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News Release Information

16-2345-CHI
Friday, December 30, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Chicago Area Employment — November 2016

Local Rate of Employment Growth Below National Average

Total nonfarm employment for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 4,698,000 in November 2016, up 37,900, or 0.8 percent, over the year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. During the same period, the national job count increased 1.6 percent. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the Chicago metropolitan area has had over-the-year employment increases each month since October 2010. (See chart 1 and table 1; the Technical Note at the end of this release contains metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)

The Chicago metropolitan area is made up of four metropolitan divisions—separately identifiable employment centers within the larger metropolitan area. The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division, which accounted for 80 percent of the area’s workforce, added 26,400 jobs from November a year ago. Employment in the Gary, Ind. Metropolitan Division increased by 4,900, while employment in the Elgin, Ill. Metropolitan Division and the Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. Metropolitan Division grew by 3,600 and 3,000, respectively, over the year.

Industry employment

In the greater Chicago metropolitan area, professional and business services had the largest employment gain from November 2015 to November 2016, adding 23,200 jobs. The Chicago area’s 2.9-percent growth in professional and business services employment matched the nationwide increase. While all four divisions added jobs in this supersector over the year, the Elgin division had the fastest rate of job growth, at 9.2 percent. (See chart 2.)

Leisure and hospitality employment increased by 12,100 since November 2015, the second-largest gain in the Chicago area. Local employment growth in the supersector was concentrated in the Chicago division which added 12,600 jobs. The local rate of job growth, at 2.7 percent, was greater than the national advance of 1.9 percent.

Three other supersectors in the Chicago area each gained 3,000 or more jobs since last November—construction (+4,000), trade, transportation, and utilities (+3,300), and government (+3,000). The 2.3-percent local rate of job growth in construction was similar to the nationwide increase of 2.4 percent. The Chicago area’s 0.3-percent growth in trade, transportation, and utilities employment was less than the nationwide increase of 1.2 percent. The local rate of job gain in government was 0.5 percent compared to the national increase of 1.0 percent.

In contrast, three supersectors in the Chicago area lost more than 1,000 jobs each since last November—financial activities (-6,500), information (-3,300), and manufacturing (-1,900). Nationally, the financial activities and information supersectors added jobs. The local rate of job loss in manufacturing, down 0.5 percent, was similar to the 0.4-percent job loss rate for the nation. In Chicago, the manufacturing supersector has had over-the-year employment decreases each month since June 2016.

Employment in the 12 largest metropolitan areas

Chicago was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in November 2016. All 12 areas experienced over-the-year job growth during the period, with the rates of growth in 7 areas exceeding the national average of 1.6 percent. The fastest rate of job growth was in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 3.3 percent, followed by Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell at 2.6 percent. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land had the slowest rate of job growth, up 0.5 percent. (See chart 3 and table 2.)

The New York-Newark-Jersey City area added the largest number of jobs, 117,300, since November 2015. The Dallas and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim areas also added over 100,000 jobs each. Houston had the smallest employment gain, adding 16,100 jobs over the 12-month period.

Two supersectors accounted for most of the job growth in the 12 largest areas. Professional and business services added the most jobs in five areas—Atlanta, Chicago, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. Education and health services added the most jobs in five other areas—Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward.

Manufacturing had the largest over-the-year loss of jobs in four areas—Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Metropolitan area employment data for December 2016 are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.


Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. The employment data are estimated using a "link relative" technique in which a ratio (link relative) of current-month employment to that of the previous month is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are obtained by multiplying the estimates for the previous month by these ratios. Small-domain models are used as the official estimators for approximately 39 percent of CES published series which have insufficient sample for direct sample-based estimates.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports which are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months.

Reliability of the estimates. The estimates presented in this release are based on sample survey and administrative data and thus are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability—that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data are also subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the special estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of rounding.

Employment estimates. Measures of sampling error are available for metropolitan areas or metropolitan divisions upon request. Measures of sampling error for states down to the supersector level are available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/sae/additional-resources/reliability-of-state-and-area-estimates.htm. Information on recent benchmark revisions is available online at www.bls.gov/sae/benchmark2016.pdf.

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the delineations issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on February 28, 2013. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois; Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana; and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.

  • The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, Ill. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kendall, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois.
  • The Elgin, Ill. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes DeKalb and Kane Counties.
  • The Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Lake County in Illinois and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
  • The Gary, Ind. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana.

