Technical information:
Household data: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-1367
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
Establishment data:(202) 691-6555 Transmission of material in this release
http://www.bls.gov/ces/ is embargoed until 8:30 A.M (EDT),
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, October 3, 2008.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: SEPTEMBER 2008
Nonfarm payroll employment declined by 159,000 in September, and
the unemployment rate held at 6.1 percent, the Bureau of Labor Sta-
tistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Employment
continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade,
while mining and health care
continued to add jobs.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
The unemployment rate (6.1 percent) was unchanged in September,
following a 0.4 percentage point rise in August. The number of
unemployed persons was little changed at 9.5 million. Over the past
12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by 2.2 mil-
lion and the unemployment rate has risen by 1.4 percentage points.
(See table A-1.)
The unemployment rates for adult men (6.1 percent) and blacks (11.4
percent) rose in September. The jobless rates for teenagers (19.1 per-
cent), whites (5.4 percent), and Hispanics (7.8 percent) were essen-
tially unchanged. The unemployment rate for adult women declined to
4.9 percent, partly offsetting an increase in August. The unemploy-
ment rate for Asians in September was 3.8 percent, not seasonally ad-
justed. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
In September, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for
27 weeks or more) rose by 167,000 to 2.0 million, an increase of 728,000
over the past 12 months. The long-term unemployed accounted for 21.1 per-
cent of total unemployment in September. (See table A-9.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
The civilian labor force (154.7 million) and the labor force parti-
cipation rate (66.0 percent) were essentially unchanged over the month.
Total employment (145.3 million) and the employment-population ratio
(62.0 percent) were little changed. Since a recent high in December
2006, the employment-population ratio has declined by 1.4 percentage
points. (See table A-1.)
The number of persons who worked part time for economic reasons
rose by 337,000 to 6.1 million in September, an increase of 1.6 mil-
lion over the past 12 months. This category includes persons who
would like to work full time but were working part time because their
hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find full-time
jobs. (See table A-5.)
- 2 -
Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
_______________________________________________________________________________
| | |
| Quarterly | |
| averages | Monthly data | Aug.-
Category |_________________|__________________________| Sept.
| | | | | | change
| II | III | July | Aug. | Sept. |
| 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 |
_________________________|________|________|________|________|________|________
|
HOUSEHOLD DATA | Labor force status
|_____________________________________________________
| | | | | |
Civilian labor force ....| 154,294| 154,730| 154,603| 154,853| 154,732| -121
Employment ............| 146,089| 145,517| 145,819| 145,477| 145,255| -222
Unemployment ..........| 8,204| 9,213| 8,784| 9,376| 9,477| 101
Not in labor force ......| 79,117| 79,381| 79,261| 79,253| 79,628| 375
|________|________|________|________|________|________
|
| Unemployment rates
|_____________________________________________________
| | | | | |
All workers .............| 5.3| 6.0| 5.7| 6.1| 6.1| 0.0
Adult men .............| 4.9| 5.7| 5.3| 5.6| 6.1| .5
Adult women ...........| 4.6| 4.9| 4.6| 5.3| 4.9| -.4
Teenagers .............| 17.4| 19.5| 20.3| 18.9| 19.1| .2
White .................| 4.7| 5.3| 5.1| 5.4| 5.4| .0
Black or African | | | | | |
American ............| 9.1| 10.6| 9.7| 10.6| 11.4| .8
Hispanic or Latino | | | | | |
ethnicity ...........| 7.2| 7.7| 7.4| 8.0| 7.8| -.2
|________|________|________|________|________|________
|
ESTABLISHMENT DATA | Employment
|_____________________________________________________
| | | | | |
Nonfarm employment.......| 137,699|p137,448| 137,550|p137,477|p137,318| p-159
Goods-producing (1)....| 21,565| p21,373| 21,437| p21,380| p21,303| p-77
Construction ........| 7,242| p7,153| 7,173| p7,160| p7,125| p-35
Manufacturing .......| 13,563| p13,433| 13,487| p13,431| p13,380| p-51
Service-providing (1)..| 116,134|p116,075| 116,113|p116,097|p116,015| p-82
Retail trade (2)...| 15,337| p15,272| 15,302| p15,277| p15,237| p-40
Professional and | | | | | |
business services .| 17,980| p17,866| 17,904| p17,861| p17,834| p-27
Education and health | | | | | |
services ..........| 18,823| p18,983| 18,935| p18,994| p19,019| p25
Leisure and | | | | | |
hospitality .......| 13,683| p13,643| 13,655| p13,645| p13,628| p-17
Government ..........| 22,439| p22,526| 22,502| p22,533| p22,542| p9
|________|________|________|________|________|________
|
| Hours of work (3)
|_____________________________________________________
| | | | | |
Total private ...........| 33.7| p33.7| 33.7| p33.7| p33.6| p-0.1
Manufacturing .........| 41.0| p40.9| 41.0| p40.9| p40.7| p-.2
Overtime ............| 3.9| p3.7| 3.8| p3.7| p3.6| p-.1
|________|________|________|________|________|________
|
| Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (2002=100)(3)
|_____________________________________________________
| | | | | |
Total private ...........| 107.2| p106.7| 106.9| p106.8| p106.3| p-0.5
|________|________|________|________|________|________
|
| Earnings (3)
|_____________________________________________________
Average hourly earnings, | | | | | |
total private .........| $17.95| p$18.12| $18.06| p$18.14| p$18.17| p$0.03
Average weekly earnings, | | | | | |
total private .........| 605.40| p610.15| 608.62| p611.32| p610.51| p-.81
_________________________|________|________|________|________|________|________
1 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
2 Quarterly averages and the over-the-month change are calculated using
unrounded data.
3 Data relate to private production and nonsupervisory workers.
p = preliminary.
- 3 -
The number of multiple jobholders fell by 398,000 in September to
7.7 million; multiple jobholders made up 5.3 percent of all employed
persons. (See table A-6.)
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
About 1.6 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in September, 336,000 more than 12 months
earlier. These individuals wanted and were available for work and had
looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They are not count-
ed as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks
preceding the survey. Among the marginally attached, there were 467,000
discouraged workers in September; the number of discouraged workers has
increased by 191,000 from a year earlier. Discouraged workers are per-
sons not currently looking for work specifically because they believe
no jobs are available for them. The other 1.1 million persons margin-
ally attached to the labor force in September had not searched for work
in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school atten-
dance or family responsibilities. (See table A-13.)
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 159,000 in September.
Thus far in 2008, payroll employment has fallen by 760,000. Over the
month, employment continued to decline in manufacturing, construction,
and retail trade. Health care and mining continued to add jobs in
September. (See table B-1.)
Manufacturing employment fell by 51,000 over the month, bringing
the decline in factory jobs to 442,000 over the past 12 months. In
September, job losses continued in motor vehicles and parts (-18,000);
this industry has shed 140,000 jobs over the past 12 months. Else-
where among durable goods manufacturers, employment decreased in fab-
ricated metals (- 7,000), wood products (-5,000), and furniture and
related products (-5,000). In nondurable goods manufacturing, paper
products (-3,000) and plastics and rubber products (-4,000) lost jobs
over the month.
Construction lost 35,000 jobs over the month. Thus far this year,
all of the components of construction have experienced employment
declines; the majority of the losses have been in the residential
components.
Employment in retail trade dropped by 40,000 in September and by
250,000 over the last 12 months. Department stores lost 11,000 jobs
in September and 70,000 over the last 12 months. Employment also
continued to decline in motor vehicle and parts dealers (-10,000);
this industry has lost 48,000 jobs in the past 4 months. Gasoline
stations also lost jobs in September (-6,000).
Employment in transportation and warehousing declined by 16,000 in
September and by 57,000 since its peak 12 months earlier. Over the
month, job losses occurred in trucking (-12,000) and air transporta-
tion (-5,000).
- 4 -
In September, employment in financial activities fell by 17,000,
with nearly half of the decline occurring in securities and investment
firms. The financial activities industry has lost 172,000 jobs since
its employment peak in December 2006.
Employment in professional and business services continued to trend
down over the month (-27,000), largely reflecting further job cuts in
employment services. Computer systems design services and management
and technical consulting services each added 9,000 jobs in September.
Health care employment continued to increase in September with a
gain of 17,000. Job growth in the industry averaged 30,000 a month
over the prior 12 months. In September, employment also continued
to grow in mining (8,000). Mining employment has expanded by 241,000
since reaching a low in April 2003.
Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
In September, the average workweek for production and nonsupervi-
sory workers on private nonfarm payrolls fell by 0.1 hour to 33.6
hours, seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing workweek decreased by
0.2 hour, and factory overtime decreased by 0.1 hour. (See table B-2.)
The index of aggregate weekly hours of production and nonsupervi-
sory workers on nonfarm payrolls fell by 0.5 percent in September to
106.3 (2002=100). The manufacturing index decreased by 1.0 percent
to 89.6. (See table B-5.)
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
In September, average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervi-
sory workers on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 3 cents, or 0.2 per-
cent, to $18.17, seasonally adjusted. This followed gains of 6 cents
in July and 8 cents in August. Average weekly earnings were $610.51 in
September. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings increased
by 3.4 percent and average weekly earnings rose by 2.8 percent. (See
tables B-3 and B-4.)
______________________________
The Employment Situation for October 2008 is scheduled to be released
on Friday, November 7, at 8:30 A.M. (EST).
---------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Hurricane Ike |
| |
| Hurricane Ike struck the east coast of Texas and portions |
| of coastal Louisiana on September 13th in the midst of the |
| establishment survey reference period. For the weather condi-|
| tions to have affected payroll employment, people would have |
| had to be off work for the entire pay period and not paid for |
| the time missed. Therefore, it is unlikely the storm had sub-|
| stantial effects on the national employment estimates. |
| |
| In the household survey, people who miss work for weather- |
| related events are counted as employed whether or not they |
| are paid for the time off. |
| |
---------------------------------------------------------------
- 5 -
Preliminary Estimates of Benchmark Revisions
to the Establishment Survey
In accordance with usual practice, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
is announcing its preliminary estimates of the upcoming annual bench-
mark revision to the establishment survey employment series. The
final benchmark revision will be issued on February 6, 2009, with the
publication of the January 2009 Employment Situation news release.
Each year, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey employ-
ment estimates are benchmarked to comprehensive counts of employment
for the month of March derived from state unemployment insurance tax
records that nearly all employers are required to file. For national
CES employment series, the annual benchmark revisions over the last
10 years have averaged plus or minus two-tenths of one percent at the
total nonfarm level. The preliminary estimate of the benchmark revi-
sion shows that there was an accumulated overstatement of CES employ-
ment between March 2007 and March 2008 of 21,000 (0.02 percent of total
nonfarm employment in March 2008).
Table B shows the March 2008 preliminary benchmark revisions by
major industry sector. As is typically the case, many of the individ-
ual industry series show larger percentage revisions than the total
nonfarm series, primarily because statistical sampling error is greater
at more detailed levels than at a total level.
Table B. National Current Employment Statistics March 2008 preliminary
benchmark revisions by major industry sector
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| |Percent benchmark
Industry |Benchmark revision| revision
---------------------------------|------------------|------------------
Total nonfarm ..................| -21,000 | (1)
Total private ................| -81,000 | -0.1
Natural resources and | |
mining ...................| 0 | .0
Construction ...............| 56,000 | .8
Manufacturing ..............| -7,000 | -.1
Trade, transportation, | |
and utilities ............| 85,000 | .3
Information ................| 16,000 | .5
Financial activities .......| -20,000 | -.2
Professional and business | |
services .................| -46,000 | -.3
Education and health | |
services .................| -17,000 | -.1
Leisure and hospitality ....| -154,000 | -1.2
Other services .............| 6,000 | .1
Government ...................| 60,000 | .3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Less than 0.05 percent.
- 6 -
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 estab-
lishment survey employment series has a smaller margin of error on the mea-
surement of month-to-month change than the household survey because of its
much larger sample size. An over-the-month employment change of 104,000 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 establish-
ment 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?
Neither the establishment nor household survey is designed to identify the
legal status of workers. Thus, while it is likely that both surveys include
at least some undocumented immigrants, it is not possible to determine how many
are counted in either survey. The household survey does include questions about
whether respondents were born outside the United States. Data from these ques-
tions show that foreign-born workers accounted for 15.7 percent of the labor
force in 2007 and 47.7 percent of the net increase in the labor force from 2000
to 2007.
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. For more information on the monthly revisions, please visit
http://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 http://www.bls.
gov/web/cesbmart.htm.
Has the establishment survey understated employment growth because it excludes
the self-employed?
While the establishment survey excludes the self-employed, the household
survey provides monthly estimates of unincorporated self-employment. These
estimates have shown no substantial growth in recent years.
- 7 -
Does the establishment survey sample include small firms?
Yes; about 40 percent of the establishment survey sample is comprised of busi-
ness establishments with fewer than 20 employees. The establishment survey sam-
ple is designed to maximize the reliability of the total nonfarm employment esti-
mate; 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 (discouraged workers and other groups not officially
counted as unemployed) are published each month in the Employment Situation news
release.
