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In this issue:
The declining middle class thesis re-examined
Recent growth of U.S. multifactor productivity
Wage change in 1987 contracts

MONIHLY LABOR REVIEW
U. 5 Depariment of Labor
B u ie a u ui Lciuu r ¿statistics

May 1988


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'

■k

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Ann McLaughlin, Secretary

Regional Commissioners
for Bureau of Labor Statistics

Janet L. Norwood, Commissioner

Region I—Boston: Anthony J. Ferrara
Kennedy Federal Building, Suite 1603
Boston, MA 02203
Phone: (617) 565-2327
Connecticut
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Massachusetts
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The Monthly Labor Review is published by the
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May cover:
"Apple Pickers,’’ a 1937 oil study
for a Department of Interior mural,
by Nicolai Clkovsky (1894-1984),
The study Is included in the exhibition,
"Special Delivery: Murals for the New Deal Era,”
running from January 15 to September 11, 1988,
at the National Museum of American Art,
Washington, D.C.
Cover design by Melvin B. Moxley


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Regions IX and X—San Francisco: Sam M. Hirabayashi
71 Stevenson Street, P.O. Box 3766
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IX
American Samoa
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Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

X
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Washington

r
R E S E A R C H L IB R j

Federal Reserve S a n k
of St. Louis
VOLUME

Henry Lowenstern, Editor—in—Chief
Robert W. Fisher, Executive Editor

JUL 01 1988

M .W . H orrig an , S.E. H au ge n

3

The declining middle-class thesis: a sensitivity analysis
New study finds a decline in the proportion of middle-class families,
with most of the shift going to the upper-income bracket

E dw in D ean, K e n t K unze

14

Recent changes in the growth of U.S. multifactor productivity
Since 1979, multifactor productivity growth has recovered completely only
In manufacturing; for the rest of private business, recovery has been partial

J.J. L a c o m b e II, F.R. S le e m i

23

Wage adjustments in contracts negotiated in private industry
Many of the adjustments provided for slight increases, in contrast
to the record low adjustments negotiated the previous year

J o h n T. D u n lo p

29

Have the 1980's changed U.S. industrial relations?
Economic and political policies and demographic and social trends affected
labor-management practices, but have caused no fundamental changes

A u d re y F re e d m a n

35

How the 1980's have changed industrial relations
More cost-conscious management— by responding to foreign competition
and deregulation— has altered the labor-management relationship

P.S. W ild e r, V.L. K la rq u is t

39

Retail hardware stores register productivity gain
Output per hour of all persons grew at an above-average rate,
reflecting strong demand and operational improvements

REPORTS
P a tricia C a p d e v ie lle

44

International differences in employers’ compensation costs

B ru c e J. B e rg m a n

47

Occupational pay in structural clay products industries


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DEPARTMENTS
2
44
47
51
54
58
61

L a b o r m o n th in re vie w
F o re ig n la b o r d e v e lo p m e n ts
R e s e a rc h s u m m a rie s
M a jo r a g re e m e n ts e xp irin g n e x t m o n th
D e v e lo p m e n ts in in d u s tria l re la tio n s
B o o k re v ie w s
C u rre n t la b o r s ta tis tic s

Labor Month
In Review

UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics received many
inquiries concerning the effect that legali­
zation of undocumented aliens may be
having on employment numbers, partic­
ularly those from the payroll survey. The
questions are based on the theory that
recent increases in payroll employment
reflect the sudden reporting of aliens
who, although long employed, were not
reported until they were legalized under
the new immigration law. This is how
b l s responded to the inquiries:
The sudden reporting theory relies on
the critical assumption that the illegal
aliens being processed through the
“ legalization’' program had not previous­
ly been reported by their employers.
Inherent in this assumption is the belief
that employers of illegal aliens had previ­
ously faced serious sanctions, or censure,
and that these have been removed
through the legalization program.
However, prior to the Immigration
Reform and Control Act of 1986, there
had been no “ adverse legal conse­
quences’’ that would have dissuaded em­
ployers from reporting illegal aliens on
their payrolls. There was, in fact, no
reason why the employers should have
cared about the nationality and legal
status of their workers until after the pas­
sage o f the immigration bill. More
importantly, employers have never been
asked the nationality or legal status of
their employees in the surveys conduct­
ed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
They are asked only how many
employees they have, the hours they
work, the earnings they receive, etc.
There was, therefore, no meaningful in­
centive for employers to under-report the
level of their payrolls to BLS. Even if
some employers were paying some of
their employees “ under the table” and
thus off payroll, this was not very likely
occurring on a large scale.

2


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Moreover, several studies of “ appre­
hended” illegal aliens have found that the
majority had valid Social Security cards
and had been paying taxes. One study,
by David North in the 1970’s, found the
percentage of illegal aliens with Social
Security cards to be as high as 77 per­
cent. In fact, until the late 1970’s,
Social Security cards could be obtained
on demand, by anyone, regardless of
citizenship, place of birth, or legalresidence status. Because the legalization
program applies only to persons who
arrived in this country prior to 1982, it
would not be surprising if most of these
had valid Social Security cards—and
were “ on the books” of their employers.
California data. Because California
accounted for 57 percent of the legaliza­
tion claims, the sudden reporting
hypothesis would suggest an unusually
large spurt in this State’s payroll data for
the period in question. But, from
September 1987 to February 1988, the
payroll employment data for California
(not seasonally adjusted) show an in­
crease of 97,000, hardly different from
the increase of 91,000 posted over the
same period one year earlier (September
1986 to February 1987).
Only by examining the data for the en­
tire February 1987 to February 1988
period, can one find evidence of a modest
spurt in employment growth in California.
Over this 1-year period, the number of
payroll jobs in California increased by
450,000 (compared with 375,000 the
previous year). The State’s growth in
the latest 12-month period accounted
for 14.5 percent of the total growth in
payroll employment for the Nation, a
somewhat greater share than the State’s
share of the payroll employment pie
(11.5 percent). But the “ excess”
growth, whether computed on the basis
of the previous year’s growth for the
State or as a share of the national gains,

is only on the order of 80,000 to
90.000. Moreover, this growth was
achieved when the State’s unemploy­
ment rate was declining substantially.
From February 1987 to February 1988,
it dropped from 6.7 to 5.8 percent.
It should be noted that the highest
number of legalization claims per
month actually were filed over the Juneto-September 1987 period. Thus, the
employment effects — if any — should
also have been concentrated during this
period. California’s “ excess” growth
did occur during this period, and thus
it could be argued that it was linked to
the legalization program. But even if all
of this “ excess” growth was attribu­
table entirely to the legalization pro­
gram, it would still not have had a
major impact on the national data.
Given that the “ excess” growth for
California did not exceed 90,000 for the
1-year period ended in February, and
given further that this State accounted
for nearly three-fifths of all the legali­
zations, the total impact on the national
data could hardly have exceeded
150.000. Over the same 1-year period,
payroll employment was estimated to
have grown by more than 3 million.
The legalization program even could
have had a depressing effect on the pay­
roll numbers. This is because: (1) those
aliens who have entered the United States
since January 1, 1982, cannot be legal­
ized, and (2) employers of illegal aliens
are now facing sanctions that they did not
face before. Anecdotal evidence suggests
that some aliens have lost their jobs be­
cause their employers did not want to be
in violation of the new law, even this ef­
fect is likely to have been very small.
In sum, BLS’ interpretation of the
possible affects of the immigration bill,
coupled with an analysis of the actual
data, suggest that the impact on the pay­
roll numbers probably has been minimal.

The declining middle-class thesis:
a sensitivity analysis
New study supports the hypothesis o f a shrinking middle;
the declining proportion o f families in the middle
has largely moved to the upper class, although
the share o f income held by the lower class has declined
M

ic h a e l

W. H

o r r ig a n a n d

St e v e n E . H

aug en

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in
the changing distribution of income in the United States.
The consensus within the literature is that the distribu­
tion has become more unequal over the past one or two
decades, as evidenced by several measures of income
inequality.1 In addition, a number of studies point to
increasing proportions of the population in the lower and
upper income classes, and thus a decreasing share in the
middle class, as evidence of this trend.
Across these studies, however, opinions differ as to the
extent to which the middle class has declined and how
this decline has been divided between the lower and
upper classes. The lack of agreement among findings can
be attributed to variations in both the definition and
measurement of the middle. Indeed, most studies fail to
test the sensitivity of the results to alternative specifica­
tions of the middle class and to different techniques for
measuring its size over time.
This article describes the nature and results of such a
sensitivity analysis. Data on family income from the
March Current Population Survey are used to track
changes in the proportions of families in the lower,
middle, and upper income classes over the 1969-86
period. By choosing alternative income intervals for
defining the three classes, evaluating different methods
for measuring changes in class size over time, and

Michael W. Horrigan and Steven E. Haugen are economists in the
Division of Labor Force Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics.


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examining these changes from both a secular and cyclical
perspective, the sensitivity of the findings is assessed.
Through such sensitivity analysis, we attempt to recon­
cile the divergent views on secular changes in the size of
the three classes over time. Although the underlying
causes of the shifts are important, we do not attempt to
identify them.
Consistent with the results found in the literature, we
find that the proportion of families in the middle class
has declined substantially over time. However, in con­
trast to many studies, we conclude that the majority of
the decline in the middle is offset by an increase in the
upper class. It is important to note that our findings do
not run counter to arguments of growing inequality in
the distribution of income. Indeed, in terms of its share of
aggregate income, there has been a growing disparity
between the lower class and the remainder of the
distribution.

Overview of the literature
A brief review of a few examples from the literature
demonstrates some of the differences between studies,
both in terms of overall approach and conclusions
drawn.2 For instance, Lester Thurow defined the middle
class as including households with income between 75
and 125 percent of median household income, and found
that the middle shrank from 28 percent of all households
in 1967, a business cycle recovery year, to 24 percent by
3

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Analysis o f Declining Middle-Class Thesis
1982, a trough year. The loss was evenly distributed
between the lower and upper tiers.3
A study by Robert Lawrence concentrated on the
weekly earnings of wage and salary workers who usually
work full time. Lawrence set the middle-class bracket at
roughly two-thirds and four-thirds of men’s median
weekly earnings in 1983. Under this concept, the propor­
tion of all workers in the middle fell from 50 percent to
46 percent between 1969, a peak year, and 1983, the first
year of a recovery. Most of the loss was accounted for by
a widening of the lower class, which expanded to 33
percent of all persons.4
Katharine Bradbury, using family income to define the
middle class, suggested that a reasonable definition of the
middle class includes all families with incomes between
$20,000 and $49,999, in 1984 dollars. After deflating this
interval back to 1973, a peak year, she found that the
middle class declined from 53 percent to 48 percent of all
families by 1984, the second year of a recovery. Once
again, the vast majority of the loss showed up as a
widening of the lower class.5

Determining the ‘middle class’—the choices
Certain critical choices are made in studies of the
middle class.6 First, researchers choose among three
sampling units—individuals, families, and households—
and between two measures of compensation—wage and
salary earnings and total income.7 Second, one must
select a method for measuring the size of the middle class
in each year over the relevant time period. Analysts
generally adopt one of two methods: they either use
dollar intervals adjusted to represent constant purchasing
power over time, or they use an interval representing
fixed percentages above and below median income.
Finally, a technique must be chosen for uncovering the
long-run trends in the size of the middle class. Some
analysts simply make year-to-year comparisons of class
sizes. An alternative approach often employed is to use
regression analysis to establish long-run trends.
Selection o f a sampling distribution. In this study, the
middle class is identified on the basis of family income.
This choice is based on both economic and cultural
considerations. For instance, it is widely accepted that by
virtue of family membership, individuals in families
experience significant economies of scale in consumption
that do not exist for single individuals, or even for most
households comprised of two or more unrelated individu­
als. For example, suppose that a husband and wife each
has average or slightly below-average income. By com­
bining both incomes, they can sustain a level of consump­
tion, such as homeownership, which they could not
sustain individually. Each spouse is thus able to enjoy a
somewhat higher “standard of living” than he or she
would attain alone. Because the vast majority of persons
4


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live in families (about four-fifths in 1987), these econo­
mies of scale figure importantly in our choice of sampling
unit.
In addition, the cultural view of the middle class seems
to be one in which the family is the typical income unit.
Significant changes have taken place among families over
the last two decades, including the very large inflow of
wives (and mothers) into the labor force and increases in
the percentage of families maintained by single parents
(mostly women). This increased heterogeneity among
family types gives added impetus to using the family unit
in examining changes in the size of the lower, middle,
and upper income classes.
None of these reasons, however, diminishes the impor­
tance of examining other sampling units, such as the
household or the individual; rather, it is simply the lack
of agreement across studies as to which group is the most
appropriate for analysis of the declining middle-class
thesis which invites researchers to explore the issue from
different perspectives.8
Total money income is chosen as the measure of
compensation for the family unit. This measure includes
before-tax income from all sources (yearly totals of wage
and salary earnings, self-employment earnings, Social
Security, public assistance, interest, dividends, rent, and
all other sources of money income regularly received)
and thus is a comprehensive measure of a family’s
financial resources.9
In addition to economic criteria, numerous social
characteristics are also frequently associated with the
middle class. These include educational and occupational
standards for the earners in the family, as well as certain
political and moral values, goals and aspirations, and so
forth. At best, these variables can only be imperfectly
proxied. Certainly, they cannot be easily quantified. As a
result, studies of the middle class, including this one,
define the concept in terms of income alone.
Selecting middle-class income intervals. Given the selec­
tion of the family and total income as the focus of this
study, the income intervals used to define the middle
class in any given year need to be determined (in effect,
splitting the distribution of incomes into three classes).
Most studies do not explicitly identify the criteria by
which the choice of a middle-class income interval is
made. Although this is understandable given the arbi­
trary and intuitive nature of the middle-class concept,
such an approach does not permit systematic examina­
tion of the sensitivity of findings to the choice of a
middle-class income interval. To address this shortcom­
ing, two criteria are selected which determine a range of
middle-class income intervals used in this study. These
criteria impose reasonable bounds on the income inter­
vals defining the middle class, and, at the same time,
provide a large number for use in sensitivity analysis.

First, the lower endpoint of the 1986 middle-class
income interval is required to be somewhere in the 60- to
90-percent range of median family income in that year
($29,460). Hence, a range of lower endpoints between
$17,676 (60 percent of the 1986 median) and $26,514 (90
percent) is chosen. The lower bound of 60 percent reflects
an intent to ensure that the lower endpoint of the middle
class represents an income significantly above the poverty
level, which was about a third of median family income in
1986.10
Second, in any given year, a middle-class interval is
admissible only if the percentage of families in the middle
class is between 40 and 60 percent. While some may
intuitively view the middle as consisting of the middle
third of families, our choice reflects a desire to create a
middle class with a larger proportion of all families.
However, the upper end of each middle-class income
interval is restricted so that the resulting percentage of
families in the upper class is always equal to or greater
than 5 percent.
Adhering to these criteria, the procedure for arriving
at the set of middle-class income intervals involved two
steps. First, the income intervals which represent the
boundaries or limits of the two criteria were determined.
Second, a range of intervals within these limits was
selected. As discussed below, the admissible intervals
vary according to the method used to measure the size of
the middle class over time.

Comparisons over time
There are essentially two approaches in the literature
used to make comparisons of the three classes over time.
First, many studies use an interval deflator approach, in
which a price index is used to deflate income intervals,
thereby maintaining the purchasing power of the middle
class over time. The second technique defines the middle
class in each year as consisting of those families whose
incomes are within given percentages of median family
income for that year, thus preserving the relative position
of the middle class in the overall distribution of incomes
over time.
Interval deflator approach. In this method, we use 1986
as the base year and deflate each chosen middle-class
interval back to each year between 1969 and 1986. In
deflating incomes, however, there are several price in­
dexes from which to choose, and they often indicate
different rates of inflation over any given period. The
choice of a price index can affect the cutoff points for the
middle interval, and, consequently, the number of fami­
lies falling into the lower, middle, and upper intervals.
Most studies use the Bureau of Labor Statistics’
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers ( c p i - u )
to measure inflation. However, the methodology used in
constructing the c p i - u changed in 1983. Prior to 1983,

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the measurement of homeowner costs included changes
in the asset value of homes. Recognizing that this
approach mixed the investment and consumption aspects
of homeownership, the b l s conducted extensive research
and testing which led to the introduction of the rental
equivalence methodology in 1983. The b l s also devel­
oped, for research purposes, an index which links the
period before and after 1983, thereby treating homeown­
ership costs in a manner consistent with the new
approach. (See appendix.) This study uses the research
index titled Consumer Price Index for All Urban Con­
sumers, Experimental Measure 1 ( r e b a s e d ) —hereafter
referred to as the c p i - u - x i —because it provides a contin­
uous series with no major change in methodology.
However, to test the sensitivity of our results to the
choice of a price index, two alternative price indexes, the
c p i -u
and the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ Fixed
Weight Personal Consumption Expenditure ( f w - p c e )
index, are also applied.11
Fixed percentage o f median income approach. In this
method, the middle class in each year consists of families
whose incomes are within given percentages of median
family income for that year.12 The purchasing power of
the middle-class income intervals produced by this
method depends on the behavior of median family
income. For example, if median family income is increas­
ing in real value over time, so too will the real value of
the associated middle-class income intervals. Indeed,
when the c p i - u - x i is used to calculate the real value of
median family income over the 1969-86 period (in 1986
dollars), the real value of median family income has
increased, albeit modestly.13 (See chart 1.)

Secular comparisons
Many studies in the literature compare pairs of years
to infer long-run trends in the relative size of income
classes. However, we demonstrate that such inferences
are very sensitive to the years chosen. As one might
expect, results obtained from comparing a peak and
trough year differ markedly from a comparison of similar
points in successive business cycles. We use regression
analysis to uncover the secular nature of changes in the
size of each of the three classes over the 1969-86 period.
This eliminates the sensitivity of the findings to the
choice of years. Regression analysis essentially involves
estimating trend lines for each of the lower, middle, and
upper class income intervals selected for this study. The
procedure first isolates cyclical movements and then
estimates the remaining secular trend.14 However, to
demonstrate the sensitive nature of conclusions drawn
from making year-to-year comparisons, numerous peakto-peak and peak-to-trough com parisons are also
conducted.
5

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Analysis o f Declining Middle-Class Thesis

The sensitivity results
Interval deflator approach. The results of applying regres­
sion analysis to estimate the trends in the size of the
lower, middle, and upper classes over the 1969-86 period
are summarized in table 1. (The values of the estimated
parameters and their associated levels of statistical signif­
icance are shown in appendix table A -l.) In this case, the
income intervals created using the c p i - u - x i are examined.
There is a substantial range of income intervals for which
the relative size of the middle class declined secularly
over the 1969-86 period; in particular, this result holds
for all middle-class intervals with starting incomes rang­
ing from $17,676, the lower limit of our first criterion, to
$22,000. As income requirements for membership in the
middle class are made more stringent, however, changes
in the distribution around the $24,000-$26,000 mark
help to create an upper limit on the range of intervals
over which the declining middle-class thesis holds.
These results support the declining middle-class thesis.
There is a consistent decline in the middle class across a
substantial range of alternative income intervals. The key
question however is, where did the middle go? Across
virtually all the intervals for which the declining middleclass thesis holds, one fact consistently emerges—the

Table 1. Interval deflator approach (cpi-u-x i ): direction
of secular change in the relative size of the lower,
middle, and upper classes, using selective middle-class
income intervals (in 1986 dollars), 1969-86
Middle-class
income interval

[1986 dollars]

Middle
class

$17,676 to $39,999 ................................................
$48,999................................................

0
0

-

$18,000 to $39,999 ................................................
$41,999 ................................................
$49,999................................................

0
0
0

_
_

$20,000 to $42,999................................................
$49,999 ................................................
$55,999 ................................................
$59,999 ................................................

0
0
0
0

-

$22,000 to $45,999 ................................................
$49,999.................................................
$51,999................................................
$59,999 ................................................
$61,999 ................................................
$63,999 ................................................

0
0
0
0
0
0

-

$24,000 to $49,999 ................................................
$51,999................................................
$59,999................................................
$61,999................................................
$63,999................................................
$26,000 to $54,999 ................................................
$ 5 9 ,9 9 9 ..........................................................................
$ 6 1 ,9 9 9 ..........................................................................
$ 6 3 ,9 9 9 ..........................................................................

Chart 1. Median family income, 1969-86

Lower
class

$ 2 6 ,5 1 4 to $ 5 5 ,9 9 9 ..........................................................................
$ 6 3 ,9 9 9 ..........................................................................
Note:

0
+

=

=
=

-

-

-

-

-

-

_
_

_
_

-

0
0

-

_

-

0
0
0

-

-

-

0
0
trend that is not statistically different from zero,
statistically significant negative trend, and
statistically significant positive trend.

Upper
class
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

+
+

relative size of the lower class has been secularly stable
over time. Hence, as table 1 indicates, the upper class has
experienced secular increases in relative size over the
period being considered. Chart 2 uses the $20,000$55,999 interval definition of the middle class to depict
the changes in the size of the lower, middle, and upper
classes and the estimated secular trends.
What has happened to the share o f income held by the
lower class? The secularly stable trend in the size of the
lower class has been accompanied by a secular decline in
the share of aggregate income held.15 Using the $20,000$55,999 interval to define the middle class, chart 3 shows
the secular decline in the proportion of income held by
the lower class. Thus, the picture which emerges is one of
a lower class that, although stable in size, is receiving a
declining share o f the pie over time.

NOTE: Broken line represents secular trend from which cyclical
movements have been removed.

6


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Choice o f a price index. The preceding analysis was
conducted using the c p i - u - x i . To test the sensitivity of
findings to the choice of an index, regression analysis was
conducted to estimate the secular behavior of the three
classes using two alternative price indexes, the Consumer
Price Index for All Urban Consumers ( c p i - u ) and the

Fixed Weight Personal Consumption Expenditure ( f w p c e ) index. Again, the $20,000-$55,999 income interval
is used. As was the case for the c p i - u - x i , the coefficients
of the regressions indicate a secular decline in the relative
size of the middle class for both of these alternative price
indexes. However, in contrast to the stability in the size
of the lower class when the c p i -u - x i was used, the lower
class exhibited a secular increase when the c p i - u was
employed, and a secular decline when the f w - p c e index
was used.16
Given these overall secular trends, it is informative to
compare class size over time using alternative price
indexes. To do so, the distribution of family incomes in
1969 is compared to that of 1986.17 Results using all
three price indexes show a decline in the relative size of
the middle class between 1969 and 1986. (See table 2.)
With the c p i - u , this decline in the middle was accompa­
nied by an increase in the relative size of the lower class.
In contrast, the decline in the middle class associated
with the c p i - u - x i was accompanied by a decline in the
proportion of families in the lower class. Finally, the
f w - p c e index shows a substantial decline in the relative
size of both the middle and lower classes. Clearly, any
examination of the declining middle-class thesis using an
interval deflator approach is quite sensitive to the choice
of a price index.
Fixed percentage o f median income approach. The results
of the fixed percentage around median family income
approach to examining secular trends are shown in table
3. Here, the middle class declined over the 1969-86
period for an even broader range of income intervals than
for the interval deflator approach.18 In terms of where
the decline has gone, the results differ from those
associated with the interval deflator method. For each
interval, as the middle declines in relative size, both the
lower and upper classes experience secular increases in
relative size. (See appendix table A-2.)
Using 68-190 percent as the fixed percentage interval
to define the middle class (equivalent to $20,000-$55,999
in 1986), the proportions of the decline in the middle
going to the lower and upper classes between 1969 and
1986 are about 40 and 60 percent, respectively. Across
the entire range of intervals, the proportion of the decline
in the middle going to the lower class varies from roughly
20 percent to 50 percent.19 The proportion of families in
each of the three classes over the 1969-86 period is
depicted in chart 4.
It is important to note that while these findings suggest
that the lower class has increased in relative size over the
1969-86 period, the share of aggregate income held by
this group has either remained the same or declined
secularly.20 Hence, despite differences between the fixed
percentage and interval deflator methods in measured

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Chart 2. Interval deflator approach:
proportions of families in the upper,
middle, and lower classes, 1969-86,
using the $20,000-$55,999 income
interval (in 1986 dollars)
[Percent]

NOTE: Broken line represents secular trend trom which cyclical
movements have been removed.

7

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Analysis o f Declining Middle-Class Thesis
Percent distribution
o f families

Table 2. Percent distribution of families in the lower,
middle, and upper classes, using alternative price
indexes, 1969 and 1986

Middle-class
income
interval

P e rc e n t d is tr ib u tio n o f
P r ic e in d e x
and year

M id d le - c la s s
in c o m e in te r v a l

fa m ilie s
Low er

M id d le

U pper

c la s s

c la s s

c la s s

CPI-U-X1:
1 9 8 6 ..................................
1 9 6 9 ..................................

$ 2 0 , 0 0 0 - $ 5 5 ,9 9 9
7 , 1 8 0 - 2 0 ,1 0 4

3 1 .7
3 3 .7

5 3 .0
5 8 .8

15.3
7.5

2 0 ,0 0 0 -5 5 ,9 9 9
6 ,6 8 0 -1 8 ,7 0 4

3 1 .7
3 0 .4

5 3 .0
6 0 .0

15 .3
9 .7

2 0 ,0 0 0 - 5 5 , 9 9 9
7 ,4 4 0 - 2 0 ,8 3 2 v

3 1 .7
3 5 .6

5 3 .0
5 7 .8

15.3
6 .7

CPI-U:
1 9 8 6 ..................................
1 9 6 9 ..................................

FW-PCE:
1 9 8 6 ..................................
1 9 6 9 ..................................

effects, both point to a fundamental decline in the lower
class per-family share of total aggregate income.
Differences between the two approaches. What accounts
for the differences in the findings of these two ap­
proaches? Using the c p i - u - x i to deflate both endpoints of
the $20,000-$55,999 income interval produces a 1969
income interval of $7,180-$20,104. This interval repre­
sents the same level of purchasing power as the
$20,000-$55,999 interval in 1986. In the fixed percent­
age of the median approach, the endpoints $20,000 and
$55,999 represent roughly 68 percent and 190 percent of
1986 median family income, respectively. When applied
to the value of median family income in 1969, these
percentages yield a middle-class income interval of
$6,404-$17,931.
Because the real value of median family income
increased over the 1969-86 period, the middle class
associated with the fixed percentage approach has a
lower level of purchasing power in 1969 than the one
associated with the interval deflator approach. Moreover,
by simply comparing the lower endpoints of the two
income intervals, it is evident that the size of the lower
class in 1969 was smaller for the fixed percentage
approach than for the interval deflator approach. Hence,
because the income intervals in both approaches grow to
the same value in 1986, $20,000-$55,999, the fixed
percentage approach shows a greater growth in the lower
class between 1969 and 1986 than does the interval
deflator approach.
The following tabulation shows the distribution of
families in the lower, middle, and upper classes in 1969
and 1986, using both the interval deflator and the fixed
percentage of median family income approaches:
8


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Lower Middle Upper
class class class

Interval deflator
(c

p i-u

-x

i

)

1986 ................ $20,000 - $55,999
1969 ................ 7,180 - 20,104

31.7
33.7

53.0
58.8

15.3
7.5

Fixed percentage
interval of
median income
[68-190]:
1986.............. $20,000 - $55,999
1969 ..............
6,404 - 17,931

31.7
28.7

53.0
60.2

15.3
11.1

Which of the two approaches is preferred? The answer
depends on one’s view of what constitutes middle-class
income. If one takes the position that the middle should
represent a particular standard of living that is main­
tained over time, then the interval deflator approach is
preferred. However, it is also compelling to argue that
the middle-class concept is more reflective of where one
stands in the relative profile of family incomes, and using
the current median or “representative” level of family

Chart 3. Proportion of aggregate income
held by the lower class, 1969-86, using
the interval deflator approach
[Percent]

NOTE: Broken line represents secular trend from which cyclical
movements have been removed.

Table 3. Fixed percentage of median family income
approach: direction of secular trend in the relative size
of the lower, middle, and upper classes for selective
middle-class income intervals, 1969-86
M id d le - c la s s

Low er

M id d le

U pper

In c o m e In te rv a l

c la s s

c la s s

c la s s

+
+

-

+
+

+
+

-

+
+

+
+

-

+
+

+
+

-

+
+

+
+
+

-

+
+
+

+
+
+

-

+
+
+

+
+
+

-

+
+
+

“

+

60 to 136 ...................................................................
166 ...................................................................
61 to 136 ..........................................................
170 ...................................................................
68 to 146 ...................................................................
190 ...................................................................
75 to 156 ...................................................................
217 ...................................................................
81 to 170 ..........................................................
217 ..........................................................
244 ..........................................................
88 to 187 ..........................................................
217 ..........................................................
244 ..........................................................
90 to 190 ..........................................................
217 ..........................................................
244 ..........................................................

Symmetric Income interval:
6 0 -1 4 0 ......................................................
Note:

Conclusion
+

;

+ = statistically significant positive trend, and
- = statistically significant negative trend.

income as a fulcrum is quite reasonable. This study does
not make a choice in this debate.

Year-to-year comparisons
In this study, we use regression analysis to evaluate
secular trends in the relative size of the lower, middle,
and upper classes. Many middle-class studies, however,
infer long-run trends in the distribution of incomes by
making comparisons between two points in time. To
demonstrate the sensitivity of such inferences to the
particular choice of years, several year-to-year compari­
sons are made using the interval deflator approach
(although the fixed percentage approach could just as
easily been used).
The proportions of families in the lower, middle, and
upper classes are very cyclically sensitive. (See chart 2;
see also table 4 which provides the percent distribution of
families in the lower, middle, and upper classes from
1969 to 1986.) Consequently, if year-to-year comparisons
are made, it is inappropriate to choose years at cyclically
dissimilar points in business cycles. For example, com­
pare the distribution in 1969, a peak year, with that in
1982, a trough year. It is reasonable to expect that the
proportion of families in the lower class will increase
from a peak to a trough year. Indeed, the decline in the
middle class over this period, 5.6 percentage points,
coincides with a 1.3-percentage point increase in the
lower class. By 1985, however, after 3 years of economic
recovery, the lower class had fallen slightly below its

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1969 proportion of 33.7 percent, and by 1986 had
declined even further to 31.7 percent. Indeed, a compari­
son of each recession with its subsequent recovery gives
evidence of a definite cyclical pattern in the shift in the
distribution of family incomes, with the lower class
growing during recessions, but then recovering its prere­
cession share in the subsequent economic expansion.
Next, compare two cyclically similar years. Between
peak years 1969 and 1979, the middle-class decline of 2.8
percentage points was accompanied by a decline in the
lower class of 1.9 percentage points; the upper class
absorbed these declines, thereby increasing in size by
nearly 5 points. Alternatively, comparing 1973 and 1985,
both representing the third year of a recovery, the 4.9percentage point decline in the middle was accompanied
by a 1.2-point rise in the size of the lower class. Thus,
even if care is taken to compare cyclically similar years,
the findings may misrepresent the underlying secular
trends.

This study suggests that the consensus view of a
declining middle class is correct. However, unlike some
studies, this one finds that most of the decline in the
proportion of families in the middle has gone to the upper
class, not the lower. However, the size of this effect varies
with the method used to measure the middle class. If the
c p i - u - x i is used to deflate middle-class income intervals
(thereby maintaining the purchasing power of the middle
class over time), virtually all of the decline in the middle
goes to the upper class. Alternatively, if the middle is
based on a fixed percentage around median income for
each year, the decline in the middle is split between the
Table 4. Distribution of families in the lower, middle,
and upper classes, 1969-86, using the interval deflator
approach ( c p i - u - x i ) to adjust the 1986 income interval,
$20,000-$55,999
[In percent)
Low er

M id d le

U pper

c la s s

c la s s

c la s s

1 9 6 9 ...................................................................................
1 9 7 0 ...................................................................................
1 9 7 1 ...................................................................................
1 9 7 2 ...................................................................................
1 9 7 3 ...................................................................................
1 9 7 4 ...................................................................................

3 3 .7
3 4 .3
3 4 .9
33.1
32.1
33.1

5 8 .8
5 7 .8
5 7 .0
5 7 .2
5 7 .6
5 7 .5

7 .5
7 .8
8 .0
9 .7
10.3
9 .4

1 9 7 5 ...................................................................................
1 9 7 6 ...................................................................................
1 9 7 7 ...................................................................................
1 9 7 8 ...................................................................................
1 9 7 9 ...................................................................................
1 9 8 0 ...................................................................................

3 4 .6
33.1
3 2 .8
3 1 .8
3 1 .8
3 3 .2

5 6 .6
57.1
5 6 .6
5 6 .4
5 6 .0
5 5 .2

8 .9
9 .7
10.6
11.8
12.3
11.5

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

3 4 .4
3 5 .0
3 5 .4
3 3 .8
3 3 .3
3 1 .7

5 4 .2
5 3 .2
5 2 .8
5 2 .8
5 2 .7
5 3 .0

11.4
11.7
11.8
13.4
14.0
15.3

Year

9

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Analysis o f Declining Middle-Class Thesis

Chart 4. Fixed percentage approach:
proportions of families in the upper,
middle, and lower classes, 1969-86
[Percent]

lower and upper classes, although the majority of the
decline shows up as an increase in the upper class.
Despite these differences, however, it is clear that in
both the interval deflator and the fixed percentage
approaches, the behavior of the share of aggregate
income held by the lower class indicates a growing
disparity between the lower class and the rest of the
distribution. This result is consistent with other studies
which show an increase in income inequality over the
past couple of decades.
In seeking to further explain the sensitive nature of
findings to analytical choices, we examined the influence
of two factors: (1) the choice of a price index in studies
which use the interval deflator approach to measure
changes in the size of the three classes, and (2) the
practice in some studies of making secular inferences
from comparisons of two years, rather than using a
regression method such as the one employed in this
paper.
This study employs a research price index developed
by the b l s which, unlike the c p i - u , provides a continuous
series with no major changes in methodology. Use of this
research index, the c p i - u - x i , suggests that virtually all of
the decline in the middle goes to the upper class, whereas
the c p i - u indicates that a significant proportion of the
decline goes to the lower class.
Finally, several middle-class studies compare pairs of
years in order to infer long-run trends in the distribution
of incomes, often selecting years for comparison that are
at cyclically dissimilar points. Because there is a substan­
tial cyclical pattern to the distribution of family in­
comes—the size of the lower class widens dramatically in
recessions, and shrinks during expansions—such compar­
isons can give very different results than studies making
secular comparisons. Moreover, even comparing similar
points in different business cycles can, depending on the
points chosen, give very different indications of long-run
trends.
q

--------- FOOTNOTES--------c k n o w l e d g m e n t s : The authors thank Robert J. Mclntire and
Bernard R. Altschuler, Office of Employment and Unemployment
Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for constructing the computer
programs used in this study.

A

NOTE: Broken line represents secular trend from which cyclical
m ovements have been rem oved.
The percentages of median family Income used to define the
endpoints of the middle class are roughly 68 and 190; In 1986, this
produced a m iddle-class Income Interval of $20,000 to $55,999.

10

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‘Several studies, using measures of income inequality such as the Gini
coefficient and the log-variance approach, have found evidence of
increased inequality over the past two decades. See, for example,
McKinley L. Blackburn and David E. Bloom, “Family Income
Inequality in the United States, 1967-84,” Proceedings o f the 39th
Annual Meetings (Industrial Relations Research Association, 1986), pp.
349-58; W. Norton Grubb and Robert H. Wilson, “The Distribution of
Wages and Salaries, 1960-1980: The Contributions of Gender, Race,
Sectoral Shifts and Regional Shifts,” Working Paper 39 (University of
Texas, 1987); and Chris Tilly, Barry Bluestone, and Bennett Harrison,
“What is Making American Wages More Unequal?” Proceedings o f the
39th Annual Meetings (Industrial Relations Research Association,
1986), pp. 338-48.

2The list of articles on the declining middle-class thesis is quite
extensive. See, for example, Barry Bluestone and Bennett Harrison, The
Deindustrialization o f America (New York, Basic Books, Inc., 1982);
Bob Kuttner, “The Declining Middle,” The Atlantic Monthly, July
1983, pp. 60-72; McKinley L. Blackburn and David E. Bloom, “What
is happening to the middle class?” American Demographics, January
1985, pp. 19-25; Neal H. Rosenthal, “The shrinking middle class: myth
or reality?” Monthly Labor Review, March 1985, pp. 3-10; Patrick J.
McMahon and John H. Tschetter, “The declining middle class: a
further analysis,” Monthly Labor Review, September 1986, pp. 22-27;
David Wessel, “U.S. Rich and Poor Increase in Numbers, Middle Loses
Ground,” The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 22, 1986; “Is the Middle Class
Shrinking?” Time, Nov. 3, 1986, pp. 54—56; Barry Bluestone and
Bennett Harrison, “The Great American Job Machine: The Prolifera­
tion of Low Wage Employment in the U.S. Economy,” a study
prepared for the U.S. Congress, Joint Economic Committee, December
1986; and Marvin H. Kosters and Murray N. Ross, “The Distribution
of Earnings and Employment Opportunities: a Re-examination of the
Evidence,” Studies in Economic Policy (Washington, American Enter­
prise Institute, 1987).
3See Lester C. Thurow, “The Disappearance of the Middle Class,” The
New York Times, Feb. 5, 1984, p. F3.
4See Robert Z. Lawrence, “Sectoral Shifts and the Size of the Middle
Class,” The Brookings Review, Fall 1984, pp. 3-11.
5See Katharine L. Bradbury, “The Shrinking Middle Class,” New
England Economic Review, September/October 1986, pp. 41-55.
6For a review of the analytical choices made in studies of income
distributions, as well as a comprehensive literature review, see Gary W.
Loveman and Chris Tilly, “Good jobs or bad jobs—What does the
evidence say?” New England Economic Review, January/February
1988, pp. 46-65.

In contrast, consider the use of the Fixed Weight Personal Consump­
tion Expenditure ( f w - p c e ) index. Because this index indicates a slower
rate of inflation than the c p i -U-x i , the nominal value of the $20,000
endpoint in 1969 dollars will be higher than the figure from the
c p i -U -X I. Accordingly, the change in the size of the lower class over the
period in question will be smaller for the f w - p c e than for the c p i -u -x i .
"Note that, using a fixed percentage approach to define the middle
class in any given year, the intervals representing the limits of our two
criteria are asymmetric with respect to median family income in 1986.
Most symmetric intervals violate our criteria for interval selection. For
example, choosing $26,000 (roughly 88 percent of the median) as our
left endpoint of the middle class, to satisfy symmetry our upper
endpoint becomes $32,920 (approximately 112 percent of the median).
However, in this case, only 12.9 percent of families are found in the
middle class.
By applying our two criteria, the resulting qualifying symmetric
intervals vary within a small range of each other. Specifically, the
narrowest and widest represent 62 to 138 and 60 to 140 percent of
median family income, respectively. However, to further test the
sensitivity of our findings to the variety of choices which can be made in
this type of study, we incorporate into our approach the symmetric
interval 60 to 140 percent of median family income.
In addition, it should be noted that while many studies in the
literature use symmetric intervals, such a choice is inconsistent with the
asymmetric nature of the distribution. For example, consider the
interval representing 50 and 150 percent of median family income. The
percentage of families found in the 50-100 percent interval is not equal
to the percentage in the 100-150 percent interval. The former interval
contains 28.6 percent of families and the latter, 23.3 percent:
Percentage interval o f
median fa m ily income

Percentage
o f fam ilies

7A household is defined by the Bureau of the Census as consisting of
all persons who occupy a housing unit. A household includes the
related family members and all the unrelated persons, if any, who share
the housing unit. The term “family” is defined as a group of two
persons or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth,
marriage, or adoption and residing together.

[80-100,
[70-100,
[60-100,
[50-100,
[40-100,
[30-100,

[11.2,
[16.8,
[22.7,
[28.6,
[34.5,
[39.8,

Total income is defined as yearly totals (before taxes) of wage and
salary earnings plus all other reported sources of money income, such
as interest, transfer payments, and so forth. Although a few studies
focus on weekly earnings, annual measures are usually preferred
because they take into account the number of weeks worked per year.

The data also indicate that, as the symmetric intervals around median
family income get larger, the asymmetry of the distribution becomes
more pronounced.

8While the family is chosen for this study, it is important at some point
to consider the consistency of findings between studies using individuals
or households, and studies using families as the unit of analysis.
9Note that the ideal data, after-tax income, are not available from the
March Current Population Survey. Also, we exclude families reporting
negative income from our universe.
10Poverty levels of income are determined by the Bureau of the Census
and vary with the size of the family. The poverty level of income for a
three-person family in 1986 was $8,737, 28 percent of median family
income for a three-person family in that year; that for a four-person
family was $11,203, or 32 percent of the median. The average family
size in 1986 was 3.2 persons.
"What is the potential effect of using alternative choices of price
indexes? To illustrate, let the 1986 income interval, $20,000-$55,999,
represent the middle class in that year. Using the price index approach,
we derive nominal values for these two endpoints over the 1969-85
period which represent the same amount of purchasing power as the
$20,000-$55,999 interval in 1986.
Consider the effect of using the c p i -u , which shows a greater rate of
inflation over the time period than the c p i -u - x i . Under the c p i -u - x i the
nominal value of the $20,000 endpoint in 1969 dollars is $7,180. Using
the c p i - u , this value is $6,680, lower because of the relatively higher
rate of inflation associated with this index. In other words, the relative
size of the lower class in 1969 will automatically be smaller from using
the c p i -u than from using the c p i -U- x i . Hence, because both values
grow to $20,000 by 1986, the change in the size of the lower class
between 1969 and 1986 will necessarily be larger for the c p i -u than for
the c p i -u - x i .


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100-120]....................................................................
100-130]....................................................................
100-140]...................................................................
100-150]....................................................................
100-160]....................................................................
100-170]....................................................................

10.5]
15.2]
19.6]
23.3]
26.6]
29.5]

13A s the tabulation below indicates, the real value of median family
income has increased slightly over the 1969-86 period:
Current
dollars

Year

Constant (1986)
dollars

1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977

.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.................................................... ........ .....i
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
................................

$ 9,433
9,867
10,285
11,116
12,051
12,902
13,719
14,958
16,009

$26,276
26,172
26,170
27,447
28,026
27,219
26,743
27,598
27,793

1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986

.................................................... i...............
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................................................

17,640
19,587
21,023
22,388
23,433
24,674
26,433
27,735
29,458

28,636
29,018
27,993
27,236
26,873
27,144
27,912
28,272
29,458

Current-dollar data were taken from various issues of Current Popula­
tion Reports, Series P-60 (Bureau of the Census). Constant-dollar data
were derived by inflating the current-dollar figures by the c p i -U- x i , a
price index developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for research
purposes.
14In order to isolate the secular trend in the time series behavior of the
class size associated with any income interval, we estimated three
separate equations. The first equation regresses real values of gross

11

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Analysis o f Declining Middle-Class Thesis
national product against a linear function of time. The error terms from
this regression represent the cyclical portion of real gross national
product.
These error terms are then used as an independent variable in a
regression with the proportion of families in a given income class
(lower, middle, or upper) as the dependent variable (also a simple linear
form). The error terms from this regression represent the secular
behavior of the dependent variable; that is, the secular trend associated
with the time series behavior of the proportion of families in the class.
We then fit a linear regression of the error terms from the second
equation against time. The coefficient on time can be tested to
determine if it is statistically different from zero. Because the error
terms represent the secular behavior of the proportion of families in a
given class, this provides a test of whether this trend is positive,
negative, or zero.

17The reader should be cautioned against inferring long-run trends
from year-to-year comparisons. However, given the results of our
regression analysis (and hence, a priori knowledge of long-run trends in
the distribution), the example presented in the text is an acceptable way
of demonstrating the sensitivity of findings to the choice of a price
index.
18The conclusions we have drawn under the fixed percentage of median
income approach remain unchanged when we specifically consider
symmetric percentage intervals. As noted earlier, the range of symmet­
ric intervals which satisfy our criteria is very small. We present results
of one such interval which represents 60 percent and 140 percent of
median family income in each year. The regression results show that the
long-run trend in the size of the three classes is the same as for the other
fixed percentage intervals. (See appendix table A-2.)

|SResults are available from the authors.

’’Results are available from the authors.

16Results are available from the authors.

20Results are available from the authors.

APPENDIX: Comparison of price indexes
In 1983, a new methodology using a rental equivalence
approach was incorporated into the c p i -u . (For a discus­
sion of methods used to estimate changes in housing
prices, see the following Monthly Labor Review articles:
Janet L. Norwood, “Two Consumer Price Index issues:
weighting and homeownership,” March 1981, pp. 58-59;
“Indexing Federal programs: the c p i and other indexes,”
March 1981, pp. 60-65; and “The effect of rental
equivalence on the Consumer Price Index, 1967-82,”
February 1985, pp. 53-55. Also see, “Changing the
Homeownership Component of the Consumer Price
Index to Rental Equivalence,” c p i Detailed Report,
January 1983, pp. 7-13.) Before adopting this change in
method, the Bureau developed several experimental price
indexes. One such index, the c p i -u -x i , became the model
for the changes that were incorporated into the c p i -u in
1983.
In this paper, we employ a price index developed by
the b l s for research purposes which links the pre-1983
CPI-U-XI to the post-1982 c p i -u series. This results in a
research price index which is consistent with the current
treatment of housing in the c p i -u . The tabulation below
presents figures for the c p i -u , c p i -u - x i , and the Bureau

12


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of Economic Analysis’ Fixed Weight Personal Consump­
tion Expenditure ( f w - p c e ) index, which is also used in
this study:
Price indexes (1986=100)
Y ear

C P I-U

C P I-U -X I
(r

e b a se d

F W -P C E
)

1 9 6 9 ........................................ .........................

3 3 .4

3 5 .9

1 9 7 0 ........................................ .........................

3 5 .4

3 7 .7

3 8 .8

1 9 7 1 ........................................ .........................

3 6 .9

3 9 .3

4 0 .5

1 9 7 2 ........................................ ..........................

3 8 .2

4 0 .5

4 1 .9

1 9 7 3 ........................................ ..........................

4 0 .5

4 3 .0

4 4 .3

1 9 7 4 ........................................ .........................

4 5 .0

4 7 .4

4 8 .4

1 9 7 5 ........................................ .........................

4 9 .1

5 1 .3

5 2 .2

1 9 7 6 ........................................ .........................

5 1 .9

5 4 .2

5 5 .1

1 9 7 7 ........................................ .........................

5 5 .3

5 7 .6

5 8 .6

3 7 .2

1 9 7 8 ........................................ .........................

5 9 .5

6 1 .6

6 2 .7

1 9 7 9 ........................................ .........................

6 6 .2

6 7 .5

6 8 .2

1 9 8 0 ........................................ ..........................

7 5 .2

7 5 .1

7 5 .3

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

8 2 .9

8 2 .2

8 2 .1

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

8 8 .0

8 7 .2

8 6 .8

1 9 8 3 ........................................ .........................

9 0 .9

9 0 .9

9 0 .5

1 9 8 4 ........................................ .........................

9 4 .7

9 4 .7

9 4 .1

1 9 8 5 ........................................ .........................

9 8 .1

9 8 .1

9 7 .5

1 9 8 6 ........................................ ..........................

1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .0

Summary of regression results
T ab le A-1. In te rv a l d e fla to r a p p ro a ch : s e c u la r tre n d
c o e ffic ie n ts on th e re la tiv e size o f th e lo w e r, m iddle,
and u p p e r c la s s e s fo r a lte rn a tiv e m id d le -cla ss in co m e
in te rv a ls (in 1986 d o lla rs), 1969-86
Middle - class
income interval

Lower
class

Middle
class

Upper
class

Table A-2. Fixed percentage of median family income
approach: secular trend coefficients on the relative size
of the lower, middle, and upper classes for alternative
middle-class income intervals, 1969-86
M id d le - c la s s

Low er

M id d le

Upper

in c o m e in te r v a l

c la s s

c la s s

c la s s

-.4 4 7 “

.2 6 0 “

-.4 9 2 “

.3 0 1 “

6 0 to 1 3 6 ..........................................................................

$17,676 to $39,999..........................................
$48,999..........................................

.1 8 7 “

1 6 6 ..........................................................................

.020

-.548“
-.502“

.529”
.465“

61

to -

1 3 6 ..........................................................................

.1 8 4 “

1 7 0 ..........................................................................

$18,000 to $39,999..........................................
$41,999..........................................
$49,999..........................................

.2 6 0 “

-.4 9 7 “

.3 0 7 “

-.4 5 2 “

.2 7 8 “

-.4 4 2 “

.2 6 5 “

6 8 to -

.018

-.548“
-.537“
-.496“

.529“
.519“
.461“

1 4 6 ..........................................................................

.1 7 3 “

1 9 0 ..........................................................................
7 5 to 1 5 6 ..........................................................................

$20,000 to $42,999..........................................
$49,999..........................................
$55,999..........................................
$59,999..........................................

-.4 4 4 “

.1 5 9 “

2 1 7 ..........................................................................

-.028

-.493“
-.448“
-.353“
-.302“

.514“
.461“
.380“
.328“

81

-.4 5 2 “

.2 9 1 “

-.3 8 0 “

.2 1 5 “

-.4 3 0 “

.3 0 7 “

to -

1 7 0 ..........................................................................

.1 1 8 “

2 1 7 ..........................................................................

-.3 3 9 “

.2 1 5 “

2 4 4 ..........................................................................

-.2 9 0 “

.1 6 8 “

8 8 to -

$22,000 to $45,999..........................................
$49,999..........................................
$51,999..........................................
$59,999..........................................
$61,999..........................................
$63,999..........................................
$24,000 to $49,999..........................................
$51,999..........................................
$59,999..........................................
$61,999..........................................
$63,999..........................................
$26,000 to $54,999..........................................
$59,999..........................................
$61,999..........................................
$63,999..........................................

-.3 5 1 “

.2 7 8 “

2 1 7 ..........................................................................

-.2 9 2 “

.2 1 5 “

2 4 4 ..........................................................................

-.2 4 2 “

.1 6 8 “

1 8 7 ..........................................................................

-.083

-.430“
-.393“
-.358“
-.247“
-.215“
-.190“

.494“
.461“
.432“
.328“
.299“
.276“

-.293“
-.256“
-.145*
-.113
-.087

.461“
.432“
.328“
.299“
.276“

-.148*
-.081
-.049
-.024

.394“
.328“
.299“
.276“

.0 6 8 “

9 0 to -.3 3 8 “

.2 6 5 “

2 1 7 ..........................................................................

- .3 3 5 “

.2 7 2 “

2 4 4 ..........................................................................

- .2 3 8 “

.1 6 8 “

- .4 5 6 “

.2 6 8 “

1 9 0 ..........................................................................

.0 6 3 “

S y m m e tr ic in c o m e in te r v a l:

-.182“

-.249“

6 0 - 1 4 0 ..................................................................

.1 8 7 “

N o t e : * ‘ in d ic a te s th a t th e c o e ffic ie n t is s ta tis tic a lly d iffe r e n t fro m z e ro a t th e
9 9 - p e rc e n t le v e l o f c o n fid e n c e .

$26,514 to -.249“
-.132
.379“
$55,999..........................................
-.096
.313“
$63,999..........................................
Note: ‘ indicates coefficient is statistically different from zero at the 95percent level of confidence.
“ indicates coefficient is statistically different from zero at the 99-percent level
of confidence.


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13

Recent changes in the growth
of U.S. multifactor productivity
Since 1979, multifactor productivity growth
has recovered completely only in manufacturing;
for the rest o f private business,
growth has recovered partially,
but remains below the 1948-73 trend rate
Edw

in

D

ean and

K

ent

K

unze

The dramatic slowdown in productivity growth that
began about 1973 has been the focus of much analysis
and discussion. In recent months, this discussion has
taken on new life, as analysts continue to probe the
influence of U.S. productivity growth on the country’s
competitiveness in world trade. Other commentators
have raised the possibility that the slowdown has ended
and productivity growth has resumed its earlier pace.
The present article contributes to the discussion by
presenting and analyzing recent Bureau of Labor Statis­
tics measures of growth in multifactor productivity in the
United States. It also presents preliminary results of b l s
studies of factors that have affected productivity change.
Special attention is given to the productivity growth
record for recent years, to examine whether productivity
might have resumed its pre-1973 pace.
bls

multifactor measures

In 1983, the b l s introduced measures of multifactor
productivity for three major sectors of the U.S. econ­
omy—private business, private nonfarm business, and
manufacturing. Since that year, annual news releases
have provided current multifactor productivity measures.
Because the methods used to develop these measures

Edwin Dean is chief of the Division of Productivity Research, Bureau
of Labor Statistics. Kent Kunze is an economist in the same division.

14

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have been described in two 1983 publications,1 only a
brief summary is presented here.
In the b l s measures, growth in multifactor productiv­
ity is measured as the difference between the growth rate
of output and the growth rate of combined capital and
labor inputs.2 Growth in multifactor productivity reflects
increase in output due to factors other than growth in
capital and labor inputs.3 Multifactor productivity calcu­
lated in this way provides a numerical answer to the
question: What is the portion of the growth rate of output
that cannot be accounted for by the growth rate of
combined inputs?
The measured multifactor productivity growth rates
reflect changes in all influences on output other than the
inputs. They reflect changes in technology, including
changes that result from research and development
activities; economies of scale; changes in the management
or organization of resources; and changes in the skills
and efforts workers bring to the job.
Multifactor productivity is closely related to the com­
monly used concept of labor productivity, or output per
unit of labor input. It can be shown that, under certain
assumptions,4 growth in labor productivity is equal to
growth in multifactor productivity plus another factor.
That factor is the growth in capital input per labor hour
times the share of capital income in the value of output—
or capital’s share, for short. It follows that growth in
labor productivity can be decomposed into two parts, the

part due to growth in multifactor productivity and the
part due to growth in capital input per labor hour or the
capital-labor ratio. Over long periods in most economies,
all three of these terms will be positive, so that a positive
growth rate in labor productivity is the sum of positive
growth in multifactor productivity plus the positive
growth rate in the capital-labor ratio times the capital
share in output. (Of course, it is possible for one or more
of these growth rates to be negative.)
This relationship can be expressed in an equation:

where Q is output, L is labor hours, K is capital input, sk
is capital’s share, and A represents the state of technol­
ogy. A dot over a variable indicates the rate of change of
the variable with respect to time. The ratio K / K is
therefore the percentage rate of change of capital.

Q L
The term — - — is the percentage rate of change over
Q L

time in labor productivity, Q /L (output per hour).
Similarly, A /A is the percentage rate of change in
multifactor productivity, or output per unit of combined
K
L
labor and capital inputs. The term — - — is the
K
L
percentage rate of change in capital input per hour, the
capital-labor ratio, while sk is capital’s share. (Capital’s
share, sh and labor’s share, sh both are fractions and their
sum exhausts the total value of output; it follows that sk
+ s, = 1.)
Equation 1 expresses the relationship described earlier:
The percentage rate of change in labor productivity,
Q
L
— - —, is equal to the percentage rate of change in

gauge has become increasingly important with the decel­
eration of productivity growth over the last 15 years.
From 1948 to 1986, multifactor productivity in the
private business sector increased at an average rate of 1.4
percent per year (table 1). This growth reflects a 3.2percent average annual increase in output and a 1.8percent rate of growth of combined inputs of labor and
capital services. Labor services (hours) in private business
increased at a rate of 0.9 percent per year, and capital
services grew 3.4 percent annually. The capital-labor
ratio grew 2.4 percent per year.
The nonfarm business sector had a pattern of produc­
tivity growth for the 1948-86 period that was similar to
that of private business. Multifactor productivity in­
creased 1.1 percent annually for the entire period as
output rose 3.3 percent yearly and combined inputs grew
at a 2.1-percent annual rate. Hours increased 1.4 percent
annually in private nonfarm business, a faster rate of
growth than in private business, reflecting a decline in
hours in farm production. Inputs of capital services
increased 3.6 percent per year in private nonfarm
business.
In manufacturing, multifactor productivity grew at an
annual rate of 1.9 percent between 1948 and 1986.
Output increased at a 3.3-percent rate and combined
inputs grew 1.4 percent yearly. Labor hours rose at an
annual rate of only 0.6 percent, and capital services grew
3.4 percent per year.
The measured relationship between multifactor pro­
ductivity and labor productivity was approximately the
same for the three sectors. Multifactor productivity
growth accounted for 60 to 70 percent of labor productiv­
ity growth during the postwar period, with the remainder
Table 1. Average annual growth rates of multifactor
productivity and related measures for private business,
private nonfarm business, and manufacturing, 1948-86
[In p e rc e n t]

multifactor productivity, A /A , plus the percentage rate
K
L
of change in the capital-labor ratio, — - —, times the
share of capital in output, sk.
^
^
Equation 1 decomposes the change in the familiar
labor productivity ratio, Q /L, into the role of multifactor
productivity and the role of capital input relative to labor
input (the capital-labor ratio).5

Long-term trends
Annual measures of productivity change often are
sensitive to cyclical effects. It is helpful to look at long­
term trends in order to minimize the effects of cyclical
disturbances. In addition, long-term trends help to
provide a benchmark for gauging the relative perfor­
mance of productivity growth for shorter periods. Such a

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Measure

P ro d u c tiv ity :
M u ltifa c to r p ro d u c tiv ity 2 .........................
O u tp u t p e r h o u r o f a ll p e r s o n s .......
O u tp u t p e r u n it o f c a p ita l
s e r v ic e s .......................................................
O u t p u t .................................................................
In p u ts:
L a b o r h o u r s .................................................
C a p ita l s e r v ic e s ...................................
C o m b in e d u n its o f la b o r a n d
c a p ita l in p u ts 3 ..........................................

Private
business1

Private
nonfarm
business1

Manufac­
turing

1.4
2 .3

1.1
1.9

1.9
2.7

-.1

- .2

-.1

3 .2

3 .3

3 .3

.9
3 .4

1.4
3 .6

.6
3 .4

1.8

2.1

1.4

C a p ita l-la b o r ra tio 4 ........................................

2 .4

2.1

2 .9

C o n trib u tio n o f c a p ita l in te n s ity 5 ..........

.9

.8

.8

1 E x c lu d e s g o v e rn m e n t e n te rp ris e s .
2 O u tp u t p e r u n it o f c o m b in e d la b o r a n d c a p ita l Input.
3 H o u rs o f a ll p e r s o n s c o m b in e d w ith c a p ita l s e rv ic e In p u t in d e x , w e ig h te d by
la b o r a n d c a p ita l s h a re s .
4 C a p ita l s e rv ic e s p e r h o u r o f a ll p e rs o n s .
5 C h a n g e s in c a p ita l-la b o r ra tio tim e s c a p ita l's s h a re in th e v a lu e o f o u tp u t.

15

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Changes in the Growth o f U.S. Multifactor Productivity

Table 2.
Shares of capital and labor income in the
value of output, private business, private nonfarm
business, and manufacturing, selected years, 1948-86
[In percent]

Income shares

Sector
1948

1973

1979

1986

Private business:
C a p ita l.................................
Lab o r....................................

36.1
63.9

35.7
64.3

35.0
65.0

36.2
63.8

Private nonfarm business:
C a p ita l.................................
Lab o r....................................

35.5
64.5

34.2
65.8

33.9
66.1

35.4
64.6

Manufacturing:
Capital .................................
Lab o r....................................

32.2
67.8

28.7
71.3

26.4
73.6

29.4
70.6

arising from an increase in the capital-labor ratio and
changes in capital’s share (the share of capital income in
the value of output, sk). Because capital’s share was fairly
stable over time (table 2), changes in this share had little
effect on labor productivity. In manufacturing, multifac­
tor productivity growth accounted for the largest propor­
tion of labor p roductivity increase, 70 percent.
Manufacturing also had the fastest rate of growth of the
capital-labor ratio; however, capital’s share was generally
lower in manufacturing than in the other sectors, and this
tended to dampen the influence on labor productivity of
growth in the capital-labor ratio. For private business
and private nonfarm business, growth in multifactor
productivity accounted for about 60 percent of labor
productivity increase during the period.

The productivity slowdown
The post-1973 decline in the growth rate of both
multifactor and labor productivity has been a source of
persistent concern for business leaders, economists, and
policymakers. A plethora of books and articles has
appeared analyzing the probable causes and conse­
quences of the productivity slowdown.6 The following
discussion examines the magnitude of the slowdown,
using the most current measures.
Between 1948 and 1973, the United States enjoyed a
sustained period of strong productivity growth. Multifac­
tor productivity in the nonfarm business sector rose at an
annual rate of 1.7 percent during this period (table 3).
This, coupled with the increase in the capital-labor ratio,
produced an annual rate of growth of labor productivity
of 2.5 percent. For the private business sector, the
productivity advance was even greater: Extra growth
occurred because of a shift of workers out of the farm
sector, which had relatively low productivity, to the
nonfarm sector, which had higher productivity.7
The manufacturing sector also experienced sustained
high growth rates of both multifactor and labor produc­
tivity in the postwar period. The rapid advance in labor
productivity was a reflection of both a high rate of
multifactor productivity growth—2.0 percent annually—
16

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and a high rate of growth in the capital-labor ratio—2.6
percent per year.
Between 1973 and 1979, the Nation’s rate of produc­
tivity growth changed drastically. Output per hour in
private business increased only 0.6 percent annually and
multifactor productivity rose only 0.1 percent per year.
(See table 3 and chart 1.) In private nonfarm business,
output per hour increased at an annual rate of 0.5
percent, while multifactor productivity did not grow at
all.
Labor productivity continued to show some advance in
these two sectors only because of continued, though
slower, growth in capital intensity (the capital-labor
ratio). In private business, the average annual increase in
the capital-labor ratio fell from 2.6 percent in the
previous period to 1.5 percent in the 1973-79 period.
Table 3. Average annual growth rates of multifactor
productivity and related measures for private business,
private nonfarm business, and manufacturing, 1948-73,
1973-79, and 1979-86
Period

Sector and measure

1948-73

1973-79

1979-86

2.0
2.9
.3
3.6

0.1
.6
-.9
2.5

0.5
1.4
-1.0

.7

1.9
3.4

1.1
3.6

1.6
2.6
.9

2.4
1.5
.5

1.9
2.5
.9

P ro d u c tiv ity :
M u ltifa c to r p r o d u c tiv ity 2 ..................................
O u tp u t p e r h o u r o f a ll p e r s o n s ................
O u tp u t p e r u n it o f c a p ita l s e r v ic e s ........

1.7
2.5
.3

-.1
.5
-1.1

.3
1.2
-1.3

O u t p u t ...........................................................................

3.8

2.5

2.4

Private business1
P ro d u c tiv ity :
M u ltifa c to r p ro d u c tiv ity 2 ................................
O u tp u t p e r h o u r o f a il p e r s o n s ...............
O u tp u t p e r u n it o f c a p ita l s e r v ic e s .......
O u t p u t ..........................................................................
In p u ts:
L a b o r h o u r s .........................................................
C a p ita l s e r v ic e s .................................................
C o m b in e d u n it o f la b o r a n d c a p ita l
in p u ts 3 ..................................................................
C a p ita l-la b o r ra tio 4 ...............................................
C o n trib u tio n o f c a p ita l in te n s ity 5 .................

3.3

2.5

Private nonfarm business1

In p u ts:
L a b o r h o u r s ..........................................................
C a p ita l s e r v ic e s ..................................................
C o m b in e d u n it o f la b o r a n d c a p ita l
in p u ts 3 ...................................................................

1.3
3.5

2.1
3.7

1.2
3.7

2.0

2.6

2.1

C a p ita l-la b o r ra tio 4 ................................................
C o n trib u tio n o f c a p ita l in te n s ity 5 ..................

2.2
.8

1.6
.6

2.5
.9

2.0
2.8
.2
3.9

.5
1.4
-1.8
1.9

2.6
3.5
.1
2.2

1.1

.5

3.7

3.8

-1.2
2.3

Manufacturing
P ro d u c tiv ity :
M u ltifa c to r p ro d u c tiv ity 2 .................................
O u tp u t p e r h o u r o f a ll p e r s o n s .................
O u tp u t p e r u n it o f c a p ita l s e r v ic e s ........
O u t p u t ...........................................................................
In p u ts:
L a b o r h o u r s ...........................................................
C a p ita l s e r v ic e s ..................................................
C o m b in e d u n it o f la b o r a n d c a p ita l
in p u ts 3 ...................................................................
C a p ita l-la b o r ra tio 4 .................................................
C o n trib u tio n o f c a p ita l in te n s ity 5 ..................

1.8
2.6
.8

1.4

-.4

3.3
.9

3.5
.9

1 E x c lu d e s g o v e rn m e n t e n te rp ris e s .
O u tp u t p e r u n it o f c o m b in e d la b o r a n d c a p ita l in p u t.
J H o u rs o f a ll p e rs o n s c o m b in e d w ith c a p ita l s e rv ic e in p u t in d e x , w e ig h te d by
la b o r a n d c a p ita l s h a re s .
C a p ita l s e rv ic e s p e r h o u r o f a ll p e rs o n s .
0 C h a n g e s in c a p ita l-la b o r ra tio tim e s c a p ita l's s h a re in th e v a lu e o f o u tp u t.

C h a rt 1. A v e ra g e annual g ro w th ra te s of labor p ro d u ctivity, m u ltifa c to r
p ro d u c tiv ity , and th e c o n trib u tio n of cap ital intensity, s e le c te d periods, 1 9 4 8 -8 6

1948-73
Percent

1973-79

1979-86
Percent
3.5
3.0

1.0

0.5
0.0
-0.5
Percent


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Percent

17

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Changes in the Growth o f U.S. Multifactor Productivity
Similarly, in nonfarm business, the growth rate fell from
2.2 percent annually over the period 1948-73 to 1.6
percent in 1973-79. Only in manufacturing did the
capital-labor ratio continue to increase rapidly. In fact,
this ratio accelerated to a growth rate of 3.3 percent
annually, up from a 2.6-percent rate in the earlier period.
Of the total deceleration in labor productivity growth
in private business (2.3 percentage points), over 80
percent (1.9 percentage points) was a result of the
deceleration in multifactor productivity growth. Less
than 20 percent of the reduction in the rate of labor
productivity increase was due to the decline in the
growth rate of the capital-labor ratio. The same pattern
held in private nonfarm business.
In manufacturing, the deceleration of multifactor
productivity growth accounted for more than the full
decline in the labor productivity growth rate. Because the
rate of increase in the capital-labor ratio actually acceler­
ated during the period, labor productivity growth slowed
less than multifactor productivity growth.

The recovery: 1979-86
During the most recent period, 1979 to 1986, there has
been a partial recovery in productivity growth. The
recovery must be considered incomplete because growth
rates for both multifactor and labor productivity in
private business and private nonfarm business have risen
above the low rates of 1973-79 but have not reached the
pre-1973 rates. In manufacturing, however, multifactor
and labor productivity growth rates have surpassed the
pre-1973 rates.
In private business and private nonfarm business, the
rate of increase in labor hours in 1979-86 declined
relative to the 1973-79 rate, while capital services grew
steadily, resulting in an acceleration of growth in the
capital-labor ratio. These developments contributed to
the more rapid rise of labor productivity. A modest
increase in multifactor productivity growth also assisted
the growth of labor productivity. In manufacturing,
however, the rise of more than 2 percentage points, from
1.4 percent to 3.5 percent, in labor productivity growth
reflected an increase in multifactor productivity growth
of 2 percentage points, with no noticeable assistance from
the capital-labor ratio.

