Labor Statistics in the United States Grace York March 2004

Labor Statistics Includes Basic employment and labor force data Welfare of the labor force Industrial employment issues

Basic Employment Data Employed persons and salary by industry and occupation Unemployed persons (actively looking for work) Labor Force (combination of employed and those unemployed who are looking for work)

Labor Force Data May be broken down by demographic characteristics Age Race Sex Educational attainment Marital status Number of children

People Not in Labor Force Examples: Retired Disabled Caring for children Students Data incorporated in Census rather than labor statistics

Welfare of Workers Examples: Salaries Benefits (vacation, insurance) Worker injuries Consumer price index Consumer expenditures

Industrial Employment Issues Examples: Labor unions Labor strikes Employment cost index Worker Productivity

Two U.S. Statistical Agencies U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Conducts surveys of industries and governments on all aspects of labor and prices U.S. Census Bureau – Conducts surveys of individuals on employment status – Conducts surveys of industries on finances (employment, payrolls, income)

Bureau of Labor Statistics

BLS Handbook of Methods Subject Surveys – Employment and Unemployment – Compensation and Working Conditions – Occupational Safety and Health – Productivity and Technical – Economic Growth and Employment Projections – Prices and Living Conditions Contents of Each Survey Section – Survey descriptions, definitions, and methodology – Sample survey forms – Bibliographies

BLS Surveys Census Bureau – Monthly household survey of employment conducted for BLS Bureau of Labor Statistics – Questionnaires and visits to business establishments – Collects data provided by states – Does not survey individual people or households – Frequency varies: monthly, quarterly, annually, every few years Not All Data Can Be Compared

Classification Systems Standard Occupation Code – (Agricultural positions are farm managers and four types of agricultural workers) North American Industrial Classification System – (Includes detailed types of farms)

Employment Data Current Employment Survey – Monthly national and state data on employment, hours and earnings - nonfarm only Current Population Survey – Monthly data on characteristics of the labor force for the nation and states, including unemployment State and Local Unemployment – Monthly data from states on unemployment rates in places over 25,000 Occupational Employment Survey – Annual data on 700 occupations and 400 industries

Current Employment Survey Main Page BLS Handbook of Methods – Survey used – Forms of publication Detailed tables Analytical Tables Prepared by BLS Data Collection Forms Related Government Statistical Programs

Current Employment Survey Access to Tables Most popular tables Create Your Own Customized Tables – Single and multiple screen methods FTP Data Pre-Tabulated Data Special Analytical Tables Created by BLS

Current Population Survey Monthly survey of households rather than businesses Conducted by the Census Bureau Employment and unemployment by age, race, sex, education, etc. Why people dropped out of the labor force Wages Labor union membership, Special Analytical Tables Created by BLS

Local Area Unemployment Monthly employment and unemployment States, counties and places of 25,000+ Data from State Unemployment Insurance Records

Industries Employer Costs (Salaries and Benefits) Labor Productivity Occupational Safety and Health (responsibility of employer)

Employer Costs Salary and benefits per hour for industries and occupations

Labor Productivity Output per hour worked and rate of change over time Available by industry Uses several different survey programs

Safety and Health Worker illnesses and fatalities Data comes from Occupational Safety and Health Administration Records Fatalities by cause, demographics, and industry Injuries by industry and days of missed work

Occupations Wages by Occupation (400) and Industry (750) for Nation, States, and Metropolitan Areas – very detailed Occupational Wages by State and Metropolitan Area – not by industry; less detailed Career Information Occupational Projections Occupational Outlook Handbook

Occupations Comparison of salaries by like occupation (e.g. computer and mathematics specialists) Salaries of detailed occupations (.e.g statisticians) by industry or state or metropolitan area

Occupations Helps employers set wage for new jobs Covers most metropolitan areas Broader groups of occupations (computer and mathematical scientists not statisticians)

Occupational Projections Compare growth rate of jobs by education or detailed occupation Compare growth industries and occupations within them

Occupational Outlook Handbook Helps high school and college students make career choices Searchable or browsable Provides – Educational requirements – Working conditions – Salaries – Job prospects

Inflation and Expenditures Consumer Price Index – Inflation rate used for government economic policies and salary increase Producer Prices – Inflation rate in wholesale prices – Used as economic predictor Consumer Expenditures – Spending habits used for marketing

Consumer Price Index Rate of change in cost of – Food – Shelter – Clothes – Transportation – Medical care – Recreation Collected monthly from 87 urban areas

Consumer Expenditures Annual amount spent on individual products by household characteristics Total amount spent on all products by household characteristics

Printed Publications BLS Handbook of Methods Occupational Outlook Handbook Occupational Outlook Quarterly Monthly Bulletin of Labor Statistics Technical Articles

BLS Index A-Z Index for Browsing Search Engine for Entire Web Site

Census Bureau Programs Census of Population and Housing (10 years) American Community Survey (annual) Current Population Survey (monthly) Economic Census (5 years) Census of Agriculture (5 years) County Business Patterns (annual) Trade Statistics (monthly)

Census Bureau Programs Census of Population and Housing Taken every 10 years Data to small geographic areas (8 blocks) Labor force status Occupation Industry Income and poverty Transportation to work

Census Bureau Programs

Decennial Census

Decennial Census

Decennial Census Occupation by sex and race for places of 50,000+ Educational attainment by age, race and sex for places of 50,000+ For affirmative action hiring

Decennial Census

Current Population Survey Use A-Z Index to Access Most Subjects

County Business Patterns Employment and payrolls by detailed industry States, counties, metropolitan areas, and zip code Collected annually

Census of Agriculture

National Center for Education Statistics Directories of schools and school districts with enrollment by race Enrollment, teachers, and school funding for all education levels by state National educational test results Outcomes of education (salaries by education level) Special studies on parental involvement, teacher unions, financial aid, early childhood education

National Center for Education Statistics

Finding U.S. Government Statistics No single search engine for all variables Alternatives – FedStats – Textual search engines – List of Government Agencies in

Fedstats

FirstGov