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Economic News Release
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CPS CPS Program Links
CES CES Program Links

Employment Situation News Release

Transmission of material in this release is embargoed                      USDL-12-1796
until 8:30 a.m. (EDT) Friday, September 7, 2012

Technical information:
 Household data:       (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps
 Establishment data:   (202) 691-6555  *  cesinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/ces

Media contact:         (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


                         THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- AUGUST 2012


Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 96,000 in August, and the unemployment
rate edged down to 8.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Employment increased in food services and drinking places, in professional and
technical services, and in health care.

Household Survey Data

The unemployment rate edged down in August to 8.1 percent. Since the beginning of
this year, the rate has held in a narrow range of 8.1 to 8.3 percent. The number of
unemployed persons, at 12.5 million, was little changed in August. (See table A-1.)

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (7.6 percent),
adult women (7.3 percent), teenagers (24.6 percent), whites (7.2 percent), blacks
(14.1 percent), and Hispanics (10.2 percent) showed little or no change in August.
The jobless rate for Asians was 5.9 percent (not seasonally adjusted), little
changed from a year earlier. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

In August, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more)
was little changed at 5.0 million. These individuals accounted for 40.0 percent of
the unemployed. (See table A-12.)

Both the civilian labor force (154.6 million) and the labor force participation rate
(63.5 percent) declined in August. The employment-population ratio, at 58.3 percent,
was little changed. (See table A-1.)

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to
as involuntary part-time workers) was little changed at 8.0 million in August. These
individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because
they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.)

In August, 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force,
essentially unchanged from a year earlier. (These data are not seasonally adjusted.)
These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work,
and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as
unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.
(See table A-16.)

Among the marginally attached, there were 844,000 discouraged workers in August, a
decline of 133,000 from a year earlier. (These data are not seasonally adjusted.)
Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe
no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.7 million persons marginally attached
to the labor force in August had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the
survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities. (See
table A-16.)

Establishment Survey Data

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 96,000 in August. Since the beginning of
this year, employment growth has averaged 139,000 per month, compared with an average 
monthly gain of 153,000 in 2011. In August, employment rose in food services and
drinking places, in professional and technical services, and in health care. (See
table B-1.)

Employment in food services and drinking places increased by 28,000 in August and by
298,000 over the past 12 months.

Employment in professional and technical services rose in August (+27,000). Job gains
occurred in computer systems design and related services (+11,000) and management and
technical consulting services (+9,000).

Health care employment rose by 17,000 in August. Ambulatory health care services and
hospitals added 14,000 and 6,000 jobs, respectively. From June through August, job 
growth in health care averaged 15,000 per month, compared with an average monthly
gain of 28,000 in the prior 12 months.

Utilities employment increased in August (+9,000). The increase reflects the return
of utility workers who were off payrolls in July due to a labor-management dispute.

Within financial activities, finance and insurance added 11,000 jobs in August.
Employment in wholesale trade continued to trend up. Employment in temporary help
services changed little over the month and has shown little movement, on net, since
February.

Manufacturing employment edged down in August (-15,000). A decline in motor vehicles
and parts (-8,000) partially offset a gain in July. Auto manufacturers laid off fewer
workers for factory retooling than usual in July, and fewer workers than usual were
recalled in August.

Employment in other major industries, including mining and logging, construction,
retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, and government, showed
little change over the month.

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at
34.4 hours in August. The manufacturing workweek declined by 0.2 hour to 40.5 hours,
and factory overtime was unchanged at 3.2 hours. The average workweek for production
and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 33.7 hours.
(See tables B-2 and B-7.)

In August, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged
down by 1 cent to $23.52. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings rose by
1.7 percent. In August, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and
nonsupervisory employees edged down by 1 cent to $19.75. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was revised from +64,000 to
+45,000, and the change for July was revised from +163,000 to +141,000.

______________
The Employment Situation for September is scheduled to be released on Friday,
October 5, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).


     _______________________________________________________________________________
    |                                                                               |
    |                  2012 CES Preliminary Benchmark Revision to be                |
    |                            Released on September 27, 2012                     |
    |                                                                               |
    |Each year, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey estimates are bench- |
    |marked to comprehensive counts of employment from the Quarterly Census of      |
    |Employment and Wages (QCEW) for the month of March. These counts are derived   |
    |from state unemployment insurance (UI) tax records that nearly all employers   |
    |are required to file. On September 27, 2012, at 8:30 a.m., the Bureau of Labor |
    |Statistics (BLS) will release the preliminary estimate of the upcoming annual  |
    |benchmark revision to the establishment survey employment series. This is the  |
    |same day the First Quarter 2012 data from the QCEW will be issued. Preliminary |
    |benchmark revisions for all major industry sectors, as well as total nonfarm   |
    |and total private levels, will be available on the BLS website at              |
    |www.bls.gov/ces/cesprelbmk.htm.                                                |
    |                                                                               |
    |The final benchmark revision will be issued with the publication of the        |
    |January 2013 Employment Situation news release.                                |
    |                                                                               |
    |_______________________________________________________________________________|




HOUSEHOLD DATA
Summary table A. Household data, seasonally adjusted
[Numbers in thousands]
Category Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Change from:
July
2012-
Aug.
2012

Employment status

Civilian noninstitutional population

239,871 243,155 243,354 243,566 212

Civilian labor force

153,674 155,163 155,013 154,645 -368

Participation rate

64.1 63.8 63.7 63.5 -0.2

Employed

139,754 142,415 142,220 142,101 -119

Employment-population ratio

58.3 58.6 58.4 58.3 -0.1

Unemployed

13,920 12,749 12,794 12,544 -250

Unemployment rate

9.1 8.2 8.3 8.1 -0.2

Not in labor force

86,198 87,992 88,340 88,921 581

Unemployment rates

Total, 16 years and over

9.1 8.2 8.3 8.1 -0.2

Adult men (20 years and over)

8.8 7.8 7.7 7.6 -0.1

Adult women (20 years and over)

7.9 7.4 7.5 7.3 -0.2

Teenagers (16 to 19 years)

25.3 23.7 23.8 24.6 0.8

White

7.9 7.4 7.4 7.2 -0.2

Black or African American

16.7 14.4 14.1 14.1 0.0

Asian (not seasonally adjusted)

7.1 6.3 6.2 5.9 -

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

11.3 11.0 10.3 10.2 -0.1

Total, 25 years and over

7.7 6.9 6.9 6.8 -0.1

Less than a high school diploma

14.1 12.6 12.7 12.0 -0.7

High school graduates, no college

9.5 8.4 8.7 8.8 0.1

Some college or associate degree

8.2 7.5 7.1 6.6 -0.5

Bachelor's degree and higher

4.3 4.1 4.1 4.1 0.0

Reason for unemployment

Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs

8,120 7,207 7,123 7,003 -120

Job leavers

973 936 878 942 64

Reentrants

3,519 3,227 3,380 3,318 -62

New entrants

1,249 1,331 1,311 1,277 -34

Duration of unemployment

Less than 5 weeks

2,734 2,810 2,711 2,844 133

5 to 14 weeks

3,019 2,826 3,092 2,868 -224

15 to 26 weeks

2,203 1,811 1,760 1,845 85

27 weeks and over

6,015 5,370 5,185 5,033 -152

Employed persons at work part time

Part time for economic reasons

8,787 8,210 8,246 8,031 -215

Slack work or business conditions

5,815 5,446 5,342 5,217 -125

Could only find part-time work

2,707 2,514 2,576 2,507 -69

Part time for noneconomic reasons

18,276 18,829 18,866 18,996 130

Persons not in the labor force (not seasonally adjusted)

Marginally attached to the labor force

2,575 2,483 2,529 2,561 -

Discouraged workers

977 821 852 844 -

- Over-the-month changes are not displayed for not seasonally adjusted data.
NOTE: Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Detail for the seasonally adjusted data shown in this table will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Summary table B. Establishment data, seasonally adjusted
Category Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)

EMPLOYMENT BY SELECTED INDUSTRY
(Over-the-month change, in thousands)

Total nonfarm

85 45 141 96

Total private

52 63 162 103

Goods-producing

-4 9 23 -16

Mining and logging

3 -2 0 -2

Construction

-10 4 0 1

Manufacturing

3 7 23 -15

Durable goods(1)

-3 6 22 -17

Motor vehicles and parts

-4.1 4.6 14.0 -7.5

Nondurable goods

6 1 1 2

Private service-providing(1)

56 54 139 119

Wholesale trade

5.0 7.7 8.8 7.9

Retail trade

-4.4 -9.0 -1.8 6.1

Transportation and warehousing

6.9 -4.1 10.6 5.7

Information

-50 -7 8 3

Financial activities

5 3 -2 7

Professional and business services(1)

40 41 47 28

Temporary help services

20.6 18.3 6.7 -4.9

Education and health services(1)

33 3 38 22

Health care and social assistance

29.8 10.2 26.8 21.7

Leisure and hospitality

12 14 28 34

Other services

8 4 9 -4

Government

33 -18 -21 -7

WOMEN AND PRODUCTION AND NONSUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES(2)
AS A PERCENT OF ALL EMPLOYEES

Total nonfarm women employees

49.5 49.3 49.3 49.3

Total private women employees

47.9 47.8 47.8 47.8

Total private production and nonsupervisory employees

82.5 82.6 82.6 82.6

HOURS AND EARNINGS
ALL EMPLOYEES

Total private

Average weekly hours

34.3 34.5 34.4 34.4

Average hourly earnings

$23.12 $23.50 $23.53 $23.52

Average weekly earnings

$793.02 $810.75 $809.43 $809.09

Index of aggregate weekly hours (2007=100)(3)

94.1 96.1 95.9 96.0

Over-the-month percent change

-0.2 0.4 -0.2 0.1

Index of aggregate weekly payrolls (2007=100)(4)

103.7 107.7 107.7 107.7

Over-the-month percent change

-0.3 0.7 0.0 0.0

HOURS AND EARNINGS
PRODUCTION AND NONSUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES

Total private

Average weekly hours

33.6 33.7 33.7 33.7

Average hourly earnings

$19.50 $19.74 $19.76 $19.75

Average weekly earnings

$655.20 $665.24 $665.91 $665.58

Index of aggregate weekly hours (2002=100)(3)

101.3 103.4 103.5 103.6

Over-the-month percent change

-0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1

Index of aggregate weekly payrolls (2002=100)(4)

132.0 136.3 136.7 136.7

Over-the-month percent change

-0.3 0.2 0.3 0.0

DIFFUSION INDEX(5)
(Over 1-month span)

Total private (266 industries)

57.3 54.7 54.3 50.2

Manufacturing (81 industries)

50.0 50.6 50.6 36.4

Footnotes
(1) Includes other industries, not shown separately.
(2) Data relate to production employees in mining and logging and manufacturing, construction employees in construction, and nonsupervisory employees in the service-providing industries.
(3) The indexes of aggregate weekly hours are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate hours by the corresponding annual average aggregate hours.
(4) The indexes of aggregate weekly payrolls are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate weekly payrolls by the corresponding annual average aggregate weekly payrolls.
(5) Figures are the percent of industries with employment increasing plus one-half of the industries with unchanged employment, where 50 percent indicates an equal balance between industries with increasing and decreasing employment.
(p) Preliminary

NOTE: Data in this table have been corrected. For more information see http://www.bls.gov/bls/ceswomen_usps_correction.htm.


Frequently Asked Questions about Employment and Unemployment Estimates

Why are there two monthly measures of employment?

The household survey and establishment survey both produce sample-based estimates
of employment and both have strengths and limitations. The establishment survey
employment series has a smaller margin of error on the measurement of month-to-
month change than the household survey because of its much larger sample size. An
over-the-month employment change of about 100,000 is statistically significant in
the establishment survey, while the threshold for a statistically significant
change in the household survey is about 400,000. However, the household survey has
a more expansive scope than the establishment survey because it includes the self-
employed, unpaid family workers, agricultural workers, and private household workers,
who are excluded by the establishment survey. The household survey also provides
estimates of employment for demographic groups.

Are undocumented immigrants counted in the surveys?

It is likely that both surveys include at least some undocumented immigrants. However,
neither the establishment nor the household survey is designed to identify the legal
status of workers. Therefore, it is not possible to determine how many are counted in
either survey. The establishment survey does not collect data on the legal status of
workers. The household survey does include questions which identify the foreign and
native born, but it does not include questions about the legal status of the foreign
born.

Why does the establishment survey have revisions?

The establishment survey revises published estimates to improve its data series by
incorporating additional information that was not available at the time of the
initial publication of the estimates. The establishment survey revises its initial
monthly estimates twice, in the immediately succeeding 2 months, to incorporate
additional sample receipts from respondents in the survey and recalculated seasonal
adjustment factors. For more information on the monthly revisions, please visit
www.bls.gov/ces/cesrevinfo.htm.

