Full text of The Employment Situation : May 1977

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United States

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Contact:

J. Bregger (202) 523-1944
523-1371
K. Hoyle
(202) 523-1913
523-1208
home:
333-1384

A

Washington, D.C. 20212

USDL 77-504
TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL IN THIS RELEASE IS
EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:00 A. M. (EDT), FRIDAY,
JUNE 3, 1977

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: MAY 1977
Employment rose in May and unemployment showed little change, it was reported today
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor. The Nation's overall rate of unemployment was 6.9 percent, not much different from April's 7.0-percent
rate but down substantially from last November's high of 8.0 percent.
Total employment—as measured by the monthly survey of households—rose by nearly
400,000 in May to 90.4 million.

Employment gains have totaled almost 2.7 million since

last October, an average of 380,000 a month.
Nonagricultural payroll employment—as measured by the monthly survey of establishments—rose by 185,000 in May to 81.8 million. Manufacturing continued to pace the
current expansion and over the past 7 months has accounted for 600,000 of the total job
growth of 2.0 million.
Unemployment
There were 6,750,000 persons unemployed in May, seasonally adjusted, virtually the
same level as in April.
months.

This followed reductions totaling 450,000 in the 2 previous

The overall unemployment rate of 6.9 percent was about unchanged from the pre-

vious month, after declining by half a percentage point from February and a full point
since November.
Despite the over-the-month stability in overall joblessness, there were some offsetting movements among component labor force groups. The jobless rate for adult women
fell from 7.0 to 6.6 percent; this was accompanied by decreases among female household
heads and married women.

The unemployment rate for adult men, on the other hand, moved

up from 5.0 to 5.3 percent, largely the result of an increase for black men. The
adult male rate had declined by nearly a full percentage point between February and
April. Rates for most other major worker categories—including teenagers, full-time

-

2

-

and part-time workers, and job losers—showed little or no change in May.

(See tables

A-2 and A-5.)
The number of persons looking for work for 15 or more weeks—the lone-term
unemployed— wa^ about unchanged in May at 1.8 million, after declining steadily during
the first 4 months of the year. Among the shorter duration categories, there was an
increase among those jobless for 5 to 14 weeks, but an even greater decrease took place
among workers who were seeking work for less than 5 weeks.
of unemployment moved up from 14.3 to 14.9 weeks.

The average (mean) duration

(See table A-4.)

Table A . Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
Monthly data

Quarterly averages
Selected categories

1976
I

II

1977
III

IV

I

1977
Mar.

Apr.

May

96,539
89,475
7,064
59,104

96,760
90,023
6,737
59,094

N.A.

N.A.

97,158
90,408
6,750
58,943
N.A.

7.3
5.4
7.2
18.8
6.6
12.7
4.6
6.7

7.0
5.0
7.0
17.8
6.3
12.3
4.4

6.9
5.3
6.6
17.9
6.2
12.9
4.5

6.5

6.5

Thousands of persons

HOUSEHOLD DATA
93,644
86,514
7,130
59,327
940

Civilian labor force
Total employment
Unemployment
Not in labor force
Discouraged workers

94,544
87,501
7,043
59,032
903

95,261
87,804
7,457
58„963
827

95,711
88,133
7,578
59,132
992

96,067
88,998
7,068
59,379
929

Percent of labor force
Unemployment rates:
All workers
Adult men
Aduit women
Teenagers
White
Black and other
Household heads
Fuls-time workers

j

i
|
!
1

7.6
5.8
7.4
19.2
6.9
13.1
5.0
7.1

7.4
5.7
7.1
18.8
6.8
12.9
4.9
7.0

7.8
6.0
7.7
18.8
7.1
13.1
5.3
7.4

7.9
6.2
7.6
19.1
7.2
13.4
5.3

7.4
5.6
7.1
18.6
6.7
12.8
4.8

7.5

6.8

Thousands of jobs
ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Nonfarm payroll employment . .
Goods-producing industries. .
Service-producing industries .

78,674
23,142
55,532

79,333
23,380
55,953

79,683
23,372
56,311

80,090
23,440
56,650

80,927
23,765
57,162

81,395
24,005
57,390

81,605p
24,163p
57,442p

36.3
40.4
3.3

36.2p
40.2p
3 . 4p

Hours of work
Average weekly hours:
Total private nonfarm . .
Manufacturing
Manufacturing overtime
p=preliminary.




36.3
40.3
3.1

36.2
40.0
3.0

36.1
39.9
3.0

36.2
40.0
3.1

36.1
40.1
3.3

N.A,-not available.

- 3 Total Employment and Labor Force
Total employment rose for the seventh consecutive month, with an increase of 385,000
in May to 90.4 million, seasonally adjusted.
ture.

(See table A-l.)

This included a rise of 125,000 in agricul-

Employment has grown by 2.8 million over the past year, nearly

all of it since last October.
The employment-population ratio—the proportion of the total noninstitutional population that is employed—continued its recent steady advance and, at 57.1 percent, was
just 0.3 percentage point below the alltime high last reached more than 3 years earlier.
The civilian labor force rose by 400,000 to 97.2 million in May.

The labor force

was 2.6 million above its year ago level, with adult women accounting for more than half
of the growth.

The civilian labor force participation r a t e — t h e proportion of the civi-

lian noninstitutional population that is either working or looking for work—edged up to
a new high of 62.2 percent, well above the May 1976 level of 61.6 percent.

(See table

A-l.)
Industry Payroll Employment
Total nonagricultural payroll employment also increased for the seventh consecutive
month, advancing by 185,000 in May to 81.8 million, seasonally adjusted.

Nearly two-thirds

of the industries that comprise the BLS diffusion index of nonagricultural payroll employment posted over-the-month gains in employment.

Payroll employment has risen by 2.5 mil-

lion since last May, with four-fifths of the growth occurring since October.

(See tables

B-l arid B-6.)
The largest over-the-month gain was in manufacturing, where employment increased by
65,000.

Eighty percent of this growth took place in the durable goods industries, a

sector which has added 215,000 jobs to its payrolls since February.

Fabricated metal

products, machinery, and electrical equipment accounted for 45,000 of the April-May
increase in durables.

Contract construction employment, which had grown substantially

between January and April, rose slightly in May

(15,000).

In the service-producing sector, employment in State and local government and
services each increased by 30,000, while smaller gains occurred in the other major
industry divisions.




- 4 Hours
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonagricultural payrolls edged up from 36.2 to 36.3 hours in May, seasonally adjusted.
have been at about this level since February.

The manufacturing workweek returned to the

March level of 40.4 hours after dipping to 40.2 hours in April.
unchanged from the April level of 3.4 hours.

Average hours

Factory overtime was

(See table B-2.)

Reflecting the increases in both employment and hours, the index of aggregate hours
of production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonagricultural payrolls rose 0.5
percent in May to 116.0 (1967=100).

This was 3.6 percent above the year-ago level.

The

manufacturing index advanced by an even larger amount over the m o n t h — 1 . 0 percent—and
was up 3.3 percent over the year.

(See table B-5.)

Hourly and Weekly Earnings
Both average hourly and weekly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonagricultural payrolls increased moderately in May, by 0.6 and 0.9 percent,
respectively.

Hourly and weekly earnings were each 7.4 percent higher than a year

earlier.
Before adjustment for seasonality, average hourly earnings were $5.19, up 4 cents
from April and 36 cents from a year earlier.

Average weekly earnings were $187.36, an

increase of $2.47 over the month and $13.00 from May 1976.

(See table B-3.)

The Hourly Earnings Index
The Hourly Earnings Index—earnings adjusted for overtime in manufacturing, seasonality, and the effects of changes in the proportion of workers in high-wage and low-wage
industries—was 196.3 (1967=100) in May, 0.5 percent higher than in April.
was 6.9 percent above May a year ago.

The index

During the 12-month period ended in April, the

Hourly Earnings Index in dollars of constant purchasing power rose 0.3 percent.
table B-4.)




(See

Explanatory Note
This release presents and analyzes statistics from two
major surveys. Data on labor force, total employment, and
unemployment (A tables) are derived from the Current
Population Survey, a sample survey of households conducted
by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. The sample consists of about 47,000 households
selected to represent the U.S. civilian noninstitutional
population 16 years of age and over.
Statistics on nonagricultural payroll employment, hours,
and earnings (B tables) are collected by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, in cooperation with State agencies, from payroll
records of a sample of approximately 165,000 establishments. Unless otherwise indicated, data for both series
relate to the week containing the 12th day of the specified
month.

includes all persons who satisfactorily meet the above
criteria, regardless of their eligibility for unemployment
insurance benefits or any kind of public assistance. The
unemployment rate represents the unemployed as a proportion of the civilian labor force (the employed and unemployed combined).
To meet the extensive needs of data users, the Bureau
regularly publishes data on a wide variety of labor market
indicators—see, for example, the demographic, occupational, and industry detail in tables A-2 and A-3. A special
grouping of seven unemployment measures is set forth in
table A-7. Identified by the symbols U-1 through U-7,
these measures represent a range of possible definitions of
unemployment and of the labor force, extending from the
most restrictive (U-1) to the most comprehensive (U-7). The
official rate of unemployment appears as U-5.

