48.0
840
12.1
11.8
12.5

7,013
55.1
6,261
49.2
753
10.7
10.9
10.6

6,932
54.4
6,129
48.1
803
11.6
12.2
10.9

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

24,418
16,129
66.1
14,663
60.1
1,466
9.1

24,867
16,747
67.3
15,146
60.9
1,601
9.6

24,904
16,474
66.2
15,156
60.9
1,318
8.0

24,418
15,937
65.3
14,517
59.5
1,420
8.9

24,765
16,286
65.8
15,029
60.7
1,257
7.7

24,798
16,303
65.7
15,079
60.8
1,224
7.5

24,833
16,300
65.6
15,103
60.8
1,197
7.3

24,867
16,384
65.9
14,949
60.1
1,434
8.8

24,904
16,279
65.4
15,005
60.3
1,274
7.8

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

7,055
72.4
6,548
67.2
507
7.2

7,194
72.5
6,647
67.0
547
7.6

7,183
72.2
6,760
68.0
424
5.9

7,021
72.1
6,487
66.6
534
7.6

7,118
72.0
6,681
67.6
437
6.1

7,206
72.8
6,727
68.0
479
6.6

7,152
72.1
6,712
67.7
440
6.1

7,132
71.8
6,601
66.5
531
7.4

7,151
71.9
6,706
67.4
445
6.2

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

7,912
64.7
7,267
59.5
645
8.2

8,315
66.8
7,610
61.1
705
8.5

8,239
66.1
7,627
61.1
613
7.4

7,903
64.7
7,302
59.7
601
7.6

8,241
66.4
7,681
61.9
560
6.8

8,177
65.8
7,653
61.6
524
6.4

8,214
66.0
7,671
61.7
544
6.6

8,318
66.8
7,663
61.5
654
7.9

8,229
66.0
7,658
61.4
571
6.9

1,161
47.3
848
34.6
313
27.0
28.8
25.3

1,238
49.8
889
35.8
349
28.2
32.2
24.0

1,052
42.3
770
31.0
282
26.8
27.8
25.9

1,013
41.3
728
29.7
285
28.1
29.7
26.8

927
37.5
667
26.9
260
28.1
33.0
23.5

920
37.1
699
28.2
222
24.1
26.2
22.0

934
37.7
721
29.0
214
22.9
26.7
19.6

934
37.6
685
27.6
249
26.7
30.8
22.9

899
36.2
642
25.8
257
28.6
29.4
27.9

21,159
14,420
68.2
13,349
63.1
1,071
7.4

21,684
14,738
68.0
13,767
63.5
970
6.6

21,752
14,843
68.2
13,872
63.8
971
6.5

21,159
14,316
67.7
13,257
62.7
1,059
7.4

21,483
14,543
67.7
13,541
63.0
1,002
6.9

21,548
14,535
67.5
13,558
62.9
977
6.7

21,618
14,643
67.7
13,654
63.2
989
6.8

21,684
14,592
67.3
13,685
63.1
907
6.2

21,752
14,734
67.7
13,776
63.3
959
6.5

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
1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-3. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted(1)

Educational attainment
Aug.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999

Aug.
1999

29,204
12,402
42.5
11,602
39.7
800
6.5

28,015
11,766
42.0
10,997
39.3
769
6.5

28,568
12,299
43.1
11,507
40.3
793
6.4

29,204
12,496
42.8
11,612
39.8
884
7.1

27,991
11,753
42.0
10,972
39.2
781
6.6

28,298
11,743
41.5
10,959
38.7
784
6.7

28,515
12,047
42.2
11,238
39.4
810
6.7

28,015
12,069
43.1
11,244
40.1
825
6.8

28,568
12,412
43.4
11,530
40.4
883
7.1

57,729
37,305
64.6
35,898
62.2
1,407
3.8

57,162
36,555
63.9
35,237
61.6
1,318
3.6

57,195
36,797
64.3
35,550
62.2
1,247
3.4

57,729
37,367
64.7
35,883
62.2
1,484
4.0

57,945
37,577
64.8
36,253
62.6
1,324
3.5

57,931
37,416
64.6
36,058
62.2
1,359
3.6

57,963
37,403
64.5
35,961
62.0
1,442
3.9

57,162
36,941
64.6
35,629
62.3
1,313
3.6

57,195
36,845
64.4
35,550
62.2
1,294
3.5

41,842
31,106
74.3
30,227
72.2
879
2.8

43,610
32,289
74.0
31,284
71.7
1,005
3.1

43,130
31,751
73.6
30,765
71.3
986
3.1

41,842
31,117
74.4
30,231
72.3
886
2.8

43,059
32,160
74.7
31,202
72.5
958
3.0

42,742
31,930
74.7
31,043
72.6
886
2.8

42,780
31,937
74.7
31,130
72.8
806
2.5

43,610
32,102
73.6
31,097
71.3
1,005
3.1

43,130
31,803
73.7
30,795
71.4
1,008
3.2

43,431
34,504
79.4
33,757
77.7
747
2.2

45,042
35,837
79.6
35,105
77.9
733
2.0

45,086
35,915
79.7
35,223
78.1
692
1.9

43,431
34,739
80.0
34,129
78.6
610
1.8

44,289
35,493
80.1
34,742
78.4
752
2.1

44,442
35,771
80.5
35,107
79.0
664
1.9

44,464
35,856
80.6
35,128
79.0
727
2.0

45,042
35,981
79.9
35,317
78.4
664
1.8

45,086
36,142
80.2
35,579
78.9
563
1.6

Less than a high school diploma
Civilian noninstitutional population......
Civilian labor force....................
Percent of population...............
Employed..............................
Employment-population ratio.........
Unemployed............................
Unemployment rate...................
High school graduates, no college(2)
Civilian noninstitutional population......
Civilian labor force....................
Percent of population...............
Employed..............................
Employment-population ratio.........
Unemployed............................
Unemployment rate...................
Less than a bachelor's degree(3)
Civilian noninstitutional population......
Civilian labor force....................
Percent of population...............
Employed..............................
Employment-population ratio.........
Unemployed............................
Unemployment rate...................
College graduates
Civilian noninstitutional population......
Civilian labor force....................
Percent of population...............
Employed..............................
Employment-population ratio.........
Unemployed............................
Unemployment rate...................
1
and
2
3