On an annual basis, the establishment survey incorporates a benchmark revision that
re-anchors estimates to nearly complete employment counts available from unemployment
insurance tax records. The benchmark helps to control for sampling and modeling errors
in the estimates. For more information on the annual benchmark revision, please visit
www.bls.gov/web/cesbmart.htm.

Does the establishment survey sample include small firms?

Yes; about 40 percent of the establishment survey sample is comprised of business
establishments with fewer than 20 employees. The establishment survey sample is
designed to maximize the reliability of the total nonfarm employment estimate; firms
from all size classes and industries are appropriately sampled to achieve that goal.

Does the establishment survey account for employment from new businesses?

Yes; monthly establishment survey estimates include an adjustment to account for
the net employment change generated by business births and deaths. The adjustment
comes from an econometric model that forecasts the monthly net jobs impact of
business births and deaths based on the actual past values of the net impact that
can be observed with a lag from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. The
establishment survey uses modeling rather than sampling for this purpose because the
survey is not immediately able to bring new businesses into the sample. There is an
unavoidable lag between the birth of a new firm and its appearance on the sampling
frame and availability for selection. BLS adds new businesses to the survey twice a
year.

Is the count of unemployed persons limited to just those people receiving
unemployment insurance benefits?

No; the estimate of unemployment is based on a monthly sample survey of households.
All persons who are without jobs and are actively seeking and available to work
are included among the unemployed. (People on temporary layoff are included even if
they do not actively seek work.) There is no requirement or question relating to
unemployment insurance benefits in the monthly survey.

Does the official unemployment rate exclude people who have stopped
looking for work?

Yes; however, there are separate estimates of persons outside the labor force who
want a job, including those who have stopped looking because they believe no jobs
are available (discouraged workers). In addition, alternative measures of labor
underutilization (some of which include discouraged workers and other groups not
officially counted as unemployed) are published each month in The Employment
Situation news release.

How can unusually severe weather affect employment and hours estimates?

In the establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period that includes
the 12th of the month. Unusually severe weather is more likely to have an impact
on average weekly hours than on employment. Average weekly hours are estimated for
paid time during the pay period, including pay for holidays, sick leave, or other
time off. The impact of severe weather on hours estimates typically, but not always,
results in a reduction in average weekly hours. For example, some employees may be
off work for part of the pay period and not receive pay for the time missed, while
some workers, such as those dealing with cleanup or repair, may work extra hours.

In order for severe weather conditions to reduce the estimate of payroll employment,
employees have to be off work without pay for the entire pay period. About half of
all employees in the payroll survey have a 2-week, semi-monthly, or monthly pay
period. Employees who receive pay for any part of the pay period, even 1 hour, are
counted in the payroll employment figures. It is not possible to quantify the effect
of extreme weather on estimates of employment from the establishment survey.


In the household survey, the reference period is generally the calendar week that
includes the 12th of the month. Persons who miss the entire week’s work for weather-
related events are counted as employed whether or not they are paid for the time off.
The household survey collects data on the number of persons who usually work full
time but had reduced hours, or had a job but were not at work due to bad weather.
Current and historical data are available on the household survey’s most requested
statistics page at http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?ln.




Technical Note


   This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the
Current Population Survey (CPS; household survey) and the Current Employment
Statistics survey (CES; establishment survey). The household survey provides
information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears
in the "A" tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about
60,000 eligible households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

   The establishment survey provides information on employment, hours, 
and earnings of employees on nonfarm payrolls; the data appear in the 
"B" tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. BLS collects these data each 
month from the payroll records of a sample of nonagricultural business
establishments. Each month the CES program surveys about 141,000 businesses
and government agencies, representing approximately 486,000 individual worksites,
in order to provide detailed industry data on employment, hours, and earnings of
workers on nonfarm payrolls. The active sample includes approximately one-third
of all nonfarm payroll employees. 

   For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week
or pay period. In the household survey, the reference period is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the establishment
survey, the reference period is the pay period including the 12th, which 
may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.

Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys

   Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series
of questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years
and over in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed,
or not in the labor force.

   People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business, 
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 
hours in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed
if they were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad
weather, vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.

   People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria: they had no employment during the reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be 
looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility
for or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.

   The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed persons.
Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the labor 
force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent of
the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is
the employed as a percent of the population. Additional information about
the household survey can be found at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.

   Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as 
from federal, state, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay 
period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are produced for the private sector
for all employees and for production and nonsupervisory employees. 
Production and nonsupervisory employees are defined as production and 
related employees in manufacturing and mining and logging, construction
workers in construction, and nonsupervisory employees in private service-
providing industries. 

   Industries are classified on the basis of an establishment’s principal
activity in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry
Classification System. Additional information about the establishment survey
can be found at www.bls.gov/ces/#technical.

   Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment
surveys result in important distinctions in the employment estimates
derived from the surveys. Among these are:

   --The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-
     employed, unpaid family workers, and private household workers
     among the employed. These groups are excluded from the
     establishment survey.
  
   --The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
     employed. The establishment survey does not.
  
   --The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and
     older. The establishment survey is not limited by age.
  
   --The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
     individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one
     job. In the establishment survey, employees working at more than
     one job and thus appearing on more than one payroll are counted
     separately for each appearance.
  
Seasonal adjustment

   Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and
the levels of employment and unemployment undergo regularly occurring
fluctuations. These events may result from seasonal changes in weather, 
major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The effect of 
such seasonal variation can be very large.

   Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern
each year, their influence on the level of a series can be tempered by
adjusting for regular seasonal variation. These adjustments make 
nonseasonal developments, such as declines in employment or increases
in the participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For
example, in the household survey, the large number of youth entering
the labor force each June is likely to obscure any other changes that
have taken place relative to May, making it difficult to determine if
the level of economic activity has risen or declined. Similarly, in
the establishment survey, payroll employment in education declines by
about 20 percent at the end of the spring term and later rises with
the start of the fall term, obscuring the underlying employment trends
in the industry. Because seasonal employment changes at the end and
beginning of the school year can be estimated, the statistics can be
adjusted to make underlying employment patterns more discernable.  The
seasonally adjusted figures provide a more useful tool with which to
analyze changes in month-to-month economic activity.

   Many seasonally adjusted series are independently adjusted in both
the household and establishment surveys. However, the adjusted series
for many major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment
in most major sectors, total employment, and unemployment are computed
by aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example,
total unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four
major age-sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate
that would be obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining
the duration, reasons, or more detailed age categories.

   For both the household and establishment surveys, a concurrent
seasonal adjustment methodology is used in which new seasonal factors
are calculated each month using all relevant data, up to and including
the data for the current month. In the household survey, new seasonal
factors are used to adjust only the current month's data. In the 
establishment survey, however, new seasonal factors are used each month 
to adjust the three most recent monthly estimates. The prior 2 months 
are routinely revised to incorporate additional sample reports and 
recalculated seasonal adjustment factors. In both surveys, 5-year revisions
to historical data are made once a year.

Reliability of the estimates

   Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are
subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather
than the entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the
sample estimates may differ from the "true" population values they
represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending
on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by
the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, 
or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ 
by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value 
because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 
90-percent level of confidence.

   For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in
total nonfarm employment from the establishment survey is on the order
of plus or minus 100,000. Suppose the estimate of nonfarm employment
increases by 50,000 from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence
interval on the monthly change would range from -50,000 to +150,000 
(50,000 +/- 100,000). These figures do not mean that the sample results
are off by these magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent
chance that the "true" over-the-month change lies within this interval.
Since this range includes values of less than zero, we could not say with
confidence that nonfarm employment had, in fact, increased that month.
If, however, the reported nonfarm employment rise was 250,000, then all
of the values within the 90-percent confidence interval would be greater
than zero. In this case, it is likely (at least a 90-percent chance) that
nonfarm employment had, in fact, risen that month. At an unemployment rate
of around 5.5 percent, the 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly
change in unemployment as measured by the household survey is about 
+/- 280,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment rate it is
about +/-0.19 percentage point.

   In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments
have lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than
estimates which are based on a small number of observations. The precision
of estimates also is improved when the data are cumulated over time, such
as for quarterly and annual averages.

   The household and establishment surveys are also affected by
nonsampling error, which can occur for many reasons, including the failure
to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information
for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of 
respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of
the data.

   For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most
recent 2 months are based on incomplete returns; for this reason, these
estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after two
successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.

   Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey
is the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by
new firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment
growth, an estimation procedure with two components is used to account
for business births. The first component excludes employment losses from
business deaths from sample-based estimation in order to offset the 
missing employment gains from business births. This is incorporated into
the sample-based estimation procedure by simply not reflecting sample
units going out of business, but imputing to them the same employment
trend as the other firms in the sample. This procedure accounts for most
of the net birth/death employment.

   The second component is an ARIMA time series model designed to estimate
the residual net birth/death employment not accounted for by the 
imputation. The historical time series used to create and test the ARIMA
model was derived from the unemployment insurance universe micro-level
database, and reflects the actual residual net of births and deaths over
the past 5 years.

   The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted
once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment
obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program.
The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and
the March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as
a rough proxy for total survey error. The new benchmarks also incorporate
changes in the classification of industries. Over the past decade, absolute
benchmark revisions  for total nonfarm employment have averaged 0.3 percent,
with a range from -0.7 to 0.6 percent.

Other information

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay
Service: (800) 877-8339.




HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age
[Numbers in thousands]
Employment status, sex, and age Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population

239,871 243,354 243,566 239,871 242,784 242,966 243,155 243,354 243,566

Civilian labor force

154,344 156,526 155,255 153,674 154,365 155,007 155,163 155,013 154,645

Participation rate

64.3 64.3 63.7 64.1 63.6 63.8 63.8 63.7 63.5

Employed

140,335 143,126 142,558 139,754 141,865 142,287 142,415 142,220 142,101

Employment-population ratio

58.5 58.8 58.5 58.3 58.4 58.6 58.6 58.4 58.3

Unemployed

14,008 13,400 12,696 13,920 12,500 12,720 12,749 12,794 12,544

Unemployment rate

9.1 8.6 8.2 9.1 8.1 8.2 8.2 8.3 8.1

Not in labor force

85,528 86,828 88,311 86,198 88,419 87,958 87,992 88,340 88,921

Persons who currently want a job

6,493 6,837 7,031 6,469 6,366 6,291 6,520 6,554 6,957

Men, 16 years and over

Civilian noninstitutional population

116,453 117,381 117,492 116,453 117,081 117,177 117,277 117,381 117,492

Civilian labor force

82,612 83,554 82,669 82,025 81,983 82,350 82,450 82,395 82,008

Participation rate

70.9 71.2 70.4 70.4 70.0 70.3 70.3 70.2 69.8

Employed

75,190 76,691 76,089 74,209 75,256 75,401 75,486 75,466 75,161

Employment-population ratio

64.6 65.3 64.8 63.7 64.3 64.3 64.4 64.3 64.0

Unemployed

7,422 6,863 6,580 7,817 6,727 6,949 6,964 6,929 6,847

Unemployment rate

9.0 8.2 8.0 9.5 8.2 8.4 8.4 8.4 8.3

Not in labor force

33,842 33,828 34,823 34,428 35,098 34,827 34,827 34,987 35,484

Men, 20 years and over

Civilian noninstitutional population

107,884 108,727 108,851 107,884 108,396 108,503 108,613 108,727 108,851

Civilian labor force

79,362 79,758 79,436 79,089 79,050 79,382 79,425 79,353 79,103

Participation rate

73.6 73.4 73.0 73.3 72.9 73.2 73.1 73.0 72.7

Employed

72,795 73,863 73,736 72,098 73,119 73,229 73,259 73,227 73,086

Employment-population ratio

67.5 67.9 67.7 66.8 67.5 67.5 67.4 67.3 67.1

Unemployed

6,567 5,894 5,700 6,991 5,930 6,153 6,166 6,125 6,016

Unemployment rate

8.3 7.4 7.2 8.8 7.5 7.8 7.8 7.7 7.6

Not in labor force

28,522 28,969 29,415 28,795 29,346 29,121 29,188 29,374 29,748

Women, 16 years and over

Civilian noninstitutional population

123,418 125,972 126,073 123,418 125,703 125,788 125,878 125,972 126,073

Civilian labor force

71,732 72,972 72,586 71,648 72,382 72,657 72,713 72,619 72,637

Participation rate

58.1 57.9 57.6 58.1 57.6 57.8 57.8 57.6 57.6

Employed

65,145 66,435 66,470 65,545 66,609 66,886 66,929 66,754 66,940

Employment-population ratio

52.8 52.7 52.7 53.1 53.0 53.2 53.2 53.0 53.1

Unemployed

6,587 6,537 6,116 6,103 5,773 5,771 5,785 5,865 5,697

Unemployment rate

9.2 9.0 8.4 8.5 8.0 7.9 8.0 8.1 7.8

Not in labor force

51,686 53,000 53,488 51,770 53,321 53,131 53,165 53,354 53,437

Women, 20 years and over

Civilian noninstitutional population

115,238 117,648 117,760 115,238 117,353 117,448 117,546 117,648 117,760

Civilian labor force

68,617 69,402 69,502 68,784 69,562 69,807 69,803 69,691 69,781

Participation rate

59.5 59.0 59.0 59.7 59.3 59.4 59.4 59.2 59.3

Employed

62,746 63,703 64,023 63,322 64,425 64,671 64,628 64,446 64,670

Employment-population ratio

54.4 54.1 54.4 54.9 54.9 55.1 55.0 54.8 54.9

Unemployed

5,870 5,700 5,480 5,462 5,137 5,136 5,175 5,244 5,111

Unemployment rate

8.6 8.2 7.9 7.9 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.5 7.3

Not in labor force

46,622 48,246 48,258 46,454 47,791 47,641 47,743 47,957 47,979

Both sexes, 16 to 19 years

Civilian noninstitutional population

16,749 16,979 16,955 16,749 17,034 17,015 16,997 16,979 16,955

Civilian labor force

6,365 7,366 6,317 5,801 5,753 5,819 5,936 5,970 5,761

Participation rate

38.0 43.4 37.3 34.6 33.8 34.2 34.9 35.2 34.0

Employed

4,794 5,560 4,800 4,333 4,321 4,388 4,528 4,546 4,344

Employment-population ratio

28.6 32.7 28.3 25.9 25.4 25.8 26.6 26.8 25.6

Unemployed

1,571 1,806 1,517 1,467 1,432 1,431 1,408 1,424 1,417

Unemployment rate

24.7 24.5 24.0 25.3 24.9 24.6 23.7 23.8 24.6

Not in labor force

10,384 9,613 10,638 10,949 11,282 11,197 11,061 11,009 11,194

Footnotes
(1) The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted columns.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, and age
[Numbers in thousands]
Employment status, race, sex, and age Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