Comparability of household and payroll employment
statistics
Employment data from the household and payroll surveys differ in several basic respects. The household survey
provides information on the labor force activity of the
entire population 16 years of age and over, without duplication, since each person is classified as employed^ unemployed, or not in the labor force.
The payroll survey relates only to paid wage and salary
employees (regardless of age) on the payrolls of nonagricultural establishments. The household survey counts employed persons in both agriculture and in nonagricultural
industries and, in addition to wage and salary workers (including private household workers), includes the selfemployed, unpaid family workers, and persons "with a
job but not at work" and not paid for the period absent.
Persons who worked at more than one job during the survey week or otherwise appear on more than one payroll are
counted more than once in the establishment survey. Such
persons are counted only once in the household survey and
are classified in the job at which they worked the greatest
number of hours.
Unemployment
To be classified in the household survey as unemployed
an individual must: (1) have been without a job during the
survey week, (2) have made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the prior 4 weeks, and (3) be
presently available for work. In addition, persons on layoff and those waiting to begin a new job (within 30 days)
are also classified as unemployed. The unemployed total




Seasonal adjustment
Nearly all economic phenomena are affected to some
degree by seasonal variations. These are recurring, predictable events which are repeated more or less regularly
each year—changes in weather, school vacations, major
holidays, industry production schedules, etc. The cumulative
effects of these events are often large. For example, on average over the year, they explain about 90 percent of the
month-to-month variance in the unemployment figures.
Since seasonal variations tend to be large relative to the
underlying cyclical trends, it is necessary to use seasonallyadjusted data to interpret short-term economic developments. At the beginning of each year, current seasonal
adjustment factors for unemployment and other labor force
series are calculated taking into account the prior year's
experience, and revised data are introduced in the release
containing January data.
All seasonally-adjusted civilian labor force and unemployment rate statistics, as well as the major employment
and unemployment estimates, are computed by aggregating
independently adjusted series. The official unemployment
rate for all civilian workers is derived by dividing the estimate for total unemployment (the sum of four seasonallyadjusted age-sex components) by the civilian labor force
(the sum of 12 seasonally-adjusted age-sex components).
Several alternative methods for seasonally adjusting the
overall unemployment rate are also used on a regular basis
in order to illustrate the degree of uncertainty that arises
because of the seasonal adjustment procedure. Among these
alternative methods are five different age-sex adjustments,

including a concurrent adjustment and one based on stable
factors and four based on other unemployment aggregations.
Alternative rates for 1976 are shown in the table at the end
of this note. (Current alternative rates and an explanation of
the methods may be obtained from BLS upon request.)
For establishment data, the seasonally-adjusted series
for all employees, production workers, average weekly
hours, and average hourly earnings are adjusted by aggregating the seasonal I y-adjusted data from the respective
component series. These data are revised annually, usually
in conjunction with the annual benchmark adjustments
(comprehensive counts of employment).
Sampling variability
Both the household and establishment survey statistics
are subject to sampling error, which should be taken into
account in evaluating the levels of a series as well as changes
over time. Because the household survey is based upon a
probability sample, the results may differ from the figures
that would be obtained if it were possible to take a complete
census using the same questionnaire and procedures. The
standard error is the measure of sampling variability, that is,
the variations that might occur by chance because only a

sample of the population is surveyed. Tables A-E in the
"Explanatory Notes" of Employment and Earnings provide
standard errors for unemployment and other labor force
categories.
Although the relatively large size of the monthly establishment survey assures a high degree of accuracy, the estimates derived from it also may differ from the figures
obtained if a complete census using the same schedules
and procedures were possible. Moreover, since the estimating procedures employ the previous month's level as
the base in computing the current month's level of employment (link-relative technique), sampling and response
errors may accumulate over several months. To remove
this accumulated error, the employment estimates are adjusted to new benchmarks, usually annually. In addition
to taking account of sampling and response errors, the
benchmark revision adjusts the estimates for changes in
the industrial classification of individual establishments.
Employment estimates are currently projected from March
1974 benchmark levels. Measures of reliability for employment estimates are provided in the "Explanatory Notes" of
Employment and Earnings, as are the actual amounts of
revisions due to benchmark adjustments (tables G-L).

Unemployment rate by alternative seasonal adjustment methods

Month

Unadjusted
rate

(1)

Alternative age-sex procedures
Official
AdAll
All
jutted
Stable
YearConRate multipli- addi- ahead current 1967-73
tive
cative
(2)

(3)

1976

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December




Other aggregations
(all multiplicative)
Duration

Reasons

Total

Direct
Range
adjust- Compo(cols.
site
Resid- ment
2-13)
ual
(14)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

00)

(11)

(12)

(13)

8.0
7.8
7.6
7.5
7.2
7.5
7.7
7.8
7.7
7.8
7.8

7.8
7.6
7.5
7.4
7.2
7 JS
7.8
7.9
7.8
7.9
8.1
7.9

7.8
7.6
7.5
7.4
7.2
7.6
7.8
7.9
7.8
7.9
8.0
7.8

8.1
7.7
7.7
7.6
7.5
7.5
7.7
7.7
7.6
7.7
7.8
7.9

8.0
7.5
7.3
7.4

7.8
7.5
7.4
7.5
7.4
7.5
7.8
8.0
7.9
7.9
8.0
7.8

7.8
7.6
7.5
7.5
7 h
7.3
7.7
7.9
7.8
8.0
8.0
7.8

8.2
7.7
7.6
7.4

7.9
7.6
7.5
7.5
7.5
7.3
7.7
8.0
7.8
7.9
8.0
7.9

7.9
7.6
7.5
7.5
7.3

0.4
.3
.4

7JS

.3

7.7
7.9
73
7.9
8.0
7.8

2

iI
8.8
8.7
8.1
7.4
6.7
8.0
7.8
7.6
7.4
7.2
7.4
7.4

7.8
7.6
7.5
7.5
7.3
7.6
7.8
7.9
7.8
7.9
8.0
7.8

7.8
7.6
7.5
7.5
7.4
7.5
7.8
7.9
7.8
8.0
8.0
7.9

7M

72

7.5
7.6
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.1
7.9

72

7.4
7.7
7.8
7.8
7.9
7.8
7.8

.2

.3
.4
.3
.3
.1

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA .

Table A-1. Employment status of the noninstitutional population
{Numbers in thousands]
Not seasonally adjusted
Employment status

May
1976

Seasonally adjusted
May
1977

Apr.
1977

May
1976

Jan.
1977

Feb.
1977

Mar.
1977

Apr.
1977

May
1977

TOTAL
Total noninstitutional population1
Civilian noninstitutional population
Civilian labor force
Participation rate

1

Employment-population ratio2
Nonagricultural industries
Unemployed
Not in labor force