Additional information

More complete information on the technical procedures used to develop these estimates and additional data appear in Employment and Earnings, which is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. Industry employment data for states and metropolitan areas from the Current Employment Statistics program are also available in the above mentioned news releases and from the Internet at www.bls.gov/sae.

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

Table 1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, the Chicago metropolitan area and its components, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
Area and Industry
 
Nov
2015
Sep
2016
Oct
2016
Nov
2016(p)
Nov 2015 to
Nov 2016(p)
Net
change
Percent
change

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area

 

Total nonfarm

4,660.14,677.04,701.64,698.037.90.8

Mining and logging

1.61.51.51.5-0.1-6.3

Construction

173.7182.0183.0177.74.02.3

Manufacturing

413.6409.7411.0411.7-1.9-0.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

951.9934.8940.7955.23.30.3

Information

83.480.580.180.1-3.3-4.0

Financial activities

295.1288.7289.0288.6-6.5-2.2

Professional and business services

814.0838.5845.1837.223.22.9

Education and health services

716.4705.5715.5719.12.70.4

Leisure and hospitality

451.9480.0473.5464.012.12.7

Other services

196.3197.8197.9197.71.40.7

Government

562.2558.0564.3565.23.00.5

Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

3,710.93,715.53,736.63,737.326.40.7

Mining and logging

1.21.11.11.1-0.1-8.3

Construction

129.9135.3136.0131.81.91.5

Manufacturing

281.8278.7279.5279.8-2.0-0.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

750.8734.5738.9750.3-0.5-0.1

Information

74.271.871.471.4-2.8-3.8

Financial activities

254.7249.5249.8249.3-5.4-2.1

Professional and business services

683.1700.5705.9700.717.62.6

Education and health services

585.8576.6584.5588.02.20.4

Leisure and hospitality

358.9379.2376.2371.512.63.5

Other services

160.6161.8162.0161.71.10.7

Government

429.9426.5431.3431.71.80.4

Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

261.0263.1265.2264.63.61.4

Mining and logging

0.20.20.20.20.00.0

Construction

14.115.415.415.11.07.1

Manufacturing

35.534.734.935.1-0.4-1.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

48.047.247.848.20.20.4

Information

3.53.33.33.3-0.2-5.7

Financial activities

10.910.710.810.8-0.1-0.9

Professional and business services

37.040.940.940.43.49.2

Education and health services

33.233.133.833.80.61.8

Leisure and hospitality

25.425.424.524.0-1.4-5.5

Other services

9.49.59.59.50.11.1

Government

43.842.744.144.20.40.9

Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

410.2417.5416.3413.23.00.7

Mining and logging

0.10.10.10.10.00.0

Construction

14.014.914.814.50.53.6

Manufacturing

59.960.160.260.40.50.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

92.892.592.694.51.71.8

Information

3.73.43.43.4-0.3-8.1

Financial activities

20.919.819.819.9-1.0-4.8

Professional and business services

70.674.475.172.72.13.0

Education and health services

46.946.447.347.40.51.1

Leisure and hospitality

35.841.137.834.7-1.1-3.1

Other services

13.013.113.013.10.10.8

Government

52.551.752.252.50.00.0

Gary, IN Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

278.0280.9283.5282.94.91.8

Mining and logging

0.10.10.10.10.00.0

Construction

15.716.416.816.30.63.8

Manufacturing

36.436.236.436.40.00.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

60.360.661.462.21.93.2

Information

2.02.02.02.00.00.0

Financial activities

8.68.78.68.60.00.0

Professional and business services

23.322.723.223.40.10.4

Education and health services

50.549.449.949.9-0.6-1.2

Leisure and hospitality

31.834.335.033.82.06.3

Other services

13.313.413.413.40.10.8

Government

36.037.136.736.80.82.2

Footnotes
(p) Preliminary
 

Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, United States and 12 largest metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
AreaNov
2015
Sep
2016
Oct
2016
Nov
2016(p)
Nov 2015 to
Nov 2016(p)
Net
change
Percent
change

United States(1)

 

Total nonfarm

144,122145,052145,920146,3992,2771.6

Mining and logging

776688691692-84-10.8

Construction

6,6546,8866,8916,8131592.4

Manufacturing

12,31712,30712,28912,273-44-0.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