The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation, therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
seasonally adjusted columns.
Includes high school diploma or equivalent.
Includes the categories, some college, no degree; and associate degree.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-4. Selected employment indicators
(In thousands)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Category

Aug.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999

Aug.
1999

CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over................. 132,206 134,800 134,264 131,264 133,069 133,224 133,432 133,307 133,411
Married men, spouse present..................... 42,875 43,310 43,398 42,874 43,190 42,882 43,291 43,353 43,398
Married women, spouse present................... 32,238 32,869 33,023 32,670 33,285 33,487 33,802 33,302 33,458
Women who maintain families.....................
7,900
8,156
8,332
7,928
8,050
8,039
7,991
8,289
8,357
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..................

38,558
39,045
18,081
14,360
18,138
4,023

40,536
38,959
18,450
14,578
18,287
3,991

40,504
38,998
18,341
14,355
18,231
3,836

38,942
38,843
17,770
14,158
17,968
3,590

40,504
38,866
17,868
14,518
17,656
3,539

40,500
39,103
18,111
14,432
17,813
3,441

40,946
38,729
18,020
14,084
18,190
3,504

40,901
38,573
18,035
14,405
17,985
3,423

40,893
38,842
18,034
14,241
18,058
3,422

CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers.......................
2,315
2,201
2,088
2,111
1,908
1,919
1,911
1,938
1,900
Self-employed workers.........................
1,466
1,460
1,379
1,342
1,439
1,348
1,369
1,300
1,262
Unpaid family workers.........................
37
56
58
31
31
33
37
47
48
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers....................... 119,366 122,062 121,595 118,840 120,785 121,168 121,005 121,157 121,163
Government.................................. 17,782 18,591 18,646 18,332 18,709 18,672 19,110 19,068 19,243
Private industries.......................... 101,584 103,471 102,949 100,508 102,076 102,496 101,895 102,089 101,920
Private households........................
914
1,007
923
871
941
910
1,001
943
871
Other industries.......................... 100,670 102,464 102,026 99,637 101,135 101,586 100,894 101,146 101,049
Self-employed workers.........................
8,938
8,943
9,057
8,955
8,813
8,687
8,857
8,837
9,066
Unpaid family workers.........................
84
78
87
88
63
60
87
74
91
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.............

3,508
1,908
1,201
15,851

3,537
2,031
1,185
16,617

3,238
1,759
1,068
16,455

3,503
2,019
1,188
18,653

3,408
1,920
1,124
18,882

3,422
1,946
1,137
18,632

3,418
2,092
1,014
18,666

3,299
1,983
1,044
19,122

3,248
1,871
1,057
19,359

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

3,350
1,813
1,164
15,229

3,368
1,905
1,159
16,049

3,102
1,677
1,046
15,870

3,339
1,926
1,155
18,031

3,224
1,831
1,092
18,320

3,247
1,838
1,111
18,098

3,232
1,944
1,010
18,016

3,130
1,846
1,028
18,618

3,105
1,791
1,041
18,781

NOTE: Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for
reasons such as vacation, illness, or industrial dispute. Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually
work full time but worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad
weather. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-5. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted

Number of
unemployed persons
(in thousands)

Unemployment rates(1)

Category
Aug.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999

Aug.
1999

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

6,217
2,578
2,413
1,226

5,947
2,477
2,418
1,053

5,853
2,496
2,254
1,102

4.5
3.7
4.0
14.9

4.3
3.4
4.1
14.1

4.2
3.6
3.6
12.6

4.3
3.6
3.9
13.5

4.3
3.5
4.0
12.7

4.2
3.6
3.7
13.5

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

1,029
1,053
580

1,001
990
571

1,022
921
567

2.3
3.1
6.8

2.3
2.9
7.2

2.4
2.5
6.0

2.2
2.7
6.6

2.3
2.9
6.4

2.3
2.7
6.4

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

4,919
1,298

4,732
1,216

4,756
1,118

4.4
5.3

4.2
4.9

4.0
5.1

4.0
5.4

4.1
4.9

4.1
4.5

735
1,512
667
1,277
225

808
1,594
568
1,216
236

733
1,448
682
1,187
228

1.9
3.7
4.5
6.6
5.9

1.9
3.9
3.8
6.5
7.3

2.0
3.3
4.1
6.5
8.0

2.0
3.6
4.9
6.0
7.5

1.9
4.0
3.8
6.3
6.4

1.8
3.6
4.6
6.2
6.2

4,963
1,374
22
523
829
455
374
3,589
259
1,502
213
1,615
408
169

4,710
1,240
40
491
709
474
235
3,470
278
1,396
191
1,605
439
189

4,536
1,383
25
586
773
447
326
3,153
245
1,282
196
1,430
405
206

4.7
4.8
3.6
7.4
3.9
3.5
4.5
4.7
3.5
5.6
2.7
4.7
2.2
7.4

4.4
4.5
9.3
7.4
3.3
3.1
3.7
4.3
2.8
5.4
3.2
4.1
2.5
9.7

4.2
4.4
5.9
7.2
3.4
3.3
3.6
4.1
3.3
5.3
2.1
3.9
2.6
10.7

4.4
4.7
4.7
7.5
3.8
3.6
4.0
4.3
2.8
5.4
2.3
4.2
2.4
9.6

4.4
4.4
6.4
6.7
3.5
3.8
3.0
4.4
3.6
5.2
2.3
4.5
2.3
8.9

4.3
5.0
4.0
7.9
3.9
3.7
4.2
4.0
3.1
4.8
2.4
4.0
2.1
9.8

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
2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment
is small relative to the trend-cycle
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999,

civilian labor force.
data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which
and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-6. Duration of unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Duration
Aug.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999

