Full text of The Employment Situation : November 1999

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Technical information:
USDL 99-346
Household data: (202) 606-6378
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Establishment data:
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Media contact:
691-5902 Friday, December 3, 1999.

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION:

NOVEMBER 1999

Payroll employment rose in November, and the unemployment rate was
unchanged at 4.1 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased
by 234,000. Employment in manufacturing held near its October level, while
construction and services continued to add jobs over the month. Average
hourly earnings rose by 2 cents in November, following a rise of 4 cents
(as revised) in October.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
The number of unemployed persons, 5.7 million, was essentially unchanged
in November, and the unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent. The jobless
rate has been below 4.3 percent since August. Unemployment rates for the
major demographic groups--adult men (3.3 percent), adult women (3.6 percent),
teenagers (14.1 percent), whites (3.5 percent), blacks (8.1 percent), and
Hispanics (6.0 percent)--showed little or no change over the month.
(See tables A-1 and A-2.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
The civilian labor force, at 139.8 million, was little changed in
November, and the labor force participation rate remained at 67.0 percent.
Total employment was essentially unchanged at 134.1 million. The employmentpopulation ratio--the proportion of the population age 16 and older with
jobs--was 64.3 percent in November, about unchanged from October.
(See table A-1.)
About 8.1 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in November. These multiple jobholders represented 6.0 percent of the
total employed, compared with 6.3 percent a year earlier. (See table A-10.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.1 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in November. These were people who wanted and
were available to work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12
months but were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for
work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged
workers--a subset of the marginally attached who were not currently looking
for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for
them--was 272,000 in November. (See table A-10.)

- 2 Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
|
Quarterly
|
Monthly data
|
|
averages
|
|
|_________________|__________________________| Oct.Category
|
1999
|
1999
| Nov.
|_________________|__________________________|change
|
II
| III
| Sept. | Oct. | Nov. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
HOUSEHOLD DATA
|
Labor force status
|____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 139,173| 139,301| 139,386| 139,662| 139,827|
165
Employment..........| 133,242| 133,423| 133,550| 133,896| 134,085|
189
Unemployment........|
5,931|
5,879|
5,836|
5,766|
5,743|
-23
Not in labor force....| 68,259| 68,743| 68,879| 68,821| 68,839|
18
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Unemployment rates
|____________________________________________________
All workers...........|
4.3 |
4.2|
4.2|
4.1|
4.1|
.0
Adult men...........|
3.5 |
3.5|
3.4|
3.5|
3.3|
-0.2
Adult women.........|
3.9 |
3.8|
3.7|
3.5|
3.6|
.1
Teenagers...........|
13.4 |
13.7|
15.0|
13.9|
14.1|
.2
White...............|
3.8 |
3.7|
3.6|
3.5|
3.5|
.0
Black...............|
7.5 |
8.3|
8.3|
8.3|
8.1|
-.2
Hispanic origin.....|
6.8 |
6.5|
6.7|
6.4|
6.0|
-.4
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
ESTABLISHMENT DATA
|
Employment
|____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 128,246| 128,936| 129,048|p129,311|p129,545|
p234
Goods-producing 1/..| 25,222| 25,194| 25,186| p25,193| p25,246|
p53
Construction......|
6,258|
6,270|
6,293| p6,313| p6,368|
p55
Manufacturing.....| 18,433| 18,398| 18,366| p18,352| p18,350|
p-2
Service-producing 1/| 103,024| 103,743| 103,862|p104,118|p104,299|
p181
Retail trade......| 22,756| 22,884| 22,862| p22,874| p22,875|
p1
Services..........| 38,810| 39.172| 39,257| p39,429| p39,549|
p120
Government........| 20,094| 20,194| 20,218| p20,242| p20,273|
p31
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Hours of work 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........|
34.4|
34.5|
34.4|
p34.5|
p34.6|
p0.1
Manufacturing.......|
41.7|
41.8|
41.8|
p41.8|
p41.7|
p-.1
Overtime..........|
4.5|
4.7|
4.7|
p4.7|
p4.7|
p.0
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 2/
|____________________________________________________
Total private.........|
147.3|
148.3|
148.2| p148.8| p149.3|
p0.5
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
|
Earnings 2/
|____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, |
|
|
|
|
|
total private.......| $13.19| $13.31| $13.35| p$13.39| p$13.41| p$0.02
Avg. weekly earnings, |
|
|
|
|
|
total private.......| 454.06| 458.64| 459.24| p461.96| p463.99| p2.03
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
1/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
2/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
p=preliminary.

- 3 Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 234,000 in November to 129.5
million, after seasonal adjustment. This gain was about the same as the
average monthly increase for the prior 12 months. In November, employment
rose in services and construction and was essentially unchanged in
manufacturing and retail trade. (See table B-1.)
In the goods-producing sector, construction employment increased by
55,000 in November, after seasonal adjustment. Dry weather and unusually
warm temperatures over most of the country during the survey reference
period may have contributed to the strong over-the-month gain. Special
trades contracting had a particularly large employment increase of 41,000.
Since August, construction employment has risen by 122,000.
Manufacturing employment was essentially unchanged at 18.4 million in
November, as small gains in some industries were offset by continued
declines in others. The recent downward trend in factory employment, which
began in April 1998, has slowed dramatically over the past several months.
The number of factory jobs has fallen by an average of 9,000 per month over
the past 5 months, compared with average monthly losses of 36,000 during
the first half of the year. Industries that had job increases in November
included lumber and wood products; stone, clay, and glass products; and
food and kindred products. In contrast, industrial machinery, motor
vehicles, aircraft, and apparel continued to lose jobs.
In the service-producing sector, the services industry added 120,000
jobs in November, about in line with its average growth for the prior 12
months. Business services added 45,000 jobs in November, following a much
larger increase in October. Within business services, computer services
added only 3,000 jobs over the month. Since August, employment gains in
this industry have averaged 6,000 per month, compared with an average
monthly increase of 14,000 for the first 8 months of the year. Engineering
and management services, an industry related to business services, also has
experienced a recent slowdown in job growth. Employment in this industry
rose by an average of 14,000 per month over the past 3 months, compared
with an average of 21,000 per month over the first 8 months of the year.
Elsewhere in services, social services added 25,000 jobs in November,
nearly half of which were in child day care services. Health services
employment rose by 14,000, and, in agricultural services, unseasonably warm
weather may have contributed to an over-the-month job gain of 10,000.
Employment in transportation and public utilities rose by 15,000 in
November, with all of the increase occurring in transportation industries.
Within transportation, trucking and warehousing added 10,000 jobs and air
transportation added 4,000.
Finance, insurance, and real estate added 8,000 jobs in November.
Within finance, employment increases in security and commodity brokerages
and holding and other investment offices were partially offset by declines
in commercial banks.

