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News Release Information

19-5-CHI
Friday, January 04, 2019

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

Chicago Area Employment — November 2018

Local Rate of Employment Growth Below National Average

Total nonfarm employment for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 4,804,300 in November 2018, up 45,700, or 1.0 percent, over the year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. During the same period, the national job count increased by 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 32,300 jobs from November a year ago. In the Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division, employment increased by 6,500 jobs over the year. Employment in the Gary, IN Metropolitan Division increased by 3,500 from November a year ago; employment in the Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division increased by 3,400 over the year.

Industry employment

In the greater Chicago metropolitan area, government had the largest employment gain from November 2017 to November 2018, adding 9,300 jobs. The Chicago area’s 1.7-percent rate of job growth in government was higher than the nationwide advance of 0.3 percent. (See chart 2.)

Education and health services employment added 8,900 jobs, the second-largest employment gain in the Chicago area from November 2017 to November 2018. Local employment growth in the education and health services supersector was concentrated in the Chicago division, which added 9,800 jobs. The Chicago area’s 1.2-percent rate of job growth was lower than the 2.0-percent national gain.

Three other local supersectors each gained at least 6,700 jobs: construction (+7,600), manufacturing (+7,600), and financial activities (+6,700). The Chicago area’s construction industry job growth rate of 4.2 percent was higher than the 3.9-percent national increase. Employment in Chicago’s manufacturing industry grew by 1.8 percent; nationally, employment in this industry grew by 2.2 percent over the year. The financial activities supersector’s local job growth rate of 2.2 percent was higher than the 1.4-percent national increase. Financial activities employment was concentrated in the Chicago division, which added 5,800 jobs in this supersector.

Two Chicago area supersectors lost more than 1,000 jobs since last November: information (-2,600, down 3.3 percent) and other services (-1,200, down 0.6 percent). Nationally, employment in the information sector decreased by 0.8 percent, while other services employment rose by 1.1 percent from the previous November.

Employment in the 12 largest metropolitan areas

Chicago was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in November 2018. All 12 areas had over-the-year job growth during the period, with the rates of job growth in 8 areas matching or exceeding the national increase of 1.6 percent. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale had the fastest rate of job growth, up 4.2 percent, followed by Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land at 3.7 percent. Chicago had the slowest rate of job growth, up 1.0 percent, followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim at 1.1 percent. (See chart 3 and table 2.)

Houston added the largest number of jobs over the year, 114,400, followed by New York-Newark-Jersey City, with 113,000 jobs. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington had the smallest employment gain over the year, adding 43,200 jobs. Annual gains in the remaining eight metropolitan areas ranged from 94,700 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to 45,700 in Chicago.

Over the year, professional and business services added the most jobs in seven areas: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria.

Information lost the most jobs in five areas: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, and Philadelphia. Dallas, Phoenix, and Washington had no annual job losses in any supersector from November a year ago.

Metropolitan area employment data for December 2018 are scheduled to be released on Friday, January 18, 2019.


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 that 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 2017 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. CES State and Area employment data are produced using several estimation procedures. Where possible these data are produced using a "weighted link relative" estimation technique in which a ratio of current-month weighted employment to that of the previous-month weighted employment is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are then obtained by multiplying these ratios by the previous month's employment estimates. The weighted link relative technique is utilized for data series where the sample size meets certain statistical criteria.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports that 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 surveys, administrative data, and modeling 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 also are 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 specific 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 for the total nonfarm employment series are available for metropolitan areas and metropolitan divisions at www.bls.gov/web/laus/790stderr.htm. Measures of sampling error for more detailed series at the area and division level are available upon request. Measures of sampling error for states down to the supersector level are available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/web/laus/790stderr.htm. Measures of nonsampling error are not available for the areas contained in this news release. Information on recent benchmark revisions is available online at www.bls.gov/web/laus/benchmark.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 July 15, 2015. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area 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, IL Metropolitan Division includes Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kendall, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois.
  • The Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division includes DeKalb and Kane Counties.
  • The Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division includes Lake County in Illinois and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
  • The Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 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 IndustryNov
2017
Sep
2018
Oct
2018
Nov
2018(p)
Nov 2017 to
Nov 2018(p)
Net
change
Percent
change