Elements of multifactor productivity change
It is noted above that the measured growth rates of
multifactor productivity reflect changes in technology
(the processes used to produce output); economies of
scale; organizational or management changes; and the
skills workers bring to the job (generally acquired
through schooling and experience). In addition, multifac­
tor productivity reflects any errors made in measurement
of the inputs (hours and capital services) and the output.
18


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b l s has conducted and continues to conduct research in
these areas to gain understanding of the multifactor
productivity changes and also to eliminate possible
measurement error. The present areas of research include
the measurement of the effects of research and develop­
ment ( r &d ) expenditures on productivity growth; the
measurement of the changing amounts of education and
experience that workers possess and the subsequent
effects on productivity growth; and a better measure of
hours, which reflects the actual number of labor hours
spent at the workplace as opposed to the hours (including
vacations and other leave time) for which workers are
paid.
Increased expenditures on r &d are considered to be a
prime factor in the creation of more efficient technolo­
gies. Relative expenditures on r &d in nonfarm business
slowed substantially in the 1970’s. The total stock of
r &d , 8 which had increased 7.8 percent annually between
1948 and 1973, rose 4.0 percent per year between 1973
and 1979. From 1979 to 1985, the growth rate of the r &d
stock accelerated moderately to 4.4 percent.9 However,
results of the empirical work also show that the post1973 changes in the growth rates of the stock had almost
no effect on post-1973 rates of change in multifactor
productivity. The research results for manufacturing are
quite similar to those for nonfarm business.
Preliminary work on the productivity effects of worker
experience and education shows that a small but measur­
able portion of the slowdown was attributable to changes
in the composition of the work force. Increase in
workers’ education and experience is positively correlated
with growth in output and productivity. During the late
1960’s and throughout the 1970’s, the work force ex­
panded rapidly, resulting in an increased proportion of
younger, inexperienced workers. At the same time, more
and more workers attained higher levels of education,
tending to counter some of the consequences of the influx
of inexperienced workers.
Preliminary results indicate that the contribution to
multifactor productivity growth of changes in labor
composition in private business dropped from an average
of 0.2 percent per year in 1948-73 to zero in 1973-79.10
The rise in the proportion of less experienced workers
ceased after 1979, although there continued to be an
increase in the average years of schooling of the work
force.11 After 1979, labor composition changes contrib­
uted about 0.3 percent per year to multifactor productiv­
ity growth—about as much as they had before 1973.12
Similar preliminary results hold for private nonfarm
business, while results for m anufacturing are not
presently available.
Beginning in 1982, b l s began collecting data on the
ratio of hours at work to hours paid for production and
nonsupervisory workers in nonagricultural establish­
ments. One purpose of this survey is to develop new data

on labor hours for use in productivity measurement.
Only 15 percent of total labor hours, as presently
measured in the labor productivity and multifactor
measures, are based on an “hours at work” concept, the
concept most consistent with productivity measurement.
This portion of total hours is derived primarily from the
Current Population Survey, a survey of households
conducted for b l s by the Bureau of the Census. The
remaining 85 percent of the hours are based on an “hours
paid” concept; this portion of total hours is derived from
the Current Employment Statistics survey, a b l s estab­
lishment-based program. Hence, the current productivity
measures, as presented in tables 1 and 3, reflect predomi­
nately an “hours paid” concept.
The growth rates of hours at work and hours paid
may, of course, differ over time. If, for example, hours
paid increase faster than hours at work, then productivity
growth will be underestimated. Old estimates of the
historical trend of the hours-at-work/hours-paid ratio
show a small divergence in the growth rates of the two
measures. Between 1948 and 1973, the ratio decreased
0.1 percent annually, and from 1973 to 1979, it fell 0.2
percent per year. These computations suggest that the
slowdown in labor productivity growth is 0.1 percentage
point less than recorded in table 3. From 1979 to 1986,
the ratio of hours at work to hours paid remained
virtually unchanged.13 Hence, productivity in nonfarm
business has increased as presently reported. The results
for manufacturing indicate that changes in the ratio of
hours at work to hours paid had effects on productivity,
as presently reported, of 0.1 percent or less for the
periods under examination.

Summary
b l s measures show that, after a period of strong
growth in both multifactor productivity and output per
hour from 1948 to 1973, there followed a period of little
or no increase from 1973 to 1979. Since 1979, productiv­
ity growth has recovered partially in the private business
and the private nonfarm business sectors. Only in
manufacturing has the recovery been complete.
An analysis of the 1973-79 slowdown in labor produc­
tivity shows that the major part of the slowdown cannot
be explained by any of the factors examined to date in the
b l s research program. This conclusion holds for all three
of the sectors examined here—private business, private
nonfarm business, and manufacturing. In this regard, the
b l s results coincide with the analyses of most private
researchers. Three of the four factors discussed in this
article—growth in the capital-labor ratio, changes in
labor composition, and a decline in the ratio of hours at
work to hours paid—contributed in modest ways to the
slowdown, while the fourth, the decline in the growth
rate of r &d expenditures, did not. The major component
of the deceleration in labor productivity was a slowdown
in multifactor productivity that was not explained by
these four factors.
The partial recovery of labor productivity growth in
private business and private nonfarm business after 1979
can be attributed largely to increases in the capital-labor
ratio and to changes in the composition of the labor
force. The other two factors— r &d expenditures and
hours at work—did not contribute to this recovery. For
manufacturing, the complete recovery in labor productiv­
ity growth after 1979 was due predominately to increased
growth in multifactor productivity.
□

-FOOTNOTES
c k n o w l e d g m e n t : The authors thank Steven Rosenthal, who
performed the computer calculations underlying this analysis.

A

1Trends in Multifactor Productivity, 1948-81, Bulletin 2178 (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1983); and Jerome A. Mark and William H. Waldorf,
“Multifactor productivity: a new b l s measure,” Monthly Labor Review,
December 1983, pp. 3-15.
2Output is defined as real gross product originating in a given sector,
which is net of its intermediate inputs. For consistency with this output
definition, the inputs include only the primary inputs of labor and
capital, that is, they exclude intermediate inputs such as energy,
nonenergy materials, and business services.
In measures of multifactor productivity growth for detailed indus­
tries, output is more appropriately measured as deflated gross output of
the industry, rather than deflated gross product originating. For
consistency with this output measure, inputs for detailed industries
should include purchased intermediate inputs as well as the primary
inputs of labor and capital. For further discussion of these concepts and
implementation of the measurement methods, see William Gullickson
and Michael Harper, “Multifactor productivity in U.S. manufacturing,
1949-83,” Monthly Labor Review, October 1987, pp. 18-28; and Mark
K. Sherwood, “Performance of multifactor productivity in the steel and
motor vehicles industries,” Monthly Labor Review, August 1987, pp.
22-31.


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3The multifactor productivity measurement formula is derived from an
assumed production relationship: Q(t) = A(t) f [K(t),L(t)J, where Q(t) is
real output, K(t) is real capital input, L(t) is real labor input, and A(t) is
an index of neutral technological progress or multifactor productivity.
The development of this assumed production relationship into a
measurement formula is based on the assumptions of perfect competi­
tion, Hicks neutral technical change, and constant returns to scale.
Equation 1 in the text is an example of the measurement formulae that
can be derived from this assumed production relationship. For addi­
tional discussion of this model and the assumptions underlying it, see
Trends in Multifactor Productivity, 1948-8T, Mark and Waldorf,
“Multifactor productivity: a new b l s measure”; Gullickson and
Harper, “Multifactor productivity in U.S. manufacturing, 1949-83”;
and Susan Powers, “The role of capital discards in multifactor
productivity measurement,” Monthly Labor Review, forthcoming.
4A s mentioned in the preceding note, it is assumed that the production
function is characterized by Hicks neutral technical change and
constant returns to scale, and that there is perfect competition in input
and output markets.

5The b l s multifactor productivity measures introduced in 1983 were
extensively revised in 1986. The recent measures are based on revised
basic data as well as a methodological improvement. The data revisions
consist of new output data for 1948 to 1984 and new capital input data
for the same years. The methodological revision is an improvement in

19

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Changes in the Growth o f U.S. Multifactor Productivity
the technique for measuring capital inputs. These improvements are
described in detail in the appendix to this article.
The 1986 revisions were first reflected in the data presented in an
October 1986 news release, “Multifactor Productivity Measures, 1985,”
u s d l 86—
402 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oct. 2, 1986). Further minor
revisions were reflected in the October 1987 news release, “Multifactor
Productivity Measures, 1986,” u s d l 87^136 (Bureau of Labor Statis­
tics, Oct. 13, 1987). The measures presented in tables 1, 2, and 3 of this
article are consistent with the October 1987 release.
6For examples, see the numerous references in Edward Denison,
Trends in American Economic Growth, 1928-1982 (Washington, The
Brookings Institution, 1985).

9Sveikauskas, “The contribution of r & d ” ; and Leo Sveikauskas,
“Research and Development and Productivity Growth,” paper pre­
sented at the annual meetings of the American Economic Association,
New Orleans, l a , December 1986.
10William H. Waldorf, Kent Kunze, Larry Rosenblum, and Michael B.
Tannen, “New Measures of the Contribution of Education and
Experience to U.S. Productivity Growth,” paper presented at the
annual meetings of the American Economic Association, New Orleans,
l a , December 1986.
'’According to data from the Current Population Survey, in 1959,
about 12 percent of the work force was between 18 and 24 years old and
50 percent of the total work force had graduated from high school. In
1969, 18- to 24-year-olds were about 17 percent of the work force and
64 percent of the total had a high school education or better. As of
1979, 18- to 24-year-olds were more than 19 percent of the work force
and 75 percent of the work force had graduated from high school. By
1986, persons 18 to 24 had dropped to just over 16 percent of the work
force, while 80 percent of the work force had graduated from high
school.

7See J.R. Norsworthy and L.J. Fulco, “Productivity and costs in the
private economy, 1973,” Monthly Labor Review, June 1974, pp. 3-9.
The authors found an increase in labor productivity growth of 0.3
percentage points in the private economy between 1948 and 1973 due to
the shift of employment and hours from the farm to the nonfarm sector.
The difference between the private economy and private business is that
the former includes nonprofit institutions, households, and government
enterprises, which combined represent about 8.5 percent of gross
national product.

12Waldorf, Kunze, Rosenblum, and Tannen, “New Measures of the
Contribution of Education and Experience to U.S. Productivity
Growth.”

8The stock of R&D is equivalent to accumulated expenditures, depreci­
ated each year at a rate of 10 percent. See Leo Sveikauskas, “The
contribution of R&D to productivity growth,” Monthly Labor Review,
March 1986, pp. 16-20.

l3These estimates are based on preliminary b l s research. See Edward
Denison, Trends in American Economic Growth, 1929-1982 (Washing­
ton, The Brookings Institution, 1985), and earlier studies by the same
author, for use of the older estimates in measures.

APPENDIX: Recent revisions to multifactor productivity measures
This appendix describes two revisions made in the b l s
multifactor productivity measures after they were intro­
duced in 1983. One set of revisions involved the introduc­
tion of new output and capital input data for 1948 to
1984, developed using revised National Income and
Product Accounts data released by the Bureau of Eco­
nomic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce in
December 1985 and January 1986. The second revision is
a methodological improvement in the technique for
measuring capital inputs.

Revised data
In December 1985 and January 1986, the Bureau of
Economic Analysis released revised national accounts
data for the years 1929-84, which caused b l s to revise its
computations of output and capital input for the entire
period covered by its multifactor productivity measures,
which begins in 1948. The revisions in the national
accounts statistics were of two types, statistical changes
and definitional and classification changes. The latter
changes mainly affected components of gross national
product—for example, output of general government—
that b l s excludes from its measures of the output of the
private business sector of the economy, and so need not
be examined in a discussion of output revisions. Private
business sector output is gross national product minus
general government, government enterprises, nonprofit
institutions, the household sector, owner-occupied hous­
ing, the statistical discrepancy, and the rest-of-the-world
sector. (For further discussion, see Trends in Multifactor
20


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Productivity, Bulletin 2178 (Bureau of Labor Statistics,
1983), appendix F; and Jerome A. Mark, “Measuring
single-factor and multifactor productivity,” Monthly L a­
bor Review, December 1986, pp. 3-11.)
The statistical changes in the national accounts af­
fected the b l s measures of output as well as the measures
of capital input. The output measures were most affected
by four important statistical changes:
• Data from regularly used sources that appear less often
than annually—for example, the 1977 input-output
tables—were incorporated into the accounts.
• The Bureau of Economic Analysis made improved
adjustments for misreporting on tax returns, some­
times misleadingly referred to as “underground econ­
omy adjustments.” These adjustments were based on
studies of the underreporting of income on tax returns
and nonfiling of the returns.
• The base year for computation of the accounts was
changed from 1972 to 1982. Hence, constant-dollar
output series were computed using 1982, rather than
1972, prices.
• A price index for computers was introduced. For­
merly, it had been assumed that computer prices had
not changed over time. The new index showed an
average annual decline in computer prices, after ad­
justment for quality change, of 14 percent per year
between 1969 and 1984.
The b l s measures of capital services inputs are pre­
pared using, among several data sources, Bureau of

Table A-1. Original and revised measures of multifactor productivity growth and related measures, private business,
private nonfarm business, and manufacturing, 1948-841
[In p e rce n t]

1948-73

1979-84

1973-79

Sector
Previous2

Revised3

3 .7
3 .6
1.7
2 .0

3 .6
3.4
1.6
2 .0

- 0 .1
- .2
-.1

3 .9
3 .6
2.1
1.7

3 .8
3 .5
2.1
1.7

-.1
-.1

4 .0
3 .4
1.8
2 .2

3 .9
3 .7
1.8
2 .0

-.1
.3

Difference

Previous2

Revised3

2.7
3 .2
2 .3
.4

2 .5
3 .4
2 .4
.1

2 .8
3 .3
2 .5
.3

2 .0
3.5
1.3
.7

Difference

Previous2

Revised3

Difference

- 0 .2
.2
.1
- .3

2.3
2 .9
1.5
.8

2 .0
3 .6
1.8
.2

- 0 .3
.7
.3
- .6

2 .5
3 .7
2 .6
-.1

-.3
.4
.1
-.4

2 .3
3 .0
1.6
.7

2 .0
3 .7
1.9

.1

- .3
.7
.3
- .6

1.9
3 .8
1.4
.5

-.1
.3
.1
-.2

1.3
2 .0
-.5
1.8

1.4
2 .5
- .4
1.9

.1
.5
.1
.1

Private business4
O u t p u t ...................................................................
C a p ita l s e r v ic e s ...............................................
C o m b in e d in p u ts 5 ..........................................
M u ltifa c to r p ro d u c tiv ity 6 ..............................

-

Private nonfarm business4
O u t p u t ...................................................................
C a p ita l s e r v ic e s ...............................................
C o m b in e d in p u ts 5 ..........................................
M u ltifa c to r p ro d u c tiv ity 6 ..............................

-

-

Manufacturing
O u t p u t ...................................................................
C a p ita l s e r v ic e s ...............................................
C o m b in e d in p u ts 5 ..........................................
M u ltifa c to r p ro d u c tiv ity 6 ..............................

-

- .2

1 A v e ra g e a n n u a l c o m p o u n d ra te s .
2 P re s e n te d in " M u lt if a c t o r P ro d u c tiv ity M e a s u r e s , " usdl 8 5 - 4 0 5 (B u re a u
o f L a b o r S ta tis tic s , O c t. 3, 1 9 8 5 ).
3 P re s e n te d in " M u lt if a c t o r P ro d u c tiv ity M e a s u re s , 1 9 8 6 ," usdl 8 6 - 4 0 2
(B u re a u o f L a b o r S ta tis tic s , O c t. 2, 1 9 8 6 ).

Economic Analysis data on real gross investment in
depreciable assets and inventories. These real investment
data also were revised in December 1985 and January
1986, along with other components of the national
accounts. The four statistical changes mentioned in the
discussion of output revisions, as well as two definitional
and classification changes, all affected the series on real
gross investment in depreciable assets. The two defini­
tional and classification changes were the capitalization
of replacement railroad track and the capitalization of
major replacements to residential structures, such as
roofs and heating systems.
The b l s measures of capital inputs were also affected
by two other changes in procedures: (1) The Bureau of
Economic Analysis adopted new—and usually longer—
asset lives for several assets. The b l s uses these asset lives
in developing measures of capital stocks from real gross
investment data, utilizing the perpetual inventory
method; and (2) for the first time, the Bureau of
Economic Analysis prepared real gross investment data
for 61 industries, essentially those industries at the twodigit level of the Standard Industrial Classification (sic)
system maintained by the U.S. Office of Management
and Budget, in addition to investment data for major
economic sectors. Using these disaggregated investment
data, b l s prepared revised total productive capital stocks
for each asset type for each major sector. These stocks
were combined, using specially prepared weights, to
provide measures of capital inputs for each major sector.
The methods used in computation of productive capital
stocks and in developing weights for each asset type were

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E x c lu d e s g o v e rn m e n t e n te rp ris e s .
5 H o u rs o f a ll p e rs o n s c o m b in e d w ith c a p ita l s e rv ic e s in p u ta n d w e ig h te d
w ith la b o r a n d c a p ita l s h a re s in th e v a lu e o f o u tp u t.
6 O u tp u t p e r u n it o f c o m b in e d la b o r a n d c a p ita l in p u t.

the same as those described in Trends in Multifactor
Productivity, appendix C, with the single exception of the
methodological improvement described in the next sec­
tion of this appendix.
Finally, the Bureau of Economic Analysis revisions of
late 1985 and early 1986 included revised data on
incomes of capital and labor, and therefore led to changes
in the shares of capital and labor in the value of output,
the sk and s/ terms discussed in connection with text
equation 1. The revised data on capital income also
affected the weights used to aggregate different produc­
tive capital stocks to produce a measure of aggregate
capital services.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis described its revi­
sions in several articles in its monthly publication, Survey
o f Current Business, in 1984 to 1986. Among these
articles were Robert P. Parker, “Improved Adjustments
for Misreporting of Tax Return Information Used to
Estimate the National Income and Product Accounts,
1977,” June 1984, pp. 17-25; John A. Gorman and
others, “Fixed Private Capital in the United States,” July
1985, pp. 36-57; “Revised Estimates of the National
Income and Product Accounts of the United States,
1929-85: An Introduction,” December 1985, pp. 1-33;
and Roseann Cole and others, “Quality-Adjusted Price
Indexes for Computer Processors and Selected Peripheral
Equipment,” January 1986, pp. 41-50.

A methodological improvement
The methodological improvement in the measurement
of capital inputs affected the weights used to aggregate
21

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Changes in the Growth o f U.S. Multifactor Productivity
productive capital stocks. These weights are calculated to
reflect the importance of each type of capital stock in
producing a flow of capital services. To compute these
weights, an implicit rental price is calculated for each
capital asset. One of the variables in the equation used to
estimate the rental price is a capital appreciation term. In
1983, when the b l s measures were introduced, this capital
appreciation term was the annual change in the price of
the asset. The 1983 adoption by b l s of this “annual first
difference” estimate accorded with the then-dominant
view of specialists in productivity measurement.
Since 1983, b l s researchers, in collaboration with
academic specialists, have determined that computation
of capital appreciation using a 3-year moving average is
superior to an annual first difference estimate. This

22


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conclusion follows careful examination of the theory of
price expectations as well as empirical tests of the relative
performance of alternative ways of measuring capital
appreciation. This work is described in Michael J.
Harper, Ernst R. Berndt, and David O. Wood, “Rates of
Return and Capital Aggregation Using Alternative
Rental Prices,” Working Paper 170 (Bureau of Labor
Statistics, July 1987).
The effects of the revisions and improvements de­
scribed in this appendix are shown in table A -l. This
table compares the b l s measures of output, capital
services inputs, combined capital and labor inputs, and
multifactor productivity before and after the revisions, as
reflected in the data presented in the news releases of
October 3, 1985, and October 2, 1986.

Wage adjustments in contracts
negotiated in private industry in 1987
Many o f the measures were up slightly
from the historic lows o f last year;
time will tell if this merely reflects
the mix o f industries reaching agreement,
or if the declines that began in 1982 are reversing
J o h n J. L a c o m b e II

and

F e h m id a R . Sl e e m i

Average wage adjustments under major collective bar­
gaining settlements in private industry were somewhat
higher in 1987 than the historic lows of 1986. Specified
adjustments (the net effect of decisions to increase,
decrease, or not change wages) for the 2,049,000 workers
under 1987 settlements averaged 2.2 percent the first
contract year and 2.1 percent a year over the contract
term. (See table 1.) These adjustments were next to the
lowest ever registered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’
20-year-old series on major contract settlements covering
1,000 workers or more in private industry.1 This was the
sixth consecutive year in which settlements provided
record or near-record low adjustments. (See table 2.)
The 2.1-percent average annual wage adjustment speci­
fied over the term of 1987 settlements was the same as in
the contracts they replaced, which typically had been
negotiated in 1984 or 1985. This is the first year since this
comparison was introduced in 1981 that settlements did
not call for lower adjustments than the contracts they
replaced. (See table 2.)
The Bureau also measures compensation (wage and
benefit costs) adjustments in settlements covering 5,000
workers or more. In 1987, compensation adjustments
John J. Lacombe II and Fehmida R. Sleemi are economists in the Office
of Compensation and Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics.


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averaged 3.0 percent in the first contract year and 2.6
percent annually over the contract term. (See table 3.)
These adjustments also were higher than the record low
averages in 1986.

Replaced contracts
In 1987, bargainers replaced contracts that had pro­
vided total effective wage adjustments (specified adjust­
ments plus cost-of-living adjustments) of 2.6 percent a
year. About the same time that most of these contracts
were in effect (between December 1983 and December
1986), the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners
and Clerical Workers ( c p i -w ) also rose 2.6 percent a year.
Inflation, therefore, was not a prominent concern among
bargainers, even though the c p i -w increased 4 .5 percent
during 1987, compared with 0.7 percent in 1986.
Total wage adjustments were smaller, on average, under
contracts that were replaced in 1987 than under those
replaced in 1986. This was the fifth consecutive year in
which this occurred, reflecting recent declines in both
specified wage adjustments and cost-of-living adjustments
( c o l a ’s), c o l a ’s declined because of the slowdown in the
rate of inflation in the last few years and the drop in the
proportion of workers under major agreements with c o l a
clauses, c o l a coverage fell from 57 percent at the end of
1985 to 38 percent at the end of 1987.

23

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Major Contracts Negotiated in Private Industry

Settlements in 1987
About 2,049,000 workers, or one-third of those cov­
ered by major agreements in private industry, were under
1987 settlements. Terms were mixed, reflecting condi­
tions in the various industries. In some industries (for
example, steel and automobile manufacturing), negotia­
tions were influenced by competitive pressures from
abroad. In others (particularly, construction and food
stores), regional conditions, such as the strong economy
in New England and the weak economy in the South
Central States, played a dominant role.
About 1,490,000 workers had first-year wage increases

averaging 3.5 percent, 474,000 had no wage change, and
the remainder suffered wage cuts averaging -8.5 percent.
Subsequent increases for 259,000 workers with a firstyear wage decrease or freeze will yield a net gain over the
contract term. Thus, by the end of their 1987 agreements,
1,749,000 workers will receive average annual wage
increases of 2.6 percent, 221,000 will experience no wage
change, and the remainder will have an average decrease
of -3.7 percent a year. Wage increases and freezes were
negotiated in a variety of industries; cuts, however, were
concentrated in retail food stores, steel manufacturing,
and construction.

Table 1. Wage adjustments in collective bargaining settlements covering 1,000 workers or more in private
industry, 1987
Over life
of contract

First year
Measure

Average
adjust­
ment
(percent)

Workers
(thou­
sands)

Average
annual
adjust­
ment
(percent)

2,049
920
1,129
1,063
986

2.1
1.5
2.5
1.2
3.0

2,049
920
1,129
1,063
986

both lum p sum s and c o l a ....
lum p sum s or c o l a , o r b o th ..
lum p sum s, but no c o l a ..........
c o l a , but no lum p s u m s ..........
n eith er lum p sum s nor c o l a ..

2.1
1.9
.6
3.1
2.7

771
1,212
292
149
837

1.2
1.4
1.3
2.9
3.0

771
1,212
292
149
837

M a n u fa c tu rin g ................................................
W ith c o la c la u s e s .................................
W ith o ut c o la c la u s e s ...........................
W ith lum p sum s ....................................
W ith o u t lum p sum s ..............................

2.1
2.4
1.3
1.9
2.5

912
644
268
673
239

1.3
1.0
2.1
.9
2.6

912
644
268
673
239

b oth lum p sum s and c o l a ....
lum p sum s o r c o l a , o r b o th ..
lum p sum s, but no c o l a ..........
c o l a , but no lum p s u m s ..........
n eith er lum p sum s n or c o l a ..

2.5
1.9
- 1 .3
1.9
2.7

579
738
94
65
174

.9
.9
.3
1.5
3.0

579
738
94
65
174

N o n m a n u fa c tu rin g ........................................
W ith c o la c la u s e s .................................
W ith o ut c o la c la u s e s ...........................
W ith lum p s u m s ....................................
W ith o ut lum p sum s ..............................

2.3
1.9
2.4
1.2
2.8

1,137
276
861
390
747

2.7
2.7
2.7
1.9
3.1

1,137
276
861
390
747

W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith

both lum p sum s and c o la ....
lum p sum s or c o l a , or b o th ..
lum p sums, but no c o l a ..........
c o l a , but no lum p s u m s ..........
n eith er lum p sum s nor c o l a ..

.9
1.7
1.5
4.1
2.7

191
475
199
85
662

2.1
2.3
1.8
3.9
3.0

191
475
199
85
662

A ll industries, e xcluding c o n s tru c tio n ..
N o nm anufacturing, excluding
c o n s tru c tio n .................................
C o n s tru c tio n ...................................................
G oo d s p ro d u c in g .........................................
S ervice p ro d u c in g ........................................

2.0

1,662

1.8

1,662

1.9
2.9
2.3
1.9

750
387
1,299
750

2.5
3.1
1.8
2.5

750
387
1,299
750

All in d u s trie s .................................................
W ith c o la c la u s e s .................................
W ith o ut c o la c la u s e s ...........................
W ith lum p s u m s ....................................
W ith o ut lum p sum s ..............................

3.5
2.9
4.1
2.9
4.1

1,490
766
724
748
742

2.6
1.7
3.5
1.5
3.8

1,749
858
891
934
815

W ith both lum p sum s and c o l a ....
W ith lum p sum s o r c o l a , o r b o th ..
W ith lum p sum s, but no c o l a ..........

2.7
3.0
3.9

637
876
111

1.4
1.7
2.1

722
1,069
211

W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith

Settlements providing
wage increases


24
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Average
adjust­
ment
(percent)

Workers
(thou­
sands)

Average
annual
adjust­
ment
(percent)

Workers
(thou­
sands)

Continued—Settlements providing
wage increases
2.2
2.3
2.1
1.7
2.7

W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith

Measure

Workers
(thou­
sands)

All settlements
All In d u s trie s .................................................
W ith c o la c la u s e s .................................
W ith o ut c o la c la u s e s ...........................
W ith lum p sum s ....................................
W ith o ut lum p sum s ..............................

Over life
of contract

First year

W ith c o l a , but no lum p s u m s ..........
W ith n eith er lum p sum s n or c o l a ..

4.0
4.2

128
613

3.2
3.9

135
680

M a n u fa c tu rin g ................................................
W ith c o la c la u s e s .................................
W ith o ut c o la c la u s e s ...........................
W ith lum p s u m s ....................................
W ith o ut lum p sum s ..............................

3.0
2.8
3.8
2.7
3.8

721
576
145
548
173

1.6
1.1
3.4
1.1
3.4

779
599
180
592
187

both lum p sum s and c o la ....
lum p sum s or c o l a , o r b o th ..
lum p sum s, but no c o l a ..........
c o l a , but no lum p s u m s ..........
n eith er lum p sum s, n or c o la .

2.8
2.8
2.6
3.0
4.1

523
601
25
54
120

1.0
1.1
1.6
1.8
4.1

544
646
47
55
133

N o n m a n u fa c tu rin g ........................................
W ith c o la c la u s e s .................................
W ith o ut c o la c la u s e s ...........................
W ith lum p sum s ....................................
W ith o ut lum p sum s ..............................

4.0
3.3
4.2
3.3
4.2

769
189
580
201
568

3.4
3.0
3.5
2.4
3.9

970
259
712
342
628

both lum p sum s and c o la ....
lum p sum s or c o l a , or b o th ..
lum p sum s, but no c o l a ..........
c o l a , but no lum p s u m s ..........
n eith er lum p sum s nor c o l a ..

2.5
3.6
4.3
4.6
4.2

115
275
86
75
494

2.4
2.7
2.3
4.1
3.9

178
422
164
81
548

A ll industries, e xcluding c o n s tru c tio n ..
N o nm an u fa cturin g, excluding
c o n s tru c tio n ......................................
C o n s tru c tio n ...................................................

3.3

1,195

2.3

1,435

3.9
4.2

474
295

3.0
4.2

656
314

G oo d s p ro d u c in g .........................................
S ervice p ro d u c in g ........................................

3.3
3.9

1,016
474

2.3
3.0

1,093
656

All in d u s trie s .................................................
W ith c o la c la u s e s .................................
W ith o u t c o la c la u s e s ...........................
W ith lum p s u m s ....................................
W ith o u t lum p sum s ..............................

-8 .5
-7 .9
-8 .7
-8 .4
-8 .7

85
20
65
45
41

-3 .7
-2 .2
-4 .2
-2 .5
-5 .2

79
20
59
45
34

M a n u fa c tu rin g ................................................
N o n m a n u fa c tu rin g ........................................

-8 .0
-8 .8

32
53

- 2 .1
-4 .8

32
47

All industries, e xcluding c o n s tru c tio n ..
N onm an u fa cturin g, excluding
c o n s tru c tio n ......................................
C o n s tru c tio n ...................................................
G oo d s p ro d u c in g .........................................
S ervice p ro d u c in g .......................................

-8 .2

76

-2 .7

70

-8 .4
- 1 1 .1
-8 .7
-8 .4

44
9
41
44

-3 .2
- 1 1 .6
-4 .2
-3 .2

38
9
41
38

W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith

W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith
W ith

Settlements providing
wage decreases

Lump-sum payments
Contracts covering 1,063,000 workers, or 52 percent of
the total, provided lump-sum payments. (See table 1.)
Such payments are typically made instead of, or to
supplement, wage increases, or are used to offset wage
cuts. Lump-sum payments are excluded from the adjust­
ment data in the major collective bargaining series. Wage
adjustments for workers under settlements providing
lump-sum payments averaged 1.2 percent annually over
the contract term, compared with 3 percent under
settlements without lump sums. About nine-tenths of the
workers with the provision in their 1987 settlements also
will receive wage increases over the contract term. Lump
sums were negotiated in a variety of industries, but were
found primarily in automobile manufacturing, retail food
stores, and trucking.
cola

clauses

Table 2. Specified average wage adjustments in private
industry settlements reached in 1982-87 and in
previous agreements
[In p e rc e n t]

Settlem en ts reached
in year

Previous agreem ent

Year


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Industry

First year
adjustm ent
(percent)

Annual
adjustm ent
o v e r life
of
contract
(percent)

W orkers
(tho u­
sands)

A ll In d u s t r ie s ........................................
W ith cola c la u s e s ........................
W ith o u t cola c la u s e s .................
M a n u fa c tu rin g .......................................
W ith cola c la u s e s ........................
W ith o u t cola c la u s e s .................
N o n m a n u fa c tu rin g .............................
W ith cola c la u s e s ........................
W ith o u t cola c la u s e s .................

3 .0
3 .2
2 .7
3.1
3 .4
2.1
2 .9
2 .7
3 .0

2 .6
2 .3
2 .9
2.1
2 .0
2 .3
3.1
3 .2
3.1

1 ,3 1 6
778
537
705
546
159
611
232
379

2 .8

2 .3

1 ,1 9 5

2 .4
4 .9

2 .7
4 .6

490
121

3 .4
2 .4

2 .4
2 .7

826
490

A ll in d u s trie s , e x c lu d in g
c o n s t r u c t io n .....................................
N o n m a n u fa c tu rin g , e x c lu d in g
c o n s t r u c t io n .....................................
C o n s tr u c t io n ..........................................
G o o d s p ro d u c in g ..............................
S e rv ic e p r o d u c in g .............................

Settlements with c o l a clauses covered 920,000 work­
ers, or 45 percent of those under 1987 settlements, c o l a ’s
are designed to adjust wages based on changes in
consumer prices. The amount of the adjustment depends
on the formula used to link price and wage changes, the
timing of c o l a reviews, and possible limitations on the
amount of c o l a changes. Generally, c o l a ’s do not
recover the full amount of the percentage change in
prices.
Almost all of the c o l a clauses use the U.S. city
average c p i -w to adjust wages; only a few use the c p i for
a locality. The most common clause calls for a 1-cent
wage increase for each 0.3-point or 0.26-point increase in
the index, and for quarterly reviews of price change.
Potential wage changes resulting from c o l a clauses
that depend on future changes in the c p i , unknown at the
time of settlement, are excluded from settlement data.
Wage changes from c o l a ’s are included in the “effective
wage adjustments” data. “Guaranteed,” or minimum,
c o l a payments specified in the contract are included in
settlement data, but such payments are not considered
c o l a ’s because they are determined at the time the
contract is reached and do not depend on the movement

1982........................
1983........................
1984........................
1985........................
1986.......................
1987........................

Table 3. Average compensation (wage and benefit
costs) adjustments in settlements covering 5,000
workers or more in private industry, 1987

First year

O ver-th elife

First year

O ver-th elife

3.8
2.6
2.4
2.3
1.2
2.2

3.6
2.8
2.4
2.7
1.8
2.1

8.5
9.3
5.9
3.9
3.5
2.0

6.6
6.8
4.9
3.7
3.2
2.1

of a price index. Payments above the specified amount
that are contingent on changes in the c p i , however, are
treated as c o l a ’s .
Wage adjustments averaged 1.5 percent annually over
the contract term in settlements with c o l a clauses,
compared with 2.5 percent in settlements without, c o l a
clauses were found in a variety of industries, but were most
prominent in transportation equipment manufacturing.
c o l a clauses were dropped or suspended in settlements
covering 79,000 workers (57,000 of them were in the steel
industry), or 8 percent of the workers under 1987
settlements who had such clauses in their previous
agreements. In contrast, only 5,200 workers had c o l a
clauses established during the year. These developments
contributed to lowering the proportion of workers under
major private industry bargaining agreements with c o l a
clauses from 40 percent at the end of 1986 to 38 percent at
the end of 1987.
c o l a clauses and lump-sum pay provisions applied to
substantially larger proportions of manufacturing than of
nonmanufacturing workers under 1987 settlements. In
manufacturing, seven-tenths of the workers were covered
by c o l a ’s and three-fourths by settlements calling for
lump-sum payments; in nonmanufacturing, corresponding
proportions were one-fourth and one-third. Specified wage
adjustments (excluding c o l a ’s and lump sums) over the
contract term averaged 1.2 percent annually in manufac­
turing, compared with 2.7 percent in nonmanufacturing.

Back- and front-loaded contracts
Contracts which call for lower specified wage adjust­
ments in the first year than in subsequent years (backloaded contracts) covered about 26 percent of the
2,049,000 workers under 1987 settlements. This cost-

25

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Major Contracts Negotiated in Private Industry
curbing practice of delaying wage increases was rare in
multiyear settlements reached before 1983.
Back-loaded settlements provided wage adjustments
averaging 0.1 percent in the first contract year and 2.3
percent annually over their term. Of the 532,000 workers
under back-loaded contracts, 252,000 had wage freezes in
the first contract year; 201,000 received smaller increases
in the first year than in following years; and the
remainder had wage cuts in the first year, but no
additional decreases over the term of their multiyear
agreements. The largest numbers of workers under backloaded contracts were in construction and retail food
stores.
About 55 percent of the workers under 1987 settle­
ments were covered by front-loaded contracts (those with
larger wage adjustments in the first contract year than in
later years). Wage adjustments in these contracts aver­
aged 3.6 percent in the first year and 2.3 percent a year
over the life of the contract. Nearly one-half of the
workers under front-loaded settlements were in transpor­
tation equipment manufacturing.
The remaining workers under 1987 settlements were
covered either by 1-year agreements or multiyear con­
tracts providing equal wage adjustments each year.

Major negotiations
Following are descriptions of 1987 settlements that
covered the largest number of workers.2 These were in
transportation equipment manufacturing, construction,
retail food stores, United Parcel Service, and primary
metal manufacturing.
Transportation equipment. Approximately 574,000 work­
ers were covered by 27 settlements reached in 1987 in the
transportation equipment manufacturing industry. They
accounted for almost two-thirds of the workers under
settlements in manufacturing. The United Automobile
Workers settled with Ford Motor Co. in late September
for 104,000 workers, and with General Motors in early
October for 335,000 workers. These two contracts cov­
ered more than three-fourths of the workers under 1987
settlements in the industry. Most of the remaining
workers were under settlements between the United
Automobile Workers and Rockwell International Corp.’s
Aerospace Group, McDonnell Douglas Corp., General
Dynamics, and other aerospace manufacturing firms; and
between the United Steelworkers and Newport News
Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.
The 3-year pacts negotiated at General Motors and
Ford provided an immediate 3-percent general wage
increase, as well as lump-sum “performance bonuses” in
1988 and 1989 equal to 3 percent of the prior year’s
earnings. The contracts retained the c o l a formula,
which provided quarterly adjustments of 1 cent for each
0.26-point movement in the c p i .
26


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Overall, wage adjustments in transportation equip­
ment settlements averaged 2.3 percent in the first con­
tract year and 0.9 percent annually over their term. More
than nine-tenths of the workers under these settlements
are covered by contracts containing either lump-sum
provisions or c o l a clauses, or both.
Construction. Wage adjustments under settlements in the
construction industry (covering nearly one-fifth of the
workers under all 1987 settlements), averaged 2.9 percent
in the first contract year and 3.1 percent annually over
the contract term, and were higher than in all other
industries. None of the settlements had lump-sum provi­
sions, and only a few had c o l a clauses. Reflecting
improved economic conditions in some areas, the average
settlement specified larger wage adjustments than the
contract it replaced, in which specified adjustments
averaged 2.0 percent in the first year and 2.4 percent a
year over the term.
The size of settlements reflected the role of local
economic conditions in the industry’s negotiations. The
largest increases were negotiated in New England and the
Middle Atlantic States, while wage cuts were negotiated
in the economically depressed South Central region. The
following tabulation shows the average wage adjustment
(in percent) negotiated in the construction industry in
1987, by region:

First year
All 1987 construction
settlements........................... .......... 2.9
Northeast............................ .......... 5.0
New England................. .......... 5.5
Middle Atlantic ............. .......... 4.8
Midwest .............................. .......... 2.4
East North C entral....... .......... 2.5
West North C entral...... ..........
1.4
South................................... .......... -1.1
South A tlantic................ .......... 2.3
South Central................. .......... -4.5
West..................................... ..........
1.4
M ountain............................ .................. 7
Pacific.................................. ..........
1.7
Interregional ....................... .................. 2

Annually,
over life o f
contract
3.1
5.3
5.5
5.2
2.5
2.6
1.5
-.9
2.9
-4.7
1.6
.7
2.0
.2

The size of settlements also varied by type of construc­
tion. Annual wage adjustments over the life of the
contract averaged 3.7 percent in general building con­
struction, 3.0 percent in special trades, and 2.2 percent in
general construction, other than building.
Retail food stores. The 1987 settlements negotiated in
food stores specified lower average wage adjustments
than the contracts they replaced. Adjustments averaged
0.5 percent in the first contract year and 1.6 percent
annually over the life of the agreement, compared with

corresponding averages of 2.1 percent and 1.3 percent the
last time the parties bargained. The 1987 settlements
covered 188,000 food store workers, or two-fifths of those
under major agreements in the industry.
Almost 50,000 workers had their wages cut or frozen
under terms of their 1987 settlements. However, almost
three-fourths of these workers will receive lump-sum
payments either to offset all or part of the cuts, or instead
of wage increases.
Overall, contracts for two-thirds of the workers cov­
ered by 1987 settlements provide for lump-sum pay­
ments. Contracts with lump-sum provisions call for
smaller wage adjustments over their terms (1.1 percent)
than those without (2.6 percent).
United Parcel Service. About 110,000 United Parcel
Service employees represented by the Teamsters reached
a 3-year national accord in 1987. An identical settlement
for 4,800 workers in Illinois and Indiana was negotiated
separately at the same time.
The United Parcel Service pacts provided wage in­
creases of 30 cents an hour on August 1 of 1987, 1988,
and 1989, as well as lump-sum payments of $1,000 for
full-time workers and $500 for part-time workers on
September 1, 1987, and December 1 of 1988 and 1989. A
cola
clause was continued unchanged; it provides
annual adjustments when the formula yields pay in­
creases that exceed the guaranteed pay hikes plus in­
creased payments for health and welfare benefits.
The settlement also phased out the “two-tier” wage
scales established by previous contracts, so that all
employees can reach the same maximum job rates.
However, the new wage schedule lengthened the period
required for new hires to progress through the rate
structure.
Primary metals. The 1987 settlements in the primary
metals industry (covering almost 60,000 steel and alumi­
num workers) continued the pattern of wage cuts or
freezes that began in 1983. The 1987 settlements pro­
vided average wage adjustments of -3.2 percent in the
Table 4. Average effective wage adjustment in
collective bargaining agreements covering 1,000
workers or more, 1979-87
[ I n p e rc e n t]

Source
Year

1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987

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

Total
adjustment

9.1
9 .9
9 .5
6 .8
4 .0
3 .7
3 .3
2 .3
3.1


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

New
agreements

Deferred from
prior
agreements

CO LA

3 .0
3 .6
2 .5
1.7
.8
.8
.7
.5
.7

3 .0
3 .5
3 .8
3 .6
2 .5
2 .0
1.8
1.7
1.8

3.1
2 .8
3 .2
1.4
.6
.9
.7
.2
.5

first year and -0 .8 percent a year over the term of the
agreements.
Prior to 1986, the largest steel companies bargained
with the United Steelworkers of America as a coalition.
The last round of talks saw the breakup of the coordi­
nated bargaining practice. The Steelworkers and most of
the large steel companies reached agreements in 1986.
However, there were 1987 settlements for three large
companies—u sx Corp. (formerly U.S. Steel) in January,
Allegheny Ludlum Industries, Inc., in March, and l t v
Steel Corp. in September—and two smaller companies.
After a 6-month work stoppage, u sx Corp. and the
Steelworkers agreed to wage and benefit cuts. Part, and
possibly all, of the cuts, however, could be offset by a new
profit-sharing plan.
Negotiations concluded at Allegheny Ludlum yielded
no wage changes, but provided quarterly lump-sum
payments (based on hours worked) and a $200 “contract
signing” payment.
l t v Steel, after seeking a bankruptcy reorganization
under Chapter 11, renegotiated its 1986 agreement with
the Steelworkers. The new contract froze wages and
benefits for active employees, but restored pension pay­
ments which were discontinued after the bankruptcy
filing.
Contracts for almost half the workers covered by 1987
settlements in primary metals included provisions for
lump-sum payments. Some workers will receive specified
amounts. For others, payments will be based on time
worked or tied to company profits. Four steel contracts
suspended their c o l a clauses for the term of the
agreement, but kept the contract language intact. The
one settlement in aluminum continued the c o l a clause,
consistent with other contracts in the industry.

Wage adjustments effective in 1987
Wage adjustments put into effect in 1987 averaged 3.1
percent for the 6.3 million workers under major agree­
ments. Although higher than the record low 2.3 percent
registered in 1986, this was next to the lowest average
effective adjustment in the 20-year history of this series.
The increase in the average effective adjustment in 1987
stemmed from higher adjustments in each of its three
components: (1) settlements reached during the year, (2)
deferred changes made under agreements reached prior
to 1987, and (3) c o l a provisions. (See table 4.)
Wage changes (increases and decreases) put into effect
in 1987 averaged 3.6 percent for the 5.4 million workers
who received them. All but 2 percent of those with wage
changes had wage increases. The following tabulation
shows the number of workers with wage changes effective
in 1987 and the source and amount of the change:

27

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Major Contracts Negotiated in Private Industry

Workers
Amount o f
(thousands) change (percent)
T otal...........................................

5,376

3.6

Increases.................................
From 1987 settlements....
Deferred from prior
agreements.....................
From c o l a ......................................

5,281
1,535

3.8
3.5

3,537

3.3

1,277

2.6

96
85

-7 .9
-8 .6

10

-4.1

Decreases...............................
From 1987 settlements....
Deferred from prior
agreements.....................
From c o l a ......................................

0

Some workers received pay changes from more than one
source; thus, the sum of the number of workers receiving
wage changes from each source does not equal the total.
Of the 2,077,000 workers who had cost-of-living
reviews in 1987, 1,277,000 received average c o l a in­
creases of 2.6 percent. Reviews for the rest of the workers
yielded no wage change because the c p i did not change
enough to produce one. Wage adjustments stemming
from c o l a reviews in 1987 averaged 43 percent of the
price change during c o l a review periods.
Effective wage adjustments in major collective bar­
gaining agreements are reflected in the Bureau’s Employ­
ment Cost Index, which provides data on changes in

28

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

labor costs for both union and nonunion workers and in
establishments of all employment sizes. During 1987,
wages rose 2.6 percent for union workers, compared with
3.6 percent for nonunion workers, continuing a relation­
ship that began in 1983.
M a n y o f t h e w a g e a d j u s t m e n t s t a t i s t i c s for
collective bargaining agreements in 1987 show slight
increases over historic lows recorded a year earlier. The
differences between 1987 and 1986 averages were small,
however, and 1987 adjustments were frequently lower
than those observed for 1985. Furthermore, the settle­
ment data reflect the changing mix of industries and
firms that reach agreements each year. Therefore, more
time must pass before it would be appropriate to assess
whether the decline in the size of settlements that began
in 1982 was reversed or even halted in 1987.
□

--------- FOOTNOTES--------'The major collective bargaining agreement series for private industry
covers 6.3 million workers in bargaining units with at least 1,000
workers. For definition of terms, see “Current Labor Statistics” section
of the Monthly Labor Review. Additional tabulations from this series
are in the March 1988 issue of the Bureau of Labor Statistics periodical
Current Wage Developments, which also contains data from a similar
series for State and local government.
2For more detailed information on 1987 bargaining developments, see
George Ruben, “A review of collective bargaining in 1987,” Monthly
Labor Review, January 1988, pp. 24-37.

Have the 1980’s changed
U.S. industrial relations?
Economic and political policies
and demographic and social trends
affected labor-management practices,
but have caused no fundamental changes
Jo h n T. D

unlop

Where are American industrial relations headed? Is a
major transformation at hand, as some observers have
urged?1 Or is our industrial relations system merely
reacting to changes in the environment, some of which are
reversible and others that reflect longer term secular
change.2
At any one time there is both change in our industrial
relations system and stability. Moreover, there are vari­
ous types of change: short-run and long-run, reversible
and irreversible, peripheral and structural, small and
large, or pervasive. How do we classify the changes of the
past decade?
There is a related problem of perspective or bias derived
from the fact that change or new elements are said to be
newsworthy by the media or current events school of
academics, while the unchanged or stable escape the
spotlight. We expect our newspapers to tell what is new
each day, not that which is old hat. Carried over to
industrial relations, this perspective, combined with igno­
rance of history, often distorts or fails to put into
perspective the reporting, analysis, and prescription of the
day.

Transitory changes
Several illustrations will underscore the necessity to be
clear about what is new and what is continuing, and to
distinguish among types of change.

John T. Dunlop is Lamont University Professor Emeritus at Harvard
University. An earlier version of this paper was presented in November
at Queen’s University, Canada.


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Two-tier wages. The first half of the 1980’s saw an
expansion of what we have come to call “two-tier” wage
and salary scales that provide lower rates for new hires in
the same job classification, compared with incumbents.
Although not unknown in earlier years, the growth of twotier pay in both collectively bargained and nonunion wage
settings was one labor market response to severe industry
competition, particularly in enterprises with a degree of
labor turnover or significant new hires, like food chain
stores and airlines. Two-tier compensation systems were
established in perhaps 10 percent of collective agreements,
on average, over the 1980-85 period.3
There is ready agreement, I believe, that the two-tier
wage innovation is a temporary response to economic
conditions and is not likely to persist long-term. Lower
rates are inherently demoralizing for employees perform­
ing the same work, with the same skills. The concern
with such adverse consequences led to provisions for the
integration or convergence of most two-tier scales in a
specified period. It is now clear, moreover, that as
economic conditions improve, two-tier systems are being
phased out.
Thus, the two-tier wage development is to be charac­
terized as short-run, reversible, and peripheral, rather
than fundamental or structural to the industrial relations
system. This characterization in no way detracts from its
role in some circumstances in having facilitated adjust­
ments and avoided more general wage concessions.
A number of other compensation developments of the
first half of the 1980’s share, I believe, the same essential
characteristics of the two-tier wage systems.

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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Have the 1980's Changed US. Industrial Relations?
Lump-sum payments. The lump-sum payment, instead of
an increase in the wage or salary rate, has been used
widely. The rate increase yields a higher base for the next
period, while the lump-sum payment constrains overtime
earnings and costs, and similarly affects vacation pay,
sick pay, and other fringes. As many as a third of recentyear settlements may include such provisions. Inciden­
tally, such payments distort changes in average hourly
earnings or wage rate data as a reliable measure of the
rate of increase in wages.
Elimination o f c o l a 's . The elimination of cost-of-living
adjustment ( c o l a ) clauses, or restricting their impact,
has also been a development of the era.4 But it is well
known that, at least since World War I, periods of
inflation have seen the introduction and extension of such
automatic wage-rate adjustments to rising living costs,
while periods of relative stability have seen the elimina­
tion or constriction of such escalator provisions.
Concessions. The general concessionary era in collective
bargaining of the first half of the 1980’s, which is now
largely over, is likewise to be interpreted as a response to
the intense product market competition of the era derived
from enhanced international competition, exchange rate
policies, other macroeconomic policies, and deregulation
of airlines, trucking, telephones, and the like. It has
always been declining product prices, rather than unem­
ployment, that has put effective and severe downward
pressure on wages and benefits.5
It is understandable that a current generation may not
well appreciate the source of these “concessions” and
believe that a new and different industrial relations order
is at hand. It may be helpful to put recent events in
historical perspective and to remember that average
hourly earnings (in current dollars) for all manufacturing
fell by 22 percent in the 1929 to 1933 period, while they
increased by the same amount (22 percent) from 1981 to
1986. The magnitude of wage concessions, on average, in
the current period has been minuscule relative to the
Great Depression.
Indeed, the unquestioned tendency to describe wage
increases in recent years as “moderate” reflects a simple
comparison with earlier absolute amounts without refer­
ence to their economic context. Compare, for instance,
two years—one with a rise in money wages of 8 percent
and a cost-of-living increase of 14 percent, as took place
in 1979-80, with another year that had a rise in money
wages of 2.2 percent and a cost-of-living increase of 1.9
percent, as took place in 1985-86.6 In which year was the
wage behavior more moderate? In 1979-80, money wages
were more “moderate” relative to the rate of increase of
living costs, although they rose almost four times the
absolute rate of increase of 1985-86. The standard of
moderation for money compensation might be the cost-

30


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of-living, productivity, or profitability, yielding different
judgments as to moderation.
A great many of the changes in industrial relations in
the first half of the 1980’s commonly cited are seen to be
transitory, short-run and reversible, or simply different
relative to the environment. But are there not more
fundamental changes?

Changes in the environment
The dynamic interactions among labor, management,
and government in the environment of an industrial
relations system, in particular the market and budgetary
context, the technological settings, and the power context
in the larger society, for me provide the tools to
understanding what is happening to industrial relations
outcomes. Changes in these features of the environment
affect the three parties whose interaction, in turn,
influences the environment and the outcomes. Like all
theory, for me, this is a way of organizing my thinking
about industrial relations analysis and forecasting.7
The late 1970’s and 1980’s have seen some significant
changes in the environment, particularly in some sectors.
We can expect still further changes, although some of
them are reversible. The major changes may be briefly
identified as follows:
Macroeconomic policies cut taxes, expanded defense ex­
penditures, and built unprecedented budget deficits. Tight
monetary policy and high interest rates brought down
inflation, produced a severe recession and an overvalued
dollar and unprecedented trade deficits. The United States
became the largest debtor nation instead of the largest
creditor country in a few short years. No industrial
relations system can be expected to adapt in the short term
to such wrenching and traumatic experience.
In this macroeconomic setting, the industrial relations
parties are more subject than ever before to international
product-market competition, and an environment of slow
economic growth creates added difficulties for all parties.
Only when exchange rates have settled down will we be
able to appraise the full consequences of this competition.
The period accelerated a development of greater interna­
tional dependence that was already under way.
Deregulation. The precipitate deregulation, both of entry
and rates charged, in airlines and master-freight trucking
had significant impact on industrial relations in those
sectors. Similar, though lesser, consequences have arisen
in railroads and telephones, underlining interdependen­
cies of product and labor markets that the sponsors of
deregulation did not anticipate.8
Technology. In some sectors, new technology has helped
to create new work environments that have come to
prominence in the past decade. “Patterns of relations in
new high technology firms differ considerably from those

of traditional heavy industries. The differences are conse­
quences of different labor markets, skill levels, and
workforce expectations, as well as resulting from man­
agement ideology or reactions to the disfunctions of
union-management relations.”9

cally) with its open-ended and nonenforceable agree­
ments.11 The fixed duration—often 2 or 3 years—favors
stability and concentration on mutual administration, but
this feature may inhibit steady attention to structural
changes that cannot wait several years.

Demography. There are significant changes in the demog­
raphy of the work force that are affecting various aspects
of industrial relations: the rapid expansion in the propor­
tion of women in the work force, the growth of the
Hispanic labor force, the decline in the rate of growth of
the work force, the aging of the population, the shift of
population to the South and West, and greater formal
educational levels.
(An industrial relations system is likely to be able to
adapt more readily to such longer term secular changes
than to absorb the consequences of rapid and extreme
shifts in macroeconomic policies.)

The decentralized character o f collective bargaining, com­
pared to that of most other Western countries. This
feature derives in part from the size of the country, the
diversity of its economic activity and the historic role of
product markets in shaping the contours of collective
bargaining. Recent events and the absence of tight labor
markets have tended to create even more fractionated
bargaining in some sectors, breaking up the basic steel
negotiations and creating separate bargaining in the
telephone industry, previously a single Bell system
negotiations.

Political climate. Finally, the political climate of the past
7 years has affected industrial relations. The hostility
between an Administration and the labor movement has
been unmatched in this century. The labor relations
agencies have produced reverses in policy and uncertain­
ties that have not encouraged cooperative problem­
solving or consultation.10
All in all, some of the environment of the 1980’s will
continue, some is likely to be reversed, and some will
leave a continuing difficult legacy.

Fundamental features in the U.S. system
To appraise the extent and the depth of changes in the
past decade in the industrial relations system of the
United States, we must state briefly the major fundamen­
tal features of that system as it has evolved over the past.
The most distinctive features, compared to the system of
other countries, include the following:
Exclusive representation—one union and only one union
in a given job territory selected by majority vote. In
contrast to continental Europe, with affiliations in the
same job territory by religious and ideological attach­
ment, we developed the attribute of exclusive jurisdiction
within the American Federation of Labor over 100 years
ago and implanted the idea in law with the Railway
Labor Act (1926) and the National Labor Relations Act
(1935).
Collective agreements that embody a sharp distinction
between interpretation o f the agreement and negotiating a
new agreement. The no-strike and no-lockout provision
during the term of the agreement, the interpretation of
the agreement by private arbitrators or umpire, and
legitimate overt conflict confined to a negotiations period
all derive from this fundamental distinction alien to the
British system (from which we borrowed much histori­

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Union organizations in the U.S. system are characterized
by relatively high dues and large staffs necessary (in the
absence of significant substantive intervention by govern­
ment) to negotiate and administer private decentralized
agreements, including grievance arbitration, and to orga­
nize against massive employer opposition. Lobbying
before legislative and administrative tribunals adds to
these requirements.
Employer opposition to union organization historically has
been intense, compared to other countries and has been
only slightly modified in its forms by 50 years of
legislation.12 The opposition among smaller employers to
labor organizations and to more social legislation can
only be described as particularly intense.
The role o f government in our industrial relations system
over the years has been relatively passive in dispute
resolution, although that varies with administrations, and
highly legalistic in both administrative procedures and in
the courts treating the most detailed matters and requir­
ing enormous lengths of time. As regulation has ex­
panded over health and safety, pension benefits, and
equal employment opportunity, the litigious quality of
relations has grown in many relationships.
It is difficult to conclude that the events of the late
1970’s or 1980’s have altered in any fundamental way
these features of the industrial relations arrangements of
the United States. I have noted in passing some of the
reinforcements, such as more decentralization that might
be reversed to some degree with sustained high employ­
ment in a sector. But nothing of a systemic breaking or
creating new features seems to me to have occurred.
I am, of course, aware of the decline in the private
sector labor movement with the growth of public sector
labor organizations. But the economic and political
environment has been most hostile. Sectors of union
strength have declined and sectors devoid of unions have

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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Have the 1980’s Changed U.S. Industrial Relations?
rapidly expanded. We have had even more severe periods
in the past, as in the 1920’s. I am aware that workplaces
under collective bargaining constitute a minority of all
workplaces. But it is well said that “collective bargaining
provides leadership to a much larger group in the labor
force . . . Unionism still casts a long shadow over the
non-union m ajority.” 13 But attention to the fundamen­
tals of the U.S. industrial relations system does not
suggest to me any basic or profound transformation of
these fundamental features.

Labor-management cooperation
The recent period has produced a number of widely
publicized new instances of labor-management coopera­
tion that have led some commentators to express the view
that our industrial relations system is becoming signifi­
cantly less adversarial and much more cooperative. The
percentage of estimated working time lost in large strikes
(involving 1,000 workers or more) is at a low level. The
exceptional agreements between the United Auto Work­
ers ( u a w ) and Saturn (General Motors) and the u a w
and the joint venture between Toyota and New United
M otor M anufacturing, Inc. (General Motors), the
worker participation programs at Ford Motor Co., a t &t ,
Xerox, and a number of major private companies, largely
excluding the public sector, have received widespread
attention.14 The expansion of worker participation in
stock ownership, the tradeoff of wage and fringe conces­
sions for a share of ownership in some companies in
financial difficulty and the election of labor organization
candidates to a few board of directors are seen as
symbolic of the new era of cooperation.
But cases of labor-management cooperation have a
long history in the United States, and in England they
have been known under the term “joint consultation.”
The distinction between collective bargaining and labormanagement cooperation, or joint consultation, can be
simply stated. Under collective bargaining, there may be
arbitration or resort to strike or lockout if there is not
agreement, while under joint consultation or cooperation
neither is appropriate if there is a failure to agree.
Enforced consultation, save as the pressure of events or
the environment, is a contradiction in terms. In the
United States, the obligation to bargain in good faith
under the National Labor Relations Act does not require
programs of labor-management cooperation.
There is a long experience with labor-management
committees in the United States. The 1920’s and 1930’s
produced such committees on the Baltimore and Ohio
and the Canadian National railroads, in the Cleveland
women’s garment industry, at the Naumkeag Steam
Cotton Co., the Amalgamated Clothing Workers and the
men’s clothing industry, and the Rocky Mountain Fuel
Co. There were thousands of production committees

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established in World War II. The National Planning
Association case studies on the “Causes of Industrial
Peace” belong to the late 1940’s and early 1950’s.
Scanlon Plan companies are well known. I served as a
member of the Kaiser Steel-Steelworkers Long Range
Committee in the 1960’s.
Is a new wave of labor-management cooperation
changing U.S. industrial relations? My reading of history
suggests not.
Labor-management committees have functioned in
only a relatively few collective bargaining relationships.
As Sumner H. Slichter concluded more than 40 years
ago: “In industry as a whole, the number of unions
pursuing the policy of system atic cooperation is
small . . . The traditional view of unions is that getting
out production and keeping down costs is the employer’s
responsibility . . . Unions had been bitterly opposed by
most employers and have had to fight for the right to
exist . . . Employers have not desired their help.” 15
In general, such labor-management committees appear
to arise in response to threats to economic viability and
job opportunities provided by the enterprise, locality, or
sector, or under circumstances of special challenges and
with the leadership of dedicated personalities who have
the capacity to command unusual support in their
respective organizations. Dramatic technological and
market changes, a long work stoppage, the growth of
competitive imports, or other threats also have led to
joint committees. “ . . . The times when labor and
management have cooperated over the years have been
times when economic difficulties threatened the viability
of both parties, as when international tensions necessi­
tated cooperation in the interest of national security. In
these periods of crisis, collective bargaining alone had
proved to be an inadequate forum for addressing each
and every pressing issue.” 16 Slichter saw the main field of
committees to be “in the high-cost establishments when
equipment is semi-obsolete or the management is poor
and where the union needs to do something to help its
members hold their jobs.” 17
Historically, labor-management committees have had
limited life spans, much shorter than collective bargain­
ing relationships. The central problem the committee was
designed to consider may be resolved or pass; the special
leadership may leave; the circumstances may change and
a new set of urgent issues emerge; the vital neutral or the
government official may disappear; or the willingness of
both parties to cooperate may be undermined by internal
considerations. The committee may vanish to be reincar­
nated with new leadership concerned with new problems.
Contrary to much recent writing, labor-management
committees are not a recent development. They go back
to the early days of collective bargaining in this country
and in England. The interstate joint conference in
bituminous coal mining,18 the conciliation arrangements

between the Bricklayers and the Mason Contractors in
New York, Chicago, and Boston;19 and the impartial
umpire institution in the clothing industries, going back
as far as 70 or a 100 years, resemble joint committees in
their attention to the basic problems of a sector and their
discussions of cooperative means of meeting these issues,
in addition to the function of negotiating collective
agreements.
Labor-management committees and their leadership
on both sides are often plagued by internal tension in
their choice between cooperation and conflict. Labor
leaders can readily be undermined in their unions by
policies, statements, and appearances that convey that
they are too collaborative or too responsive to manage­
ment; they have sold out to management. Management
members of joint committees likewise have inhibitions
derived from long-held principles and attitudes relating
to sharing confidential data and compromising manage­
ment prerogatives. The moderation or abandonment of
traditional attitudes and procedures may prove to be
adverse to the status of leaders of both sides. This
problem is most sensitive and delicate.
It may be well also to remember that there are ap­
proximately 60,000 enterprises in the United States,
excluding those in agriculture, private households, the
self-employed and the public sector. About 30 percent of
these enterprises have fewer than 25 employees and only
42 percent have more than 500 employees. Stated in
terms of employees, 21 percent of employees are in
workplaces with less than 20 employees, 20 percent with
20-99 employees, 12 percent with 100-499 employees,
and 47 percent in enterprises with more than 500
employees. These numbers indicate how decentralized
and diffused are U.S. workplaces, and how unlikely it is
for “a new industrial relations system” quietly and
without notice to take shape in the country. Moreover,
small enterprises are likely to be particularly resistant to
participatory management.
What does all of this say about the present state of
industrial relations and about the future? I offer these
conclusions.

Perspective on the future
There are significant new elements in the economic
environment. A period of a bizarre macroeconomic
setting is likely to yield to a more settled environment
that is much more vulnerable to international pressures.
Longer term, new elements in the demography exert
influence: aging, women, Hispanics, educational levels,
and geographical shifts, with new workplaces and indus­
tries. Technology changes skills and stability of employ­
ment. Deregulation has afflicted a few sectors. The
political climate is not likely to remain in the mold of the
first half of the 1980’s.
A number of developments of the early 1980’s are
reversible and are passing, such as two-tier wage and
salary schedules, lump-sum payments, and escalator
clauses.
The era has seen labor directors in a few enterprises,
but this tendency is not likely to expand. There have been
new centers of concern such as health care costs, health
for retirees, occupational health and safety, quality of
output, drug and alcohol abuse, family issues such as day
care, and skill training, particularly in large enterprises
requiring substantial out-placement of employees. These
latter interests are likely to persist.
There has been no massive shift in the methods of
management, no wide adoption of worker participation
in management nor dimunition of management hostility
to labor organizations. Instances of labor-management
cooperation or joint consultation are significant, but they
are relatively rare as they have been historically. The
concern over sharing information and the difficulties of
participatory management are overcome in circum­
stances that threaten survival. Union leaders are con­
cerned about being too collaborative as seen by
constituents who elect them.
The basic features of U.S. industrial relations arrange­
ments have not been altered, although the output of the
system may be expected to change in the new environment.
The labor movement in the United States is here to stay.
It is adapting its methods to the new environment; already
we have seen the reversal of a number of prominent losses
and the penetration of some new fields.
□

-FOOTNOTES
'According to the “New Industrial Relations,” Business Week, May
11, 1981, p. 85: “Quietly, almost without notice, a new industrial
relations system with a fundamentally different way of managing people
is taking shape in the U.S. Its goal is to end the adversarial relationship
that has grown between management and labor and that now threatens
the competitiveness of many industries.” An academic formulation that
in important respects mirrors the same perspective is Thomas A.
Kochan, Harry C. Katz, and Robert B. McKersie, The Transformation
o f American Industrial Relations (New York, Basic Books, Inc.,
Publishers, 1986), p. 227: “We see the current moment as one of those
historic periods of transformation in which existing institutional
structures have been challenged and opened up to experimentation in
ways that allow considerable choice in how to reconstruct and modify


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them to best serve the interests of workers, employers, and society in
general.”
2H.D. Woods and Sylvia Ostry, Labour Policy and Labour Economics
in Canada (Toronto, Macmillan Company of Canada, Ltd., 1962),
p. 497: “In every epoch of history, men are convinced that theirs is an
age not merely of transition but of profound transformation.”
3Bureau of National Affairs, Daily Labor Report, No. 196, Oct. 13,
1987, pp. B1-B2. Also, see “National Mediation Board Report on TwoTier Wages in Airlines,” Bureau of National Affairs, Daily Labor
Report, No. 116, June 17, 1985, pp. D 1 -D 4 ; and Sanford M. Jacoby and
Daniel J.B. Mitchell, Management Attitudes Toward Two-Tier Pay
Plans: An Analysis, 1985.

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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Have the 1980's Changed U.S. Industrial Relations?
4Stuart E. Weiner, “Union Cola’s on the Decline,” Bureau of National
Affairs, Daily Labor Report, No. 154, Aug. 11, 1986, pp. E1-E12.

Relations Act (Washington, Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., 1987), pp.
1-15.

5John T. Dunlop, Wage Determination Under Trade Unions (New
York, Macmillan and Co., 1944), pp. 144—48; John Dunlop, Clark
Kerr, Richard Lester, and Lloyd Reynolds, in Bruce E. Kaufman ed.,
How Labor Markets Work, Reflections on Theory and Practice.
(Lexington, D.C. Heath and Co., 1988), pp. 69-72.

"Benjamin Aaron, “No Labour Courts, Little Arbitration; What’s
Wrong with That?” Comparative Industrial Relations, A Trans-Atlantic
Dialogue (Washington, Bureau of National Affairs, 1984), pp. 56-70.