- 4 Government employment rose by 31,000 in November, after seasonal
adjustment, with growth concentrated in state and local government.
Employment in retail trade was essentially unchanged in November.
Eating and drinking places added 23,000 jobs, the first gain since July.
This increase and a small gain in car dealerships were offset by declines
in apparel, furniture, and miscellaneous retail establishments. Employment
growth in wholesale trade was below average in November, following a large
job increase in October.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private
nonfarm payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour in November to 34.6 hours, seasonally
adjusted. The manufacturing workweek was down by 0.1 hour to 41.7 hours,
and manufacturing overtime was unchanged at 4.7 hours. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory
workers on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.3 percent to 149.3
(1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index declined by 0.2
percent in November to 106.0. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls rose by 2 cents in November to $13.41, seasonally
adjusted. This follows a gain of 4 cents in October (as revised). Over
the month, average weekly earnings rose by 0.4 percent to $463.99,
seasonally adjusted. Over the year, both average hourly earnings and
average weekly earnings increased by 3.6 percent. (See table B-3.)
______________________________
----------------------------------------------------------------Following usual practice, the 6-month updates to seasonal
|
adjustment factors for the establishment survey data are
|
introduced with this release. These factors were used in the
|
revisions to the September and October data as well as in the
|
November estimates, and will be used through the April 2000
|
estimates. These factors will be published in the December 1999|
issue of Employment and Earnings and are available on the
|
Internet (http://stats.bls.gov/ceshome.htm) or by calling
|
(202) 606-6555.
|
Also in accordance with usual practice, the release of
|
December data will incorporate annual revisions in seasonally
|
adjusted unemployment and other labor force series from the
|
household survey. Seasonally adjusted data for the most recent |
5 years are subject to revision.
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------

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The Employment Situation for December 1999 is scheduled to be released
on Friday, January 7, 2000, at 8:30 A.M. (EST). Release dates for the
balance of 2000 are as follows:
Feb. 4
March 3
April 7

May 5
June 2
July 7

Aug. 4
Sept. 1
Oct. 6

Nov. 3
Dec. 8

- 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

Nov.
1998

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

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

206,104
138,288
67.1
132,577
64.3
3,226
129,351
5,711
4.1
67,816

208,483
139,761
67.0
134,390
64.5
3,293
131,096
5,372
3.8
68,722

208,666
139,895
67.0
134,515
64.5
3,185
131,330
5,380
3.8
68,771

206,104
138,193
67.1
132,113
64.1
3,348
128,765
6,080
4.4
67,911

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

208,265
139,386
66.9
133,550
64.1
3,137
130,413
5,836
4.2
68,879

208,483
139,662
67.0
133,896
64.2
3,203
130,693
5,766
4.1
68,821

208,666
139,827
67.0
134,085
64.3
3,304
130,781
5,743
4.1
68,839

99,217 100,088 100,179
74,162 74,623 74,545
74.7
74.6
74.4
71,256 71,825 71,797
71.8
71.8
71.7
2,906
2,799
2,748
3.9
3.8
3.7

99,217
74,345
74.9
71,182
71.7
3,163
4.3

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

99,976 100,088 100,179
74,634 74,655 74,707
74.7
74.6
74.6
71,615 71,569 71,719
71.6
71.5
71.6
3,019
3,087
2,989
4.0
4.1
4.0

91,192
70,065
76.8
67,809
74.4
2,337
65,472
2,256
3.2

91,192
70,023
76.8
67,573
74.1
2,374
65,199
2,450
3.5

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

91,793
70,326
76.6
67,950
74.0
2,168
65,782
2,376
3.4

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

91,896
70,401
76.6
68,175
74.2
2,268
65,907
2,226
3.2

91,986
70,441
76.6
68,293
74.2
2,243
66,050
2,148
3.0

91,896
70,291
76.5
67,815
73.8
2,171
65,644
2,477
3.5

91,986
70,389
76.5
68,055
74.0
2,268
65,787
2,335
3.3

Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 106,887 108,395 108,487 106,887 108,067 108,175 108,289 108,395 108,487
Civilian labor force............................ 64,126 65,138 65,350 63,848 64,754 64,864 64,753 65,007 65,120
Participation rate........................
60.0
60.1
60.2
59.7
59.9
60.0
59.8
60.0
60.0
Employed...................................... 61,321 62,565 62,718 60,931 61,863 62,079 61,935 62,327 62,366
Employment-population ratio...............
57.4
57.7
57.8
57.0
57.2
57.4
57.2
57.5
57.5
Unemployed....................................
2,805
2,573
2,632
2,917
2,891
2,786
2,817
2,679
2,754
Unemployment rate.........................
4.4
4.0
4.0
4.6
4.5
4.3
4.4
4.1
4.2
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population..............
Civilian labor force............................
Participation rate........................
Employed......................................
Employment-population ratio...............
Agriculture.................................
Nonagricultural industries..................
Unemployed....................................
Unemployment rate.........................

99,135 100,458 100,573
60,326 61,292 61,440
60.9
61.0
61.1
58,024 59,238 59,314
58.5
59.0
59.0
709
829
728
57,315 58,409 58,586
2,302
2,054
2,127
3.8
3.4
3.5

99,135 100,203 100,285 100,385 100,458 100,573
59,896 60,791 60,908 60,793 60,920 61,037
60.4
60.7
60.7
60.6
60.6
60.7
57,503 58,373 58,654 58,572 58,806 58,815
58.0
58.3
58.5
58.3
58.5
58.5
734
797
764
767
803
752
56,769 57,576 57,890 57,804 58,003 58,063
2,393
2,418
2,254
2,222
2,113
2,222
4.0
4.0
3.7
3.7
3.5
3.6

15,777
7,897
50.1
6,744
42.7
180
6,564
1,153
14.6

15,777
8,274
52.4
7,037
44.6
240
6,797
1,237
15.0

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

16,129
8,068
50.0
6,977
43.3
196
6,781
1,091
13.5

16,107
8,014
49.8
6,909
42.9
215
6,694
1,106
13.8

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

16,086
8,267
51.4
7,028
43.7
201
6,827
1,238
15.0

16,129
8,451
52.4
7,275
45.1
229
7,046
1,176
13.9

16,107
8,401
52.2
7,215
44.8
284
6,931
1,186
14.1

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

HOUSEHOLD DATA
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
Nov.
1998

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.............. 172,084 173,585 173,709 172,084 173,133 173,275 173,432 173,585 173,709
Civilian labor force............................ 115,804 116,683 116,735 115,687 116,393 116,602 116,409 116,577 116,622
Participation rate..........................
67.3
67.2
67.2
67.2
67.2
67.3
67.1
67.2
67.1
Employed...................................... 111,692 112,890 112,919 111,304 112,117 112,277 112,210 112,483 112,550
Employment-population ratio.................
64.9
65.0
65.0
64.7
64.8
64.8
64.7
64.8
64.8
Unemployed....................................
4,112
3,793
3,816
4,383
4,276
4,325
4,198
4,093
4,072
Unemployment rate...........................
3.6
3.3
3.3
3.8
3.7
3.7
3.6
3.5
3.5
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force............................
Participation rate..........................
Employed......................................
Employment-population ratio.................
Unemployed....................................
Unemployment rate...........................