WHITE

Civilian noninstitutional population

193,236 193,245 193,376 193,236 192,893 193,004 193,120 193,245 193,376

Civilian labor force

125,146 124,749 123,848 124,604 123,499 123,989 123,783 123,589 123,265

Participation rate

64.8 64.6 64.0 64.5 64.0 64.2 64.1 64.0 63.7

Employed

115,268 115,255 114,895 114,704 114,355 114,767 114,674 114,409 114,340

Employment-population ratio

59.7 59.6 59.4 59.4 59.3 59.5 59.4 59.2 59.1

Unemployed

9,878 9,493 8,953 9,901 9,144 9,222 9,109 9,180 8,925

Unemployment rate

7.9 7.6 7.2 7.9 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.2

Not in labor force

68,090 68,496 69,528 68,631 69,394 69,015 69,337 69,656 70,111

Men, 20 years and over

Civilian labor force

65,335 64,795 64,506 65,139 64,410 64,591 64,527 64,467 64,246

Participation rate

74.0 73.8 73.4 73.8 73.5 73.7 73.6 73.4 73.1

Employed

60,714 60,588 60,438 60,155 60,046 60,072 60,001 60,027 59,890

Employment-population ratio

68.8 69.0 68.8 68.1 68.6 68.5 68.4 68.4 68.1

Unemployed

4,622 4,208 4,068 4,984 4,364 4,519 4,526 4,440 4,356

Unemployment rate

7.1 6.5 6.3 7.7 6.8 7.0 7.0 6.9 6.8

Women, 20 years and over

Civilian labor force

54,525 54,141 54,250 54,649 54,435 54,717 54,506 54,385 54,411

Participation rate

59.2 58.4 58.4 59.3 58.8 59.0 58.8 58.6 58.6

Employed

50,405 50,115 50,484 50,829 50,719 51,045 50,918 50,662 50,892

Employment-population ratio

54.7 54.0 54.4 55.2 54.8 55.1 54.9 54.6 54.8

Unemployed

4,119 4,026 3,766 3,820 3,716 3,672 3,588 3,723 3,519

Unemployment rate

7.6 7.4 6.9 7.0 6.8 6.7 6.6 6.8 6.5

Both sexes, 16 to 19 years

Civilian labor force

5,286 5,812 5,092 4,816 4,654 4,681 4,750 4,737 4,609

Participation rate

41.3 45.9 40.3 37.6 36.7 36.9 37.5 37.4 36.5

Employed

4,149 4,553 3,974 3,720 3,591 3,649 3,755 3,720 3,558

Employment-population ratio

32.4 36.0 31.4 29.1 28.3 28.8 29.7 29.4 28.2

Unemployed

1,137 1,259 1,118 1,097 1,063 1,031 995 1,017 1,051

Unemployment rate

21.5 21.7 22.0 22.8 22.8 22.0 20.9 21.5 22.8

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN

Civilian noninstitutional population

29,158 29,918 29,954 29,158 29,824 29,854 29,885 29,918 29,954

Civilian labor force

18,083 18,643 18,491 17,957 18,274 18,290 18,541 18,383 18,379

Participation rate

62.0 62.3 61.7 61.6 61.3 61.3 62.0 61.4 61.4

Employed

15,011 15,845 15,810 14,965 15,891 15,807 15,872 15,798 15,797

Employment-population ratio

51.5 53.0 52.8 51.3 53.3 52.9 53.1 52.8 52.7

Unemployed

3,072 2,799 2,681 2,992 2,383 2,484 2,668 2,585 2,583

Unemployment rate

17.0 15.0 14.5 16.7 13.0 13.6 14.4 14.1 14.1

Not in labor force

11,075 11,274 11,463 11,202 11,550 11,564 11,345 11,534 11,575

Men, 20 years and over

Civilian labor force

8,207 8,307 8,243 8,178 8,162 8,281 8,324 8,270 8,228

Participation rate

68.9 68.1 67.5 68.7 67.3 68.1 68.4 67.8 67.3

Employed

6,790 7,071 7,108 6,703 7,054 7,102 7,146 7,042 7,049

Employment-population ratio

57.0 58.0 58.2 56.3 58.1 58.4 58.7 57.7 57.7

Unemployed

1,417 1,236 1,135 1,475 1,108 1,179 1,178 1,227 1,180

Unemployment rate

17.3 14.9 13.8 18.0 13.6 14.2 14.2 14.8 14.3

Women, 20 years and over

Civilian labor force

9,189 9,361 9,494 9,154 9,443 9,346 9,482 9,344 9,455

Participation rate

62.7 62.1 62.9 62.4 62.8 62.1 63.0 62.0 62.6

Employed

7,858 8,170 8,240 7,926 8,423 8,284 8,281 8,268 8,316

Employment-population ratio

53.6 54.2 54.6 54.1 56.1 55.1 55.0 54.8 55.1

Unemployed

1,331 1,190 1,254 1,228 1,019 1,062 1,202 1,076 1,139

Unemployment rate

14.5 12.7 13.2 13.4 10.8 11.4 12.7 11.5 12.0

Both sexes, 16 to 19 years

Civilian labor force

687 976 755 625 669 664 735 770 696

Participation rate

26.6 37.0 28.7 24.2 25.1 25.0 27.8 29.2 26.4

Employed

363 604 462 335 413 421 446 488 432

Employment-population ratio

14.0 22.9 17.6 13.0 15.5 15.9 16.8 18.5 16.4

Unemployed

324 372 293 289 256 242 289 282 264

Unemployment rate

47.2 38.1 38.8 46.3 38.2 36.5 39.3 36.6 37.9

ASIAN

Civilian noninstitutional population

11,454 12,812 12,845 - - - - - -

Civilian labor force

7,305 8,346 8,175 - - - - - -

Participation rate

63.8 65.1 63.6 - - - - - -

Employed

6,788 7,830 7,694 - - - - - -

Employment-population ratio

59.3 61.1 59.9 - - - - - -

Unemployed

517 516 482 - - - - - -

Unemployment rate

7.1 6.2 5.9 - - - - - -

Not in labor force

4,149 4,466 4,670 - - - - - -

Footnotes
(1) The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted columns.

- Data not available.
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups will not sum to totals shown in table A-1 because data are not presented for all races. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-3. Employment status of the Hispanic or Latino population by sex and age
[Numbers in thousands]
Employment status, sex, and age Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1)
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Civilian noninstitutional population

34,555 36,792 36,881 34,555 36,546 36,626 36,708 36,792 36,881

Civilian labor force

23,045 24,627 24,395 22,938 24,253 24,567 24,588 24,497 24,352

Participation rate

66.7 66.9 66.1 66.4 66.4 67.1 67.0 66.6 66.0

Employed

20,484 22,092 21,943 20,353 21,755 21,867 21,885 21,966 21,865

Employment-population ratio

59.3 60.0 59.5 58.9 59.5 59.7 59.6 59.7 59.3

Unemployed

2,562 2,536 2,452 2,585 2,498 2,700 2,703 2,531 2,487

Unemployment rate

11.1 10.3 10.1 11.3 10.3 11.0 11.0 10.3 10.2

Not in labor force

11,510 12,164 12,486 11,617 12,293 12,059 12,120 12,294 12,529

Men, 20 years and over

Civilian labor force

13,118 13,426 13,430 - - - - - -

Participation rate

82.0 81.0 80.8 - - - - - -

Employed

11,949 12,325 12,336 - - - - - -

Employment-population ratio

74.7 74.4 74.2 - - - - - -

Unemployed

1,169 1,102 1,094 - - - - - -

Unemployment rate

8.9 8.2 8.1 - - - - - -

Women, 20 years and over

Civilian labor force

8,919 9,814 9,751 - - - - - -

Participation rate

58.9 59.3 58.7 - - - - - -

Employed

7,903 8,788 8,745 - - - - - -

Employment-population ratio

52.2 53.1 52.7 - - - - - -

Unemployed

1,015 1,027 1,005 - - - - - -

Unemployment rate

11.4 10.5 10.3 - - - - - -

Both sexes, 16 to 19 years

Civilian labor force

1,009 1,386 1,214 - - - - - -

Participation rate

29.6 37.9 33.2 - - - - - -

Employed

631 979 861 - - - - - -

Employment-population ratio

18.5 26.8 23.5 - - - - - -

Unemployed

378 407 352 - - - - - -

Unemployment rate

37.4 29.4 29.0 - - - - - -

Footnotes
(1) The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted columns.

- Data not available.
NOTE: Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-4. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment
[Numbers in thousands]
Educational attainment Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

Less than a high school diploma

Civilian labor force

11,662 11,457 11,163 11,682 11,366 11,451 11,384 11,472 11,179

Participation rate

46.7 46.2 45.3 46.8 45.2 44.9 45.0 46.3 45.4

Employed

10,115 10,062 9,922 10,030 9,947 9,960 9,952 10,012 9,833

Employment-population ratio

40.5 40.6 40.3 40.2 39.6 39.1 39.3 40.4 39.9

Unemployed

1,547 1,395 1,241 1,652 1,419 1,491 1,431 1,460 1,346

Unemployment rate

13.3 12.2 11.1 14.1 12.5 13.0 12.6 12.7 12.0

High school graduates, no college(1)

Civilian labor force

36,862 36,782 36,356 37,030 36,718 36,924 36,984 37,047 36,703

Participation rate

59.9 59.2 59.3 60.1 59.2 59.5 60.0 59.7 59.9

Employed

33,536 33,676 33,298 33,512 33,834 33,928 33,869 33,838 33,486

Employment-population ratio

54.5 54.2 54.3 54.4 54.5 54.7 55.0 54.5 54.6

Unemployed

3,327 3,105 3,058 3,518 2,884 2,996 3,116 3,209 3,217

Unemployment rate

9.0 8.4 8.4 9.5 7.9 8.1 8.4 8.7 8.8

Some college or associate degree

Civilian labor force

37,132 37,299 37,479 37,011 37,168 37,079 37,451 37,398 37,375

Participation rate

69.4 68.1 68.5 69.2 69.0 68.8 68.9 68.3 68.3

Employed

33,969 34,546 34,914 33,976 34,344 34,155 34,639 34,729 34,895

Employment-population ratio

63.5 63.1 63.8 63.5 63.7 63.4 63.7 63.4 63.8

Unemployed

3,163 2,752 2,565 3,035 2,824 2,924 2,812 2,669 2,480

Unemployment rate

8.5 7.4 6.8 8.2 7.6 7.9 7.5 7.1 6.6

Bachelor's degree and higher(2)

Civilian labor force

46,800 47,517 48,413 46,802 47,977 48,232 47,923 47,697 48,404

Participation rate

76.0 75.5 75.5 76.0 76.2 76.8 76.0 75.8 75.5

Employed

44,648 45,381 46,253 44,798 46,062 46,355 45,949 45,732 46,400

Employment-population ratio

72.5 72.1 72.1 72.7 73.2 73.8 72.9 72.7 72.4

Unemployed

2,152 2,136 2,160 2,004 1,915 1,877 1,973 1,965 2,004

Unemployment rate

4.6 4.5 4.5 4.3 4.0 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.1

Footnotes
(1) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
(2) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-5. Employment status of the civilian population 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, and sex, not seasonally adjusted
[Numbers in thousands]
Employment status, veteran status, and period of service Total Men Women
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012