6Wages are gross average hourly earnings in the total private
nonagricultural economy. The cost-of-living index used is that for all
urban consumers.
7John T. Dunlop, Industrial Relations Systems (New York, Henry
Holt and Co., 1958).
8For a discussion of deregulation in trucking, see, D. Daryl Wyckoff,
Truck Drivers in America (Lexington, Lexington Books, 1979). Safety,
hours, wages, use of drugs and alcohol, and so forth, are related to the
degree of product market regulation. John T. Dunlop, “Trends and
Issues in Labor Relations in the Transportation Sector,” TR News,
May-June 1985 (Washington, Transportation Research Board), pp.
1- 8 .
9Janice McCormick and D. Quinn Mills, “Discussion, Industrial
Relations System in Transition,” Industrial Relations Research Associ­
ation, Proceedings o f the Thirty-Seventh Annual Meetings, December
28-30, 1984, p. 286. Also, see D. Quinn Mills, Not Like Our Parents: A
New Look at How the Baby Boom Generation is Changing America
(New York, William Morrow and Co., Inc., 1987).
l0See John T. Dunlop, “The Legal Framework of Industrial Relations
and the Economic Future of the United States,” in Charles J. Morris,
ed., American Labor Policy, A Critical Appraisal o f the National Labor

34


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12Paul Weiler, “Promises to Keep: Securing Workers’ Right to SelfOrganization Under the n l r a ,” Harvard Law Review, 96:1769, 1983.
13Janice McCormick and D. Quinn Mills, “Discussion, Industrial
Relations System in Transition,” p. 289.
14See, for instance, Labor-Management Cooperation, Nos. 1-10 (July
1984-March 1987, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of LaborManagement Relations and Cooperative Programs); Jerome M. Rosow,
ed., Teamwork, Joint Labor-Management Programs in America (New
York, Pergamon Press, 1986); John T. Dunlop, Dispute Resolution,
Negotiation and Consensus Building (Dover, Auburn House Publishing
Co., 1984), pp. 225-78.
"Sumner H. Slichter, Union Policies and Industrial Management
(Washington, The Brookings Institution, 1941), pp. 561-62.
16U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Management Services Administra­
tion, The Operation o f Area Labor-Management Committees (Washing­
ton, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1981), p. 25.
"Slichter, Union Policies, p. 567.
"Arthur E. Suffern, Conciliation and Arbitration in the Coal Industry
o f America (Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1915).
"Josephine Shaw Lowell, Industrial Arbitration and Conciliation (New
York, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1893).

How the 1980’s have changed
industrial relations
More cost-conscious management
forced to respond to increased
foreign competition and deregulation
has shaped fundamental changes
in the labor-management relationship
—

—

A

udrey

Freedm

an

Union-management relations have undergone profound
changes in the 1980’s. The changes have been wrought
largely by a force external to union-management rela­
tions: competition—from abroad, from deregulation, and
from nonunion companies. The result is that compensa­
tion and employment are both more flexible and adaptive
than in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
In my view, this shift has caused a fundamental change
in human resource management practices. This is not a
cyclical pattern of alternating ascendancy between labor
unions and management.
This article examines the cyclical analysis of unionmanagement relations in the light of evidence that the
recent changes are broader and deeper than the tradi­
tional union-management dichotomy can encompass.

The cyclical analysis
Those who envision union-management relations as a
pendulum, see the present period of industrial relations—
a period characterized by lessening union power in
bargaining and in organizing—as similar to previous
eras. They see current bargaining outcomes as not new—
and imply that they will be reversed. Some also assert
that there is nothing new about specific techniques or

Audrey Freedman is executive director of the Human Resources
Program Group at The Conference Board.


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policies such as gainsharing, “lump sum” wage bonuses,
security bargaining, and worker participation. This the­
ory suggests that within the world of union-management
relations, the only change is the continual repetition of
cycles as one party gains ascendancy over another for a
time, and then gradually loses it as the other side
regroups and acquires strength. Many union leaders,
some third-party professionals such as mediators, and
some longstanding management representatives hold this
view.
The cyclical point of view treats union-management
relations as operating in a world within itself by classic
power principles, played out by experienced practitioners
of the labor relations arts. If some of these old-line labor
relations experts think about human resources manage­
ment at all, it is as a union-avoidance strategy. Some even
interpret every move toward worker participation as
motivated by management desires to weaken and sup­
plant unions—everything is part of the closed-system
power struggle between the two institutional adversaries.

The change analysis
The other point of view is a great deal more diffuse. It
focuses on the pressures external to labor relations. It
perceives the management of human resources as driven
by incentives arising in the economic choices for the firm,
within a larger economic, demographic, and social frame­
work of events and pressures. So management of human
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • How the 1980's Have Changed Industrial Relations
resources is always being propelled toward adaptation to
new business conditions. This approach views the decade
of the 1980’s as a period of major change, in which the
parties have had to adapt to a far more competitive
business environment. As external competitive attack
forced business to shift rapidly, to cut costs, to innovate,
to enter other markets, to cede some product lines to
others, to devise a flexible labor force strategy, the need
to adapt broke open the formalized world of labor
relations. Managers sought to get the most cost-effective
use of their human resources, not to play the conven­
tional union relations game.
In my view, these changes are still occurring and will
not be reversed by some sort of cyclical return to the
1950’s. This is because the external economic and
business world will not return to that era when U.S.
enterprise dominated the world, when our technology
was the most advanced, our capital was the major source
for other countries’ economic growth, and our businesses
had a very firm grip on all of the domestic and most of
the world market. Just as the American automobile
market will not again be totally dominated by a few
domestic producers, so auto wages and working terms
will not be set exclusively and “nationwide” by the u a w
and one auto company, according to a fixed pattern. By
now, domestic nonunion producers are creating a com­
petitive check on labor costs per unit of output. Non­
union domestic parts suppliers, foreign auto assemblers,
foreign parts and subassembly makers, and a multiplicity
of other competitive pressures are disciplining costs and
quality in an industry that was once part of the “closed”
labor relations system of the 1950’s and 1960’s.
The power of unions to set industrywide wage levels
and to relate these in “patterns” was based on the market
power of strong domestic producers, or industries shel­
tered by regulation. As employers lost their market
power in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, union wage
dominance shrank and fragmented, narrowed down into
the newly detailed segments into which competition was
slicing markets. One union segment had to compete with
another, and with nonunion segments here and abroad.
Under these circumstances, it is difficult to imagine a
pendulum-like return to the past. Perhaps the only factor
that might accomplish this would be a political move
toward “industrial policy,” or an economic planning
system that might once again diminish competition. This
may be the reason for union support of industrial policy
proposals.

Pressures on management
W hat are the greatest influences or pressures on
management in labor relations and bargaining? It has not
been easy to discover, because any analysis of influences
on union contracts is looking at outcomes—outcomes

36


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that are themselves an effect of the union’s power in
bargaining. So, The Conference Board asked managers
directly in a late 1983/early 1984 survey. Most of the 499
respondents were labor relations managers. Pressure
from competitors was identified as the most powerful
influence on employee relations (from domestic competi­
tors, 164 companies; from foreign competitors, 29 com­
panies). An additional 82 identified “changing industry
structure,” which parallels competition in effect. The
only other choice of significance was recessionary condi­
tions, identified as most influential by 109 companies that
were still feeling the aftereffects of 1982. From these
responses we can conclude that labor-management rela­
tions is not a world unto itself, but that it has been deeply
influenced by loss of market control, by competition that
impinges on the resulting wage arrangements and on the
managers’ drive for productivity gains.1
Because long-established conventions like the labor
relations “system” are not easily disturbed, it seems
reasonable to conclude that the double recessions of 1981
and 1982 sensitized both management and unions to the
effect that competition was going to have upon their
stable and institutionalized arrangements. At the time,
many labor analysts described the situation as temporary,
due to recession or individual company survival issues.2
Among these were most union spokesmen and academic
analysts of collective bargaining, such as John T. Dunlop.
But in 1988, with 5 full years of recovery behind us, the
changes described as “temporary concessions” in 1983
are still present.
In terms of wage-setting practices, management has
shifted from following industry patterns, or imitative
wage-setting behavior, toward internal cost concerns.
Pressure from lower cost producers of goods and services
has forced management bargainers to consider the wage
rates, benefit costs, and productivity of specific business
units and operations—in comparison to their competi­
tors’ costs and productivity. The objective is to get labor
costs per unit of output to a point below that of the
competition at the product-line level. Out of this ap­
proach has come wage-level differentiation, the break­
down of pattern bargaining.3

Economic conditions
What has happened is that wages, even under union
bargaining pressures, are now far more responsive to
economic conditions at the industry and firm level, and
even the product-line level, than they were in the 1970’s.
The most direct way to test this is to ask of company
labor relations managers: what information or factor
most affects the company’s wage target in bargaining?
The Conference Board asked this question in 1978, and
again in 1983, of 197 identical bargaining units with the
same line of business and the same union representation.

There was a major shift in their answers. In 1978, the
consideration of primary importance was “industry pat­
terns.” Just 5 years later, it was “productivity or laborcost trends in this company.” There was also a big drop
in concern with (external) industry patterns. Other
external factors also declined in importance: inflation
rates, the effect of this settlement on other wage settle­
ments or nonunion wages or both, and union settlements
in other industries.4
When the parties to an arrangement are being shaken
by factors outside their control—in this case, by competi­
tors’ lower costs of operation—they are experiencing
some major upheavals. The American collective bargain­
ing system, fortunately, is practical and flexible enough
to allow the parties to adjust. I think it is appropriate to
recognize the change that is occurring and analyze its
positive results, rather than to insist that “nothing is
changing”—that the closed system is calcified and undis­
turbed by signals from without. Nor do I see parallels in
the post World-War I period to the current “state of
American unions.” The factors causing change today are
not at all internal to the “union-management institu­
tion.” They are, to be quite specific, Toyota, Nissan,
Hyundai; Sanyo, NEC, Toshiba; Nucor, Pohang, and
third-world steelmakers. They are dozens of new tele­
communications industries and companies springing up
in a deregulated petri dish; new airlines, new routes, new
services that seem constantly to be realigning old and
stable business arrangements. One of these stable busi­
ness arrangements was union-management mutuality of
interest (at a certain level of market protection or
control). Withdraw that control or protection, and new
arrangements must be made. Claim “nothing new is
happening” and you miss the drama of adaptation as it is
taking place.
So, the first major change has been to force companies
to consider their operating costs in terms of competitive
pressure from other firms outside the closed circle of the
unionized. This causes them to consider those costs at the
product-line level, because that is where the competition
focuses. Thus, there cannot be a single “industrywide
rubber” wage when the tire market can allow one level,
but the plants producing hose and belting, or consumer
retail products like rubber shoes, are competing with Far
Eastern producers paying much lower wages to their
laborers. This competitive, product-line pressure ulti­
mately forces diverse new wage practices and other
working conditions variations on union bargaining. It
also tends to break down the use of automatic wage
formulas such as cost-of-living escalators, as well as
traditional fixed annual increases (such as the “annual
improvement factor” of 3 percent in auto contracts, and
its counterparts in steel and trucking). Without auto­
matic increases, the bargaining parties have more free­
dom to adopt new terms and tailor specific packages to

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current conditions. The decline in these traditional/
automatic wage formulas has been documented in the
Bureau of Labor Statistics periodical Current Wage
Developments, and in many studies of bargaining out­
comes by Daniel J.B. Mitchell of University of California
at Los Angeles5.

Flexibility tools
In removing automatic formulas and making wages
more flexibly responsive, the parties have contrived many
new wage techniques. Among them are “two-tier” sys­
tems in which incoming new workers are paid a lower
wage, presumably closer to the market wage—the level
that would be paid in the absence of a union contract.
Another device is the “lump sum,” which provides a
single payment, usually once a year, instead of raising the
hourly wage rate. Lump sums are obviously less expen­
sive for management, but their most important quality is
the fact that they do not become embedded in the wage
rate and are thus infinitely more adjustable than previous
formula wage increases. A third class of wage technique,
“gainsharing,” has received much advocacy attention,
but is less frequently found in actual contracts. It too is a
flexibility tool, directly linking wages to output or
production costs or profit.
These techniques are not necessarily novel; parallels
can be found in previous nonunion wage systems. The
phenomenon that is new is that bargaining has been
forced to seek out all kinds of variations in order to make
wages more responsive to competitive pressure at the
product-line level.
The fact that wages are being made more flexible and
adjustable is clear by now. Another development seems
also to be discernible behind the details of events: it
appears that management is trying to make employment
itself more flexible. That is, management is trying to
reduce the fixed aspect of labor costs represented by a
core work force that has either implicit employment
guarantees or costly downsizing penalties to protect it.
Management is trying to contract out work more freely,
use subcontracts for business services, use more part-time
and free-lance and temporary workers. These techniques
of contingent work arrangements are not new; what is
new is management’s drive to make employment flexible.
Management is trying to make employment far more
fluid and adjustable, to make labor costs even more
variable and work force redeployment even less expen­
sive. It is what has been called “Kanban employment,”
using the Japanese term for just-in-time delivery and no
stockpiling or inventorying of resources.
The use of contingent workers and contracting out has
always been an available management tool. In fact, it is
essential to have various techniques for buffering a
“core” work force in order to provide even a small

37

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • How the 1980's Have Changed Industrial Relations
amount of security to that core as business conditions
fluctuate. Whether the parties cared to admit it or not,
the existence of buffers is the tradeoff for granting more
employment security to the “primary” work force. So
contingent worker techniques are not new. However,
using contingent worker and subcontracting techniques
to gain more adaptability and flexibility—to gain power
for rapid downsizing and cost-cutting—is what is new in
the environment of the late 1980’s.

Competitive pressure
As long as competitive pressure forces business to
adapt quickly, these techniques are going to continue
growing. Furthermore, their more extensive use is affect­
ing all employment, making all employment arrange­
ments less secure and more changeable than they have
formerly been in “stable,” protected industries. Anecdot­
ally, it is said that no longer can a young man count on
following his father into a lifetime in the local mill. It is
also said that a young man can no longer enter the lower
ranks of management and “stay with the firm” for his
entire career. It does not require an elaborate longitudi­
nal study to prove that these inferences from real world
observation are true. Employment, as well as wages, is
being made more flexible.
In the course of all these changes, the driving force has
been business conditions in the firm. The labor relations
system that evolved during the 1940’s through the 1970’s
was institutionalized around the market power of the
firms and those unions that had come to represent large

proportions, if not nearly all, of the industry’s domestic
work force. Under these closed and controlled circum­
stances, it is easy to see why the system was so internally
directed and expert-dominated. And in time, the experts
operated a system relatively isolated from “the busi­
ness”—and business was willing to delegate the handling
of labor relations to such experts.
But now that competition arises from abroad, from
domestic nonunion operators, from nonregulated new
entities, the management of human resource cost and
productivity moves back toward the center of business
concerns. It is no longer “left to the experts.” It becomes
the direct and vital concern of line managers all the way
up to the chief executive. The collective bargaining
system, with its heavy flavor of formal, legalistic, adver­
sarial maneuvering, is giving way to a more fluid,
adaptive, business-dominated behavior. Those old-line
labor experts who adjust to the new environment are
invaluable in responding wisely to the new forces at
work. Those old hands who cannot perceive business
needs are having to give way before line managers who
may not know all the historical background of union
relations, but they do know what has to be done to keep
the business prospering.
There are a lot of electrical sparks coming from these
“inexperienced” line managers, and the course of bar­
gaining is not as predictable or smooth and familiar as it
once was. But changes are being forced. They are not
temporary. We are not looking at a segment of a cycle
that will reverse itself and return to the 1950’s. This
change is for good.
□

-FOOTNOTES
'Audrey Freedman, The New Look in Wage Policy and Employee
Relations (New York, The Conference Board, 1985), pp. 3-4.
2Audrey Freedman, “A Fundamental Change in Wage Bargaining,”
Challenge, July-August 1982, pp. 14-17. This article discusses some of the
reasons why collective bargaining’s academic analysts of longstanding
reputation had difficulty in seeing the changes that were developing. It may
also be that those with a lifetime of work invested in careful analysis of an
elaborate system were unwilling to perceive that system fragmenting, and
also losing its centrality in U.S. wage-setting models.
T or a full discussion of these anticipated changes, see A. Freedman

38


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and W.E. Fulmer, “Last Rites for Pattern Bargaining,” Harvard
Business Review, March-April, 1982, pp. 30-48.
4For more detail, see Freedman, The New Look, pp. 7-11.
5See, for example, Daniel J.B. Mitchell, “Wage Trends and Wage
Concessions: Implications for Medium-Term Economic Expansion,”
Department of Economics, University of Michigan; and The Economic
Outlook for 1987, Proceedings of Nov. 20-21 1986 meeting of r s q e , pp.
266-335. Also, Daniel J.B. Mitchell, “Alternative Explanations of
Union Wage Concessions,” California Management Review, Fall 1986,
pp. 95-108.

Retail hardware stores
register productivity gain
Output per hour o f all persons grew
at an above-average annual rate
o f 1.3 percent over the 1972-86 period,
reflecting strong demand and
improvements in store operations
P a t r ic ia

S. W i l d e r

and

V ir g in ia

L.

K

l a r q u is t

Productivity, or output per hour of all persons, in the
retail hardware store industry1 rose at an average annual
rate of 1.3 percent from 1972 to 1986. This increase was
well above the 0.8 percent annual gain in productivity
registered by the nonfarm business sector of the econ­
omy. The growth in productivity reflects an increase in
output of 2.2 percent per year, and a rise in hours of 0.9
percent annually. Contributing to the growth in produc­
tivity were strong demand, an increased use of computers
in store operations, and benefits derived from affiliation
with dealer-owned cooperatives. The productivity trend
for the 14-year period examined here was marked by
much volatility. From 1972, annual increases in produc­
tivity occurred in 7 years, ranging from 0.2 percent to
14.5 percent. Declines in productivity also occurred in 7
years, the largest in 1981, when output per hour fell 3.7
percent. (See table 1.)
The retail hardware store industry is strongly affected
by cyclical changes in the economy. Expansions and
contractions in output, and the associated changes in
productivity are closely linked to changes in the housing
market. While increases or decreases in sales of new
homes affect industry output, sales of previously occu­
pied homes have an even greater impact. In the sale of
existing homes, hardware store purchases are boosted,

Patricia S. Wilder and Virginia L. Klarquist are economists in the
Division of Industry Productivity and Technology Studies, Bureau of
Labor Statistics.


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both when the dwelling is prepared for sale and when it is
redecorated by its new owner.2
During periods of economic expansion, hardware
items are purchased to prepare homes for resale, to
remodel older homes, and to maintain new and existing
homes. These factors contribute to output and productiv­
ity gains in the retail hardware store industry.
When the economy contracts and the housing market
is weak, output in the retail hardware store industry
slows or declines, and productivity tends to fall off.
During an economic downturn, industry output may
grow because of expenditures on improvements, mainte­
nance, and repairs of existing homes, but be offset by
declines in disposable income and new construction. This
would slow the rate of growth in industry output, or even
lead to a decline in output. Evidence of the cyclical
influences on the retail hardware store industry can be
seen in the four subperiods examined here.

Subperiod trends
In the early years of the period studied, productivity in
the retail hardware store industry fell 1.2 percent annu­
ally from 1972 to 1976, as output grew at a slow rate of
1.2 percent, and hours rose 2.4 percent per year. The
influence of the 1974-75 recession on the industry was
mixed. The industry felt the effect of a sharp decline in
housing starts, but this was offset by an increase in
expenditures on improvements, maintenance, and repairs
of residential properties.3

39

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Productivity in Retail Hardware Stores
The retail hardware store industry benefited from the
economic recovery of the late 1970’s. Strong activity in
the housing market was an impetus to growth in sales of
hardware products. Between 1976 and 1979, housing
starts rose 4 percent annually, and sales of existing onefamily homes advanced nearly 8 percent per year.4
Output of the retail hardware store industry grew at an
average annual rate of 6.6 percent. With hours rising only
1.0 percent annually, productivity advanced 5.5 percent
per year.
The recessionary periods of 1980 and 1981-82 had a
more negative impact on the industry than the earlier
recession. From 1979 to 1983, sales of both older and
new homes declined. Expenditures on improvements,
maintenance, and repairs fell 4 percent annually. With
output dropping at an average annual rate of 2.6 percent
and hours falling 1.0 percent per year, productivity in the
retail hardware store industry decreased 1.6 percent
annually.
The retail hardware store industry shared in the
economic recovery at the end of 1982. Productivity
advanced 2.9 percent per year during the subperiod 198386, as output rebounded at a 4.0-percent rate of growth,
while hours increased at an average annual rate of 1.0
percent. Rapidly rising expenditures on improvements,
maintenance, and repairs of almost 24 percent annually,
and a strong resale home market were largely responsible
for the business recovery of the retail hardware store
industry.
(Average annual rates, in percent)
Output
1972-86 ..........................
1972-76.......................
1976-79.......................
1979-83.......................
1983-86.......................

2.2
1.2
6.6
-2 .6
4.0

Output per hour
of all persons
1.3
- 1.2
5.5
- 1.6
2.9

Industry structure and employment
The industry is characterized by small, single-unit
firms designed to serve individual local markets. Retail
hardware stores have relatively few employees per store.
In 1972, the industry consisted of 18,530 establishments
with an average work force of about five employees per
store. By 1982, there were 19,870 establishments with an
average of about six employees. In recent years, single­
unit firms have declined slightly in relative importance.
While single unit firms still account for the majority of
the stores in the industry, there has been an increase in
the number of multiunit operations during the period
studied. In 1972, multiunit operations accounted for 8
percent of total stores and generated 20 percent of
industry sales. By 1982, the number of multiunit firms
increased to 10 percent while the proportion of industry
40


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Table 1. Productivity and related indexes for the retail
hardware store industry, 1972-86
Year

Output per
hour of
all persons

Output

Hours of
all persons

All
persons

1972.............
1973.............
1974 .............
1975.............

101.1
98.9
95.3
97.9

90.8
90.0
88.9
92.4

89.8
91.0
93.3
94.4

88.3
90.1
92.9
94.1

1976.............
1977.............
1978.............
1979.............
1980.............

95.9
100.0
100.2
114.7
111.4

95.0
100.0
104.0
116.1
112.4

99.1
100.0
103.8
101.2
100.9

95.5
100.0
102.8
103.8
104.6

1981 .............
1982.............
1983.............
1984.............
1985.............
1986.............

107.3
108.9
107.0
112.8
111.4
118.1

106.2
103.6
105.8
118.4
117.0
120.9

99.0
95.1
98.9
105.0
105.0
102.4

102.9
98.8
102.6
109.1
110.1
107.8

Average annual rates of change (in percent)

1972-86........
1981-86........

1.3
1.7

2.2
3.3

0.9
1.5

1.4
1.8

sales had risen to 25 percent. Employment in multiunit
firms increased during this period, from 20 to 22 percent
of the industry’s work force.
The work force of the retail hardware store industry
consists of self-employed, nonsupervisory workers, super­
visory workers, and unpaid family workers. The number
of persons employed in the industry rose 22.1 percent, or
1.4 percent annually, from 143,820 in 1972 to 175,600 in
1986. Hours of all persons increased at a slower 0.9percent average annual rate, showing a rise in part-time
workers, and a decline in the average weekly hours of
nonsupervisory workers. Between 1972 and 1986, aver­
age weekly hours of nonsupervisory employees fell 9.1
percent, from 36.1 to 32.8.
Employment of nonsupervisory workers, the largest
component of the industry work force, increased 26.2
percent—from 105,000 in 1972 to 132,500 in 1986.
Supervisory workers grew 64.1 percent, from 15,300 to
25,100. From 1972 to 1986, the number of self-employed
persons fell 10.7 percent, from 19,040 to 17,000; unpaid
family workers declined nearly 80 percent, from 4,480 to
1, 000 .
The industry’s work force is dominated by persons in
marketing and sales occupations.5 In 1986, nearly twothirds of the industry’s work force was employed in
marketing and sales. Within this occupational group,
salespersons represented the largest group and accounted
for 39 percent of the total. Cashiers made up nearly 12
percent of the industry’s work force. Stock clerks repre­
sented 9 percent of employment in the industry.

Factors affecting productivity
The major technological change within the retail
hardware store industry has been the increased use of
computers for retail operations. However, because most

retail hardware stores are small, the use of computers
varies greatly throughout the industry.
Recent productivity growth has benefited from the
spread of computer technology. In the larger establish­
ments, computers are often used in conjunction with
point-of-sales terminals (cash registers), and electronic
scanning devices. Information coded on merchandise is
fed into the computer using these scanning devices. This
results in accurate inventory records and reduces em­
ployee time required for monitoring shelf stocks. In
addition, the computer provides the location of each item
in the stockroom, and where it belongs on the sales floor.
Purchase orders are automatically printed when stockroom quantities are too low. Computers are used to
perform recordkeeping and administrative functions for­
merly performed manually. By using computerized infor­
mation provided on sales activity, store managers can
schedule staff hours more efficiently.6
Although not all retail hardware stores have fully
computerized their operations, most have replaced me­
chanical cash registers with electronic cash registers
( e c r ’s ). Memory capacity of e c r ’s has also reduced
employee hours in accounting and inventory control.
Most hardware stores had some degree of self-service
operations prior to 1972. However, the continuing shift
to self service operations has helped to reduce the work
load of store personnel by allowing customers to browse
for their choice of merchandise. More recently, changes
in packaging of some hardware items—from bulk mer­
chandise to carded merchandise—have enhanced the selfservice feature of hardware stores.7
Some retail hardware stores have sought to improve
their productivity by the use of employee training
programs.8 Retaining experienced personnel is a major
problem for all retail stores. Some studies have shown
that retail employee turnover is about 60 percent per
year.9 High turnover rates can hinder gains in productiv­
ity because new employees must undergo training and are
not as productive during training periods. Because most
stores are relatively labor intensive and place a great deal
of emphasis on knowledgable personal service, retaining
experienced personnel is important to improving produc­
tivity in the industry.
Another factor underlying productivity change has
been independent hardware stores joining dealer-owned
wholesale cooperatives.10 Tighter competition among
hardware stores, home centers, and lumber yards led to a
growth in the cooperatives during the 1970’s.11 Through
the cooperatives, the independent hardware stores have
been able to compete with integrated, mass merchandis­
ers. The independent retailers can take advantage of
volume purchasing discounts and the economies of scale
associated with large wholesale distribution. Most of the
independent hardware stores are currently members of
cooperatives.12

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Productivity in independent retail hardware stores has
been fostered by their affiliation with the dealer-owned
cooperatives. Improvements in ordering and distribution
which have occurred in the cooperatives have aided
productivity growth by reducing labor and inventory
requirements in the retail hardware store industry.13
Purchase orders are built around electronic communica­
tions and centralized distribution operations. Through
the use of central computers, gravity flow racks, and
automated conveyer systems, errors in purchase orders
have been reduced and order fill rates have been in­
creased. Cooperatives have contributed to lower inven­
tory requirements by providing dependable delivery of
merchandise from the warehouse to the retailer.
In some stores, the retailer is directly linked to the
cooperative’s central computer and regional distribution
center. The computerized stock number is punched into a
hand-held order entry terminal. The resulting ticket
specifies the stock number, quantity, location, and sug­
gested retail price. Along with the merchandise, the
retailer receives preprinted price stickers and reorder
information. This ordering system reduces labor require­
ments for the retailer because these ordering functions
and pricing of items were previously done manually by
the retailer.
The dealer-owned cooperatives provide hardware re­
tailers with advertising aids such as direct mail catalogs,
national media campaigns, low-cost phone directory
advertising, and instore product promotion kits. These
advertising aids have helped to increase store traffic for
the retailer by building a strong brand identity among
consumers.14

Outlook
Industry productivity growth should benefit from the
continuing diffusion of electronic data processing equip­
ment. The availability of more affordable personal com­
puters has put computer technology within the reach of
many more small store owners. Point-of-sales technology
may become more widely used in hardware stores,
boosting productivity. Accounting and inventory control
is expected to be greatly enhanced by the diffusion of
electronic scanning equipment. However, most efforts of
hardware retailers to increase productivity will probably
center on raising sales per square foot in stores.
The “do-it-yourself’ home improvement market is a
post-World War II phenomenon, created when inflation
pushed the costs of plumbers, electricians, and other
skilled workers beyond the reach of many homeowners.
With the baby-boomers reaching their prime home
buying and remodeling years, the home improvement
market is expected to remain strong.
The skill composition of the work force of the retail
hardware store industry is not expected to change much

41

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Productivity in Retail Hardware Stores
over the next decade. Based on projections by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, the proportion of marketing and sales
personnel is expected to rise from 63 percent of wage and
salary worker employment in 1986 to 66 percent in the
year 2000. Within this broad occupational group, cash­
iers are expected to remain about the same, nearly 12
percent of industry employment in 1986 and also in 2000.

The share of employment held by salespersons is ex­
pected to rise slightly. Administrative support occupa­
tions, including clerical, are projected to decline from 13
percent of industry employment in 1986 to 11 percent in
2000. This could reflect the diffusion of computer
technology in the retail hardware store industry in the
future.
□

-FOOTNOTES
‘The retail hardware store industry is designated by the Office of
Management and Budget as SIC 525 in the Standard Industrial
Classification Manual, 1972. The industry is comprised of establish­
ments primarily engaged in the retail sale of a number of basic
hardware lines, such as tools, builders’ hardware, paint and glass,
housewares and household appliances, and cutlery.
Average annual rates shown in the text and tables are based on the
linear least squares trend of the logarithms of the index numbers. The
indexes for productivity and related variables will be updated annually,
and published in the annual Bureau of Labor Statistics bulletin,
Productivity Measures for Selected Industries and Government Services.
2“Do-It-Yourself Stock Plays,” Fortune, June 11, 1984, pp. 213-16;
and industry sources.
3U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Construction
Reports, Series C50, C20.

8“Employees: Finding, Training, and Keeping Them,” Hardware Age,
June 1985, pp. 31-35. In a recent survey of Hardware Age retail
panelists, 64 percent of the respondents prefer to hire new workers
through the recommendations of their existing staff. Hardware retailers
prefer to hire through employees because it saves the time used to
screen out applicants who are obviously not suited for the job, and
provides the best background knowledge of the job applicant. More
than two-thirds of the retailers surveyed conduct product and sales
training programs for employees. These programs usually cover the
areas of universally accepted sales methods, product knowledge, and
individual store policies. Retaining employees is accomplished through
the offering of benefits, incentives, and rewards. According to the
survey, more than half of the hardware retailers offer bonuses and raises
for time employed. More than two-thirds offer raises for merit. Paid
medical benefits are offered by 75 percent of employers and paid
vacations, 89 percent.

4U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Statistical
Abstract o f the United States, 1986, p. 727; and the National Association
of Realtors.

9Brian Friedman, “Apparel stores display above-average productiv­
ity,” Monthly Labor Review, October 1984, pp. 37—42.

“Figures cited in this section are based on data developed by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics in the 1986-2000 National IndustryOccupational Matrix.

“ “Screws, Bolts . . . .
1982, pp. 146-49.

6“In-Store Computer Systems: Wholesalers Lead the Way,” Hardware
Age, April 1987, pp. 39-42; and industry sources.
7“A Tough Line That’s Easy to Sell,” Hardware Age, January 1987,
pp. 38-41; and industry sources.

1industry sources.
and Tighter Competition,” Forbes, May 24,

“ “Hardware Wars: the Big Boys Might Lose This One,” Business
Week, Oct. 14, 1985, pp. 84-90.
13“John Cotter and Low Cost Distribution,” Do-It-Yourself Retailing,
November 1986, pp. C5-C32; and industry sources.
HIbid.

APPENDIX: Measurement techniques and limitations
Indexes of output per hour of all persons measure
changes in the relationship between the output of an
industry and hours expended on that output. An index of
output per hour is derived by dividing an index of output
by an index of industry hours.
The preferred output index for retail trade industries
would be obtained from data on quantities of the various
goods sold by the industry, each weighted (that is,
multiplied) by the employee hours required to sell one
unit of each good in some specified base period. This
concept also embodies the services associated with mov­
ing the goods from the retail establishment to the
consumer. Thus, those goods which require more retail
labor are given more importance in the index.
Data on the quantities of goods sold usually are not
available for trade industries, including retail hardware
stores. Therefore, real output was measured by removing
the effects of changing price levels from the current42

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dollar value of sales. Because an adjustment for changing
price levels usually lowers the dollar value, such a series
is usually referred to as a deflated value measure.
Output measures based on deflated value have two
major characteristics. First, they can reflect shifts in sales
among products of different value which have the same
unit labor requirements. (For example, if customers begin
to purchase more unadvertised brands instead of “nation­
ally advertised” brands, dollar sales will decrease if the
unadvertised brand is priced lower.) Thus, a change can
occur in the output per hour index even if the labor
required to sell the merchandise does not change. Based
on data from the National Retail Hardware Association,
average transaction size (deflated by the c p i ) has not
changed during the period studied.
Second, the sales level, both in current and constant
dollars, reflects differences in unit values for identical
products sold in different types of establishments. For

example, the unit value associated with a product sold in
a self-service “discount” store may be lower than the unit
value associated with the same product sold in a store
that provides many sales clerks and delivery service. The
output measure, therefore, reflects changes in the level of
service provided to customers, insofar as differences in
unit values reflect the difference in service among the
various types of establishments.
In addition to the deflated value technique, weights
relating to labor importance were used to combine
segments of the output index into a total output measure.
The weights used were gross margin weights. These
weights, calculated for each merchandise line category,
represent the percentage markup provided by the retail
hardware store industry. Gross margins are used in place
of labor importance weights which are unavailable for
this industry. These procedures result in a final output
index that is closer, conceptually, to the preferred output
measure.
The index of hours for the retail hardware store
industry is for all persons, that is, hours for paid
employees, self-employed, and unpaid family workers. As
in all of the output per hour measures published by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, hours and employment are
each considered homogeneous and additive. Adequate
information does not exist to weight the various types of
labor separately.


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The indexes of output per hour relate total output to
one input—labor time. The indexes do not measure the
specific contribution of labor, capital, or any other single
factor. Rather, they reflect the joint effect of many
interrelated influences such as changes in technology,
capital investment, capacity utilization, store design and
layout, skill and effort of the work force, managerial
ability, and labor-management relations.
No explicit adjustments were made to the measures to
take into account increases or decreases in some services
provided to the consumer. There has been some shift to
self-service operations. This has shifted some of the hours
in retailing from the employee to the consumer. How­
ever, data are not available to measure the effect of this
change.
The basic sources for the output series for this measure
consist of the total sales data and sales by merchandise
line reported by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The
deflators were developed using various Consumer Price
Indexes published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The
gross margin weights were developed from data reported
by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The basic sources for the all person hour series consist
of data on employment and hours published by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census,
supplemented by data from special tabulations compiled
for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Bureau of the
Census.

43

Foreign Labor
Developments
International differences
in employers’ compensation costs

T ab le 1. In d e xe s o f h o u rly c o m p e n s a tio n c o s ts fo r
p ro d u c tio n w o rk e rs in m a n u fa c tu rin g , 30 c o u n trie s o r
areas, 1975-87
[United States = 100]
Country or area

1975

1980

1985

1987

United States.....................................

100

100

100

100

Canada .............................................
Brazil .................................................
Mexico...............................................

92
14
31

86
14
30

84
9
16

89
11
10

Australia............................................
Hong Kong .......................................
Israel.................................................
Japan.................................................

84
12
35
48

82
15
39
57

61
14
31
50

64
16

Korea.................................................
New Zealand.....................................
Singapore ..........................................
Sri Lanka...........................................
Taiwan..............................................

5
50
13
4
6

10
54
15
2
10

10
34
19
2
11

17

Austria ..............................................
Belgium.............................................
Denmark............................................
Finland...............................................

68
101
99
72

87
134
111
84

56
69
63
62

95
112
108
97

France...............................................
Germany............................................
Greece..............................................

91
125
38
60

58
74
28
45

92
125

Ir e la n d ...................................................................

71
100
27
47

I t a l y ........................................................................
L u x e m b o u rg ........................................................
N e th e r la n d s ........................................................
N o r w a y ..................................................................

73
100
103
107

81
122
123
119

57
59
67
82

92
112
131

P o r t u g a l................................................................
S p a in .....................................................................
S w e d e n ................................................................
S w itz e r la n d .........................................................
U n ite d K in g d o m .............................................

25
41
113
96
52

21
61
127
113
76

12
37
75
75
48

58
112
127
67

P a t r ic ia C a p d e v ie l l e

In 1987, hourly compensation costs for manufacturing
production workers in Germany, Norway, and Switzer­
land were 25 percent to 30 percent higher than the U.S.
cost level, and in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands,
and Sweden, 8 to 12 percent higher, according to studies
conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Compensa­
tion costs in France, Italy, Austria, and Finland rose to
more than 90 percent of the U.S. level in 1987; Japanese
costs rose to 84 percent and Canadian costs, to about 90
percent; while relative compensation costs rose to more
than 60 percent in the United Kingdom and Australia,
and to about 60 percent in Spain. (See table 1.)
For Japan and all the European countries, 1987
compensation costs were up sharply from their 1985
relative levels—which ranged from about 40 to 80
percent of average U.S. costs. Japan’s level was a new
high; France, Italy, Austria, Finland, Norway, and
Switzerland surpassed their peaks reached in 1979 or
1980; and Germany matched its previous peak levels of
1979 and 1980.
Hourly compensation costs in the newly industrializing
Asian and Latin American countries or areas remained
less than 20 percent of U.S. costs, although costs in Hong
Kong, Korea, Taiwan, and Brazil were up 20 to 50
percent from 1985. Compensation costs in U.S. dollars
for Singapore and Mexico actually declined, however—
for Singapore, because of a wage freeze and cuts in
employer social benefit contributions and for Mexico,
because of the devaluation of the peso. Mexico’s relative
compensation costs in 1987 were 10 percent of the U.S.
level, compared with a peak of 34 percent of U.S. costs in
1981.
For most of the European countries and Japan,
exchange rate changes accounted for more than 80
percent of the narrowing in cost differentials with the
United States since 1985. Between 1985 and 1987, the

Patricia Capdevielle is an economist in the Division of Foreign Labor
Statistics, Office of Productivity and Technology, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.

44


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_

84
13
_

18
_

-

-

_

N O T E : D a s h in d ic a te s d a ta n o t a v a ila b le .

value of the Japanese yen relative to the U.S. dollar rose
65 percent, and gains in the relative values of the
currencies of the European industrial countries ranged
from 26 to 64 percent.
Measured in national currency, hourly compensation
costs rose 6 percent in Japan and from 6 to 18 percent in
industrial Europe (except Norway, where hourly costs
rose 30 percent, of which 7 percent resulted from a 2xh hour cut in the standard workweek), compared with 4
percent in the United States. Measured in U.S. dollars,
costs rose 75 percent in Japan, 46 percent in the United
Kingdom, and about 60 to 80 percent in the other
European countries.
Recent exchange rate trends. The value of the U.S. dollar
has continued to fall relative to the currencies of every
country studied, except Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong,

Israel, and Sri Lanka. As of January 1988, the value of
the yen was 13 percent higher than its 1987 average, and
the currencies of most European countries were 6 to 10
percent higher. Unless their underlying compensation
changes are significantly less than those in the United
States, these changes should raise hourly compensation
costs further above the U.S. level for Germany and many
other European countries; bring Japan’s cost level to
about 95 percent of the U.S. level; bring the levels for
France and Italy almost on par with the United States;
and narrow the cost differences for other countries.
Compensation structure. Compensation costs include pay
for time worked, other direct pay, employer expenditures
for legally required insurance programs and contractual
and private benefit plans, and for some countries, other
labor taxes.
Pay for time worked accounted for about 75 to 80
percent of total compensation costs in the United States,
Canada, the U nited Kingdom , and several other
countries in 1987, but accounted for less than 60 percent
of total compensation in Japan and many European
countries. Other direct pay accounted for more than 25
percent of total compensation in Japan and for 15 to 20
percent in several European countries. (Other direct pay
is the difference between total direct pay and pay for time
worked, consisting primarily of vacation and holiday pay
and seasonal bonuses.) In France, Italy, and Sweden,
employer social insurance expenditures and other labor
taxes (the difference between total direct pay and total
compensation costs) accounted for 30 percent of compen­
sation, whereas in some other countries with extensive
social benefits, they accounted for 15 percent or less.
The differences in compensation structures among
countries reflect differences in holiday and vacation
entitlements, the prevalence of yearend and other sea­
sonal bonuses, and the relative cost and methods of
financing social insurance benefits.
International Comparisons o f Hourly Compensation Costs
fo r Production Workers in Manufacturing, 1975-86,
Report 745 (September 1987), and Preliminary Measures
fo r 1987, Report 750 (February 1988), are available from
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC 20212.
The reports present comparative levels and trends in
compensation costs in 30 countries or areas. These
comparative measures have been developed to provide a
basis for assessing international differences in employer
labor costs. Definitions, methods, and data limitations
are summarized in the reports.
□


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Part-time employment in Great
Britain: establishment survey data
Part-time employment has been the major feature of
employment change in Great Britain, according to a
recent study.
The study uses data from the 1980 Workplace Indus­
trial Relations Survey, which was sponsored by the
Department of Employment Policy Studies Institute, and
the (then) Social Science Research Council. The data set
included 2,040 observations of establishments, or “places
of employment at a single address or site” throughout
England, Scotland, and Wales. Establishments were
limited to those with 25 employees or more who worked
both full time and part time. The survey involved
interviews with senior managers and worker representa­
tives (who were nominated by management respondents).
Part-time workers were defined as persons who work
fewer than 30 hours per week.
According to Great Britain’s 1981 Census of Employ­
ment data (which are directly comparable with the data
in the report), 4.5 million persons worked part-time in a
work force of 21.3 million employees. The proportion of
men who worked part time was 5.9 percent and women,
41.6 percent. Over the 1971-81 period, part-time employ­
ment among women increased 37.1 percent. For men,
however, a 22.9-percent increase in part-time employ­
ment was offset by a 10.4-percent decline in full-time
employment.
According to the Workplace Industrial Relations Sur­
vey, part-time workers accounted for 13.8 percent of total
employment— 87.2 percent of whom were women.
The study looks at the distribution of part-time
workers by industrial sector, the characteristics of estab­
lishments that employ significant proportions of parttime workers, and distinct industrial relations patterns
where part-time workers are prevalent.
Industries. Most of the part-time workers were concen­
trated in the nonmanufacturing sector— 18 percent of the
total labor force, compared with less than 7 percent in the
manufacturing sector. A higher proportion of the labor
force worked part time in the public sector than in the
private sector. Of the 40 industries surveyed, 12 accounted
for 76 percent of part-time employees: food; other textiles
and leather; clothing and footwear; retail food; other retail
distribution; other business services; education; medical
services; hotels and pubs; miscellaneous services; insur­
ance; and other services.
Characteristics. To closely examine the characteristics of
part-time establishments, the study describes “part-time

45

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Foreign Labor Developments
using establishments” as those that employed at least 25
part-timers who constituted at least 50 percent of the
labor force in establishments with fewer than 50 employ­
ees. These characteristics were found in 445 establish­
ments, which accounted for three-fourths of all part-time
employment, and about 85 percent of these establish­
ments were among the 12 industries which employed
mostly part-timers.

nized. The study also found that the pay bargaining level
was less important for part-time workers than for fulltimers. The pay for higher proportions of part-timers was
determined by wage councils awards. In other instances,
head offices determined pay levels. Moreover, part-time
workers were most likely to be found in establishments
with informal procedures for dealing with pay, condi­
tions, dismissals, or individual grievances.

Industrial relations. A higher share of the labor force
tended to work part time in nonunion establishments
than in unionized establishments. Compared with full­
time workers, a smaller proportion of part-timers were
employed in establishments where unions were recog­

T h e f u l l r e p o r t is entitled, Part-time employment in
Great Britain: An analysis using establishment data,
research paper no. 57, by David Blanchflower and
Bernard Corry (London, Research Administration, De­
partment of Employment, 1986).
□

46

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Commissioner Neill studies T h e J u n g le
Early in 1906, Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, which exposed
the unsanitary practices of the Chicago packers and stirred public
indignation. [President Theodore] Roosevelt called for action. The
Bureau of Animal Industry of the Department of Agriculture, which
maintained a staff of inspectors at the stockyards, immediately launched
an investigation. The President directed [ b l s Commissioner Charles P.]
Neill to make an independent inquiry: “I want to get at the bottom of
this matter and be absolutely certain of our facts when the investigation
is through.” Neill, along with James Bronson Reynolds, a reformer from
New York City, spent 2/6 weeks gathering information and then
submitted a report to Roosevelt, who praised him for his work. In
addition, not satisfied with the report of the Animal Industry Bureau,
Roosevelt asked Neill to revise it.
Based on these reports, Roosevelt ordered the Department of
Agriculture to prepare a bill establishing more stringent meat inspection
procedures. On June 19, [1906,] Congress agreed to a meat inspection
bill, and the President signed it on June 30, the same day he signed the
Pure Food Law.
— Jo s e p h

P.

G

oldberg a n d

W

il l ia m

T.

M

oye

The First Hundred Years of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Bulletin 2235 (Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1985).

Research
Summaries
Occupational pay in structural
clay products industries
Bruce

J.

Bergm an

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey,
hourly earnings of production workers in structural clay
products industries averaged $7.41 in October 1986, up
from $5.86 in September 1980.1 This represents an
increase of 4.0 percent, on an annual average basis, and
compares with an increase of 5.2 percent a year in the
Bureau’s Employment Cost Index for durable goods
manufacturing industries.
Average hourly earnings in October 1986 varied
considerably among the seven regions for which separate
data are available, ranging from $6.24 in the Southwest
to $9.43 in the Middle West. In the Southeast, where
three-fourths of the industries’ work force were em­
ployed, hourly earnings averaged $6.64. Averages in the
other four regions were $7.16 in the Border States; $7.94
in the Pacific States; $8.21 in the Middle Atlantic; and
$8.35 in the Great Lakes.
Among the major product branches studied separately,
nationwide hourly averages were $9.80 in clay refracto­
ries, $7.20 in ceramic wall and floor tile, and $6.78 in
brick and structural clay tile. Although clay refractories
maintained its lead in earnings, the pay difference
between it and the relatively low-paying brick and
structural clay tile branch narrowed between 1980 and
1986—from 57 to 45 percent.
Pay levels were influenced by regional location and
industrial concentration. For example, one-half of the
workers in the Southwest and three-fifths of those in the
Southeast, the two lowest paying regions in the Nation,
were in brick and structural clay tile plants. However,
slightly less than three-fifths of the Middle West work
force—the highest paid among the regions—worked in
clay refractory plants.
Employment change. Overall, production employment in
structural clay products manufacturing fell by 10 percent
between September 1980 and October 1986—from 26,288

Bruce J. Bergman is an economist in the Division of Occupational Pay
and Employee Benefit Levels, Bureau of Labor Statistics.


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to 23,535 workers. Work force changes at the branch
level varied considerably. For example, employment
declined by 50 percent in clay refractories (from 6,340 to
3,414 workers). But the number of workers in brick and
structural clay tile plants changed relatively little (from
11,687 in 1980 to 11,593 in 1986).
The employment decline in clay refractories was
accompanied by a 13-percent drop in shipments of
refractories between 1981 and 1985.2 These declines are
attributable, in part, to a drop in orders from the steel
industry, a major purchaser of refractories. However,
shipments for brick and structural clay products rose by
83 percent over the same period because of the construc­
tion industry’s strong demand for brick and tile.
Occupational averages. Of the 31 occupations studied
separately, industrywide averages were lowest for jani­
tors ($6.60 hourly) and off-bearers ($6.62) and highest
for electricians ($10.31) and machinists ($10.32). Powertruck operators, the largest job group studied separately,
averaged $7.28.
Occupational averages were usually highest in clay
refractory plants and lowest in brick and structural clay
tile plants (table 1). Clay refractory workers usually
earned between 25 and 45 percent more than workers in
the same occupation in brick and clay tile plants.
Nationwide, about four-fifths of the workers were paid
on a time-rated basis, typically under formal plans
providing single rates for specific jobs. Workers paid
incentive wages typically averaged between 20 and 40
percent more than their time-rated counterparts. Jobs
predominantly paid on this basis included unloaders of
tunnel kilns, brick sorters, die pressers, and kiln setters
and drawers.
Virtually all workers were in establishments providing
paid holidays and vacations. Workers typically received
between 6 and 10 holidays per year. Nationwide, typical
vacation provisions included 1 week after 1 year of
service, 2 weeks after 3 years, 3 weeks or more after 10
years, and at least 4 weeks after 20 years.
Almost all clay workers were in establishments provid­
ing at least part of the cost of life, hospitalization,
surgical, medical, and major medical insurance. Also,
most received accidental death and dismemberment
insurance and protection against temporary loss of
income due to illness or accident. Retirement plans were
provided to the majority of the workers.

47

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Research Summaries

Table 1. Average hourly earnings1 in structural clay
products manufacturing, selected occupations, October
1986

Occupation

A ll p ro d u c tio n w o rk e r s 2

All estab­
lishments

Clay re­
fractory
plants

Brick and
structural
clay tile

Ceramic
wall and

plants

floor tile
plants

$7.41

$9.80

$6.78

$7.20

7.11
7.95
7.83

10.08
10.25
9.05

6.57

7.47
7.05
8.32

9.18
7.24
7.31

10.41
8.62
9.98

8.25
7.07

7.38
8.17
6.82
6.70

9.57
7.67
9.64
10.97

6.88
8.66

7.19
6.43

7.87
6.46
6.18
6.54

7.14
6.63

7.83

6.85
6.60

6.94
6.51

10.31
10.32
9.16
8.70
7.87

11.62
11.37
11.03
11.48
10.09

8.95

10.64
9.76
8.90
7.90
8.03

6.60
7.83

9.11
9.28
8.46
10.17
10.04

5.94

A comprehensive report, Industry Wage Survey: Struc­
tural Clay Products, October 1986 (Bulletin 2288), may
be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents,
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, or
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Publications Sales
Center, p.o. Box 2145, Chicago, il 60690. The bulletin
provides additional information on occupational pay and
employee benefits by region and size of establishment. □

Crushing, grinding,
and mixing:
C la y g r in d e r s ...........................
C la y m a k e r s .............................
D ry p a n o p e r a t o r s ...............

6.12

6.61

-FOOTNOTES

Forming and cutting:
D ie p r e s s e r s .............................
P re s s o p e r a t o r s ....................
P u g m ill o p e r a t o r s .................

6.86

7.23
6.77
8.05

Burning:
F ire rs , tu n n e l k i l n .................
K iln s e tte rs a n d d r a w e rs ..
P la c e rs , tu n n e l k i l n .............
U n lo a d e rs , tu n n e l k i l n .......

Finishing (drawing):
F in is h e r s .....................................
O ff - b e a r e r s ................................

8.11

Maintenance:
E le c tric ia n s ................................
M a c h in is ts ..................................
M e c h a n ic s ( m a c h in e r y ) .. ..
M o to r v e h ic le m e c h a n ic s .
G e n e ra l m a in te n a n c e
w o r k e r s ..................................

8.22

8.03
8.17
7.23

'Earnings data exclude premium pay for overtime and for work on
weekends, holidays, and late shifts. Incentive payments, such as those
resulting from piecework or production bonus systems, and cost-ofliving pay increases (but not bonuses) were included as part of the
workers’ regular pay. Excluded were performance bonuses and lump­
sum payments of the type negotiated in the auto and aerospace
industries, as well as profit-sharing payments, attendance bonuses,
Christmas or yearend bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses.
For a report on the previous study, see Industry Wage Survey:
Structural Clay Products, September 1980, Bulletin 2139 (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1982).
2See Annual Survey o f Manufacturers, 1985, Value o f Product Ship­
ments (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census). Data for
1986 will be available in February.

Custodial and material
movement:
J a n it o r s .......................................
P a c k a g in g -m a c h in e
o p e r a t o r s ..............................
S h ip p in g p a c k e r s ..................
P o w e r-tru c k o p e r a t o r s ........
T r u c k d riv e rs ..............................

7.20
7.28
7.43

7.43
7.09
6.54
7.07

6.40
7.63
6.79
7.35
7.51

1 E x c lu d e s p re m iu m p a y fo r o v e rtim e a n d fo r w o rk o n w e e k e n d s , h o lid a y s ,
a n d la te s h ifts . In c e n tiv e p a y m e n ts , s u c h a s th o s e re s u ltin g fro m p ie c e w o rk o r
p r o d u c tio n b o n u s s y s te m s , a n d c o s t-o f-liv in g in c re a s e s (b u t n o t b o n u s e s ) w e re
in c lu d e d a s p a rt o f th e w o rk e rs ' re g u la r p ay. E x c lu d e d w e re p e rfo rm a n c e
b o n u s e s a n d lu m p -s u m p a y m e n ts o f th e ty p e n e g o tia te d in th e a u to a n d
a e ro s p a c e in d u s trie s , a s w e ll a s p ro fit-s h a rin g p a y m e n ts , a tte n d a n c e b o n u s e s ,
C h ris tm a s o r y e a re n d b o n u s e s , a n d o th e r n o n p ro d u c tio n b o n u s e s .
2 In c lu d e s d a ta f o r w o rk e rs
s e p a ra te ly .

In o c c u p a tio n s in a d d itio n to th o s e s h o w n

Just more than one-half of the work force were
employed in plants operating under labor-management
contracts covering a majority of production workers. The
Middle Atlantic and Middle West regions recorded the
highest proportion (75 percent) of workers in union
plants, while the Southwest recorded the smallest propor­
tion (25 percent). The Aluminum, Brick, and Glass
Workers International Union and the United Steelwork­
ers of America (both a f l - c i o affiliates) were the major
unions in the clay products industries.
Also studied in the current survey was the use of
temporary help and the extent to which services were
contracted out. One-eighth of the production workers
were in structural clay products plants regularly using
temporary help. Plants employing nearly 60 percent of
the clay industries’ production force commonly con­
tracted trucking services.

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Occupational pay levels
in footwear manufacturing
According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of
footwear manufacturing, hourly pay levels of production
and related workers averaged $5.72 in men’s shoe plants
and $5.14 in women’s, in October 1986.1 This represents
a 31-percent increase in earnings for men’s footwear
plants, and a 24-percent rise for women’s footwear since
a similar survey was conducted in April 1980.2 By
comparison, the Bureau’s Employment Cost Index for
nondurable goods manufacturing industries rose 41 per­
cent over the same period.
Average hourly earnings in October 1986 varied
considerably among the six regions studied separately for
men’s footwear, from $4.96 in the Border States to $6.55
in the Great Lakes. In New England, where nearly onefourth of the workers in men’s plants were employed,
hourly earnings averaged $5.77. In women’s footwear,
hourly pay levels in the three regions studied separately
were $5.14 (Middle West), $5.36 (Middle Atlantic), and
$5.45 (New England).
Among 67 jobs studied separately, hourly averages in
men’s footwear ranged from $4.76 (foam cutters) to $7.21
(edge trimmers); in women’s footwear, the range was
$4.55 (sock-lining stitchers) to $7.69 (platform-cover
lasters). Fancy stitchers, the largest occupational group

in both industries, averaged $5.52 in men’s shoe plants
and $5.20 in women’s footwear.
The departments in a footwear manufacturing plant
typically reflect the sequence and the unique activities in
shoemaking. (See table 1.) For example, workers in
cutting rooms cut out shoe uppers or linings commonly
using a clicking machine. Vamp and whole shoe cutters
were the most numerous of six jobs studied in this
department. They averaged $6.77 an hour in men’s
footwear, and $5.96 in women’s. Within each cuttingroom occupation, pay may vary according to the type of
machine used (conventional or numerically controlled)
and the type of material cut (leather, synthetic, or both).
Among the other departments, prefitting and fitting
operations involve assembling or stitching the shoe
components to form the upper. Employed here are fancy
stitchers, who sew decorative designs on shoe uppers, and
skivers, who taper the leather edges to ensure thinner
seams. Occupational averages in these two departments
were typically in the $5 to $6 range.
Lasting operations include drawing the completed
upper over the last (a foot-like form) and attaching the
insole. The two most numerous job groups, and their
average hourly pay, were toe and forepart lasters ($6.40
in men’s shoe plants and $5.59 in women’s) and side
lasters ($6.50 in men’s and $6.07 in women’s).
The bottoming department is responsible for attaching
the sole to the upper, combining all footwear compo­
nents. The choice of three basic construction methods—
cementing, stitching, and molding—is determined, in
part, by the type of last and the means for attaching the
upper to the insole and midsole. In men’s plants,
occupational averages were usually between $5.50 and
$6.50 an hour; in women’s footwear, the typical range
was $4.75 to $6.25.
Finishing occupations, which prepare the shoe for sale
and distribution, include making minor repairs, cleaning,
and polishing. The seven finishing jobs studied showed a
wide range of earnings. In men’s footwear, averages
ranged from $5.28 (repairers) to $6.56 (edge setters); in
women’s footwear, the spread was $4.73 (repairers and
sprayers) to $6.62 (edge setters).
Nationwide, about three-fourths of the workers were
employed under incentive pay systems, typically individ­
ual piece rates. A majority of the workers in nearly all of
the occupations surveyed were paid incentive rates.
Among the occupations usually paid time rates were
repairers, floor workers, and inspectors. Virtually all
workers were in establishments with weekly work sched­
ules of 40 hours.
Nearly all production workers were in establishments
providing paid holidays and paid vacations. The most
prevalent holiday provisions, covering about three-fourths
of the workers in men’s footwear and more than eighttenths of the workers in women’s footwear, spanned 8 to

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Table 1. Number of workers and average hourly
earnings in footwear manufacturing plants, selected
occupations, October 1986__________
M e n ’ s f o o tw e a r
D e p a r tm e n t a n d
o c c u p a tio n

A ll p ro d u c tio n w o rk e r s 2 .......
M e n ............................................
W o m e n .....................................

W o m e n ’s f o o tw e a r
A v e ra g e

Num ber

A v e ra g e

N um ber

of

h o u r ly

of

h o u r ly

w o rk e rs

e a r n in g s 1

w o rk e rs

e a r n in g s 1

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

$ 5 .7 2
6.01
5 .5 0

2 1 ,8 6 3
6,131
1 5 ,7 3 2

$ 5 .1 4
5 .4 5
5.01

18
342

4 .7 6
5 .9 6

16
174

5 .6 5
6.01

948

6 .7 7

695

5 .9 6

189
391

5 .5 5
5.41

220
279

4 .9 6
5 .0 8

1 ,3 3 6

5 .5 2

1 ,0 9 9

5 .2 0

10

5 .6 3

229

4 .5 5

530

5 .8 0

789

4 .9 3

17

7 .6 9

230
173
57
293

6 .5 0
6 .5 0
6 .5 0
6 .4 0

363
211
152
339

6 .0 7
6 .1 7
5 .9 5
5 .5 9

100
327

6.21
7.21

220
95

5 .3 5
5 .2 2

219

6 .3 8

469

5 .1 7

96
401
139

6 .5 6
5 .2 8
5 .6 3

8
322
98

6 .6 2
4 .7 3
4 .7 3

445
736

5 .4 8
5.31

648
372

5 .0 8
5 .0 8

Cutting
C u tte rs , f o a m .............................
C u tte rs , lin in g .............................
C u tte rs , v a m p a n d w h o le
shoe
........................................

Prefitting
M a rk e rs , s t it c h ...........................
S k iv e rs , u p p e rs o r lin in g s ..

Fitting
F a n c y s t it c h e r s .........................
S o c k -lin in g s titc h e rs (s lip la s te d s h o e s ) ........................
T o p s t it c h e r s ..............................

Lasting
P la tfo rm -c o v e r la s te rs (s lip la s te d s h o e s ) .......................
S id e l a s t e r s ................................
S ta p le o r ta c k la s tin g .......
C e m e n t l a s t i n g ....................
T o e a n d fo re p a r t la s te r s . .. .

Bottoming
B o tto m r o u g h e r s ......................
E d g e tr im m e r s ...........................
S o le a tta c h e rs , c e m e n t
p ro c e s s ..................................

Finishing
E d g e s e t t e r s ..............................
R e p a ir e r s .......................................
S p ra y e rs , u p p e r s ......................

Miscellaneous
F lo o r w o r k e r s .............................
In s p e c t o r s .....................................

’ E x c lu d e s p re m iu m p a y fo r o v e rtim e a n d fo r w o rk o n w e e k e n d s , h o lid a y s ,
anu

ic u e

a im io .

_

in c lu d e s d a ta fo r o c c u p a tio n s in a d d itio n to th o s e s h o w n s e p a ra te ly . S o m e
d a ta w e re c o lle c te d fo r w o rk e rs w h o s e s e x w a s n o t a v a ila b le fro m p a y ro ll
re c o rd s .
N O T E : D a s h e s in d ic a te th a t n o d a ta w e re re p o rte d o r th a t d a ta d id n o t m e e t
p u b lic a tio n c rite ria .

10 days per year. Typical vacation provisions included 1
week of vacation pay after 1 year of service, 2 weeks after 3
or 4 years, 3 weeks after 10 years, and 4 weeks after 20
years.
Nine-tenths or more of the footwear workers were in
establishments providing at least part of the cost of life,
hospitalization, surgical, and basic medical insurance.
Footwear establishments providing insurance protection
against accidental death and dismemberment or lost
income due to short-term illness or accident covered
about three-fourths of the work force. Dental plans
covered nearly three-tenths of the workers in men’s
footwear and about one-tenth in women’s; and vision
care insurance plans were provided to about one-tenth of
the workers in men’s plants, but were not reported in
visits to women’s plants. Most life and health insurance
plans were financed jointly by employers and employees.

49

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Research Summaries
Retirement plans, usually financed entirely by employers,
applied to eight-tenths of the workers in men’s shoe
plants and to three-fourths in women’s.
A comprehensive report on the survey, Industry Wage
Survey: Men's and Women's Footwear, October 1986
(Bulletin 2291) may be purchased from the Superinten-

dent of Documents, Washington, DC 20402, or from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Publications Sales Center,
P.O. Box 2145, Chicago, il 60690. The bulletin provides
additional information on occupational pay, and on the
incidence of employee benefits.
□

1Wage data are straight-time hourly earnings, excluding premium pay
for overtime and for work on weekends, holidays, and late shifts. Costof-living increases (but not bonuses) were included as part of the
workers’ regular pay. Excluded were performance bonuses and lump­
sum payments of the type negotiated in the auto and aerospace
industries, as well as profit-sharing payments, attendance bonuses,
Christmas or yearend bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses.
The survey included establishments primarily manufacturing men’s
or women’s leather footwear, except athletic, that were designed for
dress, street, or work use. Footwear plants making shoes whose uppers

were not leather or a leather-like substitute, such as vinyl, were
excluded.
2For a discussion of the earlier survey, see Industry Wage Survey:
Men's and Women’s Footwear, April 1980, Bulletin 2118 (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, March 1982). The October 1986 study is not strictly
comparable to the April 1980 survey, because the current one has a
lower minimum establishment size— 50 workers instead of 100. How­
ever, establishments with less than 100 workers accounted for less than
5 percent of the 1986 survey work force and had little or no effect on
industry pay levels.

A note on communications
The Monthly Labor Review welcomes communications that supple­
ment, challenge, or expand on research published in its pages. To be
considered for publication, communications should be factual and
analytical, not polemical in tone. Communications should be addressed
to the Editor-in-Chief, Monthly Labor Review, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212.

50


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Major Agreements
Expiring Next Month
This list of selected collective bargaining agreements expiring in June is based on information collected
by the Bureau’s Office of Compensation and Working Conditions. The list includes agreements covering
1,000 workers or more. Private industry is arranged in order of Standard Industrial Classification
In d u stry or activity

N um ber of
w orkers

Em ployer and location

L abor o rganization1

A ssociated G eneral Contractors, Labor Relations Division,
M ichigan C hapter and one other (Southw estern M ichigan)
A ssociated G eneral C ontractors of California and others (Southern
California)
A ssociated G eneral C ontractors and others, 11 counties (Southern

C arpenters................................................

2,000

C arpenters................................................

40,000

L a b o re rs ....................................................

17,500

O perating E n g in e e rs ............................

10,500

L a b o re rs....................................................
O perating E n g in e e rs ............................
C arpenters................................................

4,000
5,500
5,000

C arpenters................................................
L a b o re rs ....................................................
O perating E n g in e e rs ............................
Plumbers ..................................................

12,000
3,500
1,500
3,000

P a in te rs .....................................................

5,200

Plum bers ..................................................
Plumbers ..................................................

3,800
10,000

P riv ate
C o n stru ctio n ......................................

California)
A ssociated G eneral C ontractors and others (Southern California
and N evada)
A ssociated G eneral C ontractors (A riz o n a )................................................
A ssociated G eneral C ontractors (Alaska) ..................................................
R esidential C ontractors Association and others (Southern
California)
Residential C ontractors Em ployers Council (Chicago, il) ...................
Highway C ontractors, Inc. (K entucky)........................................................
Highway Contractors, Inc. (K entucky)........................................................
Association of Contracting Plumbers of the City of New York
(N ew York)
Painting and D ecorating C ontractors Association
(Los Angeles, ca )
A ssociated G eneral C ontractors, pipefitters (Los Angeles, c a )
Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry Council and independent
com panies (Los Angeles, ca )
M echanical C ontractors o f C entral California (California) .................
Food p ro d u cts..................................
A p p a re l...............................................

Furniture ............................................
P a p e r....................................................
R u b b e r................................................
H

Plum bers ..................................................

1,450

Team sters ................................................
Ladies’ G arm ent W o rk e rs .................
Ladies’ G arm ent W o rk e rs .................

20,000
3,200
3,300

C arpenters................................................
P ap e rw o rk e rs..........................................
Ladies’ G arm ent W o rk e rs .................

4,500
1,100
4,500

N ew U nited M otors M anufacturing Inc. (Frem ont, ca ) ......................

Electrical W orkers ( iue ) ....................
Various u n io n s .......................................
Electrical W orkers ( iue ) ....................
M etal Trades C o u n c il.........................
A uto W o rk e rs.........................................
M achinists ...............................................
A uto W o rk e rs.........................................
A uto W o rk e rs.........................................
A uto W o rk e rs.........................................
A uto W o rk e rs.........................................

1,400
80,000
1,100
12,000
5,000
3,000
1,000
2,000
3,600
1,200

Railroads including A m trak and Conrail (In te rs ta te )............................
G eneral Telephone Co. of K entucky (K entucky)....................................
A rkansas Power and Light Co. (A rk a n sas)...............................................
G ulf States U tilities Co. (Louisiana and T e x a s )......................................
Potom ac Electric Pow er Co. (W ashington, DC).......................................
East Ohio Gas Co. (O h io )..............................................................................

Various u n io n s .......................................
C om m unications W orkers .................
Electrical W orkers ( ibew ) .................
Electrical W orkers ( ibew ) .................
Electrical W orkers ( ibew ) .................
Service E m p lo y e e s...............................

348,350
1,400
3,000
2,500
3,300
1,900

California Processors, Inc., and others (California) ...............................
Belt A ssociation, Inc. (N ew York, n y ) .......................................................
Pleaters, Stitchers and Em broiderers Association, Inc.
(New Y ork, n y )
M illwork M anufacturers Association, Inc. (N ew York, n y ) ..............
G eorgia-Pacific Corp. (Crossett, a r ) ...........................................................
Plastics and M etal Products M anufacturers Association
(N ew York, ny )

. .

Electrical p ro d u c ts .........................
T ransportation e q u ip m en t.............

