Utilities: NAICS 22

About the Utilities sector

The utilities sector is part of the trade, transportation, and utilities supersector.

The utilities sector consists of a single subsector, Utilities: NAICS 221. Data published under either the sector or subsector classification are included in the tables below. The subsector consists of these industry groups:

• Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution: NAICS 2211
• Natural Gas Distribution: NAICS 2212
• Water, Sewage and Other Systems: NAICS 2213

Workforce Statistics

This section provides information relating to employment and unemployment in utilities. While most data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys, information on industry unemployment comes from a national survey of households. The following tables present an overview of the industry including the number of jobs, the unemployment rate of those previously employed in the industry, union membership and representation, gross job gains and losses, mass layoffs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.

Employment, Unemployment, and Layoffs

Data series	Back data	Oct. 2011	Nov. 2011	Dec. 2011	Jan. 2012
Employment (in thousands)
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted)		556.7	558.2	(P) 559.5	(P) 559.6
Employment, production and nonsupervisory employees (seasonally adjusted)		443.2	444.7	(P) 445.5	(P) 445.3
Unemployment
Unemployment rate		6.2%	6.0%	6.9%	7.1%
Layoffs
Mass layoff events		(1) -	(1) -	5
Initial claimants for unemployment benefits		(1) -	(1) -	476
Footnotes (1) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics, Current Population Survey, Mass Layoff Statistics)

Union Membership and Representation

Data series	Back data	2008	2009	2010	2011
Union membership and representation
Members of unions (percent of wage and salary workers)		26.9%	26.1%	28.3%	25.0%
Represented by unions (percent of wage and salary workers)		28.3%	27.5%	30.3%	25.7%

(Source: Current Population Survey)

Dynamic Changes in Employment

Data series	Back data	3rd quarter 2010	4th quarter 2010	1st quarter 2011	2nd quarter 2011
Dynamic changes in employment (in thousands)
Gross job gains		10	12	11	12
Gross job losses		12	11	9	13

(Source: Business Employment Dynamics)

Extended Mass Layoffs

Data series	Back data	4th quarter 2010	1st quarter 2011	2nd quarter 2011	3rd quarter 2011
Extended mass layoff events		(1) -	5	(1) (P) -	(P) -
Separations		(1) -	502	(1) (P) -	(P) -
Initial claimants		(1) -	555	(1) (P) -	(P) -
Footnotes (1) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. (P) Preliminary

(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)

Employment by Occupation

Data series	Employment, 2010
Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door	20,810
Electrical engineers	15,760
Electrical power-line installers and repairers	54,190
First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers	16,360
Meter readers, utilities	18,020

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Projections

For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for utilities.

(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)

Earnings and Hours

This section presents data on employee earnings and weekly hours. The latest industry averages of hourly earnings and weekly hours, as well as weekly earnings by union membership status, are shown. In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in utilities. This section also contains information on the average cost of benefits paid by employers, as well as recent rates of change in wages and total compensation.

Earnings and Hours of All Employees

Data series	Back data	Oct. 2011	Nov. 2011	Dec. 2011	Jan. 2012
Average hourly earnings		$33.95	$33.74	(P) $33.73	(P) $33.69
Average weekly hours		42.2	41.7	(P) 41.1	(P) 41.5
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings and Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees

Data series	Back data	Oct. 2011	Nov. 2011	Dec. 2011	Jan. 2012
Average hourly earnings		$30.96	$31.15	(P) $31.02	(P) $31.07
Average weekly hours		41.9	41.7	(P) 40.5	(P) 41.2
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Union Membership and Representation

Data series	Back data	Median weekly earnings
		2008	2009	2010	2011
Union membership and representation
Full-time workers		$1,061	$1,043	$1,102	$1,081
Members of unions		$1,161	$1,120	$1,199	$1,132
Represented by unions		$1,142	$1,104	$1,193	$1,132
Nonunion		$1,010	$1,008	$1,014	$1,027

(Source: Current Population Survey)

Earnings by Occupation

Data series	Wages, 2010
	Hourly		Annual
	Median	Mean	Median	Mean
Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door	$27.14	$26.61	$56,440	$55,350
Electrical engineers	$40.53	$41.19	$84,290	$85,680
Electrical power-line installers and repairers	$29.94	$29.55	$62,270	$61,470
First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers	$36.68	$35.95	$76,280	$74,770
Meter readers, utilities	$18.36	$19.36	$38,200	$40,270

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Employer Compensation Costs

Data series	Back data	1st quarter 2011	2nd quarter 2011	3rd quarter 2011	4th quarter 2011
12-month percent change
Total compensation		3.5%	3.3%	3.1%	3.5%
Wages and salaries		2.6%	3.0%	2.7%	2.8%

(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)

Data series	Back data	3rd quarter 2011
		Compensation component ($ per hour worked)	Percent of total compensation
Compensation costs
Total compensation		56.94	100.0
Wages and salaries		34.69	60.9
Total benefits		22.24	39.1
Insurance		5.25	9.2
Retirement		5.84	10.3

(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)

Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses

This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in utilities. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.

Data series	2007	2008	2009	2010
Fatalities
Number of fatalities	46	53	25	(P) 39
Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers
Total recordable cases	4.0	3.5	3.3	3.1
Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer	2.1	1.9	1.8	1.7
Cases involving days away from work	1.2	1.1	1.0	1.0
Cases involving days of job transfer or restriction	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.7
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)

Prices

This section provides industry-specific pricing information. The producer price index measures the percentage change in prices that domestic producers receive for goods and services. The prices included in the producer price index are from the first commercial transaction.

Data series	Back data	Sep. 2011	Oct. 2011	Nov. 2011	Dec. 2011
Producer price index		(P) 139.8	(P) 133.7	(P) 132.2	(P) 131.8
Percent change from previous month		(P) -1.2%	(P) -4.4%	(P) -1.1%	(P) -0.3%
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Producer Price Indexes)

Workplace Trends

This section presents data on the number of establishments and the number of establishments experiencing job gains or job losses in utilities.

Establishments

Data series	Back data	3rd quarter 2010	4th quarter 2010	1st quarter 2011	2nd quarter 2011
Number of establishments
Private industry		16,749	16,746	(P) 16,696	(P) 16,727
Local government		8,383	8,384	(P) 8,370	(P) 8,374
State government		41	41	(P) 40	(P) 40
Federal government		148	148	(P) 146	(P) 147
Establishments with changes in employment (in thousands)
With job gains (seasonally adjusted)		3	3	3	3
With job losses (seasonally adjusted)		3	3	3	3
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Business Employment Dynamics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

Other BLS Resources

The Editor's Desk

See industry studies in the subject matter index of The Editor's Desk (Current Edition).

Career Guide to Industries

To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.

 

Data extracted on: February 07, 2012