VETERANS, 18 years and over

Civilian noninstitutional population

21,562 21,132 19,759 19,316 1,803 1,816

Civilian labor force

11,374 10,948 10,291 9,836 1,083 1,112

Participation rate

52.7 51.8 52.1 50.9 60.1 61.3

Employed

10,497 10,228 9,524 9,217 974 1,011

Employment-population ratio

48.7 48.4 48.2 47.7 54.0 55.7

Unemployed

877 720 767 619 109 101

Unemployment rate

7.7 6.6 7.5 6.3 10.1 9.1

Not in labor force

10,188 10,184 9,468 9,480 720 704

Gulf War-era II veterans

Civilian noninstitutional population

2,394 2,571 1,981 2,164 412 407

Civilian labor force

1,951 2,081 1,655 1,805 296 276

Participation rate

81.5 81.0 83.5 83.4 71.9 67.9

Employed

1,759 1,854 1,512 1,611 247 243

Employment-population ratio

73.5 72.1 76.3 74.5 59.9 59.7

Unemployed

192 227 143 193 49 33

Unemployment rate

9.8 10.9 8.6 10.7 16.6 12.1

Not in labor force

443 490 327 359 116 131

Gulf War-era I veterans

Civilian noninstitutional population

3,006 3,083 2,561 2,648 445 435

Civilian labor force

2,494 2,553 2,175 2,234 319 319

Participation rate

83.0 82.8 84.9 84.4 71.7 73.3

Employed

2,312 2,403 2,012 2,108 300 296

Employment-population ratio

76.9 78.0 78.6 79.6 67.5 67.9

Unemployed

182 149 163 126 19 24

Unemployment rate

7.3 5.8 7.5 5.6 5.9 7.4

Not in labor force

512 530 386 414 126 116

World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam-era veterans

Civilian noninstitutional population

10,383 9,815 10,048 9,499 336 316

Civilian labor force

3,577 3,101 3,499 3,003 78 98

Participation rate

34.5 31.6 34.8 31.6 23.3 30.9

Employed

3,332 2,939 3,261 2,842 71 98

Employment-population ratio

32.1 29.9 32.5 29.9 21.1 30.9

Unemployed

245 162 238 162 7 0

Unemployment rate

6.9 5.2 6.8 5.4 9.3 0.0

Not in labor force

6,806 6,714 6,549 6,495 257 218

Veterans of other service periods

Civilian noninstitutional population

5,780 5,663 5,169 5,006 610 657

Civilian labor force

3,352 3,213 2,963 2,794 389 419

Participation rate

58.0 56.7 57.3 55.8 63.8 63.8

Employed

3,094 3,031 2,739 2,656 356 375

Employment-population ratio

53.5 53.5 53.0 53.1 58.3 57.1

Unemployed

258 182 224 138 34 44

Unemployment rate

7.7 5.7 7.6 4.9 8.7 10.5

Not in labor force

2,428 2,450 2,207 2,212 221 238

NONVETERANS, 18 years and over

Civilian noninstitutional population

209,844 213,655 92,331 93,681 117,513 119,974

Civilian labor force

140,818 142,098 71,295 71,750 69,523 70,348

Participation rate

67.1 66.5 77.2 76.6 59.2 58.6

Employed

128,265 130,730 64,906 66,159 63,359 64,571

Employment-population ratio

61.1 61.2 70.3 70.6 53.9 53.8

Unemployed

12,553 11,368 6,389 5,591 6,164 5,778

Unemployment rate

8.9 8.0 9.0 7.8 8.9 8.2

Not in labor force

69,026 71,557 21,036 21,932 47,989 49,626

NOTE: Veterans served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and were not on active duty at the time of the survey. Nonveterans never served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans could have served anywhere in the world during these periods of service: Gulf War era II (September 2001-present), Gulf War era I (August 1990-August 2001), Vietnam era (August 1964-April 1975), Korean War (July 1950-January 1955), World War II (December 1941-December 1946), and other service periods (all other time periods). Veterans who served in more than one wartime period are classified only in the most recent one. Veterans who served during one of the selected wartime periods and another period are classified only in the wartime period. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-6. Employment status of the civilian population by sex, age, and disability status, not seasonally adjusted
[Numbers in thousands]
Employment status, sex, and age Persons with a disability Persons with no disability
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012

TOTAL, 16 years and over

Civilian noninstitutional population

27,431 28,191 212,441 215,375

Civilian labor force

5,774 5,878 148,570 149,377

Participation rate

21.0 20.9 69.9 69.4

Employed

4,842 5,064 135,493 137,495

Employment-population ratio

17.7 18.0 63.8 63.8

Unemployed

932 814 13,076 11,882

Unemployment rate

16.1 13.9 8.8 8.0

Not in labor force

21,657 22,313 63,871 65,998

Men, 16 to 64 years

Civilian labor force

2,697 2,689 75,940 75,682

Participation rate

35.5 35.3 83.1 82.9

Employed

2,253 2,326 69,215 69,714

Employment-population ratio

29.7 30.5 75.8 76.3

Unemployed

443 362 6,725 5,968

Unemployment rate

16.4 13.5 8.9 7.9

Not in labor force

4,894 4,934 15,406 15,666

Women, 16 to 64 years

Civilian labor force

2,216 2,208 66,511 66,972

Participation rate

29.3 28.5 71.1 70.7

Employed

1,821 1,828 60,546 61,478

Employment-population ratio

24.1 23.6 64.7 64.9

Unemployed

395 380 5,965 5,494

Unemployment rate

17.8 17.2 9.0 8.2

Not in labor force

5,351 5,526 27,079 27,807

Both sexes, 65 years and over

Civilian labor force

862 981 6,118 6,723

Participation rate

7.0 7.6 22.2 23.0

Employed

768 909 5,731 6,303

Employment-population ratio

6.3 7.1 20.8 21.5

Unemployed

94 72 386 421

Unemployment rate

10.9 7.4 6.3 6.3

Not in labor force

11,412 11,853 21,387 22,525

NOTE: A person with a disability has at least one of the following conditions: is deaf or has serious difficulty hearing; is blind or has serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses; has serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition; has serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs; has difficulty dressing or bathing; or has difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-7. Employment status of the civilian population by nativity and sex, not seasonally adjusted
[Numbers in thousands]
Employment status and nativity Total Men Women
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012

Foreign born, 16 years and over

Civilian noninstitutional population

36,531 37,847 18,198 18,329 18,334 19,518

Civilian labor force

24,377 24,998 14,410 14,388 9,967 10,610

Participation rate

66.7 66.1 79.2 78.5 54.4 54.4

Employed

22,292 23,080 13,285 13,371 9,007 9,709

Employment-population ratio

61.0 61.0 73.0 72.9 49.1 49.7

Unemployed

2,085 1,918 1,125 1,017 960 901

Unemployment rate

8.6 7.7 7.8 7.1 9.6 8.5

Not in labor force

12,154 12,849 3,787 3,941 8,367 8,908

Native born, 16 years and over

Civilian noninstitutional population

203,340 205,719 98,256 99,163 105,084 106,555

Civilian labor force

129,966 130,257 68,201 68,281 61,765 61,976

Participation rate

63.9 63.3 69.4 68.9 58.8 58.2

Employed

118,043 119,479 61,905 62,718 56,138 56,761

Employment-population ratio

58.1 58.1 63.0 63.2 53.4 53.3

Unemployed

11,923 10,778 6,297 5,563 5,627 5,215

Unemployment rate

9.2 8.3 9.2 8.1 9.1 8.4

Not in labor force

73,374 75,462 30,055 30,882 43,319 44,579

NOTE: The foreign born are those residing in the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. That is, they were born outside the United States or one of its outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam, to parents neither of whom was a U.S. citizen. The native born are persons who were born in the United States or one of its outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam or who were born abroad of at least one parent who was a U.S. citizen. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-8. Employed persons by class of worker and part-time status
[In thousands]
Category Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

CLASS OF WORKER

Agriculture and related industries

2,531 2,477 2,286 2,373 2,150 2,274 2,206 2,235 2,151

Wage and salary workers(1)

1,606 1,584 1,500 1,484 1,342 1,423 1,399 1,401 1,391

Self-employed workers, unincorporated

879 843 761 848 793 815 786 791 739

Unpaid family workers

46 49 24 - - - - - -

Nonagricultural industries

137,804 140,649 140,273 137,290 139,749 140,037 140,205 139,929 139,920

Wage and salary workers(1)

129,042 131,619 131,348 128,700 131,136 131,322 131,308 131,043 131,101

Government

19,709 19,332 19,791 20,309 19,896 20,059 19,938 20,015 20,432

Private industries

109,333 112,287 111,558 108,416 111,249 111,421 111,433 110,974 110,726

Private households

769 818 796 - - - - - -

Other industries

108,564 111,469 110,762 107,678 110,527 110,613 110,671 110,251 109,965

Self-employed workers, unincorporated

8,695 8,957 8,857 8,530 8,512 8,598 8,787 8,824 8,720

Unpaid family workers

66 74 67 - - - - - -

PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME(2)

All industries

Part time for economic reasons(3)

8,604 8,316 7,842 8,787 7,853 8,098 8,210 8,246 8,031

Slack work or business conditions

5,593 5,235 5,054 5,815 5,187 5,147 5,446 5,342 5,217

Could only find part-time work

2,579 2,637 2,405 2,707 2,367 2,649 2,514 2,576 2,507

Part time for noneconomic reasons(4)

16,535 17,200 17,217 18,276 18,832 19,393 18,829 18,866 18,996

Nonagricultural industries

Part time for economic reasons(3)

8,463 8,218 7,723 8,640 7,737 7,982 8,075 8,111 7,901

Slack work or business conditions

5,492 5,175 4,971 5,714 5,086 5,078 5,355 5,282 5,140

Could only find part-time work

2,554 2,607 2,391 2,702 2,324 2,616 2,493 2,559 2,508

Part time for noneconomic reasons(4)

16,153 16,863 16,893 17,867 18,418 18,930 18,438 18,543 18,656

Footnotes
(1) Includes self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated.
(2) Refers to those who worked 1 to 34 hours during the survey reference week and excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs for the entire week.
(3) Refers to those who worked 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for an economic reason such as slack work or unfavorable business conditions, inability to find full-time work, or seasonal declines in demand.
(4) Refers to persons who usually work part time for noneconomic reasons such as childcare problems, family or personal obligations, school or training, retirement or Social Security limits on earnings, and other reasons. This excludes persons who usually work full time but worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as vacations, holidays, illness, and bad weather.

- Data not available.
NOTE: Detail for the seasonally adjusted data shown in this table will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-9. Selected employment indicators
[Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over

140,335 143,126 142,558 139,754 141,865 142,287 142,415 142,220 142,101

16 to 19 years

4,794 5,560 4,800 4,333 4,321 4,388 4,528 4,546 4,344

16 to 17 years

1,573 1,956 1,601 1,358 1,421 1,418 1,471 1,540 1,392

18 to 19 years

3,222 3,604 3,199 2,993 2,875 2,968 3,069 3,012 2,983

20 years and over

135,541 137,566 137,759 135,420 137,544 137,899 137,887 137,674 137,756

20 to 24 years

13,273 13,901 13,371 12,945 13,329 13,429 13,361 13,364 13,114

25 years and over

122,268 123,665 124,388 122,509 124,166 124,472 124,506 124,203 124,600

25 to 54 years

93,608 93,769 94,038 93,606 94,128 94,205 94,069 93,957 94,001

25 to 34 years

30,789 30,601 30,656 30,659 30,724 30,714 30,650 30,527 30,508

35 to 44 years

30,021 30,389 30,545 30,056 30,539 30,519 30,450 30,474 30,580

45 to 54 years

32,798 32,779 32,836 32,891 32,866 32,971 32,969 32,956 32,912

55 years and over

28,660 29,896 30,349 28,903 30,038 30,268 30,437 30,247 30,599

Men, 16 years and over

75,190 76,691 76,089 74,209 75,256 75,401 75,486 75,466 75,161

16 to 19 years

2,395 2,827 2,353 2,110 2,136 2,173 2,227 2,238 2,074

16 to 17 years

760 912 713 637 685 655 654 666 605

18 to 19 years

1,635 1,916 1,640 1,492 1,461 1,513 1,598 1,577 1,511

20 years and over

72,795 73,863 73,736 72,098 73,119 73,229 73,259 73,227 73,086

20 to 24 years

7,053 7,313 6,988 6,789 6,863 6,898 6,849 6,921 6,760

25 years and over

65,742 66,550 66,748 65,347 66,156 66,308 66,420 66,285 66,368

25 to 54 years

50,480 50,581 50,541 50,059 50,329 50,304 50,357 50,256 50,147

25 to 34 years

16,917 16,726 16,706 16,695 16,624 16,654 16,633 16,555 16,487

35 to 44 years

16,342 16,583 16,599 16,253 16,425 16,421 16,401 16,488 16,512

45 to 54 years

17,221 17,272 17,235 17,111 17,280 17,229 17,323 17,214 17,148

55 years and over

15,261 15,969 16,207 15,288 15,827 16,004 16,064 16,029 16,221

Women, 16 years and over

65,145 66,435 66,470 65,545 66,609 66,886 66,929 66,754 66,940

16 to 19 years

2,399 2,733 2,447 2,223 2,184 2,215 2,301 2,308 2,270

16 to 17 years

812 1,045 888 721 736 762 817 873 788

18 to 19 years

1,587 1,688 1,559 1,501 1,414 1,454 1,471 1,434 1,472

20 years and over

62,746 63,703 64,023 63,322 64,425 64,671 64,628 64,446 64,670

20 to 24 years

6,220 6,588 6,383 6,157 6,467 6,531 6,512 6,444 6,354

25 years and over

56,526 57,115 57,640 57,162 58,010 58,165 58,086 57,918 58,232

25 to 54 years

43,127 43,188 43,498 43,547 43,800 43,901 43,712 43,700 43,854

25 to 34 years

13,871 13,875 13,950 13,964 14,099 14,060 14,016 13,972 14,021

35 to 44 years

13,679 13,805 13,946 13,804 14,114 14,098 14,050 13,986 14,068

45 to 54 years

15,577 15,507 15,601 15,779 15,586 15,742 15,646 15,743 15,764

55 years and over

13,399 13,927 14,142 13,615 14,211 14,264 14,373 14,218 14,378

MARITAL STATUS

Married men, spouse present

43,362 43,743 44,038 43,259 43,582 43,798 43,712 43,715 43,879

Married women, spouse present

33,321 33,734 34,178 33,947 34,207 34,620 34,526 34,381 34,814

Women who maintain families

9,278 9,354 9,213 - - - - - -

FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS

Full-time workers(1)