R a ilro a d s ............................................
C om m unication ...............................
U tilitie s ...............................................

G eneral Electric Co. (I n te rsta te )...................................................................
Zenith Electronics Corp. (Evansville, in ) ..................................................
G eneral D ynam ics Corp., Electric Boat Division (G roton, C T)........
G eneral D ynam ics Corp., Land Systems Division (Interstate) .........
G eneral D ynam ics Corp. (Pom ona, ca ) .....................................................
AM G eneral Corp. (South Bend, in ) ..........................................................
H ow m et Corp. (W hitehall, Ml) ......................................................................

See footnote at end of table.


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51

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 •

M a jo r A g r e e m e n ts E x p ir in g N e x t M o n th

Continued—Major Agreements Expiring Next Month
N um ber of
w orkers

In d u stry or activity

Em ployer and location

L abor o rganization1

Retail tr a d e .......................................

Chain and independent food stores (St. Louis, m o ) ..............................
Chain and independent food stores (N ew York, n y ) ...........................
Food M art/W aldbaum s (M assachusetts and C o n n ec tic u t)...................
W om en’s A pparel Chain Store Association (New York, n y ) ...........
G reater M ilwaukee H otel-M otel A ssociation (W isco n sin )...................

Food and Commercial W orkers......
Food and Commercial W orkers......
Food and Commercial W orkers......
Ladies’ G arm ent W o rk e rs .................
H otel Em ployees and R estaurant
Em ployees

7,500
12,000
3,100
2,500
1,100

Arizona: Phoenix clerical u n i t ........................................................................

State, C ounty and M unicipal
Em ployees
State, C ounty and M unicipal
Em ployees
Police A ssociations...............................
Education A ssociation (Ind.)
State, C ounty and M unicipal
Employees
U nited Teachers of Los Angeles
(Ind.)
Los A ngeles City Em ployees (Ind.)
State, C ounty and M unicipal
Em ployees
Education A ssociation (Ind.)
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
Education A ssociation (Ind.)
Service Em ployees

1,800

H o te ls ..................................................

Public
G eneral g o v e rn m e n t......................

Phoenix blue collar .........................................................................
Law e n fo rc e m e n t............................
E d u c a tio n ..........................................

Phoenix Police D e p a rtm e n t..........................................................
Phoenix Board of Education, te a ch e rs......................................
Tucson Board of Education, teacher aides and clerical ...
California: Los Angeles Board of Education, te a c h e rs .........................

G eneral g o v e rn m e n t......................

Los A ngeles equipm ent operators and laborers.................
Los Angeles c le ric a l.....................................................................

E ducation ..........................................
G eneral g o v e rn m e n t.................... .

O akland teachers and related professionals.........................
San Diego white co lla r................................................................
San Diego blue c o lla r ..................................................................

Education ..........................................
H ealth serv ices.................................

San Diego Unified School D istrict, paraprofessionals ....
San Diego County social w o rk e rs ..........................................

T ran sp o rta tio n ..................................

Southern California Rapid T ransit A u th o rity ......................

G eneral g o v e rn m e n t......................

State
State
State
State
State

adm inistration and staff ..................................................
cu sto d ian s..............................................................................
office and allied e m ployees............................................
forest fire fig h ters...............................................................
health and social services, professional ....................

State
State
State
State
State

m edical and social s erv ice s............................................
registered nurses ................................................................
professional e n g in e e rs .......................................................
protective services and public safety .........................
correctional peace officers .............................................

Fire p ro te c tio n .................................
H ealth serv ices.................................

G eneral g o v e rn m e n t......................
Law e n fo rc e m e n t............................

Education ..........................................

State U niversity clerical and support u n its .........................

G eneral governm ent ......................

C onnecticut: State blue co lla r.........................................................................
State c le ric a l................................................................................
State general u n it......................................................................

Law e n fo rc e m e n t............................

State corrections u n i t ..............................................................

Education ..........................................
G eneral g o v e rn m e n t......................

W aterbury Board of E d u c a tio n ............................................
Florida: Broward County Board of Education, m aintenance and
crafts
D ade County Board of Education, te a c h e rs............................
D ade C ounty Board of Education, blue co lla r.......................

Education ..........................................

Duval County School D istrict, te a c h e rs ....................................
Duval County School D istrict, blue c o lla r...............................
Hillsborough County Board of Education, te a ch e rs..............
Palm Beach County Board of Education, teachers ..............
Pinellas C ounty Board of Education, te a c h e rs .......................
Polk C ounty Board of Education, te a c h e rs ..............................

See footnote at end of table.

52


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Transit Union; Transportation
U nion
Service E m p lo y ee s...............................
Service E m p lo y ee s...............................
Service E m p lo y ee s...............................
Fire Fighters ..........................................
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
Service E m p lo y ee s...............................
Service E m p lo y e e s...............................
Professional Engineers (Ind.) ...........
Safety Em ployees ( I n d .) ....................
C orrectional Peace O ffic e rs..............
California State Em ployees
Association
State, C ounty and M unicipal
Em ployees
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
Education A ssociation (Ind.) ...........
Federation of Public Em ployees
(m e b a )
T e a c h e rs....................................................
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
T e a c h e rs....................................................
Various u n io n s .......................................
H illsborough County Teachers
A ssociation (Ind.)
Palm Beach Classroom Teachers
A ssociation (Ind.)
Education A ssociation (Ind.) ...........
T e a c h e rs....................................................

2,400
1,400
1.100
1,200
32,200
3,400
3,000
3,200
3,500
1,700
1,400
1,500
6,200
19,450
5,000
28,100
2,800
2,650
1,200
2,000
3,100
4,400
13,000
12,100
7,500
6,500
1,000
1,300
1,100
2,200
16,000
6,650
6,100
3,500
7,000
4,600
6,200
3,600

Continued—Major Agreements Expiring Next Month
Industry or activity

Employer and location
State U niversity fa c u lty ......................................................................
Indiana: State U niversity m a in te n an c e ........................................................

Kansas: Kansas City te a c h e rs .........................................................................

G eneral g o v e rn m e n t......................

Kentucky: Jefferson County te a ch e rs...........................................................
M aryland: A nne A rundel County Board of Education, teachers ....
Baltimore white c o lla r ..................................................................
Baltimore blue c o lla r.....................................................................

Education ..........................................

Baltimore County Board of Education, m a in te n an c e ......

G eneral g o v e rn m e n t......................

M assachusetts: Springfield School Board, te a c h e rs .................................
W orcester municipal em p lo y ees.......................................
M ichigan: D etro it m unicipal employees .....................................................

E ducation ..........................................

U niversity of M ichigan service and m aintenance..............
N evada: W ashoe C ounty te a c h e rs ................................................................

G eneral G overnm ent ....................

Clark C ounty public e m ployees...................................................

E ducation ..........................................

N ew Jersey: Paterson Board of Education, teachers ............................
N ew ark Board of Education, te a c h e rs ...............................
N ew Mexico: A lbuquerque m ultidepartm ent ............................................

G eneral governm ent ......................

Law e n fo rc e m e n t............................

State University p rofessionals................................................
Buffalo fire fig h ters.....................................................................
Buffalo p o lic e ................................................................................

E ducation ..........................................

Ohio: A kron Board of Education, te a c h e rs...............................................
Oklahoma: Tulsa Board of Education, te a ch e rs.......................................

G eneral governm ent ......................

O r e g o n : P o r tl a n d c le r ic a l a n d m a i n t e n a n c e ........................................................

O klahom a City Board of Education, teachers ...................
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia City employees ...............................................
Law e n fo rc e m e n t............................
Fire p ro te c tio n .................................
G eneral g o v e rn m e n t......................

Philadelphia Police D e p artm e n t.........................................
Philadelphia Fire D e p a rtm e n t............................................
State adm inistrative, clerical, fiscal..................................
State m aintenance and tr a d e s ............................................

Education ..........................................
t

:

Tennessee: M em phis Board of Education, professional employees ..
Nashville te a c h e rs .........................................................................

i

E ducation ..........................................

‘Affiliated with

a fl -cio


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

W isconsin: M ilwaukee Board of Education, te a c h e rs ............................

Labor organization1
Education Association (Ind.) ...........
Education A ssociation (Ind.) ...........
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
Education Association (Ind.) ...........
Education Association (Ind.) ...........
Education Association (Ind.) ...........
E ducation Association (Ind.) ...........
Education Association (Ind.) ...........
Classified M unicipal E m ployees......
State, C ounty and M unicipal
Em ployees
Police ( I n d .) ............................................
State, County and M unicipal
Employees
Education Association (Ind.) ...........
Service E m p lo y e e s...............................
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
W ashoe County Teachers
Association (Ind.)
Clark County Public Em ployees
Association (Ind-)
Education Association (Ind.) ...........
T e a c h ers....................................................
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
Police A ssociations...............................
U niversity Professors (I n d .) ..............
Fire Fighters ...... ...................................
N ew York State Police Conference
(Ind.)
Education A ssociation (Ind.) ...........
Classroom Teachers Association
(Ind.)
T e a c h ers....................................................
Various u n io n s .......................................
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
Police (I n d .) ............................................
Fire Fighters ..........................................
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
State, County and M unicipal
Em ployees
Education A ssociation (Ind.) ...........
E ducation A ssociation (Ind.) ...........
Education Association (Ind.) ...........
V erm ont State Em ployees
Association
Education A ssociation (Ind.) ...........

Number of
workers
6,800
1,900
1,500
1,300
1,650
2,900
5,200
4,000
5,000
7,200
2,600
1,500
1,750
1,400
7,000
2,100
1,800
2,100
1,800
5,700
1,300
2,400
18,600
1,000
1,100

1,900
2,000
2,300
1,700
13,400
7,000
2,700
16,650
10,900
15,400
6,000
4,200
2,700
6,000
5,700

except where noted as independent (Ind.)

53

Developments in
Industrial Relations
Auto industry update
There were several major occurrences in the automo­
bile industry in the early months of 1988, led by clashes
between Chrysler Corp. and the United Automobile
Workers (uaw ) over cuts in operations that did not bode
well for their contract bargaining later in the year. In
contrast, the bargaining relationship between the u a w
and Ford Motor Co. was enhanced when the employees
received a sizable profit-sharing distribution.
The controversy at Chrysler erupted when the com­
pany announced plans to close its assembly and stamping
operations in Kenosha, wi, and later announced plans to
sell its Acustar, Inc. parts-making subsidiary. Chrysler
claimed that closing of the Kenosha operations was
mandated by overcapacity in the industry resulting from
“a shrinking U.S. automotive market,” and by the fact
that plants in the manufacturing complex—some dating
back to 1902—were the least efficient in its chain because
of their outmoded layout.
Reactions to the closing were bitter. Wisconsin Gover­
nor Tommy G. Thompson, voicing the contention of the
u a w and local government officials, said Chrysler had
made a contractual commitment to continue building
vehicles in Kenosha for at least 5 years. The Governor
claimed the commitment had been made after Chrysler
acquired the complex as part of its August 1987 purchase
of American Motors Corp.
The dispute eased somewhat when Chrysler an­
nounced that it would divert all of its profits from 1988
vehicle sales in Wisconsin into a fund to aid the 5,500
workers affected by the closing. The allocation was
expected to total $20 million. Company chairman Lee
Iacocca said that “time and the marketplace just caught
up with an 86-year-old plant,” and that Chrysler had not
made a legal commitment to keep the plants open.
Despite Chrysler’s action, some of the employees to be
affected by the closing filed a suit in the Federal courts to
block the use of Federal money for the company’s new
Jefferson Avenue Plant in Detroit, m i . In the suit, the
plaintiffs charged that Chrysler was not eligible for a $15

“Developments in Industrial Relations” is prepared by George Ruben
of the Division of Developments in Labor-Management Relations,
Bureau of labor Statistics, and is largely based on information from
secondary sources.

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million Federal grant because it was shifting jobs from
Kenosha to the detriment of the Kenosha workers.
According to the plaintiffs, Federal law prohibits finan­
cial aid to companies engaging in such detrimental shifts
of operations.
The Acustar controversy turned out better for the
u a w , as Chrysler modified its plan to sell all of the 11
parts manufacturing plants, which employ 11,000 mem­
bers of the union. Under the new plan, only four plants
will be sold, or closed, within 18 months. The four
targeted facilities are Amplex Van Wert in Ohio and
Trenton Chemical, Detroit Forge, and Detroit Trim in
Michigan. About 2,000 employees are involved. The
displaced employees will be put in a job bank and paid
until they are placed in another plant.
When Chrysler first announced that it would close the
parts plants, the company said it wanted to get out of
parts production and focus on production of “new
products and powertrains, rather than components.” The
u a w ’s immediate contention was that Chrysler wanted
to divest the operations because of a cash-flow problem
and because one of the union’s major demands in
national bargaining later in 1988 will be adoption of
stronger successorship contract clauses similar to those
negotiated with Ford and General Motors in 1987.
Under such clauses, companies acquiring operations
from Ford and General Motors are required to retain all
contract provisions as a condition of sale. In recent years,
the domestic manufacturers—particularly General Mo­
tors—have claimed that parts produced internally are
more costly than those purchased from outside suppliers.
In the 1987 negotiations, General Motors was unsuccess­
ful in efforts to overcome the claimed cost disparity by
adopting pay rates in the parts plants lower than those in
engine, transmission, and assembly plants.
Chrysler’s decision to continue parts production was
apparently influenced by the tactics adopted by the u a w .
Immediately after the initial sale announcement, mem­
bers of local unions began authorizing their leaders to
initiate strikes, ostensibly over excessive backlogs of
unresolved grievances. The union also indicated that it
would delay implementation of six “modern operating
agreements” already negotiated at the plant level and
refuse to enter into any more such agreements. The
agreements are designed to improve quality and effi-

ciency through increased cooperation in revising work
rules, the scope of jobs, and other provisions.
In the wake of all the controversy, Chrysler moved to
increase the possibility of a peaceful national settlement
on wages and benefits by asking the u a w to start the
talks “promptly.” Based on past practice, negotiations
would have started in July on a contract to succeed the
current agreement, scheduled to expire on September 14.
After considering the proposal, the union agreed to begin
the talks in mid-April.
In the talks, the attitude of Chrysler employees was
presumably also influenced by the contrast between the
flat $500 lump-sum payments they received in March
and the average $3,700 profit-sharing distributions Ford
workers received. In 1982, Chrysler and the union had
replaced a profit-sharing plan with specified wage in­
creases to partly restore the wage cuts the employees had
accepted earlier to improve the company’s financial
condition. In the 1985 settlement, the parties agreed to
the $500 payment in March of 1987, 1988, and 1989, in
lieu of profit-sharing distributions. They also agreed to
re-establish a profit-sharing plan in the contract to be
negotiated in 1988, with the $500 payment in March
1989 serving as a guaranteed minimum for the first
distribution under the new plan.
The $3,700 distribution to Ford employees was a
company record, reflecting Ford’s net income of $4.6
billion for 1987. Distributions averaged $2,100 for 1986
and $1,800 for 1985.
General Motors employees did not receive a distribu­
tion in March 1988, although their 1987 settlement
revised the profit-sharing formula—which had been less
liberal than the Ford formula—to make it identical to the
improved formula adopted in 1987 at Ford. General
Motors employees received an average distribution of
$1,800 for 1985 and nothing for 1986.
The u a w ’s efforts to organize foreign-owned vehicle
and vehicle parts plants in the United States were boosted
when the union and Mazda Motor Manufacturing Corp.
settled for 2,000 workers in Flat Rock, m i . The develop­
ments leading to the settlement began in 1984, when
Mazda announced plans to begin producing vehicles in
the United States, in cooperation with Ford, which owns
25 percent of the operation.
At that time, the company and the u a w agreed that
when the plant opened, workers would be paid at 85
percent of the average of the “Big Three” domestic
manufacturers, increasing to full parity after 3 years of
production. The union agreed to give Mazda “operating
flexibility” by allowing a limited num ber of job
classifications.
When the plant opened in September 1987, employees
participated in an election conducted by the American
Arbitration Association in which they officially decided
to be represented by new u a w Local 3000. Subsequent

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negotiations led to the settlement for the unit of 2,000
workers, which is expected to grow to more than 3,000.
The u a w reported that the 3-year agreement provides
for:
• Movement from the current 85-percent wage parity
with Ford employees to full parity by the end of the
contract. On the March 3, 1991, contract termination
date, the Mazda workers will also receive an increase
equal to any first-contract-year specified wage increase
resulting from the 1990 settlement at Ford.
• A $750 immediate “settlement bonus” ($250 for
probationary employees), followed by payments in
April 1989, December 1989, and April 1990, equal to 3
percent of the employee’s earnings during the preced­
ing 52 weeks.
• Automatic quarterly cost-of-living adjustments using
the same formula as Ford (and General Motors).
• An improved vacation schedule, ranging up to 17 paid
days off after 10 years’ service.
• A total of 42 paid holidays over the contract term.
• An improved pension plan different from that at Ford
and General Motors, but designed to provide equiva­
lent benefit levels at age 65. The benefit levels at
Mazda are based on career earnings, subject to
increases (no decreases) during working years based on
the interest rate paid by a 30-year U.S. Treasury Bill.
• Extensive improvements in health insurance benefits.
• Establishment of a profit-sharing plan during the
contract term, or, if that is not possible, during the
succeeding contract.
• Employee discounts on purchases of Mazda vehicles.
• Prohibition of outsourcing (subcontracting) work tra­
ditionally performed by members of the bargaining
unit.
• A ban on layoffs, except when the company’s viability
is at stake, and then only after various efforts to avert
the layoffs.
Elsewhere in the industry, the u a w was in the midst of
an organizing campaign at Nissan Motor Co.’s vehicle
plant in Smyrna, t n . The plant, which employs 2,000
hourly workers, opened in 1985. Success at Nissan could
lead to renewal of the union’s campaign at Honda Motor
Co.’s Marysville, o h , plant, the first of the Japaneseowned automobile plants to open in the United States. In
1986, the u a w terminated an organizing drive at the
plant but promised to return.
By a vote of 1,915 to 1,668, u a w members at General
M otors’ Van Nuys, c a , plant approved a work-sharing
plan under which workers of each on the two shifts will
alternately work 2 weeks while the other shift goes on
temporary layoff.
The approval came after an intensive compaign by
proponents and opponents of the approach. The plan was
earlier rejected by an eight vote margin, apparently
55

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Developments in Industrial Relations
because senior employees were concerned that they
would suffer a loss of income while on layoff because
General M otors’ national Supplemental Unemployment
Benefit fund was partly depleted. Normally, the company
benefit combined with the State unemployment benefit
would total nearly 95 percent of job take-home pay.
The unhappy employees also argued that the approach
violated one of organized labor’s basic tenets: the last
employees hired should be the first employees fired.
If the workers had rejected the work-sharing plan, the
second shift would have been ended indefinitely. Rejec­
tion also would have disrupted the Japanese-type team
approach to production that had been adopted in May
1987. This would have occurred because some team
members would have been laid off, while others were
shifted about under contract seniority provisions permit­
ting senior workers to avoid layoff by “bumping” those
with less seniority.
General Motors ended the work sharing 1 month
earlier than the expected 2-month duration, saying that a
sales increase permitted a resumption of two-shift pro­
duction. Some workers contended that the resumption
was hastened by company concern over alleged morale
problems, despite General Motors announcement that it
would probably use work sharing again if sales decline.
Such a plan has already been used at a General Motors
plant in Lansing, m i .

Rubber Workers agree on contract provisions
Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Co. and the United Rubber
Workers agreed on a new contract to replace the contract
scheduled to expire in April. A company official said
resolution of key issues would aid new management in
dealing with problems resulting from a corporate restruc­
turing. Rubber Workers President Milan Stone said the
agreement demonstrated the union’s willingness to insure
companies’ “continuing viability.” However, union offi­
cials also said that the terms at Uniroyal Goodrich would
not set a pattern for Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. and
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. where contracts also
were to expire in April. On the contrary, Uniroyal
Goodrich and the union agreed to negotiate on or after
April 12, 1990, to determine what portion of the
“industry pattern” wage and benefit terms at Goodyear
and Firestone will be incorporated into their contract.
Tire companies’ attempts to adapt to the growing
“internationalization” of production and sales has re­
sulted in corporate acquisitions and mergers and revamp­
ing of operations, including plant closings. At Uniroyal
Goodrich (which resulted from the 1986 merger of
Uniroyal, Inc. and B.F. Goodrich Co.), recent changes in
management occurred because of the December 1987
acquisition of Goodrich stock shares by Clayton &

56


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Dubilier, an investment firm that already owned a
substantial portion of Uniroyal shares.
Under the contract, employees will not receive speci­
fied wage increases during the 39-month contract period
which ends in April 1991. During the first year, the
provision for quarterly cost-of-living adjustments will
operate at the existing rate of 1 cent an hour for each
0.26-point movement in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’
Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and
Clerical Workers (1967=100), but only to the extent that
the increase in the index exceeds 4.5 percent. Adjust­
ments in the second and third contract years will not be
subject to similar limits.
In return for the wage restraint, employees will receive
“equity units” of the company described as “a stake in
the company’s success,” according to a corporate official.
The units will be held in trust by the Rubber Workers
and will be redeemable in cash if the company is sold,
assumes the status of a publicly-owned corporation, or on
the fifth anniversary of the agreement, whichever occurs
first.
From the employees’ view, the most important provi­
sion was a guarantee that the company will not close its
plants in Fort Wayne, i n , and Opelika and Tuscaloosa,
a l . The fate of the fourth plant, in Eau Claire, w i , will be
considered by a joint committee.
Another provision calls for a joint effort to contain
rising health care costs. In another change, pension rates
for future retirees will be raised by $2 in the third year, to
$22 for the former Goodrich employees and to $20.50 for
the former Uniroyal employees. Equalization of these
rates and other provisions will be negotiated during the
agreement period.

Safeway sells stores, new contract negotiated
Safeway Stores’ efforts to reduce debt resulting from a
successful fend-off of a hostile takeover bid in 1986
continued, as the grocery chain completed the sale of its
Kansas City division. The final condition of the sale was
met when the new owners negotiated an initial labor
contract with the United Food and Commercial Work­
ers, the incumbent union. The new owners are a group of
former Safeway division managers and a New York City
investment firm, Morgan, Lewis, Githens and Ahn. The
66 stores will be operated under the name Food Barn
Stores, Inc.
The 3-year accord included some employee “give
backs.” But, according to the president of the largest of
the three local unions, it was “the best possible contract
we could have gotten under the circumstances.” One area
of cost reduction was premium pay for work on Sundays,
which was reduced to the employee’s regular hourly pay
rate plus $1, from time-and-one-half. All employees will
be paid at time-and-one-quarter for working on holidays,

down from double-time for meatcutters and time-andone-half for clerks.
Wage rates were frozen for all employees except
wrappers, whose rate was cut 74 cents, to $9.50 an hour,
and clerks at the top of the pay scale, whose rate was cut
68 cents, to $9 an hour. A union official estimated that
the 68-cent cut would affect 500 employees, but 1,500
clerks would benefit by moving up to the new $9 rate.
These employees had been receiving less than $9 because
they were at the lower end of a two-tier pay system that
was abolished under the settlement. Also, the starting
rate for clerks was increased to $4.50 from $4.19.
Other provisions included:
• Elimination of paid personal leave, which had totaled
3 or 4 days per year.
• Shortening of the time intervals between steps in the
pay progression schedule.
• Equalization of the employer’s pension financing at 52
cents for all hours worked by all employees. Previ­
ously, the rate ranged from 22 cents to 52 cents.
• Requirements that at least 50 percent of all work hours
be given to full-time workers and that part-time
workers must be assured of a least 20 hours a week.
• Elimination of credits for service with Safeway in
determining the duration of paid vacations. However,
all employees will receive 1 week of paid vacation
beginning in the first year.
• Retention of credits for service with Safeway in setting
work schedules, job bumping, and transfers.
At the time of the settlement, Safeway was also
proceeding with plans to sell its Little Rock, a r , division,
comprising 51 stores. Earlier, Safeway had sold its
Dallas, t x , division, which led the company and the
Food and Commercial Workers to adopt a national
severance plan providing for benefits to employees losing
their jobs as a result of the sale of an entire division. (See
Monthly Labor Review, January 1988, p. 35.)

Contract terms vary among sugar producers
A 3-year contract between 13 Hawaiian sugar produc­
ers and the International Longshoremen’s and Ware­
housemen’s Union provided for variations in wage terms
among the producers, reflecting their financial condition.
At Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar, the most profitable
of the companies, employees received an immediate 3-


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percent wage increase, to be followed by 1.5-percent
increases in the second and third contract years. Workers
at 10 plantations will receive 1.5-percent increases in
each of the 3 years. At Hamakua and Hilo Coast
Processing, the two plantations that are in serious
financial difficulty, workers will not receive a wage
increase in the first year, but will receive lump-sum
payments equal to a 1.5-percent wage increase in the
second and third years if the plantations attain at least a
financial breakeven after the first year. The two planta­
tions employ more than 1,400 of the 6,000 workers
covered by the overall settlement.
The new contract, which runs to January 1, 1991, also
eliminated a 35-year limit on employee accrual of service
for pension calculations.

Early retirement offered at power company
In Upstate New York, 8,100 employees of Niagara
Mohawk Power Co. agreed to extend their current
contract for 1 year, to May 31, 1990, and to defer a
scheduled 4.7-percent wage increase for 1 year, to June
1989. In return, the company agreed not to subcontract
janitorial work, which would have eliminated 120 jobs in
the bargaining unit, according to the International Broth­
erhood of Electrical Workers, which represents the
workers.
In 1987, the employees had rejected a company
proposal to defer for 1 year a 4.5-percent wage increase
scheduled for June 1987. The utility then announced
plans to cut 389 jobs from the bargaining unit as part of
an ongoing program to cut costs. However, only 44
employees were cut because some workers were shifted to
other jobs. According to a union official, the 1988
proposal was accepted by the employees because it was
initiated by the union and because it contained more
“guarantees” for the employees. According to both
parties, the settlement signaled an improvement in their
bargaining relationship.
The new contract also extended an early retirement
option to employees in the bargaining unit. Under the
option (which was offered to nonunion employees in
1987), union members who were on the payroll on April
29, 1987 and who attained age 58 and 10 years of service
any time in 1987 could retire at unreduced pension rates.
In addition, the retirees would receive a $700 a month
supplement until they reach age 62.
□

57

Book Reviews
From laborlords to landlords
Old South, New South: Revolutions in the Southern
Economy Since the Civil War. By Gavin Wright.
New York, Basic Books, 1986. $9.95, paper.
“The preeminent distinctiveness of the Southern con­
text was the labor market,” writes Gavin Wright. The
regional labor market of the South provides the axis upon
which this well-argued, well-written work turns. As a
prism refracts light, so for Wright the changing southern
labor market refracts the forces that have underlain the
development of the southern economy. Wright deals
essentially with two questions—why did the southern
labor market retain its regional distinctiveness for some
80 years after emancipation; and what caused it eventu­
ally to become integrated into the national labor market?
The core of W right’s answer is that (1) the southern
labor market’s isolation resulted from the need to
maintain a cheap agricultural work force; industrial
wages in the South were linked to the farm wage; and the
dominant planter interests resisted the wage competition
which industrial development, with its attendant invest­
ment in education, would have involved; and (2) that
with the introduction of farm (including cotton) price
supports by the New Deal legislation, the mechanization
of cotton harvesting became economically feasible, dis­
placing farm labor even as job opportunities in the North
opened up during World War II. The system upon which
the economy of the post bellum South had been based
thus disintegrated. The interest in keeping the southern
labor market isolated disappeared, giving the forces that
sought to promote industrial development the upper
hand, and tending to integrate the southern labor market
into the national one.
The separateness of the South’s labor market was
evident from the low average wages paid there; low
investment in education; and low average value added in
manufacturing per worker—nonfarm labor being concen­
trated in low-wage, low-skill sectors. It was a burden
inherited from the slave economy. Slavery had retarded
southern economic development—but how so? Wright
strikingly conceptualizes the behavioral response of slave
owners to the incentives available in a system of slave
labor: they were laborlords rather than landlords, he
argues. Their concern was with raising the value of their
labor (which constituted an estimated two-thirds of their

58


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wealth), rather than of their land. Hence, in contrast to
landed interests in the North, they exerted little pressure
for “internal improvements.” Population per square mile
remained low, canal mileage and railroad mileage per
1,000 square miles was much less than elsewhere in the
United States, and also the social groups seeking capital
gains as the major benefit from owning land were
virtually absent. The slaveholders, small as well as large,
were footloose; unlike northern wealthholders, they fre­
quently changed domicile. They lacked the interest in
developing land—the banks generally would lend only
with slaves, not with land, as security—as indicated by
the neglect in using fertilizer, by soil exhaustion, and by
failure to invest in the rich deposits of potash and coal
found in the South.
The Civil War, however, turned laborlords into land­
lords, writes Wright. The planters had not been the great
landowning class before the war that has often been
written about; they became one after the war. Their new
interest in land is documented by the campaigns they led
in many States for fence laws, strict trespass laws, and
enforcement—laws that were bitterly fought by smaller
farmers who had earlier used the land freely for grazing,
fishing, and hunting. Railroad building increased, and
there was a population shift to smaller urban centers. But
the dominance of cotton persisted and cotton planting
expanded. It remained by far the most profitable crop in
the agricultural South. “Cotton was not the totality of
southern agriculture, but for most of the region it defined
the opportunities and dictated the pace of economic life.”
While per capita income rose, the rise remained linked
to the fortunes of the world market demand for cotton:
real hourly wages and farm labor rates were linked to one
another (although the link began to weaken after World
War I). The South could not compete for the immigrant
labor that came to staff the northern industries, being “a
low-wage region in a high-wage country.” The kinship
networks that immigrant labor built, and which were
major channels of labor market information, remained
confined in the South for southern workers, and this
factor hindered their migration to the North. The
southern textile mill village epitomized this kinship-based
labor market system. While fostered by employers, and
despite its vaunted exploitative character, it was accepted
by textile worker families who had often to leave the land
because of the decline in the size of their farms, the
spread of tenancy, and other factors that marginalized

their existence. Employers had little trouble in staffing
the mills, despite the decline in the southern textile mill
wage to one-half the New England level by 1900. Kinship
was the vital ingredient in hiring and holding this work
force. As Wright states, “Rather than thinking of
kinship, ethnic, and linguistic loyalties as market ‘imper­
fections,’ it is more appropriate to consider these forces
as part of the way the market functions and expands.”
The isolation of the southern labor market was perpet­
uated by low educational attainment, and the smallness
or absence of a technical base in such fields as machine
building, metallurgy, and so forth. Low educational
attainment stemmed largely from inadequate funding of
schools. As late as 1940, expenditures per pupil in such
States as Virginia ran to only 54 percent of the national
average; in Texas, 73 percent; in North Carolina, 49
percent. Wright does not believe such low spending is
explainable by relative income. It resulted from the
South’s economic structure: “ . . . as a low-wage region
in a high-wage country, the South had no expectation
that it could capture the return on investment in its own
people.” Wright cites the experience of Birmingham, a l ,
where, under the pressure of the steel industry located
there and of interested local business circles, schools were
better funded than rural schools, and schools attended by
blacks were, as an exception, not underfunded. But no
sooner than World War I stopped the flow of immigrants
to the United States, “experienced miners and steelwork­
ers of the Birmingham district were among the first ones
to leave for the better paying jobs of the N orth.”
Employers in mining, sawmills, and lumber camps
“could not block the mobility of workers to leave but
they did not have to spend their money on an educational
process likely to raise the probability of departure.”
The South’s industrial start came late; the latecomer
may derive an advantage from his ability to adopt more
up-to-date production equipment than that of competi­
tors who started earlier. The preconditions to take such
advantage were lacking in the post bellum South. The
experience of southern labor built slowly, turnover and
absenteeism remained high for a long period. No widely
diffused community of technical experts existed—“the
basic lack of an indigenous technology is observable in
many . . . areas”—not only in steel and mining, but
also in paper and textile machinery (although in time the
textile machinery industry increasingly located in the
South, and generated a group of innovative engineers).
Moreover, the diffusion of technology was hampered by
the failure to upgrade labor whose schooling, as noted,
remained below the national norm.
Among the more important theses which Wright
argues in this book is that market pressures were not
hostile to racial segregation, that, on the contrary, they
accommodated to it. Hence, segregation did not in itself
impede southern progress. Competitive pressures indeed

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tended to equalize wages between whites and blacks,
especially in unskilled work. But occupational advance­
ment in industrial settings, being far more dependent
upon personal relationships in the work environment
than upon the impersonal market, perpetuated segrega­
tion by excluding blacks from promotional opportunities
in nearly all those industries in which they did not
constitute the great majority of workers in the lower job
rungs (as in sawmills). There was, then, no “law of
industrialization” in evidence which, as some economists
have held, would in time eliminate racialist criteria in
occupational advancement. Racial segregation, Wright
shows, led not only to occupational but to experiental
segregation as well. That is, blacks came to be identified
with certain industries, such as tobacco and lumbering,
and also to some extent with steelmaking—but they were
unable to compete for the better jobs, for example, in
textile mills because of the white milieu that stamped the
work environment there.
Despite the long tradition of segregation, racial wage
differentials did not fully emerge until the 1920’s. Con­
struction jobs came to be more distinctly associated with
“white jobs” (being high wage), and “black jobs” (being
low wage), in part from deliberate trade union policies. A
comparable evolution occurred in other industries. A
dualism developed, with both black and white workers
often holding not merely different but noncompeting jobs
with different base pay rates. Market pressures and
industrialization thus did not lead to “convergence and
equalization but to the opposite.” The specific reasons for
the emerging dual-wage structure are not clear; Wright
traces this and other developments unfavorable to black
workers to “the larger historical process of creating a
segregated society.”
We now turn to the second question which Wright
poses. What were the forces that spelled the end of the
South’s low-wage economy? There were essentially two
such forces, both receiving their impetus from the
changing political constellations of the 1930’s and 1940’s,
both rooted in New Deal policies. One was the upward
pressure on wages first channeled through the National
Recovery Act, and later institutionalized by the Fair
Labor Standards Act. Both the n r a and the f l s a in part
represented responses to the fears of northern labor of the
low-wage competition of the South. The other force was
the farm price support program, which stabilized the
price of cotton, and eventually resulted in the elimination
of tenantry in the South, and a shift to wage labor on
cotton plantations. In addition, the economics of cotton
planting began to favor mechanization. The need for
cheap farm labor abated, and massive out-migration,
particularly of blacks, ensued.
What Wright calls “The Assault on the Low-Wage
Economy” proved indubitably effective. The impact of
n r a , even during the brief period of its existence in the

59

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Book Reviews
1930’s, was such as to sizably reduce North-South wage
differentials in key southern industries—reductions that
“were never really reversed.” The reduced differentials,
together with federally mandated minimum wages, had
long been a goal of northern labor fearing its gains being
undermined by the South, n r a and f l s a also found
support among a majority of southerners. However, these
wage policies eliminated many jobs, and the first to be
laid off were blacks (with an estimated 500,000 of them
being on relief in 1934 as a result of the minimum wage
provisions of the n r a , by one official estimate). (Black
newspapers dubbed the n r a as the Negro Removal Act.)
The proportion of black workers in such industries as
tobacco, where they had been the majority in 1930 (68
percent), dropped precipitately (to 37 percent by 1950).
“A 1941 survey found that 95 percent of new job
openings in Georgia were reserved for whites.”
In cotton farming, displacement occurred by a more
circuitous route. Under the Agricultural Adjustment Act
( a a a ), payments were made to owners for reducing
cotton acreage. The payments were structured and
administered so as to reduce tenant acreage rather than
wage-labor acreage. The percentage of farm families
(mostly blacks) who were tenants shrank drastically; the
proportion of wage labor increased. The real daily wage
of the farm wage laborer dropped, and, in 1940, ran
below the level of the 1920’s. As noted, the expansion of
wage-labor acreage, combined with the later shortage of
farm labor from outmigration, made farm mechanization
economically feasible. While the 1930’s echoed with the
protests of liberals seeking in vain a betterment in the
conditions of southern tenants, the economic interests of
the planters had turned against tenantry. “(It) was not
the northern liberals but the southern planters who were
perpetrating revolutionary changes in southern institu­
tions,” Wright writes in taking issue with the frequent
complaints of southern farming interests, voiced during
the 1930’s, that lawyers in the U.S. Department of
Agriculture were fomenting unrest in their region.
In consequence of these developments, interest on the
part of dominant groups in the South in regionally
isolated labor and capital markets waned. Wright dis­
tances himself from certain interpretations of the evolu­
tion of the “new” South after 1940— among them, the
stimulation from military outlays; the importance of
climate in the residential choice of professional and

60

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managerial personnel; the small membership of trade
unions; and the absence of bureaucratic impediments to
business development often encountered in northern
States. These interpretations, Wright believes, are not
wrong so much as they fail to answer the question as to
why the South’s transformation into an integrated region
of the national economy did not occur earlier. His answer
is essentially what his book is about.
Wright has much to say concerning the human suffering
caused by the “speed and heartlessness” with which farm
mechanization was undertaken and to which the “all-out
research effort by public agencies . . . ” contributed. He
quotes Gunnar Myrdal’s remark that the a a a represented
an American enclosure movement, although he also points
to some of the progressive results it had in terms of the
eventually better lives for those who were displaced.
Moreover, that “enclosure movement,” doing away as it
did with the low-wage regional system, helped lay the
social and economic bases of the civil rights movement of
the 1960’s. The movement did away with the dualistic
wage structure, compelled the expansion of job opportuni­
ties for blacks, and lent urgency to the promotion of
business and industrial development in the South. Again,
Wright rejects the notion that this evolution arose from
the “rationality” of industrial society. Here, as elsewhere
in his book, his orientation is that of the political
economist who views political and social forces as central
to understanding economic events.
The book is rich and instructive as an economic history.
There remains the question, however, how successful
Wright’s focus upon the southern labor market is. The
labor market here constitutes a conditioning factor of the
history he has written, not truly an agent. The greatest
revolution in the history of the South was abolition. While
labor was generally free to move after abolition, it did so
within the ambit of the cotton economy: cotton remained
king for decades still, and cotton planters imposed a lowwage labor market system that conformed to their interest.
The demise of the system, again, was the work of agents or
forces that cannot be subsumed within the analytical terms
of the labor market. Wright’s skill as a writer conceals the
limitations of his approach. Yet, this is a minor criticism.
It cannot detract from the quality of his work.
—H

orst

Brand

Office of Productivity and Technology
Bureau of Labor Statistics

Current
Labor Statistics
S c h e d u le o f r e le a s e d a te s fo r m a jo r

bls

s ta tis tic a l s e r ie s

N o t e s o n C u r r e n t L a b o r S t a t i s t i c s ......................................................................................................................................................

62

63

C o m p a r a tiv e in d ic a to r s
1. Labor market indicators.....................................................
2. Annual and quarterly percent changes in compensation, prices, andproductivity ...........................................................................
3. Alternative measures of wage and compensation changes...............................................................................................

72
73
73

L a b o r fo r c e d a ta
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.

Employment status of the total population, data seasonally adjusted................................................................................................
Employment status of the civilian population, data seasonallyadjusted ............................................................................................
Selected employment indicators, data seasonally adjusted.....................................................................................................................
Selected unemployment indicators, data seasonally adjusted..................... .....................................................................................
Unemployment rates by sex and age, data seasonally adjusted...............................................................
Unemployed persons by reason for unemployment, data seasonallyadjusted ..................................................
Duration of unemployment, data seasonally adjusted............................. ............. — . .. .. .. .. — ................. ....................................
Unemployment rates of civilian workers, by State ....................................... ....................................— .............. ................................
Employment of workers by State.............................................................................
Employment of workers by industry, data seasonally adjusted
......................................................................................................
Average weekly hours by industry, data seasonally adjusted..................................................................... .........................................
Average hourly earnings by industry.............................................................................................................................................................
Average weekly earnings by industry........................................................
Hourly Earnings Index by industry........ ..................
Indexes of diffusion: proportion of industries in which employment increased, seasonally adjusted........................................
Annual data: Employment status of the noninstitutional population............................
Annual data: Employment levels by industry ................................................
Annual data: Average hours and earnings levels by industry...............................................................................................................

L a b o r c o m p e n s a tio n
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
P r ic e
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.

74
75
76
77
78
78
78
79
79
80
81
82
83
83
84
84
84
85

a n d c o lle c t iv e b a r g a in in g d a ta

Employment Cost Index, compensation, by occupation and industry group.....................................................................................
Employment Cost Index, wages and salaries, by occupation and industry group.........................................................................
Employment Cost Index, private nonfarm workers, by bargaining status,region, and area s iz e ................................................
Specified compensation and wage adjustments from contract settlements, and effective wage adjustments,
situations covering 1,000 workers or more............................................................................. ...................................................................
Average specified compensation and wage adjustments, bargaining situations covering 1,000workersor m ore.....................
Average effective wage adjustments, bargaining situations covering 1,000 workers or more .....................................................
Specified compensation and wage adjustments, State and local government bargaining situations covering 1,000
workers or m ore.................................................................................................................................................................................................
Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more.................................................................................................................................

86
87
88
89
89
90
90
90

d a ta
Consumer Price Index: U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and servicegroups ................................
Consumer Price Index: U.S. city average and local data, all items.......................................................... .......................................
Annual data: Consumer Price Index, all items and major groups....................................................................................................
Producer Price Indexes by stage of processing.........................................................................................................................................
Producer Price Indexes, by durability of product ................................................................................
Annual data: Producer Price Indexes by stage of processing ..............................................................................................................
U.S. export price indexes by Standard International Trade Classification........................................................................................
U.S. import price indexes by Standard International Trade Classification.......................................................................................


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91
94
95
96
97
97
98
99

61

Current Labor Statistics

Contents— Continued
38.
39.
40.
41.

U.S.
U.S.
U.S.
U.S.

export
import
export
import

price indexes
price indexes
price indexes
price indexes

by end-use category...................................................
by end-use category ......
by Standard Industrial Classification................................
by Standard Industrial Classification.........................................................................................................

100
100
100
101

42. Indexes of productivity, hourly compensation, and unit costs, data seasonallyadjusted..............................................................
43. Annual indexes of multifactor productivity...............................................................................................................................................
44. Annual indexes of productivity, hourly compensation, unit costs, and prices................................................................................

101
102
103

Productivity data

International comparisons
45. Unemployment rates in nine countries, data seasonally adjusted.......................................................................................................
46. Annual data: Employment status of civilian working-age population, ten countries ...................................................................
47. Annual indexes of productivity and related measures, twelve countries...........................................................................................

103
104
105

Injury and illness data
48.. Annual data: Occupational injury and illness incidence rates..............................................................................................................

106

Schedule of release dates for BLS statistical series

P ro d u c tiv ity a n d co s ts :
N o n fa rm b u s in e s s a n d m a n u fa c tu rin g ..
N o n fin a n c ia l c o rp o ra tio n s
.......................

Release
date

Period
covered

M ay 2

1st q u a rte r

Release
date

Period
covered

Release
date

Period
covered

MLR table
number

2 ’ 4 2 -4 4
?• 4 P - 4 4

E m p lo y m e n t s it u a t io n ...........................................

M ay 6

A p ril

P ro d u c e r P rice I n d e x ...........................................

M a y 13

A p ril

J u n e 10

M ay

J u ly 15

June

2; 3 3 -3 5

C o n s u m e r P rice I n d e x .........................................

M a y 20

A p ril

J u n e 21

M ay

J u ly 22

June

2; 3 0 -3 2

R eal e a r n in g s ...........................................................

M a y 20

A p ril

J u n e 21

M ay

J u ly 22

June

June 3

M ay

Ju ly 8

June

1; 4-21

14 -1 7

M a jo r c o lle c tiv e b a rg a in in g s e ttle m e n ts ...

J u ly 2 6

3-

E m p lo y m e n t C o s t I n d e x .....................................

J u ly 26

1 -3 -

U .S . Im p o rt a n d E x p o rt P rice In d e x e s . . . .

J u ly 28

62


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2 n d q u a rte r

? ? -? 4

36-4 1

NOTES ON CURRENT LABOR STATISTICS

This section of the Review presents the principal statistical series collected
and calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics: series on labor force,
employment, unemployment, collective bargaining settlements, consumer,
producer, and international prices, productivity, international comparisons,
and injury and illness statistics. In the notes that follow, the data in each
group of tables are briefly described, key definitions are given, notes on the
data are set forth, and sources of additional information are cited.

Adjustments for price changes. Some data— such as the Hourly
Earnings Index in table 17— are adjusted to eliminate the effect of changes
in price. These adjustments are made by dividing current dollar values by
the Consumer Price Index or the appropriate component of the index, then
multiplying by 100. For example, given a current hourly wage rate of $3
and a current price index number of 150, where 1977 = 100, the hourly rate
expressed in 1977 dollars is $2 ($3/150 x 100 = $2). The $2 (or any other
resulting values) are described as “real,” “constant,” or “1977” dollars.

General notes
Additional information
The following notes apply to several tables in this section:
Seasonal adjustment. Certain monthly and quarterly data are adjusted
to eliminate the effect on the data of such factors as climatic conditions,
industry production schedules, opening and closing of schools, holiday
buying periods, and vacation practices, which might prevent short-term
evaluation of the statistical series. Tables containing data that have been
adjusted are identified as “seasonally adjusted.” (All other data are not
seasonally adjusted.) Seasonal effects are estimated on the basis of past
experience. When new seasonal factors are computed each year, revisions
may affect seasonally adjusted data for several preceding years. (Season­
ally adjusted data appear in tables 1-3, 4-10, 13, 14, 17, and 18.) Begin­
ning in January 1980, the bls introduced two major modifications in the
seasonal adjustment methodology for labor force data. First, the data are
seasonally adjusted with a procedure called x - n arima, which was devel­
oped at Statistics Canada as an extension of the standard x -n method
previously used by bls . A detailed description of the procedure appears in
The x -n a r i m a Seasonal Adjustment Method by Estela Bee Dagum (Statis­
tics Canada, Catalogue No. 12-564E, February 1980). The second change
is that seasonal factors are calculated for use during the first 6 months of
the year, rather than for the entire year, and then are calculated at midyear
for the July-December period. However, revisions of historical data con­
tinue to be made only at the end of each calendar year.
Seasonally adjusted labor force data in tables 1 and 4-10 were revised
in the February 1988 issue of the Review, to reflect experience through
1987.
Annual revisions of the seasonally adjusted payroll data shown in tables
13, 14, and 18 were made in the July 1987 Review using the x -n arima
seasonal adjustment methodology. New seasonal factors for productivity
data in table 42 are usually introduced in the September issue. Seasonally
adjusted indexes and percent changes from month to month and from
quarter to quarter are published for numerous Consumer and Producer Price
Index series. However, seasonally adjusted indexes are not published for
the U.S. average All Items cpi. Only seasonally adjusted percent changes
are available for this series.

Data that supplement the tables in this section are published by the
Bureau in a variety of sources. News releases provide the latest statistical
information published by the Bureau; the major recurring releases are
published according to the schedule preceding these general notes. More
information about labor force, employment, and unemployment data and
the household and establishment surveys underlying the data are available
in Employment and Earnings, a monthly publication of the Bureau. More
data from the household survey are published in the two-volume data
book—Labor Force Statistics Derived From the Current Population Sur­
vey, Bulletin 2096. More data from the establishment survey appear in two
data books—Employment, Hours, and Earnings, United States, and Em­
ployment, Hours, and Earnings, States and Areas, and the annual supple­
ments to these data books. More detailed information on employee com­
pensation and collective bargaining settlements is published in the monthly
periodical, Current Wage Developments. More detailed data on consumer
and producer prices are published in the monthly periodicals, The c p i
Detailed Report, and Producer Prices and Price Indexes. Detailed data on
all of the series in this section are provided in the Handbook of Labor
Statistics, which is published biennally by the Bureau, bls bulletins are
issued covering productivity, injury and illness, and other data in this
section. Finally, the Monthly Labor Review carries analytical articles on
annual and longer term developments in labor force, employment, and
unemployment; employee compensation and collective bargaining; prices;
productivity; international comparisons; and injury and illness data.

Symbols
p = preliminary. To increase the timeliness of some series, prelim­
inary figures are issued based on representative but incom­
plete returns.
r = revised. Generally, this revision reflects the availability of later
data but may also reflect other adjustments,
n.e.c. = not elsewhere classified,
n.e.s. = not elsewhere specified.

COMPARATIVE INDICATORS
(Tables 1-3)
Comparative indicators tables provide an overview and comparison of
major bls statistical series. Consequently, although many of the included
series are available monthly, all measures in these comparative tables are
presented quarterly and annually.
Labor market indicators include employment measures from two ma­
jor surveys and information on rates of change in compensation provided
by the Employment Cost Index (eci) program. The labor force participation
rate, the employment-to-population ratio, and unemployment rates for
major demographic groups based on the Current Population (“household ”)
Survey are presented, while measures of employment and average weekly
hours by major industry sector are given using nonagricultural payroll data.
The Employment Cost Index (compensation), by major sector and by


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bargaining status, is chosen from a variety of bls compensation and wage
measures because it provides a comprehensive measure of employer costs
for hiring labor, not just outlays for wages, and it is not affected by
employment shifts among occupations and industries.

Data on changes in compensation, prices, and productivity are pre­
sented in table 2. Measures of rates of change of compensation and wages
from the Employment Cost Index program are provided for all civilian
nonfarm workers (excluding Federal and household workers) and for all
private nonfarm workers. Measures of changes in: consumer prices for all
urban consumers; producer prices by stage of processing; and the overall
export and import price indexes are given. Measures of productivity (output
per hour of all persons) are provided for major sectors.

63

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW

May 1988 •

Current Labor Statistics

Alternative measures of wage and compensation rates of change,
which reflect the overall trend in labor costs, are summarized in table 3.
Differences in concepts and scope, related to the specific purposes of the
series, contribute to the variation in changes among the individual mea­
sures.

Notes on the data
Definitions of each series and notes on the data are contained in later

sections of these notes describing each set of data. For detailed descriptions
of each data series, see b l s Handbook of Methods, Volumes I and II,
Bulletins 2134-1 and 2134-2 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982 and 1984,
respectively), as well as the additional bulletins, articles, and other publi­
cations noted in the separate sections of the Review’s “Current Labor
Statistics Notes.” Historical data for many series are provided in the Hand­
book of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2217 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1985).
Users may also wish to consult Major Programs, Bureau of Labor Statis­
tics, Report 718 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1985).

EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT DATA
(Tables 1; 4-21)

Household survey data
Description of the series
employment data in this section are obtained from the Current Population
Survey, a program of personal interviews conducted monthly by the Bureau
of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The sample consists of
about 59,500 households selected to represent the U.S. population 16 years
of age and older. Households are interviewed on a rotating basis, so that
three-fourths of the sample is the same for any 2 consecutive months.

Definitions
Employed persons include (1) all civilians who worked for pay any time
during the week which includes the 12th day of the month or who worked
unpaid for 15 hours or more in a family-operated enterprise and (2) those
who were temporarily absent from their regular jobs because of illness,
vacation, industrial dispute, or similar reasons. Members of the Armed
Forces stationed in the United States are also included in the employed
total. A person working at more than one job is counted only in the job at
which he or she worked the greatest number of hours.
Unemployed persons are those who did not work during the survey
week, but were available for work except for temporary illness and had
looked for jobs within the preceding 4 weeks. Persons who did not look for
work because they were on layoff or waiting to start new jobs within the
next 30 days are also counted among the unemployed. The overall unem­
ployment rate represents the number unemployed as a percent of the labor
force, including the resident Armed Forces. The civilian unemployment
rate represents the number unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor
force.
The labor force consists of all employed or unemployed civilians plus
members of the Armed Forces stationed in the United States. Persons not
in the labor force are those not classified as employed or unemployed; this
group includes persons who are retired, those engaged in their own house­
work, those not working while attending school, those unable to work
because of long-term illness, those discouraged from seeking work because
of personal or job-market factors, and those who are voluntarily idle. The
noninstitutional population comprises all persons 16 years of age and
older who are not inmates of penal or mental institutions, sanitariums, or
homes for the aged, infirm, or needy, and members of the Armed Forces
stationed in the United States. The labor force participation rate is the
proportion of the noninstitutional population that is in the labor force. The
employment-population ratio is total employment (including the resident
Armed Forces) as a percent of the noninstitutional population.

Notes on the data
From time to time, and especially after a decennial census, adjustments
are made in the Current Population Survey figures to correct for estimating
errors during the preceding years. These adjustments affect the comparabil­
ity of historical data. A description of these adjustments and their effect on

64


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the various data series appear in the Explanatory Notes of Employment and
Earnings.
Data in tables 4-10 are seasonally adjusted, based on the seasonal
experience through December 1987.

Additional sources of information
For detailed explanations of the data, see b l s Handbook of Methods,
Bulletin 2134-1 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982), chapter 1, and for
additional data, Handbook of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2217 (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1985). A detailed description of the Current Population
Survey as well as additional data are available in the monthly Bureau of
Labor Statistics periodical, Employment and Earnings. Historical data
from 1948 to 1981 are available in Labor Force Statistics Derived from the
Current Population Survey: A Databook, Vols. I and II, Bulletin 2096
(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982).
A comprehensive discussion of the differences between household and
establishment data on employment appears in Gloria P. Green, “Comparing
employment estimates from household and payroll surveys,” Monthly
Labor Review, December 1969, pp. 9-20.

Establishment survey data
Description of the series
Employment, hours, and earnings data in this section are compiled from
payroll records reported monthly on a voluntary basis to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics and its cooperating State agencies by more than 290,000
establishments representing all industries except agriculture. In most indus­
tries, the sampling probabilities are based on the size of the establishment;
most large establishments are therefore in the sample. (An establishment is
not necessarily a firm; it may be a branch plant, for example, or ware­
house.) Self-employed persons and others not on a regular civilian payroll
are outside the scope of the survey because they are excluded from estab­
lishment records. This largely accounts for the difference in employment
figures between the household and establishment surveys.

Definitions
An establishment is an economic unit which produces goods or services
(such as a factory or store) at a single location and is engaged in one type
of economic activity.
Employed persons are all persons who received pay (including holiday
and sick pay) for any part of the payroll period including the 12th of the
month. Persons holding more than one job (about 5 percent of all persons
in the labor force) are counted in each establishment which reports them.
Production workers in manufacturing include working supervisors and
all nonsupervisory workers closely associated with production operations.
Those workers mentioned in tables 12-17 include production workers in
manufacturing and mining; construction workers in construction; and non­
supervisory workers in the following industries: transportation and public
utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and

services. These groups account for about four-fifths of the total employ­
ment on private nonagricutural payrolls.
Earnings are the payments production or nonsupervisory workers re­
ceive during the survey period, including premium pay for overtime or
late-shift work but excluding irregular bonuses and other special payments.
Real earnings are earnings adjusted to reflect the effects of changes in
consumer prices. The deflator for this series is derived from the Consumer
Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (cpi- w). The
Hourly Earnings Index is calculated from average hourly earnings data
adjusted to exclude the 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 and seasonal factors in the proportion of workers
in high-wage and low-wage industries.
Hours represent the average weekly hours of production or nonsupervi­
sory workers for which pay was received and are different from standard
or scheduled hours. Overtime hours represent the portion of average
weekly hours which was in excess of regular hours and for which overtime
premiums were paid.
The Diffusion Index, introduced in the May 1983 Review, represents
the percent of 185 nonagricultural industries in which employment was
rising over the indicated period. One-half of the industries with unchanged
employment are counted as rising. In line with Bureau practice, data for
the 1-, 3-, and 6-month spans are seasonally adjusted, while those for the
12-month span are unadjusted. The diffusion index is useful for measur­
ing the dispersion of economic gains or losses and is also an economic
indicator.

Notes on the data
Establishment data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are peri­
odically adjusted to comprehensive counts of employment (called
“benchmarks”). The latest complete adjustment was made with the release
of May 1987 data, published in the July 1987 issue of the Review. Conse­
quently, data published in the Review prior to that issue are not necessarily
comparable to current data. Unadjusted data have been revised back to
April 1985; seasonally adjusted data have been revised back to January
1982. These revisions were published in the Supplement to Employment
and Earnings (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1987). Unadjusted data from
April 1986 forward, and seasonally adjusted data from January 1983 for­
ward are subject to revision in future benchmarks.
In the establishment survey, estimates for the 2 most recent months are
based on incomplete returns and are published as preliminary in the tables
(13 to 18 in the Review). When all returns have been received, the esti­
mates are revised and published as final in the third month of their appear­
ance. Thus, August data are published as preliminary in October and
November and as final in December. For the same reason, quarterly estab­
lishment data (table 1) are preliminary for the first 2 months of publication
and final in the third month. Thus, second-quarter data are published as
preliminary in August and September and as final in October.

Additional sources of information
Detailed national data from the establishment survey are published
monthly in the bls periodical, Employment and Earnings. Earlier compara­
ble unadjusted and seasonally adjusted data are published in Employment,
Hours, and Earnings, United States, 1909-84, Bulletin 1312-12 (Bureau
of Labor Statistics, 1985) and its annual supplement. For a detailed discus­
sion of the methodology of the survey, see b l s Handbook of Methods,
Bulletin 2134-1 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982), chapter 2. For addi­
tional data, see Handbook of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2217 (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1985).
A comprehensive discussion of the differences between household and
establishment data on employment appears in Gloria P. Green, “Comparing
employment estimates from household and payroll surveys,” Monthly
Labor Review, December 1969, pp. 9-20.

Unemployment data by State
Description of the series
Data presented in this section are obtained from two major sources— the
Current Population Survey (cps) and the Local Area Unemployment Statis­
tics (laus) program, which is conducted in cooperation with State employ­
ment security agencies.
Monthly estimates of the labor force, employment, and unemployment
for States and sub-State areas are a key indicator of local economic condi­
tions and form the basis for determining the eligibility of an area for
benefits under Federal economic assistance programs such as the Job Train­
ing Partnership Act and the Public Works and Economic Development Act.
Insofar as possible, the concepts and definitions underlying these data are
those used in the national estimates obtained from the cps.

Notes on the data
Data refer to State of residence. Monthly data for 11 States— California,
Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas— are obtained directly from the
cps , because the size of the sample is large enough to meet bls standards
of reliability. Data for the remaining 39 States and the District of Columbia
are derived using standardized procedures established by bls . Once a year,
estimates for the 11 States are revised to new population controls. For the
remaining States and the District of Columbia, data are benchmarked to
annual average cps levels.

Additional sources of information
Information on the concepts, definitions, and technical procedures used
to develop labor force data for States and sub-State areas as well as addi­
tional data on sub-States are provided in the monthly Bureau of Labor
Statistics periodical, Employment and Earnings, and the annual report,
Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment (Bureau of Labor
Statistics). See also b l s Handbook of Methods, Bulletin 2134-1 (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1982), chapter 4.

COMPENSATION AND WAGE DATA
(Tables 1-3; 22-29)
Compensation and wage data are gathered by the Bureau from business
establishments, State and local governments, labor unions, collective bar­
gaining agreements on file with the Bureau, and secondary sources.

Employment Cost Index
Description of the series
The Employment Cost Index (eci) is a quarterly measure of the rate of
change in compensation per hour worked and includes wages, salaries, and
employer costs of employee benefits. It uses a fixed market basket of


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labor— similar in concept to the Consumer Price Index’s fixed market
basket of goods and services— to measure change over time in employer
costs of employing labor. The index is not seasonally adjusted.
Statistical series on total compensation costs and on wages and salaries
are available for private nonfarm workers excluding proprietors, the selfemployed, and household workers. Both series are also available for State
and local government workers and for the civilian nonfarm economy,
which consists of private industry and State and local government workers
combined. Federal workers are excluded.
The Employment Cost Index probability sample consists of about 2,200
private nonfarm establishments providing about 12,000 occupational ob­
servations and 700 State and local government establishments providing

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Current Labor Statistics

3,500 occupational observations selected to represent total employment in
each sector. On average, each reporting unit provides wage and compensa­
tion information on five well-specified occupations. Data are collected each
quarter for the pay period including the 12th day of March, June, Septem­
ber, and December.
Beginning with June 1986 data, fixed employment weights from the
1980 Census of Population are used each quarter to calculate the indexes
for civilian, private, and State and local governments. (Prior to June 1986,
the employment weights are from the 1970 Census of Population.) These
fixed weights, also used to derive all of the industry and occupation series
indexes, ensure that changes in these indexes reflect only changes in com­
pensation, not employment shifts among industries or occupations with
different levels of wages and compensation. For the bargaining status,
region, and metropolitan/nonmetropolitan area series, however, employ­
ment data by industry and occupation are not available from the census.
Instead, the 1980 employment weights are reallocated within these series
each quarter based on the current sample. Therefore, these indexes are not
strictly comparable to those for the aggregate, industry, and occupation
series.

Definitions
Total compensation costs include wages, salaries, and the employer’s
costs for employee benefits.
Wages and salaries consist of earnings before payroll deductions, in­
cluding production bonuses, incentive earnings, commissions, and cost-ofliving adjustments.
Benefits include the cost to employers for paid leave, supplemental pay
(including nonproduction bonuses), insurance, retirement and savings
plans, and legally required benefits (such as Social Security, workers’
compensation, and unemployment insurance).
Excluded from wages and salaries and employee benefits are such items
as payment-in-kind, free room and board, and tips.

Notes on the data
The Employment Cost Index data series began in the fourth quarter of
1975, with the quarterly percent change in wages and salaries in the private
nonfarm sector. Data on employer costs for employee benefits were in­
cluded in 1980 to produce, when combined with the wages and salaries
series, a measure of the percent change in employer costs for employee
total compensation. State and local government units were added to the eci
coverage in 1981, providing a measure of total compensation change in the
civilian nonfarm economy (excluding Federal employees). Historical in­
dexes (June 1981 = 100) of the quarterly rates of change are presented in the
May issue of the bls monthly periodical, Current Wage Developments.

(wage and benefit costs) and wages alone, quarterly for private industry and
semiannually for State and local government. Compensation measures
cover all collective bargaining situations involving 5,000 workers or more
and wage measures cover all situations involving 1,000 worker's or more.
These data, covering private nonagricultural industries and State and local
governments, are calculated using information obtained from bargaining
agreements on file with the Bureau, parties to the agreements, and second­
ary sources, such as newspaper accounts. The data are not seasonally
adjusted.
Settlement data are measured in terms of future specified adjustments:
those that will occur within 12 months after contract ratification— firstyear— and all adjustments that will occur over the life of the contract
expressed as an average annual rate. Adjustments are worker weighted.
Both first-year and over-the-life measures exclude wage changes that may
occur under cost-of-living clauses that are triggered by future movements
in the Consumer Price Index.
Effective wage adjustments measure all adjustments occurring in the
reference period, regardless of the settlement date. Included are changes
from settlements reached during the period, changes deferred from con­
tracts negotiated in earlier periods, and changes under cost-of-living adjust­
ment clauses. Each wage change is worker weighted. The changes are
prorated over all workers under agreements during the reference period
yielding the average adjustment.

Definitions
Wage rate changes are calculated by dividing newly negotiated wages
by the average hourly earnings, excluding overtime, at the time the agree­
ment is reached. Compensation changes are calculated by dividing the
change in the value of the newly negotiated wage and benefit package by
existing average hourly compensation, which includes the cost of previ­
ously negotiated benefits, legally required social insurance programs, and
average hourly earnings.
Compensation changes are calculated by placing a value on the benefit
portion of the settlements at the time they are reached. The cost estimates
are based on the assumption that conditions existing at the time of settle­
ment (for example, methods of financing pensions or composition of labor
force) will remain constant. The data, therefore, are measures of negotiated
changes and not of total changes in employer cost.
Contract duration runs from the effective date of the agreement to the
expiration date or first wage reopening date, if applicable. Average annual
percent changes over the contract term take account of the compounding of
successive changes.

Additional sources of information

Notes on the data

For a more detailed discussion of the Employment Cost Index, see the
Handbook o f Methods, Bulletin 2134-1 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982),
chapter 11, and the follow in g M onthly L abor R eview articles:
“Employment Cost Index: a measure of change in the ‘price of labor’,” July
1975; “How benefits will be incorporated into the Employment Cost In­
dex,” January 1978; “Estimation procedures for the Employment Cost
Index,” May 1982; and “Introducing new weights for the Employment Cost
Index,” June 1985.
Data on the eci are also available in bls quarterly press releases issued
in the month following the reference months of March, June, September,
and December; and from the Handbook of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2217
(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1985).

Care should be exercised in comparing the size and nature of the settle­
ments in State and local government with those in the private sector because
of differences in bargaining practices and settlement characteristics. A
principal difference is the incidence of cost-of-living adjustment (cola)
clauses which cover only about 2 percent of workers under a few local
government settlements, but cover 50 percent of workers under private
sector settlements. Agreements without cola’s tend to provide larger speci­
fied wage increases than those with cola’s . Another difference is that State
and local government bargaining frequently excludes pension benefits
which are often prescribed by law. In the private sector, in contrast,
pensions are typically a bargaining issue.

Collective bargaining settlements
Description of the series
Collective bargaining settlements data provide statistical measures of
negotiated adjustments (increases, decreases, and freezes) in compensation

66


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Additional sources of information
For a more detailed discussion on the series, see the b l s Handbook of
Methods, Bulletin 2134-1 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982), chapter 10.
Comprehensive data are published in press releases issued quarterly (in
January, April, July, and October) for private industry, and semi-

annually (in February and August) for State and local government. Histor­
ical data and additional detailed tabulations for the prior calendar year
appear in the April issue of the bls monthly periodical, Current Wage
Developments.

monthly periodical, Current Wage Developments. Historical data appear in
the b l s Handbook of Labor Statistics.

Work stoppages

Other bls data on pay and benefits, not included in the Current Labor
Statistics section of the Monthly Labor Review, appear in and consist of the
following:
Industry Wage Surveys provide data for specific occupations selected to
represent an industry’s wage structure and the types of activities performed
by its workers. The Bureau collects information on weekly work schedules,
shift operations and pay differentials, paid holiday and vacation practices,
and information on incidence of health, insurance, and retirement plans.
Reports are issued throughout the year as the surveys are completed.
Summaries of the data and special analyses also appear in the Monthly
Labor Review.
Area Wage Surveys annually provide data for selected office, clerical,
professional, technical, maintenance, toolroom, powerplant, material
movement, and custodial occupations common to a wide variety of indus­
tries in the areas (labor markets) surveyed. Reports are issued throughout
the year as the surveys are completed. Summaries of the data and special
analyses also appear in the Review.
The National Survey of Professional, Administrative, Technical, and
Clerical Pay provides detailed information annually on salary levels and
distributions for the types of jobs mentioned in the survey’s title in private
employment. Although the definitions of the jobs surveyed reflect the
duties and responsibilities in private industry, they are designed to match
specific pay grades of Federal white-collar employees under the General
Schedule pay system. Accordingly, this survey provides the legally re­
quired information for comparing the pay of salaried employees in the
Federal civil service with pay in private industry. (See Federal Pay Com­
parability Act of 1970, 5 u.s.c. 5305.) Data are published in a bls news
release issued in the summer and in a bulletin each fall; summaries and
analytical articles also appear in the Review.
Employee Benefits Survey provides nationwide information on the inci­
dence and characteristics of employee benefit plans in medium and large
establishments in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Data are
published in an annual bls news release and bulletin, as well as in special
articles appearing in the Review.