59,707
77.3
58,041
75.1
1,666
2.8

59,784
77.0
58,235
75.0
1,549
2.6

59,788
76.9
58,264
74.9
1,524
2.5

59,634
77.2
57,806
74.8
1,828
3.1

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

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

59,839
77.1
58,120
74.9
1,719
2.9

59,738
76.9
58,003
74.7
1,735
2.9

59,707
76.8
58,032
74.6
1,675
2.8

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

49,468
60.1
47,863
58.2
1,605
3.2

50,042
60.2
48,581
58.4
1,460
2.9

50,150
60.3
48,659
58.5
1,491
3.0

49,065
59.6
47,415
57.6
1,650
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

49,534
59.6
47,946
57.7
1,587
3.2

49,660
59.7
48,148
57.9
1,512
3.0

49,759
59.8
48,225
57.9
1,534
3.1

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

6,629
52.8
5,789
46.1
840
12.7
13.6
11.6

6,857
53.8
6,073
47.7
784
11.4
11.4
11.5

6,797
53.4
5,996
47.1
801
11.8
12.5
11.0

6,988
55.7
6,083
48.5
905
13.0
14.1
11.6

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

7,036
55.2
6,144
48.2
892
12.7
13.0
12.4

7,179
56.3
6,332
49.7
847
11.8
11.6
12.0

7,157
56.2
6,293
49.4
864
12.1
13.0
11.1

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

24,529
16,214
66.1
14,900
60.7
1,315
8.1

24,985
16,527
66.1
15,215
60.9
1,311
7.9

25,019
16,555
66.2
15,292
61.1
1,263
7.6

24,529
16,201
66.0
14,804
60.4
1,397
8.6

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

24,946
16,534
66.3
15,154
60.7
1,380
8.3

24,985
16,478
66.0
15,104
60.5
1,374
8.3

25,019
16,533
66.1
15,200
60.8
1,333
8.1

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

7,133
72.8
6,662
68.0
471
6.6

7,334
73.4
6,794
68.0
540
7.4

7,335
73.3
6,841
68.4
493
6.7

7,086
72.4
6,590
67.3
496
7.0

7,132
71.8
6,601
66.5
531
7.4

7,151
71.9
6,706
67.4
445
6.2

7,200
72.3
6,684
67.1
516
7.2

7,282
72.9
6,707
67.2
575
7.9

7,296
72.9
6,780
67.8
516
7.1

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

8,071
65.7
7,501
61.1
570
7.1

8,286
66.2
7,790
62.2
496
6.0

8,338
66.5
7,818
62.4
520
6.2

8,051
65.6
7,443
60.6
608
7.6

8,318
66.8
7,663
61.5
654
7.9

8,229
66.0
7,658
61.4
571
6.9

8,383
67.1
7,821
62.6
562
6.7

8,254
65.9
7,751
61.9
502
6.1

8,314
66.3
7,764
61.9
550
6.6

1,010
41.1
737
30.0
274
27.1
32.1
22.2

906
36.5
631
25.4
275
30.3
32.7
27.9

882
35.6
632
25.5
250
28.3
31.0
26.0

1,064
43.3
771
31.4
293
27.5
33.0
22.1

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

951
38.3
649
26.1
302
31.7
30.6
32.9

943
38.0
646
26.0
297
31.5
36.4
26.5

923
37.2
656
26.4
267
28.9
31.8
26.3

21,349
14,384
67.4
13,425
62.9
960
6.7

21,881
14,837
67.8
13,922
63.6
915
6.2

21,947
14,841
67.6
14,001
63.8
840
5.7

21,349
14,389
67.4
13,345
62.5
1,044
7.3

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

21,820
14,756
67.6
13,763
63.1
993
6.7

21,881
14,797
67.6
13,853
63.3
944
6.4

21,947
14,873
67.8
13,973
63.7
900
6.0

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
Nov.
1998

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

29,084
12,410
42.7
11,548
39.7
862
6.9

28,246
12,039
42.6
11,303
40.0
735
6.1

28,228
12,197
43.2
11,424
40.5
773
6.3

29,084
12,463
42.9
11,574
39.8
889
7.1

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

28,583
12,198
42.7
11,358
39.7
840
6.9

28,246
12,297
43.5
11,487
40.7
810
6.6

28,228
12,209
43.3
11,413
40.4
796
6.5

57,273
37,560
65.6
36,159
63.1
1,400
3.7

57,275
37,170
64.9
36,038
62.9
1,132
3.0

57,789
37,830
65.5
36,665
63.4
1,165
3.1

57,273
37,408
65.3
35,947
62.8
1,461
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

57,518
37,133
64.6
35,807
62.3
1,325
3.6

57,275
37,019
64.6
35,823
62.5
1,195
3.2

57,789
37,678
65.2
36,483
63.1
1,195
3.2

42,863
32,126
75.0
31,280
73.0
846
2.6

43,787
32,564
74.4
31,714
72.4
851
2.6

44,070
32,688
74.2
31,883
72.3
805
2.5

42,863
31,727
74.0
30,825
71.9
902
2.8

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

42,955
32,076
74.7
31,211
72.7
866
2.7

43,787
32,177
73.5
31,307
71.5
871
2.7

44,070
32,373
73.5
31,505
71.5
868
2.7

43,408
34,775
80.1
34,180
78.7
594
1.7

44,986
35,992
80.0
35,420
78.7
573
1.6

44,365
35,253
79.5
34,697
78.2
556
1.6

43,408
34,554
79.6
33,922
78.1
632
1.8

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

45,081
35,745
79.3
35,157
78.0
588
1.6

44,986
35,717
79.4
35,104
78.0
613
1.7

44,365
35,049
79.0
34,456
77.7
592
1.7

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

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

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

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Category

Nov.
1998

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

CHARACTERISTIC
Total employed, 16 years and over................. 132,577 134,390 134,515 132,113 133,307 133,411 133,550 133,896 134,085
Married men, spouse present..................... 43,483 43,590 43,599 43,209 43,353 43,398 43,446 43,158 43,253
Married women, spouse present................... 33,264 33,928 33,920 32,953 33,302 33,458 33,204 33,525 33,617
Women who maintain families.....................
7,956
8,407
8,553
7,969
8,289
8,357
8,313
8,424
8,579
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty...........
Technical, sales, and administrative support....
Service occupations.............................
Precision production, craft, and repair.........
Operators, fabricators, and laborers............
Farming, forestry, and fishing..................

39,779
38,567
18,065
14,478
18,276
3,413

40,973
39,035
17,444
14,776
18,675
3,487

40,558
39,380
17,548
14,919
18,813
3,298

39,459
38,430
18,024
14,552
18,067
3,538

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

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

40,843
38,557
17,907
14,589
18,260
3,346

40,690
38,996
17,566
14,881
18,396
3,343

40,267
39,341
17,495
14,994
18,569
3,421

CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers.......................
1,884
1,950
1,946
2,005
1,938
1,900
1,929
1,915
2,068
Self-employed workers.........................
1,301
1,294
1,193
1,304
1,300
1,262
1,176
1,273
1,201
Unpaid family workers.........................
41
49
46
40
47
48
41
43
43
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers....................... 120,296 122,048 122,511 119,718 121,157 121,163 121,498 121,600 121,954
Government.................................. 18,861 18,796 19,098 18,607 19,068 19,243 19,131 18,759 18,834
Private industries.......................... 101,435 103,252 103,413 101,111 102,089 101,920 102,367 102,841 103,120
Private households........................
967
939
932
969
943
871
1,039
931
941
Other industries.......................... 100,467 102,313 102,481 100,142 101,146 101,049 101,328 101,910 102,179
Self-employed workers.........................
8,951
8,959
8,715
8,929
8,837
9,066
8,820
8,879
8,672
Unpaid family workers.........................
104
89
104
112
74
91
98
100
112
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons................
Slack work or business conditions...........
Could only find part-time work..............
Part time for noneconomic reasons.............