114,286 116,131 116,214 112,406 114,478 114,212 114,573 114,345 114,388

Part-time workers(2)

26,050 26,995 26,344 27,416 27,420 28,038 27,894 27,925 27,757

MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS

Total multiple jobholders

6,649 6,741 6,635 6,943 6,870 6,959 6,769 6,845 6,921

Percent of total employed

4.7 4.7 4.7 5.0 4.8 4.9 4.8 4.8 4.9

SELF-EMPLOYMENT

Self-employed workers, incorporated

5,101 5,256 5,366 - - - - - -

Self-employed workers, unincorporated

9,575 9,800 9,618 9,378 9,305 9,413 9,572 9,616 9,458

Footnotes
(1) Employed full-time workers are persons who usually work 35 hours or more per week.
(2) Employed part-time workers are persons who usually work less than 35 hours per week.

- Data not available.
NOTE: Detail for the seasonally adjusted data shown in this table will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-10. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
Characteristic Number of
unemployed persons
(in thousands)
Unemployment rates
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over

13,920 12,794 12,544 9.1 8.1 8.2 8.2 8.3 8.1

16 to 19 years

1,467 1,424 1,417 25.3 24.9 24.6 23.7 23.8 24.6

16 to 17 years

547 559 577 28.7 26.4 26.5 26.8 26.6 29.3

18 to 19 years

964 860 878 24.4 24.5 23.5 22.0 22.2 22.7

20 years and over

12,453 11,370 11,127 8.4 7.4 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.5

20 to 24 years

2,228 2,087 2,119 14.7 13.2 12.9 13.7 13.5 13.9

25 years and over

10,266 9,273 9,056 7.7 6.8 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.8

25 to 54 years

8,201 7,268 7,158 8.1 6.9 7.1 7.2 7.2 7.1

25 to 34 years

3,211 2,728 2,759 9.5 8.1 8.2 8.2 8.2 8.3

35 to 44 years

2,486 2,242 2,163 7.6 6.5 6.8 7.0 6.9 6.6

45 to 54 years

2,505 2,298 2,236 7.1 6.2 6.4 6.3 6.5 6.4

55 years and over

2,056 1,984 1,906 6.6 6.3 6.5 6.2 6.2 5.9

Men, 16 years and over

7,817 6,929 6,847 9.5 8.2 8.4 8.4 8.4 8.3

16 to 19 years

826 804 831 28.1 27.2 26.8 26.4 26.4 28.6

16 to 17 years

249 285 348 28.2 28.9 28.9 31.0 30.0 36.5

18 to 19 years

606 512 517 28.9 26.3 25.7 23.7 24.5 25.5

20 years and over

6,991 6,125 6,016 8.8 7.5 7.8 7.8 7.7 7.6

20 to 24 years

1,323 1,236 1,215 16.3 14.1 14.1 15.4 15.2 15.2

25 years and over

5,733 4,873 4,853 8.1 6.7 7.0 7.0 6.8 6.8

25 to 54 years

4,593 3,754 3,794 8.4 6.9 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0

25 to 34 years

1,812 1,408 1,490 9.8 8.1 7.9 7.8 7.8 8.3

35 to 44 years

1,417 1,160 1,120 8.0 6.4 6.6 7.0 6.6 6.4

45 to 54 years

1,364 1,186 1,184 7.4 6.1 6.5 6.3 6.4 6.5

55 years and over

1,140 1,119 1,059 6.9 6.3 7.0 6.7 6.5 6.1

Women, 16 years and over

6,103 5,865 5,697 8.5 8.0 7.9 8.0 8.1 7.8

16 to 19 years

641 620 586 22.4 22.5 22.3 21.0 21.2 20.5

16 to 17 years

298 274 229 29.2 23.8 24.4 23.1 23.9 22.5

18 to 19 years

358 349 361 19.3 22.7 21.2 20.0 19.6 19.7

20 years and over

5,462 5,244 5,111 7.9 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.5 7.3

20 to 24 years

905 851 905 12.8 12.3 11.6 11.8 11.7 12.5

25 years and over

4,533 4,400 4,203 7.3 6.8 6.9 6.9 7.1 6.7

25 to 54 years

3,608 3,514 3,364 7.7 7.0 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.1

25 to 34 years

1,398 1,320 1,270 9.1 8.2 8.4 8.7 8.6 8.3

35 to 44 years

1,069 1,082 1,042 7.2 6.7 7.0 7.0 7.2 6.9

45 to 54 years

1,141 1,112 1,052 6.7 6.2 6.1 6.3 6.6 6.3

55 years and over(1)

1,018 979 929 7.1 5.8 5.6 5.8 6.6 6.2

MARITAL STATUS

Married men, spouse present

2,676 2,281 2,284 5.8 5.2 5.3 4.9 5.0 4.9

Married women, spouse present

2,064 2,070 1,898 5.7 5.3 4.9 5.4 5.7 5.2

Women who maintain families(1)

1,257 1,239 1,295 11.9 10.2 10.9 11.8 11.7 12.3

FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS

Full-time workers(2)

12,033 10,829 10,767 9.7 8.5 8.7 8.7 8.7 8.6

Part-time workers(3)

1,893 1,950 1,780 6.5 6.3 6.1 6.3 6.5 6.0

Footnotes
(1) Not seasonally adjusted.
(2) Full-time workers are unemployed persons who have expressed a desire to work full time (35 hours or more per week) or are on layoff from full-time jobs.
(3) Part-time workers are unemployed persons who have expressed a desire to work part time (less than 35 hours per week) or are on layoff from part-time jobs.

NOTE: Detail for the seasonally adjusted data shown in this table will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-11. Unemployed persons by reason for unemployment
[Numbers in thousands]
Reason Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED

Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs

7,897 7,151 6,820 8,120 6,852 6,989 7,207 7,123 7,003

On temporary layoff

1,136 1,525 1,147 1,237 1,083 1,106 1,331 1,417 1,246

Not on temporary layoff

6,762 5,626 5,673 6,883 5,768 5,883 5,875 5,705 5,757

Permanent job losers

5,399 4,377 4,444 5,476 4,529 4,553 4,560 4,387 4,484

Persons who completed temporary jobs

1,362 1,248 1,229 1,407 1,239 1,330 1,315 1,319 1,273

Job leavers

1,056 897 1,018 973 997 891 936 878 942

Reentrants

3,644 3,579 3,445 3,519 3,341 3,439 3,227 3,380 3,318

New entrants

1,411 1,773 1,413 1,249 1,384 1,367 1,331 1,311 1,277

PERCENT DISTRIBUTION

Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs

56.4 53.4 53.7 58.6 54.5 55.1 56.7 56.1 55.8

On temporary layoff

8.1 11.4 9.0 8.9 8.6 8.7 10.5 11.2 9.9

Not on temporary layoff

48.3 42.0 44.7 49.7 45.9 46.4 46.3 45.0 45.9

Job leavers

7.5 6.7 8.0 7.0 7.9 7.0 7.4 6.9 7.5

Reentrants

26.0 26.7 27.1 25.4 26.6 27.1 25.4 26.6 26.5

New entrants

10.1 13.2 11.1 9.0 11.0 10.8 10.5 10.3 10.2

UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE

Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs

5.1 4.6 4.4 5.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.5

Job leavers

0.7 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6

Reentrants

2.4 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.1

New entrants

0.9 1.1 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-12. Unemployed persons by duration of unemployment
[Numbers in thousands]
Duration Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED

Less than 5 weeks

2,635 3,021 2,809 2,734 2,543 2,580 2,810 2,711 2,844

5 to 14 weeks

3,377 3,585 3,218 3,019 2,814 3,002 2,826 3,092 2,868

15 weeks and over

7,997 6,794 6,669 8,218 6,984 7,073 7,182 6,945 6,878

15 to 26 weeks

1,958 1,547 1,636 2,203 1,884 1,662 1,811 1,760 1,845

27 weeks and over

6,038 5,247 5,033 6,015 5,101 5,411 5,370 5,185 5,033

Average (mean) duration, in weeks(1)

39.7 37.4 38.7 40.3 39.1 39.7 39.9 38.8 39.2

Median duration, in weeks

20.6 15.2 16.8 21.7 19.4 20.1 19.8 16.7 18.0

PERCENT DISTRIBUTION

Less than 5 weeks

18.8 22.5 22.1 19.6 20.6 20.4 21.9 21.3 22.6

5 to 14 weeks

24.1 26.8 25.3 21.6 22.8 23.7 22.0 24.3 22.8

15 weeks and over

57.1 50.7 52.5 58.8 56.6 55.9 56.0 54.5 54.6

15 to 26 weeks

14.0 11.5 12.9 15.8 15.3 13.1 14.1 13.8 14.7

27 weeks and over

43.1 39.2 39.6 43.1 41.3 42.8 41.9 40.7 40.0

Footnotes
(1) Beginning in January 2011, this series reflects a change to the collection of data on unemployment duration. For more information, see www.bls.gov/cps/duration.htm.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-13. Employed and unemployed persons by occupation, not seasonally adjusted
[Numbers in thousands]
Occupation Employed Unemployed Unemployment
rates
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012

Total, 16 years and over(1)

140,335 142,558 14,008 12,696 9.1 8.2

Management, professional, and related occupations

51,997 53,696 2,671 2,556 4.9 4.5

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

21,632 22,831 1,037 868 4.6 3.7

Professional and related occupations

30,365 30,866 1,634 1,688 5.1 5.2

Service occupations

25,396 25,909 2,924 2,400 10.3 8.5

Sales and office occupations

33,023 32,781 3,182 2,892 8.8 8.1

Sales and related occupations

15,193 15,445 1,424 1,455 8.6 8.6

Office and administrative support occupations

17,831 17,336 1,757 1,437 9.0 7.7

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

13,454 13,085 1,718 1,443 11.3 9.9

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

1,190 1,071 145 131 10.9 10.9

Construction and extraction occupations

7,420 7,170 1,126 969 13.2 11.9

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

4,844 4,844 447 343 8.4 6.6

Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations

16,464 17,086 2,077 1,936 11.2 10.2

Production occupations

8,130 8,664 984 913 10.8 9.5

Transportation and material moving occupations

8,334 8,423 1,093 1,023 11.6 10.8

Footnotes
(1) Persons with no previous work experience and persons whose last job was in the U.S. Armed Forces are included in the unemployed total.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-14. Unemployed persons by industry and class of worker, not seasonally adjusted
Industry and class of worker Number of
unemployed
persons
(in thousands)
Unemployment
rates
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012

Total, 16 years and over(1)