Description of the series
Data on work stoppages measure the number and duration of major
strikes or lockouts (involving 1,000 workers or more) occurring during the
month (or year), the number of workers involved, and the amount of time
lost because of stoppage.
Data are largely from newspaper accounts and cover only establishments
directly involved in a stoppage. They do not measure the indirect or second­
ary effect of stoppages on other establishments whose employees are idle
owing to material shortages or lack of service.

Definitions
Number of stoppages: The number of strikes and lockouts involving
and lasting a full shift or longer.
Workers involved: The number of workers directly involved in the
stoppage.
Number of days idle: The aggregate number of workdays lost by
workers involved in the stoppages.
Days of idleness as a percent of estimated working time: Aggregate
workdays lost as a percent of the aggregate number of standard workdays
in the period multiplied by total employment in the period.

1,000 workers or more

Notes on the data
This series is not comparable with the one terminated in 1981 that
covered strikes involving six workers or more.

Additional sources of information
Data for each calendar year are reported in a bls press release issued in
the first quarter of the following year. Monthly data appear in the bls

Other compensation data

PRICE DATA
(Tables 2; 30-41)
Price data are gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from retail and
primary markets in the United States. Price indexes are given in relation to
a base period (1982 = 100 or 1982-84 = 100, unless otherwise noted).

Consumer Price Indexes
Description of the series
The Consumer Price Index (cpi) is a measure of the average change in
the prices paid by urban consumers for a fixed market basket of goods and
services. The cpi is calculated monthly for two population groups, one
consisting only of urban households whose primary source of income is
derived from the employment of wage earners and clerical workers, and the
other consisting of all urban households. The wage earner index (cpi- w) is
a continuation of the historic index that was introduced well over a halfcentury ago for use in wage negotiations. As new uses were developed for
the cpi in recent years, the need for a broader and more representative index
became apparent. The all urban consumer index (cpi- u ), introduced in
1978, is representative of the 1982-84 buying habits of about 80 percent
of the noninstitutional population of the United States at that time, com­
pared with 32 percent represented in the cpi- w . In addition to wage earners


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and clerical workers, the cpi- u covers professional, managerial, and tech­
nical workers, the self-employed, short-term workers, the unemployed,
retirees, and others not in the labor force.

The cpi is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, fuel, drugs, trans­
portation fares, doctors’ and dentists’ fees, and other goods and services
that people buy for day-to-day living. The quantity and quality of these
items are kept essentially unchanged between major revisions so that only
price changes will be measured. All taxes directly associated with the
purchase and use of items are included in the index.
Data collected from more than 21,000 retail establishments and 60,000
housing units in 91 urban areas across the country are used to develop the
“U.S. city average.” Separate estimates for 27 major urban centers are
presented in table 31. The areas listed are as indicated in footnote 1 to the
table. The area indexes measure only the average change in prices for each
area since the base period, and do not indicate differences in the level of
prices among cities.

Notes on the data
In January 1983, the Bureau changed the way in which homeownership
costs are measured for the CPi-u. A rental equivalence method replaced the

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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW

May 1988 •

Current Labor Statistics

asset-price approach to homeownership costs for that series. In January
1985, the same change was made in the cpi- w . The central purpose of the
change was to separate shelter costs from the investment component of
homeownership so that the index would reflect only the cost of shelter
services provided by owner-occupied homes. An updated cpi-u and cpi w
were introduced with release of the January 1987 data.

Additional sources of information
For a discussion of the general method for computing the CPI, see b l s
Handbook of Methods, Volume II, The Consumer Price Index, Bulletin
2134-2 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1984). The recent change in the mea­
surement of homeownership costs is discussed in Robert Gillingham and
Walter Lane, “Changing the treatment of shelter costs for homeowners in
the cpi,” Monthly Labor Review, July 1982, pp. 9-14. An overview of the
recently introduced revised cpi, reflecting 1982-84 expenditure patterns, is
contained in The Consumer Price Index: 1987 Revision, Report 736 (Bu­
reau of Labor Statistics, 1987).
Additional detailed cpi data and regular analyses of consumer price
changes are provided in the c p i Detailed Report, a monthly publication of
the Bureau. Historical data for the overall cpi and for selected groupings
may be found in the Handbook of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2217 (Bureau
of Labor Statistics, 1985).

Producer Price Indexes
Description of the series
Producer Price Indexes (ppi) measure average changes in prices re­
ceived in primary markets of the United States by producers of commodi­
ties in all stages of processing. The sample used for calculating these
indexes currently contains about 3,100 commodities and about 75,000
quotations per month selected to represent the movement of prices of all
commodities produced in the manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, fishing,
mining, gas and electricity, and public utilities sectors. The stage of proc­
essing structure of Producer Price Indexes organizes products by class of
buyer and degree of fabrication (that is, finished goods, intermediate
goods, and crude materials). The traditional commodity structure of ppi
organizes products by similarity of end use or material composition.
To the extent possible, prices used in calculating Producer Price Indexes
apply to the first significant commercial transaction in the United States
from the production or central marketing point. Price data are generally
collected monthly, primarily by mail questionnaire. Most prices are ob­
tained directly from producing companies on a voluntary and confidential
basis. Prices generally are reported for the Tuesday of the week containing
the 13th day of the month.
Since January 1987, price changes for the various commodities have
been averaged together with implicit quantity weights representing their
importance in the total net selling value of all commodities as of 1982. The
detailed data are aggregated to obtain indexes for stage-of-processing
groupings, commodity groupings, durability-of-product groupings, and a
number of special composite groups. All Producer Price Index data are
subject to revision 4 months after original publication.

Notes on the data
Beginning with the January 1986 issue, the Review is no longer present­
ing tables of Producer Price Indexes for commodity groupings, special
composite groups, or sic industries. However, these data will continue to
be presented in the Bureau’s monthly publication Producer Price Indexes.
The Bureau has completed the first major stage of its comprehensive
overhaul of the theory, methods, and procedures used to construct the
Producer Price Indexes. Changes include the replacement of judgment
sampling with probability sampling techniques; expansion to systematic

68

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coverage of the net output of virtually all industries in the mining and
manufacturing sectors; a shift from a commodity to an industry orientation;
the exclusion of imports from, and the inclusion of exports in, the survey
universe; and the respecification of commodities priced to conform to
Bureau of the Census definitions. These and other changes have been
phased in gradually since 1978. The result is a system of indexes that is
easier to use in conjunction with data on wages, productivity, and employ­
ment and other series that are organized in terms of the Standard Industrial
Classification and the Census product class designations.

Additional sources of information
For a discussion of the methodology for computing Producer Price In­
dexes, see b l s Handbook of Methods, Bulletin 2134-1 (Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1982), chapter 7.
Additional detailed data and analyses of price changes are provided
monthly in Producer Price Indexes. Selected historical data may be found
in the Handbook of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2217 (Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1985).

International Price Indexes
Description of the series
The bls International Price Program produces quarterly export and
import price indexes for nonmilitary goods traded between the United
States and the rest of the world. The export price index provides a measure
of price change for all products sold by U.S. residents to foreign buyers.
(“Residents” is defined as in the national income accounts: it includes
corporations, businesses, and individuals but does not require the organiza­
tions to be U.S. owned nor the individuals to have U.S. citizenship.) The
import price index provides a measure of price change for goods purchased
from other countries by U.S. residents. With publication of an all-import
index in February 1983 and an all-export index in February 1984, all U.S.
merchandise imports and exports now are represented in these indexes. The
reference period for the indexes is 1977 = 100, unless otherwise indicated.
The product universe for both the import and export indexes includes raw
materials, agricultural products, semifinished manufactures, and finished
manufactures, including both capital and consumer goods. Price data for
these items are collected quarterly by mail questionnaire. In nearly all
cases, the data are collected directly from the exporter or importer, al­
though in a few cases, prices are obtained from other sources.
To the extent possible, the data gathered refer to prices at the U.S. border
for exports and at either the foreign border or the U.S. border for imports.
For nearly all products, the prices refer to transactions completed during the
first 2 weeks of the third month of each calendar quarter— March, June,
September, and December. Survey respondents are asked to indicate all
discounts, allowances, and rebates applicable to the reported prices, so that
the price used in the calculation of the indexes is the actual price for which
the product was bought or sold.
In addition to general indexes of prices for U.S. exports and imports,
indexes are also published for detailed product categories of exports and
imports. These categories are defined by the 4- and 5-digit level of detail
of the Standard Industrial Trade Classification System (srrc). The calcula­
tion of indexes by srrc category facilitates the comparison of U.S. price
trends and sector production with similar data for other countries. Detailed
indexes are also computed and published on a Standard Industrial Classifi­
cation (sic-based) basis, as well as by end-use class.

Notes on the data
The export and import price indexes are weighted indexes of the
Laspeyres type. Price relatives are assigned equal importance within each
weight category and are then aggregated to the srrc level. The values
assigned to each weight category are based on trade value figures compiled

by the Bureau of the Census. The trade weights currently used to compute
both indexes relate to 1980.
Because a price index depends on the same items being priced from
period to period, it is necessary to recognize when a product’s specifica­
tions or terms of transaction have been modified. For this reason, the
Bureau’s quarterly questionnaire requests detailed descriptions of the phys­
ical and functional characteristics of the products being priced, as well as
information on the number of units bought or sold, discounts, credit terms,
packaging, class of buyer or seller, and so forth. When there are changes
in either the specifications or terms of transaction of a product, the dollar
value of each change is deleted from the total price change to obtain the
“pure” change. Once this value is determined, a linking procedure is
employed which allows for the continued repricing of the item.
For the export price indexes, the preferred pricing basis is f.a.s. (free
alongside ship) U.S. port of exportation. When firms report export prices
f.o.b. (free on board), production point information is collected which
enables the Bureau to calculate a shipment cost to the port of exportation.

An attempt is made to collect two prices for imports. The first is the import
price f.o.b. at the foreign port of exportation, which is consistent with the
basis for valuation of imports in the national accounts. The second is the
import price c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) at the U.S. port of impor­
tation, which also includes the other costs associated with bringing the
product to the U.S. border. It does not, however, include duty charges.

Additional sources of information
For a discussion of the general method of computing International Price
Indexes, see b l s Handbook of Methods, Bulletin 2134-1 (Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1982), chapter 8.
Additional detailed data and analyses of international price develop­
ments are presented in the Bureau’s quarterly publication U.S. Import and
Export Price Indexes and in occasional Monthly Labor Review articles
prepared by b l s analysts. Selected historical data may be found in the
Handbook of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2217 (Bureau of Labor Statistics,
1985).

PRODUCTIVITY DATA
(Tables 2; 42-47)
U. S. productivity and related data
Description of the series
The productivity measures relate real physical output to real input. As
such, they encompass a family of measures which include single factor
input measures, such as output per unit of labor input (output per hour) or
output per unit of capital input, as well as measures of multifactor produc­
tivity (output per unit of labor and capital inputs combined). The Bureau
indexes show the change in output relative to changes in the various inputs.
The measures cover the business, nonfarm business, manufacturing, and
nonfinancial corporate sectors.
Corresponding indexes of hourly compensation, unit labor costs, unit
nonlabor payments, and prices are also provided.

Unit profits include corporate profits and the value of inventory adjust­
ments per unit of output.
Hours of all persons are the total hours paid of payroll workers, selfemployed persons, and unpaid family workers.
Capital services is the flow of services from the capital stock used in
production. It is developed from measures of the net stock of physical
assets— equipment, structures, land, and inventories— weighted by rental
prices for each type of asset.
Labor and capital inputs combined are derived by combining changes
in labor and capital inputs with weights which represent each component’s
share of total output. The indexes for capital services and combined units
of labor and capital are based on changing weights which are averages of
the shares in the current and preceding year (the Tomquist index-number
formula).

Notes on the data
Definitions
Output per hour of all persons (labor productivity) is the value of
goods and services in constant prices produced per hour of labor input.
Output per unit of capital services (capital productivity) is the value of
goods and services in constant dollars produced per unit of capital services
input.
Multifactor productivity is the ratio output per unit of labor and capital
inputs combined. Changes in this measure reflect changes in a number of
factors which affect the production process such as changes in technology,
shifts in the composition of the labor force, changes in capacity utilization,
research and development, skill and efforts of the work force, manage­
ment, and so forth. Changes in the output per hour measures reflect the
impact of these factors as well as the substitution of capital for labor.
Compensation per hour is the wages and salaries of employees plus
employers’ contributions for social insurance and private benefit plans, and
the wages, salaries, and supplementary payments for the self-employed
(except for nonfinancial corporations in which there are no selfemployed)— the sum divided by hours paid for. Real compensation per
hour is compensation per hour deflated by the change in the Consumer
Price Index for All Urban Consumers.
Unit labor costs are the labor compensation costs expended in the
production of a unit of output and are derived by dividing compensation by
output. Unit nonlabor payments include profits, depreciation, interest,
and indirect taxes per unit of output. They are computed by subtracting
compensation of all persons from current dollar value of output and divid­
ing by output. Unit nonlabor costs contain all the components of unit
nonlabor payments except unit profits.


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Output measures for the business sector and the nonfarm businesss sector
exclude the constant dollar value of owner-occupied housing, rest of world,
households and institutions, and general government output from the con­
stant dollar value of gross national product. The measures are derived from
data supplied by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of
Commerce, and the Federal Reserve Board. Quarterly manufacturing out­
put indexes are adjusted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to annual esti­
mates of output (gross product originating) from the Bureau of Economic
Analysis. Compensation and hours data are developed from data of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The productivity and associated cost measures in tables 42-44 describe
the relationship between output in real terms and the labor time and capital
services involved in its production. They show the changes from period to
period in the amount of goods and services produced per unit of input.
Although these measures relate output to hours and capital services, they
do not measure the contributions of labor, capital, or any other specific
factor of production. Rather, they reflect the joint effect of many influ­
ences, including changes in technology; capital investment; level of output;
utilization of capacity, energy, and materials; the organization of produc­
tion; managerial skill; and the characteristics and efforts of the work force.

Additional sources of information
Descriptions of methodology underlying the measurement of output per
hour and multifactor productivity are found in the b l s Handbook of Meth­
ods , Bulletin 2134-1 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982), chapter 13. His­
torical data for selected industries are provided in the Bureau’s Handbook
of Labor Statistics, 1985, Bulletin 2217.

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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW

May 1988 •

Current Labor Statistics

INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS
(Tables 45-47)
Labor force and unemployment
Description of the series
Tables 45 and 46 present comparative measures of the labor force,
employment, and unemployment— approximating U.S. concepts— for the
United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and six European countries. The
unemployment statistics (and, to a lesser extent, employment statistics)
published by other industrial countries are not, in most cases, comparable
to U.S. unemployment statistics. Therefore, the Bureau adjusts the figures
for selected countries, where necessary, for all known major definitional
differences. Although precise comparability may not be achieved, these
adjusted figures provide a better basis for international comparisons than
the figures regularly published by each country.

Definitions
For the principal U.S. definitions of the labor force, employment, and
unemployment, see the Notes section on EMPLOYMENT DATA: House­
hold Survey Data.

Notes on the data
The adjusted statistics have been adapted to the age at which compulsory
schooling ends in each country, rather than to the U.S. standard of 16 years
of age and over. Therefore, the adjusted statistics relate to the population
age 16 and over in France, Sweden, and from 1973 onward, the United
Kingdom; 16 and over in Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, the Nether­
lands, and prior to 1973, the United Kingdom; and 14 and over in Italy. The
institutional population is included in the denominator of the labor force
participation rates and employment-population ratios for Japan and Ger­
many; it is excluded for the United States and the other countries.
In the U.S. labor force survey, persons on layoff who are awaiting recall
to their job are classified as unemployed. European and Japanese layoff
practices are quite different in nature from those in the United States;
therefore, strict application of the U.S. definition has not been made on this
point. For further information, see Monthly Labor Review, December
1981, pp. 8-11.
The figures for one or more recent years for France, Germany, Italy, the
Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are calculated using adjustment
factors based on labor force surveys for earlier years and are considered
preliminary. The recent-year measures for these countries are, therefore,
subject to revision whenever data from more current labor force surveys
become available.

Additional sources of information
For further information, see International Comparisons of Unemploy­
ment , Bulletin 1979 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1978), Appendix B and
unpublished Supplements to Appendix B available on request. The statis­
tics are also analyzed periodically in the Monthly Labor Review. Additional
historical data, generally beginning with 1959, are published in the Hand­
book of Labor Statistics and are available in unpublished statistical supple­
ments to Bulletin 1979.

Manufacturing productivity and labor costs
Description of the series
Table 47 presents comparative measures of manufacturing labor produc­
tivity, hourly compensation costs, and unit labor costs for the United

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States, Canada, Japan, and nine European countries. These measures are
limited to trend comparisons— that is, intercountry series of changes over
time— rather than level comparisons because reliable international com­
parisons of the levels of manufacturing output are unavailable.

Definitions
Output is constant value output (value added), generally taken from the
national accounts of each country. While the national accounting methods
for measuring real output differ considerably among the 12 countries, the
use of different procedures does not, in itself, connote lack of comparabil­
ity— rather, it reflects differences among countries in the availability and
reliability of underlying data series.
Hours refer to all employed persons including the self-employed in the
United States and Canada; to all wage and salary employees in the other
countries. The U.S. hours measure is hours paid; the hours measures for the
other countries are hours worked.
Compensation (labor cost) includes all payments in cash or kind made
directly to employees plus employer expenditures for legally required in­
surance programs and contractual and private benefit plans. In addition, for
some countries, compensation is adjusted for other significant taxes on
payrolls or employment (or reduced to reflect subsidies), even if they are
not for the direct benefit of workers, because such taxes are regarded as
labor costs. However, compensation does not include all items of labor
cost. The costs of recruitment, employee training, and plant facilities and
services— such as cafeterias and medical clinics— are not covered because
data are not available for most countries. Self-employed workers are in­
cluded in the U.S. and Canadian compensation figures by assuming that
their hourly compensation is equal to the average for wage and salary
employees.

Notes on the data
For most of the countries, the measures refer to total manufacturing as
defined by the International Standard Industrial Classification. However,
the measures for France (beginning 1959), Italy (beginning 1970), and the
United Kingdom (beginning 1971), refer to manufacturing and mining less
energy-related products and the figures for the Netherlands exclude
petroleum refining from 1969 to 1976. For all countries, manufacturing
includes the activities of government enterprises.
The figures for one or more recent years are generally based on current
indicators of manufacturing output, employment, hours, and hourly com­
pensation and are considered preliminary until the national accounts and
other statistics used for the long-term measures become available.

Additional sources of information
For additional information, see the b l s Handbook of Methods, Bulletin
2134-1 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982), chapter 16 and periodic Monthly
Labor Review articles. Historical data are provided in the Bureau’s Hand­
book of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2217, 1985. The statistics are issued
twice per year— in a news release (generally in May) and in a Monthly
Labor Review article (generally in December).

OCCUPATIONAL INJURY AND ILLNESS DATA
(Table 48)
Description of the series
The Annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses is designed to
collect data on injuries and illnesses based on records which employers in
the following industries maintain under the Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970: agriculture, forestry, and fishing; oil and gas extraction;
construction; manufacturing; transportation and public utilities; wholesale
and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and services. Excluded
from the survey are self-employed individuals, farmers with fewer than 11
employees, employers regulated by other Federal safety and health laws,
and Federal, State, and local government agencies.
Because the survey is a Federal-State cooperative program and the data
must meet the needs of participating State agencies, an independent sam­
ple is selected for each State. The sample is selected to represent all pri­
vate industries in the States and territories. The sample size for the
survey is dependent upon (1) the characteristics for which estimates are
needed; (2) the industries for which estimates are desired; (3) the charac­
teristics of the population being sampled; (4) the target reliability of the
estimates; and (5) the survey design employed.
While there are many characteristics upon which the sample design could
be based, the total recorded case incidence rate is used because it is one of
the most important characteristics and the least variable; therefore, it re­
quires the smallest sample size.
The survey is based on stratified random sampling with a Neyman
allocation and a ratio estimator. The characteristics used to stratify the
establishments are the Standard Industrial Classification (sic) code and size
of employment.

Definitions
Recordable occupational injuries and illnesses are: (1) occupational
deaths, regardless of the time between injury and death, or the length of the
illness; or (2) nonfatal occupational illnesses; or (3) nonfatal occupational
injuries which involve one or more of the following: loss of consciousness,
restriction of work or motion, transfer to another job, or medical treatment
(other than first aid).
Occupational injury is any injury such as a cut, fracture, sprain, ampu­
tation, and so forth, which results from a work accident or from exposure
involving a single incident in the work environment.
Occupational illness is an abnormal condition or disorder, other than
one resulting from an occupational injury, caused by exposure to environ­
mental factors associated with employment. It includes acute and chronic
illnesses or disease which may be caused by inhalation, absorption, inges­
tion, or direct contact.
Lost workday cases are cases which involve days away from work, or
days of restricted work activity, or both.
Lost workday cases involving restricted work activity are those cases
which result in restricted work activity only.
Lost workdays away from work are the number of workdays (consec­
utive or not) on which the employee would have worked but could not
because of occupational injury or illness.
Lost workdays— restricted work activity are the number of workdays
(consecutive or not) on which, because of injury or illness: (1) the em­
ployee was assigned to another job on a temporary basis; or (2) the em­


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ployee worked at a permanent job less than full time; or (3) the employee
worked at a permanently assigned job but could not perform all duties
normally connected with it.
The number of days away from work or days of restricted work
activity does not include the day of injury or onset of illness or any days
on which the employee would not have worked even though able to work.
Incidence rates represent the number of injuries and/or illnesses or lost
workdays per 100 full-time workers.

Notes on the data
Estimates are made for industries and employment-size classes and for
severity classification: fatalities, lost workday cases, and nonfatal cases
without lost workdays. Lost workday cases are separated into those where
the employee would have worked but could not and those in which work
activity was restricted. Estimates of the number of cases and the number of
days lost are made for both categories.
Most of the estimates are in the form of incidence rates, defined as the
number of injuries and illnesses, or lost workdays, per 100 full-time em­
ployees. For this purpose, 200,000 employee hours represent 100 em­
ployee years (2,000 hours per employee). Only a few of the available
measures are included in the Handbook of Labor Statistics. Full detail is
presented in the annual bulletin, Occupational Injuries and Illnesses in the
United States, by Industry.
Comparable data for individual States are available from the bls Office
of Occupational Safety and Health Statistics.
Mining and railroad data are furnished to BLS by the Mine Safety and
Health Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration, respec­
tively. Data from these organizations are included in bls and State publica­
tions. Federal employee experience is compiled and published by the Occu­
pational Safety and Health Administration. Data on State and local
government employees are collected by about half of the States and territo­
ries; these data are not compiled nationally.

A d dition al sou rces o f inform ation
The Supplementary Data System provides detailed information describ­
ing various factors associated with work-related injuries and illnesses.
These data are obtained from information reported by employers to State
workers’ compensation agencies. The Work Injury Report program exam­
ines selected types of accidents through an employee survey which focuses
on the circumstances surrounding the injury. These data are not included
in the Handbook of Labor Statistics but are available from the bls Office
of Occupational Safety and Health Statistics.
The definitions of occupational injuries and illnesses and lost workdays
are from Recordkeeping Requirements under the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of 1970. For additional data, see Occupational Injuries and
Illnesses in the United States, by Industry, annual Bureau of Labor
Statistics bulletin; bls Handbook of Methods, Bulletin 2134-1 (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1982), chapter 17; Handbook of Labor Statistics, Bulletin
2217 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1985), pp. 411-14; annual reports in the
Monthly Labor Review, and annual U.S. Department of Labor press
releases.

71

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:

Comparative Indicators

1. Labor market indicators
1987

1986
Selected indicators

1986

1987
I

III

II

IV

I

II

III

IV

Employment data
Employment status of the civilian noninstitutionalized population
(household survey)'
Labor force participation ra te ........................................................
Employment-population ra tio .........................................................
Unemployment rate .......................................................................
M e n ..............................................................................................
16 to 24 years ..........................................................................
25 years and o v e r.....................................................................
Women ........................................................................................
16 to 24 years ..........................................................................
25 years and o v e r.....................................................................
Unemployment rate, 15 weeks and o ver....................................

65.3
60.7
7.0
6.9
13.7
5.4
7.1
12.8
5.5
1.9

65.6
61.5
6.2
6.2
12.6
4.8
6.2
11.7
4.8
1.7

65.0
60.5
7.0
6.8
13.4
5.3
7.2
13.1
5.6
1.9

65.2
60.6
7.2
7.0
14.1
5.4
7.3
13.1
5.7
1.9

65.4
60.8
7.0
7.0
13.9
5.4
7.0
12.7
5.4
1.9

65.4
60.9
6.8
6.9
13.4
5.4
6.8
12.5
5.3
1.9

65.5
61.1
6.6
6.6
13.3
5.1
6.6
12.5
5.0
1.8

65.5
61.4
6.3
6.3
12.9
4.9
6.2
11.8
4.7
1.7

65.6
61.7
6.0
5.9
12.2
4.6
6.1
11.4
4.7
1.6

65.7
61.9
5.9
5.8
11.9
4.4
6.0
11.1
4.7
1.5

Total ..................................................................................................
Private sector .................................................................................
Goods-producing............................................................................
Manufacturing..............................................................................
Service-producing ..........................................................................

99,610
82,900
24,681
18,994
74,930

102,112
85,049
24,884
19,112
77,228

98,901
82,299
24,767
19,086
74,134

99,321
82,670
24,702
19,003
74,619

99,804
83,119
24,629
18,939
75,175

100,397
83,498
24,624
18,953
75,773

101,133
84,183
24,733
18,979
76,399

101,708
84,675
24,757
19,015
76,951

102,278
85,240
24,884
19,134
77,394

103,293
86,069
25,164
19,322
78,129

Average hours:
Private sector .................................................................................
Manufacturing ...........................................................................
Overtime...................................................................................

34.8
40.7
3.4

34.8
41.0
3.7

34.9
40.7
3.4

34.8
40.7
3.4

34.7
40.7
3.5

34.7
40.8
3.5

34.8
41.0
3.6

34.8
40.9
3.7

34.8
40.9
3.7

34.8
41.2
3.9

Percent change in the ECI, compensation:
All workers (excluding farm, household, and Federal workers) ......
Private industry workers ...............................................................
Goods-producing2 .....................................................................
Service-producing2 ....................................................................
State and local government workers...........................................

3.6
3.2
3.1
3.2
5.2

3.6
3.3
3.1
3.7
4.4

1.1
1.1
1.1
1.1
1.0

.7
.8
.9
.6
.6

1.1
.7
.6
.8
2.8

.6
.6
.5
.6
.8

.9
1.0
.5
1.3
.8

.7
.7
.7
.7
.3

1.2
1.0
.8
1.0
2.3

.8
.7
1.0
.5
.9

Workers by bargaining status (private industry):
Union.............................................................................................
Nonunion ......................................................................................

2.1
3.6

2.8
3.6

1.0
1.2

.2
.9

.5
.8

.3
.7

.5
1.1

.5
.7

.6
1.1

1.1
.6

Employment, nonagricultural (payroll data), in thousands:1

Employment Cost Index

1 Quarterly data seasonally adjusted.
2 Goods-producing industries include mining, construction, and manufacturing. Service-

72


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producing industries include all other private sector industries.

2. Annual and quarterly percent changes in compensation, prices, and productivity
1987

1986
Selected measures

1986

1987

Compensation data

III

II

I

IV

III

II

I

IV

2

Employment Cost Index-compensation (wages, salaries,
benefits):
Civilian nonfarm ....................................................................
Private nonfarm ...................................................................
Employment Cost Index-wages and salaries
Civilian nonfarm ..................................................................
Private nonfarm ...................................................................

3.6
3.2

3.6
3.3

1.1
1.1

0.7
.8

1.1
.7

0.6
.6

0.9
1.0

0.7
.7

1.2
1.0

0.8
.7

3.5
3.1

3.5
3.3

1.0
1.0

.8
.9

1.1
.7

.6
.5

1.0
1.0

.5
.7

1.3
1.0

.7
.6

.6

.3

1.4

1.2

1.3

Price data1
Consumer Price Index (All urban consumers): All item s......

1.1

4.4

-.5

Producer Price Index:
Finished goods.....................................................................
Finished consumer goods...................................................
Capital equipment ...............................................................
Intermediate materials, supplies, components ....................
Crude materials.....................................................................

-2.3
-3.5
2.1
-4.4
-8.9

2.1
2.5
1.3
5.5
8.8

-3.1
-4.0
.2
-3.0
-7.6

.6

-.7
-.7
-.8
-.2
-.6

.5
.4
.6
-.9
-1.5

.0
-.3
1.1
1.0
-1.5

.2
.3
-.2
1.2
.6

1.2
1.6
.3
1.9
5.3

.8
.9
.1
1.3
4.2

1.1
.8
2.1
-.3
.6

.3

Productivity data3
Output per hour of all persons:
Business se cto r...................................................................
Nonfarm business se cto r....................................................
Nonfinancial corporations 4 .................................................

.9
.8
0.3

1.9
1.6
1.6

5.8
6.6
3.3

1 Annual changes are December-to-December change. Quarterly changes
are calculated using the last month of each quarter. Compensation and price
data are not seasonally adjusted and the price data are not compounded.
2 Excludes Federal and private household workers.
3 Annual rates of change are computed by comparing annual averages.

-0.3
-.6
.9

0.6
.1
-.2

0.5
.4
-2.9

-0.1
.0

2.1

1.4
1.4
.7

-1.5
-1.0
-1.0

4.7
4.2
3.3

dexes. The data are seasonally adjusted.
4 Output per hour of all employees.
- Data not available.

3. Alternative measures of wage and compensation changes
Four quarters ended-

Quarterly average
1987

1986

Components

Average hourly compensation:’

IV

III

II

I

IV

III

3.7
3.6

3.3
3.4

2.8
2.7

2.8
2.7

3.0
2.9

2.9
2.8

3.0
2.8

3.6
4.0

1.4
1.1

3.3
3.0

3.8
3.6

3.1
3.4

1.1
.7
.5
.8
2.8

.6
.6
.3
.7
.8

.9
1.0
.5
1.1
.8

.7
.7
.5
.7
.3

1.2
1.0
.6
1.1
2.3

.8
.7
1.1
.6
.9

3.6
3.2
2.3
3.5
5.2

3.6
3.2
2.1
3.6
5.2

3.4
3.1
1.6
3.6
5.0

3.3
3.0
1.9
3.4
4.7

3.4
3.3
2.0
3.7
4.2

3.6
3.3
2.8
3.6
4.4

1.1
.7
.6
.7
3.2
.5
.1
.5
(4)

.6
.5
.2
.7
.7
.5
.2
.2
.1

1.0
1.0
.4
1.2
.8
.4
(4)
.3
.1

.5
.7
.5
.8
.2
1.0
.2
.7
.2

1.3
1.0
.6
1.1
2.3
.9
.2
.6
.1

.7
.6
1.1
.5
.9
.8
.3
.3
.2

3.5
3.1
2.3
3.4
5.4
2.3
.5
1.6
.2

3.5
3.1
2.0
3.5
5.4
2.3
.5
1.7
.2

3.5
3.2
1.7
3.5
5.2
2.0
.4
1.5
.1

3.2
3.0
1.7
3.3
5.0
2.2
.3
1.6
.3

3.4
3.3
1.7
3.8
4.1
2.6
.5
1.7
.4

3.5
3.3
2.6
3.6
4.2
3.1
.7
1.8
.5

.8
1.5

2.0
2.1

1.2
1.8

2.6
2.9

2.1
2.0

2.4
1.8

1.2
1.7

1.2
1.8

1.2
1.8

1.5
2.0

2.1
2.2

2.2
2.1

.7
1.2

2.7
2.4

1.7
2.4

4.1
3.9

2.5
2.1

3.4
2.4

.9
1.4

1.1
1.6

1.2
1.7

1.9
2.1

2.8
2.6

3.1
2.6

Employment Cost Index-compensation:

Employment Cost Index-wages and salaries:

Negotiated wage adjustments from settlements:3

Negotiated wage and benefit adjustments from settlements:5

1 Seasonally adjusted.
2 Excludes Federal and household workers.
3 Limited to major collective bargaining units of 1,000 workers or more. The
most recent data are preliminary.


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IV

III

II

I

IV

III

1987

1986

u a i c l IU U IIU

/.C IU .

5 Limited to major collective bargaining units of 5,000 workers or more. The
most recent data are preliminary.

73

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:
4.

Employment Data

Employment status of the total population, by sex, monthly data seasonally adjusted

(Numbers in thousands)
Annual average

1987

1988

Employment status
1986

1987

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

182,293
119,540
65.6
111,303

184,490
121,602
65.9
114,177

183,915
120,982
65.8
113,191

184,079
121,098
65.8
113,541

184,259
121,633
66.0
114,060

184,421
121,326
65.8
114,018

184,605
121,610
65.9
114,359

184,738
122,042
66.1
114,786

184,904
121,706
65.8
114,615

61.1
1,706
109,597
3,163
106,434
8,237
6.9
62,752

61.9
1,737
112,440
3,208
109,232
7,425
6.1
62,888

61.5
1,736
111,455
3,237
108,218
7,791
6.4
62,933

61.7
1,735
111,806
3,250
108,556
7,557
6.2
62,981

61.9
1,726
112,334
3,269
109,065
7,573
6.2
62,626

61.8
1,718
112,300
3,192
109,108
7,308
6.0
63,095

61.9
1,720
112,639
3,212
109,427
7,251
6.0
62,995

62.1
1,736
113,050
3,143
109,907
7,256
5.9
62,696

87,349
66,973
76.7
62,443

88,476
67,784
76.6
63,684

88,186
67,590
76.6
63,263

88,271
67,604
76.6
63,390

88,361
67,802
76.7
63,543

88,442
67,623
76.5
63,543

88,534
67,671
76.4
63,711

71.5
1,551
60,892
4,530
6.8

72.0
1,577
62,107
4,101
6.1

71.7
1,575
61,688
4,327
6.4

71.8
1,575
61,815
4,214
6.2

71.9
1,566
61,977
4,259
6.3

71.8
1,559
61,984
4,080
6.0

94,944
52,568
55.4
48,861

96,013
53,818
56.1
50,494

95,729
53,392
55.8
49,928

95,808
53,494
55.8
50,151

95,898
53,831
56.1
50,517

51.5
155
48,706
3,707
7.1

52.6
160
50,334
3,324
6.2

52.2
161
49,767
3,464
6.5

52.3
160
49,991
3,343
6.2

52.7
160
50,357
3,314
6.2

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

185,052
122,128
66.0
114,951

185,225
122,349
66.1
115,259

185,370
122,472
66.1
115,494

185,571
122,924
66.2
115,878

185,705
123,084
66.3
116,145

185,847
122,639
66.0
115,839

62.0
1,743
112,872
3,184
109,688
7,091
5.8
63,198

62.1
1,741
113,210
3,249
109,961
7,177
5.9
62,924

62.2
1,755
113,504
3,172
110,332
7,090
5.8
62,876

62.3
1,750
113,744
3,215
110,529
6,978
5.7
62,898

62.4
1,749
114,129
3,293
110,836
7,046
5.7
62,647

62.5
1,736
114,409
3,228
111,182
6,938
5.6
62,621

62.3
1,736
114,103
3,204
110,899
6,801
5.5
63,208

88,598
67,937
76.7
63,916

88,683
67,776
76.4
63,949

88,756
67,947
76.6
64,048

88,849
68,019
76.6
64,174

88,924
68,030
76.5
64,245

89,033
68,243
76.6
64,396

89,099
68,343
76.7
64,636

89,168
68,148
76.4
64,332

72.0
1,561
62,150
3,960
5.9

72.1
1,575
62,341
4,021
5.9

72.1
1,581
62,368
3,827
5.6

72.2
1,580
62,468
3,899
5.7

72.2
1,593
62,581
3,845
5.7

72.2
1,589
62,656
3,785
5.6

72.3
1,588
62,808
3,847
5.6

72.5
1,577
63,059
3,707
5.4

72.1
1,573
62,759
3,816
5.6

95,979
53,703
56.0
50,475

96,071
53,939
56.1
50,648

96,140
54,105
56.3
50,870

96,221
53,930
56.0
50,666

96,295
54,181
56.3
50,903

96,376
54,330
56.4
51,085

96,446
54,442
56.4
51,249

96,538
54,681
56.6
51,482

96,606
54,740
56.7
51,509

96,679
54,491
56.4
51,507

52.6
159
50,316
3,228
6.0

52.7
159
50,489
3,291
6.1

52.9
161
50,709
3,235
6.0

52.7
162
50,504
3,264
6.1

52.9
161
50,742
3,278
6.1

53.0
162
50,923
3,245
6.0

53.1
161
51,088
3,193
5.9

53.3
161
51,321
3,200
5.9

53.3
159
51,350
3,231
5.9

53.3
163
51,344
2,985
5.5

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

TOTAL
Noninstitutional population 1, 2 .......
Labor force2 ..................................
Participation rate 3 ................
Total employed 2 .......................
Employment-population
ratio 4 ...................................
Resident Armed Forces 1 .......
Civilian employed ....................
Agriculture ............................
Nonagricultural industries.....
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment rate 5 ...........
Not in labor force ........................

Men, 16 years and over
Noninstitutional population 1, 2 ......
Labor force2 ..................................
Participation rate 3 ................
Total employed 2 ........................
Employment-population
ratio 4 ...................................
Resident Armed Forces 1 .......
Civilian employed ....................
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment rate 5 ...........

Women, 16 years and over
Noninstitutional population ', 2 .......
Labor force2 ..................................
Participation rate 3 ................
Total employed2 ........................
Employment-population
ratio 4 ...................................
Resident Armed Forces 1 .......
Civilian employed ....................
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment rate 5 ...........

' The population and Armed Forces figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation.
2 Includes members of the Armed Forces stationed in the United States.
3 Labor force as a percent of the noninstitutional population.

74


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

4 Total employed as a percent of the noninstitutional population.
5 Unemployment as a percent of the labor force (including
Forces).

the resident Armed

5. Employment status of the civilian population, by sex, age, race and Hispanic origin, monthly data seasonally
adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
1988

1987

Annual average
Employment status
Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

1986

1987

180,587
117,834
65.3
109,597

182,753
119,865
65.6
112,440

182,179
119,246
65.5
111,455

182,344
119,363
65.5
111,806

182,533
119,907
65.7
112,334

182,703
119,608
65.5
112,300

182,885
119,890
65.6
112,639

183,002
120,306
65.7
113,050

183,161
119,963
65.5
112,872

183,311
120,387
65.7
113,210

183,470
120,594
65.7
113,504

183,620
120,722
65.7
113,744

183,822
121,175
65.9
114,129

183,969
121,348
66.0
114,409

184,111
120,903
65.7
114,103

60.7
8,237
7.0
62,752

61.5
7,425
6.2
62,888

61.2
7,791
6.5
62,933

61.3
7,557
6.3
62,981

61.5
7,573
6.3
62,626

61.5
7,308
6.1
63,095

61.6
7,251
6.0
62,995

61.8
7,256
6.0
62,696

61.6
7,091
5.9
63,198

61.8
7,177
6.0
62,924

61.9
7,090
5.9
62,876

61.9
6,978
5.8
62,898

62.1
7,046
5.8
62,647

62.2
6,938
5.7
62,621

62.0
6,801
5.6
63,208

78,523
61,320
78.1
57,569

79,565
62,095
78.0
58,726

79,303
61,933
78.1
58,380

79,387
61,970
78.1
58,516

79,474
62,129
78.2
58,673

79,536
62,054
78.0
58,632

79,625
62,106
78.0
58,783

79,668
62,083
77.9
58,825

79,740
62,085
77.9
58,967

79,807
62,211
78.0
59,037

79,885
62,299
78.0
59,164

80,002
62,248
77.8
59,185

80,120
62,440
77.9
59,287

80,203
62,696
78.2
59,625

80,260
62,497
77.9
59,407

73.3
2,292
55,277
3,751
6.1

73.8
2,329
56,397
3,369
5.4

73.6
2,361
56,019
3,553
5.7

73.7
2,378
56,138
3,454
5.6

73.8
2,383
56,290
3,456
5.6

73.7
2,316
56,316
3,422
5.5

73.8
2,333
56,450
3,323
5.4

73.8
2,289
56,536
3,258
5.2

73.9
2,345
56,622
3,118
5.0

74.0
2,343
56,694
3,174
5.1

74.1
2,297
56,867
3,135
5.0

74.0
2,298
56,887
3,063
4.9

74.0
2,323
56,964
3,154
5.1

74.3
2,280
57,344
3,071
4.9

74.0
2,253
57,154
3,089
4.9

87,567
48,589
55.5
45,556

88,583
49,783
56.2
47,074

88,321
49,414
55.9
46,582

88,395
49,494
56.0
46,761

88,464
49,728
56.2
47,028

88,546
49,722
56.2
47,088

88,632
49,886
56.3
47,206

88,685
49,969
56.3
47,308

88,785
49,922
56.2
47,251

88,843
50,095
56.4
47,480

88,923
50,254
56.5
47,634

89,010
50,361
56.6
47,750

89,110
50,558
56.7
47,977

89,178
50,640
56.8
48,005

89,261
50,542
56.6
48,132

52.0
614
44,943
3,032
6.2

53.1
622
46,453
2,709
5.4

52.7
602
45,980
2,832
5.7

52.9
603
46,158
2,733
5.5

53.2
629
46,399
2,700
5.4

53.2
619
46,469
2,634
5.3

53.3
620
46,586
2,680
5.4

53.3
609
46,699
2,661
5.3

53.2
600
46,651
2,671
5.4

53.4
636
46,844
2,615
5.2

53.6
636
46,998
2,620
5.2

53.6
643
47,107
2,611
5.2

53.8
646
47,331
2,581
5.1

53.8
654
47,351
2,635
5.2

53.9
656
47,476
2,411
4.8

14,496
7,926
54.7
6,472

14,606
7,988
54.7
6,640

14,555
7,899
54.3
6,493

14,562
7,899
54.2
6,529

14,595
8,050
55.2
6,633

14,621
7,832
53.6
6,580

14,628
7,898
54.0
6,650

14,649
8,254
56.3
6,917

14,637
7,956
54.4
6,654

14,661
8,081
55.1
6,693

14,663
8,041
54.8
6,706

14,609
8,113
55.5
6,809

14,592
8,177
56.0
6,865

14,588
8,011
54.9
6,779

14,591
7,865
53.9
6,564

44.6
258
6,215
1,454
18.3

45.5
258
6,382
1,347
16.9

44.6
274
6,219
1,406
17.8

44.8
269
6,260
1,370
17.3

45.4
257
6,376
1,417
17.6

45.0
257
6,323
1,252
16.0

45.5
259
6,391
1,248
15.8

47.2
245
6,672
1,337
16.2

45.5
239
6,415
1,302
16.4

45.7
270
6,423
1,388
17.2

45.7
239
6,467
1,335
16.6

46.6
274
6,535
1,304
16.1

47.0
323
6,542
1,312
16.0

46.5
293
6,486
1,232
15.4

45.0
295
6,269
1,301
16.5

155,432
101,801
65.5
95,660

156,958
103,290
65.8
97,789

156,561
102,836
65.7
97,074

156,676
102,972
65.7
97,338

156,811
103,416
65.9
97,829

156,930
103,150
65.7
97,698

157,058
103,248
65.7
97,917

157,134
103,516
65.9
98,181

157,242
103,357
65.7
98,069

157,342
103,669
65.9
98,317

157,449
103,731
65.9
98,492

157,552
103,907
66.0
98,779

157,676
104,252
66.1
99,044

157,773
104,530
66.3
99,474

157,868
104,171
66.0
99,274

61.5
6,140
6.0

62.3
5,501
5.3

62.0
5,762
5.6

62.1
5,634
5.5

62.4
5,587
5.4

62.3
5,452
5.3

62.3
5,331
5.2

62.5
5,335
5.2

62.4
5,288
5.1

62.5
5,352
5.2

62.6
5,239
5.1

62.7
5,128
4.9

62.8
5,208
5.0

63.0
5,056
4.8

62.9
4,897
4.7

19,989
12,654
63.3
10,814

20,352
12,993
63.8
11,309

20,249
12,853
63.5
11,072

20,279
12,778
63.0
11,114

20,312
12,889
63.5
11,129

20,341
12,892
63.4
11,238

20,373
13,039
64.0
11,381

20,396
13,150
64.5
11,513

20,426
13,028
63.8
11,421

20,453
13,152
64.3
11,556

20,482
13,193
64.4
11,589

20,508
13,215
64.4
11,605

20,539
13,222
64.4
11,608

20,569
13,168
64.0
11,504

20,596
13,098
63.6
11,420

54.1
1,840
14.5

55.6
1,684
13.0

54.7
1,781
13.9

54.8
1,664
13.0

54.8
1,760
13.7

55.2
1,654
12.8

55.9
1,658
12.7

56.4
1,637
12.4

55.9
1,607
12.3

56.5
1,596
12.1

56.6
1,604
12.2

56.6
1,610
12.2

56.5
1,614
12.2

55.9
1,663
12.6

55.4
1,678
12.8

TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional
population1....................................
Civilian labor fo rce .......................
Participation rate ..................
Employed ...................................
Employment-population
ratio2 ....................................
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment ra te ..............
Not in labor fo rc e ........................

Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional
population1....................................
Civilian labor fo rce .......................
Participation rate ..................
Employed...................................
Employment-population
ratio2 ....................................
Agriculture...............................
Nonagricultural industries........
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment ra te ..............

Women, 20 years ond over
Civilian noninstitutional
population1 ....................................
Civilian labor fo rce ........................
Participation rate ..................
Employed ...................................
Employment-population
ratio2 ....................................
Agriculture...............................
Nonagricultural industries........
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment ra te ..............

Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional
population1....................................
Civilian labor fo rce ........................
Participation rate ..................
Employed...................................
Employment-population
ratio2 ....................................
Agriculture...............................
Nonagricultural industries.......
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment ra te..............

White
Civilian noninstitutional
population1 ....................................
Civilian labor fo rce.......................
Participation rate ..................
Employed ...................................
Employment-population
ratio2 ....................................
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment ra te ..............

Black
Civilian noninstitutional
population1 ....................................
Civilian labor fo rce .......................
Participation rate ..................
Employed ...................................
Employment-population
ratio2 ....................................
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment ra te ..............
See footnotes at end of table.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

75

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:

Employment Data

5. Continued— Employment status of the civilian population, by sex, age, race and Hispanic origin, monthly data seasonally
adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Annual average

1987

1988

Employment status
1986

1987

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

12,344
8,076
65.4
7,219

12,867
8,541
66.4
7,790

12,732
8,395
65.9
7,632

12,770
8,468
66.3
7,686

12,809
8,549
66.7
7,797

12,848
8,468
65.9
7,738

12,887
8,447
65.5
7,762

12,925
8,549
66.1
7,856

12,965
8,581
66.2
7,877

13,003
8,654
66.6
7,935

13,043
8,763
67.2
7,978

13,082
8,772
67.1
8,058

13,115
8,879
67.7
8,238

13,153
9,017
68.6
8,268

13,192
8,803
66.7
8,079

58.5
857
10.6

60.5
751
8.8

59.9
763
9.1

60.2
782
9.2

60.9
752
8.8

60.2
730
8.6

60.2
685
8.1

60.8
693
8.1

60.8
704
8.2

61.0
719
8.3

61.2
785
9.0

61.6
714
8.1

62.8
642
7.2

62.9
749
8.3

61.2
724
8.2

Hispanic origin
Civilian noninstitutional
population'....................................
Civilian labor force.......................
Participation rate ..................
Employed ...................................
Employment-population
ratio2 ....................................
Unemployed...............................
Unemployment ra te ..............

' The population figures are not seasonally adjusted.
2 Civilian employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population.
NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals

6.

because data for the “ other races" groups are not presented and Hispanics are included
in both the white and black population groups.

Selected employment indicators, monthly data seasonally adjusted

(In tho u san ds)

Annual average

1987

1988

Selected categories
1986

1987

Mar.

109,597
60,892
48,706
39,658

112,440
62,107
50,334
40,265

111,455
61,688
49,767
40,054

27,144
5,837

28,107
6,060

1,547
1,447
169

Apr.

May

June

111,806
61,815
49,991
40,021

112,334
61,977
50,357
40,075

112,300
61,984
50,316
40,120

112,639
62,150
50,489
40,262

113,050
62,341
50,709
40,308

27,966
5,946

28,130
5,971

28,314
5,963

28,282
6,011

28,283
6,033

1,632
1,423
153

1,689
1,416
152

1,599
1,488
170

1,672
1,429
165

1,622
1,403
162

98,299
16,342
81,957
1,235
80,722
7,881
255

100,771
16,800
83,970
1,208
82,762
8,201
260

99,863
16,594
83,269
1,227
82,042
8,082
270

100,106
16,518
83,588
1,234
82,354
8,139
268

100,634
16,708
83,926
1,240
82,686
8,157
276

5,588
2,456
2,800
13,935

5,401
2,385
2,672
14,395

5,459
2,438
2,707
14,201

5,394
2,345
2,725
13,940

5,345
2,305
2,719
13,502

5,122
2,201
2,587
13,928

5,180
2,234
2,612
13,717

5,104
2,163
2,648
13,544

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

112,872
62,368
50,504
40,404

113,210
62,468
50,742
40,556

113,504
62,581
50,923
40,645

113,744
62,656
51,088
40,711

28,189
6,107

28,069
6,151

28,099
6,178

28,175
6,237

1,625
1,424
153

1,591
1,393
155

1,624
1,415
139

1,705
1,430
140

100,510
16,920
83,590
1,163
82,427
8,293
274

100,825
16,876
83,949
1,212
82,737
8,216
266

101,241
16,794
84,447
1,175
83,272
8,214
248

101,282
16,928
84,354
1,100
83,254
8,204
297

5,333
2,292
2,677
14,498

5,254
2,345
2,623
14,836

5,428
2,429
2,683
14,437

5,283
2,468
2,526
14,573

5,058
2,126
2,603
13,995

4,979
2,176
2,530
14,334

5,154
2,261
2,599
13,953

5,016
2,265
2,463
14,099

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

114,129
62,808
51,321
40,404

114,409
63,059
51,350
40,475

114,103
62,759
51,344
40,481

28,249
6,227

28,441
6,168

28,707
6,157

28,805
6,160

1,595
1,407
155

1,599
1,450
156

1,666
1,454
138

1,677
1,414
114

1,648
1,423
142

101,522
17,033
84,489
1,222
83,267
8,274
242

101,943
17,118
84,825
1,286
83,539
8,222
235

101,997
17,064
84,933
1,200
83,733
8,280
248

102,507
17,197
85,310
1,147
84,163
8,150
237

102,683
16,948
85,735
1,170
84,565
8,312
228

102,279
16,908
85,371
1,175
84,196
8,366
248

5,261
2,213
2,683
14,415

5,353
2,377
2,655
14,488

5,534
2,408
2,696
14,523

5,262
2,284
2,638
14,711

5,367
2,396
2,640
14,571

5,566
2,478
2,598
14,572

5,343
2,520
2,535
14,603

4,986
2,034
2,603
13,987

5,067
2,196
2,557
14,011

5,241
2,209
2,597
14,064

5,004
2,111
2,552
14,222

5,145
2,260
2,566
14,096

5,254
2,327
2,457
14,123

5,106
2,325
2,475
14,141

CHARACTERISTIC
Civilian employed, 16 years and
over.............................................
M e n ..........................................
Women ....................................
Married men, spouse present ..
Married women, spouse
present....................................
Women who maintain families .

MAJOR INDUSTRY AND CLASS
OF WORKER
Agriculture:
Wage and salary workers .......
Self-employed workers............
Unpaid family w orkers.............
Nonagricultural industries:
Wage and salary workers .......
Government ..........................
Private industries...................
Private households.............
Other ...................................
Self-employed workers............
Unpaid family workers.............

PERSONS AT WORK
PART TIME'
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons .
Slack work ...............................
Could only find part-time work
Voluntary part time .....................
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons .
Slack work ...............................
Could only find part-time work
Voluntary part time .....................

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

76


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

7.

Selected unemployment indicators, monthly data seasonally adjusted

(Unemployment rates)
1988

1987

Annual average
Selected categories
1986

1987

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

6 .2

6.5
17.8
5.7
5.7

6.3
17.3
5.6
5.5

6.3
17.6
5.6
5.4

6 .1

16.9
5.4
5.4

16.0
5.5
5.3

5.3
14.4
15.5
13.4
4.8
4.6

5.6
15.3
16.8
13.7
5.0
4.7

5.5
14.8
16.3
13.3
4.9
4.6

5.4
15.2
17.0
13.3
4.8
4.5

5.3
13.9
14.8
13.0
4.9
4.4

1 2 .8

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

6 .0

6 .0

16.2
5.2
5.3

5.9
16.4
5.0
5.4

6 .0

15.8
5.4
5.4

17.2
5.1
5.2

5.9
16.6
5.0
5.2

5.8
16.1
4.9
5.2

5.8
16.0
5.1
5.1

5.7
15.4
4.9
5.2

5.6
16.5
4.9
4.8

5.2
13.3
13.5
13.1
4.7
4.5

5.2
14.1
15.2
12.9
4.6
4.4

5.1
14.3
15.1
13.4
4.4
4.5

5.2
14.5
15.1
13.8
4.6
4.3

5.1
14.1
14.8
13.3
4.4
4.4

4.9
13.6
14.9
12.3
4.3
4.4

5.0
14.0
14.4
13.6
4.4
4.2

4.8
12.4

4.7
14.1
15.7
12.4
4.2
3.9

12.7
32.7
32.4
33.1

12.3
30.8
31.5
30.0

11.4

12.4
30.6
33.7
27.1
10.7
11.3

July

CHARACTERISTIC
Total, all civilian workers.........................................
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years................................
Men, 20 years and over .....................................
Women, 20 years and over................................

7.0
18.3
6 .1
6 .2

White, total .........................................................
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years.............................
Men, 16 to 19 years ...................................
Women, 16 to 19 years..............................
Men, 20 years and over ..................................
Women, 20 years and o ver.............................

15.6
16.3
14.9
5.3
5.4

Black, total .........................................................
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years.............................
Men, 16 to 19 years ...................................
Women, 16 to 19 years..............................
Men, 20 years and over ..................................
Women, 20 years and o ve r.............................

14.5
39.3
39.3
39.2
12.9
12.4

13.0
34.7
34.4
34.9

13.9
37.0
36.1
38.0

13.0
37.1
37.8
36.3

1 1 .1

1 1 .6

1 1 .0

13.7
37.5
38.3
36.6
12.3

1 1 .6

12.7

1 1 .6

1 1 .6

33.4
31.4
35.4
11.4
11.3

Hispanic origin, to ta l...........................................

1 0 .6

8 .8

9.1

9.2

8 .8

8 .6

8 .1

Married men, spouse present............................
Married women, spouse present.......................
Women who maintain families...........................
Full-time workers ................................................
Part-time workers ...............................................
Unemployed 15 weeks and over.......................
Labor force time lost1 ........................................

4.4
5.2
9.8

3.9
4.3
9.2
5.8
8.4
1.7
7.1

4.1
4.5
9.7

4.1
4.4
9.4
5.9

4.0
4.2
9.5
5.9
8.7
1.7
7.2

4.0
4.0
9.5
5.9
7.3
1.7
7.1

6 .0

6 .6

9.1
1.9
7.9

6 .1

9.1
1.7
7.4

8 .6

1.7
7.3

1 2 .2

12.7
4.1
4.5

1 2 .1

1 2 .2

1 2 .2

1 2 .2

1 2 .6

1 2 .8

33.9
32.2
35.8

33.4
33.5
33.4

35.0
35.1
34.9

1 0 .1

33.8
32.5
35.2
9.8

1 0 .2

1 0 .1

1 0 .1

11.7

1 1 .0

1 0 .8

10.9

1 1 .1

38.3
42.0
34.7
11.3
10.4

36.9
39.0
35.0
11.4
10.9

8 .1

8 .2

8.3

9.0

8 .1

7.2

8.3

8 .2

3.8
4.2
9.3
5.7

3.7
4.3
9.0
5.6

3.7
4.2

3.4
4.3
8.4
5.4

8 .2

5.5
8.4

3.5
4.2
8.5
5.5

8 .1

8 .2

8 .0

1 .6

1 .6

1 .6

3.7
4.2
8.9
5.6
8.3
1.5

1.5

1.5

3.6
4.2
8.9
5.4
8.3
1.4

3.4
4.1
8.3
5.3
7.9
1.4

6.9

6.9

6 .8

6 .8

6 .8

6 .6

6 .6

6 .6

3.4
4.0
7.5
5.3
7.7
1.4
6.5

6 .0

1 1 .2

8 .8

INDUSTRY
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers ....
Mining.................................................................
Construction.......................................................
Manufacturing ....................................................
Durable goods..................................................
Nondurable goods ...........................................
Transportation and public utilities .....................
Wholesale and retail tra d e .................................
Finance and service industries..........................
Government workers ...............................................
Agricultural wage and salary workers .....................

7.0
13.5
13.1
7.1
6.9
7.4
5.1
7.6
5.5
3.6
12.5

6 .2
1 0 .0
1 1 .6
6 .0

5.8
6.3
4.5
6.9
4.9
3.5
10.5

6.5
9.5
12.4
6.7

1 1 .2

6.3
13.0

1 2 .0

6.3

1 2 .1

6.3

6.3

6 .6

6 .2

6 .2

7.0
4.5
7.3
4.9
3.5

6.4
4.7
7.1
4.8
3.5
9.5

6.5
4.4
7.0
4.9
3.4
9.4

1 0 .8

6 .1

9.5
11.7
5.7
5.4
6 .1

4.8
7.1
4.9
3.4
9.3

7.9

8 .6

1 0 .8

11.3
5.6
5.5
5.8
4.4
7.0
4.7
3.7

5.9
7.4
11.9
5.6
5.4
5.9
4.1
6.4
4.8
3.4

1 0 .6

8 .6

6 .1

6 .0
6 .0

5.9
4.4
6 .8

5.1
3.4
10.9

5.9
8.3

5.8
7.0

8 .0

5.8
7.7

5.7
7.8

1 1 .2

1 0 .6

1 0 .6

1 2 .2

1 1 .0

5.7
5.2
6.5
4.4
6.5
4.7
3.3

5.3
4.8
5.9
4.5

5.1
4.8
5.6
4.6

5.6
5.5
5.8
3.6

6 .8

6 .2

6 .1

4.8
3.4

4.8
3.2
10.9

4.9
3.0
11.5

1 0 .6

1 1 .1

5.7

5.6
5.9
5.3
3.6
6.4
4.5

5.6
7.9
10.7
5.2
5.2
5.3
4.2
6 .8

4.2

2 .8

2 .8

1 0 .2

1 1 .0

Aggregate hours lost by the unemployed and persons on part time for economic reasons as a percent of potentially available labor force hours.


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77

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:
8.

Employment Data

Unemployment rates by sex and age, monthly data seasonally adjusted

(Civilian workers)
Annual
average

Sex and age

1986
Total, 16 years and o v e r..................................................................
16 to 24 years...............................................................................
16 to 19 years.............................................................................
16 to 17 years ..........................................................................
18 to 19 years ..........................................................................
20 to 24 years .............................................................................
25 years and o ver..........................................................................
25 to 54 years ..........................................................................
55 years and o v e r....................................................................

Mar.

17.0
10.7
5.4
5.7
3.9

1 2 .2

1 2 .8

1 2 .6

17.8
19.9
16.2

17.3
18.9
15.9

1 0 .2

1 0 .1

5.0
5.3
3.4

4.8
5.1
3.4

6 .2

6 .6

1 2 .6

13.2
19.0
20.3
17.9

6.4
13.1
18.7

17.8

2 0 .8

2 0 .2

17.7

16.0
9.9
4.8
5.0
3.5

5.4
5.6
4.1
7.1

6 .2

1 2 .8

11.7
15.9
18.0
14.3
9.4
4.8
5.1
3.0

17.6
19.6
16.3
10.3
5.5
5.9
3.6

May

6.3

16.9
19.1
15.2
9.7
4.8
5.0
3.3

6.9
13.7
19.0

1 1 .0

Apr.

6.5

6 .2

2 0 .2

Women, 16 years and o ve r.......................................................
16 to 24 years.........................................................................
16 to 19 years ......................................................................
16 to 17 years ...................................................................
18 to 19 years ...................................................................
20 to 24 years ......................................................................
25 years and o ver...................................................................
25 to 54 years ...................................................................
55 years and o v e r..............................................................

9.

1987

7.0
13.3
18.3

Men, 16 years and o ve r..............................................................
16 to 24 years ..........................................................................
16 to 19 years........................................................................
16 to 17 years.....................................................................
18 to 19 years.....................................................................
20 to 24 years........................................................................
25 years and o v e r....................................................................
25 to 54 years.....................................................................
55 years and over................................................................

1987

2 1 .0

17.1
10.3
4.9
5.1
3.7

1 0 .2

5.1
5.3
3.6

June

6.3
12.5
17.6
2 1 .0

15.2
9.8
4.8
5.1
3.6
6.4
13.2
19.6
22.7
17.2
9.9
4.9
5.1
3.9

July

Oct.

Nov.

Jan.

Dec.

Feb.

Mar.

6 .0

6 .0

5.9

6 .0

5.9

5.8

5.8

1 2 .1

1 1 .8

1 1 .8

1 1 .8

1 1 .8

1 1 .6

1 1 .2

1 1 .6

1 1 .1

16.0
18.8
14.5

15.8
17.5
13.9
9.7
4.7
5.0
3.1

16.2
18.3
14.7
9.4
4.7
4.9
3.2

16.4
18.3
15.2
9.4
4.6
4.8
3.3

17.2
20.4
14.7

16.6
19.2
14.8
8.9
4.5
4.7
3.4

16.1
17.8
14.7
8.5
4.5
4.8
3.2

16.0
18.7
14.5
9.1
4.5
4.7
3.5

15.4
17.4
13.9
8.7
4.5
4.7
3.3

5.6
11.7
16.5
17.6
15.8
9.1
4.2
4.5
2.9

5.8

5.7
11.7
17.2
19.3
15.3
8.7
4.4
4.6
3.2

5.8
16.4
19.4
14.9
9.9
4.4
4.5
4.0

5.6
11.3
15.6
16.9
14.7
9.0
4.3
4.5
3.4

17.8
18.5
17.3
9.1
4.3
4.5
3.4

1 0 .0

4.7
4.9
3.2
6 .2

6 .0

6 .1

12.4
16.4
19.1
15.4
10.4
4.8
5.0
3.4

11.9
15.9
17.1
13.7
9.9
4.7
4.9
3.4

12.5
17.8
20.5
15.9
9.6
4.7
4.9
3.4

6.3

6 .2

6 .0

6 .1

1 2 .0

1 1 .8

15.9
16.6
14.7

1 0 .1

1 0 .0

15.6
19.1
13.1
9.7
4.7
5.0
3.0

11.7
15.5
18.4
13.6
9.6
4.5
4.9

11.7
15.7
18.0
14.1
9.5
4.7
5.0

2 .8

2 .6

4.8
5.1
2.9

Sept.

Aug.

6 .1

6.5
12.4
16.6
19.6
14.3
5.0
5.3
3.0

1988

8 .8

4.6
4.8
3.1

5.8

6 .0
1 1 .0

14.4
16.0
13.4
9.0
4.7
5.0
2.9

5.9

1 2 .1

1 2 .1

1 2 .0

17.3
19.7
15.9
9.3
4.5
4.7
3.2

17.4
20.9
14.8
9.2
4.5
4.8
3.1

17.2
20.4
14.8
9.2
4.4
4.6
3.5

6 .1

6 .1

11.5
15.4
16.9
14.4
9.4
4.7
4.9
3.5

11.5
16.9
19.9
14.6
8.5
4.7
4.9
3.1

1 2 .2

5.9
10.7
14.8
16.2
14.1
8.4
4.7
4.9
3.3

6 .0
1 1 .2

16.0
17.9
14.7
8 .6

4.7
4.9
3.2

5.7

5.9
10.9
15.6
17.9
14.1
8 .2

4.6
4.9
2 .8

5.7
1 2 .1

5.9

5.5
11.3
15.2
16.6
14.2
9.1
4.1
4.4
2.3

1 0 .8

15.1
18.0
13.1
8.4
4.7
4.9
3.1

Unemployed persons by reason for unemployment, monthly data seasonally adjusted

(Numbers in thousands)

On layoff................................................................
Other job losers....... ............................................

Mar.

1987

1986

1988

1987

Annual average
Reason for unemployment
Apr.

May

Aug.

July

June

Sept.

Nov.

Oct.

Jan.

Dec.

Mar.

Feb.

3,554
919
2,635
959
1,980
854

3,529
916
2,613
989
1,930
844

3,389
874
2,515
992
1,969
855

3,313
820
2,493
981
1,908
882

3,388
944
2,444
960
1,845
914

3,307
878
2,429
926
1,974
855

3,200
856
2,344
946
1,945
909

3,209
2,320
1,082
1,917
885

3,207
884
2,323
961
1,951
864

3,139
899
2,240
1,075
1,756
887

48.4
12.5
35.9
13.1
26.9

48.4

47.0

46.8

1 2 .1

1 1 .6

35.8
13.6
26.5
1 1 .6

35.2
13.8
26.9
12.5

46.8
12.4
34.4
13.1
28.0

1 1 .6

34.9
13.8
27.3
11.9

47.7
13.3
34.4
13.5
26.0
12.9

45.7

1 2 .6

1 2 .2

47.9
12.3
35.7
12.4
26.5
13.3

33.5
13.5
27.8
13.0

45.2
12.5
32.7
15.3
27.0
12.5

45.9
12.7
33.3
13.8
27.9
12.4

45.8
13.1
32.7
15.7
25.6
12.9

3.2

3.1

3.0

3.0

2.9

2 .8

2 .8

2 .8

2.7

2.7

2 .6

2 .6

2 .6

.8

.8

.8

.8

.8

.8

.8

.8

.8

.8

1.7

1 .6

1.7

1.7
.7

1 .6

1 .6

1 .6

1.5

1 .6

1 .6

.8

.7

.8

4,033
1,090
2,943
1,015
2,160
1,029

3,566
943
2,623
965
1,974
920

3,791
1,003
2,788
996
2,078
952

3,705
963
2,742
955
1,965
918

3,612
924

48.9
13.2
35.7
12.3
26.2
12.5

48.0
12.7
35.3
13.0
26.6
12.4

48.5

49.1

1 2 .8

1 2 .8

35.7
12.7
26.6

36.4
12.7
26.1

1 2 .2

3.4
.9

3.0
.8

1 .8

1 .6

2 ,6 8 8

931
1,995
999

888

PERCENT OF UNEMPLOYED

Other job losers..................................................

New entrants ........................................................

1 2 .2

1 2 .1

PERCENT OF
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE

.9

10.

.8

.8

.8

.8

.7

.7

.7

.9

.9
1.5
.7

.8
1 .6

1 .6

.7

.7

Duration of unemployment, monthly data seasonally adjusted

(Numbers in thousands)
1988

1987

Annual average
Weeks of unemployment
1986

78

1987

Mar.

Less than 5 weeks ...........................................
5 to 14 weeks ..................................................
15 weeks and o v e r...........................................
15 to 26 weeks ..............................................
27 weeks and o v e r........................................

3,448
2,557
2,232
1,045
1,187

3,246
2,196
1,983
943
1,040

3,352
2,411
2,055
944

Mean duration in w eeks....................................
Median duration in weeks.................................