Aug.
1999

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

2,509
2,150
1,514
679
835

2,910
1,934
1,475
714
761

2,498
1,976
1,352
633
719

2,652
1,956
1,644
810
834

2,788
1,867
1,446
773
673

2,467
1,816
1,523
794
729

2,529
1,736
1,668
824
844

2,680
1,766
1,505
787
718

2,621
1,810
1,449
745
704

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

13.7
7.0

13.1
5.4

13.1
6.7

13.7
6.8

13.1
6.1

13.4
6.7

14.5
6.2

13.6
5.7

13.2
6.5

100.0
40.6
34.8
24.5
11.0
13.5

100.0
46.1
30.6
23.3
11.3
12.0

100.0
42.9
33.9
23.2
10.9
12.3

100.0
42.4
31.3
26.3
13.0
13.3

100.0
45.7
30.6
23.7
12.7
11.0

100.0
42.5
31.3
26.2
13.7
12.6

100.0
42.6
29.3
28.1
13.9
14.2

100.0
45.0
29.7
25.3
13.2
12.1

100.0
44.6
30.8
24.6
12.7
12.0

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 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-7. Reason for unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Reason
Aug.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999

Aug.
1999

2,715
782
1,932
1,342
590
795
2,157
506

2,729
862
1,867
1,267
600
817
2,101
672

2,559
784
1,775
1,250
525
866
1,925
477

2,834
937
1,897
(1)
(1)
734
2,124
507

2,700
838
1,862
(1)
(1)
841
2,044
469

2,663
821
1,842
(1)
(1)
789
2,040
415

2,683
892
1,791
(1)
(1)
864
2,057
349

2,740
850
1,890
(1)
(1)
755
2,011
402

2,662
929
1,734
(1)
(1)
797
1,896
483

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

44.0
12.7
31.3
12.9
34.9
8.2

43.2
13.6
29.5
12.9
33.2
10.6

43.9
13.5
30.5
14.9
33.0
8.2

45.7
15.1
30.6
11.8
34.3
8.2

44.6
13.9
30.8
13.9
33.8
7.7

45.1
13.9
31.2
13.4
34.5
7.0

45.1
15.0
30.1
14.5
34.6
5.9

46.4
14.4
32.0
12.8
34.0
6.8

45.6
15.9
29.7
13.6
32.5
8.3

2.0
.6
1.6
.4

1.9
.6
1.5
.5

1.8
.6
1.4
.3

2.1
.5
1.5
.4

1.9
.6
1.5
.3

1.9
.6
1.5
.3

1.9
.6
1.5
.3

2.0
.5
1.4
.3

1.9
.6
1.4
.3

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 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-8. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization
(Percent)

Not seasonally
adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Measure

Aug.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999

Aug.
1999

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

1.1

1.0

1.0

1.2

1.0

1.1

1.2

1.1

1.0

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

2.0

1.9

1.8

2.1

1.9

1.9

1.9

2.0

1.9

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

4.5

4.5

4.2

4.5

4.3

4.2

4.3

4.3

4.2

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

4.7

4.7

4.3

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

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

5.3

5.2

4.9

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

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

7.8

7.7

7.2

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

1 Not available.
NOTE: This range of alternative measures of labor underutilization replaces the U1-U7 range published in table A-7 of
this release prior to 1994. Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work
but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged
workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently looking for a job.
Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to
settle for a part-time schedule. For further information, see "BLS introduces new range of alternative unemployment
measures," in the October 1995 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised
population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-9. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted

Number of
unemployed persons
(in thousands)

Unemployment rates(1)

Age and sex

Aug.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999

Aug.
1999

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.............................

6,217
2,366
1,226
565
669
1,140
3,865
3,419
449

5,947
2,128
1,053
493
563
1,075
3,792
3,242
544

5,853
2,126
1,102
517
592
1,023
3,745
3,272
472

4.5
10.8
14.9
17.1
13.5
8.4
3.3
3.5
2.6

4.3
10.0
14.1
16.9
12.3
7.6
3.2
3.3
2.9

4.2
9.4
12.6
15.9
10.6
7.5
3.2
3.2
2.6

4.3
9.9
13.5
16.1
11.8
7.7
3.2
3.3
3.0

4.3
9.6
12.7
14.6
11.4
7.7
3.2
3.3
3.0

4.2
9.6
13.5
15.8
12.1
7.3
3.2
3.3
2.6

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...........................

3,251
1,286
673
320
360
613
1,983
1,739
247

3,056
1,180
579
271
303
601
1,866
1,559
316

3,067
1,126
571
270
308
555
1,963
1,680
286

4.4
11.3
15.9
18.9
14.2
8.5
3.2
3.3
2.6

4.1
10.5
14.8
19.2
12.2
8.0
2.9
2.9
2.6

4.2
10.2
13.3
17.7
10.6
8.3
3.1
3.1
2.7

4.2
10.7
14.1
16.5
12.8
8.7
3.0
3.0
2.6

4.1
10.2
13.4
15.4
11.8
8.3
3.0
2.9
3.2

4.1
9.8
13.5
15.8
12.3
7.6
3.1
3.2
2.9

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...........................

2,966
1,080
553
245
309
527
1,882
1,680
202

2,891
948
473
222
260
475
1,926
1,683
228

2,786
1,000
531
248
284
469
1,782
1,593
185

4.7
10.4
13.8
15.3
12.8
8.2
3.5
3.7
2.7

4.6
9.5
13.4
14.5
12.5
7.1
3.6
3.7
3.3

4.1
8.6
11.8
13.8
10.6
6.7
3.2
3.4
2.6

4.4
9.0
12.9
15.7
10.7
6.7
3.5
3.5
3.5

4.5
8.9
11.9
13.8
11.0
7.1
3.6
3.7
2.9

4.3
9.4
13.4
15.8
11.9
7.0
3.3
3.4
2.3

1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-10. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)

Total

Men

Women

Category
Aug.
1998

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Aug.
1999

Aug.
1998

Aug.
1999

67,100
5,180
1,251

67,948
4,742
1,134

24,352
1,992
580

24,674
1,863
525

42,748
3,188
671

43,275
2,879
609

280
971

265
869

168
412

153
372

112
559

112
497

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

7,462
5.6

7,298
5.4

4,015
5.6

3,909
5.4

3,447
5.7

3,389
5.5

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........................