- 8 -
Technical Note
This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the information
on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears in the A tables,
marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about 60,000 households con-
ducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The establishment survey provides the information on the employment, hours,
and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B tables, marked
ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from payroll records by BLS
in cooperation with state agencies. The sample includes about 160,000 businesses
and government agencies covering approximately 400,000 individual worksites.
The active sample includes about one-third of all nonfarm payroll workers. The
sample is drawn from a sampling frame of unemployment insurance tax accounts.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week or
pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally the calen-
dar 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 unemploy-
ment 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.
- 9 -
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private nonfarm
businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and
local government entities. Employees on nonfarm payrolls are those who received pay
for any part of the reference pay period, including persons on paid leave. Persons
are counted in each job they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private busi-
nesses and relate only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and non-
supervisory workers in the service-providing sector. Industries are classified on
the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2007 version of the
North American Industry Classification System.
Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and methodological
differences between the household and establishment surveys result in important dis-
tinctions 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 would be 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 sharp fluctuations due to such seasonal events as
changes in weather, reduced or expanded production, harvests, major holidays, and the
opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal variation can be very
large; seasonal fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-
month changes in unemployment.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year,
their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting the statistics
from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal developments, such as de-
clines in economic activity or increases in the participation of women in the labor
force, easier to spot. For example, the large number of youth entering the labor
force each June is likely to obscure any other changes that have taken place rela-
tive to May, making it difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has
risen or declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in pre-
vious years is known, the statistics for the current year can be adjusted to allow
for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal adjustment is made correctly, the
adjusted figure provides a more useful tool with which to analyze changes in economic
activity.
- 10 -
Most 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 supersectors, 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. In both surveys, revisions to historical data
are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject to both
sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the entire population is
surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true"
population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies
depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the
standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of con-
fidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are
generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total employment
from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus 430,000. Suppose the
estimate of total employment increases by 100,000 from one month to the next. The
90-percent confidence interval on the monthly change would range from -330,000 to
530,000 (100,000 +/- 430,000). These figures do not mean that the sample results are
off by these magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range includes
values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that employment had, in
fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment rise was half a million, then
all of the values within the 90-percent confidence interval would be greater than zero.
In this case, it is likely (at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had,
in fact, occurred. At an unemployment rate of around 5.5 percent, the 90-percent con-
fidence interval for the monthly change in unemployment is about +/- 280,000, and for
the monthly change in the unemployment rate it is about +/- .19 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have lower stan-
dard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates which are based on a
small number of observations. The precision of estimates is also improved when the
data are cumulated over time such as for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal
adjustment process can also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
- 11 -
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling error.
Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a seg-
ment 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 pro-
cessing of the data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2 months are
based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason, these estimates are labeled
preliminary in the tables. It is only after two successive revisions to a monthly esti-
mate, 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 inabil-
ity 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 uses business
deaths to impute employment for business births. This is incorporated into the sample-
based link relative estimate procedure by simply not reflecting sample units going out
of business, but imputing to them the same trend as the other firms in the sample. 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 uni-
verse micro-level database, and reflects the actual residual net of births and deaths
over the past five 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, the benchmark revision
for total nonfarm employment has averaged 0.2 percent, ranging from less than 0.1 percent
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; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted (1)
Employment status, sex, and age
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 232,461 234,107 234,360 232,461 233,405 233,627 233,864 234,107 234,360
Civilian labor force....................... 153,400 155,387 154,509 153,506 154,534 154,390 154,603 154,853 154,732
Participation rate................... 66.0 66.4 65.9 66.0 66.2 66.1 66.1 66.1 66.0
Employed................................. 146,448 145,909 145,310 146,260 146,046 145,891 145,819 145,477 145,255
Employment-population ratio.......... 63.0 62.3 62.0 62.9 62.6 62.4 62.4 62.1 62.0
Unemployed............................... 6,952 9,479 9,199 7,246 8,487 8,499 8,784 9,376 9,477
Unemployment rate.................... 4.5 6.1 6.0 4.7 5.5 5.5 5.7 6.1 6.1
Not in labor force......................... 79,061 78,719 79,851 78,955 78,871 79,237 79,261 79,253 79,628
Persons who currently want a job......... 4,503 5,024 4,895 4,728 4,766 4,888 4,997 4,796 5,067
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 112,486 113,281 113,414 112,486 112,912 113,029 113,154 113,281 113,414
Civilian labor force....................... 82,047 83,296 82,654 82,237 82,602 82,528 82,889 82,807 82,945
Participation rate................... 72.9 73.5 72.9 73.1 73.2 73.0 73.3 73.1 73.1
Employed................................. 78,407 78,423 77,501 78,229 77,954 77,794 77,823 77,632 77,396
Employment-population ratio.......... 69.7 69.2 68.3 69.5 69.0 68.8 68.8 68.5 68.2
Unemployed............................... 3,640 4,872 5,153 4,008 4,648 4,734 5,066 5,176 5,549
Unemployment rate.................... 4.4 5.8 6.2 4.9 5.6 5.7 6.1 6.3 6.7
Not in labor force......................... 30,439 29,986 30,760 30,249 30,310 30,502 30,264 30,474 30,469
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 103,847 104,613 104,741 103,847 104,258 104,371 104,490 104,613 104,741
Civilian labor force....................... 78,667 79,476 79,307 78,689 78,878 79,037 79,327 79,318 79,444
Participation rate................... 75.8 76.0 75.7 75.8 75.7 75.7 75.9 75.8 75.8
Employed................................. 75,628 75,305 74,844 75,332 75,001 74,998 75,094 74,866 74,631
Employment-population ratio.......... 72.8 72.0 71.5 72.5 71.9 71.9 71.9 71.6 71.3
Unemployed............................... 3,039 4,171 4,463 3,357 3,877 4,038 4,234 4,452 4,813
Unemployment rate.................... 3.9 5.2 5.6 4.3 4.9 5.1 5.3 5.6 6.1
Not in labor force......................... 25,180 25,137 25,434 25,158 25,380 25,334 25,163 25,295 25,298
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 119,975 120,825 120,946 119,975 120,493 120,598 120,710 120,825 120,946
Civilian labor force....................... 71,353 72,092 71,855 71,269 71,931 71,862 71,714 72,046 71,787
Participation rate................... 59.5 59.7 59.4 59.4 59.7 59.6 59.4 59.6 59.4
Employed................................. 68,041 67,485 67,809 68,030 68,092 68,097 67,996 67,845 67,860
Employment-population ratio.......... 56.7 55.9 56.1 56.7 56.5 56.5 56.3 56.2 56.1
Unemployed............................... 3,312 4,606 4,046 3,238 3,839 3,765 3,718 4,201 3,928
Unemployment rate.................... 4.6 6.4 5.6 4.5 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.8 5.5
Not in labor force......................... 48,622 48,734 49,091 48,706 48,562 48,735 48,996 48,779 49,159
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 111,590 112,401 112,518 111,590 112,083 112,183 112,290 112,401 112,518
Civilian labor force....................... 68,026 68,440 68,635 67,795 68,390 68,446 68,303 68,672 68,423
Participation rate................... 61.0 60.9 61.0 60.8 61.0 61.0 60.8 61.1 60.8
Employed................................. 65,170 64,462 65,149 65,033 65,138 65,238 65,167 65,047 65,072
Employment-population ratio.......... 58.4 57.3 57.9 58.3 58.1 58.2 58.0 57.9 57.8
Unemployed............................... 2,855 3,979 3,486 2,762 3,252 3,208 3,135 3,625 3,351
Unemployment rate.................... 4.2 5.8 5.1 4.1 4.8 4.7 4.6 5.3 4.9
Not in labor force......................... 43,564 43,961 43,883 43,795 43,693 43,737 43,988 43,729 44,094
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 17,024 17,092 17,101 17,024 17,064 17,073 17,084 17,092 17,101
Civilian labor force....................... 6,707 7,471 6,567 7,021 7,266 6,907 6,973 6,863 6,865
Participation rate................... 39.4 43.7 38.4 41.2 42.6 40.5 40.8 40.2 40.1
Employed................................. 5,649 6,142 5,317 5,895 5,907 5,655 5,558 5,563 5,552
Employment-population ratio.......... 33.2 35.9 31.1 34.6 34.6 33.1 32.5 32.6 32.5
Unemployed............................... 1,058 1,329 1,250 1,126 1,358 1,253 1,415 1,299 1,313
Unemployment rate.................... 15.8 17.8 19.0 16.0 18.7 18.1 20.3 18.9 19.1
Not in labor force......................... 10,317 9,621 10,534 10,003 9,798 10,166 10,110 10,229 10,236
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 HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, and age
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted (1)
Employment status, race, sex, and age
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 188,644 189,747 189,916 188,644 189,281 189,428 189,587 189,747 189,916
Civilian labor force....................... 125,191 126,337 125,853 125,316 125,762 125,704 125,971 125,981 125,955
Participation rate..................... 66.4 66.6 66.3 66.4 66.4 66.4 66.4 66.4 66.3
Employed................................. 120,103 119,475 119,294 119,992 119,661 119,518 119,542 119,222 119,180
Employment-population ratio............ 63.7 63.0 62.8 63.6 63.2 63.1 63.1 62.8 62.8
Unemployed............................... 5,089 6,862 6,559 5,324 6,101 6,186 6,428 6,760 6,775
Unemployment rate...................... 4.1 5.4 5.2 4.2 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.4 5.4
Not in labor force......................... 63,453 63,410 64,063 63,329 63,519 63,724 63,616 63,766 63,961
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force....................... 65,220 65,729 65,645 65,257 65,392 65,402 65,789 65,690 65,747
Participation rate..................... 76.2 76.3 76.1 76.2 76.1 76.1 76.4 76.2 76.2
Employed................................. 62,928 62,683 62,400 62,690 62,491 62,447 62,695 62,446 62,239
Employment-population ratio............ 73.5 72.7 72.3 73.2 72.7 72.6 72.8 72.5 72.2
Unemployed............................... 2,292 3,046 3,245 2,567 2,901 2,955 3,094 3,244 3,508
Unemployment rate...................... 3.5 4.6 4.9 3.9 4.4 4.5 4.7 4.9 5.3
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force....................... 54,350 54,491 54,809 54,229 54,400 54,562 54,424 54,668 54,603
Participation rate..................... 60.4 60.2 60.5 60.3 60.3 60.4 60.2 60.4 60.3
Employed................................. 52,342 51,630 52,421 52,306 52,177 52,282 52,184 52,118 52,309
Employment-population ratio............ 58.2 57.1 57.9 58.1 57.8 57.9 57.7 57.6 57.8
Unemployed............................... 2,008 2,861 2,388 1,924 2,223 2,280 2,240 2,551 2,294
Unemployment rate...................... 3.7 5.3 4.4 3.5 4.1 4.2 4.1 4.7 4.2
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force....................... 5,621 6,117 5,399 5,830 5,971 5,740 5,758 5,623 5,606
Participation rate..................... 43.0 46.7 41.2 44.6 45.7 43.9 44.0 43.0 42.8
Employed................................. 4,833 5,162 4,473 4,996 4,993 4,789 4,664 4,658 4,632
Employment-population ratio............ 37.0 39.4 34.2 38.2 38.2 36.6 35.6 35.6 35.4
Unemployed............................... 788 954 926 834 978 951 1,094 965 974
Unemployment rate...................... 14.0 15.6 17.2 14.3 16.4 16.6 19.0 17.2 17.4
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 27,584 27,896 27,939 27,584 27,780 27,816 27,854 27,896 27,939
Civilian labor force....................... 17,527 18,057 17,756 17,483 17,742 17,716 17,767 17,973 17,737
Participation rate..................... 63.5 64.7 63.6 63.4 63.9 63.7 63.8 64.4 63.5
Employed................................. 16,142 16,132 15,767 16,046 16,029 16,085 16,040 16,074 15,714
Employment-population ratio............ 58.5 57.8 56.4 58.2 57.7 57.8 57.6 57.6 56.2
Unemployed............................... 1,384 1,925 1,989 1,437 1,713 1,632 1,726 1,899 2,023
Unemployment rate...................... 7.9 10.7 11.2 8.2 9.7 9.2 9.7 10.6 11.4
Not in labor force......................... 10,057 9,839 10,183 10,101 10,038 10,100 10,088 9,923 10,202
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force....................... 7,932 8,133 8,021 7,882 7,909 7,997 7,979 8,066 8,004
Participation rate..................... 71.5 72.5 71.4 71.0 70.8 71.5 71.3 71.9 71.2
Employed................................. 7,384 7,329 7,126 7,290 7,202 7,254 7,184 7,239 7,052
Employment-population ratio............ 66.5 65.3 63.4 65.7 64.5 64.9 64.2 64.5 62.8
Unemployed............................... 549 804 895 592 707 742 795 827 951
Unemployment rate...................... 6.9 9.9 11.2 7.5 8.9 9.3 10.0 10.3 11.9
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force....................... 8,905 9,022 9,003 8,839 9,008 8,973 8,985 9,052 8,921
Participation rate..................... 64.4 64.5 64.2 63.9 64.6 64.3 64.3 64.7 63.6
Employed................................. 8,268 8,173 8,122 8,215 8,268 8,305 8,311 8,225 8,089
Employment-population ratio............ 59.8 58.4 57.9 59.4 59.3 59.5 59.5 58.8 57.7
Unemployed............................... 637 849 881 625 740 668 674 826 833
Unemployment rate...................... 7.2 9.4 9.8 7.1 8.2 7.4 7.5 9.1 9.3
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force....................... 689 903 732 762 825 747 802 856 812
Participation rate..................... 26.0 33.7 27.3 28.7 30.9 27.9 30.0 31.9 30.3
Employed................................. 491 631 519 541 558 525 545 609 573
Employment-population ratio............ 18.5 23.5 19.3 20.4 20.9 19.6 20.4 22.7 21.4
Unemployed............................... 198 272 213 220 266 221 257 246 239
Unemployment rate...................... 28.8 30.1 29.1 28.9 32.3 29.6 32.0 28.8 29.4
ASIAN
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 10,698 10,840 10,820 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Civilian labor force....................... 6,997 7,301 7,179 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Participation rate..................... 65.4 67.4 66.4 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Employed................................. 6,776 6,978 6,904 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Employment-population ratio............ 63.3 64.4 63.8 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Unemployed............................... 222 323 276 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Unemployment rate...................... 3.2 4.4 3.8 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Not in labor force......................... 3,700 3,539 3,640 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and
seasonally adjusted columns.