3,159
1,816
1,095
19,814

2,832
1,718
895
19,644

3,045
1,804
974
19,744

3,340
1,910
1,157
18,634

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

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

3,269
1,895
1,087
18,787

3,151
1,926
975
18,816

3,249
1,922
1,034
18,573

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

3,018
1,737
1,073
19,305

2,666
1,600
876
19,081

2,886
1,696
955
19,193

3,191
1,824
1,130
18,110

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

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

3,096
1,789
1,080
18,288

2,958
1,800
950
18,277

3,083
1,804
1,013
18,005

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

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

Table A-5. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted

Number of
unemployed persons
(in thousands)

Unemployment rates(1)

Category
Nov.
1998

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

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

6,080
2,450
2,393
1,237

5,766
2,477
2,113
1,176

5,743
2,335
2,222
1,186

4.4
3.5
4.0
15.0

4.3
3.5
4.0
12.7

4.2
3.6
3.7
13.5

4.2
3.4
3.7
15.0

4.1
3.5
3.5
13.9

4.1
3.3
3.6
14.1

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

992
987
592

996
840
535

911
880
548

2.2
2.9
6.9

2.3
2.9
6.4

2.3
2.7
6.4

2.1
2.6
6.5

2.3
2.4
6.0

2.1
2.6
6.0

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

4,736
1,340

4,637
1,117

4,514
1,200

4.2
5.4

4.1
4.9

4.1
4.5

4.0
5.1

4.0
4.6

3.9
5.0

712
1,482
580
1,295
237

761
1,415
602
1,239
191

749
1,468
555
1,228
253

1.8
3.7
3.8
6.7
6.3

1.9
4.0
3.8
6.3
6.4

1.8
3.6
4.6
6.2
6.2

1.8
3.5
3.9
6.5
4.9

1.8
3.5
3.9
6.3
5.4

1.8
3.6
3.6
6.2
6.9

4,764
1,307
13
503
791
392
399
3,457
246
1,406
230
1,575
394
165

4,468
1,290
25
526
739
412
327
3,177
250
1,327
186
1,414
391
149

4,457
1,174
21
425
727
443
284
3,283
273
1,466
192
1,351
381
189

4.5
4.6
2.2
7.0
3.8
3.2
4.8
4.5
3.2
5.2
2.8
4.6
2.1
7.6

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

4.4
4.9
7.1
6.8
4.1
4.1
3.9
4.2
2.7
5.2
2.2
4.1
2.0
5.3

4.2
4.5
4.3
6.7
3.7
3.4
4.2
4.0
3.2
4.8
2.3
4.0
2.0
7.2

4.1
4.1
4.0
5.4
3.6
3.6
3.6
4.2
3.5
5.3
2.4
3.8
2.0
8.4

CHARACTERISTIC

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

1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which
is small relative to the trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

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

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Duration
Nov.
1998

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

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

2,325
1,930
1,456
649
807

2,359
1,664
1,348
646
702

2,384
1,729
1,268
633
635

2,546
1,983
1,611
752
859

2,680
1,766
1,505
787
718

2,621
1,810
1,449
745
704

2,589
1,831
1,392
698
694

2,471
1,853
1,427
711
716

2,599
1,780
1,386
722
664

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

14.3
6.4

13.8
6.1

12.9
6.0

14.4
6.7

13.6
5.7

13.2
6.5

12.8
5.8

13.2
6.4

12.9
6.3

100.0
40.7
33.8
25.5
11.4
14.1

100.0
43.9
31.0
25.1
12.0
13.1

100.0
44.3
32.1
23.6
11.8
11.8

100.0
41.5
32.3
26.2
12.2
14.0

100.0
45.0
29.7
25.3
13.2
12.1

100.0
44.6
30.8
24.6
12.7
12.0

100.0
44.5
31.5
23.9
12.0
11.9

100.0
43.0
32.2
24.8
12.4
12.4

100.0
45.1
30.9
24.0
12.5
11.5

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
Nov.
1998

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

2,587
739
1,848
1,217
631
651
2,027
446

2,162
535
1,626
1,097
529
789
1,956
466

2,340
755
1,584
1,065
519
792
1,833
415

2,758
850
1,908
(1)
(1)
677
2,130
534

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

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

2,586
890
1,696
(1)
(1)
737
1,965
537

2,490
781
1,710
(1)
(1)
766
1,952
527

2,497
872
1,625
(1)
(1)
836
1,918
492

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

45.3
12.9
32.4
11.4
35.5
7.8

40.2
10.0
30.3
14.7
36.4
8.7

43.5
14.0
29.4
14.7
34.1
7.7

45.2
13.9
31.3
11.1
34.9
8.8

46.4
14.4
32.0
12.8
34.0
6.8

45.6
15.9
29.7
13.6
32.5
8.3

44.4
15.3
29.1
12.7
33.7
9.2

43.4
13.6
29.8
13.4
34.0
9.2

43.5
15.2
28.3
14.6
33.4
8.6

1.9
.5
1.5
.3

1.5
.6
1.4
.3

1.7
.6
1.3
.3

2.0
.5
1.5
.4

2.0
.5
1.4
.3

1.9
.6
1.4
.3

1.9
.5
1.4
.4

1.8
.5
1.4
.4

1.8
.6
1.4
.4

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

1 Not available.
NOTE: Beginning in January 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

Nov.
1998

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

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

1.1

1.0

.9

1.2

1.1

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

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

1.9

1.5

1.7

2.0

2.0

1.9

1.9

1.8

1.8

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

4.1

3.8

3.8

4.4

4.3

4.2

4.2

4.1

4.1

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

4.3

4.0

4.0

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

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

5.0

4.7

4.6

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

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

7.2

6.7

6.8

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

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

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

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

Number of
unemployed persons
(in thousands)

Unemployment rates(1)

Age and sex

Nov.
1998

Oct.
1999

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999

Nov.
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.............................

