June 21, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Industry employment trends in 2006

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 2.3 million in 2006.

Percent change in number of employees on nonfarm payrolls, selected industries, 2005-06
[Chart data—TXT]

Employment trends varied by industry. A weak housing market hurt employment in construction and related industries, and imports continued to compete with manufactured goods such as textiles and apparel.

Oil prices hit an all-time high in the summer and had a dual effect, hindering growth in retail trade while boosting employment in mining and other industries that produce energy.

Shortages of skilled labor suppressed hiring in temporary help services, but spurred wage growth in professional and technical services.

Increased tax revenues had a positive influence on hiring for health care and education.

These data on employment are from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program and have been seasonally adjusted. For more information, see "Payroll employment and job openings rate continued to grow in 2006," by Kimberly Riley, Emily Lloyd, and Natalie Propst, Monthly Labor Review, March 2007.

Happy 10th Birthday, TED!

The very first issue of The Editor's Desk (TED) was posted on September 28, 1998. TED was the first online-only publication of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For 10 years, BLS has been committed to posting a new TED article each business day, for a total of over 2,400 articles so far.

Find out more about the story of TED