2 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.
Table A-3. Employment status of the Hispanic or Latino population by sex and age
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted (1)
Employment status, sex, and age
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Civilian noninstitutional population......... 31,617 32,273 32,369 31,617 31,998 32,087 32,179 32,273 32,369
Civilian labor force....................... 21,759 22,262 22,160 21,872 22,102 22,131 22,071 22,226 22,258
Participation rate..................... 68.8 69.0 68.5 69.2 69.1 69.0 68.6 68.9 68.8
Employed................................. 20,546 20,485 20,470 20,619 20,573 20,420 20,435 20,452 20,531
Employment-population ratio............ 65.0 63.5 63.2 65.2 64.3 63.6 63.5 63.4 63.4
Unemployed............................... 1,213 1,777 1,691 1,253 1,529 1,711 1,636 1,774 1,727
Unemployment rate...................... 5.6 8.0 7.6 5.7 6.9 7.7 7.4 8.0 7.8
Not in labor force......................... 9,857 10,011 10,209 9,745 9,896 9,956 10,108 10,048 10,111
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force....................... 12,424 12,697 12,773 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Participation rate..................... 84.2 84.5 84.7 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Employed................................. 11,850 11,824 11,892 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Employment-population ratio............ 80.3 78.7 78.9 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Unemployed............................... 574 873 881 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Unemployment rate...................... 4.6 6.9 6.9 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian labor force....................... 8,242 8,399 8,298 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Participation rate..................... 59.3 59.2 58.3 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Employed................................. 7,796 7,761 7,760 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Employment-population ratio............ 56.1 54.7 54.6 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Unemployed............................... 446 638 538 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Unemployment rate...................... 5.4 7.6 6.5 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian labor force....................... 1,093 1,166 1,089 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Participation rate..................... 36.8 38.1 35.5 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Employed................................. 901 901 818 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Employment-population ratio............ 30.3 29.5 26.7 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Unemployed............................... 193 265 271 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Unemployment rate...................... 17.6 22.8 24.9 (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and
seasonally adjusted columns.
2 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 HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-4. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Educational attainment
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
Less than a high school diploma
Civilian labor force......................... 12,250 12,129 12,177 12,181 12,119 12,178 12,168 12,197 12,161
Participation rate....................... 46.6 47.2 47.1 46.3 45.4 45.9 47.8 47.5 47.0
Employed................................... 11,397 11,020 11,081 11,271 11,118 11,117 11,135 11,022 10,992
Employment-population ratio.............. 43.3 42.9 42.9 42.8 41.6 41.9 43.7 42.9 42.5
Unemployed................................. 853 1,108 1,097 910 1,001 1,061 1,033 1,175 1,169
Unemployment rate........................ 7.0 9.1 9.0 7.5 8.3 8.7 8.5 9.6 9.6
High school graduates, no college (1)
Civilian labor force......................... 39,013 38,185 38,415 38,810 38,323 38,170 38,872 38,373 38,313
Participation rate....................... 63.3 62.6 62.6 62.9 62.8 62.8 63.5 62.9 62.5
Employed................................... 37,398 36,059 36,197 37,036 36,349 36,233 36,854 36,191 35,908
Employment-population ratio.............. 60.7 59.1 59.0 60.1 59.5 59.6 60.2 59.3 58.6
Unemployed................................. 1,615 2,126 2,218 1,774 1,974 1,937 2,018 2,182 2,405
Unemployment rate........................ 4.1 5.6 5.8 4.6 5.2 5.1 5.2 5.7 6.3
Some college or associate degree
Civilian labor force......................... 36,077 36,768 37,054 36,045 36,791 36,824 36,444 36,685 36,991
Participation rate....................... 72.0 71.7 72.0 72.0 72.4 71.9 71.1 71.5 71.9
Employed................................... 34,907 34,910 35,253 34,801 35,219 35,264 34,813 34,912 35,129
Employment-population ratio.............. 69.7 68.0 68.5 69.5 69.3 68.9 67.9 68.0 68.3
Unemployed................................. 1,170 1,857 1,802 1,243 1,572 1,559 1,631 1,774 1,862
Unemployment rate........................ 3.2 5.1 4.9 3.4 4.3 4.2 4.5 4.8 5.0
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)
Civilian labor force......................... 44,143 45,220 45,140 44,117 44,566 44,993 45,071 45,422 45,200
Participation rate....................... 77.5 77.2 77.6 77.5 77.7 78.1 77.2 77.5 77.7
Employed................................... 43,248 43,823 43,961 43,253 43,588 43,964 43,993 44,182 44,072
Employment-population ratio.............. 76.0 74.8 75.5 76.0 76.0 76.3 75.3 75.4 75.7
Unemployed................................. 895 1,397 1,178 863 978 1,029 1,078 1,240 1,128
Unemployment rate........................ 2.0 3.1 2.6 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.7 2.5
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 HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-5. Employed persons by class of worker and part-time status
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Category
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
CLASS OF WORKER
Agriculture and related industries........... 2,147 2,302 2,276 2,065 2,122 2,137 2,123 2,142 2,189
Wage and salary workers.................... 1,248 1,419 1,415 1,178 1,241 1,244 1,258 1,289 1,331
Self-employed workers...................... 875 850 834 861 849 840 844 817 820
Unpaid family workers...................... 24 33 28 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Nonagricultural industries................... 144,300 143,607 143,034 144,259 143,898 143,650 143,589 143,284 143,064
Wage and salary workers.................... 134,553 134,033 133,660 134,573 134,385 134,132 133,951 133,822 133,725
Government............................... 21,153 20,821 21,204 21,084 21,263 21,186 21,098 21,259 21,168
Private industries....................... 113,400 113,212 112,456 113,502 113,116 113,001 112,956 112,607 112,588
Private households..................... 823 799 820 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Other industries....................... 112,577 112,413 111,636 112,694 112,315 112,155 112,157 111,851 111,778
Self-employed workers...................... 9,631 9,490 9,293 9,534 9,384 9,430 9,518 9,381 9,228
Unpaid family workers...................... 116 84 81 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME (2)
All industries:
Part time for economic reasons............. 4,137 5,736 5,701 4,499 5,233 5,416 5,724 5,718 6,055
Slack work or business conditions........ 2,768 4,011 3,983 2,991 3,595 3,816 4,194 4,112 4,232
Could only find part-time work........... 1,091 1,305 1,467 1,166 1,281 1,336 1,286 1,362 1,516
Part time for noneconomic reasons.......... 20,037 17,698 19,582 19,812 19,428 19,496 19,406 19,712 19,371
Nonagricultural industries:
Part time for economic reasons............. 4,085 5,650 5,621 4,397 5,164 5,308 5,599 5,641 5,941
Slack work or business conditions........ 2,736 3,947 3,919 2,922 3,531 3,744 4,156 4,032 4,121
Could only find part-time work........... 1,088 1,294 1,465 1,153 1,288 1,328 1,277 1,350 1,537
Part time for noneconomic reasons.......... 19,679 17,302 19,242 19,451 19,047 19,106 19,051 19,281 19,033
1 Data not available.
2 Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for reasons such as
vacation, illness, or industrial dispute. Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually work full time but worked
only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad weather.
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 HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-6. Selected employment indicators
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Characteristic
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over..................... 146,448 145,909 145,310 146,260 146,046 145,891 145,819 145,477 145,255
16 to 19 years............................. 5,649 6,142 5,317 5,895 5,907 5,655 5,558 5,563 5,552
16 to 17 years........................... 2,218 2,247 2,007 2,263 2,040 1,966 1,974 1,988 2,029
18 to 19 years........................... 3,431 3,895 3,311 3,641 3,807 3,678 3,619 3,570 3,546
20 years and over.......................... 140,799 139,767 139,993 140,365 140,139 140,236 140,261 139,914 139,703
20 to 24 years........................... 13,849 13,954 13,501 13,975 13,704 13,720 13,724 13,683 13,637
25 years and over........................ 126,950 125,812 126,492 126,481 126,394 126,565 126,611 126,281 126,093
25 to 54 years......................... 100,813 99,109 99,534 100,475 99,774 99,813 99,733 99,345 99,236
25 to 34 years....................... 31,717 31,444 31,491 31,598 31,545 31,488 31,468 31,467 31,397
35 to 44 years....................... 34,335 33,194 33,397 34,219 33,701 33,692 33,613 33,287 33,300
45 to 54 years....................... 34,761 34,471 34,646 34,659 34,528 34,634 34,651 34,591 34,540
55 years and over...................... 26,137 26,704 26,958 26,006 26,620 26,751 26,879 26,936 26,856
Men, 16 years and over....................... 78,407 78,423 77,501 78,229 77,954 77,794 77,823 77,632 77,396
16 to 19 years............................. 2,779 3,118 2,657 2,897 2,953 2,795 2,729 2,766 2,764
16 to 17 years........................... 1,040 1,100 945 1,065 990 938 931 947 960
18 to 19 years........................... 1,738 2,018 1,712 1,833 1,946 1,879 1,799 1,831 1,811
20 years and over.......................... 75,628 75,305 74,844 75,332 75,001 74,998 75,094 74,866 74,631
20 to 24 years........................... 7,235 7,377 7,114 7,294 7,250 7,202 7,179 7,165 7,173
25 years and over........................ 68,393 67,928 67,731 68,029 67,742 67,832 67,952 67,758 67,449
25 to 54 years......................... 54,511 53,661 53,424 54,237 53,652 53,605 53,643 53,480 53,222
25 to 34 years....................... 17,588 17,326 17,243 17,455 17,309 17,298 17,245 17,221 17,138
35 to 44 years....................... 18,653 18,157 18,096 18,567 18,147 18,133 18,122 18,092 18,030
45 to 54 years....................... 18,269 18,179 18,085 18,215 18,196 18,174 18,276 18,167 18,054
55 years and over...................... 13,882 14,267 14,307 13,792 14,091 14,227 14,309 14,278 14,227
Women, 16 years and over..................... 68,041 67,485 67,809 68,030 68,092 68,097 67,996 67,845 67,860
16 to 19 years............................. 2,871 3,024 2,660 2,998 2,954 2,859 2,829 2,798 2,787
16 to 17 years........................... 1,178 1,147 1,061 1,198 1,050 1,028 1,043 1,041 1,068
18 to 19 years........................... 1,693 1,877 1,599 1,807 1,861 1,799 1,820 1,739 1,735
20 years and over.......................... 65,170 64,462 65,149 65,033 65,138 65,238 65,167 65,047 65,072
20 to 24 years........................... 6,613 6,577 6,387 6,680 6,454 6,518 6,544 6,518 6,464
25 years and over........................ 58,557 57,885 58,762 58,452 58,652 58,733 58,660 58,523 58,643
25 to 54 years......................... 46,303 45,448 46,110 46,238 46,122 46,208 46,090 45,865 46,014
25 to 34 years....................... 14,129 14,118 14,248 14,143 14,236 14,190 14,224 14,246 14,259
35 to 44 years....................... 15,681 15,038 15,301 15,652 15,555 15,559 15,491 15,195 15,269
45 to 54 years....................... 16,492 16,292 16,561 16,444 16,332 16,459 16,376 16,424 16,486
55 years and over...................... 12,254 12,437 12,652 12,214 12,529 12,525 12,570 12,658 12,629
MARITAL STATUS
Married men, spouse present.................. 46,244 45,767 45,953 46,235 45,862 45,911 46,120 45,829 45,958
Married women, spouse present................ 35,796 35,478 35,955 35,712 36,171 36,270 36,185 36,055 35,913
Women who maintain families.................. 9,618 9,036 9,312 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS
Full-time workers (2)........................ 121,728 121,556 120,213 121,387 120,989 120,542 120,537 119,908 119,928
Part-time workers (3)........................ 24,720 24,353 25,097 24,966 24,970 25,419 25,431 25,649 25,366
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders.................... 7,621 7,706 7,724 7,510 7,679 7,794 7,757 8,055 7,657
Percent of total employed................ 5.2 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.5 5.3