6,080
2,171
1,237
595
646
934
3,879
3,377
516

5,766
2,269
1,176
541
630
1,093
3,496
3,056
470

5,743
2,257
1,186
566
623
1,071
3,466
3,031
449

4.4
9.9
15.0
18.0
13.0
6.9
3.3
3.4
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

4.2
10.1
15.0
16.3
14.1
7.2
3.1
3.2
2.6

4.1
10.1
13.9
15.9
12.5
7.8
3.0
3.1
2.7

4.1
10.1
14.1
16.8
12.4
7.6
3.0
3.0
2.5

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

3,163
1,190
713
344
373
477
1,952
1,652
296

3,087
1,224
610
261
346
613
1,863
1,601
284

2,989
1,188
654
297
360
534
1,779
1,529
250

4.3
10.3
16.5
20.0
14.4
6.6
3.1
3.1
3.1

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

4.0
9.9
14.9
16.6
13.4
7.0
3.0
3.0
3.0

4.1
10.4
14.0
14.9
13.2
8.3
3.0
3.0
2.9

4.0
10.2
15.1
17.2
14.0
7.3
2.8
2.9
2.6

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

2,917
981
524
251
273
457
1,927
1,725
220

2,679
1,046
566
280
284
480
1,633
1,455
187

2,754
1,069
532
268
264
537
1,686
1,502
199

4.6
9.5
13.3
15.9
11.4
7.1
3.6
3.8
2.9

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

4.4
10.2
15.0
15.9
15.0
7.3
3.2
3.4
2.0

4.1
9.7
13.8
16.8
11.7
7.2
3.0
3.1
2.4

4.2
9.9
13.0
16.4
10.7
8.1
3.1
3.2
2.5

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

HOUSEHOLD DATA

HOUSEHOLD DATA

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

Total

Men

Women

Category
Nov.
1998

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

Nov.
1999

Nov.
1998

Nov.
1999

67,816
4,212
1,240

68,771
4,077
1,128

25,056
1,783
580

25,633
1,727
591

42,761
2,429
659

43,137
2,350
538

310
930

272
857

198
383

170
421

112
547

102
436

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

8,307
6.3

8,057
6.0

4,331
6.1

4,170
5.8

3,975
6.5

3,886
6.2

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

4,609
1,794
308
1,563

4,504
1,759
311
1,440

2,651
544
211
906

2,548
551
225
824

1,959
1,250
97
657

1,956
1,208
86
616

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
Nov.
1998

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999p

Nov.
1999p

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999p

Nov.
1999p

Total......................... 127,902 129,451 130,190 130,583 126,841 128,816 128,945 129,048 129,311 129,545
Total private.................... 107,489 109,433 109,639 109,870 106,893 108,663 108,735 108,830 109,069 109,272
Goods-producing.........................

25,463

25,544

25,495

25,412

25,298

25,247

25,148

25,186

25,193

25,246

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

577
49.6
90.4
326.5
110.5

535
48.1
82.6
291.3
112.7

535
47.8
82.3
292.8
111.8

532
48.6
82.5
290.6
110.0

574
50
90
325
109

528
48
85
285
110

524
47
83
285
109

527
48
83
287
109

528
48
82
289
109

528
49
82
288
109

Construction..........................
6,209
6,557
6,550
6,489
General building contractors........ 1,409.3 1,473.5 1,473.0 1,467.4
Heavy construction, except building.
885.0
935.7
932.7
898.5
Special trade contractors........... 3,914.3 4,148.1 4,143.8 4,123.3

6,085
1,394
850
3,841

6,270
1,432
857
3,981

6,246
1,426
852
3,968

6,293
1,440
857
3,996

6,313
1,446
860
4,007

6,368
1,452
868
4,048

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

18,677
12,846

18,452
12,689

18,410
12,665

18,391
12,654

18,639
12,808

18,449
12,691

18,378
12,622

18,366
12,617

18,352
12,612

18,350
12,613

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.........

11,111
7,595
822.3
533.7
571.3
701.8

10,978
7,507
834.7
542.3
577.7
686.6

10,968
7,506
834.3
545.6
575.4
685.4

10,966
7,506
832.6
543.8
574.1
689.2

11,092
7,577
820
532
568
700

11,015
7,549
826
546
571
692

10,975
7,513
826
543
568
688

10,959
7,496
827
544
569
685

10,951
7,493
828
546
567
685

10,945
7,487
830
543
571
687

225.9
221.2
220.8
223.7
1,497.9 1,486.9 1,489.7 1,490.3
2,172.5 2,114.5 2,109.9 2,110.1
373.0
358.4
357.3
354.3

(1)
1,494
2,177
373

(1)
1,493
2,131
360

(1)
1,484
2,122
359

(1)
1,486
2,117
358

(1)
1,486
2,116
357

(1)
1,486
2,114
354

1,677.5 1,663.6 1,665.2 1,667.1

1,673

1,667

1,662

1,662

1,665

1,663

642.0
639.2
641.2
640.1
1,891.6 1,847.6 1,838.9 1,836.2
999.7 1,007.9 1,002.9 1,001.8
522.9
476.5
471.8
468.9
853.5
833.5
830.0
831.4
389.2
390.4
393.7
391.2

643
1,887
996
520
855
386

639
1,863
1,014
488
840
386

641
1,859
1,012
483
836
387

640
1,848
1,006
476
833
388

642
1,840
1,002
471
830
388

641
1,831
997
467
832
388

7,566
5,251
1,697.9
42.3
585.8
731.5
666.7
1,569.1
1,041.6
140.7
1,010.3
80.1

7,547
5,231
1,690
40
586
729
666
1,564
1,043
140
1,010
79

7,434
5,142
1,681
39
559
679
659
1,554
1,032
138
1,021
72

7,403
5,109
1,666
36
557
672
658
1,553
1,030
136
1,022
73

7,407
5,121
1,679
38
553
669
657
1,552
1,033
137
1,017
72

7,401
5,119
1,679
39
550
665
655
1,552
1,032
136
1,021
72

7,405
5,126
1,687
38
551
661
656
1,550
1,033
135
1,023
71

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........

7,474
5,182
1,735.4
39.4
554.9
675.9
656.8
1,548.9
1,032.9
138.6
1,018.5
72.6

7,442
5,159
1,708.8
40.7
552.2
671.3
654.2
1,551.4
1,030.7
138.4
1,021.2
72.7

7,425
5,148
1,694.7
40.5
551.2
663.3
656.4
1,555.0
1,032.4
136.4
1,022.9
72.3

Service-producing....................... 102,439 103,907 104,695 105,171 101,543 103,569 103,797 103,862 104,118 104,299
Transportation and public utilities...
6,713
6,873
6,891
6,903
Transportation......................
4,379
4,498
4,511
4,520
Railroad transportation...........
231.0
228.8
227.7
227.6
Local and interurban passenger
transit........................
489.8
498.0
502.7
501.4
Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,782.3 1,854.2 1,859.8 1,850.2
Water transportation..............
181.8
186.4
182.6
178.3
Transportation by air............. 1,218.1 1,245.4 1,253.0 1,275.2
Pipelines, except natural gas.....
13.8
12.9
12.9
13.0
Transportation services...........
461.9
472.7
472.6
473.9
Communications and public utilities.
2,334
2,375
2,380
2,383
Communications.................... 1,484.3 1,532.0 1,540.5 1,542.9
Electric, gas, and sanitary
services.......................
849.8
842.9
839.1
840.0