27,59627,28127,46527,9193231.2

Information

2,7672,7722,7762,77360.2

Financial activities

8,1838,3298,3368,3371541.9

Professional and business services

20,08120,45120,60120,6695882.9

Education and health services

22,56922,73823,05023,1455762.6

Leisure and hospitality

15,03415,74815,51815,3272931.9

Other services

5,6345,7005,7155,709751.3

Government

22,51122,15222,58822,7422311.0

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

 

Total nonfarm

2,643.72,668.02,692.72,711.968.22.6

Mining and logging

1.51.41.41.4-0.1-6.7

Construction

111.0117.0118.6117.66.65.9

Manufacturing

160.8161.2161.3162.51.71.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

601.0593.0598.7610.29.21.5

Information

88.088.288.589.41.41.6

Financial activities

164.5168.2168.9169.95.43.3

Professional and business services

489.5497.9507.2510.220.74.2

Education and health services

323.3329.5333.1333.810.53.2

Leisure and hospitality

277.2286.3286.5286.79.53.4

Other services

98.095.195.695.7-2.3-2.3

Government

328.9330.2332.9334.55.61.7

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (NECTA)

 

Total nonfarm

2,684.72,709.02,727.32,732.247.51.8

Mining, logging, and construction

110.6117.3116.6114.94.33.9

Manufacturing

191.2188.6188.7189.7-1.5-0.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

425.2421.2423.7427.62.40.6

Information

76.878.377.877.60.81.0

Financial activities

183.7188.3188.8189.35.63.0

Professional and business services

461.6466.0469.8470.28.61.9

Education and health services

565.6567.7576.4579.714.12.5

Leisure and hospitality

251.5268.5267.5259.98.43.3

Other services

101.4101.9102.2103.31.91.9

Government

317.1311.2315.8320.02.90.9

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

 

Total nonfarm

4,660.14,677.04,701.64,698.037.90.8

Mining and logging

1.61.51.51.5-0.1-6.3

Construction

173.7182.0183.0177.74.02.3

Manufacturing

413.6409.7411.0411.7-1.9-0.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

951.9934.8940.7955.23.30.3

Information

83.480.580.180.1-3.3-4.0

Financial activities

295.1288.7289.0288.6-6.5-2.2

Professional and business services

814.0838.5845.1837.223.22.9

Education and health services

716.4705.5715.5719.12.70.4

Leisure and hospitality

451.9480.0473.5464.012.12.7

Other services

196.3197.8197.9197.71.40.7

Government

562.2558.0564.3565.23.00.5

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

 

Total nonfarm

3,475.33,545.13,569.53,590.1114.83.3

Mining, logging, and construction

201.7205.0206.4205.43.71.8

Manufacturing

262.3259.7260.3261.3-1.0-0.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

749.7764.2773.0783.734.04.5

Information

80.982.081.581.70.81.0

Financial activities

281.4293.3294.3295.013.64.8

Professional and business services

573.4592.8593.6598.425.04.4

Education and health services

428.1436.3440.9441.413.33.1

Leisure and hospitality

360.5371.9371.2370.710.22.8

Other services

117.8120.0120.7121.53.73.1

Government

419.5419.9427.6431.011.52.7

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

 

Total nonfarm

3,015.43,004.43,025.83,031.516.10.5

Mining and logging

95.186.986.487.2-7.9-8.3

Construction

225.8216.6219.4213.1-12.7-5.6

Manufacturing

237.8230.0231.5230.6-7.2-3.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

619.5618.1623.2630.010.51.7

Information

31.530.430.731.2-0.3-1.0

Financial activities

153.3152.4153.6153.2-0.1-0.1

Professional and business services

469.3463.3466.6465.4-3.9-0.8

Education and health services

376.1387.9390.1390.614.53.9

Leisure and hospitality

307.7323.0320.0324.416.75.4

Other services

107.1106.7105.4104.5-2.6-2.4

Government

392.2389.1398.9401.39.12.3

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

 

Total nonfarm

5,928.55,958.86,000.76,032.1103.61.7

Mining and logging

4.64.04.04.0-0.6-13.0

Construction

223.8229.2228.8224.91.10.5

Manufacturing

514.3510.8509.3509.6-4.7-0.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,108.21,087.41,093.01,116.58.30.7

Information

231.3232.6237.1236.85.52.4

Financial activities

333.6338.4339.0338.24.61.4

Professional and business services

903.5916.1917.6920.517.01.9

Education and health services

966.7980.8996.2997.030.33.1

Leisure and hospitality

701.2727.7723.4723.021.83.1

Other services

202.5204.2205.2206.03.51.7

Government

738.8727.6747.1755.616.82.3

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

 