1 Data not available.
2 Employed full-time workers are persons who usually work 35 hours or more per week.
3 Employed part-time workers are persons who usually work less than 35 hours per week.
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 HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-7. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed persons Unemployment rates (1)
(in thousands)
Characteristic
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over..................... 7,246 9,376 9,477 4.7 5.5 5.5 5.7 6.1 6.1
16 to 19 years............................. 1,126 1,299 1,313 16.0 18.7 18.1 20.3 18.9 19.1
16 to 17 years........................... 519 564 559 18.6 21.2 23.3 24.9 22.1 21.6
18 to 19 years........................... 607 739 759 14.3 17.5 15.6 17.3 17.1 17.6
20 years and over.......................... 6,120 8,077 8,164 4.2 4.8 4.9 5.0 5.5 5.5
20 to 24 years........................... 1,342 1,612 1,605 8.8 10.4 10.1 10.2 10.5 10.5
25 years and over........................ 4,813 6,507 6,630 3.7 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.9 5.0
25 to 54 years......................... 3,966 5,333 5,465 3.8 4.4 4.5 4.6 5.1 5.2
25 to 34 years....................... 1,622 2,076 2,055 4.9 5.3 5.4 5.6 6.2 6.1
35 to 44 years....................... 1,205 1,723 1,816 3.4 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.9 5.2
45 to 54 years....................... 1,139 1,533 1,593 3.2 3.7 3.8 3.7 4.2 4.4
55 years and over...................... 840 1,161 1,162 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.6 4.1 4.1
Men, 16 years and over....................... 4,008 5,176 5,549 4.9 5.6 5.7 6.1 6.3 6.7
16 to 19 years............................. 650 724 737 18.3 20.7 19.9 23.4 20.7 21.0
16 to 17 years........................... 298 300 287 21.9 23.3 26.2 29.4 24.0 23.0
18 to 19 years........................... 355 418 457 16.2 19.6 17.1 19.9 18.6 20.1
20 years and over.......................... 3,357 4,452 4,813 4.3 4.9 5.1 5.3 5.6 6.1
20 to 24 years........................... 765 933 933 9.5 11.0 11.2 11.6 11.5 11.5
25 years and over........................ 2,586 3,542 3,917 3.7 4.2 4.3 4.6 5.0 5.5
25 to 54 years......................... 2,122 2,909 3,259 3.8 4.4 4.6 4.9 5.2 5.8
25 to 34 years....................... 903 1,173 1,251 4.9 5.4 5.4 6.1 6.4 6.8
35 to 44 years....................... 634 926 1,070 3.3 4.1 4.5 4.9 4.9 5.6
45 to 54 years....................... 584 810 939 3.1 3.7 3.8 3.8 4.3 4.9
55 years and over...................... 464 633 658 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.7 4.2 4.4
Women, 16 years and over..................... 3,238 4,201 3,928 4.5 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.8 5.5
16 to 19 years............................. 476 576 576 13.7 16.6 16.3 17.1 17.1 17.1
16 to 17 years........................... 221 264 272 15.6 19.0 20.3 20.4 20.2 20.3
18 to 19 years........................... 253 320 302 12.3 15.2 13.9 14.6 15.6 14.8
20 years and over.......................... 2,762 3,625 3,351 4.1 4.8 4.7 4.6 5.3 4.9
20 to 24 years........................... 577 679 672 7.9 9.6 8.8 8.7 9.4 9.4
25 years and over........................ 2,227 2,965 2,713 3.7 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.8 4.4
25 to 54 years......................... 1,844 2,423 2,205 3.8 4.4 4.4 4.3 5.0 4.6
25 to 34 years....................... 719 903 805 4.8 5.1 5.4 5.0 6.0 5.3
35 to 44 years....................... 570 797 746 3.5 4.4 4.2 4.3 5.0 4.7
45 to 54 years....................... 555 723 655 3.3 3.8 3.7 3.7 4.2 3.8
55 years and over (2).................. 379 587 516 3.0 2.8 3.4 4.3 4.5 3.9
MARITAL STATUS
Married men, spouse present.................. 1,181 1,646 1,826 2.5 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.5 3.8
Married women, spouse present................ 1,053 1,390 1,285 2.9 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.7 3.5
Women who maintain families (2).............. 658 954 830 6.4 6.9 7.9 8.5 9.6 8.2
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS
Full-time workers (3)........................ 6,053 7,928 7,980 4.7 5.5 5.5 5.7 6.2 6.2
Part-time workers (4)........................ 1,241 1,543 1,577 4.7 5.5 5.4 5.5 5.7 5.9
1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
2 Not seasonally adjusted.
3 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.
4 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 HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-8. Unemployed persons by reason for unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Reason
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Job losers and persons who completed
temporary jobs.............................. 3,208 4,735 4,699 3,622 4,282 4,370 4,407 4,824 5,171
On temporary layoff........................ 613 1,126 904 963 1,113 1,077 1,037 1,266 1,407
Not on temporary layoff.................... 2,595 3,609 3,795 2,660 3,169 3,292 3,370 3,559 3,764
Permanent job losers..................... 1,831 2,656 2,814 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Persons who completed temporary jobs..... 764 953 980 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1)
Job leavers.................................. 902 1,105 1,075 839 870 833 861 999 974
Reentrants................................... 2,190 2,729 2,624 2,154 2,460 2,498 2,705 2,652 2,555
New entrants................................. 652 909 801 685 828 748 811 820 822
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed............................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Job losers and persons who completed
temporary jobs............................. 46.1 50.0 51.1 49.6 50.7 51.7 50.2 51.9 54.3
On temporary layoff....................... 8.8 11.9 9.8 13.2 13.2 12.7 11.8 13.6 14.8
Not on temporary layoff................... 37.3 38.1 41.3 36.4 37.5 39.0 38.4 38.3 39.5
Job leavers................................. 13.0 11.7 11.7 11.5 10.3 9.9 9.8 10.7 10.2
Reentrants.................................. 31.5 28.8 28.5 29.5 29.1 29.6 30.8 28.5 26.8
New entrants................................ 9.4 9.6 8.7 9.4 9.8 8.9 9.2 8.8 8.6
UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE
Job losers and persons who completed
temporary jobs............................. 2.1 3.0 3.0 2.4 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.3
Job leavers................................. .6 .7 .7 .5 .6 .5 .6 .6 .6
Reentrants.................................. 1.4 1.8 1.7 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7
New entrants................................ .4 .6 .5 .4 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5
1 Data not available.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-9. Unemployed persons by duration of unemployment
(Numbers in thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Duration
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED
Less than 5 weeks...................................... 2,563 3,142 2,851 2,537 3,244 2,712 2,835 3,235 2,853
5 to 14 weeks.......................................... 2,118 2,999 2,840 2,330 2,469 2,999 2,823 2,821 3,051
15 weeks and over...................................... 2,271 3,338 3,508 2,392 2,773 2,916 3,118 3,402 3,607
15 to 26 weeks...................................... 1,009 1,468 1,491 1,112 1,223 1,328 1,440 1,561 1,598
27 weeks and over................................... 1,261 1,870 2,018 1,280 1,550 1,587 1,678 1,841 2,008
Average (mean) duration, in weeks...................... 16.7 17.6 19.1 16.6 16.6 17.5 17.1 17.4 18.4
Median duration, in weeks.............................. 8.7 9.5 10.3 8.9 8.3 10.0 9.7 9.2 10.2
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
Total unemployed....................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Less than 5 weeks.................................... 36.9 33.1 31.0 34.9 38.2 31.4 32.3 34.2 30.0
5 to 14 weeks........................................ 30.5 31.6 30.9 32.1 29.1 34.8 32.2 29.8 32.1
15 weeks and over.................................... 32.7 35.2 38.1 33.0 32.7 33.8 35.5 36.0 37.9
15 to 26 weeks..................................... 14.5 15.5 16.2 15.3 14.4 15.4 16.4 16.5 16.8
27 weeks and over.................................. 18.1 19.7 21.9 17.6 18.3 18.4 19.1 19.5 21.1
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-10. Employed and unemployed persons by occupation, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Unemployment
Employed Unemployed rates
Occupation
Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept.
2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008
Total, 16 years and over (1)...................... 146,448 145,310 6,952 9,199 4.5 6.0
Management, professional, and related occupations...... 51,908 53,104 1,098 1,539 2.1 2.8
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations......................................... 21,528 22,364 401 648 1.8 2.8
Professional and related occupations................. 30,380 30,741 697 890 2.2 2.8
Service occupations.................................... 24,659 24,544 1,509 1,810 5.8 6.9
Sales and office occupations........................... 35,761 35,287 1,648 2,074 4.4 5.6
Sales and related occupations........................ 16,277 16,232 901 984 5.2 5.7
Office and administrative support occupations........ 19,484 19,055 747 1,091 3.7 5.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations........................................... 15,926 14,941 885 1,288 5.3 7.9
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........... 969 1,063 59 92 5.7 8.0
Construction and extraction occupations.............. 9,503 8,744 633 946 6.2 9.8
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.... 5,454 5,134 193 250 3.4 4.6
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations........................................... 18,194 17,434 1,135 1,666 5.9 8.7
Production occupations............................... 9,371 8,830 542 830 5.5 8.6
Transportation and material moving occupations....... 8,823 8,605 592 836 6.3 8.9
1 Persons with no previous work experience and persons whose last job was in the Armed Forces are included in the unemployed total.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-11. Unemployed persons by industry and class of worker, not seasonally adjusted
Number of
unemployed Unemployment
persons rates
Industry and class of worker (in thousands)
Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept.
2007 2008 2007 2008
Total, 16 years and over (1).................... 6,952 9,199 4.5 6.0
Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers........ 5,418 7,328 4.6 6.1
Mining............................................... 25 25 3.2 2.8
Construction......................................... 596 970 5.8 9.9
Manufacturing........................................ 673 984 4.1 6.0
Durable goods...................................... 407 688 3.9 6.5
Nondurable goods................................... 266 296 4.3 5.1
Wholesale and retail trade........................... 1,027 1,277 5.1 6.2
Transportation and utilities......................... 224 337 3.7 5.8
Information.......................................... 124 166 3.7 5.0
Financial activities................................. 316 380 3.3 4.0
Professional and business services................... 655 951 4.7 6.9
Education and health services........................ 630 835 3.2 4.1
Leisure and hospitality.............................. 892 1,029 7.4 8.2
Other services....................................... 257 374 4.2 5.8
Agriculture and related private wage and salary workers 53 84 4.3 5.8
Government workers..................................... 525 573 2.4 2.6
Self employed and unpaid family workers................ 304 414 2.8 3.9
1 Persons with no previous work experience are included in the unemployed total.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-12. Alternative measures of labor underutilization
(Percent)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Measure
Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent
of the civilian labor force....................... 1.5 2.1 2.3 1.6 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.3
U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force.... 2.1 3.0 3.0 2.4 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.3
U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian
labor force (official unemployment rate).......... 4.5 6.1 6.0 4.7 5.5 5.5 5.7 6.1 6.1
U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a
percent of the civilian labor force plus
discouraged workers............................... 4.7 6.3 6.2 4.9 5.7 5.8 6.0 6.3 6.4
U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus
all other marginally attached workers, as a
percent of the civilian labor force plus all
marginally attached workers....................... 5.3 7.1 6.9 5.5 6.4 6.4 6.6 7.0 7.1
U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached
workers, plus total employed part time for
economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian
labor force plus all marginally attached workers.. 8.0 10.7 10.6 8.4 9.7 9.9 10.3 10.7 11.0
NOTE: Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and
are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached,
have given a job-market related reason for not looking currently for a job. Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those
who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule. For more information, see "BLS
introduces new range of alternative unemployment measures," in the October 1995 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Updated population
controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-13. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Category
Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept.
2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008
NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE
Total not in the labor force........................... 79,061 79,851 30,439 30,760 48,622 49,091
Persons who currently want a job...................... 4,503 4,895 1,956 2,133 2,548 2,763
Searched for work and available to work now (1)..... 1,268 1,604 657 793 611 811
Reason not currently looking:
Discouragement over job prospects (2)........... 276 467 168 265 108 203
Reasons other than discouragement (3)........... 992 1,137 489 529 503 608
MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS
Total multiple jobholders (4).......................... 7,621 7,724 3,823 3,997 3,798 3,727
Percent of total employed.......................... 5.2 5.3 4.9 5.2 5.6 5.5
Primary job full time, secondary job part time..... 4,266 4,199 2,325 2,417 1,941 1,782
Primary and secondary jobs both part time.......... 1,652 1,844 480 638 1,173 1,206
Primary and secondary jobs both full time.......... 275 299 193 194 82 105
Hours vary on primary or secondary job............. 1,385 1,335 804 717 581 618
1 Data refer to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available to take a job during the reference week.
2 Includes thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and other types of
discrimination.
3 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as school or family responsibilities, ill health, and
transportation problems, as well as a small number for which reason for nonparticipation was not determined.