155,711
2,142
153,570
93,582
60.9
87,278
56.1
3,415
83,863
6,304
6.7
59,988

157,986
2,132
155,854
95,826
61.5
89,258
56.5
3,140
86,118
6,568
6.9
60,028

158,228
2,128
156,101
96,193
61.6
90,042
56.9
3,478
86,564
6,151
6.4
59.907

155,711
2,142
153,570
94,551
61.6
87,640
56.3
3,332
84,308
6,911
7.3
59,019

157,381
2,133
155,248
95,516
61.5
88,558
56.3
3,090
85,468
6,958
7.3
59,732

157,584
2,137
155,447
96,145
61.9
88,962
56.5
3,090
85,872
7,183
7.5
59,302

157,782
2,138
155,643
96,539
62.0
89,475
56.7
3,116
86,359
7,064
7.3
59,104

157,986
2,132
155,854
96,760
62.1
90,023
57.0
3,260
86,763
6,737
7.0
59,094

158,228
2,128
156,101
97,158
62.2
90,408
57.1
3,386
87,022
6,750
6.9
58,943

66,087
64,398
51,205
79.5
48,498
73.4
2,468
46,030
2,707
5.3
13,193

67,209
65,522
51,909
79.2
49,114
73.1
2,259
46,855
2,795
5.4
13,614

67,324
65,641
52,062
79.3
49,487
73.5
2,423
47,064
2,575
4.9
13,579

66,087
64,398
51,435
79.9
48,542
73.5
2,418
46,124
2,893
5.6
12,963

66,930
65,250
51,842
79.5
48,961
73.2
2,209
46,752
2,881
5.6
13,408

67,025
65,342
52,092
79.7
49,091
73.2
2,230
46,861
3,001
5.8
13,250

67,114
65,423
52,061
79.6
49,267
73.4
2,208
47,059
2,794
5.4
13,362

67,209
65,522
52,089
79.5
49,465
73.6
2,280
47,185
2,624
5.0
13,433

67,324
65,641
52,282
79.6
49,531
73.6
2,373
47,158
2,751
5.3
13,359

72,837
72,753
33,845
46.5
31,682
43.5
521
31,160
2,163
6.4
38,908

73,958
73,863
35,418
48.0
33,080
44.7
511
32,570
2,337
6.6
38,446

74,081
73,987
35,478
48.0
33,299
44.9
641
32,658
2,179
6.1
38,509

72,837
72,753
33,999
46.7
31,671
43.5
485
31,186
2,328
6.8
38,754

73,642
73,550
34,740
47.2
32,331
43.9
488
31,843
2,409
6.9
38,810

73,746
73,654
34,982
47.5
32,477
44.0
485
31,992
2,505
7.2
38,672

73,852
73,757
35,295
47.9
32,750
44.3
496
32,254
2,545
7.2
38,462

73,958
73,863
35,455
48.0
32,985
44.6
577
32,408
2,470
7.0
38,408

74,081
73,987
35,634
48.2
33,288
44.9
597
32,691
2,346
6.6
38,353

16,788
16,419
8,532
52.0
7,099
42.3
426
6,672
1,434
16.8
7,886

16,819
16,468
8,499
51.6
7,063
42.0
370
6,693
1,436
16.9
7,969

16,823
16,473
8,653
52.5
7,256
43.1
414
6,842
1,397
16.1
7,820

16,788
16,419
9,117
55.5
7,427
44.2
429
6,998
1,690
18.5
7,302

16,810
16,448
8,934
54.3
7,266
43.2
393
6,873
1,668
18.7
7,514

16,813
16,451
9,071
55.1
7,394
44.0
375
7,019
1,677
18.5
7,380

16,816
16,464
9,183
55.8
7,458
44.4
412
7,046
1,725
18.8
7,281

16,819
16,468
9,216
56.0
7,573
45.0
403
7,170
1,643
17.8
7,252

16,823
16,473
9,242
56.1
7,589
45.1
416
7,173
1,653
17.9
7,231

137,081
135,296
82,924
61.3
77,836
56.8
5,088
6.1
52,372

138,894
137,139
84,890
61.9
79,618
57.3
5,273
6.2
52,249

139,089
137,337
85,214
62.0
80,373
57.8
4,841
5.7
52,123

137,081
135,296
83,668
61.8
78,070
57.0
5,598
6.7
51,628

138,415
136,654
84,616
61.9
78,923
57.0
5,693
6.7
52,038

138,575
136,810
85,086
62.2
79,365
57.3
5,721
6.7
51,724

138,732
136,972
85,482
62.4
79,832
57.5
5,650
6.6
51,490

138,894
137,139
85,642
62.4
80,249
57.8
5,393
6.3
51,497

139,089
137,337
85,937
62.6
80,603
58.0
5,334
6.2
51,400

18,630
18,273
10,658
58.3
9,442
50.7
1,216
11.4
7.616

19,091
18,714
10,935
58.4
9,640
50.5
1,295
11.8
7,779

19,140
18,763
10,979
58.5
9,669
50.5
1,310
11.9
7,784

18,630
18,273
10,846
59.4
9,509
51.0
1,337
12.3
7,427

18,966
18,594
11,030
59.3
9,648
50.9
1,382
•12.5
7,564

19,009
18,637
11,163
59.9
9,697
51.0
1,466
13.1
7,474

19,050
18,672
11,104
59.5
9,690
50.9
1,414
12.7
7,568

19,091
18,714
11,071
59.2
9.711
50.9
1,360
12.3
7,643

19,140
18,763
11,171
59.5
9,730
50.8
1,441
12.9
7,592

Men, 20 years and over
Total noninstitutional population1
Civilian noninstitutional population1
Civilian labor force
Participation rate
Employment-population ratio2
Nonagricultural industries
Unemployed
Unemployment rate
Not in labor force
Women, 20 years and over
Total noninstitutional population1
Civilian noninstitutional population1
Civilian labor force
Participation rate
Employed
Employment-population ratio2
Agriculture
Nonagricultural industries
Unemployed
Unemployment rate
Not in labor force
Both sexes, 16-19 years
Total noninstitutional population1
Civilian noninstitutional population1
Civilian labor force
Participation rate
Employed
Employment-population ratio2
Agriculture
Nonagricultural industries
Unemployed
Unemployment rate
Not in labor force
WHITE
Total noninstitutional population1
Civilian noninstitutional population1
Civilian labor force
Participation rate
Employed
Employment-population ratio2
Unemployed
Unemployment rate
BLACK AND OTHER
Total noninstitutional population1
Civilian noninstitutional population1
Civilian labor force
Participation rate
Employed
Employment-population ratio2
Unemployed
Unemployment rate
Not in labor force

1
The population and Armed Forces figures are not adjusted for seasonal variations;
therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted columns.




2
Civilian employment as a percent of the total noninstitutional population (including
Armed Forces).

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA .

Table A-2. Major unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted

Selected categories

Number of
unemployed persons
(In thousands)

Unemployment rates

May
1976

May
1977

May
1976

Jan.
1977

Feb.
1977

Mar.
1977

Apr.
1977

May
1977

6,911
2,893
2,328
1,690

6,750
2,751
2,346
1,653

7,. 3
5,. 6
6.. 8
18.. 5

7,. 3
5.. 6
6., 9
18..7

7,. 5
5,. 8
7,.2
18.. 5

7 .3
5,. 4
1,. 2
18,. 8

7,. 0
5,. 0
7,. 0
17,. 8

6.9
5.3
6.6
17.9

White, total
Men, 20 years and over
Women, 20 years and over
Both sexes, 16-19 years

5,598
2,379
1,893
1,326

5,334
2,206
1,817
1,311

6,.7
5,.2
6., 4
16..3

6., 7
5.. 0
6..3
18.. 1

6., 7
5.. 2
6.. 4
16..3

6.. 6
4,. 9
6.. 5
16.. 6

6,. 3
4,. 6
6., 1
16.. 1

6.2
4.7
5.9
15.7

Black and other, total
Men, 20 years and over
Women, 20 years and over
Both sexes, 16-19 years

1,337
512
472
353

1,441
543
566
332

12.,3
9..6
10., 4
3 7 ., 8

12. .5
10.,2
10.,8
3 6 ., 1

13.. 1
9.. 9
12.. 4
37. ,2

12..7
9,. 4
11..6
40., 1

12.,3
8..5
12.,3
36. .2

12.9
9.9
11.8
38.7

Household heads, total
Men
With relatives
Without relatives
Women
With relatives
Without relatives

2,632
2,005
1,601
404
547
355
192

2,467
1,812
1,435
377
578
361
217

4., 9
4., 4
4. , 0
8.,3
6., 4
8. ,7
4. ,3

4., 8
4. ,3
3 , ,8
8.,2
7., 0
9., 0
5. , 1

4.. 9
4., 5
4., 0
8..2
7., 1
9., 4
4. , 9

4..6
4.,2
3., 7
7.. 8
7.,2
9.,6
5., 0

4.. 4
3.. 9
3. ,5
6.. 9
7., 0
9.,2
5., 0

4.5
4.0
3.5
7.3
6.3
8.4
4.5

Married men, spouse present
Married women, spouse present
Full-time workers
Part-time workers
Unemployed 15 weeks and over1
Labor force time lost2

1,618
1,462
5,573
1,398
2,042

1,445
1,417
5,389
1,429
1,836

4 . ,1
6..7
6 ., 9
10., 1
2 . ,2
8 ., 1

3 . ,8
6. ,5
6 . ,7
10. ,2
2. 4
8 . ,0

4. , 1
6..7
6. , 9
10. ,7
2 .,3
7. , 9

3 . ,7
6..7
6.,7
11. , 1
2. , 0
7., 8

3 . ,6
6..6
6. ,5
9., 9
1., 9
7., 4

3.6
6.3
6.5
9.9
1.9
7.5

4 . ,5
3 ., 1
3., 1
4 . ,9
6 , ,3
9., 0
6 . ,3
1 0 . ,6
6 . ,5
1 3 . ,6
8 . ,2
4 . ,6

4. 5
3. 3
3 . ,0
5. 7
6. 0
8 . ,4
6. 1
9 . ,2
7. 2
12. 9
8. 6
4. 8

4 . ,6
3 . ,3
2. ,8
5 . ,6
6 . ,4
8. ,7
6 . ,5
9. ,6
7 . ,7
1 2 . ,8
8 . ,4
6 . ,1

4. ,7
3 ., 1
3,. 4
5.5
6. ,5
8. ,3
6. , 0
9.,2
6., 9
13. ,2
7. , 9
5 . ,4

4 ., 4
3 . ,2
2 ., 9
5 ., 1
6. ,0
7. 8
4 ., 9
9.,3
6 . ,0
1 2 . ,6
8 ., 1
4. 8

4.3
2.9
2.8
5.5
5.7
7.9
5.6
8.9
6.7
12.5
9.0
4.4

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

—

—

|

1

|
!