14,008 12,696 9.1 8.2

Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers

10,524 9,552 8.8 7.9

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

53 61 5.8 5.8

Construction

1,154 923 13.5 11.3

Manufacturing

1,365 1,136 8.9 7.3

Durable goods

876 698 9.1 7.2

Nondurable goods

489 437 8.6 7.6

Wholesale and retail trade

1,851 1,723 9.1 8.3

Transportation and utilities

537 424 8.7 7.1

Information

204 211 6.9 7.3

Financial activities

565 469 6.2 5.3

Professional and business services

1,440 1,377 9.5 8.9

Education and health services

1,371 1,369 6.3 6.2

Leisure and hospitality

1,399 1,416 10.5 10.1

Other services

585 443 9.0 6.7

Agriculture and related private wage and salary workers

135 125 8.0 8.1

Government workers

1,271 1,059 6.0 5.1

Self-employed workers, unincorporated, and unpaid family workers

668 548 6.4 5.3

Footnotes
(1) Persons with no previous work experience and persons whose last job was in the U.S. Armed Forces are included in the unemployed total.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-15. Alternative measures of labor underutilization
[Percent]
Measure Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Aug.
2011
July
2012
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Apr.
2012
May
2012
June
2012
July
2012
Aug.
2012

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

5.2 4.3 4.3 5.3 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.4

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

5.1 4.6 4.4 5.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.5

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

9.1 8.6 8.2 9.1 8.1 8.2 8.2 8.3 8.1

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

9.6 9.1 8.7 9.6 8.7 8.7 8.7 8.8 8.6

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

10.6 10.0 9.7 10.6 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.7 9.6

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

16.1 15.2 14.6 16.2 14.5 14.8 14.9 15.0 14.7

NOTE: Persons marginally attached to the labor force are those who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the past 12 months. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently looking for work. Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-16. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
[Numbers in thousands]
Category Total Men Women
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012
Aug.
2011
Aug.
2012

NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE

Total not in the labor force

85,528 88,311 33,842 34,823 51,686 53,488

Persons who currently want a job

6,493 7,031 2,946 3,102 3,547 3,929

Marginally attached to the labor force(1)

2,575 2,561 1,333 1,281 1,242 1,280

Discouraged workers(2)

977 844 570 489 407 355

Other persons marginally attached to the labor force(3)

1,598 1,717 763 792 835 925

MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS

Total multiple jobholders(4)

6,649 6,635 3,344 3,357 3,305 3,278

Percent of total employed

4.7 4.7 4.4 4.4 5.1 4.9

Primary job full time, secondary job part time

3,599 3,550 1,956 2,007 1,643 1,542

Primary and secondary jobs both part time

1,692 1,720 661 605 1,032 1,115

Primary and secondary jobs both full time

241 272 149 192 92 80

Hours vary on primary or secondary job

1,061 1,049 557 532 504 517

Footnotes
(1) Data refer to persons who want a job, have searched for work during the prior 12 months, and were available to take a job during the reference week, but had not looked for work in the past 4 weeks.
(2) Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for reasons such as thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and other types of discrimination.
(3) Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as school or family responsibilities, ill health, and transportation problems, as well as a number for whom reason for nonparticipation was not determined.
(4) Includes a small number of persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown separately.

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector and selected industry detail
[In thousands]
Industry Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)
Change from:
July2012 - Aug.2012(p)

Total nonfarm

131,278 134,057 132,840 133,092 131,492 133,063 133,204 133,300 96

Total private

110,386 112,162 112,183 112,349 109,426 111,135 111,297 111,400 103

Goods-producing

18,491 18,607 18,687 18,744 18,067 18,316 18,339 18,323 -16

Mining and logging

811 851 855 857 798 840 840 838 -2

Logging

50.2 50.0 51.6 52.0 47.9 50.1 49.7 49.3 -0.4

Mining

760.7 800.8 803.6 805.1 749.7 790.1 789.9 789.1 -0.8

Oil and gas extraction

178.0 197.4 198.6 199.9 176.8 195.0 196.2 197.3 1.1

Mining, except oil and gas(1)

227.7 223.5 224.3 225.0 219.8 216.9 217.4 216.7 -0.7

Coal mining

87.6 84.6 83.2 82.9 87.2 84.0 83.3 82.8 -0.5

Support activities for mining

355.0 379.9 380.7 380.2 353.1 378.2 376.3 375.1 -1.2

Construction

5,806 5,716 5,779 5,813 5,498 5,514 5,514 5,515 1

Construction of buildings

1,270.2 1,251.1 1,263.8 1,268.5 1,216.7 1,217.3 1,220.5 1,217.0 -3.5

Residential building

583.6 579.6 589.4 590.1 558.6 559.9 564.9 563.8 -1.1

Nonresidential building

686.6 671.5 674.4 678.4 658.1 657.4 655.6 653.2 -2.4

Heavy and civil engineering construction

891.9 878.8 896.8 908.3 824.8 832.5 839.4 842.2 2.8

Specialty trade contractors

3,643.4 3,586.5 3,618.7 3,635.9 3,456.2 3,463.7 3,454.2 3,456.0 1.8

Residential specialty trade contractors

1,525.4 1,519.3 1,531.1 1,541.6 1,448.5 1,459.9 1,459.0 1,467.2 8.2

Nonresidential specialty trade contractors

2,118.0 2,067.2 2,087.6 2,094.3 2,007.7 2,003.8 1,995.2 1,988.8 -6.4

Manufacturing

11,874 12,040 12,053 12,074 11,771 11,962 11,985 11,970 -15

Durable goods

7,345 7,535 7,532 7,529 7,300 7,484 7,506 7,489 -17

Wood products

339.3 336.1 336.8 336.3 330.8 329.3 329.4 328.0 -1.4

Nonmetallic mineral products

376.9 371.7 372.2 370.8 365.5 361.4 361.2 359.9 -1.3

Primary metals

393.3 410.3 410.5 409.3 393.3 408.7 410.6 408.0 -2.6

Fabricated metal products

1,361.8 1,414.4 1,415.8 1,415.0 1,350.6 1,404.9 1,408.3 1,405.2 -3.1

Machinery

1,068.0 1,113.2 1,109.8 1,108.6 1,064.5 1,106.0 1,105.1 1,106.8 1.7

Computer and electronic products(1)

1,115.3 1,113.9 1,114.5 1,112.8 1,111.7 1,109.9 1,110.2 1,108.4 -1.8

Computer and peripheral equipment

160.2 166.4 167.0 167.9 160.1 166.5 166.7 168.0 1.3

Communications equipment

115.0 109.3 109.4 108.5 114.6 108.8 109.4 108.7 -0.7

Semiconductors and electronic components

389.0 389.5 390.5 389.0 386.9 388.1 388.5 386.8 -1.7

Electronic instruments

405.1 403.8 403.2 402.2 404.1 402.0 401.3 400.1 -1.2

Electrical equipment and appliances

370.2 375.6 375.8 373.3 368.0 373.9 373.1 371.8 -1.3

Transportation equipment(1)

1,382.8 1,463.7 1,462.0 1,464.1 1,384.5 1,457.9 1,476.2 1,468.0 -8.2

Motor vehicles and parts(2)

714.7 778.6 771.6 775.4 717.6 774.2 788.2 780.7 -7.5

Furniture and related products

360.0 352.1 352.1 355.5 354.5 349.2 349.7 351.3 1.6

Miscellaneous manufacturing

577.1 583.6 582.2 583.6 576.1 582.5 582.0 581.5 -0.5

Nondurable goods

4,529 4,505 4,521 4,545 4,471 4,478 4,479 4,481 2

Food manufacturing

1,492.5 1,468.8 1,487.3 1,508.9 1,456.0 1,463.7 1,463.4 1,468.2 4.8

Beverages and tobacco products

198.6 202.5 205.3 205.6 193.2 197.8 199.2 198.9 -0.3

Textile mills

121.9 120.2 119.5 119.1 121.3 119.3 119.4 118.8 -0.6

Textile product mills

118.1 115.6 114.0 114.1 118.0 113.8 113.1 113.0 -0.1

Apparel

152.0 149.1 147.4 146.4 150.9 147.8 147.1 145.6 -1.5

Leather and allied products

29.0 29.6 28.5 29.4 28.8 29.6 29.3 29.2 -0.1

Paper and paper products

393.8 394.5 393.0 391.9 391.8 392.4 391.1 390.3 -0.8

Printing and related support activities

472.4 458.4 457.1 457.8 471.6 456.3 456.2 456.4 0.2

Petroleum and coal products

114.2 115.3 116.2 115.1 111.0 112.7 112.9 112.7 -0.2

Chemicals

794.4 801.2 801.9 800.8 792.1 797.3 797.7 797.4 -0.3

Plastics and rubber products

641.7 650.2 650.9 655.7 636.5 647.2 649.6 650.4 0.8

Private service-providing

91,895 93,555 93,496 93,605 91,359 92,819 92,958 93,077 119

Trade, transportation, and utilities

25,068 25,386 25,332 25,357 25,060 25,310 25,321 25,350 29

Wholesale trade

5,563.6 5,669.9 5,671.5 5,663.7 5,538.3 5,630.0 5,638.8 5,646.7 7.9

Durable goods

2,772.2 2,810.7 2,814.5 2,810.4 2,758.4 2,794.2 2,798.0 2,800.9 2.9

Nondurable goods

1,952.0 1,996.6 1,991.9 1,985.2 1,943.2 1,976.9 1,978.3 1,978.8 0.5

Electronic markets and agents and brokers

839.4 862.6 865.1 868.1 836.7 858.9 862.5 867.0 4.5

Retail trade

14,678.4 14,756.7 14,753.2 14,768.7 14,664.4 14,747.0 14,745.2 14,751.3 6.1

Motor vehicle and parts dealers(1)

1,712.8 1,736.0 1,732.2 1,734.2 1,693.8 1,718.3 1,714.1 1,716.5 2.4

Automobile dealers

1,067.5 1,090.7 1,089.5 1,092.2 1,059.6 1,084.8 1,082.5 1,084.7 2.2

Furniture and home furnishings stores

435.8 443.3 444.2 449.5 442.3 451.2 450.8 455.2 4.4

Electronics and appliance stores

516.5 496.5 495.5 491.1 524.2 502.7 501.6 498.2 -3.4

Building material and garden supply stores

1,148.5 1,211.7 1,189.1 1,160.4 1,139.3 1,151.5 1,154.7 1,146.8 -7.9

Food and beverage stores

2,848.7 2,897.6 2,900.5 2,897.8 2,834.3 2,874.9 2,878.9 2,883.1 4.2

Health and personal care stores

983.3 993.4 996.6 997.2 983.4 993.1 997.9 998.4 0.5

Gasoline stations

845.2 842.1 841.8 843.7 830.0 831.8 829.2 829.9 0.7

Clothing and clothing accessories stores

1,353.4 1,346.1 1,362.2 1,385.3 1,354.7 1,370.6 1,372.9 1,375.7 2.8

Sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores

579.0 565.2 563.2 576.5 579.4 578.4 573.9 571.3 -2.6

General merchandise stores(1)

3,054.6 3,016.6 3,019.9 3,019.2 3,078.5 3,059.1 3,053.4 3,054.4 1.0

Department stores

1,523.9 1,479.9 1,481.5 1,483.5 1,544.8 1,521.3 1,515.2 1,515.2 0.0

Miscellaneous store retailers

774.0 781.7 781.2 783.8 769.3 776.4 778.4 782.5 4.1

Nonstore retailers

426.6 426.5 426.8 430.0 435.2 439.0 439.4 439.3 -0.1

Transportation and warehousing

4,268.6 4,392.0 4,345.4 4,356.3 4,301.9 4,369.1 4,379.7 4,385.4 5.7

Air transportation

460.6 462.2 462.0 460.4 457.3 458.7 458.6 457.1 -1.5

Rail transportation

231.9 234.4 232.7 232.6 231.7 233.0 232.0 230.7 -1.3

Water transportation

64.0 67.8 69.3 69.4 61.9 66.3 67.4 66.8 -0.6

Truck transportation

1,325.9 1,362.8 1,368.5 1,376.4 1,302.5 1,344.6 1,350.1 1,351.5 1.4

Transit and ground passenger transportation

374.5 421.9 372.3 374.3 439.4 424.8 433.3 438.3 5.0

Pipeline transportation

42.7 44.2 43.9 43.9 42.6 44.0 43.6 43.9 0.3

Scenic and sightseeing transportation

37.0 38.7 39.4 38.8 28.6 31.0 30.0 30.2 0.2

Support activities for transportation

566.1 586.2 583.2 581.4 564.5 583.0 581.8 581.1 -0.7

Couriers and messengers

517.0 521.0 514.3 516.9 525.5 526.8 523.7 526.0 2.3

Warehousing and storage

648.9 652.8 659.8 662.2 647.9 656.9 659.2 659.8 0.6

Utilities

557.7 567.3 561.7 568.6 555.7 564.3 557.7 566.5 8.8

Information

2,625 2,640 2,642 2,652 2,615 2,629 2,637 2,640 3

Publishing industries, except Internet

750.1 738.5 741.8 742.0 748.7 738.2 739.1 740.2 1.1

Motion picture and sound recording industries

371.6 378.7 379.9 387.5 361.8 370.3 375.7 377.1 1.4

Broadcasting, except Internet

280.2 281.8 279.6 278.3 280.9 281.0 279.8 278.8 -1.0

Telecommunications

818.0 829.5 829.6 828.5 818.2 830.5 831.7 829.4 -2.3

Data processing, hosting and related services

241.1 242.1 240.6 242.1 243.0 241.0 241.4 242.5 1.1

Other information services

164.0 169.1 170.6 173.3 162.6 167.8 169.1 171.5 2.4

Financial activities

7,726 7,787 7,801 7,793 7,681 7,737 7,735 7,742 7

Finance and insurance

5,759.8 5,793.2 5,802.2 5,801.8 5,751.9 5,779.1 5,781.1 5,792.3 11.2

Monetary authorities - central bank

19.4 19.0 19.4 19.4 19.2 19.0 19.2 19.2 0.0

Credit intermediation and related
activities(1)