4 Includes persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown separately.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector and selected industry detail
(In thousands)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Change
Industry Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept. from:
2007 2008 2008p 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2008p Aug. 2008-
Sept. 2008p
Total nonfarm......... 138,075 137,259 137,231 137,476 137,837 137,717 137,617 137,550 137,477 137,318 -159
Total private........... 116,013 115,968 115,856 115,103 115,610 115,264 115,154 115,048 114,944 114,776 -168
Goods-producing............. 22,437 21,778 21,792 21,601 22,138 21,577 21,491 21,437 21,380 21,303 -77
Natural resources and mining.... 736 790 806 808 727 760 768 777 789 798 9
Logging...................... 62.6 59.3 60.6 62.2 59.7 59.5 57.3 57.7 58.3 59.6 1.3
Mining......................... 673.8 731.1 745.1 745.9 667.4 700.6 710.2 719.4 730.3 738.5 8.2
Oil and gas extraction........ 147.0 164.7 166.9 166.0 147.3 158.3 160.1 162.4 164.5 165.9 1.4
Mining, except oil and gas(1). 231.5 239.4 242.3 238.9 226.7 229.6 230.9 231.3 233.6 233.5 -.1
Coal mining.................. 77.7 81.8 83.9 84.2 78.0 80.5 81.3 81.2 83.5 84.2 .7
Support activities for mining. 295.3 327.0 335.9 341.0 293.4 312.7 319.2 325.7 332.2 339.1 6.9
Construction.................... 7,811 7,462 7,465 7,350 7,589 7,246 7,196 7,173 7,160 7,125 -35
Construction of buildings..... 1,786.0 1,669.6 1,671.1 1,635.0 1,749.4 1,634.9 1,621.5 1,618.3 1,614.9 1,596.8 -18.1
Residential building......... 961.4 867.5 864.3 844.0 940.6 855.5 845.0 837.6 832.7 822.0 -10.7
Nonresidential building...... 824.6 802.1 806.8 791.0 808.8 779.4 776.5 780.7 782.2 774.8 -7.4
Heavy and civil engineering
construction................. 1,058.2 1,016.4 1,015.2 1,003.6 998.8 965.3 959.5 955.5 950.1 944.6 -5.5
Specialty trade contractors... 4,966.9 4,775.8 4,778.8 4,711.4 4,840.3 4,645.6 4,615.1 4,598.7 4,595.1 4,583.6 -11.5
Residential specialty trade
contractors................. 2,334.7 2,159.5 2,142.1 2,113.1 2,280.6 2,094.7 2,077.2 2,070.0 2,060.1 2,057.9 -2.2
Nonresidential specialty
trade contractors........... 2,632.2 2,616.3 2,636.7 2,598.3 2,559.7 2,550.9 2,537.9 2,528.7 2,535.0 2,525.7 -9.3
Manufacturing................... 13,890 13,526 13,521 13,443 13,822 13,571 13,527 13,487 13,431 13,380 -51
Production workers........... 10,020 9,717 9,718 9,640 9,958 9,784 9,738 9,692 9,643 9,587 -56
Durable goods.................. 8,799 8,539 8,526 8,467 8,778 8,594 8,564 8,541 8,489 8,452 -37
Production workers........... 6,263 6,024 6,017 5,953 6,245 6,100 6,064 6,033 5,988 5,943 -45
Wood products................. 518.9 483.0 477.4 468.1 513.1 482.4 477.3 473.3 467.8 463.3 -4.5
Nonmetallic mineral products.. 509.0 487.7 487.0 481.2 501.0 482.1 479.3 476.6 476.0 473.4 -2.6
Primary metals................ 452.8 445.4 443.7 444.5 451.6 448.7 446.8 446.0 442.1 443.5 1.4
Fabricated metal products..... 1,566.0 1,533.1 1,539.3 1,528.8 1,565.0 1,544.2 1,537.1 1,531.8 1,534.4 1,527.1 -7.3
Machinery..................... 1,183.4 1,203.7 1,194.7 1,184.9 1,186.2 1,195.1 1,194.4 1,196.5 1,192.7 1,188.7 -4.0
Computer and electronic
products(1).................. 1,260.3 1,251.3 1,253.0 1,248.0 1,260.5 1,250.1 1,247.1 1,246.1 1,249.0 1,249.0 .0
Computer and peripheral
equipment................... 185.8 185.8 185.7 186.1 185.9 186.2 184.6 185.1 185.8 186.2 .4
Communications equipment..... 127.9 130.8 130.7 130.4 128.5 130.4 131.8 130.8 131.2 131.0 -.2
Semiconductors and electronic
components.................. 437.2 425.6 426.0 424.8 437.4 424.2 422.1 423.2 424.5 425.2 .7
Electronic instruments....... 442.1 445.9 447.6 444.7 442.0 445.6 444.9 444.1 444.9 444.8 -.1
Electrical equipment and
appliances................... 426.7 424.9 421.2 417.1 426.0 422.1 422.0 422.4 418.8 416.4 -2.4
Transportation equipment(1)... 1,712.7 1,588.6 1,587.8 1,578.5 1,706.1 1,636.8 1,631.9 1,624.8 1,588.5 1,575.6 -12.9
Motor vehicles and parts(2).. 998.1 864.0 866.5 854.7 989.6 908.4 902.8 902.2 867.8 849.6 -18.2
Furniture and related products 531.6 497.0 490.7 483.9 530.6 503.5 499.5 495.6 488.8 483.5 -5.3
Miscellaneous manufacturing... 637.9 624.6 630.9 631.7 637.6 629.1 628.8 627.7 630.7 631.1 .4
Nondurable goods............... 5,091 4,987 4,995 4,976 5,044 4,977 4,963 4,946 4,942 4,928 -14
Production workers........... 3,757 3,693 3,701 3,687 3,713 3,684 3,674 3,659 3,655 3,644 -11
Food manufacturing............ 1,509.7 1,491.3 1,506.4 1,512.3 1,476.0 1,473.5 1,472.4 1,469.8 1,472.4 1,475.8 3.4
Beverages and tobacco products 201.1 198.0 197.2 196.5 195.7 193.7 192.5 192.2 191.6 191.0 -.6
Textile mills................. 165.5 148.9 150.2 149.4 164.8 155.1 152.2 149.9 150.3 149.0 -1.3
Textile product mills......... 155.6 148.6 147.5 147.6 156.3 151.0 149.3 148.7 147.9 148.1 .2
Apparel....................... 211.2 196.0 198.0 197.1 209.2 196.6 196.4 195.9 197.2 194.8 -2.4
Leather and allied products... 34.0 33.1 35.1 35.5 34.0 33.7 34.6 33.9 35.2 35.1 -.1
Paper and paper products...... 459.1 458.4 453.6 448.4 459.0 458.1 456.6 454.9 452.4 449.4 -3.0
Printing and related support
activities................... 623.2 599.0 599.2 596.4 623.0 607.3 601.9 598.9 599.4 596.6 -2.8
Petroleum and coal products... 115.0 118.1 117.3 116.0 112.9 113.4 113.8 114.6 114.1 113.7 -.4
Chemicals..................... 865.6 863.4 859.7 851.7 864.3 861.6 859.8 857.1 854.9 852.0 -2.9
Plastics and rubber products.. 750.8 731.7 730.4 724.6 748.4 732.8 733.9 730.2 726.6 722.3 -4.3
Service-providing........... 115,638 115,481 115,439 115,875 115,699 116,140 116,126 116,113 116,097 116,015 -82
Private service-providing.. 93,576 94,190 94,064 93,502 93,472 93,687 93,663 93,611 93,564 93,473 -91
Trade, transportation, and
utilities...................... 26,584 26,378 26,335 26,221 26,649 26,451 26,431 26,393 26,356 26,298 -58
Wholesale trade................ 6,056.6 6,050.8 6,024.2 6,004.3 6,055.6 6,038.4 6,034.6 6,017.6 6,008.3 6,004.2 -4.1
Durable goods................. 3,140.7 3,111.7 3,094.3 3,081.7 3,143.4 3,109.8 3,103.6 3,094.3 3,086.6 3,084.2 -2.4
Nondurable goods.............. 2,085.0 2,092.2 2,082.7 2,073.2 2,078.5 2,089.3 2,088.4 2,078.4 2,074.3 2,068.7 -5.6
Electronic markets and agents
and brokers.................. 830.9 846.9 847.2 849.4 833.7 839.3 842.6 844.9 847.4 851.3 3.9
Retail trade...................15,387.6 15,286.7 15,274.1 15,127.1 15,487.3 15,331.8 15,324.2 15,302.4 15,277.0 15,236.9 -40.1
Motor vehicle and parts
dealers(1)................... 1,927.1 1,888.9 1,871.6 1,855.6 1,916.0 1,892.9 1,883.3 1,870.6 1,855.6 1,845.4 -10.2
Automobile dealers........... 1,252.3 1,212.1 1,197.6 1,186.6 1,246.6 1,224.2 1,215.2 1,204.3 1,191.2 1,182.6 -8.6
Furniture and home furnishings
stores....................... 568.2 561.3 561.1 556.5 576.2 568.5 568.9 569.2 567.3 565.0 -2.3
Electronics and appliance
stores....................... 532.7 528.1 527.4 522.1 540.1 539.3 534.9 535.2 534.7 530.8 -3.9
Building material and garden
supply stores................ 1,283.6 1,270.0 1,256.0 1,225.6 1,291.9 1,240.3 1,238.2 1,230.1 1,234.7 1,231.4 -3.3
Food and beverage stores...... 2,854.4 2,896.8 2,877.0 2,854.3 2,856.0 2,880.7 2,879.2 2,879.5 2,868.8 2,863.0 -5.8
Health and personal care
stores....................... 987.3 986.7 983.8 981.2 990.1 990.9 990.4 990.0 985.4 986.2 .8
Gasoline stations............. 870.5 853.6 852.4 839.3 864.2 841.2 844.4 841.3 840.2 834.5 -5.7
Clothing and clothing
accessories stores........... 1,472.9 1,490.5 1,517.4 1,472.3 1,502.4 1,494.5 1,494.8 1,494.8 1,498.3 1,500.9 2.6
Sporting goods, hobby, book,
and music stores............. 660.8 625.2 648.9 647.0 665.1 653.2 654.5 649.3 654.1 651.4 -2.7
General merchandise stores(1). 2,922.9 2,908.9 2,904.6 2,884.2 2,976.5 2,928.5 2,939.6 2,948.4 2,946.4 2,935.3 -11.1
Department stores............ 1,530.8 1,481.9 1,474.3 1,461.3 1,570.5 1,514.7 1,516.3 1,517.2 1,511.1 1,500.3 -10.8
Miscellaneous store retailers. 873.5 857.7 853.3 858.7 873.3 860.8 858.9 857.4 856.4 857.5 1.1
Nonstore retailers............ 433.7 419.0 420.6 430.3 435.5 441.0 437.1 436.6 435.1 435.5 .4
Transportation and warehousing. 4,585.7 4,476.3 4,473.4 4,527.5 4,551.2 4,524.1 4,514.0 4,513.6 4,510.5 4,494.4 -16.1
Air transportation............ 497.8 498.6 494.8 488.5 494.5 501.3 497.6 495.2 491.0 486.4 -4.6
Rail transportation........... 235.3 233.0 232.1 232.1 234.6 233.0 230.0 232.1 230.2 231.4 1.2
Water transportation.......... 66.6 64.7 63.9 60.9 65.0 61.3 61.8 61.9 60.6 59.6 -1.0
Truck transportation.......... 1,458.4 1,413.2 1,421.5 1,405.8 1,440.6 1,409.8 1,400.1 1,398.3 1,401.1 1,388.8 -12.3
Transit and ground passenger
transportation............... 427.7 354.9 351.8 435.2 417.8 412.9 416.4 417.1 418.8 422.6 3.8
Pipeline transportation....... 39.8 43.7 43.2 43.0 40.1 42.2 42.8 43.3 43.0 43.3 .3
Scenic and sightseeing
transportation............... 34.7 39.7 39.0 34.7 29.8 31.1 31.3 30.6 30.5 30.3 -.2