4,344
1,408
271
1,384

3,992
1,514
332
1,418

2,541
469
184
796

2,350
499
260
777

1,803
939
87
588

1,641
1,014
72
641

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 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

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

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Industry
Aug.
1998

June
1999

July
1999p

Aug.
1999p

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999p

Aug.
1999p

Total......................... 125,966 129,593 128,768 128,721 126,170 128,134 128,162 128,443 128,781 128,905
Total private.................... 107,290 109,415 109,675 109,724 106,301 108,035 108,085 108,338 108,625 108,702
Goods-producing.........................

25,812

25,530

25,569

25,634

25,344

25,288

25,199

25,180

25,248

25,153

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

597
50.9
90.9
342.1
113.3

533
49.3
84.8
286.3
112.9

538
49.0
84.4
290.5
113.7

536
47.4
84.2
291.7
113.0

585
50
90
336
109

538
49
86
294
109

531
49
86
287
109

526
48
84
285
109

529
48
85
286
110

526
46
84
287
109

Construction..........................
6,363
6,499
6,622
6,617
General building contractors........ 1,447.6 1,475.8 1,506.5 1,497.1
Heavy construction, except building.
921.8
917.1
928.1
931.2
Special trade contractors........... 3,993.2 4,106.1 4,187.5 4,189.1

6,005
1,381
842
3,782

6,277
1,428
874
3,975

6,239
1,427
854
3,958

6,258
1,430
857
3,971

6,272
1,434
857
3,981

6,243
1,426
851
3,966

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

18,852
12,959

18,498
12,702

18,409
12,620

18,481
12,704

18,754
12,891

18,473
12,696

18,429
12,662

18,396
12,623

18,447
12,694

18,384
12,639

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.........

11,188
7,625
826.7
531.3
575.4
711.4

11,030
7,547
833.6
541.0
579.3
690.5

10,965
7,483
838.4
540.2
577.4
684.9

10,987
7,509
840.7
541.0
578.7
688.2

11,177
7,634
813
532
564
713

10,993
7,519
824
536
570
691

10,971
7,504
824
537
569
689

10,960
7,487
824
538
568
687

11,013
7,549
826
546
570
692

10,975
7,518
827
542
567
689

231.4
221.5
222.2
223.4
1,500.2 1,492.2 1,476.5 1,482.7
2,194.8 2,140.1 2,123.9 2,108.6
378.6
364.7
362.2
359.7

(1)
1,502
2,203
378

(1)
1,489
2,132
361

(1)
1,487
2,129
362

(1)
1,485
2,128
364

(1)
1,493
2,130
361

(1)
1,484
2,117
359

1,696.1 1,663.2 1,662.8 1,662.8

1,698

1,658

1,658

1,657

1,667

1,665

654.9
640.2
639.9
641.8
1,891.7 1,860.1 1,835.2 1,858.8
995.9 1,007.2
987.8 1,011.2
523.7
489.9
486.9
482.0
867.3
840.7
841.1
836.6
393.0
389.1
384.9
389.0

655
1,894
997
526
866
392

635
1,864
996
503
842
387

635
1,853
996
498
839
386

637
1,849
998
491
837
387

639
1,863
1,015
488
840
386

642
1,861
1,012
484
835
388

7,664
5,334
1,745.3
40.4
594.7
759.3
675.0
1,565.9
1,049.5
143.0
1,009.8
81.5

7,577
5,257
1,675
40
594
755
673
1,566
1,044
140
1,009
81

7,480
5,177
1,689
38
567
698
662
1,555
1,038
139
1,019
75

7,458
5,158
1,688
38
563
691
661
1,551
1,036
138
1,018
74

7,436
5,136
1,680
39
560
686
659
1,552
1,033
137
1,016
74

7,434
5,145
1,682
39
559
680
659
1,553
1,031
138
1,021
72

7,409
5,121
1,673
36
557
670
659
1,552
1,032
137
1,021
72

Nondurable goods.....................
Production workers................
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........

7,468
5,155
1,678.5
35.7
564.1
692.6
663.5
1,554.4
1,039.6
139.8
1,024.3
75.1

7,444
5,137
1,705.6
35.5
556.5
672.6
660.8
1,553.8
1,036.7
141.1
1,011.6
69.5

7,494
5,195
1,742.4
36.0
556.9
674.2
660.8
1,552.0
1,037.7
140.5
1,021.3
71.7

Service-producing....................... 100,154 104,063 103,199 103,087 100,826 102,846 102,963 103,263 103,533 103,752
Transportation and public utilities...
6,610
6,816
6,782
6,795
Transportation......................
4,278
4,445
4,409
4,419
Railroad transportation...........
232.9
234.1
231.7
231.9
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................
409.6
482.0
421.0
416.5
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,786.6 1,827.3 1,840.9 1,850.6
Water transportation..............
192.0
187.9
192.9
194.1
Transportation by air............. 1,186.2 1,230.4 1,238.4 1,239.3
Pipelines, except natural gas.....
14.1
13.3
13.4
13.3
Transportation services...........
456.7
470.0
471.1
473.4
Communications and public utilities.
2,332
2,371
2,373
2,376
Communications.................... 1,473.0 1,519.2 1,523.4 1,530.1
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services.......................
858.8
851.6
849.2
846.2

