October 2003, Vol. 126, No. 10
Labor month in review
The October
Review
September 11 related to layoffs
Work fatalities lower in 2002
Health care benefits
Retirement plans
International productivity comparison
The Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its first projections of the 2000 labor force and occupational employment structure in 1986. In his evaluation of these and subsequent projections of the labor force at the turn of the century, Howard N Fullerton, Jr., points out that the difference between the projected number in the labor force in 2000 and the actual number of 140.9 million was about 2 million or 1-1/2 percent. Curiously enough, the two potential sources of error梩he size of the population and the labor force participation rate梑oth had larger relative errors, but they offset each other.
Andrew Alpert and Jill Auyer evaluate the closely followed projections of occupational employment that were issued at the same time as the labor force projections. Overall, they state, the projections for 2000 at the major occupational group level were measurably better than those that had been made for 1995, but those for more fine-grained occupations were not.
Program reports by Patricia Getz and Chris Manning cover planned changes to the Current Employment Statistics program and recent changes in the program抯 seasonal adjustment procedures, respectively.
The issue is topped off by a visual essay, or chart section, on women in the workforce. This is in the nature of an experiment, and we encourage readers to give us any feedback on how to better execute the concept, topics to consider, and any other reactions.
September 11 related to layoffs
During 2001 and 2002, employers reported 507 extended mass layoff events that were related either directly or indirectly to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The layoffs involved 145,844 workers in 34 States.
Forty-nine percent of these layoffs and fifty-four percent of the separations occurred in just five States桟alifornia, Washington, Nevada, Illinois, and New York. Among those laid off because of the terrorist attacks, 33 percent had been employed in the air transportation industry. An additional 21 percent had been employed in hotels and motels.
An extended mass layoff event is defined as 50 or more initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment during a 5-week period, with at least 50 workers separated for more than 30 days. For more information, see Extended Mass Layoffs in 2002, BLS report 971, August 2003.
A total of 5,524 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2002, a decline of 6.6 percent from 2001. The count for 2002 was the lowest recorded by the fatality census, which has been conducted yearly since 1992. In 2001, 5,915 fatal work injuries occurred, excluding the 2,886 work-related fatalities that resulted from the September 11 terrorist attacks, which were tabulated separately.
Fatal work injuries were down in almost every demographic category in 2002梞en and women, wage and salary and self-employed workers, and virtually all age groups. Fatal highway incidents were down 3 percent from 2001, but continued to be the most frequent type of fatal workplace event. Construction continued to record the highest number of fatal injuries of any major industry. Additional information is available from "National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2002," news release USDL 03�8.
The proportion of employees covered by employer-sponsored medical care plans in private industry has fallen gradually over the last decade. In March 2003, 45 percent of employees had elected medical care coverage, down from 63 percent in 1992�.
The large majority of employees covered by medical care plans were in plans requiring employee contributions. Employee contributions to medical care premiums averaged $228.98 per month for family coverage and $60.24 for single coverage. Since 1992�, the average monthly contribution required of employees has risen about 75 percent for both single and family coverage. Learn more in "Employee Benefits in Private Industry, 2003," news release USDL 03�9.
In March 2003, just under half of private industry employees participated in an employer provided retirement plan. Twenty percent of private industry employees were in defined benefit plans and 40 percent were covered by defined contribution plans. (Some employees participate in both types.)
The overall coverage of retirement plans has held relatively steady for the last few years. The mix of plans, however, has changed. Defined benefit plans cover a smaller portion of workers than they did 10 years ago, while defined contribution plans cover a larger portion. Learn more in "Employee Benefits in Private Industry, 2003," news release USDL 03�9.
International productivity comparison
Of 13 important economies, Korea and Sweden recorded the highest manufacturing productivity gains in 2002. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom recorded the smallest gains. Italy posted the only decline. The United States posted its highest annual growth rate in manufacturing output per hour in 15 years, but the gain, at 6.4 percent, was ranked only fourth among the 13 economies. For more information, see "International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labor Cost Trends, 2002," news release USDL 03�9.
Communications regarding the Monthly Labor Review may be sent to the Editor-in-Chief by e-mail to mlr@bls.gov, by mail at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Room 2850, Washington, DC, 20212, or by fax to (202) 691–7890.
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