Support activities for
transportation............... 585.3 591.1 591.8 589.3 586.5 587.1 587.0 590.3 590.7 589.8 -.9
Couriers and messengers....... 577.3 581.3 577.9 578.6 580.3 587.2 587.7 586.5 587.1 584.9 -2.2
Warehousing and storage....... 662.8 656.1 657.4 659.4 662.0 658.2 659.3 658.3 657.5 657.3 -.2
Utilities...................... 554.2 564.5 562.9 562.4 554.8 557.1 558.1 559.8 559.7 562.6 2.9
Information..................... 3,016 2,997 2,988 2,966 3,031 3,002 2,997 2,988 2,983 2,980 -3
Publishing industries, except
Internet..................... 890.9 875.7 871.7 866.0 893.7 879.7 877.0 873.0 870.6 868.8 -1.8
Motion picture and sound
recording industries......... 378.5 385.9 383.9 375.9 384.3 380.9 382.0 379.1 379.0 380.7 1.7
Broadcasting, except Internet. 327.8 320.8 319.1 321.0 327.0 321.2 319.6 320.4 318.3 319.8 1.5
Telecommunications............ 1,019.8 1,016.0 1,014.7 1,008.4 1,024.4 1,017.7 1,018.9 1,016.1 1,016.3 1,012.9 -3.4
Data processing, hosting and
related services............. 271.3 267.4 266.3 264.9 273.1 272.1 269.8 268.3 267.7 266.8 -.9
Other information services.... 128.0 131.6 132.1 130.0 128.8 130.1 130.0 130.8 131.3 130.5 -.8
Financial activities............ 8,282 8,279 8,258 8,172 8,294 8,226 8,213 8,206 8,201 8,184 -17
Finance and insurance.......... 6,115.7 6,105.4 6,088.7 6,046.3 6,136.0 6,098.8 6,088.0 6,081.1 6,078.7 6,067.6 -11.1
Monetary authorities - central
bank......................... 20.8 21.1 21.0 20.8 20.9 21.0 20.9 20.9 20.9 20.9 .0
Credit intermediation and
related activities(1)........ 2,840.6 2,799.5 2,789.6 2,773.5 2,856.7 2,800.5 2,794.0 2,788.6 2,786.9 2,789.4 2.5
Depository credit
intermediation(1)........... 1,824.7 1,824.1 1,821.3 1,806.1 1,831.0 1,820.6 1,818.1 1,815.3 1,814.3 1,812.2 -2.1
Commercial banking.......... 1,344.9 1,347.0 1,345.6 1,335.4 1,350.1 1,343.4 1,343.1 1,340.9 1,340.8 1,340.7 -.1
Securities, commodity
contracts, investments....... 852.9 862.9 865.3 853.2 853.2 866.6 866.0 860.6 862.2 854.4 -7.8
Insurance carriers and related
activities................... 2,313.4 2,333.9 2,324.3 2,310.6 2,317.0 2,323.2 2,319.2 2,323.2 2,320.3 2,314.7 -5.6
Funds, trusts, and other
financial vehicles........... 88.0 88.0 88.5 88.2 88.2 87.5 87.9 87.8 88.4 88.2 -.2
Real estate and rental and
leasing....................... 2,166.1 2,173.9 2,169.7 2,125.9 2,157.7 2,127.3 2,125.1 2,125.3 2,122.4 2,116.0 -6.4
Real estate................... 1,493.6 1,492.7 1,497.5 1,466.1 1,489.8 1,466.4 1,466.2 1,463.7 1,464.8 1,460.0 -4.8
Rental and leasing services... 642.2 648.0 640.0 627.4 637.8 629.5 627.2 629.3 625.5 623.7 -1.8
Lessors of nonfinancial
intangible assets............ 30.3 33.2 32.2 32.4 30.1 31.4 31.7 32.3 32.1 32.3 .2
Professional and business
services....................... 18,133 18,022 18,016 17,933 18,000 17,982 17,927 17,904 17,861 17,834 -27
Professional and technical
services(1)................... 7,655.9 7,834.4 7,816.4 7,789.3 7,729.7 7,839.1 7,850.3 7,855.4 7,861.2 7,873.3 12.1
Legal services............... 1,170.2 1,183.9 1,171.1 1,156.6 1,178.6 1,172.2 1,171.3 1,168.8 1,167.1 1,165.1 -2.0
Accounting and bookkeeping
services.................... 891.0 896.0 892.8 897.1 964.5 973.8 978.0 976.3 977.7 976.4 -1.3
Architectural and engineering
services.................... 1,449.8 1,491.5 1,487.7 1,467.7 1,443.2 1,464.9 1,466.2 1,466.0 1,466.1 1,462.8 -3.3
Computer systems design and
related services............ 1,372.2 1,421.6 1,426.3 1,431.3 1,375.5 1,408.9 1,411.7 1,419.7 1,425.8 1,434.3 8.5
Management and technical
consulting services......... 968.4 1,024.0 1,025.2 1,030.2 967.2 1,006.9 1,014.6 1,019.0 1,020.5 1,029.3 8.8
Management of companies and
enterprises................... 1,850.5 1,841.6 1,841.4 1,823.8 1,854.7 1,836.4 1,837.8 1,830.2 1,830.3 1,825.8 -4.5
Administrative and waste
services...................... 8,626.5 8,346.1 8,357.9 8,320.3 8,415.3 8,306.0 8,239.2 8,218.1 8,169.4 8,134.8 -34.6
Administrative and support
services(1).................. 8,266.3 7,972.2 7,983.8 7,951.2 8,057.4 7,939.8 7,873.5 7,852.3 7,801.6 7,767.3 -34.3
Employment services(1)....... 3,672.2 3,337.6 3,373.6 3,380.9 3,533.0 3,421.8 3,363.3 3,339.9 3,292.5 3,263.6 -28.9
Temporary help services..... 2,682.1 2,383.3 2,413.7 2,429.9 2,565.1 2,451.6 2,415.3 2,391.6 2,356.5 2,332.4 -24.1
Business support services.... 797.2 778.5 775.2 776.1 802.7 789.2 785.2 786.2 784.6 783.8 -.8
Services to buildings and
dwellings................... 1,930.8 1,987.9 1,972.9 1,932.1 1,863.2 1,865.9 1,867.4 1,864.4 1,866.5 1,863.8 -2.7
Waste management and
remediation services......... 360.2 373.9 374.1 369.1 357.9 366.2 365.7 365.8 367.8 367.5 -.3
Education and health services... 18,372 18,593 18,653 18,947 18,451 18,820 18,891 18,935 18,994 19,019 25
Educational services........... 2,917.5 2,776.9 2,785.8 3,086.8 2,967.7 3,047.3 3,099.2 3,111.6 3,127.0 3,131.2 4.2
Health care and social
assistance....................15,454.1 15,815.7 15,867.2 15,860.6 15,483.0 15,772.4 15,791.3 15,823.3 15,867.1 15,887.7 20.6
Health care(3)................13,019.6 13,372.3 13,405.2 13,373.3 13,027.5 13,274.7 13,298.3 13,333.1 13,362.2 13,378.8 16.6
Ambulatory health care
services(1)................. 5,514.5 5,699.0 5,720.2 5,716.2 5,523.1 5,649.9 5,667.7 5,693.2 5,706.4 5,721.3 14.9
Offices of physicians....... 2,216.5 2,283.3 2,286.8 2,284.9 2,219.1 2,265.2 2,273.1 2,281.1 2,282.9 2,287.6 4.7
Outpatient care centers..... 507.5 520.5 522.8 517.7 509.3 516.6 516.7 520.3 522.5 519.5 -3.0
Home health care services... 924.3 963.1 969.7 968.1 925.2 951.0 954.5 960.8 964.6 966.7 2.1
Hospitals.................... 4,543.0 4,678.0 4,684.3 4,673.3 4,541.6 4,635.0 4,642.9 4,653.5 4,667.4 4,670.9 3.5
Nursing and residential care
facilities(1)............... 2,962.1 2,995.3 3,000.7 2,983.8 2,962.8 2,989.8 2,987.7 2,986.4 2,988.4 2,986.6 -1.8
Nursing care facilities..... 1,606.7 1,608.9 1,610.2 1,601.9 1,604.3 1,612.1 1,608.9 1,606.5 1,605.2 1,601.4 -3.8
Social assistance(1).......... 2,434.5 2,443.4 2,462.0 2,487.3 2,455.5 2,497.7 2,493.0 2,490.2 2,504.9 2,508.9 4.0
Child day care services...... 851.9 790.0 806.1 848.4 857.4 860.2 848.8 842.2 849.2 853.1 3.9
Leisure and hospitality......... 13,712 14,324 14,253 13,753 13,552 13,679 13,679 13,655 13,645 13,628 -17
Arts, entertainment, and
recreation.................... 2,045.2 2,306.7 2,264.3 2,029.8 1,985.3 2,013.1 2,011.7 1,999.5 1,995.4 1,984.4 -11.0
Performing arts and spectator
sports....................... 427.6 462.2 465.4 437.5 414.3 434.7 438.0 433.1 433.0 429.0 -4.0
Museums, historical sites,
zoos, and parks.............. 134.2 147.1 143.0 132.5 131.6 133.9 132.7 132.1 131.9 130.8 -1.1
Amusements, gambling, and
recreation................... 1,483.4 1,697.4 1,655.9 1,459.8 1,439.4 1,444.5 1,441.0 1,434.3 1,430.5 1,424.6 -5.9
Accommodation and food
services......................11,667.1 12,016.9 11,989.1 11,722.9 11,567.0 11,665.8 11,667.4 11,655.6 11,649.1 11,643.4 -5.7
Accommodation................. 1,891.3 1,976.6 1,957.4 1,859.9 1,856.4 1,849.0 1,843.4 1,835.8 1,827.5 1,826.6 -.9
Food services and drinking
places....................... 9,775.8 10,040.3 10,031.7 9,863.0 9,710.6 9,816.8 9,824.0 9,819.8 9,821.6 9,816.8 -4.8
Other services.................. 5,477 5,597 5,561 5,510 5,495 5,527 5,525 5,530 5,524 5,530 6
Repair and maintenance........ 1,264.3 1,250.4 1,237.6 1,237.6 1,262.5 1,251.7 1,245.6 1,243.8 1,234.4 1,236.6 2.2
Personal and laundry services. 1,302.1 1,323.7 1,324.7 1,317.0 1,304.4 1,310.6 1,312.8 1,315.1 1,318.1 1,319.0 .9
Membership associations and
organizations................ 2,910.3 3,023.0 2,998.3 2,955.2 2,927.6 2,964.3 2,966.5 2,970.8 2,971.3 2,974.8 3.5
Government...................... 22,062 21,291 21,375 22,373 22,227 22,453 22,463 22,502 22,533 22,542 9
Federal........................ 2,729 2,776 2,767 2,758 2,721 2,740 2,744 2,750 2,747 2,750 3
Federal, except U.S. Postal
Service...................... 1,968.9 2,043.4 2,048.0 2,040.7 1,961.4 2,006.5 2,013.1 2,018.6 2,025.2 2,031.8 6.6
U.S. Postal Service........... 759.9 732.3 719.4 717.4 759.3 733.3 731.0 731.5 721.6 717.8 -3.8
State government............... 5,139 4,911 4,938 5,215 5,138 5,174 5,179 5,193 5,203 5,208 5
State government education.... 2,333.6 2,059.1 2,080.8 2,393.3 2,327.7 2,344.4 2,354.3 2,366.7 2,372.2 2,379.7 7.5
State government, excluding
education.................... 2,805.0 2,851.9 2,857.3 2,821.7 2,810.3 2,829.7 2,824.9 2,826.5 2,830.7 2,828.6 -2.1
Local government............... 14,194 13,604 13,670 14,400 14,368 14,539 14,540 14,559 14,583 14,584 1
Local government education.... 7,803.9 6,896.4 7,014.0 7,931.1 7,970.6 8,060.0 8,053.2 8,072.5 8,082.1 8,098.4 16.3
Local government, excluding
education.................... 6,389.7 6,707.1 6,655.9 6,468.8 6,397.5 6,479.2 6,486.8 6,486.5 6,501.2 6,485.2 -16.0
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.
NOTE: Data reflect the conversion to the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry, replacing NAICS 2002.