6,625
4,305
232

6,750
4,397
234

6,758
4,402
233

6,781
4,423
233

6,797
4,439
230

6,809
4,445
231

475
1,755
184
1,190
14
455
2,320
1,467

483
1,800
180
1,220
14
466
2,353
1,508

480
1,802
180
1,226
13
468
2,356
1,513

483
1,810
181
1,234
13
469
2,358
1,513

484
1,817
183
1,241
13
471
2,358
1,518

482
1,818
186
1,243
13
472
2,364
1,524

853

845

843

845

840

840

6,877
4,070
2,807
22,507

7,036
4,165
2,871
22,992

7,061
4,183
2,878
23,035

7,062
4,184
2,878
23,045

6,846
4,055
2,791
22,353

6,965
4,113
2,852
22,724

6,977
4,124
2,853
22,748

6,993
4,139
2,854
22,796

7,011
4,154
2,857
22,895

7,031
4,169
2,862
22,892

970.5
2,684.7
2,386.3
3,497.8

1,032.7
2,718.6
2,424.8
3,497.4

1,023.6
2,722.7
2,426.1
3,500.3

1,010.9
2,737.0
2,439.1
3,501.2

950
2,733
2,429
3,483

982
2,799
2,499
3,492

979
2,784
2,486
3,487

982
2,782
2,482
3,479

986
2,781
2,478
3,475

990
2,791
2,484
3,486

2,372.2 2,425.5 2,439.9 2,444.2
1,052.1 1,084.3 1,090.0 1,093.8
1,152.0 1,167.0 1,180.0 1,184.7

2,345
1,048
1,149

2,399
1,074
1,163

2,400
1,077
1,172

2,403
1,080
1,178

2,408
1,085
1,187

2,416
1,090
1,182

1,020.9 1,078.6 1,079.4 1,086.2
7,969.6 8,148.0 8,161.5 8,142.1
2,839.2 2,924.5 2,927.3 2,938.6

1,031
7,779
2,883

1,081
7,863
2,945

1,084
7,880
2,962

1,091
7,911
2,970

1,089
7,985
2,984

1,097
7,947
2,983

Finance, insurance, and real estate...
7,526
7,707
7,745
7,738
Finance.............................
3,635
3,728
3,743
3,740
Depository institutions........... 2,054.9 2,057.4 2,059.4 2,054.9
Commercial banks................ 1,476.2 1,472.6 1,473.4 1,469.5
Savings institutions............
259.2
257.9
258.2
257.0
Nondepository institutions........
670.9
723.4
724.3
724.0
Mortgage bankers and brokers....
339.2
375.2
372.5
370.7
Security and commodity brokers....
658.1
678.9
689.5
691.5
Holding and other investment
offices........................
250.7
267.8
269.4
269.9
Insurance...........................
2,364
2,411
2,417
2,415
Insurance carriers................ 1,613.6 1,643.5 1,644.9 1,641.1
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................
749.9
767.0
772.2
773.5
Real estate.........................
1,527
1,568
1,585
1,583

7,445
3,616
2,043
1,467
258
669
337
653

7,611
3,697
2,050
1,467
257
716
370
668

7,621
3,706
2,047
1,465
256
720
374
672

7,636
3,709
2,045
1,463
256
721
372
676

7,644
3,713
2,042
1,461
256
721
370
682

7,655
3,721
2,043
1,461
256
722
368
686

251
2,355
1,607

263
2,395
1,631

267
2,399
1,635

267
2,402
1,638

268
2,404
1,634

270
2,406
1,634

748
1,474

764
1,519

764
1,516

764
1,525

770
1,527

772
1,528

37,688
709
1,784
1,197
8,649
952
3,249
2,887

38,697
755
1,791
1,204
9,010
978
3,350
2,975

38,782
751
1,786
1,189
9,047
979
3,366
2,986

38,952
757
1,797
1,200
9,088
984
3,387
3,000

39,030
757
1,808
1,206
9,139
990
3,416
3,021

39,162
755
1,810
1,205
9,185
996
3,419
3,030

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.

Services (2)..........................
Agricultural services...............
Hotels and other lodging places.....
Personal services...................
Business services...................
Services to buildings.............
Personnel supply services.........
Help supply services............

37,958
775.1
1,920.2
1,154.7
8,751.1
960.5
3,333.9
2,971.0

39,334
841.3
1,898.3
1,172.6
9,137.5
994.6
3,403.2
3,017.3

39,483
838.6
1,953.8
1,163.5
9,182.1
997.7
3,418.7
3,030.1

39,450
825.0
1,948.7
1,162.8
9,292.9
1,004.3
3,507.2
3,117.8

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............

1,626.9
1,157.0
385.7
586.6
1,862.2
9,874.8

1,808.6
1,193.2
401.1
611.5
1,981.1
10010.8

1,626
1,150
382
575
1,608
9,859

1,749
1,178
396
587
1,668
9,951

1,765
1,182
398
604
1,675
9,954

1,781
1,184
395
611
1,695
9,964

1,793
1,185
394
597
1,694
9,976

1,808
1,186
397
599
1,711
9,995

1,817.6 1,868.7 1,877.2 1,882.1

1,811

1,856

1,860

1,864

1,870

1,875

1,765.4
3,944.4
658.8
983.3
1,868.1
2,620.9
560.7
753.3

1,760.0
3,981.2
655.1
1,010.4
1,949.8
2,758.4
576.1
788.3

1,760
3,937
661
977
2,176
2,660
610
749

1,753
3,966
656
998
2,254
2,755
628
772

1,755
3,966
653
999
2,265
2,760
629
775

1,755
3,969
653
1,002
2,272
2,778
633
777

1,753
3,968
655
1,000
2,274
2,765
631
780

1,755
3,974
658
1,004
2,271
2,799
627
784

99.4
101.2
102.6
101.2
2,405.0 2,447.7 2,476.8 2,447.0
3,224.3 3,435.1 3,468.8 3,462.5

93
2,365
3,214

94
2,392
3,370

93
2,394
3,391

94
2,409
3,411

94
2,404
3,441

94
2,406
3,451

926.3
955.4
963.7
963.4
1,050.8 1,162.6 1,176.5 1,180.8
52.5
57.4
58.3
56.5

912
1,046
(1)

939
1,133
(1)

940
1,143
(1)

942
1,153
(1)

949
1,163
(1)

949
1,175
(1)