15.0
6.9

14.5
6.5

14.9
6.7


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1 ,1 1 1

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.
3,009

13.7

3,195
2,256
2,060
984
1,076

3,308
2,165
2,067
974
1,093

3,138
2,151
2,029
973
1,056

3,186
2,144
1,920
945
975

3,203
2,142
1,896
834
1,062

3,220
1,949
1,904
917
987

3,223
2,093
1,801
844
957

3,218
2,029
1,834
899
935

3,229
1,968
1,791
892
899

3,089
2,263
1,733
839
894

3,084
2,145
1,740
841
899

14.8
6.9

14.8

14.7

14.2

14.2

6 .6

14.2
5.8

14.0

6 .6

14.3
6.4

14.1

6 .6

6 .1

6 .0

14.4
6.4

14.4
6.4

6 .2

2 ,1 0 1

1,722
887
835

6 .6

11. Unemployment rates of civilian workers by State, data not seasonally adjusted
S tate

Feb.

Feb.

1987

1988

1 0 .0
1 2 .0

C a lifo r n ia ..................................................................

7.8
9.3
6.7

State

5.7
8 .8

5.2

G eorgia .....................................................................

6 .0

6 .0

Indiana ......................................................................

4.2
10.9
8 3
7.5

I o w a ...........................................................................

6.4
6 .0

M a in e .........................................................................

M ic h ig a n ....................................................................
M inne sota ................................................................
M is s is s ip p i................................................................

11.5
14.4
5.9
5.4
3.9
8.9
6.4
1 2 .2
6 .8

3.1

3.3
9.1

4.0

4.8
9.6
5.6
5.6
6.3

4.4
4.2
6.4

O hio .........................................................................
O k la h o m a ...............................................................
O re g o n .....................................................................
P e n n s y lv a n ia .........................................................

9.1
8.7
7.4
6.4
4.7

7.1
6.7
7.2
5.9
4.3

S outh C a ro lin a ......................................................
S outh D a k o ta ........................................................

6.3
4.7

5.6
4.2

8 .1

6 .6

Texa s .......................................................................
U tah .........................................................................

9.2
7.6

8.7
6.3

V e rm o n t..................................................................
V irg in ia .....................................................................
W ashington ...........................................................
W e st V irg in ia .........................................................
W is c o n s in ...............................................................

5.1
5.4
9.5
1 2 .6

4.0
4.1
7.8
13.2

8 .0

6 .8

1 1 .0

8 .6

8 .1

Florida .......................................................................

Idaho .........................................................................

9.1
4.9
6 .6

5.8

3.6
4.8
5.8
5.0

8 1

Feb.

1988

9.7
5.9
6.4
2.7

7.7
1 1 .1

New J e r s e y ............................................................

9.6
4.0
3.6

Feb.

1987

N orth C a rolina ......................................................

8 2

8 .6

6.4
6.5
5.5
9.7
1 2 .1

5.2
5.1
3.8
8.9
5.5
9.7
6 .1

NOTE: Seme data in this table may differ from data
published elsewhere because of the continual updating of the

database,

12. Employment of workers on nonagricultural payrolls by State, data not seasonally adjusted
(In thousands)
State
Alabama.......................................................
Arizona.........................................................
Arkansas......................................................

Colorado ......................................................
Connecticut ..................................................
District of Columbia.....................................

Illinois ...........................................................

Louisiana......................................................

Minnesota ....................................................
Mississippi....................................................
Missouri........................................................

Feb. 1987

Jan. 1988

1,467.9
199.3
1,369.8
808.9
11,417.1

1,507.1
196.5
1,402.9
833.1
11,819.9

1,395.9
1,597.0
304.4
636.8
4,771.9

1,392.6
1,644.5
321.0
652.6
5,020.0

2,708.2
451.6
320.4
4,817.3
2,216.4

2,764.6
463.3
331.3
4,900.2
2,314.0

1,071.9
978.7
1,276.9
1,459.4
476.4

1,108.3
996.4
1,327.9
1,486.1
503.6

1,952.6
2,976.7
3,668.1
1393.0
844.1
2,132.3
265.7

2,007.1
3,025.8
3,686.8
1'951.0
875.2
2,164.4
268.7

Feb. 1988p

1,510.8 Nebraska....................................................
198.2
1,417.8 New Hampshire..........................................
844.0
11,875.0 New Jersey .................................................
New Mexico ................................................
1,393.0 New York....................................................
1,642.5 North Carolina ............................................
323.0
656.7
5,056.0
Oklahoma...................................................
2,778.3 Oregon........................................................
466.2
332.5
4,914.3
2,312.7
South Dakota..............................................
1,117.4
1,003.3
1,331.8
1,490.6
507.1
Virginia........................................................
2,011.3
3,038.0
3,682.0
1,955.1
877.4 Wyoming.....................................................
2,173.1 Puerto R ic o .................................................
268.3

p = preliminary
NOTE: Some data in this table may differ from data published elsewhere


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

State

Feb. 1987

Jan. 1988

Feb. 1988p

645.5
478.1
494.5

656.6
508.2
520.3

658.9
511.0
516.3

3,481.0
519.1
7,875.1
2,783.5
244.0

3,573.9
525.8
8,024.2
2,882.6
248.7

3,575.9
528.2
8,055.6
2,902.2
249.0

4,457.9
1,095.9
1,057.8
4,774.5
438.3

4,565.8
1,077.8
1,094.6
4,906.5
446.7

4,570.2
1,086.2
1,105.1
4,905.9
445.6

1,352.0
247.1
1,944.6
6,442.0
627.6

1,394.2
250.3
2,019.8
6,493.1
635.7

1,406.5
250.4
2,027.7
6,519.2
636.8

238.6
2,588.0
1,773.3
580.4
2 ,0 1 2 . 6

250.1
2,706.2
1,848.9
591.6
2,073.3

250.4
2,707.2
1,857.1
591.5
2,080.2

174.9
739.4
39.3

173.6
764.2
39.6

173.3
766.6
40.6

because of the continual updating of the database.

79

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:

Employment Data

13. Employment of workers on nonagricultural payrolls by industry, monthly data seasonally adjusted
(In thousands)
Annual average
1986

1987

1987
Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.p

Mar.p

85,049

101,329
84,352

101,598
84,560

101,708
84,677

101,818
84,787

102,126
85,106

102,275
85,229

102,434
85,386

102,983
85,795

103,285
86,072

103,612
86,341

103,827
86,560

104,344
87,040

104,606
87,253

24,681
783
457

24,884
741
425

24,749
722
408

24,759
729
416

24,752
735
420

24,761
738
425

24,850
744
430

24,886
751
434

24,917
759
439

25,064
764
443

25,169
759
439

25,259
756
436

25,205
746
430

25,342
749
432

25,426
755
437

Construction ................................
General building contractors......

4,904
1,293

5,031
1,278

5,032
1,291

5,019
1,272

4,999
1,267

5,008
1,266

5,002
1,261

5,006
1,262

4,989
1,260

5,053
1,279

5,074
1,280

5,121
1,290

5,058
1,303

5,175
1,322

5,254
1,321

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

18,994
12,895

19,112
13,021

18,995
12,925

19,011
12,939

19,018
12,946

19,015
12,958

19,104
13,020

19,129
13,038

19,169
13,072

19,247
13,129

19,336
13,197

19,382
13,241

19,401
13,250

19,418
13,277

19,417
13,272

Durable goods............................
Production workers .....................

11,244
7,432

11,237
7,457

11,176
7,399

11,175
7,406

11,175
7,409

11,176
7,421

11,195
7,425

11,248
7,475

11,268
7,494

11,319
7,530

11,367
7,568

11,403
7,597

11,403
7,588

11,412
7,606

11,414
7,606

Lumber and wood products ........
Furniture and fixtures...................
Stone, clay, and glass products ...
Primary metal industries ..............
Blast furnaces and basic steel
products......................................
Fabricated metal products...........

711
497
586
753

739
514
585
751

734
502
586
739

736
504
586
743

738
509
584
742

735
510
582
746

740
518
582
750

736
518
582
754

740
520
581
764

741
524
583
768

750
526
588
771

753
530
590
771

753
533
585
768

753
531
588
770

748
530
587
769

275
1,431

275
1,428

266
1,419

272
1,423

272
1,420

275
1,424

277
1,424

278
1,425

283
1,429

286
1,438

287
1,446

285
1,451

284
1,452

285
1,455

283
1,456

Machinery, except electrical........
Electrical and electronic
equipment...................................
Transportation equipment............
Motor vehicles and equipment ....
Instruments and related products
Miscellaneous manufacturing
industries....................................

2,060

2,039

2,015

2 ,0 2 2

2,025

2,028

2,033

2,044

2,053

2,064

2,074

2,085

2,097

2 ,1 0 2

2 ,1 1 2

2,123
2,015
865
707

2 ,1 0 1

2,099

2,092

2,087

2,080

2 ,0 1 1

2 ,0 1 0

2,118
2,016
835
701

2,128
2,018
832
701

2,130
2,005
820
702

2,131

2 ,0 1 1

2,096
2,018
837
695

2,128

2 ,0 2 2

2,095
2,028
848
695

2 ,1 1 1

2,015
842
696

2,088
1,995
814
695

2 ,0 0 1

2 ,0 0 0

362

369

366

364

366

368

370

371

372

374

377

376

378

380

378

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

7,750
5,463

7,875
5,564

7,819
5,526

7,836
5,533

7,843
5,537

7,839
5,537

7,909
5,595

7,881
5,563

7,901
5,578

7,928
5,599

7,969
5,629

7,979
5,644

7,998
5,662

8,006
5,671

8,003
5,666

Food and kindred products.........
Tobacco manufactures ................
Textile mill products.....................
Apparel and other textile
products......................................
Paper and allied products ...........

1,617
59
705

1,636
57
730

1,635
57
725

1,642
56
724

1,633
57
727

1,634
57
729

1,644
57
736

1,632
56
732

1,631
55
735

1,635
55
736

1,645
56
738

1,645
56
739

1,661
57
736

1,660
56
738

1,653
55
736

1,106
674

1,113
678

1,103
678

1,104
677

1,107
677

1,108
676

1,130
678

1 ,1 1 0

1,117
681

1,123
678

1,128
680

1 ,1 2 1

677

681

1,117
681

1,115
682

1,115
681

Printing and publishing.................
Chemicals and allied products.....
Petroleum and coal products.......
Rubber and mise, plastics
products......................................
Leather and leather products ......

1,457
1,023
169

1,501
1,027
165

1,485
1,017
164

1,493
1,018
164

1,497
1 ,0 2 2

164

1,498
1,014
164

1,504
1,026
164

1,508
1,031
164

1,509
1,031
166

1,514
1,035
167

1,522
1,041
167

1,525
1,047
167

1,530
1,048
167

1,538
1,050
166

1,543
1,052
166

790
151

818
151

807
148

809
149

809
150

810
149

815
155

819
152

824
152

833
152

840
152

845
153

847
154

847
154

848
154

SERVICE-PRODUCING .................
Transportation and public
utilities.........................................
Transportation..............................
Communication and public
utilities.........................................

74,930

77,228

76,580

76,839

76,956

77,057

77,276

77,389

77,517

77,919

78,116

78,353

78,622

79,002

79,180

5,244
3,041

5,378
3,150

5,333
3,112

5,348
3,124

5,344
3,120

5,350
3,128

5,363
3,133

5,377
3,147

5,416
3,183

5,436
3,198

5,459
3,218

5,473
3,233

5,485
3,244

5,504
3,261

5,522
3,276

2,203

2,228

2 ,2 2 1

2,224

2,224

2 ,2 2 2

2,230

2,230

2,233

2,238

2,241

2,240

2,241

2,243

2,246

Wholesale trade ..........................
Durable goods..............................
Nondurable goods........................

5,735
3,383
2,351

5,797
3,419
2,379

5,766
3,397
2,369

5,772
3,397
2,375

5,775
3,401
2,374

5,781
3,405
2,376

5,797
3,418
2,379

5,807
3,422
2,385

5,815
3,431
2,384

5,831
3,444
2,387

5,851
3,456
2,395

5,871
3,473
2,398

5,884
3,481
2,403

5,903
3,494
2,409

5,920
3,510
2,410

Retail trad e...................................
General merchandise stores.......
Food stores..................................
Automotive dealers and service
stations.......................................
Eating and drinking places..........

17,845
2,363
2,873

18,264
2,406
2,959

18,136
2,380
2,944

18,197
2,385
2,953

18,205
2,390
2,956

18,226
2,387
2,960

18,274
2,407
2,959

18,256
2,411
2,962

18,314
2,415
2,958

18,408
2,459
2,969

18,443
2,454
2,982

18,458
2,453
2,996

18,619
2,490
3,019

18,720
2,533
3,032"

18,724
2,503
3,045

1,943
5,879

1,987
5,994

1,979
5,964

1,978
5,962

1,978
5,976

1,983
5,982

1,985
5,985

1,985
5,992

1,988
6,018

2 ,0 0 0

6,032

2,003
6,047

2,013
6,064

2,023
6,083

2,040
6,097

2,055
• 6,115

Finance, insurance, and real
estate...........................................
Finance........................................
Insurance ......................................
Real estate...................................

6,297
3,152
1,945

6,526
3,256
1,248

6,558
3,272
2,032
1,254

6,576
3,276
2,037
1,263

6,586
3,280
2,037
1,269

6,608
3,291
2,043
1,274

6,624
3,293
2,050
1,281

6,629
3,292
2,054
1,283

6,650
3,296
2,068
1,286

6,657
3,301
2,069
1,287

6 ,6 6 8

1 ,2 0 0

6,589
3,278
2,044
1,267

3,301
2,082
1,285

6,684
3,309
2,086
1,289

6,687
3,301
2,093
1,293

6,694
3,295
2,096
1,303

Services........................................
Business services........................
Health services ............................

23,099
4,781
6,551

24,137
5,097
6,879

23,842
5,020
6,773

23,926
5,044
6,800

24,025
5,083
6,822

24,083
5,086
6,853

24,214
5,105
6,887

24,279
5,133
6,923

24,295
5,152
6,943

24,406
5,194
6,987

24,493
5,195
7,023

24,612
5,217
7,063

24,683
5,228
7,085

24,884
5,296
7,131

24,967
5,310
7,157

Government .................................
Federal.........................................
S ta te .............................................
Local.............................................

16,711
2,899
3,888
9,923

17,063
2,943
3,952
10,167

16,977
2,922
3,930
10,125

17,038
2,933
3,943
10,162

17,031
2,935
3,947
10,149

17,031
2,935
3,932
10,164

17,020
2,936
3,952
10,132

17,046
2,940
3,964
10,142

17,048
2,962
3,957
10,129

17,188
2,965
3,973
10,250

17,213
2,977
3,978
10,258

17,271
2,981
3,996
10,294

17,267
2,977
3,996
10,294

17,304
2,979
4,004
10,321

17,353
2,972
4,019
10,362

TOTAL ......................................
PRIVATE SECTOR .....................

99,610
82,900

1 0 2 ,1 1 2

GOODS-PRODUCING ....................
Mining ...........................................
Oil and gas extraction ................

854
694

2 ,0 2 2

847
694

843
693

842
693

p = preliminary
NOTE: See notes on the data for a description of the most recent benchmark revision.

80

1988


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

2,019
838
697

818
704

822
703

14. Average weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonagricultural payrolls by industry,
monthly data seasonally adjusted

Industry

Annual
average
1986

1987

1988

1987
Mar.

Apr.

June

May

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.p

Mar.p

34.8

34.6

PRIVATE SECTOR ..........................................

34.8

34.8

34.8

34.7

34.9

34.8

34.8

34.9

34.6

34.9

34.9

34.6

34.8

MANUFACTURING................................................
Overtime hours...............................................

40.7
3.4

41.0
3.7

40.9
3.6

40.6
3.5

41.0
3.8

41.0
3.7

41.0
3.8

41.0
3.8

40.6
3.6

41.3
4.0

41.2
3.9

41.0
3.8

41.2
3.9

41.0
3.7

40.9
3.7

Durable goods....................................................
Overtime hours...............................................
Lumber and wood products................................
Furniture and fixtures..........................................
Stone, clay, and glass products.........................
Primary metal industries.....................................
Blast furnaces and basic steel products.........
Fabricated metal products ..................................

41.3
3.5
40.3
39.8
42.2
41.9
41.7
41.3

41.5
3.8
40.6
39.9
42.3
43.1
43.6
41.5

41.5
3.7
40.9
40.0
42.5
42.6
42.3
41.5

41.2
3.6
40.6
39.1
41.9
42.3
42.4
41.2

41.6
3.9
41.0
39.9
42.3
43.1
43.3
41.6

41.5
3.8
40.6
40.0
42.0
43.1
43.5
41.5

41.6
3.8
40.6
40.0
42.2
43.4
44.1
41.4

41.6
4.0
40.4
40.1
42.1
43.5
44.0
41.5

41.0
3.7
39.4
39.3
41.9
43.4
45.2
40.8

41.9
4.1
40.4
40.0
42.6
43.7
44.3
42.0

41.9
4.0
40.8
40.0
42.5
43.7
44.0
42.1

41.5
3.9
40.4
39.8
42.5
43.6
44.3
41.7

41.7
4.0
40.1
39.4
42.0
43.5
44.0
41.9

41.5
3.8
40.4
39.5
42.3
43.2
44.0
41.4

41.5
3.8
40.0
39.0
42.6
43.3
43.8
41.5

Machinery except electrical ................................
Electrical and electronic equipment....................
Transportation equipment...................................
Motor vehicles and equipment.........................
Instruments and related products ......................

41.6
41.0
42.3
42.6
41.0

42.2
40.9
42.1
42.3
41.4

42.0
40.9
42.3
42.9
41.3

41.8
40.6
41.9
42.1
41.0

42.2
40.8
42.2
42.5
41.5

42.2
41.1
41.9
42.0
41.5

42.4
41.1
41.7
41.9
41.6

42.2
41.0
41.9
41.9
41.7

41.6
40.4
41.3
41.3
41.1

42.6
41.1
42.5
43.0
42.1

42.7
41.0
42.4
43.1
41.7

42.5
40.9
41.4
41.4
41.3

42.8
41.2
42.3
42.4
41.9

42.6
40.9
42.0
42.5
41.3

42.4
41.1
42.0
42.6
41.2

Nondurable goods..............................................
Overtime hours...............................................
Food and kindred products.................................
Textile mill products............................................
Apparel and other textile products.....................
Paper and allied products ...................................

39.9
3.3
40.0
41.1
36.7
43.2

40.2
3.6
40.2
41.9
37.1
43.4

40.1
3.5
40.0
42.1
37.0
43.0

39.7
3.3
39.8
41.4
36.1
43.0

40.2
3.7
40.1
42.0
37.2
43.5

40.2
3.6
40.1
42.1
37.1
43.3

40.3
3.7
39.9
42.4
37.3
43.5

40.3
3.7
40.3
42.1
37.4
43.4

40.1
3.6
40.2
41.3
36.3
43.8

40.5
3.8
40.5
41.9
37.4
43.7

40.4
3.8
40.6
41.8
37.1
43.5

40.3
3.7
40.6
41.7
37.2
43.2

40.4
3.8
40.8
41.7
36.9
43.6

40.2
3.6
40.4
41.7
37.0
43.3

40.1
3.5
40.2
41.3
37.0
43.3

Printing and publishing........................................
Chemicals and allied products............................
Petroleum and coal products..............................

38.0
41.9
43.8

38.0
42.3
43.9

37.9
42.0
44.1

37.7
42.2
43.9

37.9
42.1
44.3

38.1
42.0
43.3

38.1
42.2
44.4

37.9
42.4
43.3

38.2
42.8
43.2

38.0
42.7
43.5

38.0
42.7
43.6

37.9
42.7
44.3

38.0
42.7
44.2

38.0
42.5
43.4

38.1
42.5
43.5

TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC UTILITIES....

39.2

39.1

39.0

39.0

39.2

38.8

39.2

39.3

39.1

39.3

39.1

39.0

39.4

39.0

38.6

WHOLESALE TRADE...........................................

37.7

37.5

38.1

38.2

38.3

38.2

38.1

38.3

38.0

38.4

38.3

38.1

38.2

38.3

38.0

RETAIL TRADE ....................................................

29.2

29.3

29.3

29.5

29.4

29.2

29.3

29.6

29.6

29.3

29.2

28.8

29.0

29.1

28.9

SERVICES .............................................................

32.5

32.5

32.5

32.4

32.5

32.5

32.5

32.5

32.5

32.5

32.6

32.4

32.6

32.8

32.4

p = preliminary
NOTE: See “ Notes on the data” for a description of the most recent


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

benchmark adjustment.

81

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics: Employment Data
15. Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonagricultural payrolls by
industry

Industry

Annual
average

1987

1988

1986

1987

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

PRIVATE SECTOR..............................................
Seasonally adjusted .........................................

$8.76
-

$8.98
-

$8.92
8.91

$8.91
8.91

$8.93
8.95

$8.92
8.94

$8.91
8.96

$8.94
9.02

$9.06
9.02

$9.09
9.08

$9.14
9.12

$9.13
9.11

$9.18
9.15

$9.18
9.13

$9.20
9.19

MINING...............................................

12.44

12.45

12.51

12.43

12.42

12.44

12.31

12.32

12.43

12.34

12.47

12.50

12.69

12.62

12.58

CONSTRUCTION............................................

12.47

1 2 .6 6

12.59

12.55

12.60

12.61

12.57

12.67

12.77

12.79

12.80

12.78

12.93

12.76

12.82

MANUFACTURING................................................

9.73

9.91

9.85

9.87

9.87

9.87

9.87

9.86

1 0 .0 0

9.95

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

10.29
8.33
7.46
10.05
13.73
9.89

10.45
8.40
7.67
10.27
11.98
13.84
10.03

10.39
8.28
7.58
10.13
11.82
13.66
9.99

10.39
8.34
7.58
10.23
11.96
13.84
9.98

10.40
8.37
7.64
10.26
11.96
13.80
9.97

10.42
8.44
7.66
10.29
11.97
13.83

10.40
8.46
7.67
10.33
11.97
13.70
9.95

10.42
8.49
7.74
10.31
11.98
13.81
9.97

10.53
8.48
7.75
10.40
12.24
14.17
10.04

10.51
8.44
7.73
10.31
12.05
13.97

Machinery, except electrical ............................... 10.59
Electrical and electronic equipment.................... 9.65
Transportation equipment.................................... 12.81
Motor vehicles and equipment......................... 13.45
Instruments and related products ....................... 9.47
Miscellaneous manufacturing..............................
7.54

10.77
9.90
12.96
13.57
9.74
7.74

10.72
9.84
13.49
9.67
7.66

10.70
9.82
12.80
13.40
9.67
7.67

10.70
9.83
12.85
13.42
9.69
7.72

13.47
9.70
7.74

10.74
9.89
12.83
13.36
9.74
7.72

10.76
9.90
12.90
13.43
9.78
7.70

10.81
9.98
13.07
13.69
9.80
7.76

Nondurable goods ...............................
8.94
Food and kindred products................................. 8.74
Tobacco manufactures ....................................... 12.85
Textile mill products............................. ............... 6.93
Apparel and other textile products.....................
5.84
Paper and allied products .................................
11.18

9.16
8.92
13.81
7.18
5.95
11.42

9.09
8.93
13.80
7.12
5.93
11.27

9.14
8.95
14.28
7.12
5.94
11.37

9.13
8.96
14.53
7.13
5.89
11.40

9.11
8.91
15.57
7.15
5.91
11.41

9.16
14.85
7.14
5.89
11.48

9.12
8.80
14.20
7.16
5.90
11.41

9.28
8.92
12.89
7.23

Printing and publishing........................................
9.99
Chemicals and allied products............................ 11.98
Petroleum and coal products.............................. 14.18
Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products..... 8.73
Leather and leather products .............................
5.92

10.28
12.37
14.57

10.17
12.24
14.50
8.80
6.06

10.14
12.30
14.50
8.82

10.19
12.27
14.43
8.87
6.04

10.25
12.37
14.48
8.93
5.98

10.31
12.34
14.52
8.90

6 .1 2

10.19
12.31
14.52
8.84
6.05

1 2 .0 1

11.90

11.94

11.95

11.91

1 2 .0 0

1 1 .8 6

TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC UTILITIES.... 11.70

8 .8 8

6.06

1 2 .8 6

1 0 .0 0

10.76
9.84
1 2 .8 8

8 .8 8

1 0 .0 1

10.08

10.07

10.06

10.08

10.57
8.49
7.73
10.34
12.08
13.97
10.15

10.63
8.45
7.79
10.33
12.15
14.03
10.24

10.62
8.52
7.82
10.37

10.63
8.47
7.80
10.36

13.92
10.17

10.61
8.53
7.76
10.35
12.08
13.98
10.17

1 0 .8 6

10.89

9.95
13.09
13.73
9.81
7.77

1 0 .0 0

13.18
13.82
9.87
7.81

10.96
10.05
13.26
13.90
9.88
7.91

10.92
10.03
13.19
13.90
9.97
7.97

10.04
13.20
13.92
9.98
7.90

9.24
8.96
13.44
7.31

9.30
9.05
13.56
7.33

1 0 .1 1

9.18

1 2 .1 0

6 .0 0

6 .0 1

11.50

11.54

9.30
9.05
13.70
7.36
6.04
11.52

10.42
12.52
14.66
8.91
6.09

10.39
12.56
14.75
8.93

10.44
12.62
14.72
9.00

10.39
12.56
14.83
8.97

6 .1 1

6 .1 1

12.09

12.17

12.17

8 .8 6

11.67

12.77
7.24
5.99
11.48

6 .0 1

10.48
12.56
14.71
8.98
6.09

12.04

12.09

6 .0 1

Feb.p Mar.p

1 0 .8 8

9.29
9.05
13.89
7.32

1 2 .1 2

13.99
10.19
10.91
10.09
13.25
14.03
9.93
7.92

11.49

9.31
9.06
14.15
7.34
6.04
11.49

6 .1 0

10.41
12.54
14.94
8.97
6.14

10.42
12.52
15.03
8.98
6.16

1 2 .1 1

12.17

12.16

6 .0 2

WHOLESALE TRADE..........................................

9.35

9.61

9.53

9.53

9.57

9.57

9.57

9.62

9.67

9.67

9.74

9.74

9.79

9.80

9.82

RETAIL TRADE ...........................................

6.03

6 .1 2

6.08

6.09

6.09

6.08

6.07

6.06

6 .2 0

6.16

6.19

6.19

6.25

6.24

6.25

FINANCE, INSURANCE, AND REAL ESTATE....

8.35

8.76

8.72

8.71

8.72

8 .6 8

8.69

8.81

8.79

8.81

8.94

8.87

9.00

9.07

9.04

SERVICES ..........................................

8.16

8.47

8.41

8.40

8.38

8.35

8.33

8.40

8.55

8.61

8.71

8.73

8.79

8.79

8.80

Data not available.
p = preliminary


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

NOTE: See “ Notes on the data” for a description of the most recent
benchmark revision.

16.

Average weekly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonagricultural payrolls by industry

1986
PRIVATE SECTOR
Seasonally adjusted.....................;.... ...... ......
Constant (1977) dollars ....................................
MINING..................................................................
CONSTRUCTION..................................................

Apr.

Mar.

1987

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

Stone, clay, and glass products.........................
Primary metal industries.....................................
Fabricated metal products ........................... ......

Electrical and electronic equipment....................

Miscellaneous manufacturing..............................

Food and kindred products.................................

Apparel and other textile products.....................
Paper and allied products ...................................
Printing and publishing..............................i.........
Chemicals and allied products............................
Petroleum and coal products..............................
Rubber and miscellaneous
plastics products.......................... ....................
Leather and leather products.............................
TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC
UTILITIES.............................................................

July

June

May

Aug.

Nov.

Oct.

Sept.

Dec.

Jan.

Mar.p

Feb.»

$304.85 $312.50 $308.63 $308.29 $310.76 $312.20 $312.74 $315.58 $314.38 $317.24 $318.07 $318.64 $315.79 $316.71 $316.48
310.07 309.18 312.36 311.11 311.81 314.80 312.09 316.89 318.29 315.21 318.42 317.72 317.97
”
171.07 169.28 169.48 168.28 169.17 169.21 169.14 169.76 168,30 169.38 169.64 170.03 167.97 168.19

_

_

524.97

526.64

522.92

519.57

526.61

527.46

518.25

522.37

523.30

526.92

527.48

535.00

531.71

523.73

517.04

464.83

496.25

474.88

480.53

465.48

461.91

482.03

466.38

477.28

470.87

469.37

485.10

480.44

485.20

489.06

396.01
222.23

406.31

402.87
221.24

398.75
217.78

403.68
219.75

405.66
219.87

400.72
216.72

403.27
216.93

408.00
218.42

410.94
219.40

414.41
2 2 1 .0 2

421.34
224.83

412.87
219.61

409.44
217.44

412.27

2 2 0 .1 0

424.98
335.70
296.91
424.11
496.93
572.54
408.46

433.68
341.04
306.03
434.42
516.34
603.42
416.25

432.22
337.00
301.68
425.46
505.90
581.92
414.59

427.03
338.60
294.10
430.68
508.30
593.74
408.18

431.60
345.68
301.78
439.13
514.28
598.92
412.76

434.51
348.57
306.40
437.33
517.10
605.75
417.00

426.40
341.78
300.66
439.03
514.71
602.80
405.96

430.35
345.54
311.92
439.21
515.14
600.74
411.76

432.78
338.35
308.45
442.00
531.22
639.07
410.64

439.32
342.66
313.84
443.33
522.97
610.49
424.62

443.94
343.00
312.29
438.42
529.10
613.28
429.35

450.71
341.38
319.39
435.93
537.03
625.74
437.25

441.79
336.54
304.98
424.13
526.35
609.70
425.11

438.19
339.49
301.09
426.42
523.06
617.92
419.00

442.21
337.11
302.64
436.16
527.22
615.56
422.89

440.54
395.65
541.86
572.97
388.27
298.58

454.49
404.91
545.62
574.01
403.24
304.18

452.38
402.46
547.84
582.77
401.31
301.04

445.12
395.75
536.32
566.82
394.54
297.60

449.40
399.10
542.27
571.69
399.23
302.62

455.15
404.42
539.67
567.09
402.55
304.18

447.86
399.56
526.03
549.10
398.37
299.54

449.77
403.92
530.19
547.94
403.91
303.38

449.70
404.19
538.48
562.66
402.78
302.64

460.46
408.95
553.71
586.27
410.06
310.80

467.18
414.00
561.47
594.26
414.54
309.28

477.86
422.10
566.20
596.31
418.91
314.82

467.38
414.24
560.58
593.53
417.74
310.03

462.40
408.63
553.08
588.82
412.17
306.52

464.77
414,70
560.48
601.89
412.10
308.09

356.71
349.60
480.59
284.82
214.33
482.98

368.23
358.58
531.69
300.84
220.75
495.63

363.60
352.74
525.78
299.04
219.41
483.48

361.03
351.74
536.93
291.21
212.65
486.64

366.11
359.30
571.03
298.75
219.11
493.62

367.13
357.29
624.36
303.16
221.03
494.05

366.40
354.31
527.18
297.02
217.93
495.94

368.45
358.16
512.62
302.87
492.91

374.91
363.94
501.42
301.49
218.16
514.65

371.79
360.60
526.12
305.53
224.63
501.68

375.14
365.57
551.04
308.48
224.40
502.55

380.37
371.96
549.18
310.06
225.98
508.91

373.86
367.43
537.04
305.44
221.67
502.27

370.67
359.29
531.99
302.32
220.93
494.07

372.40
359.68
522.14
301.67
223.48
496.37

379.62
501.96
621.08

390.64
523.25
639.62

386.46
515.30
636.55

381.26
519.06
635.10

384.16
518.25
637.43

384.16
516.57
624.82

387.45
518.30
645.81

392.81
519.51
631.62

403.48
537.57
644.30

397.00
530.85
642.11

397.94
537.57
646.05

404.03
545.18
652.10

391.70
536.31
651.04

392.46
531.70
639.43

398.04
533.35
652.30

360.55
218.45

369.41
230.89

365.20
227.25

360.74
224.60

366.86
233.53

370.77
237.37

366.13
230.83

368.46
233.79

371.77
229.59

373.33
235.68

375.95
234.01

382.50
235.24

374.95
229.97

371.36
226.57

374.47
231.62

458.64

469.59

462.91

463.27

466.05

465.68

472.80

476.78

473.93

475.14

477.06

477.06

471.08

472.20

469.38

366.53

369.41

368.43

371.33

373.04

373.04

372.02

372.40

371.20

183.52

179.87

179.51

181.37

177.50

177.84

178.75

MANUFACTURING
Constant (1977) dollars......................»..............

1988

1987

Annual average
Industry

2 2 0 .6 6

WHOLESALE TRADE...........................................

359.04

367.10

361.19

363.09

366.53

367.49

RETAIL TRADE ....................................................

176.08

179.32

175.71

177.83

178.44

179.97

182.10

183.62

FINANCE, INSURANCE, AND REAL
ESTATE ................................................................

303.94

317.11

316.54

316.17

316.54

315.95

314.58

320.68

316.44

318.92

324.52

319.32

326.70

330.15

322.73

276.36

277.02

279.83

283.08

282.85

284.80

286.55

284.24

SERVICES .............................................................

265.20

275.28

272.48

271.32

271.51

Data not available.
p = preliminary

272.21

273.22

NOTE: See “ Notes on the data” for a description of the most recent benchmark
revision.

17. The Hourly Earnings Index for production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonagricultural payrolls by
industry
________________________________
Seasonally adjusted

Not seasonally adjusted
Industry

Feb.
1988p

Mar.
1987

Jan.
1988

PRIVATE SECTOR (in current dollars).........................

172.3

176.8

177.0

Transportation and public utilities................................
Wholesale trade1 ..........................................................
Retail trade ..................................................................
Finance, Insurance, and real estate1 ...........................
Services........................................................................

181.4
153.0
174.6
174.4
175.8
159.4
187.0
179.3

185.0
156.9
177.5
177.2
180.3
163.1
193.8
187.3

184.9
155.2
177.8
178.4
180.5
163.3
195.2
187.3

PRIVATE SECTOR [In constant (1977) dollars] ..........

94.6

94.1

94.0

1 This series is not seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component is small
relative to the trend-cycle, irregular components, or both, and consequently cannot
be separated with sufficient precision.
- Data not available.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Feb.
1988p

Mar.
1988»

Mar.
1987

Nov.
1987

Dec.
1987

Jan.
1988

177.3

172.2

175.8

175.7

176.4

184.8
156.0
178.1
178.3
181.0
163.8
194.8
187.6

_

_

_

-

-

-

153.8
174.3
174.6
159.0
179.0

156.6
176.6
177.1
162.3
185.2

154.4
176.9
177.4
”
162.7
185.1

157.1
176.9
176.9
"
163.1
“
186.4

155.8
177.5
177.7
“
162.8
”
186.0

156.8
177.8
178.4

-

94.4

93.8

93.6

93.7

93.6

Mar.
1988p

176.5

177.1

163.3
“
187.3

-

p = prelim inary.
NO TE : See "N o te s on th e d a ta ” fo r a d e scrip tio n o f th e m ost re ce n t ben chm a rk
revision.

83

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:

Employment Data

18. Indexes of diffusion: industries in which employment increased, data seasonally adjusted
(In percent)
Time span and year

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Over
1986
1987
1988

1-month span:
.......................................................................
.......................................................................
.......................................................................

53.2
53.5
60.0

48.1
56.8
62.2

48.1
58.6
55.7

53.5
58.4
-

52.4
58.6
-

46.8
55.7
-

Over
1986
1987
1988

3-month span:
..................................................
....................................................
........................................................

49.7
58.6
67.6

44.9
59.5
64.1

45.7
61.1
-

48.4
61.6
-

47.6
61.4
-

45.4
67.3
-

48.4

47.6
61.9

47.6
62.7
“

43.0
58.9
-

43.2
67.3
-

45.4
67.6
-

43.2
62.2
“

44.1
63.5
”

46.2
67.3
“

45.7
68.9

47.8
73.8

Over 6 -month span:
1986 .......................................................................
1987 .......................................................................
1988 .......................................................................

Over
1986
1987
1988

12-month span:
.........................................................
......................................................
.................................................

Data not available.
NOTE: Figures are the percent of industries with employment rising. (Half of
the unchanged components are counted as rising.) Data are centered within the

52.4

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

56.2
54.6
-

55.1
65.4
-

53.2
65.4
-

59.7
71.9
-

59.7
63.2

55.9
69.7
-

58.1
77.8
-

58.6
75.9
-

60.3
70.5

-

55.1
75.1
-

48.4
71.1
-

47.3
76.2
-

53.0
78.6
-

59.2
80.3
-

58.9
75.7
-

57.8
77.6

58.9
74.3

49.5
72.4
-

49.5
76.2
-

51.6
77.3
-

54.9
77.3

52.2

_

55.1

56.5

-

-

-

6 8 .6

-

6 6 .2

spans. Data for the 2 most recent months shown in each span are preliminary.
See the “ Definitions” in this section. See “ Notes on the data” for a description of
the most recent benchmark revision.

19. Annual data: Employment status of the noninstitutional population
(Numbers in thousands)
Employment status

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

Noninstitutional population....................................

166,460

169,349

171,775

173,939

175,891

178,080

179,912

182,293

184,490

Labor force:
Total (number)..................................................
Percent of population.......................................

106,559
64.0

108,544
64.1

110,315
64.2

111,872
64.3

113,226
64.4

115,241
64.7

117,167
65.1

119,540
65.6

121,602
65.9

100,421
60.3
1,597

100,907
59.6
1,604

102,042
59.4
1,645

101,194
58.2
1 ,6 6 8

102,510
58.3
1,676

106,702
59.9
1,697

108,856
60.5
1,706

111,303
61.1
1,706

114,177
61.9
1,737

98,824
3,347
95,477

99,303
3,364
95,938

100,397
3,368
97,030

99,526
3,401
96,125

100,834
3,383
97,450

105,005
3,321
101,685

107,150
3,179
103,971

109,597
3,163
106,434

112,440
3,208
109,232

Unemployed:
Total (number)............................................
Percent of labor fo rc e ................................

6,137
5.8

7,637
7.0

8,273
7.5

10,678
9.5

10,717
9.5

8,539
7.4

8,312
7.1

8,237
6.9

7,425

Not in labor force (number) ................................

59,900

60,806

61,460

62,067

62,665

62,839

62,744

62,752

62,888

Employed:
Total (number) .............................................
Percent of population ..................................
Resident Armed Forces............................
Civilian
Total .......................................................
Agriculture............................................
Nonagricultural industries.....................

6 .1

20. Annual data: Employment levels by industry
(N um bers in thousand s)

Industry

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

Total employment....................................................................
Private sector.........................................................................
Goods-producing .................................................................
Mining.............................................................................
Construction ..................................................................
Manufacturing.................................................................

89,823
73,876
26,461
958
4,463
21,040

90,406
74,166
25,658
1,027
4,346
20,285

91,156
75,126
25,497
1,139
4,188
20,170

89,566
73,729
23,813
1,128
3,905
18,781

90,200
74,330
23,334
952
3,948
18,434

94,496
78,472
24,727
966
4,383
19,378

97,519
81,125
24,859
927
4,673
19,260

99,610
82,900
24,681
783
4,904
18,994

1 0 2 ,1 1 2

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

63,363
5,136
5,204
14,989
4,975
17,112

64,748
5,146
5,275
15,035
5,160
17,890

65,659
5,165
5,358
15,189
5,298
18,619

65,753
5,082
5,278
15,179
5,341
19,036

6 6 ,8 6 6

4,954
5,268
15,613
5,468
19,694

69,769
5,159
5,555
16,545
5,689
20,797

72,660
5,238
5,717
17,356
5,955
2 2 ,0 0 0

74,930
5,244
5,735
17,845
6,297
23,099

77,228
5,378
5,797
18,264
6,589
24,137

Government...................................................................
Federal......................................................................
State..........................................................................
Local .........................................................................

15,947
2,773
3,541
9,633

16,241

16,031
2,772
3,640
9,619

15,837
2,739
3,640
9,458

15,869
2,774
3,662
9,434

16,024
2,807
3,734
9,482

16,394
2,875
3,832
9,687

16,711
2,899
3,888
9,923

17,063
2,943
3,952
10,167

NOTE:

84


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

See “ Notes on the data” for a description of the most

Dec.

2 ,8 6 6

3,610
9,765

recent benchmark revision.

1987

85,049
24,884
741
5,031
19,112

21. Annual data: Average hours and earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on nonagricultural
payrolls, by industry
Industry

1979

1980

1981

1982

34.8
7.68
267.26

1984

1985

1986

1987

280.70

35.2
8.32
292.86

34.9
8.57
299.09

34.8
8.76
304.85

34.8
8.98
312.50

1983

Private sector
Average weekly hours...........................................................
Average hourly earnings (in dollars)............................ .........
Average weekly earnings (in dollars) ....................................

35.7
6.16
219.91

235.10

35.2
7.25
255.20

Mining
Average weekly hours .....................................................
Average hourly earnings (in dollars) ................................
Average weekly earnings (in dollars)...... ........................

43.0
8.49
365.07

43.3
9.17
397.06

43.7
10.04
438.75

42.7
10.77
459.88

42.5
11.28
479.40

43.3
11.63
503.58

43.4
11.98
519.93

42.2
12.44
524.97

42.3
12.45
526.64

Construction
Average weekly hours .....................................................
Average hourly earnings (in dollars) ................................
Average weekly earnings (in dollars)...............................

37.0
9.27
342.99

37.0
9.94
367.78

36.9
10.82
399.26

36.7
11.63
426.82

37.1
11.94
442.97

37.8
12.13
458.51

37.7
12.32
464.46

37.4
12.47
466.38

477.28

Manufacturing
Average weekly hours .....................................................
Average hourly earnings (in dollars) ................................
Average weekly earnings (in dollars)......... ,....................

40.2
6.70
269.34

39.7
7.27
288.62

39.8
7.99
318.00

38.9
8.49
330.26

40.1
8.83
354.08

40.7
9.19
374.03

40.5
9.54
386.37

40.7
9.73
396.01

41.0
9.91
406.31

Transportation and public utilities
Average weekly hours .....................................................
Average hourly earnings (in dollars) ................................
Average weekly earnings (in dollars)...............................

39.9
8.16
325.58

39.6
8.87
351.25

39.4
9.70
382.18

39.0
10.32
402.48

39.0
10.79
420.81

39.4
1 1 .1 2

39.2
11.70
458.64

1 2 .0 1

438.13

39.5
11.40
450.30

469.59

Wholesale trade
Average weekly hours .....................................................
Average hourly earnings (in dollars)................................
Average weekly earnings (in dollars)...............................

38.8
6.39
247.93

38.5
6.96
267.96

38.5
7.56
291.06

38.3
8.09
309.85

38.5
8.55
329.18

38.5
8.89
342.27

38.4
9.16
351.74

38.4
9.35
359.04

38.2
9.61
367.10

Retail trade
Average weekly hours .....................................................
Average hourly earnings (in dollars) ................................
Average weekly earnings (in dollars)...............................

30.6
4.53
138.62

30.2
4.88
147.38

30.1
5.25
158.03

29.9
5.48
163.85

29.8
5.74
171.05

29.8
5.85
174.33

29.4
5.94
174.64

29.2
6.03
176.08

179.32

Finance, insurance, and real estate
Average weekly hours .....................................................
Average hourly earnings (in dollars) ................................
Average weekly earnings (in dollars)...............................

36.2
5.27
190.77

36.2
5.79
209.60

36.3
6.31
229.05

36.2
6.78
245.44

36.2
7.29
263.90

36.5
7.63
278.50

36.4
7.94
289.02

36.4
8.35
303.94

36.2
8.76
317.11

Services
Average weekly hours .....................................................
Average hourly earnings (in dollars) ................................
Average weekly earnings (in dollars)...............................

32.7
5.36
175.27

32.6
5.85
190.71

32.6
6.41
208.97

32.6
6.92
225.59

32.7
7.31
239.04

32.6
7.59
247.43

32.5
7.90
256.75

32.5
8.16
265.20

32.5
8.47
275.28


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

35.3
6 .6 6

35.0
8 .0 2

37.7
1 2 .6 6

39.1

29.3
6 .1 2

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:
22.

Compensation and Industrial Relations Data

Employment Cost Index, compensation,1 by occupation and industry group

(June 1981 = 100)
1987

1986

1985

Percent change

Series

133.0

133.8

135.0

135.9

137.5

138.6

0 .8

134.2
126.8
133.7

136.0
127.8
135.4

136.9
128.4
136.6

138.5
129.1
138.0

139.3
130.1
138.5

141.2
131.3
139.9

142.2
132.5
140.8

.6

126.9
127.7
132.9
138.8
136.8
131.9

128.1
128.7
133.7
139.4
138.0
132.8

128.8
129.3
135.6
142.4
140.6
134.6

129.5
130.1
136.5
143.6
141.6
135.4

130.2
130.7
138.1
145.2
144.1
136.9

131.1
131.5
138.9
145.8
144.7
137.8

132.2
132.7
140.8
149.2
146.4
139.6

133.5
134.1
141.7
150.6

127.5

128.9

129.9

130.8

131.6

132.9

133.8

135.1

129.8
-

131.3
-

132.5
-

133.5
-

134.3
-

136.1
-

137.0
-

124.4
129.5

125.7
130.9

126.3
131.1

127.2
132.3

127.8
133.5

128.4
134.7

129.5
-

125.3
126.0
129.4
-

126.7
127.7
130.8
-

127.8
128.7
131.6
-

128.6
129.3
132.7
-

129.2
130.1
133.5
*
-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Nonmanufacturing ............................................................

128.4

129.7

130.6

131.7

State and local government workers ...............................
Workers, by occupational group:
White-collar workers.........................................................
Blue-collar workers...........................................................
Workers, by industry division:
Services ............................................................................
Hospitals and other services4 .......................................
Health services.............................................................
Schools ..........................................................................
Elementary and secondary.........................................
Public administration3 .......................................................

137.5

138.9

139.7

138.6
132.7

140.0
134.7

139.1
135.2
140.3
142.0
134.8

140.4
136.8

June

Civilian workers 2 ...................................................................
Workers, by occupational group:
White-collar workers ...........................................................
Blue-collar workers..............................................................
Service occupations............................................................
Workers, by industry division:
Goods-producing..................................................................
Manufacturing .....................................................................
Service-producing .................................................................
Services..............................................................................
Health services................................................................
Hospitals..........................................................................
Public administration 3 .......................................................
Nonmanufacturing.................................................................

129.2

130.6

131.5

131.6
124.9
131.8

133.1
126.2
133.1

125.5
126.0
131.5
137.1
134.8
130.6

Private industry w o rke rs....................................................
Workers, by occupational group:
White-collar workers.........................................................
Professional specialty and technical occupations.........
Executive, administrative, and managerial occupations
Sales occupations...........................................................
Administrative support occupations, including
clerical............................................................................
Blue-collar workers...........................................................
Precision production, craft, and repair occupation........
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors ...........
Transportation and material moving occupations..........
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers ....
Service occupations.........................................................
Workers, by industry division:
Goods-producing................................................................
Construction .....................................................................
Manufacturing...................................................................
Durables ..........................................................................
Nondurables.......................... ..........................................
Service-producing ........................................ .....................
Transportation and public utilities....................................
Transportation..................................................................
Public utilities..................................................................
Wholesale and retail tra d e ...............................................
Wholesale trade ..............................................................
Retail trade .....................................................................
Finance, insurance, and real estate.................................
Service..............................................................................
Health services................................................................
Hospitals ........................................................................

Sept.

Dec.

3
months
ended

Mar.

Mar.

June

Sept.

Dec.

Dec.

12

months
ended

Dec. 1987

-

141.5
143.0
136.8

1 Cost (cents per hour worked) measured in the Employment Cost Index
consists of wages, salaries, and employer cost of employee benefits.
2 Consist of private industry workers (excluding farm and household workers)
and State and local government (excluding Federal Government) workers.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

.7
.9

3.6
3.9
3.2
3.1

.6

3.1
3.1
3.8
4.9
4.4
4.8
4.6
3.8

136.0

.7

3.3

138.5
-

139.3
- •

.6

3.7
4.1
4.4

135.2

130.6
' - '
135.9

131.8
136.7

129.9
130.7
135.3
-

130.8
131.5
136.3
-

131.9
132.7
137.7
-

133.2
134.1
138.4
-

-

-

-

-

~

-

-

-

-

-

-

1.3

5.2
4.3
4.9

132.4

134.1

135.1

136.4

137.1

.5

3.5

143.6

144.7

145.9

146.3

149.7

151.1

.9

4.4

140.5
136.3

145.0
138.5

146.0
139.5

147.2
140.8

147.5
141.3

151.2
143.3

152.7
144.3

1 .0

4.6
3.4

140.8
137.9
141.7
143.2
138.0

145.5
139.4
147.6
149.4
140.6

146.6
141.1

147.3
142.5

147.6
143.3

151.8
145.1

153.1
146.3

.9

-

-

1 .0
1.1
.6

.9
1 .2

148.1
140.5

1 .2
1 .2

.9
.5
-.3
.9
.9
.8

1.3
.6

1 .2

4.1
3.1
3.1
3.4
2.9

1.1

2 .8

.6

2.4

1 .0

.1

3.1
3.7
3.1
2.7
3.8
3.7
3.0
2.7
3.3
3.0
4.0
2.5

.1

2 .0

.7
1.1
1 .0
1 .2

.5
.4
.2
.6
.2

.7

1 .0
1 .2

.7

.8

-

-

-

-

-

1.1

148.4
150.3
141.6

148.9
150.5
144.1

149.1
150.7
144.7

154.1
156.5
146.4

155.5
157.8
148.1

1 .2

.9
.8

4.4
3.7
4.7
4.8
5.0
4.6

Consist of legislative, judicial, administrative, and regulatory activities.
Includes, for example, library, social, and health services.
- Data not available.
3

4

24.

Employment Cost Index, private nonfarm workers, by bargaining status, region, and area size

(June 1981=100)

Series
Dec.

Mar.

Sept.

June

Percent change

1987

1986

1985

Dec.

* Mar.

June

Sept.

3
months
ended

Dec.

12

months
ended

Dec. 1987
COMPENSATION
Workers, by bargaining status 1
Union .....................................................................................
Goods-producing .................................................................
Service-producing................................................................
Manufacturing .....................................................................
Nonmanufacturing...............................................................

127.1
125.2
130.2
125.5
128.6

128.4
126.4
131.6
127.0
129.7

128.7
126.7
131.9
126.9
130.4

129.4
127.3
132.8
127.5
131.2

129.8
127.5
133.4
127.9
131.5

130.5
128.0
134.4
128.0
132.6

131.2
128.7
135.2
128.7
133.5

132.0
129.5
135.9
129.5
134.3

133.4
131.3
136.7
131.5
135.1

Nonunion................................................................................
Goods-producing.................................................................
Service-producing................................................................
Manufacturing .....................................................................
Nonmanufacturing...............................................................

127.5
125.1
129.0
126.3
128.1

129.0
126.7
130.4
128.1
129.5

130.2
128.2
131.4
129.7
130.4

131.2
129.1
132.5
130.4
131.6

132.1
130.0
133.4
131.4
132.5

133.6
130.8
135.3
132.2
134.3

134.6
131.8
136.4
133.2
135.3

136.1
133.1
137.9
134.6
136.8

136.9
134.1
138.6
135.6
137.5

Workers, by region 1
Northeast...............................................................................
South .....................................................................................
Midwest (formerly North Central)..........................................
W est.......................................................................................

129.9
127.2
124.6
129.8

131.6
128.7
125.9
130.8

133.3
129.6
126.2
131.6

134.2
130.7
127.3
132.1

135.2
131.4
128.1
132.8

137.4
132.1
129.1
134.1

138.6
133.2
130.2
134.2

140.3
134.2
131.2
135.8

141.9
135.4
131.7
136.3

Workers, by area size 1
Metropolitan areas................................................................
Other areas............................................................................

128.1
123.9

129.5
125.5

130.5
126.4

131.4
127.2

132.2
127.9

133.5
129.0

134.4
130.2

135.8
131.3

136.7
132.0

Workers, by bargaining status 1
Union .....................................................................................
Goods-producing.................................................................
Service-producing................................................................
Manufacturing .....................................................................
Nonmanufacturing ...............................................................

124.7
122.7
127.8
123.3
125.9

125.6
123.4
129.0
124.2
126.9

126.1
124.1
129.3
124.6
127.4

126.9
124.5
130.5
125.0
128.5

127.2
124.8
130.9
125.5
128.7

127.7
125.0
131.7
125.6
129.5

128.3
125.8
132.2
126.2
130.1

129.1
126.5
132.9
127.0
130.8

130.5
128.5
133.6
129.3
131.5

Nonunion...............................................................................
Goods-producing................................................................
Service-producing................................................................
Manufacturing .....................................................................
Nonmanufacturing ...............................................................

125.9
123.0
127.7
124.4
126.6

127.3
124.5
128.9
126.1
127.8

128.5
126.1
129.9
127.7
128.9

129.4
127.0
130.8
128.5
129.8

130.3
127.8
131.7
129.5
130.6

131.8
128.8
133.6
130.6
132.4

132.8
129.6
134.6
131.5
133.4

134.3
131.1
136.2
133.0
134.9

135.0
132.1
136.7
133.9
135.4

Workers, by region 1
Northeast...............................................................................
South .....................................................................................
Midwest (formerly North Central)..........................................
W est.......................................................................................

128.1
125.4
122.9
127.1

129.2
126.8
124.2
128.1

131.3
127.8
124.4
128.9

132.3
128.8
125.3
129.3

133.1
129.4
126.2
130.1

135.4
130.1
127.4
131.2

136.6
131.1
128.5
131.1

138.3
132.1
129.6
133.1

139.7
133.0
129.9
133.5

126.3

127.4
123.6

128.5
124.5

129.4
125.0

130.2
125.6

131.6
126.6

132.4
127.8

133.7
129.1

134.6
129.8

1.1

2 .8

1.4
.6

3.0
2.5

1.5

2 .8

.6

2.7

.6

3.6
3.2
3.9
3.2
3.8

.8

.5
.7
.5

1 .1

.9
.4
.4

.7
.5

5.0
3.0
2 .8
2 .6

3.4
3.2

WAGES AND SALARIES

Workers, by area size 1
Metropolitan areas................................................................
Other areas............................................................................

1 2 2 .0

1 The indexes are calculated differently from those for the occupation and
industry groups. For a detailed description of the index calculation, see the


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

M onthly Labor Review Technical
Employment Cost Index,” May 1982.

Note,

“ Estimation

1.1
1 .6

.5

2 .6

3.0
2 .1

1 .8

3.0

.5

2 .2

.5
.4
.7
.4

3.6
3.4
3.8
3.4
3.7

1 .0

5.0

.7

2 .8

.2

2.9

.3

2 .6

.7
.5

3.4
3.3

.8

procedures for the

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:
23.

Compensation and Industrial Relations

Employment Cost Index, wages and salaries, by occupation and industry group

(June 1981=100)
1985

1986

1987

Percent change

Series
Dec.

Mar.

June

Sept.

Dec.

Mar.

June

Sept.

Dec.

3
months
ended

12

months
ended

Dec. 1987
Civilian workers ’ .....................................
Workers, by occupational group:
White-collar workers .................................
Blue-collar workers....................................
Service occupations...................................
Workers, by industry division
Goods-producing..........................................
Manufacturing ...........................................
Service-producing ......................................
Services ....................................
Health services...............................
Hospitals...........................................
Public administration 2 ................................
Nonmanufacturing .........................................

Private industry workers.....................
Workers, by occupational group:
White-collar workers...................................
Professional specialty and technical occupations.....
Executive, administrative, and managerial
occupations................................................
Sales occupations............................................
Administrative support occupations, including
clerical......................................................
Blue-collar w orkers.................................
Precision production, craft, and repair
occupations.........................................
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......
Transportation and material moving occupations......
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers........................................
Service occupations.........................................
Workers, by industry division:
Goods-producing.............................................................
Construction ..................................................................
Manufacturing.................................................................
Durables......................................................................
Nondurables.................................................................
Service-producing..................................
Transportation and public utilities........................
Transportation............................................
Public utilities......................................
Wholesale and retail trade....................
Wholesale trade ..........................
Retail trade..................................
Finance, insurance, and real e state.............
Services...................................
Health services ........................
Hospitals....................................
Nonmanufacturing..............................

State and local government workers..................
Workers, by occupational group
White-collar workers............................
Blue-collar workers...........................
Workers, by industry division
Services ...................................
Hospitals and other services 3 ..................
Health services .............................
Schools..........................................
Elementary and secondary ..........................
Public administration 2 ................................

127.0

128.3

129.3

130.7

131.5

132.8

133.£

135.2

136.1

0.7

35

129.8
122.3
128.6

131.2
123.4
129.8

132.4
124.1
130.0

134.1
125.0
131.7

135.0
125.6
132.8

136.6
126.2
134.2

137.3
127.1
134.7

139.4
128.3
136.0

140.2
129.4
136.6

.6

.9
.4

39
3.0
2.9

123.1
123.8
129.4
134.8

124.4
125.3
130.7
136.4

125.6
126.5
131.5
137.0

126.3
127.2
133.4
139.9
_
137.5
132.2

127.0
127.9
134.2
141.1
_
_

127.8
128.7
135.8
142.7
_

128.5
129.5
136.5
143.4
_

129.8
130.8
138.5
146.8

131.0
132.2
139.2
148.2

138.1
133.0

140.5
134.5

141.0
135.2

142.6
137.1

143.8
137.8

.5

4.1
3.6

-

132.0
128.4

-

_
133.8
129.6

-

_
134.6
130.4

.9
1.1

.5
1 .0
1.1

.8

125.6

126.8

127.9

128.8

129.5

130.8

131.7

133.0

133.8

6

33

128.3
131.5

129.6
132.7

131.1
134.0

132.0
135.4

132.7
136.4

134.6
138.4

135.4
139.1

137.0
141.2

137.6
142.6

.4

3.7

1 .0

128.4
122.5

130.5
122.4

132.1
124.3

132.4
125.2

133.5
124.9

135.6
126.7

136.4
127.1

138.6
127.0

139.2
126.1

.4
-.7

4.3

127.9

129.6

130.8

131.7

132.7

134.3

135.5

137.1

138.1

.7

4.1

1 2 2 .0

123.1

123.7

124.5

125.1

125.6

126.6

127.7

128.9

.9

3.0

123.8

125.3

1 2 1 .6

1 2 2 .6

118.0

126.7
124.1
119.8

127.4
124.9

117.8

125.7
123.6
118.9

1 2 0 .1

127.9
125.5
120.5

128.8
126.7
121.5

130.2
127.5
122.3

131.1
129.2
122.9

.7
1.3
.5

2.9
3.4
23

119.8
126.6

120.3
128.0

120.9
128.9

121.4
130.1

121.9
131.4

1 2 2 .6

131.9

123.7
132.6

125.0
133.2

1.1

128.0

3.0
2.4

124.2
118.3
125.3
124.8
126.1
129.0
126.3
_
_
124.5
129.7
122.5
126.6
136.2
_

125.4
119.8
126.5
125.8
127.9
129.9
126.6
_
_
125.8
131.2
123.7
128.0
136.9
_

126.1
120.5
127.2
126.4
128.5
130.9
127.3
_
_

126.8

127.5
121.7
128.7
127.7
130.5
133.4
128.1

128.3
122.7
129.5
128.7
131.0
134.3
129.3

129.6
123.8
130.8
129.7
132.8
135.7
130.0

130.8
124.7
132.2
131.1
134.1
136.2
130.2

122.9
117.9
123.8
123.4
124.6
127.8
125.2
-

_
123.7
128.3
121.9
126.5
134.1
_
126.6

1 2 0 .0

127.7

126.5
131.8
124.4
129.0
138.2

-

-

128.7

129.7

1 2 0 .8

127.9
127.2
129.3
131.6
127.5
_

130.4

127.9
134.8
125.2
133.5
141.8
-

129.9
137.2
127.1
131.5
142.8
-

131.9

132.8

130.6
137.8
127.8
131.8
145.9
134.2

130.7
138.5
127.7
131.6
147.1
134.8

135.5

136.0

140.4

141.4

142.5

142.8

146.1

147.4

136.6
130.4

137.0
131.9

141.8
134.5

142.8
135.1

143.9
136.3

144.1
136.9

147.7
139.0

149.3
139.6

135.6
130.9

136.8
132.4

137.1
133.3

142.1
135.8

143.3
137.3

143.9
138.6

144.2
139.4

148.2
141.2

149.5
142.2

138.0
139.4
133.8

.9
.7

.4

3.2
3.2
3.4
3.1
3.7
3.5

.2

2 1

1.1
1.1
1 .0

.6

126.9
133.1
124.5
130.0
139.5

135.3
128.4

137.0
138.5
132.0

.5

.1

.5
-.1

144.1
145.7
137.5

145.1
146.4
138.1

145.5
146.5
140.5

145.6
146.6
141.0

150.3
152.0
142.6

151.8
153.4
143.8

-.2

1 .2

.8

1 .2

5.4
4.6
5.1

.4

3.4

4.2

.9

46

1.1

.4

3 .3

.9
.7

4.3
3.6
4.4
4.6
48
4.1

1 .0

.9
I

Includes, for example, library, social and health services,
- Data not available.
3

3.0
4.1
2 .6

1 .0

138.2
139.4
134.6

1 .0

2

134.2

Consists of private industry workers (excluding farm and household workers)
and State and local government (excluding Federal Government) workers.
2 Consists of legislative, judicial, administrative, and regulatory activities.

88FRASER
Digitized for
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

3.1
3.4
3.7
5.0
46

25. Specified compensation and wage adjustments from contract settlements, and effective wage adjustments, private
industry collective bargaining situations covering 1,000 workers or more (in percent)
Quarterly average

Annual average

1987

1986

Measure
1985

1986
I

II

III

IV

I

IF

IIP

ivp

Specified adjustments:
Total compensation 1 adjustments, 2 settlements
covering 5,000 workers or more:
First year of contract ...........................................
Annual rate over life of contract .........................

Wage adjustments, settlements covering 1,000
workers or more:
First year of contract ...........................................
Annual rate over life of contract .........................

Effective adjustments:
Total effective wage adjustment3 .........................
From settlements reached in period ...................
Deferred from settlements reached in earlier
periods................................................................
From cost-of-living-adjustments clauses.............

2 .6

1.1

0 .6

0.7

0.7

2.7

1 .6

1 .2

1 .6

1 .2

2.7
2.4

1.7
2.4

2.3
2.7

1 .2

.8

1.3

.8

2 .0

1 .8

1.5

2 .0

1.5

2 .1

3.3
.7

2.3
.5

1 .8

1.7

.4

.7

.2

.2

.6

(4)

.7

.5

.5

.2

.1

.2

.5

.6

(4)

1 Compensation includes wages, salaries, and employers’ cost of employee
benefits when contract is negotiated.
2 Adjustments are the net result of increases, decreases, and no changes in
compensation or wages.

(4)

4.1
3.9

2.5
2 .1

3.4
2.4

1 .2

2 .6

2 .1

2.4

1 .8

2.9

2 .0

1 .8

.4

1 .0

.9

.8

.2

.2

.3

(4)

.2

.3

.7

.6

.3

.1

.1

.2

.1

.2

Because of rounding, total may not equal sum of parts,
Between -0.05 and 0.05 percent.
p = preliminary.
3

4

26. Average specified compensation and wage adjustments, major collective bargaining settlements in private
industry situations covering 1,000 workers or more during 4-quarter periods (in percent)
Average for four quarters endingM easure

I

II

III

IV

I

IF

IVp

IMP

S p e cifie d to ta l co m p e n sa tio n adjustm en ts, s e ttle m e n ts coverin g 5,000
w o rke rs or m ore, all industries:
First year o f c o n t r a c t.....................

2.3
2.5

Annual rate over life of contract

1.4
2 .0

0.9
1.4

1.1

1 .2

1.9

2 .8

3.1

1 .6

1.7

2 .1

2 .6

2 .6

S p e cifie d w a ge adjustm en ts, s e ttle m e n ts cove rin g 1,000 w o rke rs or
m ore:
All in dustries
First year o f co n tra ct ......................................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith C O LA c la u s e s ..................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith o u t C O LA cla uses ............................................................
A n nual rate o ve r life o f co n tra ct ................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith C O LA c la u s e s ..................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith o u t C O LA cla uses ............................................................
M anufactu ring
First year o f c o n tra c t ......................................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith C O LA c la u s e s ..................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith o u t C O LA cla uses ............................................................
A n nual rate over life o f co n tra ct .................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith C O LA c la u s e s ...................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith o u t C O LA cla uses ............................................................
N o nm a nufacturin g
First year of co n tra ct .......................................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith C O LA c la u s e s ....................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith o u t C O LA cla uses .............................................................
A n nual rate o ve r life o f c o n t r a c t .................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith C O LA c la u s e s ....................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith o u t C O LA cla uses .............................................................
C o nstruction
First year o f c o n t r a c t .......................................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith C O LA c la u s e s ....................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith o u t C O LA cla uses .............................................................
A n nual rate o ve r life o f c o n t r a c t .................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith C O LA c la u s e s ....................................................................
C o n tra cts w ith o u t C O LA cla uses .............................................................

D ata do n o t m eet pub lica tio n standards.

2 .0

1 .6

1 .2

1 .2

1 .2

1 .6

1 .8

2 .2

1.5

.8

1.9
.9

2 .0

2 .2

2.5
2.5
2.5

2 .2

1.7

1 .8

1 .8

2.5

2 .0

1.7

1 .8

2 .1

1 .6

1 .8

1 .8

- 1 .2
1.3
- 2 .8

-1.5
1.3
-3.5
(2)

- .8

1.1

2 .1

1.3
-2.7
.3

2 .1

2.4
1.3
1.3

.8

.1

- 1 .0

.8

1 .8

.7
-.4
1.4

- 2 .0
.3

2 .1

2 .0

1.1

.9

-.1

.9

1.5

.2

.9
-.2

1.5

2 .1

2 .2

1 .8

2 .1

2.3

1.4

2 .1

2 .2

2 .0

2 .2

2 .1

1.7

1.7

1.5

2 .2

2 .6

2 .6

.8

1 .0

1 .0

-.2

1 .2

2.1

2.4
1.9
2.5
2.7
2.7

2 .6

2 .1

3.4
2.4
3.3

2.7
1.9
2.3
2.5

2 .8

2 .6

2 .2

2.4

2 .6

2 .8

1 .6

2.3

2 .2

2.4

2 .2

2.4
2.5

2.3
1.4
2.4

2.7
3.7
2.7
2.9
3.8
2.9

1.1

2 .2

2.3

2.5

2 .1

2 .2

2 .1

2 .1

2 .0

2 .2

2 .0

2.4

2.7

2.3

2.4

2 .6

2 .8

2 .1

2 .2

2 .2

2.4
3.0

2 .8

3.0

2.9

1.4
2.3
2.5

1 .6

1 .2

1 .6

1 .6

2.4
2.5
1.4

2 .6

2 .6

2.5

2 .6

2 .6

1 .0

.8

2 .8

2 .8

-.1

-.6

3.5
2.7
3.0
3.6

(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

1.1

.9

(1)
(1)

(1)
(1)
3.2

0
(’ )

3.1
O
(’ )

= prelim inary.