6,671
4,335
230

6,799
4,438
230

6,813
4,445
226

6,831
4,455
227

6,840
4,457
227

6,855
4,472
227

474
1,770
184
1,201
14
462
2,336
1,484

483
1,817
182
1,240
13
473
2,361
1,519

488
1,817
182
1,246
13
473
2,368
1,525

486
1,825
182
1,250
13
472
2,376
1,533

485
1,828
182
1,251
13
471
2,383
1,541

485
1,838
180
1,255
13
474
2,383
1,541

852

842

843

843

842

842

7,086
4,192
2,894
23,230

6,891
4,074
2,817
22,443

7,012
4,154
2,858
22,903

7,031
4,169
2,862
22,888

7,041
4,172
2,869
22,862

7,066
4,189
2,877
22,874

7,072
4,193
2,879
22,875

952.7
991.8
995.2
991.1
2,974.5 2,721.6 2,789.3 2,973.5
2,652.6 2,423.8 2,484.9 2,649.1
3,521.9 3,470.1 3,479.5 3,509.5

961
2,750
2,447
3,488

986
2,778
2,476
3,478

988
2,774
2,468
3,484

992
2,762
2,460
3,478

1,002
2,751
2,449
3,475

1,000
2,757
2,451
3,476

2,359.6 2,427.7 2,424.4 2,419.4
1,054.6 1,094.1 1,094.9 1,096.7
1,199.5 1,175.6 1,193.6 1,243.3

2,361
1,055
1,148

2,407
1,085
1,192

2,409
1,089
1,191

2,415
1,091
1,189

2,419
1,092
1,199

2,422
1,097
1,190

1,067.1 1,086.8 1,098.9 1,116.9
7,736.4 8,072.3 7,863.7 7,870.5
2,996.7 2,974.2 3,019.7 3,106.2

1,042
7,808
2,885

1,090
7,989
2,983

1,094
7,960
2,988

1,097
7,932
2,997

1,099
7,922
3,007

1,093
7,945
2,992

Finance, insurance, and real estate...
7,500
7,656
7,644
7,653
Finance.............................
3,645
3,706
3,705
3,716
Depository institutions........... 2,039.0 2,040.7 2,036.8 2,038.8
Commercial banks................ 1,462.5 1,460.3 1,456.5 1,457.9
Savings institutions............
256.3
253.7
252.9
252.6
Nondepository institutions........
691.6
712.0
706.8
706.7
Mortgage bankers and brokers....
354.3
360.7
355.5
356.7
Security and commodity brokers....
657.9
686.3
690.9
696.1
Holding and other investment
offices........................
256.5
266.9
270.7
274.2
Insurance...........................
2,375
2,406
2,409
2,412
Insurance carriers................ 1,620.0 1,634.4 1,636.8 1,638.2
Insurance agents, brokers, and
service........................
754.9
771.4
772.3
773.6
Real estate.........................
1,480
1,544
1,530
1,525

7,520
3,651
2,044
1,466
258
693
355
658

7,647
3,715
2,044
1,462
256
721
369
682

7,650
3,716
2,046
1,464
255
719
366
685

7,653
3,715
2,047
1,466
255
713
361
686

7,667
3,718
2,046
1,463
254
710
357
691

7,675
3,723
2,044
1,461
254
709
359
696

256
2,375
1,619

268
2,404
1,635

266
2,407
1,636

269
2,410
1,637

271
2,415
1,641

274
2,413
1,638

756
1,494

769
1,528

771
1,527

773
1,528

774
1,534

775
1,539

38,070
726
1,782
1,198
8,779
962
3,267
2,903

39,055
760
1,807
1,207
9,148
992
3,422
3,025

39,205
757
1,813
1,207
9,186
998
3,418
3,024

39,257
763
1,811
1,210
9,204
1,000
3,440
3,032

39,429
766
1,807
1,212
9,293
1,002
3,484
3,093

39,549
776
1,806
1,215
9,338
1,006
3,494
3,094

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

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

6,904
4,072
2,832
22,808

38,101
727.4
1,713.5
1,167.8
8,907.3
962.8
3,376.8
3,006.4

7,048
4,163
2,885
22,920

39,392
804.8
1,859.6
1,175.0
9,302.0
1,005.2
3,512.0
3,114.6

7,081
4,183
2,898
22,864

39,664
794.5
1,811.2
1,183.3
9,455.7
1,003.2
3,624.1
3,216.3

39,586
776.8
1,736.1
1,185.2
9,473.1
1,006.9
3,609.0
3,202.1

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

1,678.4
1,157.7
388.5
569.0
1,479.6
9,902.3

1,826.5
1,194.7
403.4
601.2
1,561.3
10035.4

1,675
1,160
388
575
1,641
9,892

1,794
1,185
395
609
1,694
9,975

1,806
1,185
396
608
1,712
9,993

1,814
1,190
398
608
1,713
9,999

1,821
1,197
400
611
1,730
10,009

1,824
1,197
403
608
1,727
10,023

1,831.5 1,872.7 1,877.4 1,880.2

1,831

1,868

1,874

1,876

1,879

1,880

1,760.3
3,952.6
656.3
984.6
2,392.6
2,705.3
629.6
757.9

1,760.5
3,984.6
663.3
1,012.4
2,481.4
2,852.0
657.4
795.4

1,757
3,950
651
986
2,214
2,695
615
760

1,754
3,968
655
1,000
2,278
2,763
632
781

1,755
3,973
658
1,004
2,288
2,799
631
785

1,756
3,977
657
1,007
2,289
2,803
631
788

1,756
3,979
658
1,009
2,286
2,818
633
793

1,757
3,982
659
1,014
2,296
2,843
644
797

91.6
94.7
95.9
93.5
2,360.0 2,385.9 2,395.5 2,395.6
3,261.3 3,451.2 3,476.1 3,487.8

94
2,375
3,273

94
2,403
3,441

95
2,409
3,458

94
2,408
3,464

95
2,409
3,491

96
2,411
3,500

918.8
949.9
956.0
960.1
1,082.4 1,185.4 1,193.8 1,196.7
55.1
57.5
58.0
58.4

919
1,081
(1)

948
1,165
(1)

948
1,178
(1)

948
1,180
(1)

955
1,194
(1)

961
1,196
(1)