19,869
2,688
1,818
4,633
1,931
2,702
12,548
7,109
5,439

20,099
2,688
1,809
4,688
1,955
2,733
12,723
7,206
5,517

20,077
2,666
1,788
4,677
1,941
2,736
12,734
7,225
5,509

20,105
2,664
1,789
4,675
1,934
2,741
12,766
7,239
5,527

20,156
2,657
1,777
4,683
1,948
2,735
12,816
7,268
5,548

20,203
2,659
1,778
4,701
1,961
2,740
12,843
7,293
5,550

18,676
2,695
1,834.1
4,379
1,641.9
2,737.1
11,602
5,940.0
5,662.1

1,781.5
1,192.3
398.6
613.2
1,949.3
9,989.3

1,756.9
3,976.6
655.3
1,016.4
2,069.6
2,776.5
619.3
782.9

20,178
2,682
1,815.1
4,533
1,758.8
2,774.6
12,963
7,266.1
5,696.6

1,796.0
1,193.4
399.5
607.2
2,006.4
10008.0

1,759.1
3,984.5
653.9
1,018.0
1,986.3
2,782.4
578.7
786.8

19,093
2,669
1,800.9
4,458
1,666.1
2,792.3
11,966
6,111.3
5,854.3

18,997
2,665
1,793.5
4,443
1,667.6
2,775.4
11,889
6,111.6
5,777.8

1 These series are not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
2 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Table B-2. Average weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by industry

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Industry
Aug.
1998

June
1999

July
1999p

Aug.
1999p

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999p

Aug.
1999p

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

35.2

34.6

34.7

35.1

34.6

34.4

34.4

34.5

34.5

34.6

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

41.4

41.3

40.9

41.3

41.1

40.9

41.0

41.2

41.2

41.1

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

44.0

44.2

44.6

44.5

43.7

43.8

44.1

44.0

45.0

44.2

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

40.2

39.8

39.9

40.0

39.2

38.6

38.9

39.4

38.9

39.0

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

41.7
4.7

41.8
4.7

41.2
4.4

41.7
4.7

41.7
4.5

41.6
4.3

41.7
4.6

41.7
4.7

41.9
4.7

41.7
4.6

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

42.2
4.8

42.4
4.8

41.6
4.5

42.2
4.7

42.3
4.7

42.1
4.3

42.2
4.7

42.3
4.8

42.5
4.9

42.3
4.7

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.........

41.6
41.0
44.2
43.8

41.6
40.3
43.9
44.4

41.2
40.2
43.7
43.6

41.5
40.7
44.3
44.1

41.2
40.6
43.6
44.1

41.2
40.4
43.1
44.0

41.2
40.4
43.4
44.3

41.1
40.4
43.4
44.3

41.2
40.6
43.5
44.5

41.1
40.3
43.7
44.4

44.2
42.2
42.6

45.2
42.3
42.1

44.6
41.5
41.7

44.7
42.3
42.1

44.4
42.3
42.9

44.5
41.8
41.9

44.8
42.1
42.1

45.2
42.1
42.0

45.1
42.3
42.4

44.9
42.4
42.5

41.5
42.8
42.5
41.2
40.0

41.5
44.1
45.4
41.5
39.9

40.8
42.1
42.5
41.0
39.2

41.2
43.5
44.3
41.2
40.1

41.5
43.0
43.0
41.3
40.0

41.1
44.0
45.1
41.6
39.6

41.5
43.5
44.4
41.6
40.2

41.5
44.2
45.4
41.5
40.0

41.6
44.3
45.7
41.7
40.0

41.3
43.7
44.8
41.4
40.2

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

41.0
4.5

41.0
4.4

40.6
4.4

41.0
4.6

40.9
4.3

40.9
4.2

41.0
4.4

41.0
4.5

41.0
4.5

40.9
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........

42.0
39.3
41.2
37.6
43.1
38.6
43.0
44.0
41.5
38.4

41.6
40.1
41.0
38.1
43.5
37.9
43.0
43.0
41.9
38.4

41.8
40.3
40.6
36.9
43.0
38.0
42.6
43.6
41.0
36.7

41.9
38.5
41.1
37.4
43.4
38.4
43.1
42.6
41.4
38.2

41.7
39.2
41.0
37.4
43.3
38.5
43.2
(2)
41.7
37.9

41.9
38.6
41.0
37.5
43.6
38.1
43.0
(2)
41.5
38.1

41.8
39.9
41.0
37.8
43.5
38.3
43.0
(2)
41.9
38.4

41.8
39.1
40.6
37.7
43.5
38.3
43.0
(2)
41.8
37.9

42.0
41.0
41.3
37.4
43.5
38.3
43.0
(2)
41.7
37.1

41.6
38.4
40.9
37.2
43.7
38.3
43.3
(2)
41.6
37.8

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

33.5

32.9

33.1

33.5

32.9

32.8

32.8

32.8

32.9

32.9

Transportation and public utilities...

39.9

39.0

39.0

39.7

39.4

39.0

38.8

38.9

38.8

39.2

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

38.7

38.4

38.4

38.8

38.4

38.4

38.3

38.4

38.4

38.5

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

29.9

29.4

29.8

30.0

29.0

29.0

29.1

29.1

29.1

29.1

Finance, insurance, and real estate...

36.9

35.9

36.1

36.8

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

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

33.2

32.6

32.8

33.2

32.7

32.5

32.5

32.6

32.6

32.7

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
Aug.
1998

June
1999

July
1999p

Aug.
1999p

Aug.
1998

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

$12.76
12.85

$13.14
13.24

$13.16
13.28

$13.21
13.30

$449.15
444.61

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

14.41

14.83

14.91

14.92

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

16.88

16.93

17.14

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

16.77

17.08

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

13.45

13.91

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.........

13.92
11.18
10.96
13.63
15.45

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........

