April 13, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

1998 services industry job growth strong, but still off 1993-97 average

The services major industry division accounted for 1.4 million of the nearly 2.6 million nationwide employment gain in the private sector during 1998. However, the 3.8-percent employment increase in services was down from the industry’s average increase of 4.5 percent from 1993 to 1997.

[Chart data—TXT]

Of the 15 more specific industries within services, 10 reported lower rates of job growth in 1998 than their 1993-97 annual averages. Among the 10 were motion pictures services (0.9 percent in 1998, compared with 6.6 percent annually from 1993-97), business services (6.0 percent, compared with 8.5 percent), and health services (1.5 percent, compared with 2.7 percent).

Employment growth rates substantially exceeded 1993-97 annual averages in engineering and management services (7.3 percent in 1998, compared with 4.4 percent annually from 1993-97), legal services (3.8 percent, compared with 0.9 percent), and amusement and recreation services (7.5 percent, compared with 5.9 percent).

These data are a product of the Current Employment Statistics program. More information is available from "Job growth slows during crises overseas," Monthly Labor Review, February 1999.  The employment changes in this article are based on the change in seasonally adjusted employment data from the fourth quarter of 1997 to the fourth quarter of 1998.