19,948
2,723
1,843
4,637
1,923
2,714
12,588
7,132
5,456

20,153
2,656
1,779
4,682
1,947
2,735
12,815
7,268
5,547

20,210
2,651
1,779
4,706
1,965
2,741
12,853
7,308
5,545

20,218
2,654
1,785
4,717
1,965
2,752
12,847
7,295
5,552

20,242
2,643
1,780
4,726
1,963
2,763
12,873
7,306
5,567

20,273
2,648
1,777
4,736
1,972
2,764
12,889
7,314
5,575

20,413
2,717
1,828.9
4,772
2,079.8
2,691.9
12,924
7,503.5
5,420.0

1,807.6
1,191.0
398.2
600.5
1,806.8
9,990.4

1,756.9
3,971.8
656.6
1,001.6
2,234.5
2,800.5
638.0
785.1

20,018
2,647
1,784.4
4,688
1,926.4
2,761.6
12,683
7,144.8
5,538.6

1,812.5
1,195.9
401.6
599.7
1,673.0
10012.0

1,757.3
3,980.8
659.0
1,005.6
2,441.5
2,827.2
648.1
790.5

20,551
2,632
1,768.8
4,848
2,094.6
2,753.1
13,071
7,567.9
5,503.1

20,713
2,643
1,763.3
4,871
2,129.9
2,741.4
13,199
7,693.5
5,505.0

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

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

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

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Industry
Nov.
1998

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999p

Nov.
1999p

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999p

Nov.
1999p

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

34.7

34.3

34.6

34.5

34.6

34.5

34.5

34.4

34.5

34.6

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

41.2

40.9

41.5

41.4

41.0

41.2

43.8

44.4

44.6

44.5

43.3

45.1

41.1

41.1

41.1

41.3

44.2

44.3

44.1

44.0

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

38.6

38.6

40.0

39.6

39.1

38.9

39.0

39.1

39.1

40.2

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

42.2
4.8

41.7
4.9

42.0
4.9

42.1
4.9

41.7
4.5

41.9
4.7

41.8
4.7

41.8
4.7

41.8
4.7

41.7
4.7

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

42.8
4.9

42.1
4.9

42.4
4.9

42.6
5.0

42.3
4.6

42.5
4.9

42.4
4.9

42.4
4.9

42.3
4.8

42.1
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.........

41.5
40.9
43.8
44.2

40.9
40.4
44.0
44.3

41.3
40.4
44.0
44.4

41.3
40.4
44.2
44.8

41.2
40.3
43.6
43.8

41.1
40.6
43.6
44.5

41.3
40.3
43.6
44.4

41.1
40.4
43.6
44.4

41.0
40.1
43.4
44.4

41.0
39.9
44.0
44.4

43.7
42.8
42.7

44.9
41.8
41.7

45.0
42.5
42.3

45.3
42.7
42.4

43.7
42.2
42.4

45.2
42.3
42.4

45.1
42.4
42.4

45.0
42.3
42.4

45.1
42.2
42.4

45.3
42.1
42.1

42.1
44.6
45.2
41.5
40.0

41.3
44.0
45.5
41.1
39.7

41.7
43.9
45.0
41.4
40.2

42.2
43.6
44.3
41.9
40.1

41.4
44.1
44.6
41.1
39.4

41.7
44.4
46.0
41.7
40.1

41.7
44.0
45.2
41.6
40.1

41.6
44.0
45.2
41.6
40.0

41.5
43.7
45.0
41.5
39.8

41.5
43.0
43.8
41.5
39.5

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

41.3
4.6

41.0
4.8

41.3
4.7

41.4
4.8

40.8
4.3

41.1
4.5

40.9
4.4

40.9
4.4

41.0
4.5

41.0
4.5

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........

42.4
38.9
41.1
37.7
43.9
38.7
43.2
43.9
42.1
38.0

42.1
39.9
40.7
36.8
43.8
38.6
43.3
43.1
41.5
37.3

42.4
42.9
41.4
37.6
43.9
38.6
43.0
43.2
41.6
37.8

42.5
43.4
41.6
37.6
44.0
38.8
43.4
43.1
42.0
38.5

41.7
38.5
40.8
37.3
43.5
38.1
42.9
(2)
41.6
37.4

42.0
41.1
41.3
37.5
43.5
38.4
43.1
(2)
41.7
37.9

41.6
40.0
40.9
37.3
43.7
38.3
43.3
(2)
41.6
38.2

41.7
40.2
40.8
37.5
43.5
38.3
43.2
(2)
41.7
37.2

42.0
41.5
41.2
37.4
43.6
38.4
43.0
(2)
41.5
37.6

41.9
43.0
41.2
37.3
43.6
38.3
43.1
(2)
41.6
38.1

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

33.0

32.6

32.8

32.8

32.9

32.9

32.9

32.8

32.9

32.9

Transportation and public utilities...

39.7

38.5

38.4

38.5

39.2

38.7

38.9

38.6

38.5

38.4

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

38.7

38.3

38.6

38.5

38.4

38.4

38.4

38.5

38.6

38.5

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

28.9

28.8

28.9

28.8

29.0

29.1

29.0

28.8

29.0

29.0

Finance, insurance, and real estate...

36.9

36.0

36.1

36.1

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

(2)

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

32.8

32.3

32.7

32.7

32.7

32.6

32.7

32.6

32.7

32.8

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

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

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

Average hourly earnings

Average weekly earnings

Industry
Nov.
1998

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999p

Nov.
1999p

Nov.
1998

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999p

Nov.
1999p

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

$13.00
12.94

$13.38
13.35

$13.41
13.39

$13.44
13.41

$451.10
447.72

$458.93
459.24

$463.99
461.96

$463.68
463.99

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

14.50

15.06

15.04

15.01

597.40

615.95

624.16

621.41

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

17.29

17.10

17.02

16.99

757.30

759.24

759.09

756.06

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

16.82

17.41

17.49

17.36

649.25

672.03

699.60

687.46

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

13.60

14.11

14.03

14.06

573.92

588.39

589.26

591.93

Durable goods........................
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.........

14.07
11.24
10.99
13.65
15.35

14.63
11.55
11.33
14.12
16.20

14.54
11.57
11.33
14.01
16.02

14.54
11.59
11.34
14.03
16.13

602.20
466.46
449.49
597.87
678.47

615.92
472.40
457.73
621.28
717.66

616.50
477.84
457.73
616.44
711.29

619.40
478.67
458.14
620.13
722.62

18.32
13.21
14.64

19.05
13.61
15.23

18.96
13.50
15.18

19.22
13.53
15.26

800.58
565.39
625.13

855.35
568.90
635.09

853.20
573.75
642.11

870.67
577.73
647.02

13.17
17.52
17.68
13.91
11.03

13.62
18.56
19.04
14.30
11.46

13.56
18.40
18.82
14.39
11.47

13.59
18.26
18.61
14.36
11.49

554.46
781.39
799.14
577.27
441.20

562.51
816.64
866.32
587.73
454.96

565.45
807.76
846.90
595.75
461.09

573.50
796.14
824.42
601.68
460.75

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........

12.90
11.95
17.31
10.51
8.64
15.64
13.57
17.27
20.96
11.97
9.44

13.35
12.19
18.88
10.78
9.01
16.27
13.97
17.78
21.62
12.46
9.86

13.26
12.10
18.00
10.71
8.98
16.12
13.95
17.71
21.62
12.37
9.85

13.34
12.22
18.09
10.80
8.97
16.17
14.01
17.72
21.70
12.42
9.79

532.77
506.68
673.36
431.96
325.73
686.60
525.16
746.06
920.14
503.94
358.72

547.35
513.20
753.31
438.75
331.57
712.63
539.24
769.87
931.82
517.09
367.78

547.64
513.04
772.20
443.39
337.65
707.67
538.47
761.53
933.98
514.59
372.33

552.28
519.35
785.11
449.28
337.27
711.48
543.59
769.05
935.27
521.64
376.92

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

12.52

12.84

12.89

12.93

413.16

418.58

422.79

424.10

Transportation and public utilities...