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

Total nonfarm

4,758.64,751.54,793.24,804.345.71.0

Mining and logging

1.61.61.61.60.00.0

Construction

179.4191.1193.3187.07.64.2

Manufacturing

419.1423.7425.8426.77.61.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

973.9944.7957.1977.63.70.4

Information

77.874.275.775.2-2.6-3.3

Financial activities

304.3309.6310.3311.06.72.2

Professional and business services

840.2838.0843.5843.63.40.4

Education and health services

734.6726.2738.5743.58.91.2

Leisure and hospitality

474.2490.2486.8476.52.30.5

Other services

193.2191.7191.8192.0-1.2-0.6

Government

560.3560.5568.8569.69.31.7

Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

3,793.73,782.83,816.83,826.032.30.9

Mining and logging

1.21.21.21.20.00.0

Construction

132.3140.3141.1134.52.21.7

Manufacturing

286.8290.4291.4292.15.31.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

768.3743.3753.3769.91.60.2

Information

69.065.667.166.6-2.4-3.5

Financial activities

263.6267.9268.9269.45.82.2

Professional and business services

704.7701.4705.3705.30.60.1

Education and health services

602.1596.7607.5611.99.81.6

Leisure and hospitality

380.2392.2390.1383.43.20.8

Other services

157.1155.5155.6155.8-1.3-0.8

Government

428.4428.3435.3435.97.51.8

Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

263.7263.6265.7267.13.41.3

Mining and logging

0.10.10.10.10.00.0

Construction

14.115.515.615.61.510.6

Manufacturing

36.335.836.436.40.10.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities

50.348.749.450.40.10.2

Information

3.23.13.13.1-0.1-3.1

Financial activities

10.710.810.710.80.10.9

Professional and business services

38.238.238.038.80.61.6

Education and health services

32.432.232.532.70.30.9

Leisure and hospitality

24.926.225.825.00.10.4

Other services

9.39.39.39.30.00.0

Government

44.243.744.844.90.71.6

Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

420.6423.5428.0427.16.51.5

Mining and logging

0.10.10.10.10.00.0

Construction

15.217.117.217.32.113.8

Manufacturing

60.161.462.061.91.83.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

95.393.795.096.81.51.6

Information

3.73.63.63.6-0.1-2.7

Financial activities

21.322.122.022.00.73.3

Professional and business services

73.873.875.374.91.11.5

Education and health services

47.245.646.146.2-1.0-2.1

Leisure and hospitality

38.139.639.737.3-0.8-2.1

Other services

13.313.513.513.50.21.5

Government

52.553.053.553.51.01.9

Gary, IN Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

280.6281.6282.7284.13.51.2

Mining and logging

0.20.20.20.20.00.0

Construction

17.818.219.419.61.810.1

Manufacturing

35.936.136.036.30.41.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

60.059.059.460.50.50.8

Information

1.91.91.91.90.00.0

Financial activities

8.78.88.78.80.11.1

Professional and business services

23.524.624.924.61.14.7

Education and health services

52.951.752.452.7-0.2-0.4

Leisure and hospitality

31.032.231.230.8-0.2-0.6

Other services

13.513.413.413.4-0.1-0.7

Government

35.235.535.235.30.10.3

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
2017
Sep
2018
Oct
2018
Nov
2018(p)
Nov 2017 to
Nov 2018(p)
Net
change
Percent
change

United States(1)

Total nonfarm

148,783149,741150,757151,2322,4491.6

Mining and logging

703759764755527.4

Construction

7,1177,4767,5007,3942773.9

Manufacturing

12,52212,79212,79212,8032812.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

28,17127,72027,89428,4853141.1

Information

2,7992,7522,7732,778-21-0.8

Financial activities

8,4998,6078,6268,6151161.4

Professional and business services

20,86421,18421,38521,4225582.7

Education and health services

23,60923,68323,99624,0774682.0

Leisure and hospitality

15,87716,53116,38416,1572801.8

Other services

5,8095,8655,8865,874651.1

Government

22,81322,37222,75722,872590.3

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Total nonfarm

2,770.32,796.52,814.12,829.759.42.1

Mining and logging

1.61.61.61.60.00.0

Construction

126.0133.5135.1135.19.17.2

Manufacturing

168.6169.3169.6169.10.50.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities

619.2620.1621.5635.716.52.7

Information

100.297.697.697.1-3.1-3.1

Financial activities

170.7169.0169.7169.0-1.7-1.0

Professional and business services

504.4508.5519.4522.017.63.5

Education and health services

348.4358.3359.5360.311.93.4

Leisure and hospitality

290.7302.9303.8302.812.14.2

Other services

99.098.497.997.0-2.0-2.0

Government

341.5337.3338.4340.0-1.5-0.4

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

Total nonfarm

2,770.42,800.62,821.62,823.953.51.9

Mining, logging, and construction

117.7124.2125.2125.57.86.6

Manufacturing

187.6190.5191.5189.92.31.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

431.7424.6428.8435.23.50.8

Information

79.779.780.481.11.41.8

Financial activities

183.9184.1183.6182.4-1.5-0.8

Professional and business services

489.6511.9515.8515.926.35.4

Education and health services

589.9588.1597.8601.611.72.0

Leisure and hospitality

267.5279.9276.8266.6-0.9-0.3

Other services

104.9104.8105.2105.30.40.4

Government

317.9312.8316.5320.42.50.8

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

Total nonfarm

4,758.64,751.54,793.24,804.345.71.0

Mining and logging

1.61.61.61.60.00.0

Construction

179.4191.1193.3187.07.64.2

Manufacturing

419.1423.7425.8426.77.61.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

973.9944.7957.1977.63.70.4

Information

77.874.275.775.2-2.6-3.3

Financial activities

304.3309.6310.3311.06.72.2

Professional and business services

840.2838.0843.5843.63.40.4

Education and health services

734.6726.2738.5743.58.91.2

Leisure and hospitality

474.2490.2486.8476.52.30.5

Other services

193.2191.7191.8192.0-1.2-0.6

Government

560.3560.5568.8569.69.31.7

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Total nonfarm

3,671.03,720.83,750.93,765.794.72.6

Mining, logging, and construction

215.6229.9231.1233.918.38.5

Manufacturing

275.0279.5281.1281.56.52.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

792.2786.7791.6811.118.92.4

Information

83.283.684.285.42.22.6

Financial activities

296.4302.8304.1304.27.82.6

Professional and business services

604.6623.5629.6624.519.93.3

Education and health services

452.6457.3459.9458.55.91.3

Leisure and hospitality

382.6392.4395.2390.57.92.1

Other services

123.8126.8127.3126.42.62.1

Government

445.0438.3446.8449.74.71.1

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

Total nonfarm

3,063.43,135.23,161.23,177.8114.43.7

Mining and logging

77.580.481.281.64.15.3

Construction

221.6243.7245.7245.624.010.8

Manufacturing

220.1232.6232.3234.114.06.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

633.7629.8637.0647.213.52.1

Information

31.430.830.931.0-0.4-1.3

Financial activities

160.3164.6165.7164.94.62.9

Professional and business services

491.9517.0519.8523.631.76.4

Education and health services

384.1394.1395.2396.512.43.2

Leisure and hospitality

319.5324.1325.1321.41.90.6

Other services

108.0112.5114.5114.66.66.1

Government

415.3405.6413.8417.32.00.5

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

Total nonfarm

6,152.56,135.36,190.36,220.668.11.1

Mining and logging

2.93.03.02.90.00.0

Construction

243.8248.0249.9248.44.61.9

Manufacturing

506.8504.7501.7503.7-3.1-0.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,131.01,097.21,104.21,128.2-2.8-0.2