Between -0.05 and 0.05 percent.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

89

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:

Compensation and Industrial Relations Data

27. Average effective wage adjustments, private industry collective bargaining situations covering 1,000
workers or more during 4-quarter periods (in percent)
Average for four quarters endingEffective wage adjustment

1986

1987

II

III

IV

I

IF

IIP

IVP

For all workers:1
To ta l.........................................
From settlements reached in period ...
Deferred from settlements reached in earlier period ...........
From cost-of-living-adjustments clauses.............................

2.9
.5

2.3
.5

2 .0

2 .2

2 .6

3.1

1 .8

1 .6

2.3
.5
1.7

.7

.2

.2

.1

For workers receiving changes:
T o ta l.............................................
From settlements reached in period .............
Deferred from settlements reached in earlier period .
From cost-of-living-adjustments clauses..................

3.8
2.5
3.4

3.1
1.7
3.8

1 .6

1 .2

1 .0

3.9

3.7

3.5

2 .0

1 .0

1 .0

.6

1 .8

1

Because of rounding, total may not equal sum of parts.

p

.4
1.5

.3
.3

2.5

2 .8

1

1 .6

5
7
.4

1 8

.5

3.2
1.9
3.3
2.3

2 .8

36
29
33
2 .6

= preliminary.

28. Specified compensation and wage adjustments from contract settlements, and effective wage adjustments State and
local government collective bargaining situations covering 1,000 workers or more (in percent)
Annual average

Measure
Specified adjustments:
Total compensation 1 adjustments,

2

1986

4.2
5.1

6 .2

4.6
5.4

5.7
5.7

4.9
5.1

5.7
4.1

5.5
2.4
3.0
(4)

4.9

1987

settlements covering 5,000 workers or more:

First year of contract .................
Annual rate over life of contract

Wage adjustments, settlements covering 1 ,000 workers or more:
First year of contract ...................... .:........ .............................
Annual rate over life of contract..........................

Effective adjustments:
Total effective wage adjustment3 ............... ■........... ;.....
From settlements reached in period...........................
Deferred from settlements reached In earlier periods
From cost-of-living-adjustment clauses.......... ............

(4)

Compensation includes wages, salaries, and employers’ cost of employee
benefits when contract is negotiated.
2 Adjustments are the net result of increases, decreases, and no changes in
compensation or wages.

4.9
4.8

6 .0

1 .6

1

29.

1985

2 .6
2 .2

(4)

Because of rounding, total may not equal sum of parts.
Less than 0.05 percent.

Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more
Annual totals

1987

Measure
1986
Number of stoppages:
Beginning in period....................
In effect during period...............

Workers involved:
Beginning in period (in
thousands).................................
In effect during period (in
thousands)..............................

Days idle:
Number (in thousands).............
Percent of estimated working
time1 ...............................

69
72

1987

46
51

Mar.

Apr.

3
5

May

2

5

June

3
7

Digitized 90
for FRASER
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1988
Sept.

ug-

8

6

12

14

3
11

7
15

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.P

Feb.P

Mar.p

1

6

0

3

5

1

12

11

5

6

8

6

17.5

6.7
24.2

533.0

174.4

1 2 .2

2.7

7.0

16.1

14.1

18.4

45.9

1.3

1 1 .8

.0

7.2

899.5

377.7

16.2

8.9

13.9

25.8

31.1

36.0

71.9

53.7

2 2 .2

8.9

1 0 .8

2 1 .1

1,186.1

4,480.7

104.4

151.3

278.0

471.0

361.4

1,155.1

353.3

222.9

159.4

36.6

337.0

.05

.0 2

.05

.0 2

.0 1

.0 1

2 0 1 .2

.0 1

Agricultural and government employees are included in the total employed and total
working time: private household, forestry, and fishery employees are excluded. An expla­
nation of the measurement of idleness as a percentage of the total time worked is found
in '“ Total economy’ measure of strike idleness," M onthly Labor Review, October 1968,
1

July

.0 1

.02

.0 2

pp. 54-56.
p = preliminary

.0 1

.0 1

.0 2

.0 2

203.6
.0 2

30. Consumer Price Indexes for All Urban Consumers and for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers: U.S. city
average, by expenditure category and commodity or service group
(1982-84=100, unless otherwise indicated)

Series

1988

1987

Annual
average
Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

1 1 2 .1

112.7
337.7

113.1
338.7

113.5
340.1

113.8
340.8

114.4
342.7

1 1 2 .8

113.3
113.3

113.8
113.8

113.7
113.7

113.8
113.8

1986

1987

109.6
328.4

113.6
340.4

109.1
109.0
107.3
110.9
104.5
103.3
109.4
109.4
109.0
106.5
110.4
109.2
112.5

113.5
113.5
111.9
114.8
110.5
105.9
119.1
110.5

112.5
112.5
110.9
113.4
108.9
105.4
117.4
1 1 0 .8

1 1 0 .6

1 1 1 .0

110.7
109.0
109.8
115.9
112.9

110.7
108.0
108.5
113.3
116.1
113.3

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

115.0
344.4

115.3
345.3

115.4
345.8

115.4
345.7

115.7
346.7

116.0
347.4

116.5
349.0

114.2
114.1
112.4
115.4
112.7
106.4
117.4
110.3

114.3
114.3
112.4
115.6

114.3
114.2

114.8
114.7

1 1 2 .1

1 1 2 .8

116.2

115.8
115.7
113.9
118.7

116.0
115.9
113.9
118.9

1 1 2 .0

1 1 1 .2

1 1 1 .0

1 1 0 .6

1 1 1 .2

106.9
117.8

106.9
117.4

116.8
110.3
106.7
123.4

115.7
115.7
114.1
118.1

107.3
124.7

107.2
123.0

1 1 0 .6

1 1 0 .2

1 1 0 .0

107.4
126.4
111.3

1 1 1 .8

1 1 2 .0

1 1 1 .6

1 1 1 .6

1 1 1 .0

1 1 2 .2

1 1 2 .2

1 1 2 .6

107.8
105.8
114.6
118.0
114.9

107.4
106.7
114.7
118.3
115.2

111.4
108.0
105.0
115.1
118.6
115.4

107.7
104.8
115.0
118.9
115.4

108.5
106.9
115.9
119.3
115.8

109.5
107.7
116.1
119.7
116.8

110.3
107.7
116.3

115.6
122.5
129.8
124.4
130.5
126.0
126.0
125.5
112.7
116.3
107.8
105.5

115.5
123.2
129.4
124.8
127.7
127.1
127.2
125.8

115.6
123.7
129.1
125.6
124.1
128.0
128.0
126.2
113.3
116.6
109.1

116.2
124.6
130.8
126.0
129.4
128.5
128.6
126.9
113.7
117.4
108.7
102.4
95.6
80.8
101.5
121.3
107.5
103.5
113.1
111.5

116.6
125.0
131.3
126.3
130.4
129.0
129.0
127.1
114.3
117.9
109.5

117.0
125.6
132.9
126.4
136.6
129.2
129.2
127.8
113.3
116.4
109.2
102.7
95.8
80.5
101.7
121.7
108.3
104.7
112.9
111.7

Sept.

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR ALL URBAN CONSUMERS:

All items (1967=100) ......................................................................
Food and beverages.....................................................................

Cereals and bakery products.................................................
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs................................................
Dairy products...................................................................... .

Sugar and sweets................................................................

Food away from home .............................................................
Alcoholic beverages....................................................................
Housing ..........................................................................................

Owners’ equivalent rent (1 2/8 2=1 0 0 )..................................
Household insurance (12/82=100)......................................
Maintenance and repair services ..........................................
Maintenance and repair commodities....................................

Fuel oil, coal, and bottled g a s ...............................................
Gas (piped) and electricity ....................................................
Other utilities and public services............................................
Household furnishings and operations.......................................
Housefurnishings......................................................................
Housekeeping supplies.............................................................
Housekeeping services.............................................................
Apparel and upkeep......................................................................
Men’s and boys’ apparel..........................................................
Women’s and girls’ apparel .....................................................
Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel..................................................

Apparel services..........................................................................

1 1 1 .1

1 1 2 .1

1 1 2 .1

1 2 0 .1

1 2 1 .8

114.7
110.4
105.5
124.1

115.2
111.4
105.3
119.6

110.5

1 1 0 .2

1 1 0 .0

1 1 0 .8

1 1 1 .2

1 1 1 .1

108.5
108.0
113.4
116.4
113.6

107.8
106.8
113.7
116.8
114.0

108.4
105.9
114.1
117.2
114.4

115.3
111.9
105.7
117.4
110.4
111.3
108.3
105.9
114.8
117.5
114.7

113.6
120.5
127.3
122.3
127.1
124.0
124.1
123.0

114.3

1 1 0 .2

1 1 1 .1

112.3
107.5

113.7
107.8
104.9

114.7
121.3
129.3
123.0
132.8
124.4
124.4
124.5
113.2
116.8
108.4
105.0
100.4
77.1
107.6
120.5
107.2
103.6
111.7

113.2
1 2 0 .2

127.1

1 2 1 .8

1 2 2 .0

125.0
123.0
123.0

1 1 1 .8

1 1 1 .2

114.8
107.8
103.0
97.3
77.9
103.8

110.7
113.4
107.1
101.5
95.2
77.5
101.5
119.3
106.8
103.6
110.9
109.9

127.1
123.6
123.6
122.4
110.3

103.7
104.1
99.2
77.6
105.7
117.9
105.2
1 0 2 .2

108.2
108.5

1 2 0 .1

107.1
103.6
111.5
1 1 0 .6

105.9
104.2
106.2
104.0

1 1 0 .6

1 1 1 .8

1 1 2 .1

101.9
101.7
115.1

1 0 1 .2

108.8
77.1
77.0
110.3
115.1
96.3
118.8
117.0

1 2 2 .8

121.9
1 2 0 .8

Hospital and related services...................................................

123.1

Entertainment commodities ........................................................
Entertainment services...............................................................

107.9
116.8

Other goods and services ............................................................

121.4
124.7
111.9
111.3
112.5
128.6
128.1
128.7

1 1 1 .6


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1 1 2 .6

114.6
109.6
105.7

119.6
126.4

1 2 2 .0

Personal and educational services.........................................

1 1 2 .0

1 1 2 .8

1 1 0 .6

Medical care commodities ..........................................................

111.3
114.3
108.6
105.3

114.2
121.3
128.1
123.1
127.4
124.8
124.8
124.0

1 1 0 .6

Maintenance and repair............................................................
Other private transportation.....................................................
Other private transportation commodities.............................
Other private transportation services....................................
Public transportation....................................................................

1 1 2 .6

1 1 2 .8

110.9
115.8
121.9
118.3
118.6
119.4
119.4
119.2
107.9

102.3
Private transportation..................................................................

108.1
107.5
113.8
117.0
114.1

335.9

108.9
109.1
110.4
105.1
108.0
119.6

1 2 2 .2

109.7
108.1
108.0
109.6
114.3
104.5
106.1
118.6

1 1 2 .8

107.2
101.3
94.7
77.5

1 0 2 .2

1 1 1 .1

96.1
77.1
102.5
119.8
107.1
103.5
111.7

110.3

1 1 0 .6

1 0 0 .8

119.7
107.2
104.0

111.5

1 1 1 .1

1 1 0 .0

109.2

109.5
109.9

1 1 2 .8

1 1 1 .2

114.1
105.8
105.9
118.6

1 2 0 .8

127.9
122.3
129.1
124.2
124.2
123.6

1 0 0 .8

77.2
108.1
119.4
107.1
103.5
111.9
110.5
109.3
107.6
109.0
107.6

113.1
106.5
105.8
119.3

1 1 0 .1

104.7
103.5
113.8
114.0
113.4
79.1
79.0
114.3
119.7
96.7
124.2

105.4
104.3
114.1
114.3
114.7
80.8
80.7
114.4
120.3
96.7
125.0

105.6
107.6
119.5

1 1 0 .8

107.3
105.3
107.8
104.2
107.7
103.4
108.2
1 2 0 .0

1 2 1 .1

1 2 0 .8

1 2 1 .2

107.3
103.8
111.5
110.9

107.5
103.9
1 1 1 .8

107.4
103.6
112.3

115.5
123.4
129.2
124.8
126.7
127.4
127.5
125.9
113.5
116.9
108.9
102.4
95.5
80.3
101.4
121.3
107.4
103.6
112.4

1 1 1 .0

1 1 1 .2

1 1 1 .2

109.4
107.6
108.3
108.4
109.0
104.2
109.3
119.8

113.3
1 1 1 .8

115.4
114.0

1 1 0 .6

1 1 2 .0

115.3

118.3
116.2
107.3
110.7

115.4
114.0
112.5
117.7
116.7
108.0
110.7

115.4
1 2 2 .2

130.1
123.8
133.3
125.4
125.4
125.1
112.9
116.5
108.2
105.9
101.4
77.8
108.7

1 0 1 .0

77.6
108.2

1 1 2 .8

116.4
108.1
103.2
96.9
78.5
103.3

1 0 2 .0

95.1
80.5
100.9
120.9
107.3
103.3
112.5
111.4
112.7
1 1 1 .0

110.7
1 1 2 .6

1 2 0 .8

1 2 1 .1

114.5
107.2
111.3
121.4

106.6
105.4
113.8
114.1
116.0
84.0
84.0
115.7

107.1
106.0
115.0
115.2
116.2
83.2
83.1
116.1

1 2 1 .1

1 2 2 .8

97.6
125.8

98.0
127.8

107.8
106.8
116.3
116.6
116.5
83.2
83.1
116.5
123.8
97.6
129.2

107.6
106.5
116.4
116.6
116.3
82.0
81.8
116.9
123.8
97.5
129.2

1 1 2 .1

105.7
110.3
119.9

1 0 2 .8

96.0
80.9
101.9
1 2 1 .8

107.7
103.7
113.2
1 1 1 .6

1 2 0 .2

117.4

114.3
112.7

110.4
108.6
109.0
108.2
113.6
106.1
112.9

108.3
109.1
107.8
111.4
105.8
113.1

1 2 1 .6

1 2 2 .0

1 2 2 .2

107.1
106.0
116.1
116.2
116.0
79.7
79.5
117.2
124.7
98.2
130.1

106.8
105.7
116.0
116.2
116.0
78.3
78.1
117.7
125.0
98.1
130.6

1 1 0 .2

1 1 1 .6

115.3
114.0
107.3
113.6

96.9
125.6

113.1
113.1
108.7
76.6
76.4
113.3
119.1
96.7
123.5

1 2 1 .1

1 2 1 .1

104.2
103.0
113.5
113.6
111.3
78.5
78.4
114.3
119.4
96.0
124.0
120.9

1 2 0 .6

1 2 0 .2

1 2 0 .2

106.5
105.4
114.0
114.4
115.5
84.3
84.3
115.1
120.7
96.8
125.5
121.5

1 2 2 .1

1 2 1 .2

1 2 2 .0

1 2 2 .1

1 2 1 .8

1 2 0 .8

106.5
105.4
115.7
116.0
116.1
77.5
77.3
118.5
124.9
98.3
130.3
121.4

130.1
131.0
130.0
128.8
131.6

128.1
128.5
128.0
126.6
129.1

128.7
129.0
128.7
127.5
129.7

129.2
129.9
129.0
127.9
130.1

129.9
130.8
129.6
128.8
130.6

130.7
131.6
130.4
129.5
132.0

131.2
132.2
131.0
130.0
133.0

131.7
132.7
131.5
130.7
133.3

132.3
133.5
132.0
131.2
134.2

132.8
134.2
132.5
131.5
135.4

133.1
134.9
132.7
131.8
135.9

134.4
135.4
134.1
133.2
137.6

135.5
136.1
135.3
134.5
139.0

136.3
137.0
136.1
135.4
140.0

115.3
110.5

113.9
109.6

114.5
109.9

114.8
110.3

115.4
110.7

115.6

116.9

117.4

1 1 1 .2

1 1 2 .2

1 1 2 .6

1 2 2 .0

122.5

116.1
110.7
123.5

124.5

124.3

124.3

118.1
112.9
125.4

118.3
112.9
125.7

119.0
113.4
126.5

128.0
135.0
115.3
114.3
116.2
136.9
136.5
137.2

128.5
135.3
115.6
114.1
116.8
137.7
136.7
137.9

131.1
135.9
116.0
114.7
117.2
142.1
141.3
142.3

131.6
136.3
116.2
114.9
117.4
142.8
142.3
143.1

131.8
136.5
116.3
115.0
117.5
143.1
142.3
143.4

132.1
137.0
116.5
115.0
117.9
143.4
142.4
143.6

133.4
140.8
117.3
116.1
118.4
143.9
144.6
144.0

134.2
142.2
117.8
116.4
119.1
144.7
146.3
144.8

134.6
142.8
118.1
116.8
119.2
145.0
146.2
145.1

105.4
104.2
114.4
114.6
113.1
80.2
80.1
114.8
1 2 0 .8

103.3
1 0 2 .0

1 2 2 .0

1 2 0 .1

1 2 1 .0

1 2 1 .2

114.9
110.3
121.4

128.5
133.6
115.1
113.9
116.2
138.5
138.1
138.7

126.3
131.3
113.9
112.9
114.8
135.8
136.0
136.0

126.6
131.6
114.2
113.2
115.1
136.1
136.2
136.3

126.9
131.8
114.9
113.7
116.0
136.3
136.4
136.5

127.2
132.4
114.9
113.7
116.1
136.7
136.5
136.8

106.0
104.9
114.4
114.7
115.4
82.2
82.1
114.5
1 2 0 .8

96.3
125.7

1 1 0 .6

117.3

91

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:

Price Data

30. Continued— Consumer Price Indexes for Ail Urban Consumers and for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers: U.S. city
average, by expenditure category and commodity or service group
(1982-84=100, unless otherwise indicated)

Series

1987

Annual
average
Mar.

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

113.6
107.7
113.5
104.0

1 1 2 .1

112.7
107.2

114.4
108.2
113.8
104.6

99.4
108.1
97.3
107.2

98.3
107.7

113.5
107.7
113.8
103.8
100.7
107.6
99.6
108.2

113.8
107.6
113.7
103.8

1 0 1 .1

113.1
107.5
113.3
103.7
100.9
109.5
98.7
107.9

118.5
124.1
111.5
120.4
128.0
123.7

118.9
124.8
111.4
120.9
128.7
124.1

119.3
125.1
112.3
120.9
129.0
124.4

1 2 0 .1

1 1 2 .0

112.7

113.0

1986

1987

All ite m s............................................................................................
Commodities..................................................................................
Food and beverages...................................................................
Commodities less food and beverages......................................
Nondurables less food and beverages ....................................
Apparel commodities..............................................................
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel ..................
Durables....................................................................................

109.6
104.4
109.1
101.4
97.8
104.2
95.9
106.6

Services..........................................................................................
Rent of shelter (1 2 /8 2 -1 0 0 ).....................................................
Household services less rent o f shelter (12/82—100).............
Transportation services...............................................................
Medical care services..................................................................
Other services .............................................................................

115.4

1 2 0 .2

1 2 0 .2

125.9
113.1
121.9
130.0
125.7

109.8
108.0

113.6
1 1 1 .6

1 1 0 .2

1 1 0 .8

1 1 1 .1

1 1 1 .2

115.1

113.6

114.2
111.7
103.9
101.3
99.1
106.9

114.6

Special indexes:
All items less food ......................................................................
All items less shelter ..................................................................
All items less homeowners’ costs (12/82—100).......................
All items less medical ca re .........................................................
Commodities less fo o d ................................................................
Nondurables less food ................................................................
Nondurables less food and apparel ...........................................
Nondurables................................................................................
Services less rent o f shelter (12/82 —1 00)...............................
Services less medical c a re .........................................................
Energy..........................................................................................
All items less energy ..................................................................
All items less food and energy ...................................................
Commodities less food and energy............................................
Energy commodities ...................................................................
Services less energy...................................................................

1 1 2 .8

116.3
121.9
119.4

108.8
101.7
98.5
96.9
103.5
118.7
114.6

108.9
99.5
108.2

106.4
112.5
1 0 2 .6

1 1 2 .6

1 1 1 .1

104.3

102.9

1 0 1 .8

1 0 0 .1

100.3
107.5
123.1
119.1

98.2
106.1
121.3
117.4
85.8
115.8
116.8
110.7
76.9
120.3

8 8 .2

8 8 .6

1 1 2 .6

117.2
118.2

113.5
108.6
77.2
116.5

1 1 1 .8

80.2
1 2 2 .0

1 1 2 .8

103.6
100.7
1 1 0 .0

1 2 2 .1

118.2
87.4
116.7
117.6
111.7
79.1

8 8 .6

88.4
29.5

8 8 .0

8 8 .0

29.4

89.1
29.8

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR URBAN WAGE EARNERS
AND CLERICAL WORKERS:
All items .........................................................................................
All items (1967-100) ......................................................................

108.6
323.4

112.5
335.0

1 1 1 .0

1 1 1 .6

330.5

332.3

Food and beverages .....................................................................
Food.............................................................................................
Food at home ...........................................................................
Cereals and bakery products.................................................
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs................................................
Dairy products........................................................................
Fruits and vegetables.............................................................
Other foods at home..............................................................
Sugar and sweets................................................................
Fats and o ils ........................................................................
Nonalcoholic beverages......................................................
Other prepared foods..........................................................
Food away from home .............................................................
Alcoholic beverages....................................................................

108.9
108.8
107.1
110.9
104.4
103.2
109.4
109.1
109.0
106.4

113.3
113.3
111.7
114.8
110.4
105.7
118.8
110.4
110.9
107.9
107.5
113.6
116.9
113.9

112.3
112.3
110.7
113.4
108.7
105.3
116.9
110.7
110.5
108.8
109.7
112.4
115.8
112.9

1 1 2 .6

Housing ..........................................................................................
Shelter .........................................................................................
Renters’ costs (12/84—100)...................................................
Rent, residential.....................................................................
Other renters’ costs ...............................................................
Homeowners’ costs (12/84—100)...........................................
Owners’ equivalent rent (1 2/8 4=1 0 0 )..................................
Household insurance (12/84=100)......................................
Maintenance and repairs..........................................................
Maintenance and repair services ..........................................
Maintenance and repair commodities....................................
Fuel and other utilities.................................................................
Fuels .........................................................................................
Fuel oil, coal, and bottled g a s ...............................................
Gas (piped) and electricity....................................................
Other utilities and public services............................................
Household furnishings and operations.......................................
Housefurnishings......................................................................
Housekeeping supplies.............................................................
Housekeeping services.............................................................

109.7
113.5
109.5
118.2
119.1
108.8
108.8
109.4
107.7
110.5
103.1
103.9
99.2
77.8
105.7
117.7
105.0
101.9
108.5
109.1

1 1 2 .8

111.4
117.1
113.3
121.7
125.6

Apparel and upkeep......................................................................

105.8

Digitized for92
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1 1 1 .1

118.8
114.6
122.9
128.2
113.8
113.7
114.1
111.3
114.7
106.0
102.7
97.1
77.6
103.6

1 1 2 .1
1 1 2 .1

112.4
110.3
113.5
105.2
1 0 1 .2

113.5
111.7
115.1
112.5
104.1
101.4
100.3
107.4
123.2
119.0
90.7
116.9
117.7
111.4
80.6
121.4

1 2 1 .6

91.3
30.5

1 1 0 .0

1 1 2 .1

104.0
101.4
99.5
107.2

125.4
114.8
121.3
129.6
124.7

117.8
86.4
116.4
117.4
111.5
78.5
120.9

Purchasing power of the consumer dollar:
1982-84 = $1.00...........................................................................
1967 —$1.00................................................................................

109.0
112.5

1988

29.6

112.5
1 1 1 .0

114.3
108.5
105.1
119.5
110.4
110.5
107.9
108.4
113.1
116.0
113.2

1 0 0 .6

1 0 2 .0

105.3
100.5
108.4

107.6
101.5
108.3

120.5
126.0
115.1
121.7
130.4
125.1

1 2 1 .2

113.8

126.9
115.8
1 2 2 .0

131.0
125.6

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

115.4
109.5
114.3
106.5
104.3
114.0

115.4
109.3
114.8
105.7
103.1

115.7
109.2
115.7
105.1

1 1 1 .0

108.6

116.0
109.1
115.8
105.0
101.9
108.3

116.5
109.8
116.0
105.9
103.4
112.7

1 0 1 .8

1 0 1 .0

1 0 1 .0

109.6

101.5
109.5

1 0 1 .2

108.3

115.3
109.3
114.3
106.1
104.2
114.0
101.5
108.8

109.4

109.4

109.5

121.7
127.2
115.5
122.5
131.5
127.9

121.9
128.0
113.5
123.4
132.0
128.7

1 2 2 .0

1 2 2 .2

128.1

128.5
112.3
124.6
132.7
129.0

122.9
129.4
112.7
125.1
134.1
129.6

123.4
129.8
113.1
125.2
135.3
130.2

123.8
130.4
113.0
125.4
136.1
130.7

115.5
113.2
116.6
114.2
106.3
104.6

116.0
113.5
117.1
114.8
105.4
102.7
101.9
109.0
125.8

116.6
114.0
117.7
115.3
106.3
104.1
101.9
109.8
126.0
122.4
86.5

115.0
108.9
114.2
105.5
103.5
1 1 1 .8
1 0 1 .6

1 1 2 .6

124.5
132.5
128.8

1 0 2 .6
1 0 2 .0

1 0 2 .2

1 0 2 .1

107.3
123.7
119.4
91.1
117.1
118.0

108.1
124.2

109.0
124.9

109.4
124.6

1 2 0 .1

1 2 0 .6

1 2 0 .8

1 2 0 .8

1 2 1 .0

92.7
117.6
118.6

89.8
118.9

1 1 1 .2

1 1 1 .8

113.7
82.9
123.9

89.0
119.2
120.5
114.1
83.1
124.2

88.3
119.2
120.4
113.5
82.0
124.4

8 6 .6

1 0 2 .1

115.5
113.2
116.6
114.3
106.0
103.7

115.7
113.3
116.9
114.6
105.5

1 0 2 .1

101.9
109.1
125.3
121.7
87.4
119.7

109.1
124.6

1 0 2 .8

1 2 2 .1

1 2 2 .0

83.8
122.7

92.3
118.3
119.4
112.9
83.5
123.2

29.4

87.8
29.3

87.3
29.2

86.9
29.0

86.7
29.0

86.5
28.9

111.9
333.4

112.4
334.9

112.7
335.6

113.3
337.4

113.8
339.1

114.1
340.0

114.3
340.4

114.2
340.2

114.5
341.0

114.7
341.6

115.1
343.0

113.1
113.1
111.7
114.5
109.5
105.6

114.0
114.0

114.1
114.1

1 1 2 .2

1 1 2 .2

115.4
112.7
106.2
117.1

115.7

114.1
114.0
111.9
116.2

114.5
114.5
112.5
116.9

115.4
115.4
113.7
118.1

1 1 2 .0

1 1 1 .2

1 1 0 .1

1 1 0 .8

106.7
117.4

1 1 0 .2

106.7
117.5
110.5

107.1
125.7
111.3

1 1 1 .1

1 1 1 .0

1 1 1 .2

108.2
105.9
113.9
117.0
114.2

111.5
107.6
106.0
114.4
117.9
114.6

1 1 1 .6

107.6
106.8
113.5
116.7
113.9

107.3
106.9
114.5
118.2
114.9

107.9
105.2
114.9
118.5
115.2

106.4
123.0
109.8
110.9
107.6
104.9
114.8
118.8
115.1

115.5
115.4
113.5
118.8
110.5
107.0
124.0
111.7

115.7
115.6
113.5
118.9

110.4
110.7
108.3
108.1
113.2
116.2
113.5

113.5
113.5
111.9
115.2
111.3
105.1
119.6
109.9

113.6
113.6
111.9
115.3

1 2 1 .1

113.6
113.6
112.3
114.8
110.4
105.3
123.9

112.9
118.2
114.2

113.2
118.8
115.3

1 2 2 .1

114.0
120.7
116.0
124.5
129.3
115.9
115.9
115.8

1 2 1 .2

1 1 0 .1

81.8

1 1 1 .8

1 1 2 .2

117.7
113.8
121.9
128.3
112.7
112.7
112.5

118.1
114.0

1 2 2 .2

1 2 2 .8

128.6
113.1
113.1
113.1

129.7
113.2
113.2
113.8

133.6
113.4
113.4
114.6

1 1 0 .2

1 1 0 .2

1 1 1 .0

1 1 2 .6

113.2
105.2

112.5
106.0

1 0 1 .0

1 0 1 .8

116.9
106.3
104.7

94.4
77.3

95.8
76.8

113.9
106.3
104.6
100.7
77.0
108.0
119.4
106.7
102.9

1 1 1 .8

105.5
117.3
110.3
111.3
108.1
106.0
114.6
117.4
114.4
114.0
119.6
116.0
123.6
134.2
114.3
114.3
115.1
112.4
116.6
106.2
105.6
101.3
77.5
108.6

1 0 0 .6

1 0 2 .2

119.7
106.7
103.0
1 1 2 .0

1 1 2 .1

1 1 2 .1

106.9
103.3
111.9

110.9

110.9

110.9

1 1 1 .1

1 1 1 .2

110.4

109.5

111.4

110.9

109.1

107.1

109.1

1 1 1 .8

Dec.

1 0 1 .1

119.6
106.9
103.4
111.5
110.7

1 2 0 .1

Nov.

115.7
113.3
116.8
114.4
106.7
104.8
102.4
109.5
124.6

115.3
112.7
104.1
101.3

95.0
77.3
101.3
119.3
106.5
103.1
111.3
110.4

106.7
103.1

Oct.

115.1
113.0
116.5
113.9
105.7
104.0

1 1 1 .8

114.5
112.3
115.9
113.3
104.9

Sept.

1 0 0 .2

76.9
107.4
120.4
106.8
103.1

1 2 1 .0

114.1

1 2 0 .1

1 1 0 .1

1 1 2 .1

1 1 2 .2

116.4
105.8
105.2

116.0
106.3

113.9
120.9
115.9
124.6
128.1
116.2
116.2
115.9
112.7
116.5
106.9

1 0 2 .8

1 0 2 .0

1 0 0 .8

96.5
78.2
103.0

95.1
80.1

1 2 0 .0

116.2
124.2
132.2
114.8
114.8
115.5

1 2 0 .6

1 2 0 .8

1 2 1 .1

113.2
80.0
125.2

113.3
78.8
125.7

121.9
114.6
78.0
126.1

28.9

86.4
28.8

28.8

85.8
28.7

114.1
1 2 1 .2

1 2 1 .1

1 2 1 .2

107.0
103.1
1 1 2 .8

111.3

107.0
103.1
112.7
111.4

115.9
125.3
124.5
116.6
116.6
116.1
112.5
115.9
107.1
101.7
94.8
80.2
100.7
120.9
106.9
102.9
112.9

111.4

112.9

115.2

115.2

77.3
108.1
120.7
107.1
103.4
1 1 2 .2

1 0 1 .1

87.0
1 2 0 .0

8 6 .2

1 1 2 .1

1 1 2 .1

108.4
107.2
115.7
119.1
115.6

109.5
107.9
115.8
119.6
116.6

114.6
121.9
116.9
125.7
129.2
117.1
117.1
116.7
113.0
117.1
106.9

115.0
122.4
117.3
126.1
130.0
117.6
117.6
116.7
113.6
117.6
107.5
102.5
95.6
80.6

1 1 1 .1

106.9
1 2 2 .2

111.9
112.4
110.3
108.0
116.0
1 2 0 .0

117.3
115.4
122.9
118.4
126.2
136.9
117.8
117.8
117.2
1 1 2 .8

1 0 1 .2

1 0 1 .6

1 2 1 .2

1 2 1 .8

107.2
103.1
113.6

1 1 1 .6

107.1
103.0
113.5
111.7

1 1 1 .8

116.6
107.1
102.3
95.4
80.2
101.4
121.7
107.8
104.1
113.4
111.9

1 1 2 .6

110.3

1 1 0 .0

113.9

1 0 2 .0

95.2
80.4

30. Continued— Consumer Price Indexes for All Urban Consumers and for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers: U.S. city
average, by expenditure category and commodity or service group
(1982-84=100, unless otherwise indicated)

Series

Apparel commodities..................................................................
Men’s and boys’ apparel..........................................................
Women’s and girls’ apparel .....................................................
Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel...................................................
Footwear...................................................................................
Other apparel commodities......................................................
Apparel services..........................................................................

1986

1987

104.2
105.9
103.8
113.5

108.8
108.5
110.3
114.0
105.5
107.4
119.2

1 0 2 .1
1 0 1 .6

115.0

June

July

Aug.

107.9
107.0
109.4
116.2
105.0
105.6
118.4

109.9
108.3
113.0
115.9
106.1
105.5
118.4

109.4
109.0
111.4
115.3
106.7
105.1
118.9

107.4
108.2
107.7
111.7
105.8
107.0
119.1

105.3
106.9
104.4
109.7
103.9
107.3
119.5

107.4
107.7
108.2

105.1
104.3
113.7
114.0
114.7
80.9
80.8
114.7
118.5
96.6
1 2 2 .8

106.3
105.5
113.5
114.0
115.5
84.5
84.4
115.4
118.7
96.7
123.1

108.6
108.6
108.2
115.2
106.8

108.3
108.7
107.9
113.3
106.4

117.6
118.7
108.6
110.5
120.7

106.9
106.1
114.5
114.9
116.1
83.3
83.2
116.3

1 2 0 .8

106.4
105.5
113.3
113.8
115.9
84.1
84.1
116.0
119.1
97.3
123.4
121.4

131.4
131.3
131.4
130.2
132.4

1 1 0 .6

104.7
108.2
119.3

1 1 2 .6

116.4
108.0

112.4
1 1 1 .1

114.9
116.0
107.7

1 1 0 .6

1 1 2 .2

1 1 2 .0

1 1 2 .8

120.9

1 2 1 .1

121.5

1 2 1 .6

107.6
106.7
115.9
116.2
116.4
83.3
83.2
116.7

107.3
106.4
116.1
116.3
116.2
82.0
81.9
117.0

1 2 1 .0

1 2 2 .0

1 2 2 .0

97.7
125.8
120.7

97.2
127.1

1 2 1 .2

106.4
105.6
115.7
116.0
116.0
78.3
78.1
117.8
123.2
98.0
128.5
120.4

106.2
105.3
115.3
115.7
116.1
77.5
77.3
118.6
123.1
98.1
128.2

1 2 1 .2

97.4
127.1
121.3

106.8
105.9
115.8
115.9
115.9
79.7
79.5
117.4
122.9
98.1
128.0

132.0
131.9
132.0
130.9
132.8

132.6
132.6
132.6
131.4
133.7

133.0
133.4
133.0
131.7
134.9

133.4
134.1
133.2
132.0
135.4

134.6
134.7
134.6
133.4
136.9

135.8
135.4
135.8
134.7
138.4

136.5
136.1
136.6
135.5
139.3

130.8
130.9
130.8
129.6
131.4

1 1 1 .0

114.8

114.4
110.5

114.5
110.5

115.0
110.9

116.9

117.4

1 1 2 .6

1 1 2 .8

1 2 1 .1

1 2 1 .2

1 2 1 .8

1 2 2 .2

116.3
111.3
124.3

1 1 2 .2

1 2 0 .8

115.6
110.9
123.2

116.7

1 1 0 .0

1 2 1 .8

113.4
109.6
119.8

115.1

107.8
116.5

124.1

124.0

124.9

117.6
112.9
125.2

118.2
113.5
126.0

114.8
135.5
136.0
135.7

125.9
131.7
114.1
113.1
115.0
135.9
136.2
136.1

126.2
131.8
114.7
113.6
115.9
136.1
136.3
136.3

126.6
132.5
114.8
113.6
116.0
136.4
136.4
136.7

127.5
135.1
115.1
114.1
116.2
136.7
136.4
137.0

128.0
135.4
115.4
114.3
116.7
137.4
136.6
137.7

130.3
136.0
115.8
114.6
117.1
141.8
140.7
142.1

130.8
136.5
116.1
115.0
117.3
142.4
141.8
142.7

131.0
136.7
116.2
115.0
117.4
142.8
141.8
143.1

131.3
137.2
116.4
115.1
117.8
143.0
141.9
143.3

132.7
141.0
117.1
116.0
118.3
143.4
143.9
143.6

133.6
142.3
117.5
116.2
118.9
144.3
145.3
144.5

134.0
143.0
117.7
116.5
119.0
144.6
145.2
144.8

1 1 1 .0

1 1 1 .6

105.9
112.3

106.7

112.4
107.3
113.6
103.4
100.4
107.4
99.3
106.6

112.7
107.3
113.5
103.5
100.4
105.3
100.3
106.9

113.3
107.9
113.6
104.3

113.8
108.5
114.0
105.1
103.1
111.5
101.5
106.9

114.1
108.9
114.1
105.7
103.8
113.9
101.3
107.4

114.3
109.1
114.1
106.0
104.0
113.9

114.2
108.9
114.5
105.4

114.7
108.7
115.5
104.5
101.4
108.3
100.5
107.9

115.1
109.3
115.7
105.3
102.7
112.4
100.4
108.0

119.3
113.5
105.7

119.7
114.0
105.9

120.9
115.2
106.3

122.5
117.5
103.9
124.4
135.8
129.0

118.0
103.8
124.5
136.6
129.5

Entertainment................................................................................
Entertainment commodities ........................................................
Entertainment services................................................................
Other goods and services .............................................................
Tobacco products .......................................................................
Personal care...............................................................................
Toilet goods and personal care appliances.............................
Personal care services.............................................................
Personal and educational expenses...........................................
School books and supplies......................................................
Personal and educational services..........................................

120.9
124.8
111.9

All ite m s............................................................................................
Commodities..................................................................................
Food and beverages...................................................................
Commodities less food and beverages......................................
Nondurables less food and beverages ....................................
Apparel commodities..............................................................
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel ..................
Durables....................................................................................

108.6
103.9
108.9

1 1 1 .2
1 1 2 .6

128.5
127.8
128.6

1 1 0 .6

127.8
133.7
115.0
113.9
116.1
138.2
137.9
138.4

1 2 2 .0

1 1 1 .1

110.4

113.9
111.5
118.2
118.6
107.9
110.4
120.3

119.7

120.9

1 2 1 .8

113.9
1 1 2 .0

111.5
109.8
115.2
113.9
106.0
109.8
119.4

Mar.

130.0
130.1
130.0
128.9
130.0

1 2 2 .6

113.2
113.3
111.3
78.5
78.5
114.6
117.5
95.7

Feb.

120.3

1 2 2 .2

112.9

104.4
103.4
113.5
113.7
113.4
79.2
79.1
114.6
117.8
96.4

Jan.

129.3
129.1
129.3
128.1
129.5

1 2 2 .0

103.8
1 0 2 .8

Dec.

Nov.

120.3

113.8
96.3
117.1
116.8

1 0 2 .8

Oct.

128.8
128.2
128.9
127.6
129.1

1 1 0 .6

105.1
104.1
114.0
114.3
113.1
80.3
80.2
115.1
119.0
96.7
123.4
120.4

1 0 1 .8

Sept.

1 2 0 .2

1 2 2 .0


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

May

128.1
127.7
128.1
126.7
128.5

Medical c a re ..................................................................................
Medical care commodities..........................................................
Medical care services..................................................................
Professional services................................................................
Hospital and related services ...................................................

Purchasing power of the consumer dollar:
1982-84-$1.00...........................................................................
1967—$1.00................................................................................

Apr.

130.2
130.2
130.3
129.0
131.1

101.7
100.9
110.4
110.4
108.8
77.1
76.9

Special indexes:
All items less food ......................................................................
All items less shelter ..................................................................
All items less homeowners’ costs (12/84—100).......................
All items less medical care.........................................................
Commodities less fo o d ................................................................
Nondurables less food ................................................................
Nondurables less food and apparel ...........................................
Nondurables................................................................................
Services less rent of shelter (12/84 = 100)................................
Services less medical c a re .........................................................
Energy..........................................................................................
All items less energy ...................................................................
All items less food and energy ...................................................
Commodities less food and energy............................................
Energy commodities ...................................................................
Services less energy...................................................................

Mar.

105.8
104.9
113.9
114.4
115.4
82.3
82.2
114.9
118.9
96.3
123.4
119.7

Transportation ................................................................................
Private transportation...................................................................
New vehicles.............................................................................
New ca rs................................................................................
Used c a rs .................................................................................
Motor fuel .................................................................................
Gasoline.................................................................................
Maintenance and repair............................................................
Other private transportation.....................................................
Other private transportation commodities.............................
Other private transportation services....................................
Public transportation...................................................................

Services..........................................................................................
Rent of shelter (12/84—100).....................................................
Household services less rent of shelter (12/84—100)..............
Transportation services...............................................................
Medical care services..................................................................
Other services .............................................................................

1988

1987

Annual
average

1 1 2 .8

108.7
76.6
76.5
113.7
117.4
96.5
121.4

125.6
131.4
113.8
1 1 2 .8

114.0

1 0 2 .0

103.0

98.9
107.9
96.8
105.4

1 0 0 .2

109.9
97.9
106.0

111.9
107.0
113.1
103.3
100.4
109.4
98.4
106.4

118.7

130.3
124.7

117.7
112.5
102.5
119.2
128.1
122.7

118.1
113.0
102.4
119.7
128.9
123.2

118.5
113.4
103.2
119.8
129.3
123.5

108.5
107.4

1 1 2 .2

1 1 0 .6

111.3

1 1 1 .0

109.5
104.9

1 1 0 .1

105.5

1 1 0 .0

1 1 0 .6

1 1 1 .0

103.3

103.6

1 0 0 .8

1 0 1 .0

1 0 1 .0

1 0 1 .1

98.7
106.6
109.5
116.9
85.8
115.3
116.0
110.5
78.6

99.2
106.9
109.9
117.4

1 0 0 .0

1 0 1 .0

107.2
118.1
90.1
115.7
116.3
110.5
80.7

107.2
111.5
118.5
90.5
115.9
116.6
110.3
82.0

1 2 1 .2

102.3
99.6
97.8
105.8
109.2
116.5
85.1
114.7
115.3
109.6
76.9
119.6

1 2 0 .6

1 2 1 .1

89.0
29.9

90.1
30.3

1 0 0 .8

97.3
104.2
95.3
104.9
114.7
109.0
103.9
115.4
1 2 2 .0

1 0 2 .8

107.8
1 0 1 .2

98.0
96.4
103.3
107.1
113.9
87.4
111.5
112.3
107.6
77.2
115.8

92.0
30.9

112.5
107.3
113.3
103.6
1 0 0 .8

108.8
99.2
106.6
119.4
114.0
104.0
1 2 0 .8

106.4
111.5
103.9
101.4
1 0 0 .0

107.2
1 1 0 .8

118.2
8 8 .0

116.0
116.8
1 1 0 .8

80.3

1 1 2 .6

1 2 0 .1

89.6
30.1

1 1 0 .8

1 0 1 .8

107.4
101.4
106.8

1 2 0 .2

1 2 0 .6

130.0
123.7

130.8
124.1

120.4
114.9
106.6
120.7
131.4
124.6

1 1 1 .6

1 1 2 .1

112.4

113.1

110.5
105.9

1 1 1 .1

1 1 1 .2

1 1 1 .8

106.4
111.5
103.7

106.6
111.7
103.8

107.1
112.3
104.6
102.4
101.9
107.9

8 6 .8

115.6
116.3
110.7
79.2
120.4

89.3
30.0

1 1 1 .1

88.9
29.9

88.7
29.8

1 2 1 .2

132.0
126.9
113.7
112.4
107.7
112.9
105.4
103.6

107.9

1 2 1 .1

1 2 1 .2

115.9
104.2
122.5
132.6
127.7

116.1
103.4
123.5
133.0
127.8

121.3
116.4
103.1
123.6
133.2
127.9

117.1
103.5
124.1
134.6
128.5

114.0

114.3
112.7
108.0
113.3
106.3
104.4

114.1
112.5
107.8
113.2
105.6
103.3

1 0 2 .2

1 0 1 .8

1 2 2 .0

114.4

109.2

108.8

1 1 2 .2

1 1 2 .2

1 1 2 .8

119.9

1 2 0 .1

120.7

1 2 1 .1

8 8 .6

8 6 .8

1 1 2 .6

83.8
122.4

118.0
119.1
113.1
83.2
123.4

87.8
118.0
119.0
82.1
123.7

118.5
119.3
112.3
80.0
124.3

86.3
118.7
119.6
112.4
78.7
124.8

87.8
29.5

87.6
29.4

87.4
29.4

87.5
29.4

87.3
29.3

87.2
29.3

29.2

1 1 1 .8

1 1 2 .6

107.8
113.1
105.9
104.2
101.9
109.2

114.2
112.7
108.0
113.4
105.0
102.4
101.5
108.8

1 2 2 .8

1 1 2 .2

84.1

8 8 .2

1 0 0 .8

108.0

119.9
89.3
117.7
118.7
112.7
83.0
123.1

1 1 0 .8

29.6

1 0 1 .2

108.0

101.4
108.7
113.2

1 0 2 .0

108.8
112.5
119.7
91.8
117.1
117.9

1 2 1 .8

1 0 1 .6

1 0 2 .8

115.0
113.2
108.6
114.0
105.7
103.4
101.4
109.4
113.4
121.4
85.8
119.3
120.3
113.5
77.9
125.2

119.2
92.2
116.4
117.2

1 1 2 .0

1 1 1 .1

114.5
108.8
115.4
104.7
101.7
108.6

1 2 0 .8

1 1 2 .8

108.1
113.6
104.9
1 0 2 .2

8 6 .8

93

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 . Current Labor Statistics:
31.

Price Data

Consumer Price Index: U.S. city average and available local area data: all items

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise indicated)
All Urban Consumers
Area1

Pricing Other
sche­ index
dule2
base

U.S. city average .
Region and area size3
Northeast urban..................
Size A - More than
1 ,2 0 0 , 0 0 0
Size B - 500,000 to

1, 200,000
Size C - 50,000 to
500.000 ............................
North Central urban ...........
Size A - More than
1 .200.000 ...............................
Size B - 360,000 to

1, 200,000
Size C - 50,000 to
360.000 ............................
Size D - Nonmetro­
politan (less
than 50,0000 ....................
South urban....................... .
Size A - More than
1 200.000
Size B - 450,000 to

.

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

1 , 200,000

M

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Mar.

Apr.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

1 1 2 .1

112.7

115.4

115.4

115.7

116.0

116.5

1 1 1 .0

1 1 1 .6

114.3

114.2

114.5

114.7

115.1

-

114.2

115.0

118.3

118.3

118.9

119.2

119.6

113.3

114.1

117.4

117.4

117.9

118.1

118.4

-

114.9

115.7

119.3

119.4

1 2 0 .0

119.9

120.4

113.2

114.1

117.7

117.8

118.1

118.0

118.5

-

112.4

113.3

116.1

115.6

116.2

117.0

117.5

111.4

112.3

115.0

114.5

115.1

116.0

116.4

113.7
110.3

113.8
110.9

116.0
113.5

116.2
113.3

117.1
113.4

117.2
113.7

117.2
114.3

116.1
108.4

116.1
109.0

118.6
111.7

118.8
111.4

119.6
111.5

119.8
1 1 1 .8

119.8
112.3

M

-

1 1 1 .0

111.5

114.4

113.9

114.1

114.7

115.1

108.5

109.1

1 1 1 .8

111.4

1 1 1 .6

1 1 2 .1

112.5

M

-

1 1 0 .0

1 1 1 .1

113.0

113.0

113.3

113.5

114.2

107.5

108.4

110.7

110.7

110.9

1 1 1 .1

1 1 1 .8

M

-

1 1 0 .1

1 1 0 .6

113.9

113.6

113.4

113.4

114.6

109.1

109.5

1 1 2 .8

1 1 2 .6

112.4

112.3

113.4

M
M

-

108.5

110.5
114.1

110.9
114.0

114.1

110.5
114.4

1 1 1 .1

108.5
110.9

110.5
113.6

110.7
113.5

110.4
113.6

1 1 0 .6

114.8

108.0
110.5

1 1 0 .2

1 1 1 .1

108.9
111.5

1 1 0 .6

“

113.8

114.2

M

-

1 1 1 .8

112.4

115.2

114.9

114.9

115.2

115.5

110.9

1 1 1 .6

114.4

114.2

114.1

114.4

114.7

M

-

111.7

1 1 2 .1

114.5

114.5

114.8

115.1

115.8

109.9

110.3

112.7

112.7

112.9

113.0

113.6

M

-

110.5

110.7

113.1

1 1 2 .8

113.3

113.4

114.0

1 1 0 .8

1 1 1 .1

113.5

113.3

113.6

113.8

114.3

M
M

-

109.5
113.0

109.6
113.7

1 1 2 .6

1 1 2 .6

1 1 2 .8

116.2

116.7

112.7
117.5

110.3

116.0

112.7
116.9

1 1 0 .2

”

111.9

1 1 2 .6

113.4
114.8

113.3
115.0

113.5
115.5

113.4
115.6

113.4
116.2

M

-

114.1

114.8

117.0

117.2

117.9

118.2

118.9

1 1 1 .8

112.5

114.5

114.8

115.3

115.6

116.2

M

-

111.5

112.3

114.8

115.0

115.8

115.6

115.9

111.7

112.5

115.0

115.2

116.0

115.7

116.0

112.9

113.3

115.9

116.0

116.0

115.9

116.2

112.3

112.7

115.3

115.4

115.3

115.3

115.6

105.0
115.0
114.5
112.9

105.3
115.2
114.6
113.1

105.7
115.8
115.1
113.5

1 1 1 .0

1 1 1 .6

1 1 0 .1

1 1 0 .8

111.7
109.9

1 1 2 .0
1 1 0 .2

114.3
113.3
114.7
113.0

114.2
113.2
114.6
113.1

114.5
113.6
114.8
113.2

114.7
113.8
114.9
113.4

115.1
114.3
115.4
113.7

M
M
M
M

1 2 /8 6

1 0 1 .6

1 0 2 .2

111.5
111.4
109.7

111.7

104.8
114.6
114.3

1 1 0 .0

1 1 2 .6

104.7
114.5
114.2
112.7

1 1 2 .2

M

-

112.3

1 1 2 .8

115.7

115.7

115.3

116.6

116.9

109.0

109.5

1 1 2 .2

1 1 2 .2

111.9

112.9

113.2

M

-

115.5

116.0

118.2

118.5

118.9

119.7

1 2 0 .6

1 1 2 .8

113.3

115.4

115.7

115.9

116.6

117.5

M
M

-

115.8
114.0

116.6
115.5

120.5
118.6

1 2 0 .6

118.9

121.3
119.3

1 2 1 .1

“

121.5
119.6

114.4
113.8

115.3
115.3

119.1
118.6

119.1
119.0

119.6
119.3

119.3
119.0

119.7
119.5

M

-

113.7

114.8

117.3

117.4

118.4

117.9

119.1

1 1 2 .8

113.9

116.2

116.4

117.5

117.0

117.9

1

112.3
115.9
111.4
110.7
110.7
114.5

“

115.7
119.9
114.5
113.8
113.1
118.5

-

116.8

_

117.7

1 1 1 .8

_

1 2 0 .1

-

1 2 2 .1

115.8
106.7
109.9

-

_
_
_
_

117.3

1

“
“

2

-

-

1 1 2 .2

-

113.9

-

1 1 1 .2

1 1 2 .6

-

-

106.4

-

-

1 1 0 .8

-

107.3
113.0

1
1
1
1

2
2
2

-

Area is the Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA), exclu­
sive of farms and military. Area definitions are those established by the Of­
fice of Management and Budget in 1983, except for Boston-Lawrence-Salem, MA-NH Area (excludes Monroe County); and Milwaukee, Wl Area (in­
cludes only the Milwaukee MSA). Definitions do not include revisions made
since 1983.
2 Foods, fuels, and several other items priced every month in all areas;
most other goods and services priced as indicated:.
M - Every month.
1 - January, March, May, July, September, and November.
2 - February, April, June, August, October, and December.
1

94


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1988

Apr.

”

Size classes:
A .....................................
B .....................................
C .....................................
D ....................................

Dallas-Ft. Worth, T X .
Detroit, M l................
Houston, T X ............
Pittsburgh, P A .........

1987

M

M

Baltimore, MD ...............
Boston, MA ...................
Cleveland, O H ...............
Miami, F L ......................
St. Louis, MO-IL............
Washington, DC-MD-VA

Urban Wage Earners
1988

M
M

Size C - 50,000 to
450.000 .............................
Size D - Nonmetro­
politan (less
than 50,000) ......................
West urban..........................
Size A - More than
1.250.000 ..........................
Size B - 330,000 to
1.250.000 ..........................
Size C - 50,000 to
330.000 ............................

Selected local areas
Chicago, ILNorthwestern IN ..............
Los Angeles-Long
Beach, Anaheim, C A ......
New York, NYNortheastern N J ..............
Philadelphia, PA-NJ..........
San FranciscoOakland, C A .....................

987

Mar.
M

M

1

113.9
114.5
113.4
118.3

“

119.3

114.0
113.7
108.0
113.3

115.1
115.1
114.2
119.2

-

1 1 0 .2

-

113.6

111.7
108.6
106.1
106.4

_

_

-

-

-

-

-

-

115.3
119.9
109.9
113.1
112.7
117.9
_
-

-

116.2
_

1 2 0 .2

_

109.3
113.8
113.0
117.6

_
-

113.8
109.8
107.4
108.6

_
_

-

113.8
110.9
108.1
108.9

1 2 1 .8
1 1 0 .2

114.3
113.8
118.5

_
_

-

3 Regions are defined as the four Census regions.
- Data not available.
NOTE: Local area CPI indexes are byproducts of the national CPI pro­
gram. Because each local index is a small subset of the national index, it
has a smaller sample size and is, therefore, subject to substantially more
sampling and other measurement error than the national index. As a result,
local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although
their long-term trends are quite similar. Therefore, the Bureau of Labor Sta­
tistics strongly urges users to consider adopting the national average CPI
for use in escalator clauses.

32.

Annual data: Consumer Price Index, U.S. city average, all items and major groups

(1982-84 = 100)
Series

1979

1980

1981

1982

Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers:
All items:

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

72.6
11.3

82.4
13.5

90.9
10.3

96.5
6 .2

99.6
3.2

103.9
4.3

107.6
3.6

109.6
1.9

113.6
3.6

79.9
10.7

86.7
8.5

93.5
7.8

97.3
4.1

99.5
2.3

103.2
3.7

105.6
2.3

109.1
3.3

113.5
4.0

70.1
12.3

81.1
15.7

90.4
11.5

96.9
7.2

99.5
2.7

103.6
4.1

107.7
4.0

110.9
3.0

114.2
3.0

84.9
4.3

90.9
7.1

95.3
4.8

97.8

1 0 0 .2

1 0 2 .1

105.0

2.5

1.9

2 .8

105.9
.9

1 1 0 .6

2 .6

70.5
14.3

83.1
17.9

93.2

97.0
4.1

99.3
2.4

103.7
4.4

106.4

102.3
-3.9

105.4
3.0

67.5
9.2

74.9

82.9
10.7

92.5

1 0 0 .6

106.8

130.1

1 1 .6

8 .8

6 .2

113.5
6.3

1 2 2 .0

1 1 .0

7.5

6 .6

76.7
6.7

83.6
9.0

90.1
7.8

96.0
6.5

1 0 0 .1

103.8
3.7

107.9
3.9

1 1 1 .6

115.3
3.3

68.9
7.2

75.2
9.1

82.6
9.8

91.1
10.3

1 0 1 .1

107.9
6.7

114.5

121.4

1 1 .0

73.1
11.4

82.9
13.4

91.4
10.3

96.9

99.8
3.0

103.3
3.5

106.9
3.5

Food and beverages:

Housing:

Apparel and upkeep:

Transportation:
1 2 .2

2 .6

Medical care:

Entertainment:
4.3

Other goods and services:

Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and
Clerical Workers:
All items:


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

6 .0

6 .1

3.4

6 .0

108.6
1 .6

4.4

128.5
5.8

112.5
3.6

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:

Price Data

33. Producer Price Indexes, by stage of processing
(1982 = 100)
Annual average

1987

1988

Grouping

Finished goods ..........................................
Finished consumer goods ........................
Finished consumer foods.......................
Finished consumer goods excluding
foods .....................................................
Nondurable goods less food ...............
Durable goods .....................................
Capital equipment.....................................
Intermediate materials, supplies, and
components...............................................
Materials and components for
manufacturing ..........................................
Materials for food manufacturing...........
Materials for nondurable manufacturing .
Materials for durable manufacturing.......
Components for manufacturing..............
Materials and components for
construction..............................................
Processed fuels and lubricants.................
Containers.................................................
Supplies.....................................................
Crude materials for further processing ...
Foodstuffs and feedstuffs .......................
Crude nonfood materials.........................
Special groupings
Finished goods, excluding fo o d s.................
Finished energy goods ................................
Finished goods less energy........................
Finished consumer goods less energy.......
Finished goods less food and energy ........
Finished consumer goods less food and
energy.........................................................
Consumer nondurable goods less food and
energy.........................................................

1986

1987

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

103.2
101.4
107.3

105.4
103.6
109.5

105.1
103.2
109.2

105.4
103.7

105.5
103.9

1 1 0 .6

1 1 0 .6

106.0
104.4
110.9

105.9
104.3
109.5

98.5
93.3
108.9
109.7

100.7
94.8
111.5
111.7

100.3
94.3
111.4

100.3
94.4

1 0 0 .6

1 0 1 .2

94.8

1 1 1 .2

1 1 1 .2

95.7
111.3

1 1 1 .6

1 1 1 .6

111.4

99.1

101.5

1 0 0 .2

100.9

1 0 2 .2

105.3

104.0

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

105.7
104.2
110.5

106.2
104.4
109.7

106.3
104.5
109.8

105.7
103.9
108.8

106.2
104.3

106.2
104.3

1 1 0 .6

105.9
104.0
109.4

1 1 0 .0

1 0 1 .8

1 0 1 .1

1 1 0 .0

101.9
95.9
113.0
112.5

101.4
95.6

1 1 1 .6

96.6
110.9
111.7

101.9
95.8
113.4
112.5

112.4

101.3
95.3
112.5
112.7

101.3
95.4
112.5
112.9

101.4
95.4
112.7
113.2

101.5

1 0 2 .1

102.5

102.7

103.1

103.4

103.7

104.2

104.1

104.6

105.1
102.3
102.5
104.9
108.5

105.5
102.7

106.3

107.2
101.9
104.5

107.5

106.2
108.7

108.2
99.8
105.4
112.9
109.8

109.3

1 0 2 .6

105.8
101.5
102.9
107.1
108.8

107.0
114.4
110.3

109.5
101.9
107.6
113.9
110.7

110.4
101.7
109.5
114.5

114.2
69.7
117.5

96.1
1 1 1 .2

1 0 0 .8

1 0 0 .1

107.5

102.3
106.2
108.8

100.9
103.3
108.4

104.6
102.7
101.3
104.5
108.5

108.1
72.7
110.3
105.6

109.8
73.3
114.5
107.7

108.7
71.2
114.0
106.7

108.9
72.5
114.0
107.3

109.3
74.5
114.2
107.6

109.8
76.0
114.2
107.8

77.3
114.4
107.8

110.7
75.9
115.4
108.2

87.7
93.2
81.6

93.7
96.2
87.9

92.4
96.9
85.5

94.8
1 0 1 .6

95.1
99.7

86.4

8 8 .0

96.0
98.4
90.3

96.5
97.1
91.8

101.9
63.0
109.7
109.7

103.7
61.7

103.7
61.6
112.4

1 1 2 .1

1 1 2 .6

1 1 2 .8

113.0

104.3
63.4
112.7
113.1
113.3

1 1 2 .6

112.9

103.9
62.5
112.3
112.7
112.9

104.7
64.9
112.3

1 1 0 .6

104.0
61.8
112.3
112.5
113.3

113.4

1 1 1 .1

114.2

113.7

113.7

113.7

114.2

113.1

116.3

115.5

115.6

115.7

98.4
98.1
1 0 1 .2

1 1 2 .0

1 1 1 .1

1 1 1 .2

74.6
116.1
108.8

111.9
74.4
116.5
109.5

112.5
73.3
116.1

113.5
71.2
116.7

1 1 0 .1

1 1 0 .6

113.7
70.2
116.9
110.5

95.7
96.6
90.8

95.3
96.1
90.5

94.7
95.3
90.1

94.3
95.8
89.1

93.4
96.9
87.1

94.6
99.6
87.3

94.1
99.7
86.4

104.2
63.4
112.4
113.1

105.1
62.4
113.1
113.4
114.5

105.1
62.5
113.2
113.4
114.5

104.7
60.9
112.9
113.1
114.5

104.7
59.0
113.8
114.2
115.0

104.8
58.4
113.6
113.9
115.3

105.0
58.1
114.0
114.3
115.6

114.3

114.1

115.6

115.6

115.6

116.3

116.7

117.0

116.5

116.9

117.3

117.4

117.6

118.3

119.2

119.8

1 2 0 .2

103.8
101.9
73.0

104.2
101.7
70.0

1 0 2 .0

1 1 0 .0

104.2
103.1
70.9
110.9

1 1 1 .1

1 1 1 .8

1 1 0 .2

100.4
96.9
71.0
106.1

100.9
100.4
72.2
106.7

1 0 1 .6

1 0 2 .2

100.7
74.1
107.1

100.7
75.7
107.4

102.7
99.6
77.0
107.7

104.9

107.8

106.6

107.0

107.5

107.9

Crude energy materials................................
Crude materials less energy .......................
Crude nonfood materials less energy.........

71.8
95.4
103.1

75.0

74.1
99.4
108.1

74.5
103.5
110.5

75.6

77.8
102.4
115.7

115.6

113.5

104.9

1 0 2 .0

109.5

101.7
99.2
73.1
107.3

1 0 2 .8

103.4
108.1
109.0

1 0 0 .6

109.3

99.3
96.2
72.6
104.5

1 0 0 .8

1 0 2 .8

1 1 2 .2

1 1 0 .2

Intermediate materials less foods and
fe e d s...........................................................
Intermediate foods and feeds.....................
Intermediate energy goods .........................
Intermediate goods less energy..................
Intermediate materials less foods and
energy.........................................................

Digitized96
for FRASER
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Sept.

1 1 1 .1

1 1 1 .1

1 0 2 .8

103.2

1 0 1 .0

1 0 0 .6

75.6
108.3

74.4
109.1

103.6
101.4
74.1
109.5

108.2

108.7

109.6

1 1 0 .1

110.7

111.7

111.9

1 1 2 .8

78.9
102.3
118.7

76.7
103.0
122.9

75.4
103.6
126.4

74.7
103.1
127.1

73.5
103.5
127.0

70.7
104.8
128.6

70.5
107.2
130.6

107.9
132.8

104.8
69.4

6 8 .8

34. Producer Price indexes, by durability of product
(1982 = 100)

1986

1987

1988

1987

Annual average
Grouping
Apr.

May

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

111.7
98.6

1 1 2 .0

1 1 2 .6

1 1 2 .8

98.8

111.4
98.5

98.3

98.5

98.5

113.2
98.7

105.1
109.7
100.5

105.1
109.7
100.4

105.8
110.9
100.7

106.0

106.5

1 1 2 .0

1 1 2 .1

107.0
112.5

100.9

105.9
111.5
100.5

106.5

1 1 1 .1

1 0 1 .0

1 0 1 .0

1 0 1 .6

96.2
125.7
94.7

95.9
130.9
94.3

94.9
137.3
92.9

94.7
138.0
92.6

94.5
137.8
92.4

94.1
139.5
92.0

94.2
143.4
91.9

93.8
145.7
91.4

Sept.

July

1 1 0 .0

1 1 0 .2

99.0

Total durable g oods........................ ............
Total nondurable goods...............................

107.5
94.8

109.9
97.5

109.1
96.5

109.2
97.6

109.3
98.2

109.7
98.8

Total manufactures......................................
Durable......................................................
Nondurable ......... .......................................

101.7
107.5
96.0

104.4
109.6
99.2

103.5
109.0
98.1

104.0
109.1
98.9

104.3
109.1
99.5

104.8
109.4

Total raw or slightly processed goods .......
Durable......................................................
Nondurable .................. .................... .........

92.3
107.8
91.5

94.2
122.5
92.9

93.1
1 1 2 .1

94.8
114.6
93.8

95.4
118.6
94.2

92.2

Oct.

Aug.

June

1 0 0 .1

96.2
1 2 1 .8

95.0

35. Annual data: Producer Price Indexes, by stage of processing
(1982 = 100)
Index

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

103.7
103.3
105.2

104.7
103.8
107.5

103.2
101.4
109.7

Finished goods:
T o ta l....................................................................
Consumer goo d s.............................................
Capital equipment ...........................................

69.8
69.4
71.3

Intermediate materials, supplies, and
components:
T o ta l....................................................................
Materials and components for
manufacturing.................................................
Materials and components for construction ....
Processed fuels and lubricants......................
Containers.......................................................
Supplies...........................................................

69.5

78.4

90.3

98.6

1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .6

103.1

102.7

99.1

72.0
76.5
49.9
71.0
72.9

80.9
84.2
61.6
79.4
80.2

91.7
91.3
85.0
89.1
89.9

98.7
97.9

1 0 0 .0

1 0 1 .2

104.1
105.6
95.7
105.9
104.1

103.3
107.3
92.8
109.0
104.4

1 0 2 .2

108.1
72.7
110.3
105.6

Crude materials for further processing:
T o ta l....................................................................
Foodstuffs and feedstuffs...............................
Nonfood materials except fuel .......................
Fuel ..................................................................

73.4
87.3
57.5
48.2

85.9

95.3
104.6
84.6
69.4

95.8
94.8
96.9
102.7

87.7
93.2
81.6
92.2


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

77.6
77.5
77.5

1 0 0 .0

69.6
57.3

8 8 .0
8 8 .6

85.8

96.1
96.6
94.6

1 0 0 .0

1 0 1 .6

1 0 0 .0

101.3

1 0 0 .0

1 0 2 .8

1 0 0 .0

1 0 2 .8

1 0 0 .6

1 0 0 .0

96.7
96.9

1 0 0 .0

95.4
100.4

1 0 0 .0

1 0 1 .8

103.0
103.9

1 0 0 .0

101.3

1 0 0 .0

1 0 1 .8

103.5
104.7

1 0 1 .8

1 0 0 .0

84.8

1 0 0 .0

100.7
105.1

105.1

1 0 2 .2

97

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics: Price Data
36. U.S. export price indexes by Standard International Trade Classification
(June 1977=100, unless otherwise indicated)

Category

1974
SITO

ALL COMMODITIES (9/83 = 100)....................................................
Food (3 /83=100)..................................................................
Meat (3 /8 3 = 10 0 )....................................................... ....
Fish (3 /8 3 = 1 0 0 )...............................................................
Grain and grain preparations (3/80=100) ............................................
Vegetables and fruit (3/83=100) .........................................................
Feedstuffs for animals (3/83 = 100)............................................
Misc. food products (3/83—100)........................................................
Beverages and tobacco (6/83 = 100)......................................................
Beverages (9 /8 3 = 1 0 0 )..............................................................
Tobacco and tobacco products (6 /8 3 = 1 0 0 )...........................................
Crude materials (6 /8 3 =10 0 )......................................
Raw hides and skins (6/80-100) .....................................................
Oilseeds and oleaginous fruit (9 /7 7 =10 0 )..........................................
Crude rubber (including synthetic and reclaimed) (9 /8 3 = 1 0 0 )...............
W ood.........................................................................
Pulp and waste paper (6/83 = 100) ....................................... ..................
Textile fibers.....................................................
Crude fertilizers and minerals...................................................................
Metalliferous ores and metal scrap ..........................................................