11

OCCUPATION3
White-collar workers
Professional and technical
Managers and administrators, except farm
Sales workers
Clerical workers
Blue-collar workers
Craft and kindred workers
Operatives, except transport
Transport equipment operatives
Nonfarm laborers
Service workers
Farm workers

2,074
425
293
287
1,069
2,870
756
1,203
230
681
1,079
138

1,994
408
270
329
987
2,621
703
1,025
255
638
1,222
135

|

I

INDUSTRY3
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers4
Construction
Manufacturing
Durable goods
Nondurable goods
Transportation and public utilities
Wholesale and retail trade
Finance and service industries
Government workers
Agricultural wage and salary workers

1

:

5,144
625
1,569
928
641
243
1,423
1,252
716
186

5,018
603
1,351
727
624
213
1,493
1,330
644
172

7. ,5
14. 5
7 . ,4
7 . ,3
7 . ,5
5 . ,0
8 . ,2
6 . ,3
4 . ,6
12. 5

7 . ,4
14. 9
6. 9
6. 5
7 . ,4
4 .J
8 . ,4
6. 2
4. 3
12. 6

7. ,6
1 5 . ,2
7 ., 1
7. 0
7 . ,3
4 . ,6
8 . ,7
6 . ,2
4 . ,5
13. 4

7. ,4
1 4 . ,2
6. ,6
6. 1
7 . ,3
5., 1
8. ,4
6. ,4
4 . ,0
13. 2

7.
12.
6.
6.
7.
4.
7.
6.
4.
12.

0
0
7
0
7
4
8
1
0
3

7.1
13.0
6.2
5.7
7.0
4.3
8.3
6.6
4.1
11.5

468
142
218
108

489
125
225
139

7 . ,4
1 5 . ,2
6 . ,9
4. 9

7.
16.
7.
3.

6
8
9
6

7 . ,0
15. 8
6 . ,7
3. 9

6 . ,8
17. 1
6 . ,6
3. 3

7.
14.
7.
4.

3
4
7
3

7.5
13.6
7.8
5.1

1,186
725
285
176

1,119
696
268
155

7 ., 9
10. 8
6,. 1
4 ., 9

8 . ,2
10. 6
1. 7
4 . ,2

8 ., 6
1 1 . ,6
7 . ,3
4 . ,8

7. , 9
10. ,4
7. ,0
4,,3

6. 8
10. 1
5. 7
4 . ,2

7.2
10.2
5.4
4.1

V E T E R A N STATUS
Male Vietnam-era veterans:5
20 to 34 years
20 to 24 years
25 to 29 years
30 to 34 years
Male nonveterans:
20 to 34 years
20 to 24 years
25 to 29 years
30 to 34 years

1

Unemployment rate calculated as a percent of civilian labor force.
Aggregate hours lost by tlie unemployed and persons on part time for economic reasons
as a percent of potentially available labor force hours.
3
Unemployment by occupation includes all experienced unemployed persons, whereas that
7




by industry covers only unemployed wage and salary workers.
4
Includes mining, not shown separately.
s
Vietnam-era veterans are those who served between August 5,1964, and April 30, 1975.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA .

Table A-3. Selected employment indicators
[Numbers in thousands]
Not seasonally adjusted
Selected categories

Seasonally adjusted

May
1976

May
1977

May
1976

Jan.
1977

Feb.
1977

Mar.
1977

Apr.
1977

May
1977

87, 278
52, 301
34, 977
51, 200
38, 177
20, 260

90,042
53,525
36,517
52,366
38,470
20,920

87,640
52,490
35,150
51,170
38,196
20,300

88,558
52,918
35,640
51,710
38,195
20,511

88, 962
53, 046
35, 916
51, 729
38, 159
20, 756

89, 475
53, 270
36, 205
51, 970
38, 294
20, 963

90, 023
53, 575
36, 448
52, 230
38, 536
21, 076

90,408
53,722
36,686
52,314
38,509
20,962

43,,478
13,,235
9,,237
5,,506
15,,500
28,,931
H i ,234
10,,060
3,,278
4,,359
11,,955
2,,914

44,485
13,483
9,428
5,661
15,913
30,284
11,870
10,393
3,534
4,487
12,294
2,981

43,757
13,236
9,210
5,539
15,772
29,066
11,259
10,192
3,296
4,319
12,034
2,839

44,521
13,444
9,613
5,633
15,831
29,634
11,626
10,341
3,358
4,309
11,874
2,624

44, 451
13, 408
9, 502
5,,815
15,,726
29, 917
U , ,668
10,,351
3,,448
4,,450
12,,017
2,,663

44, 495
13, 439
9, 543
5, 617
15, 896
30, 025
11, 709
10, 574
3, 487
4,,255
12,,272
2,,652

44, 851
13, 591
9, 434
5,,765
16,,061
30,,193
11,,896
10,,394
3,,482
4,,421
12,,254
2,,779

44,766
13,483
9,400
5,695
16,188
30,423
11,894
10., 530
3,552
4,447
12,372
2,904

Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers
Self-employed workers
Unpaid family workers
Nonagricultural industries:

1,,296
1.,697
422

1,325
1,688
465

1,297
1,664
357

1,246
1,490
354

1,,280
1,,511
338

1,,282
1,,513
319

1,,310
1,,548
366

1,325
1,655
393

Government
Private industries
Private households
Other industries
Self-employed workers

77,,447
14,,984
62 ,463
1 ,315
61 ,148
5 ,922
494

79,758
15,196
64,561
1,317
63,244
6,219
587

78,070
14,858
63,212
1,303
61,909
5,759
463

79,205
1'5,013
64,192
1,391
62,801
5,853
419

79.,520
14,,913
64,,607
1,,317
63.,290
5 ,854
516 -

79.,869
14,,923
64,,946
1.,313
63;,633
5 ,919
536

80,,306
14,,960
65 ,346
1 ,320
64 ,026
5 ,954
499

80,429
15,075
65,354
1,305
64,049
6,050
550

80 ,099
65 ,207
3 ,071
1 ,358
1 ,713
11 ,821

82,957
67,555
3,070
1,240
1,830
12,332

78,960
64,877
3,287
1,438
1,849
10,796

79,832
65,700
3,320
1,112
2,208
10,812

80 ,837
66 ,144
3 ,438
1 ,335
2 ,103
11 ,255

81 ,330
66 ,659
3 ,276
1 ,212
2 ,064
11 ,395

81 ,005
66 ,436
3 ,174
1 ,167
2 ,007
11 ,395

81,771
67,219
3,290
1,314
1,976
11,262

CHARACTERISTICS

Total employed, 16 years and over
Women
Household heads
Married men, spouse present
Married women, spouse present
OCCUPATION

White-collar workers
Professional and technical
Managers and administrators, execpt farm
Sales workers

Craft and kindred workers
Operatives, except transport
Transport equipment operatives

MAJOR I N D U S T R Y A N D CLASS
OF W O R K E R

PERSONS A T WORK

1

Nonagricultural industries
Full-time schedules
Part time for economic reasons
Usually work full time
Usually work part time
Part time for noneconomic reasons

1
Excludes persons "with a job but not at work" during the survey period for such
reasons as vacation, illness, or industrial disputes.

Table A-4. Duration of unemployment
[Numbers in thousands]
Not seasonally adjusted
Weeks of unemployment

Seasonally adjusted

May
1976

May
1977

May
1976

Jan.
1977

Feb.
1977

Mar.
1977

Apr.
1977

May
1977

2,450
1,544
2,310
1,022
1,289

2,437
1,635
2,078.
959
1,120

2,795
1,978
2,042
850
1,192

2,762
2,083
2,283
1,038
1,245

2,804
2,107
2,182
947
1,235

3,005
2,098
1,923
777
1,146

3,100
1,857
1,816
715
1,101

2,782
2,093
1,836
800
1,036

16.6

16.4

15.1

15.5

14.7

14.0

14.3

14.9

100.0
38.9
24.5
36.6
16.2
20.4

100.0
29.6
19.9
25.3
11.7
13.6

100.0
41.0
29.0
30.0
12.5
17.5

100.0
38.7
29.2
32.0
14.6
17.5

100.0
39.5
29.7
30.8
13.4
17.4

100.0
42.8
29.9
27.4

100.0
45.8
27.4
26.8 *

100.0
41.5
31.2
27.4

DURATION
Less than 5 weeks
5 to 14 weeks
15 to 2 6 weeks
27 weeks and over
Average (mean) duration, in weeks
PERCENT D I S T R I B U T I O N
Total unemployed
Less than 5 weeks
15 weeks and over
15 to 26 weeks
27 weeks and over




11.1
16.3

10.6 v
16.3 y/

. 11.9
15.4

V

V

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA .

Table A-5. Reasons for unemployment
[Numbers in thousands]
Reasons

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Hay
1976

May
1977

May
1976

Jan.
1977

Feb.
1977

Mar.
1977

Apr.
1977

May
1977

3,201
853
2,348
716
1,619
768

2,774
664
2,110
758
1,818
801

3,506
963
2,543
892
1,775
860

3,207
791
2,416
932
1,991
905

3,396
1,001
2,395
852
1,963
936

3,143
865
2,278
919
2,013
1,003

2,953
754
2,199
846
2,001
972

3,038
749
2,289
944
1,993
893

100.0
50.8
13.5
37.3
11.4
25.7
12.2

100.0
45.1
10.8
34.3
12.3
29.6
13.0

100.0
49.9
13.7
36.2
12.7
25.2
12.2

100.0
45.6
11.2
34.3
13.2
28.3
12.9

100.0
47.5
14.0
33.5
11.9
27.5
13.1

100.0
44.4
12.2
32.2
13.0
28.4
14.2

100.0
43.6
11.1
32.5
12.5
29.5
14.4

100.0
44.2
10.9
33.3
13.7
29.0
13.0

3.4
.8
1.7
.8

2.9
.8
1.9
.8

3.7
.9
1.9
.9

3.4
1.0
2.1
.9

3.5
.9
2.0
1.0

3.3
1.0
2.1
1.0

3.1
.9
2.1
1.0

3.1
1.0
2.1
.9

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Lost last job
On layoff
Other job losers
Left last job
Reentered labor force
Seeking first job
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION

Job losers
On layoff
Other job losers
Job leavers
Reentrants
New entrants
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
» V I LI AN LABOR FORCE
Job losers
Reentrants
New entrants

Table A-6. Unemployment by sex and age, seasonally adjusted

Sex and ags

Number of
unemployed persons
(In thousands)

Unemployment rates

May
1976

May

May

1977

1976

Jan.
1977

Feb.
1977

Mar.
1977

Apr.
1977

May
1977

6,911
1,690
811
879
1,572
3,646
3,064
606

6,750
1,653
779
873
1,533
3,565
3,006
580

7.3
18.5
21.7
16.5
11.3
5.1
5.3
4.3

7.3
18.7
21.1
17.0
11.4
5.1
5.3
4.1

7.5
18.5
19.8
17.5
12.0
5.2
5.3
4.8

7.3
18.8
22.2
16.6
11.4
5.1
5.2
4.3

7.0
17.8
19.2
16.8
10.8
4.9
5.1
4.1

6.9
17.9
20.4
16.3
10.7
4.8
5.1
4.0

Men, 16 years and over
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

3,830
937
459
478
869
1,984
1,613
387

3,609
858
399
459
823
1,892
1,563
343

6.8
19.2
22.6
17.0
11.3
4.5
4.6
4.4

6.6
17.4
19.5
16.1
11.3
4.6
4.7
4.0

6.9
18.6
19.3
17.9
12.1
4.6
4.6
4.7

6.5
18.7
22.2
16.1
11.2
4.3
4.3
4.4

6.1
17.0
17.9
16.0
10.5
4.1
4.3
3.7

6.3
17.0
18.7
16.0
10.6
4.2
4.4
3.9

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

3,081
753
352
401
703
1,662
1,451
219

3,141
795
380
414
710
1,673
1,443
237

8.1
17.8
20.6
15.9
11.2
6.0
6.5
4.2

8.3
20.1
23.0
18.1
11.4
5.9
6.2
4.3

8.4
18.4
20.4
16.9
11.9
6.1
6.3
4.9

8.5
18.9
22.2
17.1
11.7
6.1
6.6
4.2

8.2
18.8
20.8
17.7
11.2
6.0
6.5
4.6

7.9
19.0
22.5
16.6
10.9
5.7
6.1
4.3

Total, 16 years and over
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




HOUSEHOLD DATA .

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-7. Range of unemployment measures based on varying definitions of unemployment and the labor force,
seasonally adjusted
[Percent]
Quarterly averages

Monthly data

1976

Measures
I

II

1977
III

IV

I

1977
Mar.

Apr.

May

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

2.7

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.2

2.0

1.9

1.9

U-2—Job losers as a percent of the civilian labor force

3.8

3.7

3.9

3.9

3.4

3.3

3.1

3.1

U-3—Unemployed household heads as a percent of the household head
1
labor force

5.0

4.9

5.3

5.3

4.8

4.6

4.4

4.5

U-4—Unemployed full-time jobseekers as a percent of the full-time labor
force

7.1

7.0

7.4

7.5

6.8

6.7

6.5

6.5

U-5—Total unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor force
(official measure)

7.6

7.4

7.8

7.9

7.4

7.3

7.0

6.9

U-6—Total full-time jobseekers plus Yi part-time jobseekers plus % total
on part time for economic reasons as a percent of the civilian
labor force less % of the part-time labor force

9.3

9.1

9.5

9.7

9.0

8.9

8.6

8.6

U-7 —Total full-time jobseekers plus /2 part-time jobseekers plus % total
on part time for economic reasons plus discouraged workers as a
percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers less
Vi of the part-time labor force

10.2

10.0

10.3

10.7

9.9

N.A.

N.A.

N.A.

1

N.A.-not aval labia.




ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

PRESSRELEASE

Table B-1. Employees on nonagricultural payrolls, by industry
[In thousands]
Seasonally adjusted

Not seasonally adjusted
Industry

TOTAL
GOODS-PRODUCING
MINING
CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION

May
1976

Mar.
1977

79,424

80, 547

23,245

23,461

775

82 7

May
1977

Apr.
1977

81,252
23,793
83 8

May
1976

Jan.
1977

Feb.
1977

Mar.
1977

Apr.
1977p

May
1977P

81,900

79,319

80,561

80,824

81,395

81, 605

81, 792

24,106

23,381

23,589

23,701

24,005

2 4 , 163

24,244

848

776

817

823

842

847

849

3, 645

3, 759

3, 835

3,848

3, 598

3,451

3, 674

3,840

3, 605

3, 5 6 1

MANUFACTURING
Production workers

18,872
13,571

19,183
13, 7 6 3

19,281
13,855

19,418
13,997

19,000
13, 693

19, 2 1 1
13, 8 0 1 '

19,233
13,810

19,404
13,958

19,481
14,032

19,547
14,120

DURABLE GOODS
Production workers

11, 034
7,890

11,246
8, 025

11, 3 1 7
8, 092

11,419
8, 195

11, 062
7, 916

11, 2 3 6
8, 026

11,230
8,011

11,370
8, 128

11,392
8 , 153

11,445
8,221

Ordnance and accessories
157. 9
Lumber and wood products
600. 1
Furniture and fixtures
490. 9
Stone, clay, and glass products .... 6 2 8 . 0
Primary metal industries
1, 1 9 4 . 5
Fabricated metal products
1,385. 1
Machinery, except electrical
2,063.7
Electrical equipment
1, 8 2 2 . 3
Transportation equipment
1, 7 5 5 . 2
Instruments and related products ..
510. 6
Miscellaneous manufacturing
425. 6

155.4
614. 0
498. 4
625. 9
1, 1 9 0 . 8
1,415. 9
2 , 148. 1
1, 8 8 6 . 6
1, 7 7 5 . 4
521. 8
413. 5

156.4
624.4
500. 5
642. 2
1,204. 7
1,423. 1
Z, 1 4 0 . 0
1, 8 9 9 . 0
1, 7 9 0 . 4
52 0. 9
415. 2

155. 9
640. 1
501. 1
649. 8
1,215.3
1,437. 2
2, 1 5 5 . 2
1, 9 1 1 . 8
1, 8 1 0 . 2
524.4
417. 7