Information

247.3244.4251.3248.20.90.4

Financial activities

341.2341.0340.7341.1-0.10.0

Professional and business services

933.5946.3957.4959.225.72.8

Education and health services

1,030.01,036.61,045.71,048.218.21.8

Leisure and hospitality

750.4780.7783.5780.530.14.0

Other services

204.3203.3205.3207.02.71.3

Government

761.3730.1747.6753.2-8.1-1.1

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Total nonfarm

2,666.52,668.62,697.82,727.761.22.3

Mining and logging

0.70.80.80.80.114.3

Construction

133.0145.6146.9147.214.210.7

Manufacturing

90.896.197.396.96.16.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

614.1600.3605.8618.94.80.8

Information

50.650.251.052.01.42.8

Financial activities

179.5181.1182.8183.54.02.2

Professional and business services

441.4437.9445.4448.06.61.5

Education and health services

393.4398.0403.4403.510.12.6

Leisure and hospitality

322.4321.7325.2335.012.63.9

Other services

124.4126.6127.4129.14.73.8

Government

316.2310.3311.8312.8-3.4-1.1

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

Total nonfarm

9,825.79,782.29,885.59,938.7113.01.2

Mining, logging, and construction

405.7415.6415.6415.59.82.4

Manufacturing

363.8364.9365.6366.52.70.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,796.21,746.81,765.11,802.26.00.3

Information

290.2285.1285.9286.0-4.2-1.4

Financial activities

779.3779.7779.6777.3-2.0-0.3

Professional and business services

1,564.61,571.61,580.91,585.420.81.3

Education and health services

1,974.91,965.72,016.92,034.259.33.0

Leisure and hospitality

904.6953.1933.5919.314.71.6

Other services

425.3424.7432.3432.47.11.7

Government

1,321.11,275.01,310.11,319.9-1.2-0.1

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

Total nonfarm

2,955.72,968.22,992.02,998.943.21.5

Mining, logging, and construction

116.8122.2122.8122.96.15.2

Manufacturing

180.5181.6181.7181.51.00.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

537.2525.7530.0540.33.10.6

Information

45.044.144.143.7-1.3-2.9

Financial activities

215.0218.4218.3219.04.01.9

Professional and business services

475.3483.1488.5486.411.12.3

Education and health services

659.4662.3672.1673.313.92.1

Leisure and hospitality

262.4270.7267.3261.9-0.5-0.2

Other services

119.2120.0120.7120.61.41.2

Government

344.9340.1346.5349.34.41.3

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

Total nonfarm

2,086.32,123.82,145.92,173.186.84.2

Mining and logging

3.23.23.23.30.13.1

Construction

117.8131.0133.6135.317.514.9

Manufacturing

125.7131.8132.6134.28.56.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

409.0400.7402.4416.37.31.8

Information

35.437.837.939.74.312.1

Financial activities

190.3191.2192.3190.90.60.3

Professional and business services

353.1361.8367.9372.819.75.6

Education and health services

314.9321.5325.8327.812.94.1

Leisure and hospitality

224.0229.0233.2235.011.04.9

Other services

65.465.065.866.20.81.2

Government

247.5250.8251.2251.64.11.7

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

Total nonfarm

2,435.72,448.92,461.32,482.446.71.9

Mining and logging

0.50.50.50.50.00.0

Construction

120.8124.7124.8125.34.53.7

Manufacturing

142.4143.6142.5141.9-0.5-0.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

394.5387.3388.0400.35.81.5

Information

108.2111.9111.9111.63.43.1

Financial activities

142.5143.6144.0144.11.61.1

Professional and business services

487.4496.7502.8505.117.73.6

Education and health services

356.5356.1359.5361.85.31.5

Leisure and hospitality

271.4278.7275.5277.56.12.2

Other services

85.685.085.084.7-0.9-1.1

Government

325.9320.8326.8329.63.71.1

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

Total nonfarm

3,306.23,339.63,349.03,360.354.11.6

Mining, logging, and construction

159.6169.2168.5168.99.35.8

Manufacturing

55.155.956.056.21.12.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

414.6413.8414.5421.97.31.8

Information

73.473.774.474.10.71.0

Financial activities

157.3161.6160.4159.72.41.5

Professional and business services

751.4768.3768.3767.215.82.1

Education and health services

451.7446.1449.6455.23.50.8

Leisure and hospitality

325.9339.5338.5334.78.82.7

Other services

209.0209.5209.9210.01.00.5

Government

708.2702.0708.9712.44.20.6

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

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, January 04, 2019