Retail Trade: NAICS 44-45
About the Retail Trade sector
The retail trade sector is part of the trade, transportation, and utilities supersector.
The Retail Trade sector comprises establishments engaged in retailing merchandise, generally without transformation, and rendering services incidental to the sale of merchandise.
The retailing process is the final step in the distribution of merchandise; retailers are, therefore, organized to sell merchandise in small quantities to the general public. This sector comprises two main types of retailers: store and nonstore retailers.
1. Store retailers operate fixed point-of-sale locations, located and designed to attract a high volume of walk-in customers. In general, retail stores have extensive displays of merchandise and use mass-media advertising to attract customers. They typically sell merchandise to the general public for personal or household consumption, but some also serve business and institutional clients. In addition to retailing merchandise, some types of store retailers are also engaged in the provision of after-sales services, such as repair and installation.
2. Nonstore retailers, like store retailers, are organized to serve the general public, but their retailing methods differ. The establishments of this subsector reach customers and market merchandise with methods, such as the broadcasting of "infomercials," the broadcasting and publishing of direct-response advertising, the publishing of paper and electronic catalogs, door-to-door solicitation, in-home demonstration, selling from portable stalls (street vendors, except food), and distribution through vending machines.
North American Industry Classification System
The retail trade sector consists of these subsectors:
Workforce Statistics
This section provides information relating to employment and unemployment in retail trade.
While most data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys, information on industry unemployment comes from a national survey of households.
The following tables present an overview of the industry including
the number of jobs,
the unemployment rate of those previously employed in the industry,
job openings and labor turnover,
union membership and representation,
gross job gains and losses,
mass layoffs,
data for occupations common to the industry,
and projections of occupational employment change.
Employment, Unemployment, Layoffs, and Openings, Hires, and Separations
| Data series |
Back
data |
May
2012 |
Jun.
2012 |
Jul.
2012 |
Aug.
2012 |
Employment (in thousands) |
|
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted) |
|
14,756.0 |
14,747.0 |
14,745.2 |
14,751.3 |
Employment, production and nonsupervisory employees (seasonally adjusted) |
|
12,737.5 |
12,723.1 |
12,700.1 |
12,711.7 |
Unemployment |
|
Unemployment rate |
|
8.7% |
8.8% |
9.3% |
8.9% |
Layoffs |
|
Mass layoff events |
|
117 |
132 |
92 |
115 |
Initial claimants for unemployment benefits |
|
11,529 |
12,962 |
8,589 |
11,071 |
Job openings, hires, and separations (in thousands) |
|
Job openings |
|
335 |
349 |
401 |
|
Hires |
|
622 |
567 |
572 |
|
Separations |
|
552 |
548 |
568 |
|
(Source: Current Employment Statistics, Current Population Survey, Mass Layoff Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey)
Union Membership and Representation
| Data series |
Back
data |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
Union membership and representation |
|
Members of unions (percent of wage and salary workers) |
|
5.2% |
5.3% |
4.7% |
4.9% |
Represented by unions (percent of wage and salary workers) |
|
5.9% |
5.9% |
5.3% |
5.4% |
(Source: Current Population Survey)
Dynamic Changes in Employment
| Data series |
Back
data |
1st quarter
2011 |
2nd quarter
2011 |
3rd quarter
2011 |
4th quarter
2011 |
Dynamic changes in employment (in thousands) |
|
Gross job gains |
|
805 |
895 |
870 |
892 |
Gross job losses |
|
814 |
768 |
864 |
813 |
(Source: Business Employment Dynamics)
Extended Mass Layoffs
(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)
Employment by Occupation
| Data series |
Employment,
2011 |
Cashiers |
2,712,630 |
Customer service representatives |
266,950 |
First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
1,083,340 |
Retail salespersons |
3,982,590 |
Stock clerks and order fillers |
1,251,370 |
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)
Projections
For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for retail trade.
(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)
Earnings and Hours
This section presents data on employee earnings and weekly hours.
The latest industry averages of hourly earnings and weekly hours, as well as weekly earnings by union membership status, are shown.
In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in retail trade.
This section also contains information on the average cost of benefits paid by employers, as well as recent rates of change in wages and total compensation.
Earnings and Hours of All Employees
(Source: Current Employment Statistics)
Earnings and Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees
(Source: Current Employment Statistics)
Union Membership and Representation
(Source: Current Population Survey)
Earnings by Occupation
| Data series |
Wages, 2011 |
| Hourly |
Annual |
| Median |
Mean |
Median |
Mean |
Cashiers |
$9.06 |
$9.72 |
$18,840 |
$20,210 |
Customer service representatives |
$11.60 |
$12.81 |
$24,130 |
$26,650 |
First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers |
$17.46 |
$19.42 |
$36,310 |
$40,380 |
Retail salespersons |
$10.04 |
$12.00 |
$20,880 |
$24,960 |
Stock clerks and order fillers |
$9.73 |
$10.64 |
$20,240 |
$22,120 |
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)
Employer Compensation Costs
| Data series |
Back
data |
3rd quarter
2011 |
4th quarter
2011 |
1st quarter
2012 |
2nd quarter
2012 |
12-month percent change |
|
Total compensation |
|
1.8% |
2.1% |
2.2% |
2.0% |
Wages and salaries |
|
1.8% |
2.1% |
2.4% |
2.2% |
(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)
(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)
Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses
This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in retail trade. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.
(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)
Prices
This section provides industry-specific pricing information. The producer price index measures the percentage change in prices that domestic producers receive for goods and services. The prices included in the producer price index are from the first commercial transaction.
| Data series |
Back
data |
May
2012 |
Jun.
2012 |
Jul.
2012 |
Aug.
2012 |
Producer price index |
|
117.6 |
117.8 |
116.6 |
114.9 |
Percent change from previous month |
|
0.3% |
0.2% |
-1.0% |
-1.5% |
(Source: Producer Price Indexes)
Workplace Trends
This section presents data on the number of establishments and the number of establishments experiencing job gains or job losses in retail trade. Also included in this section is information on productivity, presented as the rate of change in output per hour of workers in the industry.
Establishments
(Source: Business Employment Dynamics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)
Productivity
(Source: Productivity and Costs)
Other BLS Resources
The Editor's Desk
See industry studies in the subject matter index of The Editor's Desk (Current Edition).
Career Guide to Industries
To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.
Data extracted on:
September 27, 2012