160
601
496
62 7
193
392
068
837
747
512
42 9

156
62 5
494
63 1
1, 183
1,413
2 , 125
1, 8 7 4
1, 7 9 0
52 1
424

156
626
497
620
1, 1 7 8
1,416
2 , 134
1,888
1,766
524
425

156
633
503
641
1, 1 9 9
1,432
2 , 142
1, 9 0 6
1, 8 0 8
52 6
424

158
63 7
506
650
1, 2 0 7
1,433
2 , 138
1,916
1, 7 9 8
525
424

157
641
506
649
1,214
1,444
2 , 160
1, 9 2 7
1, 8 0 1
525
421

7, 838
5, 6 8 1

7, 9 3 7
5, 738

7, 964
5, 763

7,999
5, 802

7 , 93 8
5, 777

7, 975
5, 775

8,003
5, 7 9 9

8, 034
5, 830

8, 089
5, 879

8 , 102
5,899

Food and kindred products
1, 6 5 2 . 0
Tobacco manufactures
67. 7
Textile mill products
971. 9
Apparel and other textile products . 1 , 3 1 8 . 8
Paper and allied products
672.3
Printing and publishing
1, 0 7 6 . 1
Chemicals and allied products
1, 0 2 8 . 0
Petroleum and coal products
202. 8
Rubber and plastics products, nec..
568. 7
Leather and leather products
280. 0

1, 6 6 1 . 4
63. 9
969. 8
1,286. 9
682. 9
1, 0 9 6 . 4
1, 0 4 7 . 5
202. 0
661.4
264. 8

1,659.9
67.2
977. 9
1,282. 6
690. 0
1, 0 9 7 . 3
1, 0 5 0 . 9
206. 0
665. 8
265. 9

1, 6 5 9 . 7
66. 1
982. 1
1,292.4
695. 6
1, 1 0 2 . 5
1, 0 5 2 . 0
207. 5
672. 5
268.3

1, 7 1 2
76
977
1,321
679
1, 0 7 9
1, 0 3 4
203
578
279

1, 7 2 1
74
958
1, 2 7 8
684
1, 0 9 0
1, 0 4 4
205
656
265

1, 7 2 7
73
964
1,280
688
1,095
1, 0 5 0
205
656
265

1, 7 3 4
68
973
1, 2 8 3
688
1, 0 9 7
1, 0 5 1
207
666
267

1, 7 3 8
74
981
1,288
698
1, 0 9 8
1, 0 5 7
210
678
267

1, 7 2 0
74
987
1,295
703
1, 1 0 6
1, 0 5 8
208
683
268

56,179

57,086

57,459

57,794

55,938

56,972

5 7 , 123

57,390

57,442

57,548

4,494

4, 522

4,569

4 , 503

4, 549

4 , 553

4, 568

4, 568

4,578

17,606

17,779

18,017

18,155

17,663

17, 9 8 1

18,067

18, 189

18, 194

18,214

4,228
13,378

4,310
13,489

4,327
13,690

4,339
13,816

4,258
13,405

4,323
13,658

4,334
13,733

4,354
1 3 , 83 5

4,366
13, 8 2 8

4,370
13,844

4,278

4,422

4,446

4,473

4,282

4,423

4,431

4,453

4,459

4,477
15,202

NONDURABLE GOODS
Production workers

SERVICE-PRODUCING
TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC
UTILITIES
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE . .
WHOLESALE TRADE
RETAIL TRADE
FINANCE, INSURANCE. AND
REAL ESTATE

4 , 53 1

1,
1,
2,
1,
1,

SERVICES

14,654

15, 0 2 8

15, 171

15,293

14,567

15,010

15,068

15, 149

15, 1 7 1

GOVERNMENT

15,147

15,315

15,294

15,304

14,923

15,009

15,004

15, 0 3 1

15,050

15,077

2,735
12,412

2, 714
12,601

2, 716
12,578

2, 722
12,582

2, 730
1 2 , 193

2, 721
12,288

2, 721
12,283

2, 725
12,306

2, 719
12,33 1

2, 717
12,360

FEDERAL
STATE AND LOCAL

{^preliminary.




j

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

PRESSRELEASE

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Table B-2. Average weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonagricultural
payrolls, by industry
Not seasonally adjusted
1 ndustry

TOTAL PRIVATE

May
1976

Mar.
1977

36. 1

Apr
1977 ^

Seasonally adjusted
May
1977

P

May
1976

Feb.
1977

Jan.
1977

Mar.
1977

Apr
1977- P

May
1977

36. 0

35. 9

36. 1

36. 3

8

36. 3

36. 3

36. 2

36. 3

43. 7

43. 9

43. 6

42. 4

42. 9

43. 6

44. 4

44. 4

43. 5

MINING

42. 5

CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION

37. 2

36. 8

36. 9

37. 3

37. 1

35. 4

37. 8

37. 1

37. 2

37. 2

MANUFACTURING
Overtime hours

40. 2
3. 1

40. 2
3. 2

40. 0
3. 1

40. 3
3. 3

40. 3
3. 3

39. 5
3. 2

40. 3
3. 3

40. 4
3. 3

40. 2
3. 4

40. 4
3. 4

DURABLE GOODS
Overtime hours

40. 9
3. 3

40. 8
3. 3

40. 7
3. 3

41. 1
3. 6

40. 9
3. 4

40. 0
3. 4

40. 8
3. 3

41. 0
3. 4

40. 8
3. 6

41. 1
3. 7

40.
40.
3 8.
41.
40.
41.
41.
40.
42.
40.
3 8.

40.
39.
38.
41.
41.
40.
41.
40.
42.
40.
39.

40.
40.
37.
41.
41.
40.
41.,
39.
42.
39.
3 8.

40.
40.
3 8.
42.
41.
41.
41.
40.
42.
40.
39.

40.
40.
39.
41.
41.
41.
41.
40.
42.
40.
3 8.

40.
39.
37.
39.
40.
39.
40.
39.
41.
39.
3 8.

40.
40.
3 8.
41.
40.
40.
41.
40.
41.
40.
39.

40.
40.
38.
41.
41.
41.
41.
40.
42.
40.
39.

41.
40.
38.
41.
41.
40.
41.
40.
41.
40.
38.

40.
39.
38.
41.
41.
41.
41.
40.
42.
40.
39.

Ordnance and accessories
Lumber and wood products
Furniture and fixtures
Stone, clay, and glass products
Primary metal industries
Fabricated metal products
Machinery, except electrical
Electrical equipment
Transportation equipment
Instruments and related products. . . .
Miscellaneous manufacturing
NONDURABLE GOODS
Overtime hours
Food and kindred products
Tobacco manufactures
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 plastics products, nec . . .
Leather and leather products
TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC
UTILITIES
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE
WHOLESALE TRADE
RETAIL TRADE
FINANCE, INSURANCE, AND
REAL ESTATE
SERVICES

7
4
6
5
9
0
0
2
5
7
7

8
8
1
2
0
8
5
2
4
3
3

39. 4
3. 0

39. 3
2. 9

40.
3 8.
40.
35.
42.
3 7.
41.
42.
40.
38.

39.
37.
40.
35.
42.
37.
41.
42.
41.
36.

0
1
5
8
5
5
6
2
5
4

39. 5

6
7
5
5
4
6
7
6
2
3

39. 9

9
0
8
4
3
5
2
9
0
9
8

39. 1
2. 9
39.
3 7.
40.
35.
42.
3 7.
41.
42.
41.
36.

4
8
1
0
8
4
8
7
0
4

4
1
2
0
6
0
5
2
9
2
0

8
1
0
4
0
0
2
2
4
8
7

5
9
0
9
0
9
6
4
4
8
2

39. 2
3. 0

39. 5
3. 1

3 8. 7
3. 0

39.
37.
40.
35.
42.
37.
41.
42.
41.
36.

40.
38.
40.
36.
42.
37.
41.
42.
40.
38.

39.
36.
39.
34.
41.
37.
41.
42.
40.
35.

7
6
2
4
7
6
5
1
2
8

2
6
6
0
8
6
6
2
7
2

5
1
7
2
9

4
6
3
9
3

6
5
1
4
6
8
3
6
4
8
5

6
1
6
4
1
0
5
3
8
4
3

1
0
3
7
4
7
4
0
9
0
8

5
8
5
9
7
0
7
2
8
3
0

39. 6
3. 2

39. 5
3. 1

39. 5
3. 2

39. 4
3. 1

40.
39.
40.
35.
42.
37.
41.
42.
41.
36.

40.
38.
40.
35.
42'.
37.
41.
43.
41.
36.

40.
38.
40.
35.
43.
37.
41.
42.
41.
37.