2,559.5 2,592.1 2,597.4 2,596.5 2,556.8 2,587.1 2,588.8 2,592.5 3.7

Depository credit intermediation(1)

1,747.6 1,751.0 1,753.9 1,750.0 1,741.1 1,746.6 1,744.9 1,743.8 -1.1

Commercial banking

1,320.8 1,319.6 1,321.2 1,318.4 1,316.4 1,317.0 1,315.1 1,313.5 -1.6

Securities, commodity contracts, investments

813.6 805.8 807.8 808.3 811.5 804.1 804.9 806.7 1.8

Insurance carriers and related activities

2,283.0 2,291.4 2,292.3 2,292.6 2,280.1 2,284.1 2,283.1 2,289.0 5.9

Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles

84.3 84.9 85.3 85.0 84.3 84.8 85.1 84.9 -0.2

Real estate and rental and leasing

1,965.9 1,994.2 1,999.1 1,991.6 1,929.1 1,958.0 1,954.1 1,949.3 -4.8

Real estate

1,424.5 1,439.2 1,443.2 1,438.0 1,404.0 1,419.8 1,417.3 1,412.1 -5.2

Rental and leasing services

517.1 531.6 532.4 530.3 501.0 514.7 513.5 513.8 0.3

Lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets

24.3 23.4 23.5 23.3 24.1 23.5 23.3 23.4 0.1

Professional and business services

17,514 18,015 17,997 18,078 17,382 17,883 17,930 17,958 28

Professional and technical services(1)

7,696.0 7,906.3 7,925.2 7,943.1 7,732.5 7,937.0 7,957.0 7,983.8 26.8

Legal services

1,120.5 1,131.2 1,132.8 1,120.0 1,115.7 1,118.8 1,120.3 1,118.9 -1.4

Accounting and bookkeeping services

854.4 883.3 873.0 877.4 929.1 952.2 951.5 955.0 3.5

Architectural and engineering services

1,316.8 1,338.1 1,341.5 1,346.4 1,298.2 1,323.6 1,323.3 1,327.1 3.8

Computer systems design and related services

1,546.6 1,596.0 1,613.5 1,623.2 1,540.8 1,598.7 1,609.3 1,619.9 10.6

Management and technical consulting services

1,084.3 1,137.3 1,145.0 1,155.1 1,082.0 1,136.8 1,142.5 1,151.2 8.7

Management of companies and enterprises

1,926.8 1,960.0 1,963.0 1,960.9 1,917.9 1,948.6 1,952.3 1,952.7 0.4

Administrative and waste services

7,890.7 8,149.0 8,108.9 8,174.3 7,731.2 7,997.1 8,020.5 8,021.0 0.5

Administrative and support services(1)

7,516.3 7,769.6 7,726.5 7,794.5 7,364.6 7,623.7 7,647.1 7,648.8 1.7

Employment services(1)

3,001.5 3,213.3 3,173.3 3,246.8 2,954.5 3,182.9 3,201.8 3,202.2 0.4

Temporary help services

2,347.6 2,548.5 2,510.0 2,559.0 2,317.7 2,522.7 2,529.4 2,524.5 -4.9

Business support services

804.1 807.9 807.8 814.2 813.0 819.2 822.7 825.0 2.3

Services to buildings and dwellings

1,878.2 1,896.8 1,893.1 1,869.1 1,777.0 1,780.4 1,777.9 1,771.7 -6.2

Waste management and remediation services

374.4 379.4 382.4 379.8 366.6 373.4 373.4 372.2 -1.2

Education and health services

19,592 20,091 19,998 20,019 19,931 20,294 20,332 20,354 22

Educational services

2,926.6 3,109.0 3,032.4 3,015.2 3,243.1 3,319.2 3,329.9 3,330.8 0.9

Health care and social assistance

16,665.0 16,982.3 16,965.4 17,004.2 16,688.3 16,975.1 17,001.9 17,023.6 21.7

Health care(3)

14,116.9 14,366.6 14,392.1 14,413.7 14,088.1 14,346.7 14,366.0 14,382.7 16.7

Ambulatory health care services(1)

6,182.3 6,339.7 6,350.5 6,373.8 6,174.8 6,335.9 6,348.2 6,362.4 14.2

Offices of physicians

2,365.0 2,426.3 2,427.8 2,429.1 2,363.6 2,424.4 2,426.4 2,427.1 0.7

Outpatient care centers

624.0 659.9 663.6 664.6 623.7 659.5 663.8 665.0 1.2

Home health care services

1,147.0 1,190.0 1,193.7 1,204.0 1,147.7 1,190.4 1,194.7 1,201.9 7.2

Hospitals

4,746.0 4,818.2 4,831.1 4,829.6 4,735.6 4,811.7 4,817.3 4,823.0 5.7

Nursing and residential care facilities(1)

3,188.6 3,208.7 3,210.5 3,210.3 3,177.7 3,199.1 3,200.5 3,197.3 -3.2

Nursing care facilities

1,675.3 1,666.8 1,667.0 1,665.8 1,670.9 1,662.5 1,663.0 1,660.4 -2.6

Social assistance(1)

2,548.1 2,615.7 2,573.3 2,590.5 2,600.2 2,628.4 2,635.9 2,640.9 5.0

Child day care services

795.1 813.1 774.9 787.9 843.7 832.5 836.6 835.8 -0.8

Leisure and hospitality

13,979 14,198 14,278 14,284 13,344 13,597 13,625 13,659 34

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

2,175.3 2,161.5 2,215.7 2,183.6 1,909.6 1,914.7 1,915.1 1,921.6 6.5

Performing arts and spectator sports

417.0 420.5 427.5 428.3 388.9 400.1 399.9 400.3 0.4

Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions

145.3 147.3 147.3 145.4 132.8 133.8 132.7 134.0 1.3

Amusements, gambling, and recreation

1,613.0 1,593.7 1,640.9 1,609.9 1,387.9 1,380.8 1,382.5 1,387.3 4.8

Accommodation and food services

11,803.9 12,036.7 12,062.5 12,100.7 11,434.1 11,682.7 11,709.6 11,737.6 28.0

Accommodation

1,954.0 1,913.5 1,970.1 1,961.0 1,812.6 1,817.5 1,818.8 1,818.5 -0.3

Food services and drinking places

9,849.9 10,123.2 10,092.4 10,139.7 9,621.5 9,865.2 9,890.8 9,919.1 28.3

Other services

5,391 5,438 5,448 5,422 5,346 5,369 5,378 5,374 -4

Repair and maintenance

1,166.1 1,171.4 1,171.5 1,167.0 1,159.7 1,158.5 1,164.1 1,160.8 -3.3

Personal and laundry services

1,297.1 1,312.1 1,307.8 1,308.1 1,290.1 1,295.9 1,298.4 1,299.0 0.6

Membership associations and organizations

2,928.2 2,954.9 2,968.7 2,946.5 2,896.3 2,914.9 2,915.4 2,914.6 -0.8

Government

20,892 21,895 20,657 20,743 22,066 21,928 21,907 21,900 -7

Federal

2,864.0 2,829.0 2,823.0 2,819.0 2,847.0 2,813.0 2,801.0 2,804.0 3.0

Federal, except U.S. Postal Service

2,240.0 2,218.6 2,209.5 2,209.8 2,219.3 2,199.5 2,190.6 2,193.5 2.9

U.S. Postal Service

623.7 610.8 613.1 608.8 627.6 613.5 610.4 610.4 0.0

State government

4,804.0 4,829.0 4,748.0 4,774.0 5,075.0 5,054.0 5,046.0 5,040.0 -6.0

State government education

2,103.1 2,154.7 2,083.3 2,114.8 2,392.5 2,402.5 2,400.8 2,398.1 -2.7

State government, excluding education

2,700.4 2,673.9 2,664.4 2,659.2 2,682.6 2,651.6 2,645.3 2,642.3 -3.0

Local government

13,224.0 14,237.0 13,086.0 13,150.0 14,144.0 14,061.0 14,060.0 14,056.0 -4.0

Local government education

6,779.8 7,800.4 6,598.6 6,718.6 7,880.7 7,797.5 7,799.0 7,797.1 -1.9

Local government, excluding education

6,444.5 6,436.8 6,487.1 6,431.4 6,263.1 6,263.7 6,260.8 6,258.7 -2.1

Footnotes
(1) Includes other industries, not shown separately.
(2) Includes motor vehicles, motor vehicle bodies and trailers, and motor vehicle parts.
(3) Includes ambulatory health care services, hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities.
(p) Preliminary


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-2. Average weekly hours and overtime of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted
Industry Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)

AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS

Total private

34.3 34.5 34.4 34.4

Goods-producing

39.8 40.1 40.2 40.0

Mining and logging

44.0 44.1 44.1 43.6

Construction

38.1 38.5 38.4 38.4

Manufacturing

40.3 40.6 40.7 40.5

Durable goods

40.7 40.9 41.0 40.7

Nondurable goods

39.8 40.1 40.2 40.1

Private service-providing

33.2 33.3 33.3 33.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities

34.5 34.5 34.5 34.6

Wholesale trade

38.6 38.7 38.6 38.6

Retail trade

31.5 31.6 31.5 31.6

Transportation and warehousing

38.5 38.2 38.3 38.4

Utilities

41.5 41.6 42.2 41.7

Information

36.5 36.5 36.4 36.4

Financial activities

37.2 37.2 37.2 37.2

Professional and business services

35.7 36.0 36.0 36.0

Education and health services

32.8 32.9 32.9 32.9

Leisure and hospitality

25.9 26.1 26.0 26.0

Other services

31.6 31.6 31.6 31.5

AVERAGE OVERTIME HOURS

Manufacturing

3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2

Durable goods

3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1

Nondurable goods

3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3

Footnotes
(p) Preliminary


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted
Industry Average hourly earnings Average weekly earnings
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)

Total private

$23.12 $23.50 $23.53 $23.52 $793.02 $810.75 $809.43 $809.09

Goods-producing

24.43 24.73 24.76 24.74 972.31 991.67 995.35 989.60

Mining and logging

28.02 28.80 28.89 28.85 1,232.88 1,270.08 1,274.05 1,257.86

Construction

25.48 25.72 25.75 25.72 970.79 990.22 988.80 987.65

Manufacturing

23.71 23.98 24.01 24.01 955.51 973.59 977.21 972.41

Durable goods

25.25 25.37 25.42 25.43 1,027.68 1,037.63 1,042.22 1,035.00

Nondurable goods

21.13 21.61 21.61 21.59 840.97 866.56 868.72 865.76

Private service-providing

22.81 23.21 23.24 23.23 757.29 772.89 773.89 773.56

Trade, transportation, and utilities

20.10 20.49 20.51 20.53 693.45 706.91 707.60 710.34

Wholesale trade

26.39 26.80 26.81 26.88 1,018.65 1,037.16 1,034.87 1,037.57

Retail trade

15.89 16.32 16.32 16.34 500.54 515.71 514.08 516.34

Transportation and warehousing

21.83 21.98 21.97 21.99 840.46 839.64 841.45 844.42

Utilities

33.69 33.99 34.53 34.10 1,398.14 1,413.98 1,457.17 1,421.97

Information

31.50 31.73 31.67 31.35 1,149.75 1,158.15 1,152.79 1,141.14

Financial activities

27.91 29.07 29.20 29.33 1,038.25 1,081.40 1,086.24 1,091.08

Professional and business services

27.85 28.08 28.11 28.06 994.25 1,010.88 1,011.96 1,010.16

Education and health services

23.74 24.19 24.17 24.18 778.67 795.85 795.19 795.52

Leisure and hospitality

13.22 13.38 13.40 13.40 342.40 349.22 348.40 348.40

Other services

20.57 20.64 20.70 20.74 650.01 652.22 654.12 653.31

Footnotes
(p) Preliminary


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-4. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours and payrolls for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted
[2007=100]
Industry Index of aggregate weekly hours(1) Index of aggregate weekly payrolls(2)
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)
Percent change from:
July
2012 - Aug.
2012(p)
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)
Percent change from:
July
2012 - Aug.
2012(p)