June
1999

July
1999p

Aug.
1999p

$454.64
456.78

$456.65
458.16

$463.67
460.18

596.57

612.48

609.82

616.20

17.08

742.72

748.31

764.44

760.06

17.23

17.27

674.15

679.78

687.48

690.80

13.92

13.93

560.87

581.44

573.50

580.88

14.40
11.45
11.16
13.94
15.91

14.38
11.51
11.25
14.01
16.04

14.44
11.55
11.28
13.91
15.97

587.42
465.09
449.36
602.45
676.71

610.56
476.32
449.75
611.97
706.40

598.21
474.21
452.25
612.24
699.34

609.37
479.33
459.10
616.21
704.28

18.46
13.04
14.46

19.05
13.46
14.99

19.19
13.46
15.06

18.97
13.52
15.14

815.93
550.29
616.00

861.06
569.36
631.08

855.87
558.59
628.00

847.96
571.90
637.39

13.10
17.29
17.52
13.79
10.85

13.40
18.20
18.68
14.13
11.30

13.49
17.94
18.23
14.26
11.30

13.42
18.09
18.39
14.34
11.29

543.65
740.01
744.60
568.15
434.00

556.10
802.62
848.07
586.40
450.87

550.39
755.27
774.78
584.66
442.96

552.90
786.92
814.68
590.81
452.73

12.75
11.76
18.96
10.37
8.54
15.54
13.47
17.14
20.80
11.84
9.28

13.15
12.16
20.79
10.76
8.89
15.98
13.73
17.35
21.14
12.25
9.57

13.22
12.15
21.22
10.71
8.83
16.07
13.80
17.48
21.37
12.36
9.56

13.18
12.09
20.51
10.72
8.87
16.01
13.81
17.46
21.29
12.30
9.67

522.75
493.92
745.13
427.24
321.10
669.77
519.94
737.02
915.20
491.36
356.35

539.15
505.86
833.68
441.16
338.71
695.13
520.37
746.05
909.02
513.28
367.49

536.73
507.87
855.17
434.83
325.83
691.01
524.40
744.65
931.73
506.76
350.85

540.38
506.57
789.64
440.59
331.74
694.83
530.30
752.53
906.95
509.22
369.39

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

12.22

12.60

12.61

12.67

409.37

414.54

417.39

424.45

Transportation and public utilities...

$15.30

$15.56

$15.73

$15.66

$610.47

$606.84

$613.47

$621.70

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

14.18

14.44

14.54

14.64

548.77

554.50

558.34

568.03

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

8.72

9.02

9.02

9.03

260.73

265.19

268.80

270.90

Finance, insurance, and real estate...

14.12

14.50

14.53

14.66

521.03

520.55

524.53

539.49

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

12.75

13.23

13.20

13.28

423.30

431.30

432.96

440.90

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:
July 1999Aug. 1999

Aug.
1998

Apr.
1999

May
1999

June
1999

July
1999p

Aug.
1999p

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

$12.85
7.78

$13.14
7.83

$13.18
7.85

$13.24
7.89

$13.28
7.88

$13.30
N.A.

0.2
(3)

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

14.39
17.00
16.67
13.53
12.82

14.67
16.87
16.97
13.79
13.09

14.75
17.05
17.08
13.85
13.13

14.85
16.96
17.16
13.95
13.20

14.91
17.25
17.19
14.02
13.27

14.89
17.20
17.16
14.01
13.27

-.1
-.3
-.2
-.1
.0

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

12.35

12.65

12.68

12.73

12.77

12.80

.2

15.33
14.17
8.80

15.60
14.44
9.03

15.65
14.48
9.04

15.65
14.56
9.06

15.77
14.60
9.10

15.69
14.62
9.12

-.5
.1
.2

14.14
12.94

14.58
13.28

14.60
13.33

14.62
13.38

14.68
13.42

14.68
13.47

.0
.4

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 -.1 percent from June 1999 to July 1999, the latest month available.
4 Derived by assuming that overtime hours are paid at the rate of time and one-half.
N.A. = not available.
p = preliminary.

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

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

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Industry
Aug.
1998

June
1999

July
1999p

Aug.
1999p

Aug.
1998

June
1999

July
1999p

Aug.
1999p

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

149.4

150.0

150.7

152.4

147.2

147.8

148.3

148.5

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

118.7

117.0

116.1

114.2

114.4

114.6

115.1

114.3

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

57.0

50.5

55.3

50.4

50.1

49.7

51.0

50.1

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

182.0

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

109.0

187.6

165.4

169.2

170.0

172.8

170.8

170.2

106.9

108.5

106.5

106.5

106.3

107.2

106.4

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.........

108.6
149.6
135.6
119.6
88.2

110.7
151.6
137.8
121.5
89.4

112.6
145.5
135.3
116.0
93.3

110.4
147.5
135.6
116.2
89.9

110.5
147.3
135.9
117.0
90.3

110.4
146.9
136.2
116.8
89.8

111.8
147.5
138.8
117.5
91.1

111.0
147.3
136.8
117.3
90.4

69.8
117.9
104.9

69.1
114.1
102.7

69.1
116.8
102.5

71.3
118.6
110.0

69.1
116.2
104.1

69.2
116.9
104.5

69.4
116.6
104.0

69.6
118.2
105.2

69.3
117.4
104.4

108.6
123.6
154.1
75.9
103.2

106.1
126.0
168.4
75.7
101.3

104.7
118.0
154.1
74.5
98.2

105.8
124.5
165.5
74.3
101.8

109.1
125.1
157.3
76.3
103.2

105.6
125.5
164.8
75.8
100.3

106.2
123.4
162.4
75.6
101.4

105.9
125.0
165.9
75.2
100.9

107.9
127.1
171.6
75.8
100.9

106.6
126.1
169.1
74.7
101.8

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........

104.5
123.5
60.6
86.0
67.2
108.2
125.6
103.3
79.6
146.8
36.1

100.9
117.0
50.8
81.2
61.6
106.8
121.0
102.4
75.2
150.4
32.9

99.7
119.9
50.1
79.3
57.8
105.0
121.2
101.3
77.6
145.2
28.7

101.7
123.9
49.8
80.3
58.8
106.2
122.5
102.7
76.0
148.6
31.2

102.8
116.5
60.2
85.7
66.5
108.1
125.4
103.4
76.6
147.7
35.5

101.2
118.9
55.4
81.6
61.4
106.7
121.9
102.4
74.5
148.5
32.8

101.1
118.5
55.3
81.1
61.4
106.3
122.3
102.3
73.9
149.5
32.4

100.5
117.9
56.2
79.8
60.4
106.0
122.3
101.9
72.9
148.6
32.0

100.9
119.2
58.9
81.3
59.4
105.8
122.1
102.1
74.9
149.6
30.2

100.1
116.9
49.4
79.9
58.3
106.3
122.3
102.8
73.3
149.4
30.8

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

163.1

164.8

166.3

168.0

159.0

161.6

161.9

162.7

163.2

163.8

Transportation and public utilities...