15.48

15.78

15.75

15.81

614.56

607.53

604.80

608.69

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

14.34

14.73

14.78

14.84

554.96

564.16

570.51

571.34

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

8.86

9.18

9.21

9.22

256.05

264.38

266.17

265.54

Finance, insurance, and real estate...

14.43

14.63

14.68

14.76

532.47

526.68

529.95

532.84

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

13.15

13.48

13.54

13.62

431.32

435.40

442.76

445.37

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

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Table B-4. Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm
payrolls by industry, seasonally adjusted

Percent
change
from:
Oct. 1999Nov. 1999

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999p

Nov.
1999p

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

$12.94
7.80

$13.28
7.88

$13.29
7.87

$13.35
7.86

$13.39
7.87

$13.41
N.A.

0.1
(3)

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

14.47
17.27
16.76
13.58
12.88

14.90
17.23
17.18
14.02
13.26

14.90
17.12
17.15
14.03
13.28

14.93
17.09
17.21
14.04
13.29

14.97
17.11
17.27
14.06
13.32

14.98
16.97
17.30
14.04
13.30

.1
-.8
.2
-.1
-.2

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

12.45

12.77

12.79

12.85

12.89

12.91

.2

15.41
14.27
8.85

15.70
14.61
9.10

15.70
14.63
9.13

15.76
14.74
9.15

15.75
14.80
9.19

15.75
14.83
9.21

.0
.2
.2

14.32
13.05

14.68
13.42

14.63
13.44

14.70
13.49

14.72
13.55

14.76
13.57

.3
.1

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

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

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

Not seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Industry
Nov.
1998

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999p

Nov.
1999p

Nov.
1998

July
1999

Aug.
1999

Sept.
1999

Oct.
1999p

Nov.
1999p

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

147.7

148.2

149.9

150.0

146.1

148.3

148.4

148.2

148.8

149.3

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

116.6

116.1

117.6

117.1

115.0

115.1

114.3

114.6

114.7

115.6

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

54.9

51.4

51.9

51.5

53.7

50.9

49.8

50.3

50.6

50.3

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

169.3

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

109.2

179.1

185.3

181.3

167.5

170.7

170.3

172.4

173.2

179.8

106.6

107.2

107.4

107.7

107.3

106.4

106.4

106.2

106.0

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.........

113.3
148.2
136.4
118.3
92.0

110.3
148.0
136.9
120.1
89.9

111.1
149.5
138.0
119.8
90.2

111.5
148.8
137.5
119.8
91.4

111.8
146.6
134.3
116.8
90.8

111.9
147.3
138.8
118.1
91.1

111.2
147.6
137.5
116.8
90.4

110.9
147.1
137.5
117.0
90.2

110.5
147.0
137.1
116.2
90.0

109.9
147.0
135.5
118.4
90.4

68.4
120.0
108.1

69.4
116.0
102.2

69.4
118.0
103.3

70.5
118.8
103.8

68.3
117.9
107.6

69.8
118.2
105.3

70.0
117.4
104.4

69.9
117.2
104.2

70.0
117.0
104.1

70.3
116.7
103.3

109.2
129.5
166.0
75.7
102.2

106.1
125.1
169.2
73.9
101.6

107.2
124.1
166.6
74.7
104.0

109.1
123.0
163.7
75.6
102.8

106.9
127.6
163.0
75.2
99.8

108.0
127.1
172.1
76.0
101.1

107.2
126.6
169.9
75.4
101.1

106.7
125.4
168.0
75.1
101.3

106.6
124.0
166.8
75.1
100.8

106.9
120.9
160.9
75.1
100.4

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........

103.6
120.8
64.5
84.6
64.6
108.7
125.9
103.3
78.0
149.4
35.0

101.6
124.0
56.0
79.4
58.0
106.3
122.7
103.1
75.4
148.8
31.0

101.8
122.3
63.5
80.5
59.0
106.0
123.2
102.8
75.3
149.8
31.2

101.9
121.4
66.4
80.6
58.3
106.8
123.9
104.3
73.5
151.4
31.4

102.0
118.1
59.1
83.9
63.6
107.5
123.5
102.5
77.3
147.5
33.9

100.9
119.1
59.0
81.3
59.3
106.0
122.4
102.1
74.4
149.6
30.9

99.9
116.2
49.5
80.0
58.6
105.9
122.1
102.3
72.5
149.4
31.7

100.2
117.7
53.7
79.5
58.6
105.6
122.1
102.7
73.9
149.2
30.9

100.4
118.6
57.6
79.8
58.0
105.2
122.6
102.8
73.2
149.2
30.6

100.5
119.1
59.6
79.9
57.5
105.9
121.7
103.6
72.6
149.8
30.4

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

161.6

162.7

164.4

164.8

160.1

163.2

163.7

163.3

164.2

164.4

Transportation and public utilities...

135.6

134.1

134.1

134.2

132.9

133.2

134.1

133.5

133.3

132.9

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

131.2

132.7

134.1

133.8

130.0

132.3

132.5

133.1

133.6

133.4

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

142.6

142.9

143.0

144.9

140.6

144.4

143.8

142.6

143.4

143.4

Finance, insurance, and real estate...

140.3

139.1

139.1

139.0

138.6

141.2

140.7

140.2

140.5

140.1

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

198.1

200.9

204.9

204.5

197.2

201.1

202.4

202.3

203.9

204.9

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

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

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
57.6

59.1
62.5
61.0
55.8
50.0

57.9
57.3
59.4
54.6
55.1

56.9
63.5
65.4
52.9
p56.7

55.2
59.7
63.6
59.1
p58.0

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
56.2

59.3
64.3
61.4
60.0
56.2

61.0
62.2
66.2
58.4
59.0

59.4
64.6
67.3
57.6
p56.5

58.6
64.2
69.9
57.6
p58.6

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
59.0

59.0
64.7
65.6
62.6
55.2

60.0
64.6
64.9
61.1
57.4

57.7
67.0
66.3
58.0
p57.6

61.0
65.4
68.4
59.8
p61.8

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
60.1

62.4
66.7
67.3
68.3
57.3

62.6
64.5
68.3
67.1
57.0

63.3
65.6
69.7
64.0
p57.2

61.7
68.5
69.5
62.1
p58.0

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
57.2

51.1
56.5
55.4
45.3
38.5

48.6
48.9
53.6
42.1
42.8

51.1
55.0
62.2
36.3
p48.6

45.3
50.7
61.2
39.9
p51.4

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
43.9

42.1
51.8
53.6
37.4
43.2

43.9
49.6
55.4
37.1
44.6

48.2
53.2
59.7
38.1
p37.8

46.8
52.5
68.3
34.2
p47.1

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
36.0

41.7
46.0
52.5
36.7
30.9

42.8
48.6
52.2
36.7
34.5

41.0
52.9
55.4
28.4
p37.1

42.1
50.4
61.2
31.3
p46.4

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
32.7

44.2
47.5
52.5
49.3
25.9

46.0
45.3
54.0
46.0
28.4

47.8
45.3
54.0
40.6
p28.8

41.0
50.4
55.4
35.6
p28.8

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.