1
3
5
1
3
7
8
7
2
1

39. 9
38. 1
40. 3
35. 6
43. 0
37. 7
41. 5
42. 1
41.4
36. 6

3
4
5
7
7
9
7
5
4
7

2
4
8
6
8
7
8
0
2
4

40. 0

40. 2

39. 7

39. 8

40. 5

40. 3

40. 2

40. 4

33. 7

33. 2

33. 4

33. 5

33. 5

33. 5

33. 5

33. 1

33. 1

33. 2

3 8. 8
31. 9

38. 7
31. 4

38. 6
31. 5

38. 7
31. 7

38. 8
32. 2

3 8. 7
31. 6

39. 1
31. 8

38. 9
31. 9

38. 9
31. 9

38. 7
32. 0

36. 7

36. 6

36. 7

36. 7

36. 8

36. 8

36. 6

36. 7

36. 7

36. 8

33. 3

33. 3

33. 3

33. 6

33. 5

33. 6

33. 5

33. 5

33. 5

33. 4

P

1
Data relate to production workers in mining and manufacturing: to construction workers in contract construction: and to 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 employment on private nonagricultural payrolls.
p=preliminary.




ESTABLISHMENT DATA

PRESSRELEASE

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Table B-3. Average hourly and weakly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers 1 on private
nonagricultural payrolls, by industry
Average weekly earnings

Average hourly earnings
Industry

TOTAL PRIVATE
Samsonally sd/usted

May
1976

Mar.
1977

f l

Mayp
1977

May
1976

Mar.
1977

Apr.
1977 ^

$ 4 . 83
4. 84

$ 5 . 11
5 . 12

$ 5 . 15
5 . 17

MINING

6. 35

6. 78

6. 82

6. 80

2 6 9 . 88

296. 29

299. 40

296.48

CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION

7. 61

7. 87

7. 87

7. 88

2 8 3 . 09

2 8 9 . 62

290. 40

293. 92

MANUFACTURING

5 . 12

5. 48

5. 52

5. 57

2 0 5 . 82

220. 30

220. 80

224. 47

5. 49

5. 84

5. 88

5. 96

2 2 4 . 54

238. 27

2 3 9 . 32

244. 96

5.
4.
3.
5.
6.
5.
5.
4.
6.
4.
3.

6.
4.
4.
5.
7.
5.
6.
5.
6.
5.
4.

12
89
19
57
13
65
04
18
99
10
27

6 . 14
4. 92
4. 21
5. 66
7. 22
5. 67
6. 06
5. 2 1
6. 99
5 ., 1 0
4. 27

6.
4.
4.
5.
7.
5.
6.
5.
7.
5.
4.

251.
196.
159.
234.
298.
229.
249.
207.
293.
203.
165.

13
80
14
32
19
64
67
88
58
49
68

248.46
199. 30
162. 35
2 4 0 . 24
3 0 8 . 67
234.93
253.15
2 1 0 . 65
305.45
206. 63
167. 70

4 . 59

4 . 95

4. 99

5. 00

180. 85

194. 54

1 9 5 . 11

196. 00

4. 90
5 . , 13
3. 57
3. 38
5. 31
5 ., 6 6
5 ., 7 9
7 , , 11
4 ., 3 6
3 ., 4 2

5. 22
5. 36
3. 85
3. 57
5. 72
5. 97
6 ., 2 1
7 ., 6 8
5 ., 0 3
3 ., 6 1

5 ., 2 7
5 ., 5 6
3., 8 7
3., 5 7
5 ., 7 9
5., 9 9
6., 2 6
7., 7 4
5,, 0 6
3., 6 1

5. 30
5. 53
3. 87
3. 57
5 ., 8 1
6 ., 0 3
6 ., 2 9
7.. 7 1
5 ,, 0 4
3 ,, 6 2

196. 00
195. 45
144. 59
121. 00
2 2 5 ., 68
2 1 2 .,25
2 4 0 ., 8 6
3 0 0 ., 0 4
1 7 6 ., 5 8
1 3 1 ., 3 3

206. 71
2 0 2 . 07
155. 93
126. 74
242. 53
224. 47
258. 96
3 2 7 ., 17
207. 24
1 3 1 ., 0 4

207.
210.
155.
124.
247.
224.
261.
330.
207.
131.

64
17
19
95
81
03
67
50
46
40

210. 41
207.93
155.57
126. 38
248.09
226. 73
2 6 1 . 04
324. 59
2 0 7 . 65
133.22

6 ,, 3 9

6. 7 1

6.. 7 8

6 .. 8 0

2 5 2 ., 4 1

2 6 7 ., 7 3

271. 20

273.36

3.. 9 5

4 ., 2 0

4,, 2 3

4 ., 2 4

1 3 2 ., 3 3

1 3 9 ., 0 2

140.-01

140. 77

5 . 15
3. 52

5 ., 4 1
3., 7 6

5,, 4 8
3.. 7 8

5., 5 1
3.. 7 9

1 9 9 .. 8 2
1 1 2 .. 2 9

2 0 9 ., 37
1 1 8 ., 0 6

211. 53
1 1 9 ., 0 7

213. 24
1 2 0 . 14

4 .. 5 1

4,. 5 4

4 ,. 5 8

1 6 0 ,. 0 1

1 6 5 ., 0 7

1 6 6 ., 6 2

168. 09

4,. 6 4

4 ,. 6 7

1 4 4 ,. 9 6

1 5 3 ,. 8 5

1 5 4 ., 5 1

155. 51

DURABLE GOODS
Ordnance and accessories

Stone, clay, and glass products
Primary metal industries
Fabricated metal products
Machinery, except elactrical
Electrical equipment
Instruments and related products
Miscellaneous manufacturing
NONDURABLE GOODS

Textile mill products
Apparel and other textile products
Paper and allied products
Chemicals and allied products
Petroleum and coal products
Rubber and plastics products, nec

TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC UTILITIES
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE
WHOLESALE TRADE

FINANCE, INSURANCE, AND REAL ESTATE

64
61
93
26
73
40
69
82
48
81
99

4 ., 3 6
4 .. 3 4

1
See footnote 1. table B-2.
(^preliminary.




4, 6 2

1'

$ 5 . 19
5. 20

15
97
25
72
42
73
10
24
12
14
30

$ 1 7 4 . 36
175. 69

229.
186.
151.
218.
275.
221.
233.
193.
275.
195.
154.

55
24
70
29
26
40
29
76
40
77
41

$ 1 8 3 . 9 6 $ 184. 89
185. 86
1 8 7 . 15

249.
194.
159.
229.
292.

70
62
64
48
33

230.
250.
208.
296.
205.
167.

52
66
24
38
53
81

$ 1 8 7 . 36
188. 76

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

PRESSRELEASE

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Table B-4.
Hourly earnings inde* for production or nonsupervisory workers 1 on private nonagricultural
payrolls, by industry division, seasonally adjusted
[1967=100]
Percent change from
Industry
May
1976

Dec.
1976

Jan.
1977

Feb.
1977

Mar,
1977

A p r .•P
1977

183..6

190.6

192.,7

193.,2

194..1

195..3

196.3

6.9

108,.3

109.4

109..7

109..0

108,.8

108,.6

N.A.

(2)

(3)

197,.0

May p
1977

May 1976May 1977

A p r . 1977May 1977

TOTAL PRIVATE NONFARM:
Current dollars
Constant (1967) dollars
MINING
CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION
MANUFACTURING
TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC UTILITIES
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE
FINANCE, INSURANCE, AND REAL ESTATE
SERVICES
See footnote 1. table
2 P e r c e n t change
3 P e r c e n t change
« L e s s than 0 . 0 5
1

0.5

206.8

207..8

210,.1

210,.4

212..0

212.1

7.7

(4)

185..2
182.,5
198.,1
177.,2

189.5
191.0
203.1
184.6

192.,4
192.,3
205. 1
186. 4

190..8
193.,3
206.,2
187.,6

191..6
194.,3
206.,7
188.,5

192.,6
195.,4
208.,6
189.,8

3.8
7.9
5.5
7.4

-.2
.7

170. 5
187. 4

192.3
196.9
209.1
190.4

172.9
194.6

176. 5
197. 7

175..7
197. 7

175. 9
198. 7

177. 4
199. 8

179.3
200.8

5.2
7.?.

1.1
.5

.3

B-2.
was 0 . 3 f r o m A p r i l 1976 t o A p r i l 1977, t h e l a t e s t month a v a i l a b l e .
was - 0 . 1 f r o m March 1977 t o A p r i l 1977, t h e l a t e s t month a v a i l a b l e .
percent.

N.A. - not available.
p-preliminary.
NOTE: All series are in current dollars except where indicated. The index excludes effects of two types of changes that are unrelated to underlying wage-rate developments: Fluctuations in overtime premiums in manufacturing (the only sector for which overtime data are available) and the effects of changes in the proportion of workers in high-wage and low-wage industries.

Table B-5. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonagricultural
payrolls, by industry, seasonally adjusted
[ 1 9 6 7 = 100]

Industry division and group

TOTAL
GOODS-PRODUCING

1977

1976

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

112. 0

111. 6

112. 2

112.2

112. 3

114. 2

115. 2

115. 4

116. 0

95. 7

95. 9

96. 0

112. 8
97. 2

113. 3

96.8

111. 8
96. 5

111. 8

97.2

96. 9

95.2

98. 3

100. 0

100. 5

101. 4

Jan. Feb,

Mar.