133.8

134.8

134.0

136.9

132.6

133.6

133.0

133.7

133.6

135.5

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

130.9

133.1

133.5

134.6

129.2

131.6

131.5

132.0

132.3

132.6

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

145.6

146.6

148.8

149.6

140.1

142.6

143.3

143.6

144.4

144.2

Finance, insurance, and real estate...

141.3

140.5

142.1

144.2

137.2

139.1

138.8

139.4

140.7

140.4

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

200.1

202.9

204.8

207.0

195.4

198.9

199.3

200.7

201.0

202.2

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

Apr.
1999

May
1999

145.5

147.0

117.7

115.4

51.5

51.5

182.8

187.3

107.1

104.9

112.4
149.7
136.3
120.2
92.4

111.6
150.6
136.7
120.8
90.7

70.9
118.1
108.3

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:
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............
1998..............
1999..............

63.8
49.6
56.2
63.8
54.4

58.0
64.9
61.0
57.9
58.3

54.6
59.4
61.9
58.8
52.1

56.5
55.1
62.8
60.5
58.8

47.5
61.9
58.8
55.9
51.5

54.8
60.8
56.3
57.9
57.0

55.6
57.0
60.7
58.0
p57.9

59.1
62.5
61.0
55.8
p50.1

57.9
57.3
59.4
54.6

56.9
63.5
65.4
52.9

55.2
59.7
63.6
59.1

57.7
61.2
62.1
58.6

Over 3-month span:
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............
1998..............
1999..............

63.8
62.6
63.8
66.7
60.7

62.9
62.5
63.6
66.2
55.9

58.0
63.3
67.7
64.5
59.6

53.5
63.1
67.3
63.9
54.6

53.9
63.1
62.6
61.4
56.3

52.7
64.3
61.7
58.7
p56.3

59.3
64.3
61.4
60.0
p55.5

61.0
62.2
66.2
58.4

59.4
64.6
67.3
57.6

58.6
64.2
69.9
57.6

57.3
66.2
70.8
59.0

55.3
63.2
71.2
60.4

Over 6-month span:
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............
1998..............
1999..............

66.7
62.6
67.4
70.6
61.1

59.7
65.2
68.3
66.9
58.8

58.6
64.5
65.6
65.9
57.3

56.5
65.2
67.0
62.4
p59.4

59.0
64.7
65.6
62.6
p55.6

60.0
64.6
64.9
61.1

57.7
67.0
66.3
58.0

61.0
65.4
68.4
59.8

60.5
65.9
69.7
60.0

59.3
66.7
71.3
60.8

61.7
66.9
71.3
60.8

63.2
66.7
71.9
58.0

Over 12-month span:
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............
1998..............
1999..............

63.6
64.5
69.0
70.4
p59.7

62.4
66.7
67.3
68.3
p56.7

62.6
64.5
68.3
67.1

63.3
65.6
69.7
64.0

61.7
68.5
69.5
62.1

61.9
67.3
70.1
61.7

58.7
67.7
70.1
61.8

62.2
66.4
70.4
63.8

62.2
68.0
70.5
59.8

61.5
69.9
69.7
59.0

63.5
68.7
69.8
59.3

65.4
66.9
71.3
58.6

Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1

Over 1-month span:
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............
1998..............
1999..............

57.2
42.4
50.0
58.6
40.3

50.4
55.4
52.9
51.8
42.4

47.1
46.8
53.6
50.4
39.6

52.9
41.0
56.1
50.4
44.6

41.4
55.8
52.2
40.6
36.3

45.3
51.4
53.2
46.8
45.3

45.0
47.1
51.1
40.3
p57.9

51.1
56.5
55.4
45.3
p39.2

48.6
48.9
53.6
42.1

51.1
55.0
62.2
36.3

45.3
50.7
61.2
39.9

48.2
54.0
55.4
45.0

Over 3-month span:
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............
1998..............
1999..............

55.4
46.8
51.8
59.4
37.4

51.4
46.0
51.4
57.9
31.7

44.2
43.5
57.6
51.8
37.1

41.7
46.0
56.8
44.2
30.2

43.5
48.2
54.3
41.7
33.8

37.4
51.1
51.8
34.9
p43.9

42.1
51.8
53.6
37.4
p44.6

43.9
49.6
55.4
37.1

48.2
53.2
59.7
38.1

46.8
52.5
68.3
34.2

44.6
55.0
65.8
35.6

41.4
50.7
64.4
35.3

Over 6-month span:
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............
1998..............
1999..............

55.4
41.4
54.7
59.7
33.1

45.7
46.0
54.0
49.3
29.1

43.2
45.7
51.4
48.2
28.1

38.1
47.1
54.3
36.7
p36.3

41.7
46.0
52.5
36.7
p31.7

42.8
48.6
52.2
36.7

41.0
52.9
55.4
28.4

42.1
50.4
61.2
31.3

43.5
51.8
61.5
33.5

43.2
51.4
64.7
35.3

44.2
52.5
66.2
32.7

45.0
51.8
65.1
28.1

Over 12-month span:
1995..............
1996..............
1997..............
1998..............
1999..............

46.0
43.5
54.7
54.0
p31.7

44.2
47.5
52.5
49.3
p25.9

46.0
45.3
54.0
46.0

47.8
45.3
54.0
40.6

41.0
50.4
55.4
35.6

41.7
49.6
56.8
33.8

38.5
50.4
57.2
30.9

38.8
48.6
57.9
32.0

36.3
51.1
58.3
26.6

38.5
55.0
56.5
26.6

39.9
54.3
55.4
25.5

44.6
50.7
57.2
26.3

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.