Administrative and Support Services: NAICS 561

About the Administrative and Support Services subsector

The administrative and support services subsector is part of the administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector.

Industries in the Administrative and Support Services subsector group establishments engaged in activities that support the day-to-day operations of other organizations. The processes employed in this sector (e.g., general management, personnel administration, clerical activities, cleaning activities) are often integral parts of the activities of establishments found in all sectors of the economy. The establishments classified in this subsector have specialization in one or more of these activities and can, therefore, provide services to clients in a variety of industries and, in some cases, to households. The individual industries of this subsector are defined on the basis of the particular process that they are engaged in and the particular services they provide.

North American Industry Classification System

The administrative and support services subsector consists of these industry groups:

  • Office Administrative Services: NAICS 5611
  • Facilities Support Services: NAICS 5612
  • Employment Services: NAICS 5613
  • Business Support Services: NAICS 5614
  • Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services: NAICS 5615
  • Investigation and Security Services: NAICS 5616
  • Services to Buildings and Dwellings: NAICS 5617
  • Other Support Services: NAICS 5619

NOTE: There was a change in the definition of this subsector between NAICS 2002 and NAICS 2007. Some of the data below reflect the 2002 definition and some reflect the 2007 definition. See the BLS implementation schedule for NAICS 2007 to find out which BLS programs have already implemented NAICS 2007.

Workforce Statistics

This section provides information relating to employment and unemployment in administrative and support services. 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, mass layoffs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.

Employment, Unemployment, and Layoffs

Data series Back
data
Jan.
2013
Feb.
2013
Mar.
2013
Apr.
2013

Employment (in thousands)

 

Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted)

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7,793.9 7,853.1 (P) 7,883.5 (P) 7,928.0

Employment, production and nonsupervisory employees

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6,676.9 6,765.5 (P) 6,875.8  

Unemployment

 

Unemployment rate

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18.4% 16.5% 15.9% 15.0%

Layoffs

 

Mass layoff events

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234 162 178  

Initial claimants for unemployment benefits

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21,946 11,761 15,221  

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

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

Extended Mass Layoffs

Data series Back
data
2nd quarter
2012
3rd quarter
2012
4th quarter
2012
1st quarter
2013

Extended mass layoff events

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257 176 (P) 310 (P) 139

Separations

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57,580 30,301 (P) 66,300 (P) 22,730

Initial claimants

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54,425 40,682 (P) 84,180 (P) 20,721

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)

Employment by Occupation

Data series Employment,
2012

Executive secretaries and administrative assistants

41,120

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

850,350

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

430,230

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

472,160

Office clerks, general

270,750

Security guards

643,200

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Projections

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

(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 are shown. In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in administrative and support services.

Earnings and Hours of All Employees

Data series Back
data
Dec.
2012
Jan.
2013
Feb.
2013
Mar.
2013

Average hourly earnings

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$17.92 $18.01 $18.04 (P) $17.96

Average weekly hours

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34.9 34.0 34.1 (P) 34.3

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings and Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees

Data series Back
data
Dec.
2012
Jan.
2013
Feb.
2013
Mar.
2013

Average hourly earnings

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$16.04 $16.14 $16.16 (P) $16.05

Average weekly hours

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34.2 33.3 33.5 (P) 33.7

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings by Occupation

Data series Wages, 2012
Hourly Annual
Median Mean Median Mean

Executive secretaries and administrative assistants

$21.62 $23.17 $44,970 $48,190

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

$9.52 $10.78 $19,800 $22,420

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

$9.45 $10.69 $19,650 $22,230

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

$11.22 $12.04 $23,350 $25,050

Office clerks, general

$12.23 $13.12 $25,440 $27,290

Security guards

$10.91 $12.21 $22,690 $25,390

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

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 administrative and support services. 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 2008 2009 2010 2011

Fatalities

 

Number of fatalities

263 292 243 302

Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers

 

Total recordable cases

2.9 (1) 2.7 (1) 2.7 2.5

Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer

1.6 (1) 1.5 (1) 1.5 1.4

Cases involving days away from work

1.1 (1) 1.0 (1) 1.1 1.0

Cases involving days of job transfer or restriction

0.6 (1) 0.5 (1) 0.4 0.4

Footnotes
(1) Industry scope changed in 2009

Blank cells indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)

Workplace Trends

This section presents data on the number of establishments in administrative and support services.

Establishments

Data series Back
data
4th quarter
2011
1st quarter
2012
2nd quarter
2012
3rd quarter
2012

Number of establishments

 

Private industry

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450,615 (P) 448,559 (P) 452,842 (P) 457,125

Local government

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2,006 (P) 2,040 (P) 2,042 (P) 2,050

State government

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497 (P) 504 (P) 506 (P) 506

Federal government

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115 (P) 121 (P) 118 (P) 117

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

Other BLS Resources

Career Guide to Industries

See employment services in the Career Guide to Industries.

 

Data extracted on: May 17, 2013