Total private

94.1 96.1 95.9 96.0 0.1 103.7 107.7 107.7 107.7 0.0

Goods-producing

81.9 83.7 84.0 83.5 -0.6 90.5 93.5 94.0 93.4 -0.6

Mining and logging

110.3 116.4 116.4 114.8 -1.4 124.1 134.6 135.0 133.0 -1.5

Construction

72.2 73.2 73.0 73.0 0.0 79.9 81.8 81.7 81.6 -0.1

Manufacturing

85.3 87.4 87.8 87.2 -0.7 94.1 97.4 98.0 97.4 -0.6

Durable goods

83.6 86.2 86.6 85.8 -0.9 93.8 97.1 97.8 96.9 -0.9

Nondurable goods

88.8 89.6 89.9 89.7 -0.2 95.2 98.3 98.5 98.3 -0.2

Private service-providing

97.4 99.3 99.4 99.5 0.1 107.7 111.6 111.9 112.0 0.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

94.0 95.0 95.0 95.4 0.4 101.7 104.7 104.9 105.4 0.5

Wholesale trade

93.3 95.1 95.0 95.1 0.1 102.7 106.3 106.3 106.7 0.4

Retail trade

93.8 94.7 94.3 94.7 0.4 98.6 102.1 101.8 102.3 0.5

Transportation and warehousing

94.8 95.5 96.0 96.4 0.4 105.0 106.5 107.0 107.6 0.6

Utilities

99.8 101.6 101.8 102.2 0.4 111.1 114.1 116.2 115.2 -0.9

Information

87.2 87.6 87.7 87.8 0.1 97.8 99.0 98.9 98.0 -0.9

Financial activities

94.2 94.8 94.8 94.9 0.1 102.6 107.6 108.1 108.6 0.5

Professional and business services

97.6 101.3 101.5 101.7 0.2 110.1 115.2 115.6 115.6 0.0

Education and health services

106.4 108.7 108.9 109.0 0.1 118.4 123.2 123.3 123.5 0.2

Leisure and hospitality

98.6 101.3 101.1 101.3 0.2 105.2 109.3 109.3 109.5 0.2

Other services

93.6 94.0 94.2 93.8 -0.4 109.3 110.1 110.6 110.4 -0.2

Footnotes
(1) The indexes of aggregate weekly hours are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate hours by the corresponding 2007 annual average aggregate hours. Aggregate hours estimates are the product of estimates of average weekly hours and employment.
(2) The indexes of aggregate weekly payrolls are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate weekly payrolls by the corresponding 2007 annual average aggregate weekly payrolls. Aggregate payrolls estimates are the product of estimates of average hourly earnings, average weekly hours, and employment.
(p) Preliminary


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-5. Employment of women on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted
Industry Women employees (in thousands) Percent of all employees
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)

Total nonfarm

65,034 65,604 65,660 65,703 49.5 49.3 49.3 49.3

Total private

52,424 53,117 53,185 53,244 47.9 47.8 47.8 47.8

Goods-producing

4,052 4,093 4,098 4,097 22.4 22.3 22.3 22.4

Mining and logging

106 113 114 114 13.3 13.5 13.6 13.6

Construction

706 710 714 717 12.8 12.9 12.9 13.0

Manufacturing

3,240 3,270 3,270 3,266 27.5 27.3 27.3 27.3

Durable goods

1,714 1,734 1,734 1,727 23.5 23.2 23.1 23.1

Nondurable goods

1,526 1,536 1,536 1,539 34.1 34.3 34.3 34.3

Private service-providing

48,372 49,024 49,087 49,147 52.9 52.8 52.8 52.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

10,035 10,048 10,047 10,057 40.0 39.7 39.7 39.7

Wholesale trade

1,667.1 1,696.5 1,695.0 1,703.1 30.1 30.1 30.1 30.2

Retail trade

7,224.2 7,203.8 7,199.5 7,198.6 49.3 48.8 48.8 48.8

Transportation and warehousing

1,008.8 1,007.4 1,013.5 1,014.2 23.5 23.1 23.1 23.1

Utilities

135.1 140.0 138.9 140.6 24.3 24.8 24.9 24.8

Information

1,066 1,063 1,062 1,059 40.8 40.4 40.3 40.1

Financial activities

4,481 4,484 4,480 4,482 58.3 58.0 57.9 57.9

Professional and business services

7,718 7,921 7,947 7,960 44.4 44.3 44.3 44.3

Education and health services

15,308 15,564 15,599 15,621 76.8 76.7 76.7 76.7

Leisure and hospitality

6,942 7,113 7,118 7,132 52.0 52.3 52.2 52.2

Other services

2,822 2,831 2,834 2,836 52.8 52.7 52.7 52.8

Government

12,610 12,487 12,475 12,459 57.1 56.9 56.9 56.9

Footnotes
(p) Preliminary

NOTE: Data in this table have been corrected. For more information see http://www.bls.gov/bls/ceswomen_usps_correction.htm.


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-6. Employment of production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted(1)
[In thousands]
Industry Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)

Total private

90,223 91,797 91,920 92,030

Goods-producing

13,008 13,192 13,213 13,199

Mining and logging

601 634 631 631

Construction

4,148 4,135 4,134 4,130

Manufacturing

8,259 8,423 8,448 8,438

Durable goods

5,007 5,160 5,186 5,173

Nondurable goods

3,252 3,263 3,262 3,265

Private service-providing

77,215 78,605 78,707 78,831

Trade, transportation, and utilities

21,239 21,484 21,481 21,521

Wholesale trade

4,438.1 4,530.9 4,543.4 4,553.7

Retail trade

12,649.8 12,723.1 12,700.1 12,711.7

Transportation and warehousing

3,707.6 3,780.4 3,792.8 3,804.5

Utilities

443.8 449.1 444.3 451.3

Information

2,091 2,127 2,135 2,137

Financial activities

5,882 5,948 5,951 5,955

Professional and business services

14,308 14,770 14,819 14,845

Education and health services

17,458 17,797 17,830 17,851

Leisure and hospitality

11,762 11,990 11,998 12,034

Other services

4,475 4,489 4,493 4,488

Footnotes
(1) Data relate to production employees in mining and logging and manufacturing, construction employees in construction, and nonsupervisory employees in the service-providing industries. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employment on private nonfarm payrolls.
(p) Preliminary


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-7. Average weekly hours and overtime of production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted(1)
Industry Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)

AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS

Total private

33.6 33.7 33.7 33.7

Goods-producing

40.8 41.1 41.0 40.9

Mining and logging

46.3 46.5 46.4 45.5

Construction

39.0 39.1 39.0 38.9

Manufacturing

41.3 41.6 41.6 41.5

Durable goods

41.7 42.1 42.1 41.8

Nondurable goods

40.6 40.9 40.9 41.0

Private service-providing

32.4 32.5 32.4 32.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

33.7 33.7 33.7 33.8

Wholesale trade

38.4 38.6 38.6 38.4

Retail trade

30.5 30.5 30.5 30.6

Transportation and warehousing

37.8 37.9 37.9 37.9

Utilities

41.9 40.9 41.4 41.1

Information

36.0 36.0 35.8 35.7

Financial activities

36.4 36.8 36.7 36.7

Professional and business services

35.1 35.3 35.3 35.4

Education and health services

32.3 32.4 32.2 32.3

Leisure and hospitality

24.7 25.0 24.9 24.9

Other services

30.7 30.5 30.6 30.5

AVERAGE OVERTIME HOURS

Manufacturing

4.1 4.1 4.2 4.1

Durable goods

4.2 4.3 4.3 4.1

Nondurable goods

4.0 3.9 4.0 4.1

Footnotes
(1) Data relate to production employees in mining and logging and manufacturing, construction employees in construction, and nonsupervisory employees in the service-providing industries. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employment on private nonfarm payrolls.
(p) Preliminary


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-8. Average hourly and weekly earnings of production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted(1)
Industry Average hourly earnings Average weekly earnings
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)

Total private

$19.50 $19.74 $19.76 $19.75 $655.20 $665.24 $665.91 $665.58

Goods-producing

20.71 20.93 20.98 20.96 844.97 860.22 860.18 857.26

Mining and logging

24.61 25.87 26.04 25.89 1,139.44 1,202.96 1,208.26 1,178.00

Construction

23.78 23.93 24.00 23.97 927.42 935.66 936.00 932.43

Manufacturing

18.93 19.13 19.17 19.17 781.81 795.81 797.47 795.56

Durable goods

20.09 20.24 20.25 20.30 837.75 852.10 852.53 848.54

Nondurable goods

17.09 17.33 17.40 17.34 693.85 708.80 711.66 710.94

Private service-providing

19.25 19.49 19.50 19.49 623.70 633.43 631.80 633.43

Trade, transportation, and utilities

17.18 17.47 17.44 17.40 578.97 588.74 587.73 588.12

Wholesale trade

22.02 22.22 22.23 22.24 845.57 857.69 858.08 854.02

Retail trade

13.49 13.88 13.82 13.80 411.45 423.34 421.51 422.28

Transportation and warehousing

19.60 19.56 19.51 19.41 740.88 741.32 739.43 735.64

Utilities

30.96 31.62 32.00 31.45 1,297.22 1,293.26 1,324.80 1,292.60

Information

26.58 26.82 26.98 26.93 956.88 965.52 965.88 961.40

Financial activities

21.83 22.64 22.72 22.77 794.61 833.15 833.82 835.66

Professional and business services

23.14 23.22 23.24 23.25 812.21 819.67 820.37 823.05

Education and health services

20.92 21.07 21.04 21.05 675.72 682.67 677.49 679.92

Leisure and hospitality

11.48 11.62 11.64 11.62 283.56 290.50 289.84 289.34

Other services

17.36 17.44 17.47 17.48 532.95 531.92 534.58 533.14

Footnotes
(1) Data relate to production employees in mining and logging and manufacturing, construction employees in construction, and nonsupervisory employees in the service-providing industries. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employment on private nonfarm payrolls.
(p) Preliminary


ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-9. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours and payrolls for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted(1)
[2002=100]
Industry Index of aggregate weekly hours(2) Index of aggregate weekly payrolls(3)
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)
Percent change from:
July
2012 - Aug.
2012(p)
Aug.
2011
June
2012
July
2012(p)
Aug.
2012(p)
Percent change from:
July
2012 - Aug.
2012(p)

Total private

101.3 103.4 103.5 103.6 0.1 132.0 136.3 136.7 136.7 0.0

Goods-producing

81.1 82.9 82.8 82.5 -0.4 102.9 106.2 106.4 105.9 -0.5

Mining and logging

147.9 156.7 155.6 152.6 -1.9 211.6 235.7 235.6 229.7 -2.5

Construction

81.0 81.0 80.7 80.4 -0.4 104.0 104.6 104.6 104.1 -0.5

Manufacturing

78.3 80.4 80.7 80.4 -0.4 96.9 100.6 101.1 100.8 -0.3

Durable goods

78.5 81.6 82.1 81.3 -1.0 98.4 103.2 103.7 103.0 -0.7

Nondurable goods

77.8 78.6 78.6 78.9 0.4 93.9 96.3 96.7 96.6 -0.1

Private service-providing

107.0 109.2 109.0 109.5 0.5 141.2 146.0 145.8 146.4 0.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

99.8 100.9 100.9 101.4 0.5 122.3 125.8 125.6 125.9 0.2

Wholesale trade

100.4 103.0 103.3 103.0 -0.3 130.2 134.8 135.2 134.9 -0.2

Retail trade

97.7 98.2 98.0 98.5 0.5 112.9 116.9 116.1 116.5 0.3

Transportation and warehousing

105.5 107.9 108.2 108.5 0.3 131.2 133.8 133.9 133.6 -0.2

Utilities

95.1 93.9 94.1 94.9 0.9 122.9 124.0 125.6 124.5 -0.9

Information

85.9 87.4 87.2 87.1 -0.1 113.1 116.0 116.5 116.1 -0.3

Financial activities

102.5 104.7 104.5 104.6 0.1 138.3 146.6 146.8 147.2 0.3

Professional and business services

112.6 116.8 117.2 117.8 0.5 155.0 161.5 162.1 163.0 0.6

Education and health services

121.6 124.4 123.8 124.4 0.5 167.3 172.3 171.3 172.1 0.5

Leisure and hospitality

106.4 109.8 109.4 109.8 0.4 138.7 144.9 144.7 144.8 0.1

Other services

96.3 96.0 96.4 96.0 -0.4 121.9 122.0 122.7 122.3 -0.3

Footnotes
(1) Data relate to production employees in mining and logging and manufacturing, construction employees in construction, and nonsupervisory employees in the service-providing industries. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employment on private nonfarm payrolls.
(2) The indexes of aggregate weekly hours are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate hours by the corresponding 2002 annual average aggregate hours. Aggregate hours estimates are the product of estimates of average weekly hours and employment.
(3) The indexes of aggregate weekly payrolls are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate weekly payrolls by the corresponding 2002 annual average aggregate weekly payrolls. Aggregate payrolls estimates are the product of estimates of average hourly earnings, average weekly hours, and employment.
(p) Preliminary


Last Modified Date: September 07, 2012