0
01
03
04
05
08
09

1985
June

Sept.

1986
Dec.

Mar.

June

1987

Sept.

Dec.

Mar.

June

Sept.

Dec.

100.2 102.8

97.5

96.5

96.7

97.0

96.7

95.1

96.2

97.2

99.9

94.0
104.7
103.6
90.3

90.2
106.1

93.6

90.5
111.5

77.2

81.2

82.6
126.9
75.7
108.1

87.1
118.9
83.4
107.7

82.1
115.3
88.5
106.0

89.5
114.7
106.2
79.1
125.8
85.5
104.7

59.0
131.4
90.2
106.6

64.8
131.9
87.4
108.2

79.8
123.4
118.5
62.9
130.8
85.7
108.6

83.4
129.0
122.9
66.5
130.8
93.7

110.0

79.6
127.9
126.3
62.1
124.4
92.4
109.4

88.5
117.8
135.4
72.3
125.4
111.5
109.3

99.7

95.6
101.9
95.1

96.5
103.0
95.9

96.3

102.2

101.6

99.5

98.6
100.9
98.4

95.8

102.9
101.4

101.7
104.7
101.4

104.0
104.8
104.0

104.4
104.4
104.5

105.7
105.6
105.7

92.5
139.9
63.9
106.0
128.1
92.7
97.7
165.5
78.7

95.8
138.9
66.9
106.0
128.7
98.8

92.3
138.0
64.5
105.3
129.7
119.8
74.7
164.3
84.6

94.8
148.3
62.9
104.4
135.5
92.2
162.8
80.7

97.1
168.8
60.4
106.2
139.0
133.0
99.7
155.6
82.2

106.3
191.2

168.0
83.4

95.6
148.9
65.8
106.1
128.7
109.7
98.6
166.1
80.5

107.5
146.2
138.7
115.0
155.1
90.7

109.1
189.1
64.3
109.0
174.0
142.6
119.2
149.8
99.7

114.4
200.3
73.6
112.9
179.9
146.6
114.4
149.8
103.8

120.2
68.6
109.2

1 100.1
11 105.3
12 99.6
2 96.8
21 126.2
22 71.2

112.2
102.6 101.8 102.2

101.8

122.0 122.6
111.2 116.9

23
24
25
26
27
28

106.3
125.7
96.1
105.8
167.9
82.0

93.3
129.0
64.2
107.1
124.5
93.8
103.6
169.4
80.1

3

99.2

97.6

96.6

91.9

86.7

85.7

84.7

85.6

84.4

85.6

84.7

Animal and vegetables oils, fats, and waxes.........................................
Fixed vegetable oils and fats (6 /8 3 = 1 0 0 )...............................................

4
42

144.5
164.8

114.5
128.8

101.4
108.7

90.8
95.4

84.4
95.3

76.5
80.8

86.8
87.0

88.9
89.1

94.5
94.7

94.1
94.3

98.4
100.4

Chemicals (3/83 = 100).............................................................
Organic chemicals (12/83 = 100) ................................................. .........
Fertilizers, manufactured (3/83—100)......................................................

5
51
56

96.8
96.5
87.9

97.1
97.1
89.8

96.6
95.4
90.0

96.5
93.5

95.4
89.3
84.0

93.1

77.4

92.2
89.4
68.7

96.6
99.5
75.4

103.1
114.3
80.4

104.1

88.6

111.1
88.0

108.6
115.8
93.9

Intermediate manufactured products (9 /8 1 =10 0 ).................................
Leather and furskins (9 /7 9 =10 0 ).................................................
Rubber manufactures ......................................................
Paper and paperboard products (6 /7 8 = 1 0 0 )..........................................
Iron and steel (3/82 = 100) ...........................................
Nonferrous metals (9/81 = 100) ..................................
Metal manufactures, n.e.s. (3/82 = 100) ...................................................

6

99.2
79.2
149.0
151.6
95.3
79.6
105.2

99.2
75.9
148.3
149.6
95.9
79.8
105.4

99.1
78.5
148.7
148.2
98.2
78.2
104.4

100.3
77.8
151.0
152.2
98.4
80.2
105.3

101.2 102.2

102.7

61
62
64
67

82.5
150.0
158.7
99.4
79.1
105.5

84.2
150.4
165.3

151.3
167.9

79.4
105.6

78.8
105.7

104.4
96.3
152.1
174.4
101.5
80.3
105.7

153.9
177.7
101.5
90.1
105.6

108.5
99.7
155.2
182.3
102.4
94.6
106.2

109.6
97.2
155.6
184.6
104.5
95.3
106.7

142.9
167.4
155.7
155.1
152.0
133.3
116.1
133.9
196.6

143.1
167.1
156.0
156.3
152.4
99.9
134.1
115.3
133.8
199.3

143.3
167.5
156.2
158.4
152.2
99.4
134.5
113.8
135.0
200.7

144.0
169.1
155.5
159.0
152.3
99.9
136.5
115.1
135.5
203.3

144.2
169.2
154.7
158.9
153.3
99.2
137.0
114.2
136.4
206.8

144.6
169.5
155.0
160.4
154.4
98.9
137.8
114.4
136.5
207.4

145.5
171.4
155.7
161.8
155.3
98.1
139.7
114.9
137.9
209.7

146.2
173.0
154.7
165.0
157.7
96.1
141.3
117.0
138.0
211.4

146.7
171.7
155.9
165.8
157.8
96.0
140.8
117.4
138.5
214.7

147.2
173.4
156.5
167.8
157.9
95.5
141.2
117.6
138.9
215.7

148.0
174.3
157.1
168.3
159.3
95.4
142.1
119.1
139.1
218.7

100.4
104.7
178.3

100.3
105.0
178.7

100.3
105.3
178.8

_

104.3

110.0

105.3

107.3

107.7

108.4

84
87

182.1

183.8

183.8

184.8

186.4

188.5

190.2

191.9

88

129.1

127.5

128.5

131.6

132.9

132.7

132.0

133.4

133.1

129.5

128.2

89

93.1

93.1

92.4

95.6

95.6

97.6

97.7

98.1

102.1

103.0

103.8

971

75.4

77.4

77.5

81.8

82.2

97.5

94.5

98.2

108.4

110.0

117.1

Mineral fuels..............................................................................

Machinery and transport equipment, excluding military
and commercial aircraft (12/78=100) ..............................
Power generating machinery and equipment (12/78 = 100) ....................
Machinery specialized for particular industries (9/78=100) ....................
Metalworking machinery (6/78=100) ................................
General industrial machines and parts n.e.s. 9/78 = 100)..................
Office machines and automatic data processing equipment ...................
Telecommunications, sound recording and reproducing equipment.......
Electrical machinery and equipment...........................................
Road vehicles and parts (3/80—100)............................ ..............
Other transport equipment, excl. military and commercial aviation .......

Other manufactured articles.................................................
Apparel (9 /8 3 = 1 0 0 ).....................................................
Professional, scientific, and controlling instruments and apparatus........
Photographic apparatus and supplies, optical goods, watches and
clocks (12/7 7=1 0 0 ).............................................

Miscellaneous manufactured articles, n.e.s..........................

Gold, non-monetary (6 /8 3 = 1 0 0 )....................................
- Data not available.

Digitized for98
FRASER
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

68
69

7
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79

8

100.0

101.6

102.6
_

103.4
_

88.0

121.2

88.0

100.2 100.1

104.1

68.6

106.8

101.1

_

37.

U.S. import price indexes by Standard International Trade Classification

(June 1977=100, unless otherwise indicated)

Category

1974
SITC

Dec.

1987

1986

1985
Mar.

June

Sept.

Dec.

86.0

Mar.

June

96.8

98.7

142.9
118.9
174.4

105.5
142.0
122.3
175.2

165.2
125.4
128.6
49.3

161.2
124.5
128.0
48.3

168.3
131.2
125.3
51.5

170.8
171.5

174.1
174.6

174.4
175.6

175.9
177.8

105.6
84.5

112.7
97.8

120.3

108.6
89.4
119.2
105.9
97.3
102.9
113.6

91.6

95.3

94.2

88.5

83.2

83.9

Food (9 /7 7 -1 0 0 )........................................................................................
M e a t...........................................................................................................
Dairy products and eggs (6/81-100) ....................................................
Fish.............................................................................................................
Bakery goods, pasta products, grain and grain preparations
(9/77-100) ..............................................................................................
Fruits and vegetables ...............................................................................
Sugar, sugar preparations, and honey (3/82—100).................................
Coffee, tea, cocoa.....................................................................................

0 102.8
01 131.2
02 100.5
03

132.7

113.4
122.7
106.7
139.3

104.7
118.5
107.1
144.8

109.1'
126.9
109.4
149.6

105.3
134.4
111.5
157.1

132.1
116.8
161.6

135.9
119.6
167.4

04
05
06
07

141.9
131.3
111.9
64.6

146.9
119.4
124.6
85.9

149.2
119.4
69.2

154.0
127.1
123.9
71.8

155.3
125.5
124.3
61.0

161.0
120.5
126.0
50.9

Beverages and tobacco............................................................................
Beverages .................................................................................................

1
11
2

162.1
159.1

163.2
161.8

165.5
163.9

165.8
165.5

^ 8 .0
168.2

91.2
73.2
99.4
75.8

95.3
75.5
106.3
79.9

98.1
76.9
109.4

Crude materials..........................................................................................
Crude rubber (inc. synthetic & reclaimed) (3/84—100)...........................
Wood (9/81-100) ....................................................................................
Pulp and waste paper (1 2 /8 1 -1 0 0 )........................................................
Crude fertilizers and crude minerals (12/83—100) ..................................
Metalliferous ores and metal scrap (3 /8 4 -1 0 0 ).....................................
Crude vegetable and animal materials, n.e.s.............................................

23
24
25
27
28
29

90.1
102.5

94.2
78.8
104.3
74.9
101.5
94.5
103.6

Fuels and related products (6 /8 2 -1 0 0 ).................................................
Petroleum and petroleum products (6/82—100) ......................................

3
33

79.1
80.1

Fats and oils (9 /8 3 -1 0 0 )..........................................................................
Vegetable oils (9/83—100).......................................................................

4
42

Chemicals (9 /8 2 -1 0 0 )...............................................................................
Medicinal and pharmaceutical products (3/84—100) ..............................
Manufactured fertilizers (3/84—100)........................................................
Chemical materials and products, n.e.s. (9/84—100)..............................
Intermediate manufactured products (12/77-100) ..............................
Leather and furskins.................................................................................
Rubber manufactures, n.e.s.......................................................................
Cork and wood manufactures ..................................................................
Paper and paperboard products ...............................................................
Textiles.......................................................................................................
Nonmetallic mineral manufactures, n.e.s...................................................
Iron and steel (9/78—1 00 ).......................................................................
Nonferrous metals (12/81—100) ..............................................................
Metal manufactures, n.e.s..........................................................................
Machinery and transport equipment (6 /8 1 -1 0 0 ).................................
Machinery specialized for particular industries (9/78—100) ....................
Metalworking machinery (3/80—100) ......................................................
General industrial machinery and parts, n.e.s. (6/81—100) ....................
Office machines and automatic data processing equipment
(3 /8 0 -1 0 0 ).............................................................................................
Telecommunications, sound recording and reproducing apparatus
(3 /8 0 -1 0 0 ).............................................................................................
Electrical machinery and equipment (12/81—1 00 )..................................
Road vehicles and parts (6/81 —100)......................................................
Mlsc. manufactured articles (3 /8 0 -1 0 0 ).................................................
Plumbing, heating, and lighting fixtures (6/80—100) ...............................
Furniture and parts (6/80—100) ...............................................................
Clothing (9/77=100) ................................................................................
Footwear....................................................................................................
Professional, scientific, and controlling instruments and
apparatus (12/79—100)...........................................................................
Photographic apparatus and supplies, optical goods, watches, and
clocks (3 /8 0 -1 0 0 )..................................................................................
Misc. manufactured articles, n.e.s. (6/82—1 00)......................................

Gold, non-monetary (6/82—100)..............................................................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Dec.

100.2 102.0 102.8

ALL COMMODITIES (9 /8 2 -1 0 0 )...............................................................

121.6

Sept.

86.0

98.5
78.5
107.2
92.8

95.6
104.4

100.4
98.2
104.8

95.4
104.7

103.1
79.1
115.0
100.5
99.5
98.0
113.4

55.3
54.7

37.5
36.1

33.6
32.1

38.4
37.9

49.7
49.9

54.8
55.2

56.4
57.3

55.2
56.2

50.6
48.9

41.4
39.3

39.3
37.4

35.5
33.5

51.6
50.0

50.8
49.2

54.5
52.6

61.3
59.4

64.5
62.5

5
54
56
59

94.2
96.7
78.5
97.8

94.6
102.9
79.2
99.9

93.3
104.9
79.7
100.3

110.0 110.1
77.4
79.7
101.0 102.8

93.4

93.2

95.9
116.2
81.8
104.3

98.7
120.3
83.6
105.0

99.5
118.8
98.8
108.2

104.4
123.3
124.2

6

133.4
141.3
138.1
124.0
156.5
128.1
162.2
118.3
80.4

134.0
141.6
136.5
130.8
157.1
131.2
164.2
117.3
79.4
124.4

135.6
143.0
137.7
134.3
157.1
132.9
169.6
118.1
78.9
127.8

138.8
147.4
138.1
137.4
157.5
135.1
178.2
119.0
83.5
129.1

139.4
143.3
138.1
142.7
164.8
135.3
180.2
118.5
81.6
129.1

142.2
149.5
140.8
144.3
165.2
138.8
183.1
122.3
82.4
133.4

147.4
156.6
140.5
151.6
165.0
140.4
190.3
127.1
90.9
134.5

152.8
159.6
138.0
156.3
174.6
142.8
195.1
132.1
97.5
136.0

157.9
167.5
139.8
157.6
177.7
147.6
199.3
138.9
101.9
139.4

111.5

105.0
103.8

115.3
115.4
107.7
109.0

118.1
120.2
120.1 121.0
110.7
115.7
112.8 113.9

123.9
127.5
122.4
120.5

126.1
130.0
126.1
123.3

126.4
130.0
129.8
122.4

129.4
136.9
135.0
128.7

61
62
63
64
65

66
68
67

102.1

69

121.6

7
72
73
74

107.2
104.9
98.1
98.0

112.1

100.0

100.2

112.0
104.6
98.5

100.0

111.2

111.9
98.7
113.3
118.5

110.1

75

93.7

96.9

101.3

102.5

102.4

103.2

106.4

106.8

109.1

76
77
78

88.6
83.1
117.8

89.4
84.5
123.4

91.6
87.5
127.1

93.7
89.5
129.8

93.9
91.7
133.2

94.6
93.6
137.0

95.5
94.8
139.2

95.9
94.2
139.6

97.3
96.5
141.7

8 100.8

103.3

81
82
84
85

115.0
142.7
134.5
142.7

147.0
133.4
147.0

104.8
123.5
142.2
135.3
142.2

109.5
125.5
145.8
137.8
145.8

109.6
125.5
146.9
139.1
146.9

114.3
125.5
148.9
145.5
148.9

118.1
130.6
153.3
150.9
153.3

119.8
131.1
156.1
153.8
156.1

123.8
137.5
161.2
154.5
161.2

87

102.4

106.4

112.5

118.3

118.0

125.6

129.5

127.0

132.4

88

94.5
97.9

99.3

102.1

103.2
103.4

106.9
112.3

111.0

114.4

89

116.9

121.8

113.2
124.6

118.9
132.2

971

101.0

106.7

107.3

126.9

123.3

128.0

141.5

143.5

152.8

120.1

107.6

111.8

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:
38.

Price Data

U.S. export price indexes by end-use category

(September 1983 = 100 unless otherwise indicated)

Category

Foods, feeds, and beverages .......................................................
Raw materials................................................................................
Raw materials, nondurable.........................................................
Raw materials, durable................................................................
Capital goods (12/82=100)..........................................................
Automotive vehicles, parts and engines (12/82—100) ................
Consumer goods............................................................................
Durables ......................................................................................
Nondurables................................................................................

39.

Per­
centage
of 1980
trade
value
16.294
30.696
21.327
9.368
30.186
7.483
7.467
3.965
3.501

1985

1986

Dec.

Mar.

77.5
95.9
97.9
91.0
106.6
109.2
101.4
99.5
103.3

June

75.5
96.0
97.5
92.5
107.4
109.5
103.7

1987

Sept.

74.7
94.9
96.1
91.9
107.5
110.4
104.5

Dec.

66.0
93.3
93.7
92.5
107.7

101.8

101.8

110.8
104.5
102.1

105.5

107.2

106.9

Mar.

68.4
94.8
95.4
93.2
108.3

111.8
105.7
102.7
108.5

June

67.1
98.2
99.4
95.1
108.9
111.9
106.9
103.9
109.8

Sept.

71.3
103.1
104.7
99.2
109.4

112.1

107.1
103.6
110.5

68.0
105.9
106.1
105.3
109.8
112.5
107.5
104.3
110.5

Dec.

75.6
108.1
108.4
107.3
110.7

112.6

108.1
105.3
110.9

U.S. import price indexes by end-use category

(December 1982=100)

Category

Foods, feeds, and beverages .......................................................
Petroleum and petroleum products, excl. natural g a s ..................
Raw materials, excluding petroleum .............................................
Raw materials, nondurable.........................................................
Raw materials, durable................................................................
Capital goods.................................................................................
Automotive vehicles, parts and engines.......................................
Consumer goods............................................................................
Durable........................................................................................
Nondurable..................................................................................

40.

Percentage
of 1980
trade
value
7.477
31.108
19.205
9.391
9.814
13.164
11.750
14.250
5.507
8.743

1985

1986

Dec.

Mar.

June

106.0
80.5
93.9
91.8
96.2

115.8
55.4
94.5
91.1
98.1

111.4
102.4
100.7
104.7

115.6
104.5
103.4
106.0

100.0

Sept.

108.2
36.8
94.0
89.7
98.7
106.7
119.0
106.5
106.5
106.6

102.8

1987
Mar.

Dec.

112.3
32.6
95.3
89.5
101.4
109.4

121.0
110.1
111.2

109.2
38.3
94.9
89.7
100.3
110.7
123.9

110.6
111.6

108.6

109.2

June

104.7
50.5
96.9
91.8
102.3
115.3
126.2
114.3
114.8
113.7

Sept.

Dec.

106.6
55.8
100.5
94.5
106.8
117.9
128.0
117.5
117.5
117.6

118.2
127.9
119.1
119.0
119.3

Sept.

Dec.

107.5
57.9
103.5
95.4

112.0

U.S. export price indexes by Standard Industrial Classification 1
1985

1986

1987

Industry group
Dec.
Manufacturing:
Food and kindred products (6/83=100) ..........................
Lumber and wood products, except furniture
(6 /8 3 = 1 0 0 )....................................................................
Furniture and fixtures (9/83=100) .............................
Paper and allied products (3/81 = 1 0 0 ).............................
Chemicals and allied products (12/84=100)....................
Petroleum and coal products (12/83 = 1 00)......................
Primary metal products (3/82 = 100) .................................
Machinery, except electrical (9 /7 8 = 1 0 0 ).........................
Electrical machinery (12/80=100) ...........................
Transportation equipment (12/7 8=1 0 0 )...........................
Scientific instruments; optical goods; clocks
(6 /7 7 = 1 0 0 )...............................................................

1 SIC - based classification.

100FRASER
Digitized for
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Mar.

June

Sept.

Dec.

Mar.

June

98.1

97.0

95.0

95.2

97.6

99.0

104.1

103.6

113.4

101.2

101.2

108.4
92.1
99.2
99.1
87.9
140.5

101.5
109.2
95.7
98.9
93.5
89.8
140.6

100.1

113.0
114.0
116.7
106.3

137.2
116.9
123.2

97.4
141.2
115.3
171.2

100.1

112.6
85.8
101.0

167.4

83.5
91.7
141.0
115.2
170.0

133.1
114.1
120.3
107.6
87.1

165.1

105.7
110.4
108.7
95.9
82.2
89.9
140.7
113.6
169.4

109.8
113.4
113.7

164.1

109.7
101.5
98.3
83.1
89.8
140.3
112.3
167.1

102.1
110.1

141.4
115.8
172.3

142.0
116.8
173.9

156.7

159.7

161.2

161.5

162.3

163.3

164.6

164.7

165.4

111.2

112.6

106.1
96.2
83.1
90.7
140.5

112.6

86.8

109.9
56.8
106.7
97.9
116.1
122.3
129.7

122.1
122.2
121.9

41.

U.S. import price indexes by Standard Industriai Classification 1
1985

1986

1987

Industry group
Dec.
Manufacturing:
Food and kindred products (6/77-100) .................................
Textile mill products (9 /8 2 -1 0 0 ).............................................
Apparel and related products (6/77—100)..............................
Lumber and wood products, except furniture
(6/77-100) ............................................................................
Furniture and fixtures (6 /8 0 =10 0 )...........................................
Paper and allied products (6/77—100)....................................
Chemicals and allied products (9/82-100) ............................
Rubber and miscellaneous plastic products
(1 2 /8 0 -1 0 0 )..........................................................................
Leather and leather products ...................................................
Primary metal products (6/81 =100) .......................................
Fabricated metal products (12/84 = 100).................................
Machinery, except electrical (3 /8 0 = 1 0 0 )................................
Electrical machinery (9 /8 4 -1 0 0 ).............................................
Transportation equipment (6/81—100) ....................................
Scientific instruments; optical goods; clocks
(1 2 /7 9 -1 0 0 )..........................................................................
Miscellaneous manufactured commodities
( 9 /8 2 -1 0 0 )............................................................................

Mar.

115.1

June

Sept.

Dec.

Mar.

June

Sept.

Dec.

117.7
104.7
133.4

115.6
106.4
135.1

118.0
107.1
137.8

122.4
108.0
139.3

122.7
111.7
146.0

125.9
113.6
150.9

128.5
116.2
153.9

115.8
98.2
137.4
95.8

122.1
101.2

124.8
103.5
139.4

127.9
105.4
142.2
103.8

127.9
105.6
150.3
102.4

134.5
109.6
154.0
104.7

135.0

155.7
105.7

141.3
111.5
162.9
106.1

136.3
113.1
167.6

97.5
144.0
82.6

102.1

104.9
159.8
96.0
118.1

114.2
104.0
133.2

104.4
151.8
85.4
115.5
119.1
105.7
136.5

105.8
156.2
91.3
116.2

95.8
119.6

100.9
145.8
82.0
104.9
105.5
97.0
123.9

106.9
138.4

106.6
138.7

108.8
164.0
100.3
119.9
128.1
108.7
141.2

98.8

103.9

109.1

113.7

113.7

119.1

122.1

120.4

124.6

98.7

99.9

101.7

106.9

108.1

110.3

113.8

116.4

118.8

101.8
134.4

137.6
98.6

102.6
100.0

102.1
100.6
144.6
82.4
108.5
109.0

101.9
147.7
84.9
110.3
112.5

128.0

130.4

100.2

148.7
84.0

111.1

102.6

110.2

122.2

129.8

120.8
154.5

110.8

122.6

1 SIC - based classification.

42.

indexes of productivity, hourly compensation, and unit costs, quarterly data seasonally adjusted

(1977 = 100)
Quarterly Indexes
Item

1985
II

1986

III

IV

I

II

1987
III

IV

109.7
182.2
101.3
166.2
163.9
165.4

109.6
183.6
101.4
167.5
165.7
166.9

109.6
185.2

107.7
181.3

Business:
Output per hour of all persons.............................
Compensation per hour........................................
Real compensation per h o u r................................
Unit labor costs ....................................................
Unit nonlabor payments.......................................
Implicit price deflator ............................................

107.2
174.6
98.6
162.8
160.4
162.0

108.2
177.0
99.4
163.6
161.8
163.0

107.9
179.3
99.7
166.1
160.2
164.0

165.0
163.1
164.3

Nonfarm business:
Output per hour of all persons.............................
Compensation per h our........................................
Real compensation per h o u r................................
Unit labor costs ....................................................
Unit nonlabor payments .......................................
Implicit price deflator ............................................

105.7
174.1
98.3
164.7
161.5
163.6

106.4
176.2
98.9
165.7
163.4
164.9

105.9
178.3
99.2
168.3
160.8
165.7

107.7
180.0
99.7
167.2
164.7
166.4

168.4
165.2
167.3

107.5
182.6
100.9
169.8
167.0
168.8

Nonflnancial corporations:
Output per hour of all employees........................
Compensation per hour........................................
Real compensation per h o u r................................
Total unit co sts.....................................................
Unit labor costs ..................................................
Unit nonlabor costs............................................
Unit profits.............................................................
Unit nonlabor payments .......................................
Implicit price deflator ............................................

107.7
171.8
97.0
164.3
159.5
178.7
132.2
162.5
160.5

109.2
173.8
97.6
163.7
159.1
177.5
142.5
165.2
161.2

108.9
175.7
97.7
166.0
161.4
179.4
128.7
161.6
161.5

109.8
177.2
98.2
166.3
161.5
180.7
129.7
162.8
161.9

109.7
178.4
99.1
167.2
162.6
180.6
129.5
162.7
162.7

Manufacturing:
Output per hour of all persons.............................
Compensation per h our........................................
Real compensation per h o u r................................
Unit labor costs ....................................................

124.1
176.1
99.5
142.0

125.3
178.0
99.9
142.1

126.1
180.2

127.6
181.0
100.3
141.9

100.2

142.9

109.5
180.7

100.1

I

II

III

IV

187.3
100.3
170.2
168.6
169.6

111.3
189.1
100.3
169.8
172.2
170.7

111.1
100.2

109.1
187.9
99.6
172.2
173.0
172.5

109.0
189.5
99.6
173.8
171.9
173.1

110.1

169.0
162.4
166.7

109.7
185.8
100.7
169.4
166.0
168.2

107.5
184.4

107.6
184.9

171.5
163.9
168.8

171.8
167.4
170.3

108.0
186.3
99.7
172.5
169.2
171.4

109.9
179.5
99.2
168.5
163.2
184.2
130.6
165.4
164.0

110.5
181.0
99.3
168.7
163.8
183.2
127.7
163.7
163.8

109.7
180.8
98.0
169.7
164.8
184.1
132.2
165.9
165.2

109.9
182.0
97.4
170.9
165.6
186.6
132.9
167.8
166.3

110.8

-

183.3
97.2
171.0
165.5
187.3
142.1
171.4
167.5

_

128.4
182.1

129.3
183.1

129.8
184.3

141.8

141.7

142.0

130.8
183.9
99.6
140.5

132.9
184.8
98.9
139.0

134.1
185.4
98.3
138.2

100.8

101.6

101.2 100.2

101.2 101.2 101.2

190.5

171.4
171.2
171.3

_
_
_
_
_

-

134.1
186.3
97.9
138.9

- Data not available.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

101

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:

Productivity Data

43. Annual indexes of multifactor productivity and related measures, selected years
(1977 = 100)
Item

1960

1970

1973

1976

1978

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

P riv a te bualnesa

Productivity:
Output per hour of all persons........... ,..............
Output per unit of capital services.....................
Multifactor productivity.......................................
O utput...................................................................
Inputs:
Hours of all persons...........................................
Capital services ..................................................
Combined units of labor and capital in p u t........
Capital per hour of all persons.............................

78.1
55.3

88.4
101.9
92.9
80.2

95.9
105.3
99.1
93.0

98.4
97.2
98.0
94.5

100.8
102.0
101.2

82.2
54.2
70.8
65.9

90.8
78.7
86.3
86.7

96.9
88.3
93.8
91.1

96.1
97.2
96.5

101.2

89.2

96.4
106.0
99.6
92.9

98.5
97.3
98.1
94.4

86.8

96.3
87.6
93.3
91.0

95.8
97.0
96.2
101.3

62.2
102.5
71.9
52.5

80.8
98.6
85.2
78.6

93.4
111.4
97.9
96.3

97.1
96.2
96.8
93.1

84.4
51.2
73.0
60.7

97.3
79.7
92.2
82.0

103.1
86.4
98.4
83.8

95.9
96.7
96.1
100.9

67.3

102.1

100.6
92.4
97.7
108.9

100.3
86.7
95.3
105.4

103.1
88.4
97.7
109.9

105.7
92.8

105.8

99.2
94.2
97.4
106.6

119.2

124.0

109.7
92.8
103.4
128.1

105.0
103.8
104.5
98.8

107.5
113.1
109.4
105.3

108.2
117.8
111.5
108.8

105.2
121.7
110.7
115.7

106.7
124.4

112.8
128.5
118.1
113.9

115.2
133.6
121.3
116.0

116.8
138.0
123.8
118.2

100.8
101.2

98.7
93.4
96.9
106.6

99.6
91.1
96.7
108.4

99.1
85.1
94.1
104.8

102.5
87.3
97.0

110.1

104.7
91.3
99.9
119.3

105.9
90.8
100.5
123.7

107.6
90.5
101.4
127.6

108.0
114.1

108.8
119.0

105.6

109.4

105.7
123.2
111.4
116.5

107.4
126.1
113.5
117.4

114.0
130.6
119.4
114.6

116.8
136.3
123.1
116.7

118.5
141.0
125.8
119.0

101.4
91.2
98.7
103.2

103.6
89.2
99.8
104.8

105.9
81.8
99.2
98.4

112.0

118.1
95.7

124.2
97.8
117.0
122.5

128.8
99.3

120.6

101.7
113.1
104.5

101.1

92.9
120.3
99.2
129.4

93.5

99.5

99.7
129.0

104.7
123.5

98.7
125.3
104.8
127.0

97.8
126.8
104.4
129.7

112.6
116.6

107.6
92.8

101.0 102.2

P riv a te n o n fa rm bualnesa

Productivity:
Output per hour of all persons..........................
Output per unit of capital services....................
Multifactor productivity.......................................
O utput...................................................................
Inputs:
Hours of all persons...........................................
Capital services ..................................................
Combined units of labor and capital inp u t.........
Capital per hour of all persons.............................

70.7
103.6
80.9
54.4
77.0
52.5
67.3

68.2

102.8
93.7
79.9
89.6
77.8
85.3

101.9

106.0
105.1
104.0
104.7
98.9

110.0 112.2

M an u factu rin g

Productivity:
Output per hour of all persons..........................
Output per unit of capital services.....................
Multifactor productivity.......................................
O utput.................................................... ..............
Inputs:
Hours of all persons...........................................
Capital services ..................................................
Combined units of labor and capital inputs.......
Capital per hour of all persons.............................

102

https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

101.5

102.1
101.7
106.0
104.4
103.7
104.2
99.4

111.2

117.5
105.0
116.2

86.9
105.1
104.7

112.2
117.5

120.6 122.8

125.9

44.

Annual Indexes of productivity, hourly compensation, unit costs, and prices, selected years

1978

1980

1981 .

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1 0 0 .8

99.3
131.5
96.7
132.5
118.7
127.6

100.7
143.7
95.7
142.7
134.6
139.8

100.3
154<9
97.3
154.5
136.6
148.1

103.0
161.5
98.2
156.7
146.4
153.0

105.6
168.0
98.0
159.1
156.5
158.2

107.5
175.9
99.1
163.6
160.3
162.4

109.5
182.8

110.5
188.2
100.3
170.2
169.5
170.0

98.8
131.3
96.6
132.9
118.5
127.8

99.8
143.6
95.7
144.0
133.5
140.3

99.2
154.8
97.2
156.0
136.5
149.2

102.5
161.5
98.2
157.6
148.3
154.3

104.6
167.8
97.9
160.4
156.4
159.0

105.8
175.2
98.7
165.6
161.3
164.1

169.3
165.2
167.8

99.1
131.1
96.4
133.4
132.3
136.7
85.2
118.6
127.6

99.6
143.3
95.5
147.7
143.8
159.1
98.1
137.8
141.7

100.4
154.3
96.9
159.5
153.8
176.4
78.5
142.1
149.8

103.5
159.9
97.3
159.5
154.5
174.3
110.9
152.1
153.7

106.0
165.8
96.7
160.8
156.5
173.6
136.5
160.6
157.9

108.2
172.8
97.4
164.4
159.7
178.3
133.9
162.7
160.7

109.9
178.9
98.9
167.7
162.8
182.2
129.3
163.7
163.1

101.4
132.4
97.4
130.6
97.8

103.6
145.2
96.7
140.1

1 1 2 .0

1 2 1 .0

131.8

105.9
157.5
98.9
148.7
114.0
138.6

162.4
98.8
145.0
128.5
140.2

118.1
168,0
98.0
142.2
138.6
141.2

124.2
176.9
99.6
142.4
134.7
140.2

128.8
182.7
100.9
141.8
137.9
140.7

1960

1970

1973

1976

Business:
Output per hour of all persons.............................
Compensation per hour........................................
Real compensation per h o u r................................
Unit labor costs ....................................................
Unit nonlabor payments.......................................
Implicit price deflator ............................................

67.6
33.6
68.9
49.7
46.4
48.5

88.4
57.8
90.2
65.4
59.4
63.2

95.9
70.9
96.7
73.9
72.5
73.4

98.3
92.8
98.7
94.3
93.3
94.0

Nonfarm business:
Output per hour of all persons.............................
Compensation per h our........................................
Real compensation per h o u r................................
Unit labor c o s ts ....................................................
Unit nonlabor payments .......................................
Implicit price deflator............................................

71.0
35.3
72.3
49.7
46.3
48.5

89.3
58.2
90.8
65.2
60.0
63.4

96.4
71.2
97.1
73.9
69.3
72.3

98.5
92.8
98.8
94.3
93.0
93.8

1 0 0 .8

Nonfinanclal corporations:
Output per hour of all employees........................
Compensation per h our........................................
Real compensation per h o u r................................
Total unit costs.....................................................
Unit labor costs ..................................................
Unit nonlabor co sts ............................................
Unit profits.............................................................
Unit nonlabor payments .......................................
Implicit price deflator ............................................

73.4
36.9
75.5
49.4
50.2
47.0
59.8
51.5
50.7

91.1
59.2
92.4
64.8
65.0
64.2
52.3
60.1
63.3

97.5
71.6
97.6
72.7
73.4
70.7
65.6
68.9
71.9

98.4
92.9
98.9
94.8
94.3
96.2
89.4
93.8
94.2

1 0 0 .6

Manufacturing:
Output per hour of all persons.............................
Compensation per hour........................................
Real compensation per h o u r................................
Unit labor costs ....................................................
Unit nonlabor payments.......................................
Implicit price deflator ............................................

62.2
36.5
74.8
58.7
60.0
59.1

80.8
57.4
89.5
71.0
64.1
69.0

93.4
93.8
73.7
70.7
72.8

97.1
92.1
98.1
94.9
93.5
94.5

Item

6 8 .8

108.5
1 0 0 .8

107.6
106.7
107.3

108.6
100.9
107.7
105.6
107.0

108.4
100.7
107.3
107.8
105.7
1 0 2 .0

104.4
106.6

101.5
108.2
100.5
106.6
101.9
105.2

1 1 1 .8

- Data not available.

45. Unemployment rates, approximating U.S. concepts, in nine countries, quarterly data
seasonally adjusted
1986

A n nual average

1987

C o untry

1986

1987

II

III

IV

I

II

III

IV

T o ta l lab o r fo rc e basis
U nited S t a t e s .............................................
C a nada ........................................................
A u stra lia ......................................................
Japa n ............................................................

6.9
9.5
8.0
2.8

F rance .........................................................
G e rm a n y ......................................................
Italy \ 2 ........................................................
S w eden .......................................................
U nited K in g d o m ........................................

10.4
7.1
6.2
2.6
11.2

6.1
-

-

_
-

-

-

7.1
9.5
7.7
2.8

6.9
9.6
8.2
2.9

6.8
9.4
8.3
2.9

6.5
9.6
8.3
3.0

6.2
9.0
8.1
3.1

5.9
8.8
8.0
2.8

5.8
8.0
7.9
2.7

10.4
7.2
6.2
2.6
11.2

10.6
7.0
5.9
2.6
11.2

10.6
6.9
6.5
2.6
11.1

10.9
7.0
6.6
2.0
10.9

11.0
7.0
6.6
1.9
10.5

10.8
7.1
6.6
1.9
10.0

10.6
7.1
6.9
1.7
9.4

7.2
9.6
7.8
2.8

7.0
9.7
8.3
2.9

6.8
9.4
8.4
2.9

6.6
9.6
8.3
3.0

6.3
9.1
8.2
3.1

6.0
8.8
8.0
2.8

5.9
8.1
8.0
2.8

10.7
7.3
6.3
2.6
11.2

10.8
7.2
6.0
2.6

10.8
7.0
6.6
2.6
11.2

11.2
7.1
6.7
2.0
11.0

11.2
7.2
6.7
1.9
10.6

11.1

10.8
7.3
7.0
1.7
9.5

Civilian lab o r fo rc e basis
U nited S t a t e s .............................................
C a n a d a ........................................................
A u stra lia ......................................................
Japa n ............................................................

7.0
9.6
8.1
2.8

Fra n ce .........................................................
G e rm a n y ......................................................
Ita ly ’ , 2 .........................................................
S w eden .......................................................
U n ited K in g d o m ........................................

10.7
7.2
6.3
2.7
11.2

6.2
-

-

_
-

Quarterly rates are for the first month of the quarter.
Major changes in the Italian labor force survey, intro­
duced in 1977, resulted in a large increase in persons enu­
merated as unemployed. However, many persons reported
that they had not actively sought work in the past 30 days,
and they have been provisionally excluded for comparability
with U.S. concepts. Inclusion of such persons would about
1

2


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

11.3

7.2
6.8
1.9
10.0

double the Italian unemployment rate shown.
- Data not available.
NOTE: Quarterly figures for France, Germany, and the
United Kingdom are calculated by applying annual adjust­
ment factors to current published data and therefore should
be viewed as less precise indicators of unemployment under
U.S. concepts than the annual figures.

1 0 1 .0

166.9
163.8
165.8

107.5
182.0
1 0 0 .6

108.4
187.1
99.8
172.6
170.4
171.8

-

133.0
185.1
98.7
139.1
-

“

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW May 1988 • Current Labor Statistics:

International Comparison Data

46. Annual data: Employment status of the civilian working-age population, approximating U.S. concepts,
10 countries
(Numbers in thousands)
1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

108,670
11,904
6,810
56,320
22,930
26,650
21,320
5,520
4,327
26,590

110,204
11,958
6,910
56,980
23,160
26,700
21,410
5,570
4,350
26,740

111,550
12,183
6,997
58,110
23,130
26,650
21,590
5,600
4,369
26,790

113,544
12,399
7,133
58,480
23,290
26,760
21,670
5,620
4,385
27,180

115,461
12,639
7,272
58,820
23,340
26,980
21,800
5,710
4,418
27,370

117,834
12,870
7,562
59,410
23,480
27,180
21,990
5,760
4,437
27,540

63.8
64.1
62.1
62.6
57.2
53.2
48.2
50.2
66.9
62.5

63.9
64.8
61.9
62.6
57.1
52.9
48.3
51.4

64.0
64.1
61.7
62.7
57.1
52.6
47.7
51.2

64.4
64.8
61.5
62.7
56.6
52.4
47.3
50.5

6 6 .8

6 6 .8

62.2

62.3

64.0
64.4
61.4
63.1
56.6
52.3
47.5
50.9
66.7
62.1

64.8
65.2
61.8
62.3
56.2
52.6
47.2
50.7
66.9
62.7

65.3
65.7
63.0
62.1
56.2
53.0
47.5
50.8
67.2
62.7

99,303
10,708
6,284
54,600
21,330
25,750

100,397
11,006
6,416
55,060

4,980
4,226
24,670

100,834
10,734
6,300
56,550
21,170
24,750
20,320
4,890
4,218
23,600

105,005

25,560
20,280
5,010
4,219
23,800

99,526
10,644
6,415
55,620
21,240
25,140
20,250
4,980
4,213
23,710

6,490
56,870
20,980
24,790
20,390
4,930
4,249
24,000

107,150
11,311
6,670
57,260
20,900
24,950
20,490
5,110
4,293
24,310

109,597
11,634
6,952
57,740
20,970
25,210
20,610
5,200
4,319
24,450

Employment status and country

1978

1979

1980

Labor force
United S tates........................................................
Canada ..................................................................
Australia.................................................................
Japan .....................................................................
France ...................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom.....................................................

102,251
10,895
6,443
54,610
22,460
26,000
20,570
5,010
4,203
26,260

104,962
11,231
6,519
55,210
22,670
26,250
20,850
5,100
4,262
26,350

106,940
11,573
6,693
55,740
22,800
26,520

63.2
62.7
61.9
62.8
57.5
53.3
47.8
48.8

63.7
63.4
61.6
62.7
57.5
53.3
48.0
49.0

Participation rate1
United S tates........................................................
Canada .................................................................
Australia.................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
France ....................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................

2 1 ,1 2 0

5,310
4,312
26,520

1981

6 6 .1

6 6 .6

62.8

62.6

Employed
United S tates........................................................
Canada .................................................................
Australia.................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
France....................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................

96,048
9,987
6,038
53,370
21,250
25,130
19,720
4,750
4,109
24,610

98,824
10,395
54,040
21,300
25,470
19,930
4,830
4,174
24,940

Employment-population ratio2
United S tates........................................................
Canada ..................................................................
Australia.................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
France ....................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................

59.3
57.5
58.0
61.3
54.4
51.5
45.9
46.3
64.6
58.8

59.9
58.7
57.8
61.4
54.0
51.7
45.9
46.4
65.3
59.2

59.2
59.3
58.3
61.3
53.5
51.7
46.1
47.0
65.6
58.1

59.0
59.9
58.4
61.2
52.8
50.8
45.9
46.6
65.1
55.7

57.8
57.0
57.3
61.2
52.3
49.6
45.2
45.8
64.7
55.3

57.9
56.7
55.3
61.4
51.8
48.6
44.7
44.5
64.4
54.7

59.5
57.4
56.0
61.0
51.0
48.5
44.5
44.3
64.5
55.3

60.1
58.4
56.6
60.6
50.4
48.7
44.4
45.4
65.0
55.7

60.7
59.4
57.9
60.4
50.2
49.1
44.6
45.9
65.4
55.7

6 ,2 0 2

6,137
836
408
1,170
1,370
780
920
270

7,637
865
409
1,140
1,470
770
920
330

8,273
898
394
1,260
1,730
1,090
1,040
510
108
2,790

10,678
1,314
495
1,360
1,920
1,560
1,160
590
137
3,030

10,717
1,448
697
1,560
1,960
1,900
1,270
710
151
3,190

8,539
1,399
642
1,610
2,310
1,970
1,280
690
136
3,180

8,312
1,328
602
1,560
2,440
2,030
1,310
600
125
3,060

8,237
1,236
610
1,670
2,510
1,970
1,380
560
118
3,090

7.6
7.5
5.8

9.7
1 1 .0

9.6
11.9

7.5
11.3
9.0

7.2
10.5
8.3

7.0
9.6

Unemployed
United S tates........................................................
Canada ..................................................................
Australia.................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
France ...................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................
Unemployment rate
United S tates........................................................
Canada ..................................................................
Australia.................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
France ...................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................

104

https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1
2

908
405
1,240
1 ,2 1 0

870
850
260
94
1,650

6 .1

6 ,1 1 1

2 0 ,2 0 0

88

86

1,420

1,850

5.8
7.4
6.3

7.1
7.5

8.3
6.3
2.3
5.4
3.3
4.1
5.2

3.0
4.4
5.3

6 .2

2 .2

2 .1

2 .0

6.3

5.4

7.0

6 .1

2 1 ,2 0 0

2 .1

2 .0

2 .2

6 .0

6.4
2.9
4.4

7.5
4.1
4.9
9.2
2.5
10.5

Labor force as a percent of the civilian working-age population.
Employment as a percent of the civilian working-age population.

7.2
2.4
8.3
5.8
5.4
1 0 .6

3.1
11.3

1 0 .0

2.7
8.5
7.1
5.9
12.7
3.5
11.9

6 6 .6

62.6

1 1 ,0 0 0

8 .1

2 .8

2 .6

2 .8

9.9
7.4
5.9
12.3
3.1
11.7

10.4
7.5

2 .8

10.7
7.2
6.3
9.7
2.7

1 1 .2

1 1 .2

6 .0

10.5

47.

Annual indexes of manufacturing productivity and related measures, 12 countries

(1977 = 100)
Item and country

1960

1970

1973

Output per hour
United S tates.......................................................
Canada ................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
Belgium..................................................................
Denmark................................................................
France ...................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands.......................... ................................
Norway.......................:...........................................
Sweden.................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................

62.2
50.7
23.2
33.0
37.2
36.4
40.3
35.4
32.4
54.6
42.3
55.9

80.8
75.6
64.8
60.4
65.6
69.6
71.2
72.7
64.3
81.7
80.7
80.4

93.4
90.3
83.1
78.8
83.3
82.3
84.0
90.9
81.5
94.6
94.8
95.5

Output
United S tates........................................................
Canada ..................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
Belgium..................................................................
Denmark................................................................
France...................................................................
Germany............................................. ..................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Norway...................................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................

52.5
41.3
19.2
41.9
49.2
35.4
50.0
36.4
44.8
55.1
52.6
71.2

78.6
73.5
69.9
78.6
82.0
73.3

96.3
93.5
91.9
96.4
95.9
8 8 .6

78.0
84.4
86.9
92.5
95.0

96.1
90.5
95.8
99.5
100.3
104.8

97.3
97.2
107.9
130.2
125.1
105.3
121.7
107.4
131.2
106.4
114.6
118.1

103.1
103.6
110.7
122.3
115.2
107.7
114.4
99.6
117.6
105.1
105.7
109.8

15.1
18.8
8.4
12.5
15.8
14.7
15.1

57.4
47.9
33.9
34.9
36.3
36.5
48.0
26.1
39.0
37.9
38.5
31.3

Unit labor costs: National currency basis
United States ........................................................
Canada ..................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
Belgium..................................................................
Denmark................................................................
France...................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Norway...................................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................

58.7
54.2
38.4
41.7
33.8
41.5
46.6
23.7
38.5
29.0
34.8
27.1

Unit labor costs: U.S. dollar basis
United S tates........................................................
Canada .................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
Belgium..................................................................
Denmark ................................................................
France ...................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Norway..................................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................

58.7
59.4
28.5
30.0
29.5
41.6
25.9
33.7
25.1
21.7
30.1
43.6

Total hours
United S tates........................................................
Canada .................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
Belgium..................................................................
Denmark................................................................
France...................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Norway...................................................................
Sweden..................................................................
United Kingdom.....................................................
Compensation per hour
United S tates........................................................
Canada ..................................................................
Japan ....................................................................
Belgium..................................................................
Denmark................................................................
France ...................................................................
Germany................................................................
Italy........................................................................
Netherlands...........................................................
Norway..................................................................
Sweden.................................................................
United Kingdom....................................................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

84.4
81.4
82.7
127.1
132.4
97.2
123.8
1 0 2 .8

138.4
1 0 1 .0

124.4
127.3

36.5
27.5
8.9
13.8
1 2 .6

8 6 .6

1975

1976

92.9

97.1
94.8
94.3
95.3
98.2
95.1
96.5
98.9
95.8
99.7
101.7
99.1

8 8 .6

87.7
86.5
94.6
88.5
90.1
91.1
8 6 .2

96.8
1 0 0 .2

94.9

84.9
89.9
8 6 .2

92.7
95.0
90.0
91.0
86.9
92.7
1 0 1 .0

106.1
96.3

93.1
96.5
94.8
99.7
99.6
96.1
98.0
97.9
99.0
101.4
106.1
98.2

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

101.4
98.2
122.7
119.2
112.3

103.6
102.9
127.2
127.6
114.2
114.0

105.9
98.3
135.0
135.2
114.6

1 1 2 .0

1 1 1 .0

1 1 2 .6

124.8
116.9
107.0
113.2
107.0

129.6
119.4
109.8
116.5
113.5

118.1
116.8
152.5
154.4
118.6
129.0
123.6
144.4
140.5
123.9
131.0
129.8

124.2
119.7
163.7
159.0
118.3
133.0
128.7
146.6
145.1
125.2
136.1
134.7

128.8
119.4
168.2
163.1
119.9
135.6
130.6
148.3
144.7
124.4
136.4
139.5

104.8
107.4
129.8
105.7
106.6
102.9
104.9
115.1
106.7
97.7

98.4
93.6
137.3

122.5

125.9
123.9
182.1

108.3
104.0
102.4
113.4
105.0
97.4

1 0 0 .6

1 0 0 .1

1 0 0 .0

101.4
1 0 2 .0

1 0 0 .0

114.8
111.9
106.5
109.7
108.2
110.5
112.3
107.1
110.9
102.5

1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0

1 0 1 .2

1 0 1 .0

1 0 1 .6

1 0 0 .0

95.4
107.6
104.3
105.9
101.5

99.0
103.3
101.7
104.3
99.0

1 0 0 .0

60.0
55.1
53.5
56.1
52.1
67.5
43.7
60.5
54.5
54.2
47.5

85.1
78.9
84.2
79.0
81.0
76.5
84.5
70.2
82.2
77.2
77.3
76.0

92.1
90.3
90.7
89.5
90.4
88.7
91.3
84.2
91.9

1 0 0 .0

8 8 .8

91.5
88.3

71.0
63.4
52.3
57.8
55.4
52.5
67.4
36.0
60.7
46.4
47.7
38.9

73.7
66.5
66.4
67.9
67.4
63.4
80.3
48.1
74.3
57.6
57.2
49.8

91.7
89.1
96.0
91.2
85.6
86.5
93.8
77.1
95.4
79.7
77.1
80.2

94.9
95.3
96.2
93.9
92.1
93.3
94.6
85.1
96.0
89.1
90.0
89.1

71.0
64.5
39.1
41.7
44.4
46.7
42.9
50.6
41.2
34.5
41.1
53.5

73.7
70.6
65.6
62.7
67.2
70.2
70.4
73.1
65.6
53.4
58.7
70.0

91.7
93.1
86.7
89.1
89.6
99.3
88.7
104.3
92.8
81.4
83.2

94.9
102.7
86.9
87.2
91.5
96.1
87.3
90.5
89.1
86.9
92.3
92.1

1 0 2 .0

1979

1 0 0 .0

91.4
101.5
98.2
107.1
100.4
101.7

6 8 .8

95.9

1977

108.1
108.5
113.9
104.1
105.4
105.3
106.6
108.6
106.1
100.3
103.6
100.5

1 1 0 .6

108.6
116.9
113.9
106.7
112.7
1 0 1 .8

103.2
103.6
124.1
106.8
1 1 0 .1

104.6
106.6
115.4
106.6
98.8
104.0
91.7

1 2 2 .0

105.4
142.3
148.2
1 2 0 .2

125.2
119.2
135.7
127.5
117.2
125.5
123.2

104.7
99.6
148.2
114.8
115.6
103.8
103.6
111.5
107.0
97.2
105.2
88.9

117.5
114.9
165.4
117.5
119.7
104.0
106.4
116.2
113.3

99.5
98.3
108.5
76.1
100.9
80.6

85.9
76.2

93.5
94.5
104.2
77.5
96.2
82.9
86.9
82.2
83.9
82.9
83.9
72.2

80.5
80.6
82.8
85.1
71.2

109.6
75.4
104.3
77.7
85.6
80.5
79.9
84.0
84.7
70.7

1 1 0 .1

8 6 .2

86.4

92.9
95.2
101.7
81.4
94.5
85.2
91.0
87.5

1 0 2 .6

111.5
92.5

1 2 1 .2

179.3
119.9
123.4
103.3

1 2 2 .0

126.7
103.0

1 1 0 .1

1 1 2 .8

118.0
116.0
105.2
115.3
95.2

121.9
117.3
107.0
115.2
96.2

98.7

97.8
103.8
108.3
74.8
105.7
75.9
86.4
82.2
81.1

106.5
106.3
99.3
93.0
99.0
95.9
98.5
98.2
94.4
93.6
93.4
98.0

101.7
105.5

1 0 1 .1

1 0 1 .2

1 0 2 .0

89.6
98.0
94.6
98.1
98.7
93.6
92.6
92.3
90.1

82.8
93.4
90.3
94.6
92.2
91.2
91.3
88.9
80.6

1 0 0 .0

118.6
118.6
113.4
117.5
123.1
128.4
116.1
134.7
117.0
116.0

1 0 0 .0

1 2 0 .1

1 0 0 .0

137.4

132.4
131.3
120.7
130.4
135.9
148.5
125.6
160.2
123.6
128.0
133.6
167.4

145.2
151.1
129.8
144.5
149.7
172.0
134.5
198.4
129.1
142.8
148.1
193.9

157.5
167.0
136.6
150.7
162.9
203.9
141.0
238.3
137.5
156.0
158.9
209.3

162.4
177.2
140.7
159.7
174.2
225.2
148.3
282.8
144.0
173.5
173.3
224.4

168.0
185.5
144.9
173.0
184.4
247.3
155.5
314.5
150.0
188.3
189.7
238.8

176.9
194.7
152.0
184.9
196.1
267.3
164.9
347.3
157.7
204.8
212.4
254.6

182.7
202.3
157.3
191.8
207.7
279.2
172.5
362.1
161.5
224.6
228.1
273.5

1 0 0 .0

117.0
116.2
98.8
105.0
115.7
117.0
107.3
121.9
104.1
108.2
108.3
134.1

130.6
133.7
98.4
109.4

140.1
146.7

148.7
170.0

1 0 2 .0

1 0 1 .2

142.2
158.8
95.0

113.2
131.1
151.0

142.4
162.6
92.9
116.3
165.7
200.9
128.1
236.9
108.7
163.5
156.1
189.0

141.8
169.4
93.5
117.6
173.2
205.9
132.1
244.1

118.6
164.5

111.4
142.2
167.2
125.2
184.0
115.2
142.1
136.3
184.4

145.0
168.1
98.9
107.8
144.9
179.9
124.4
208.4
113.0
148.0
138.1
182.2

117.0
105.4
121.3
128.3
132.0
135.2
135.9
129.5
127.4
113.8
112.9
163.1

130.6
121.5
116.8
134.3
129.0
156.4
147.9
141.4
134.1
129.3
125.3
219.2

142.4
126.5
104.3
70.2
93.9

141.8
129.5
148.7
94.3
128.4
146.2
141.3
144.5
111.9
129.8
104.9
164.9

1 0 0 .0

1 0 1 .8

1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .6

1 0 0 .0

104.6
101.4

1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0

1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0

1 2 1 .0

134.3
115.7
137.0
108.5
1 2 0 .0

104.3

1 2 1 .2

158.9
110.4
133.4
130.9
181.2

140.1
130.0
123.8
109.6
110.3
136.4
124.9
123.2
108.9
123.6
115.4
2 1 0 .2

8 8 .0
8 8 .6

148.7
146.3
108.8
87.2
102.3
124.9
119.7
119.9
105.8
117.1
96.9
184.8

145.0
144.9
111.5
75.5
95.1
116.1
113.1
1 2 1 .1

97.1
107.9
80.4
158.3

8 6 .1

1 1 2 .1

155.4
191.6
125.8
217.8
106.8
152.0
144.8
183.9

142.2
130.3
107.2
69.5
90.1
107.8

1 0 1 .2

1 1 0 .0

1 0 2 .6

1 0 1 .1

109.5
81.6
99.1
78.2
140.9

109.6
80.4
101.3
81.1
140.5

8 6 .0

84.5
69.0

1 1 1 .6

180.5
167.3
196.1

105

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW

April 1988 •

Current Labor Statistics:

Injury and Illness Data

48. Occupational injury and illness incidence rates by industry, United States
Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers2
Industry and type of case1
1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

PRIVATE SECTOR3
Total cases.................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

106

9.7
5.3
160.2

8.4
4.8
145.3

7.4
4.1
125.9

14.8
6.3
118.2

15.5
6.9
128.1

15.2
128.9

15.2
6.9
134.5

15.4
6.9
121.3

15.2

14.9

120.4

122.7

122.4

14.9
6.4
131.7

14.5
6.3
127.3

14.7
6.3
132.9

15.8
7.1
130.1

15.4
7.0
133.3

15.6
7.2
140.4

1 0 .6

7.6
3.4
58.5

3.7
63.4

1 1 .6

11.7
5.7
83.7

11.9
5.8
82.7

12.3
5.9
82.8

1 1 .8

11.9

1 2 .0

6 .1

6 .1

90.8

11.4

1 1 .2

1 1 .6

6 .8

6.5
163.6

146.4

10.5
5.4
137.3

15.7
6.5
117.0

15.1
6.3
113.1

14.6
115.7

15.1

1 1 1 .2

15.5
6.5
113.0

16.6
6.7
123.1

16.3
6.3
117.6

16.0
6.9
124.3

15.5
6.7
118.9

13.3
5.9
90.2

1 2 .2

150.5

16.0
6.4
109.4

120.4


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

8.4
4.5
125.1

7.7
3.5
58.7

11.5
6.4
143.2

See footnotes at end of table.

5.6
93.6

8.3
3.8
61.7

Mining
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

Durable goods
Lumber and wood products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday cases ...................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Furniture and fixtures:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Stone, clay, and glass products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses...................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Primary metal industries:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses...................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Fabricated metal products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Machinery, except electrical:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses...................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Electric and electronic equipment:
Total cases.................................................................................................
Lost workday cases...................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Transportation equipment:
Total cases.................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Instruments and related products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses...................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Miscellaneous manufacturing industries:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

1 1 .2

90.7

11.4
5.7
91.3

8.7
4.0
65.2

5.4
80.7

Manufacturing
Total cases.................................................................................................
Lost workday cases...................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

7.9
3.6
65.8

9.5
4.3
67.7

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing3
Total cases.................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

Construction
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
General building contractors:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Heavy construction contractors:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses...................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Special trade contractors:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses...................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

7.9
3.6
64.9

9.4
4.1
63.5

15.9
6.3
105.3
16.6
6 .2

110.9
15.8
6 .6
1 1 1 .0

13.2
5.6
84.9

2 2 .6

16.2
6 .8

16.3
6 .8

20.7

1 1 .1

1 0 .8

178.8

175.9

17.5
6.9
95.9

17.6
7.1
99.6

16.8
7.8
126.3

16.8

17.0
7.5
123.6

8 .0

133.7
17.3
8 .1

134.7

6 .2

14.4

107.1

1 1 2 .0

113.0

6 .6

15.2

14.7

6 .6

6 .2

119.3

118.6

14.8
6.4
119.0

11.5
5.1
82.0

1 0 .2

1 0 .0

1 0 .6

5.4
86.7

4.4
75.0

4.3
73.5

4.7
77.9

10.4
4.6
80.2

4.7
85.2

18.6
9.5
171.8

17.6
9.0
158.4

16.9
8.3
153.3

18.3
9.2
163.5

19.6
9.9
172.0

18.5
9.3
171.4

18.9
9.7
177.2

15.1

13.9
5.5
85.6

14.1
5.7
83.0

15.3
6.4
101.5

15.0
6.3
100.4

15.2
6.3
103.0

13.0

13.1

13.6

6 .1

6 .0

6 .6

1 1 2 .2

1 1 2 .0

1 2 0 .8

13.9
6.7
127.8

13.6
6.5
126.0

12.4
5.4
103.4

13.3

1 2 .6

13.6

5.7
113.8

125.5

6 .6

6 .2

97.6

91.9

15.0
7.1
128.1

14.1
6.9
1 2 2 .2

15.2
7.1
128.3

14.4
6.7
121.3

1 0 1 .6

18.5

15.3
6.4
102.5

9.8
3.6
58.1

10.7
4.1
65.8

7.4
3.1
48.4

6.5
2.7
42.2

2 .6

2 .8

41.4

45.0

9.8
4.6
78.1

9.2
4.0
72.2

8.4
3.6
64.5

9.3
4.2

6.5
2.7
39.2

5.6
2.3
37.0

5.2
2 .1

35.6

37.5

37.9

10.7
4.4
68.3

9.9
4.1
69.9

9.9
4.0
66.3

10.5
4.3
70.2

9.7
4.2
73.2

12.9
5.1
74.9

8.7
3.3
50.3

8 .6

8 .0

3.4
51.9

3.3
51.8

11.5
5.1
78.0

1 1 .6

1 0 .6

5.5
85.9

4.9
82.4

6.9

7.2

6 .8

2 .6

2 .8

37.0

40.0

2.7
41.8
10.9
4.4
67.9

115.3

6 6 .0

13.7
5.5
81.3

10.7
4.2

15.1

6 .1

96.5

14.7
5.9
83.6

8 .0

12.4
5.4

6 .2

16.1
6.7
104.9

14.4
5.4
75.1

11.7
4.7
67.7

15.4

6 .8

106.0

6 .0

118.4

4.5
66.4

6 .2

6 .8

15.1
5.8
113.1

16.0

14.9

112.4

1 1 .8

6 .0

14.1
5.9

17.5
7.5
109.9

8 .0

8 6 .0

6 .1

19.9
8.7
124.2

19.3

5.9

8 .0

6 .1

6.3

16.3
6.9

6 .1

16.0
6 .8

1 1 0 .1

115.5

1 0 .8

4.2
69.3

10.7
4.2
72.0

6.4
2.7
45.7

6.4
2.7
49.8

9.0
3.9
71.6

9.6
4.1
79.1

5.4

5.2

2 .2

2 .2

5.3
2.3
42.2

6 .8

6 8 .8

1 0 .2

4.3
70.9

48.

Continued— Occupational injury and illness incidence rates by industry, United States
Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers2
Industry and type of case1
1978

Nondurable goods
Food and kindred products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Tobacco manufacturing:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Textile mill products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Apparel and other textile products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Paper and allied products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Printing and publishing:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Chemicals and allied products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Petroleum and coal products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Leather and leather products:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

Transportation and public utilities
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays ..........................................................................................

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

19.4
8.9
132.2

19.9
9.5
141.8

18.7
9.0
136.8

8.7
4.0
58.6

9.3
4.2
64.8

1 0 .2

9.7
3.4
61.3

9.1
3.3
62.8

8 .8

7.6

3.2
59.2

2 .8

53.8

51.4

6 .0

3.4
61.5
6.5

6.5

16.7

8 .0

129.3

16.5
7.9
131.2

131.6

138.0

137.8

8 .1

8 .2

3.8
45.8

3.9
56.8

7.2
3.2
44.6

6.5
3.0
42.8

7.7
3.2
51.7

7.3
3.0
51.7

6.7
2.5
45.6

7.4

8 .0

2 .8

3.0
54.0

7.5
3.0
57.4

7.8
3.1
59.3

6.4
2.4
40.6

6.7
2.5
40.9

6.7
44.1

6.7
2.7
49.4

10.4
4.7
93.8

4.7
94.6

10.5
4.7
99.5

8 .1

2 .2

2 .2

2 .2

34.9

35.0

13.5
5.7
103.3

13.5

12.7
5.8
112.3

1 1 .6

1 0 .6

1 0 .0

108.4

5.4
103.6

4.9
99.1

4.5
90.3

7.0
2.9
43.8

7.1
3.1
45.1

6.9
3.1
46.5

6.7
3.0
47.4

6 .6

6 .6

2 .8

45.7

2.9
44.6

6.5
2.9
46.0

6.3
2.9
49.2

6.5
2.9
50.8

7.8
3.3
50.9

7.7
3.5
54.9

6 .8

6 .6

3.1
50.3

3.0
48.1

5.7
2.5
39.4

5.5
2.5
42.3

5.3
2.4
40.8

5.1
2.3
38.8

6.3
2.7
49.4

7.9
3.4
58.3

7.7
3.6
62.0

7.2
3.5
59.1

6.7
2.9
51.2

5.3
2.5
46.4

5.5
2.4
46.8

5.1
2.4
53.5

5.1
2.4
49.9

7.1
3.2
67.5

17.1

13.0

13.6
6.4
104.3

13.4
6.3
107.4

118.2

10.5
4.7
94.4

10.3
4.6
88.3

10.5
4.8
83.4

17.1

6 .0

2 .1

36.4

15.5
7.4
118.6

14.6
7.2
117.4

6 .0

6 .2

100.9

101.4

11.7
4.7
72.5

11.5
4.9
76.2

11.7
5.0
82.7

11.5
5.1
82.6

9.9
4.5
86.5

4.4
87.3

1 0 .1

1 0 .0

9.0
5.3

8 .2

4.7
94.9

5.2
105.1

5.0
107.1

4.8

1 0 0 .6

8.5
4.9
96.7

8 .6

5.9
107.0

9.4
5.5
104.5

8 .8

5.7
102.3

7.9
3.2
44.9

3.4
49.0

7.4
3.2
48.7

7.3
3.1
45.3

7.2
3.1
45.5

7.2
3.1
47.8

7.4
3.3
50.5

7.4
3.2
50.7

7.7
3.3
54.0

8.9
3.9
57.5

8 .8

8 .2

4.1
59.1

3.9
58.2

7.7
3.6
54.7

7.1
3.4
52.1

7.0
3.2
50.6

7.2
3.5
55.5

7.2
3.5
59.8

7.2
3.6
62.5

7.1
2.9
41.1

7.2
2.9
42.6

7.3
3.0
46.7

7.5
3.2
48.4

7.5
3.1
47.0

7.8
3.2
50.5

2 .0

2 .0

2 .0

.9
15.4

.9
17.1

5.4
45.4

5.3
2.5
43.0

8 .2

1 0 .0

8 .2

Finance, Insurance, and real estate
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday cases ..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

2 .1

2 .1

2 .0

1.9

2 .0

.9
13.3

.8

.8

12.5

1 2 .2

1 1 .6

.9
13.2

1 2 .8

1.9
.9
13.6

Services
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

5.5
2.4
36.2

5.5
2.5
38.1

5.2
2.3
35.8

5.0
2.3
35.9

4.9
2.3
35.8

5.1
2.4
37.0

5.2
2.5
41.1


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1 0 .2

127.1

8 .1

12.7

2 .6

125.5

7.1
2.9
44.5

workdays per 1 0 0 full-time workers and were calculated as:
(N/EH) X 200,000, where:
N = number of injuries and illnesses or lost workdays.

8 .0

34.1

7.7
3.1
44.7

Total cases include fatalities.

16.5

2 .2

39.7

1

8 .1

32.4

Wholesale and retail trade
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday ca ses..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Wholesale trade:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday cases ..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................
Retail trade:
Total cases................................................................................................
Lost workday cases ..................................................................................
Lost workdays............................................................................................

2 The incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses or lost

16.7

8 .6

6.3

16.7

1986

130.7

6.4

17.8

1985

7.5
2 .8

.8

8 .0

.9

2 .6

14.0
6 .6

1 0 2 .1

EH = total hours worked by all employees during calendar year.
200,000 = base for 100 full-time equivalent workers (working 40 hours per
week, 50 weeks per year.)
3
Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees since 1976.

Where to Find
Information on
Employment and Unemployment
Employment and Earnings:
Monthly periodical containing labor force
and establishment data. National,
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Write: Inquiries and Correspondence,
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