Welcome to the Texas Workforce Commission's Labor Market and Career Information Department website. This website was designed to provide LMCI data and statistics to the widest possible range of users, in the most thorough and convenient format possible. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions on how LMCI can bring you information in a more convenient manner, feel free to contact us at lmci@twc.state.tx.us or by phone at (512) 491-4922 or toll free at 1.866.938.4444
LMCI Programs
The various programs which produce Texas LMCI data are funded primarily by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. There are five basic programs through which LMCI gathers or generates data in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program, which collects information from all Texas employers covered by the Texas Unemployment Compensation Act.
- The Current Employment Statistics Program, which produces current employment and wage data.
- The Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program, which generates total employment, unemployment, and unemployment rates for all metropolitan areas and counties in Texas.
- The Occupational Employment Statistics Program, which develops occupational profiles by industry.
- The Mass Layoff Statistics Program, which gathers information from employers who have recently had large layoffs.
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program (QCEW))
This program is responsible for proper reporting of employment and wages for employers in Texas who pay Unemployment Insurance taxes. All establishments are assigned a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. This coding scheme covers the entire field of economic activities and defines industries in accordance with the composition and structure of the economy. While the data from this program are the most detailed available, they are subject to a disclosure rule since no individual employer information can be released. It takes several months to receive all of this information, so there is normally a six-month lag before data at aggregate levels for counties and industry sectors are published.
Current Employment Statistics Program (CES)
From the universe of employers who report to the TWC, a statistical sample group of about 21,000 employers voluntarily report on a current basis over-the-month changes in employment, wages, and hours worked. The sample of employers used in this program is carefully selected in accordance with BLS guidelines to reflect the composition of each industry and major metropolitan area in the state. Trends from this sample of employers for the current period are used to extrapolate basic universe employment by industry and location on a monthly basis.
Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program (LAUS)
Information from Unemployment Insurance claims data taken by TWC offices are coupled with data from the Current Employment Statistics Program and data from other sources to produce estimates of total employment, unemployment, and unemployment rates for all counties and metropolitan areas. Each month, the Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program generates unemployment rates for the 27 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and all 254 counties in the state. These rates are provided to a wide variety of users both inside and outside government and are used as a basic allocator for federal funding in many programs.
Occupational Employment Statistics Program (OES)
The Occupational Employment Statistics Program, in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, surveys Texas firms on the occupational composition of their work force. Employer responses show the occupations utilized within different industry sectors. These data are published in Staffing Patterns publications. Data from this program are also used as a base for producing projections of occupational demand. This program first develops industry projections for the state and metropolitan areas. The occupational patterns for each of these general industries are then applied to develop specific occupational projections.
Mass Layoff Statistics Program (MLS)
The Mass Layoff Statistics Program gathers information from employers who have recently had a large layoff. The firms are identified through the initial filing of unemployment claims by separated employees. Companies that are experiencing a Mass Layoff Event are defined as firms from which separated employees have filed 50 or more initial unemployment insurance claims in a 5 week period, where the layoff event is expected to last for more than 31 days. Mass Layoff Statistics are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.