Ap r.I

MayP

MINING

124. 7

125. 0

127. 7

115. 6

131. 7

131. 1

132. 6

134. 0

130. 7

134. 6

141. 5

141. 7

138. 6

CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION

104. 0

104. 0

103. 7

102. 5

99.4

104. 2

105. 7

104. 3

96.4

105. 9

108. 1

111. 4

111. 9

95. 1

94. 6

94. 2

93. 9

94. 0

93. 2

94. 5

94. 0
41. 0
96. 6
105. 1
99. 5
88. 3
98. 7
94. 9
92.2

93.
40.
98.
102.
99.
90.
98.
95.
90.
90.
110.
93.

5
0
6
3
2
1
0
9
5
3
3
1

93. 6
39. 8
97. 6
101. 2
98. 6
89. 8
98. 6
95. 9
92. 2
90. 7
108. 1
91. 8

93.2

92. 0

38. 6
98. 2
102. 4
98. 9
88.8
98. 6
95. 9
91.5

92.8
109. 6
95. 4

93.8
40. 7
96. 1
103. 3
99.7
89.2
98.4
94. 5
91.9
92.6
109. 1
94. 7

NONDURABLE GOODS
96. 6
Food and kindred products
96. 6
Tobacco manufactures
85.4
Textile mill products
99.9
Apparel and other textile products . . .
92. 0
Paper and allied products
98. 1
Printing and publishing
93.6
Chemicals and allied products
100. 0
Petroleum and coal products •
113. 9
Rubber and plastics products, nec . . . 1 0 8 . 8
Leather and leather products
79.8

95.8
96.8
83.4
98.6
91.4
97. 3
93. 1
99.0
111. 6
107. 0
76. 0

95.2
97. 0
82. 3
98. 0
88. 9
96. 9
93. 6
99. 4
112. 2
106. 2
74. 7

122. 3

121.8

101. 9

MANUFACTURING
DURABLE GOODS
Ordnance and accessories
Lumber and wood products
Furniture and fixtures
Stone, clay, and glass products
Primary metal industries •
Fabricated metal products
Machinery, except electrical
electrical equipment and supplies ....
. ransportation equipment
Instruments and related products ....
Miscellaneous manufacturing, Ind

SERVICE-PRODUCING
TRANSPORTATION A N D PUBLIC
UTILITIES
WHOLESALE A N D RETAIL
TRADE

94. 4

93.8

95. 7

97. 1

97. 2

98. 2

89. 1
107. 2
92.2

8
5
8
8
2
7
1
7
4
5
5
1

93.6
39. 5
101. 9
103. 5
99. 1
85. 0
98. 1
96. 0
93. 1
90.6
110.4
91.6

93.2

38. 5
99.4
102. 2
99.7
86.2
96. 5
94. 0
92. 1
86. 1
107. 9
92. 0

93.
38.
100.
102.
100.
85.
98.
96.
93.
91.
108.
92.

39. 0
101. 1
98. 5
96. 1
84. 8
97.6
95.7
91.7
93. 3
108. 9
93. 1

94. 8
39. 1
103. 0
102. 7
97. 1
85. 5
100. 0
97. 7
95. 5
91. 3
112. 4
96. 8

96.8
38. 5
103. 4
105. 3
101. 5
88. 5
101. 6
98. 6
95. 9
96.7
111. 6
96. 0

96. 5
40. 7
103. 9
105. 5
103. 9
89. 7
101. 0
98. 1
95. 9
94. 2
110. 5
94. 5

98. 1
41. 8
104. 3
106. 1
104. 2
91. 5
102. 7
100.8
97. 3
96. 2
111. 3
94. 7

94. 2
96. 5
84. 0
95. 5
87. 6
96. 1
92. 9
99. 8
112. 4
105. 2
72. 5

95.2
96.4
82. 1
95.2
86. 2
96.5
93. 1
100. 3
112.2
124. 3
72. 1

95. 0
96.2
83. 0
95. 0
85.7
95.7
93.4
99.4
112. 5
12 5 . 6
71.0

95. 4
96. 6
81. 6
95. 6
86. 1
97. 0
93. 6
100. 0
113. 1
125. 7
70. 4

95. 5
95.5
81. 6
96. 1
86. 3
97.2
93.7
100. 0
114.7
127. 6
70. 5

94. 7
95. 1
76. 1
95.4
84. 1
96.2
93. 0
100.4
115. 0
127. 7
69. 1

97.
97.
83.
97.
88.
98.
94.
101.
114.
129.
71.

9

99. 5
87.9
98. 3
94. 3
102.2
118. 7
131. 7
71. 9

98.
98.
80.
99.
87.
100.
94.
103.
120.
134.
73.

2
1
7
7
1
8
6
2
4
2
3

98.4
96. 6
78. 9
100. 0
88.9
101.2
95. 5
103. 4
116.2
135. 9
72. 3

122. 5

123. 0

123. 6

123. 5

123. 5

124. 6

124. 1

125. 3

125.8

125. 8

126. 1

101. 6

102. 1

102. 5

102. 9

102. 0

103. 2

105. 0

102. 7

104. 4

104.2

104. 0

104. 8

1
5
0
9
0.
0
8
8
7
6

97.6
97. 9
7 5. 5

118. 9

118. 1

118. 9

119. 0^

119.7

119. 3

118. 9

120. 0

119. 1

120. 7

121. 5

121. 5

121.8

114. 3
120. 6

114. 1
119. 6

115. 3
120. 3

114. 7
120. 6

114. 9
121. 6

114. 8
121. 0

114. 8
120. 4

114. 8
122. 0

115.4
120. 4

117. 0
122. 1

116. 9
123. 2

117. 2
123. 1

116. 7
123. 7

FINANCE, INSURANCE, A N D
R E A L ESTATE

126. 3

126. 3

126. 6

127. 3

127. 7

128. 3

129. 1

129.8

130. 6

130. 2

131. 1

131. 2

132. 0

SERVICES

135. 3

135. 0

135. 4

136. 6

137. 2

137. 6

137. 7

138.4

138. 8

139. 7

140. 0

140. 0

140. 1

WHOLESALE TRADE
RETAIL TRADE

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




ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

PRESSRELEASE

Table B-6. Indexes of diffusion: Percent of industries in which employment 1 increased

Year and month

Over 1-month span

Over 3-month span

Over 6-month span

Over 12-month span

1974
January
February
March

58. 7
55. 8
48. 0

61.6
55. 2
54. 7

64. 8
56.4
54. 7

63. 1
59. 6
54. 9

April
May
June

54.7
54. 7
54. 4

52. 3
57. 0
50. 9

51. 5
50. 3
44. 5

50. 0
40. 1

July
August
September

49. 1
42.2
32. 6

44. 2
36. 0
35. 5

35. 8
32. 0

26. 7
22. 1

21. 8

20. 6

October
November
December

35. 5

19.8

26. 2
21. 8

15. 7

16. 0

16.6

19. 8

12. 8

13. 7

14. 0

January
February
March

16.9
16.9
27. 3

12. 5
14. 0
22. 7

13. 7

12. 8
18.9

16.3
17.4
17.2

April
May
June

44. 2
51. 2
39. 8

34.6
43. 6
47. 7

29. 1
40. 7
59. 0

20. 3
25. 6
40. 1

July
August
September

57. 3
72.4
81.4

55. 5
75. 0
78. 8

63.4
72.4

50. 3
61.9
71. 5

October
November
December

64. 0
59. 6
69. 2

70.6
69. 2
75. 0

78.8
79.4
77.6

75. 9
79. 1
81.4

January
February
March

76.7
74. 4
77.9

82. 0

82. 8

84. 6

84. 3
84. 9

83. 1
77. 0

79.4

April
May
June

77.9
63.4
47. 1

81. 1
70. 6
57. 0

77. 0
71. 5
70. 9

73. 5
79.7
79.4

July
August
September

52. 9
49. 1
68. 9

47.4
65. 1
54. 9

55.2
55. 2
61.9

75. 3
74. 1
78. 2

October

39. 0
64. 2
68. 3

59.9
53. 8
75. 9

70. 1
69. 8
76.7

75. O p
75. 9 p

January
February
March

71. 5

76. 7
84. 6
83. lp

89. 2 p
86. 6 p

April
May
June

70. 9p
64. 2p

28.2

18. 6

1975

66.6

1976

cr
sr
1977

61.6
79. 7

July
August
September
October
November
December
1 Number of employees, seasonally adjusted, on payrolls of 172 private nonagricultural industries,
p = preliminary.




80. 2 p

82.8