January 16, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

First glimpse at NAICS data

In the fall of 2002, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release industry employment, wages, and establishment count data for 2001 based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) structure.

[Chart data—TXT]

The NAICS employment data above are based on preliminary private sector U.S. totals for the first quarter of 2001.

NAICS uses a production-oriented approach to categorize economic units. Units with similar production processes are classified in the same industry. Thus, NAICS focuses on how products and services are created, as opposed to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) focus on what is produced. 

The NAICS approach yields significantly different industry groupings than those produced by the SIC approach. The new NAICS industrial groupings, which better reflect the workings of the U.S. economy, will help data users track specific industries and analyze the effects of changes in industrial production processes.

These data are a product of the Covered Employment and Wages program. Additional information is available from "A first look at employment and wages using NAICS," by David R.H. Hiles, Monthly Labor Review,December 2001.