Total nonfarm

2,564.12,565.92,586.62,626.061.92.4

Mining and logging

0.60.60.60.60.00.0

Construction

118.1122.0121.7121.53.42.9

Manufacturing

85.384.384.484.7-0.6-0.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

598.0592.8596.5613.015.02.5

Information

48.747.648.048.70.00.0

Financial activities

178.0181.9181.5181.43.41.9

Professional and business services

418.7423.1428.0434.315.63.7

Education and health services

373.3376.2379.6383.410.12.7

Leisure and hospitality

311.7309.1314.6323.211.53.7

Other services

123.2121.2122.9125.01.81.5

Government

308.5307.1308.8310.21.70.6

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

 

Total nonfarm

9,522.49,523.39,601.49,639.7117.31.2

Mining, logging, and construction

390.5398.4394.1389.0-1.5-0.4

Manufacturing

370.7373.3371.9369.9-0.8-0.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,760.51,733.71,746.11,777.116.60.9

Information

285.3288.9288.4288.73.41.2

Financial activities

770.3771.5767.2767.4-2.9-0.4

Professional and business services

1,516.61,516.51,528.81,530.614.00.9

Education and health services

1,823.71,812.31,849.31,867.343.62.4

Leisure and hospitality

866.7923.3906.7890.323.62.7

Other services

412.9420.5420.8422.49.52.3

Government

1,325.21,284.91,328.11,337.011.80.9

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

 

Total nonfarm

2,875.42,879.22,905.02,919.043.61.5

Mining, logging, and construction

114.4118.1117.2117.32.92.5

Manufacturing

181.2184.2183.3182.91.70.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

531.6523.3528.5536.95.31.0

Information

46.546.045.845.8-0.7-1.5

Financial activities

209.2211.8211.6211.72.51.2

Professional and business services

460.2465.8467.1472.612.42.7

Education and health services

619.4613.6624.5629.810.41.7

Leisure and hospitality

249.7263.8264.4257.37.63.0

Other services

118.3118.2119.3119.91.61.4

Government

344.9334.4343.3344.8-0.10.0

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

 

Total nonfarm

1,979.01,967.41,987.82,000.521.51.1

Mining and logging

3.33.33.33.30.00.0

Construction

102.5109.4109.6107.75.25.1

Manufacturing

121.4118.5118.4119.0-2.4-2.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

395.4383.7389.7397.62.20.6

Information

37.637.538.338.00.41.1

Financial activities

169.6174.0175.4175.15.53.2

Professional and business services

336.8328.1331.9336.3-0.5-0.1

Education and health services

290.7297.0299.2299.08.32.9

Leisure and hospitality

211.7212.5215.9219.47.73.6

Other services

65.964.264.362.6-3.3-5.0

Government

244.1239.2241.8242.5-1.6-0.7

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

 

Total nonfarm

2,304.12,334.82,352.92,360.756.62.5

Mining and logging

1.00.90.90.9-0.1-10.0

Construction

114.4124.4123.3124.09.68.4

Manufacturing

127.8129.2126.8126.6-1.2-0.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

380.5374.3377.2388.37.82.0

Information

86.586.386.886.70.20.2

Financial activities

129.5130.8131.9131.62.11.6

Professional and business services

473.1483.1486.0483.810.72.3

Education and health services

335.3344.9350.1349.814.54.3

Leisure and hospitality

258.5269.7272.3268.39.83.8

Other services

83.683.383.683.80.20.2

Government

313.9307.9314.0316.93.01.0

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

 

Total nonfarm

3,219.53,257.53,279.23,285.065.52.0

Mining, logging, and construction

155.5159.7159.0157.31.81.2

Manufacturing

54.153.754.454.70.61.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

412.6412.5415.7422.910.32.5

Information

76.375.174.174.3-2.0-2.6

Financial activities

154.6154.4153.7153.5-1.1-0.7

Professional and business services

732.6746.0754.1754.622.03.0

Education and health services

419.4429.3433.5431.512.12.9

Leisure and hospitality

311.5322.2321.7318.87.32.3

Other services

199.5202.1201.0200.91.40.7

Government

703.4702.5712.0716.513.11.9

Footnotes
(1) U.S. data are preliminary for two months after they are first published.
(p) Preliminary
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, December 30, 2016