See http://www.bls.gov/ces/cesnaics07.htm for more details.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-2. Average weekly hours of production and nonsupervisory workers(1) on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector
and selected industry detail
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Change
Industry Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept. from:
2007 2008 2008p 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2008p Aug. 2008-
Sept. 2008p
Total private......................... 34.2 33.7 33.9 33.7 33.8 33.7 33.7 33.7 33.7 33.6 -0.1
Goods-producing........................... 41.1 40.3 40.7 40.4 40.6 40.2 40.3 40.3 40.3 40.0 -.3
Natural resources and mining.................. 46.8 44.9 45.7 44.8 46.2 44.6 45.0 44.8 45.4 44.4 -1.0
Construction.................................. 39.5 39.2 39.5 38.9 38.9 38.5 38.7 38.7 38.7 38.5 -.2
Manufacturing................................. 41.7 40.6 41.1 41.0 41.4 41.0 41.0 41.0 40.9 40.7 -.2
Overtime hours............................. 4.4 3.7 3.9 3.8 4.2 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.6 -.1
Durable goods................................ 42.0 40.8 41.4 41.2 41.6 41.2 41.2 41.3 41.2 40.9 -.3
Overtime hours............................. 4.4 3.6 3.9 3.7 4.2 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.5 -.2
Wood products............................... 40.2 39.3 39.4 38.9 39.7 39.1 39.3 39.0 39.0 38.4 -.6
Nonmetallic mineral products................ 43.4 42.9 43.2 42.5 42.7 42.3 42.1 42.5 42.4 41.8 -.6
Primary metals.............................. 42.8 42.1 42.8 42.5 42.6 42.2 42.5 42.4 42.8 42.4 -.4
Fabricated metal products................... 42.1 40.8 41.4 41.4 41.9 41.4 41.2 41.2 41.3 41.2 -.1
Machinery................................... 42.8 41.8 42.6 42.1 42.7 42.1 42.1 42.1 42.8 42.1 -.7
Computer and electronic products............ 41.0 40.8 41.0 41.2 40.6 41.2 41.2 41.1 41.1 40.9 -.2
Electrical equipment and appliances......... 41.4 40.4 40.7 41.2 41.2 41.1 41.0 40.9 40.9 41.1 .2
Transportation equipment.................... 43.2 41.2 42.0 42.1 42.8 42.1 42.2 42.6 41.8 41.8 .0
Motor vehicles and parts(2)................ 42.7 40.1 41.3 41.4 42.1 41.6 41.6 42.1 40.6 41.0 .4
Furniture and related products.............. 39.9 38.4 38.8 37.9 39.4 38.8 39.0 38.3 38.0 37.5 -.5
Miscellaneous manufacturing................. 39.8 38.7 39.5 38.7 39.7 39.2 39.2 39.1 39.4 38.6 -.8
Nondurable goods............................. 41.3 40.3 40.6 40.7 40.9 40.5 40.5 40.5 40.5 40.2 -.3
Overtime hours............................. 4.5 3.7 3.9 4.0 4.1 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7 .0
Food manufacturing.......................... 41.5 40.5 40.7 41.0 40.7 40.8 40.6 40.5 40.4 40.3 -.1
Beverages and tobacco products.............. 40.6 39.1 38.6 38.0 40.8 39.7 39.0 38.9 38.3 38.3 .0
Textile mills............................... 40.8 38.9 39.7 39.7 40.4 39.0 38.9 39.4 39.6 39.2 -.4
Textile product mills....................... 39.9 39.2 39.0 38.2 39.9 38.7 39.1 39.2 38.8 38.2 -.6
Apparel..................................... 37.1 36.7 36.4 36.2 37.2 36.0 36.4 37.0 36.5 36.4 -.1
Leather and allied products................. 37.8 37.8 37.2 37.6 37.9 38.7 38.5 38.4 37.7 37.9 .2
Paper and paper products.................... 43.9 42.3 42.9 43.0 43.2 42.5 42.7 42.6 43.0 42.5 -.5
Printing and related support activities..... 39.4 37.5 38.3 38.5 38.9 38.5 38.1 38.0 38.2 38.0 -.2
Petroleum and coal products................. 44.1 46.1 44.7 45.1 43.4 44.2 44.4 45.4 44.8 44.5 -.3
Chemicals................................... 42.1 41.7 41.7 41.8 42.0 41.3 41.8 41.9 41.6 41.6 .0
Plastics and rubber products................ 41.9 40.7 41.2 41.1 41.6 41.0 41.1 41.3 41.3 40.9 -.4
Private service-providing................ 32.8 32.4 32.5 32.3 32.4 32.4 32.4 32.3 32.4 32.3 -.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 33.9 33.4 33.4 33.5 33.3 33.3 33.3 33.2 33.2 33.2 .0
Wholesale trade.............................. 38.7 38.3 38.3 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.3 38.4 38.3 38.1 -.2
Retail trade................................. 30.7 30.3 30.3 30.4 30.2 30.1 30.1 30.0 30.1 30.1 .0
Transportation and warehousing............... 37.2 36.4 36.7 36.6 36.9 36.5 36.5 36.4 36.4 36.4 .0
Utilities.................................... 43.0 42.3 42.1 43.2 42.5 42.4 42.8 42.4 42.3 42.8 .5
Information................................... 37.0 36.8 36.9 37.0 36.5 36.6 36.6 36.7 36.7 36.8 .1
Financial activities.......................... 36.3 35.6 35.8 35.6 35.7 36.0 35.9 35.7 36.0 35.9 -.1
Professional and business services............ 35.2 34.7 35.0 34.9 34.8 34.8 34.8 34.8 34.9 34.9 .0
Education and health services................. 32.9 32.6 32.6 32.5 32.6 32.7 32.6 32.6 32.6 32.5 -.1
Leisure and hospitality....................... 25.6 25.8 25.8 24.9 25.4 25.3 25.3 25.2 25.2 25.1 -.1
Other services................................ 31.1 30.9 31.1 30.8 30.9 30.8 30.8 30.8 30.9 30.8 -.1
1 Data relate to production workers in natural resources and mining and manufacturing, construction workers in construction,
and nonsupervisory workers in the service-providing industries. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the
total employment on private nonfarm payrolls.
2 Includes motor vehicles, motor vehicle bodies and trailers, and motor vehicle parts.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data reflect the conversion to the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry, replacing NAICS 2002.
See http://www.bls.gov/ces/cesnaics07.htm for more details.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers(1) on private nonfarm payrolls
by industry sector and selected industry detail
Average hourly earnings Average weekly earnings
Industry Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. July Aug. Sept.
2007 2008 2008p 2008p 2007 2008 2008p 2008p
Total private........................... $17.64 $17.98 $18.05 $18.20 $603.29 $605.93 $611.90 $613.34
Seasonally adjusted.................... 17.57 18.06 18.14 18.17 593.87 608.62 611.32 610.51
Goods-producing............................. 18.91 19.37 19.50 19.58 777.20 780.61 793.65 791.03
Natural resources and mining.................... 20.93 22.41 23.02 23.17 979.52 1006.21 1052.01 1038.02
Construction.................................... 21.32 21.90 22.15 22.28 842.14 858.48 874.93 866.69
Manufacturing................................... 17.39 17.71 17.74 17.82 725.16 719.03 729.11 730.62
Durable goods.................................. 18.35 18.63 18.70 18.80 770.70 760.10 774.18 774.56
Wood products................................. 13.65 14.22 14.23 14.33 548.73 558.85 560.66 557.44
Nonmetallic mineral products.................. 16.94 16.94 16.86 16.97 735.20 726.73 728.35 721.23
Primary metals................................ 19.83 20.42 20.30 20.35 848.72 859.68 868.84 864.88
Fabricated metal products..................... 16.61 16.94 17.07 17.15 699.28 691.15 706.70 710.01
Machinery..................................... 17.79 17.93 17.91 18.00 761.41 749.47 762.97 757.80
Computer and electronic products.............. 20.20 21.15 21.24 21.30 828.20 862.92 870.84 877.56
Electrical equipment and appliances........... 16.10 15.87 15.96 15.98 666.54 641.15 649.57 658.38
Transportation equipment...................... 23.42 23.68 23.86 23.94 1011.74 975.62 1002.12 1007.87
Furniture and related products................ 14.36 14.52 14.60 14.56 572.96 557.57 566.48 551.82
Miscellaneous manufacturing................... 14.78 15.35 15.34 15.42 588.24 594.05 605.93 596.75
Nondurable goods............................... 15.77 16.19 16.13 16.23 651.30 652.46 654.88 660.56
Food manufacturing............................ 13.65 14.01 13.99 14.03 566.48 567.41 569.39 575.23
Beverages and tobacco products................ 18.40 18.86 18.43 18.85 747.04 737.43 711.40 716.30
Textile mills................................. 13.16 13.77 13.65 13.71 536.93 535.65 541.91 544.29
Textile product mills......................... 11.73 11.80 11.75 11.87 468.03 462.56 458.25 453.43
Apparel....................................... 11.17 11.35 11.31 11.45 414.41 416.55 411.68 414.49
Leather and allied products................... 12.24 12.85 12.94 12.80 462.67 485.73 481.37 481.28
Paper and paper products...................... 18.54 19.07 18.80 18.95 813.91 806.66 806.52 814.85
Printing and related support activities....... 16.37 16.82 16.80 16.87 644.98 630.75 643.44 649.50
Petroleum and coal products................... 25.95 27.70 27.76 28.35 1144.40 1276.97 1240.87 1278.59
Chemicals..................................... 19.52 19.46 19.50 19.72 821.79 811.48 813.15 824.30
Plastics and rubber products.................. 15.45 15.84 15.87 15.94 647.36 644.69 653.84 655.13
Private service-providing.................. 17.31 17.63 17.68 17.86 567.77 571.21 574.60 576.88
Trade, transportation, and utilities............ 16.00 16.21 16.25 16.29 542.40 541.41 542.75 545.72
Wholesale trade................................ 19.85 20.12 20.23 20.21 768.20 770.60 774.81 770.00
Retail trade................................... 12.91 12.93 12.96 13.02 396.34 391.78 392.69 395.81
Transportation and warehousing................. 17.96 18.53 18.52 18.51 668.11 674.49 679.68 677.47
Utilities...................................... 28.27 28.48 28.61 28.80 1215.61 1204.70 1204.48 1244.16
Information..................................... 24.22 24.70 24.75 24.97 896.14 908.96 913.28 923.89
Financial activities............................ 19.88 20.20 20.28 20.41 721.64 719.12 726.02 726.60
Professional and business services.............. 20.34 20.99 21.05 21.27 715.97 728.35 736.75 742.32
Education and health services................... 18.33 18.85 18.84 18.93 603.06 614.51 614.18 615.23
Leisure and hospitality......................... 10.53 10.72 10.80 10.89 269.57 276.58 278.64 271.16
Other services.................................. 15.58 15.80 15.84 15.99 484.54 488.22 492.62 492.49
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data reflect the conversion to the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry, replacing NAICS 2002.
See http://www.bls.gov/ces/cesnaics07.htm for more details.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-4. Average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers(1) on private nonfarm payrolls
by industry sector and selected industry detail, seasonally adjusted
Percent
Industry Sept. May June July Aug. Sept. change from:
2007 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2008p Aug. 2008-
Sept.2008p
Total private:
Current dollars........................ $17.57 $17.95 $18.00 $18.06 $18.14 $18.17 0.2
Constant (1982) dollars(2)............. 8.35 8.24 8.17 8.12 8.17 N.A. (3)
Goods-producing............................. 18.78 19.17 19.25 19.33 19.40 19.45 .3
Natural resources and mining.................... 20.99 21.71 22.01 22.54 23.02 23.17 .7
Construction.................................... 21.12 21.70 21.77 21.84 22.01 22.06 .2
Manufacturing................................... 17.34 17.65 17.71 17.78 17.75 17.79 .2
Excluding overtime(4)........................ 16.50 16.85 16.93 16.99 16.98 17.04 .4
Durable goods.................................. 18.28 18.61 18.67 18.75 18.70 18.74 .2
Nondurable goods............................... 15.74 16.04 16.11 16.14 16.16 16.21 .3
Private service-providing.................. 17.26 17.64 17.69 17.74 17.82 17.85 .2
Trade, transportation, and utilities............ 15.90 16.16 16.19 16.20 16.26 16.24 -.1
Wholesale trade................................ 19.72 20.06 20.12 20.16 20.30 20.25 -.2
Retail trade................................... 12.83 12.90 12.90 12.90 12.95 12.93 -.2
Transportation and warehousing................. 17.86 18.38 18.39 18.41 18.47 18.45 -.1
Utilities...................................... 28.14 28.81 29.14 28.65 28.86 28.74 -.4
Information..................................... 24.01 24.67 24.74 24.82 24.86 24.85 .0
Financial activities............................ 19.76 20.23 20.26 20.30 20.38 20.44 .3
Professional and business services.............. 20.36 20.90 21.01 21.12 21.28 21.38 .5
Education and health services................... 18.29 18.71 18.75 18.81 18.85 18.89 .2
Leisure and hospitality......................... 10.55 10.81 10.85 10.86 10.90 10.91 .1
Other services.................................. 15.55 15.81 15.85 15.90 15.93 15.97 .3
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to deflate this series.
3 Change was .6 percent from July 2008 to Aug. 2008, the latest month available.
4 Derived by assuming that overtime hours are paid at the rate of time and one-half.
N.A. = not available.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data reflect the conversion to the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification System
(NAICS) as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry, replacing NAICS 2002.
See http://www.bls.gov/ces/cesnaics07.htm for more details.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-5. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours of production and nonsupervisory workers(1) on private nonfarm payrolls
by industry sector and selected industry detail
(2002=100)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Percent
Industry Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept. change from:
2007 2008 2008p 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2008p Aug. 2008-
Sept. 2008p
Total private......................... 109.2 107.9 108.4 107.0 107.6 107.1 107.0 106.9 106.8 106.3 -0.5
Goods-producing........................... 104.6 99.1 100.3 98.4 101.6 97.9 97.6 97.2 97.0 95.7 -1.3
Natural resources and mining.................. 138.8 140.8 147.4 145.2 134.5 134.6 137.0 138.3 143.3 141.6 -1.2
Construction.................................. 120.3 113.5 114.8 110.9 114.3 107.5 107.3 106.7 106.9 105.5 -1.3
Manufacturing................................. 95.9 90.5 91.7 90.7 94.6 92.1 91.6 91.2 90.5 89.6 -1.0
Durable goods................................ 98.8 92.3 93.6 92.1 97.6 94.4 93.9 93.6 92.7 91.3 -1.5
Wood products............................... 91.7 83.2 82.7 79.4 89.3 82.0 81.6 80.5 79.6 77.3 -2.9
Nonmetallic mineral products................ 101.9 98.0 99.0 95.9 98.3 95.1 94.5 94.2 94.5 92.5 -2.1
Primary metals.............................. 90.7 87.9 88.9 88.5 90.1 89.2 89.4 89.0 88.9 88.2 -.8
Fabricated metal products................... 106.0 100.1 102.2 101.3 105.3 103.0 101.7 101.2 101.7 100.8 -.9
Machinery................................... 103.7 102.7 103.4 101.0 103.7 103.1 102.6 102.9 103.9 101.3 -2.5
Computer and electronic products............ 102.7 101.0 101.6 100.6 101.5 102.9 102.3 101.6 101.7 99.9 -1.8
Electrical equipment and appliances......... 89.2 87.6 87.5 87.7 88.8 88.6 88.4 88.3 87.5 87.5 .0
Transportation equipment.................... 99.7 85.6 87.1 86.6 98.5 91.5 91.0 90.9 86.8 86.0 -.9
Motor vehicles and parts(2)................ 87.4 68.6 70.8 69.5 85.6 76.3 75.4 75.9 69.7 68.4 -1.9
Furniture and related products.............. 87.5 77.8 77.6 74.7 86.3 79.8 79.3 77.2 75.6 74.0 -2.1
Miscellaneous manufacturing................. 92.4 87.7 91.2 89.2 92.1 89.9 89.8 89.5 90.8 88.9 -2.1
Nondurable goods............................. 91.4 87.7 88.5 88.4 89.5 87.9 87.7 87.3 87.2 86.3 -1.0
Food manufacturing.......................... 105.4 101.5 103.1 104.6 100.7 101.1 100.5 99.9 99.8 99.9 .1
Beverages and tobacco products.............. 103.5 94.6 93.3 91.5 100.1 90.7 90.5 89.5 87.9 87.7 -.2
Textile mills............................... 55.4 47.5 48.8 48.4 54.7 49.7 48.8 48.8 49.0 47.9 -2.2
Textile product mills....................... 76.4 72.4 71.4 70.4 76.4 72.8 72.5 72.6 71.1 70.4 -1.0
Apparel..................................... 60.9 56.6 56.7 56.3 60.2 55.1 55.8 56.9 56.7 55.8 -1.6
Leather and allied products................. 70.2 69.7 73.3 75.3 70.3 72.1 74.3 72.6 74.7 74.9 .3
Paper and paper products.................... 87.8 85.1 85.6 84.8 86.2 85.3 85.3 84.9 85.2 83.7 -1.8
Printing and related support activities..... 93.0 84.7 86.7 86.6 92.1 88.6 86.6 85.8 86.5 85.7 -.9
Petroleum and coal products................. 99.5 106.5 104.6 104.5 95.6 97.8 98.5 101.5 101.3 100.0 -1.3
Chemicals................................... 95.4 97.4 96.2 95.1 94.8 96.3 97.1 96.9 95.5 95.0 -.5
Plastics and rubber products................ 91.9 87.1 88.0 86.8 90.9 88.0 88.3 88.3 87.8 86.2 -1.8
Private service-providing................. 110.7 110.5 110.6 109.2 109.3 109.7 109.7 109.3 109.6 109.1 -.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 106.4 104.4 104.2 104.0 104.8 104.4 104.3 103.8 103.6 103.4 -.2
Wholesale trade.............................. 111.8 110.9 110.3 109.2 110.3 110.6 110.5 110.5 110.0 109.2 -.7
Retail trade................................. 102.5 100.8 100.7 99.9 101.7 100.4 100.3 99.9 100.0 99.8 -.2
Transportation and warehousing............... 111.3 107.2 107.9 109.1 109.4 108.8 108.4 108.2 107.9 107.6 -.3
Utilities.................................... 97.6 98.8 97.8 99.8 96.7 97.2 98.7 97.9 97.6 99.0 1.4
Information................................... 100.9 100.7 100.5 100.1 100.1 100.2 100.0 100.0 99.9 100.3 .4
Financial activities.......................... 109.9 108.8 109.1 107.4 108.3 108.9 108.6 107.9 108.9 108.4 -.5
Professional and business services............ 118.2 115.7 116.5 115.7 115.9 115.6 115.3 115.1 115.0 114.8 -.2
Education and health services................. 113.9 114.4 114.8 116.2 113.4 116.1 116.2 116.5 117.0 116.8 -.2
Leisure and hospitality....................... 113.7 120.1 119.4 111.0 111.6 112.0 112.0 111.5 111.4 110.8 -.5
Other services................................ 99.6 101.4 101.3 99.2 99.4 99.6 99.5 99.6 99.9 99.7 -.2
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
2 Includes motor vehicles, motor vehicle bodies and trailers, and motor vehicle parts.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: The indexes of aggregate weekly hours are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate hours
by the corresponding 2002 annual average levels. Aggregate hours estimates are the product of estimates of average
weekly hours and production and nonsupervisory worker employment.
Data reflect the conversion to the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry, replacing NAICS 2002.
See http://www.bls.gov/ces/cesnaics07.htm for more details.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-6. Indexes of aggregate weekly payrolls of production and nonsupervisory workers(1) on private nonfarm payrolls
by industry sector and selected industry detail
(2002=100)
Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Percent
Industry Sept. July Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept. change from:
2007 2008 2008p 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2008p Aug. 2008-
Sept. 2008p
Total private......................... 128.8 129.6 130.8 130.1 126.3 128.4 128.7 129.0 129.5 129.1 -0.3
Goods-producing........................... 121.2 117.5 119.8 118.0 116.8 114.9 115.1 115.0 115.2 114.0 -1.0
Natural resources and mining.................. 168.9 183.5 197.4 195.7 164.2 170.0 175.4 181.3 191.9 190.8 -.6
Construction.................................. 138.5 134.2 137.3 133.4 130.4 126.0 126.2 125.9 127.0 125.7 -1.0
Manufacturing................................. 109.1 104.9 106.3 105.7 107.3 106.3 106.1 106.0 105.1 104.2 -.9
Durable goods................................ 113.2 107.4 109.3 108.1 111.4 109.7 109.4 109.6 108.2 106.8 -1.3
Nondurable goods............................. 101.9 100.3 100.9 101.4 99.5 99.6 99.8 99.6 99.6 98.9 -.7
Private service-providing................. 131.4 133.5 134.1 133.7 129.3 132.7 133.0 133.0 133.9 133.6 -.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 121.4 120.7 120.8 120.8 118.9 120.3 120.4 120.0 120.2 119.8 -.3
Wholesale trade.............................. 130.7 131.5 131.4 130.0 128.1 130.7 131.0 131.2 131.5 130.2 -1.0
Retail trade................................. 113.4 111.7 111.8 111.5 111.8 111.0 110.9 110.4 111.0 110.6 -.4
Transportation and warehousing............... 126.8 126.0 126.8 128.1 124.0 126.8 126.4 126.3 126.4 126.0 -.3
Utilities.................................... 115.2 117.5 116.8 120.0 113.6 116.9 120.0 117.1 117.6 118.8 1.0
Information................................... 121.0 123.1 123.2 123.7 119.0 122.3 122.5 122.9 123.0 123.4 .3
Financial activities.......................... 135.1 135.9 136.9 135.5 132.3 136.2 136.0 135.5 137.2 137.0 -.1
Professional and business services............ 143.0 144.5 145.9 146.4 140.4 143.8 144.2 144.7 145.6 146.0 .3
Education and health services................. 137.3 141.8 142.2 144.6 136.4 142.8 143.2 144.1 144.9 145.0 .1
Leisure and hospitality....................... 136.0 146.3 146.5 137.3 133.7 137.5 138.1 137.5 137.9 137.3 -.4
Other services................................ 113.1 116.8 117.0 115.6 112.6 114.8 115.0 115.4 116.0 116.0 .0
1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: The indexes of aggregate weekly payrolls are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate
payrolls by the corresponding 2002 annual average levels. Aggregate payroll estimates are the product of estimates of
average hourly earnings, average weekly hours, and production and nonsupervisory worker employment.
Data reflect the conversion to the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry, replacing NAICS 2002.
See http://www.bls.gov/ces/cesnaics07.htm for more details.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Table B-7. Diffusion indexes of employment change
(Percent)
Time span Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Private nonfarm payrolls, 274 industries(1)
Over 1-month span:
2004 .............. 50.5 50.5 64.1 62.6 61.7 58.9 56.0 50.0 56.9 56.9 51.3 51.8
2005 .............. 52.2 60.6 54.2 58.2 55.8 58.2 58.0 61.3 54.7 53.6 62.4 54.7
2006 .............. 65.1 60.9 64.4 59.3 53.3 52.7 60.4 58.9 53.5 55.8 57.1 56.0
2007 .............. 51.6 51.8 52.7 51.1 56.6 50.4 52.2 51.6 56.4 54.6 48.2 48.5
2008 .............. 45.4 41.4 47.4 45.6 46.4 42.3 38.3 p44.7 p38.1
Over 3-month span:
2004 .............. 54.4 52.9 57.3 63.5 68.8 66.6 61.3 56.4 57.7 59.5 61.9 54.6
2005 .............. 52.2 55.5 57.5 60.8 58.9 61.9 60.4 63.9 61.1 54.4 54.9 61.3
2006 .............. 67.2 66.2 66.6 65.5 60.6 58.2 56.0 58.9 55.7 56.4 57.1 58.4
2007 .............. 58.4 54.7 55.3 54.7 56.2 53.3 53.1 54.7 58.4 56.8 54.7 52.4
2008 .............. 46.7 42.7 42.3 44.0 43.1 44.0 36.3 p38.3 p36.1
Over 6-month span:
2004 .............. 50.0 51.6 55.3 60.9 63.7 65.1 65.1 63.9 60.4 61.7 58.2 56.0
2005 .............. 54.6 57.3 56.8 57.5 57.5 58.2 64.4 62.8 62.0 59.3 61.5 62.0
2006 .............. 63.1 64.4 67.2 67.0 64.4 66.4 61.5 61.7 60.4 59.7 60.8 56.0
2007 .............. 59.1 56.4 57.5 56.8 58.8 58.2 56.2 58.0 58.2 57.1 54.6 53.8
2008 .............. 51.5 49.8 44.7 46.5 43.6 39.1 37.6 p38.9 p37.2
Over 12-month span:
2004 .............. 40.5 42.3 45.1 48.9 51.3 58.2 57.5 55.7 57.3 58.8 60.6 60.8
2005 .............. 60.6 60.8 59.7 58.9 58.0 60.0 60.9 63.3 60.4 58.9 59.5 61.7
2006 .............. 67.2 65.1 65.5 62.6 64.8 66.4 64.4 64.4 66.2 65.1 64.4 65.5
2007 .............. 62.6 59.1 60.4 58.9 59.5 58.4 57.5 58.8 61.7 60.4 59.9 57.7
2008 .............. 53.8 54.6 52.6 50.4 49.3 45.8 44.7 p42.3 p41.2
Manufacturing payrolls, 84 industries(1)
Over 1-month span:
2004 .............. 43.5 47.6 47.0 63.7 50.6 51.2 58.3 42.9 42.9 48.2 42.3 39.9
2005 .............. 36.3 48.8 42.9 44.6 42.3 35.1 38.1 47.0 45.8 46.4 47.0 47.0
2006 .............. 57.7 45.8 54.8 48.8 38.1 53.0 50.6 44.0 36.3 40.5 38.1 39.3
2007 .............. 47.6 35.7 30.4 29.8 37.5 39.3 41.7 33.3 40.5 45.2 44.6 36.3
2008 .............. 40.5 28.6 38.1 35.1 44.6 30.4 26.8 p34.5 p26.8
Over 3-month span:
2004 .............. 41.1 40.5 43.5 56.5 58.9 61.3 57.7 47.0 46.4 41.7 44.6 38.7
2005 .............. 38.1 39.3 42.3 44.6 36.3 37.5 33.3 39.9 45.8 41.7 38.7 49.4
2006 .............. 54.8 52.4 47.6 48.8 44.6 50.6 42.9 47.6 36.3 37.5 32.1 34.5
2007 .............. 33.9 28.6 32.1 27.4 29.8 32.7 31.0 34.5 32.1 39.3 44.0 41.7
2008 .............. 35.7 27.4 26.8 29.2 29.8 35.7 24.4 p23.2 p20.8
Over 6-month span:
2004 .............. 29.2 31.5 32.7 44.6 49.4 54.8 59.5 56.0 51.2 51.8 44.0 38.7
2005 .............. 33.9 38.1 35.1 36.9 32.1 32.1 41.7 35.7 36.3 36.9 37.5 42.3
2006 .............. 42.9 45.2 50.6 47.6 48.2 47.6 46.4 48.8 43.5 41.7 38.7 29.8
2007 .............. 34.5 27.4 23.8 27.4 31.5 34.5 33.3 31.0 29.2 35.1 34.5 32.7
2008 .............. 34.5 33.9 32.1 28.0 26.8 20.8 19.6 p20.2 p21.4
Over 12-month span:
2004 .............. 13.1 14.3 13.1 20.2 23.2 35.7 36.9 38.1 36.9 44.0 44.6 44.6
2005 .............. 44.6 43.5 41.7 40.5 36.3 35.1 32.1 33.9 32.7 33.3 33.3 38.1
2006 .............. 44.6 40.5 40.5 39.3 39.3 44.6 41.7 42.3 46.4 48.2 45.2 44.0
2007 .............. 39.3 36.3 36.9 28.6 29.8 26.2 26.8 29.2 30.4 29.8 33.3 33.9
2008 .............. 29.8 29.8 29.8 24.4 27.4 24.4 23.8 p22.0 p25.0
1 Based on seasonally adjusted data for 1-, 3-, 6-month spans and unadjusted data for the 12-month span.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Figures are the percent of industries with employment increasing plus one-half of the industries with
unchanged employment, where 50 percent indicates an equal balance between industries with increasing and decreasing
employment.
Data reflect the conversion to the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry, replacing NAICS 2002.
See http://www.bls.gov/ces/cesnaics07.htm for more details.
United States Department of Labor
