The annual bulletin Employment and Wages contains employment and wage data
from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program aggregated by State and
industry and by county. The latest bulletin can be ordered from the U.S.
Government Printing Office.
The data contained in this
bulletin represent the complete count of employment and wages for workers
covered by Unemployment Insurance programs during 2004 in the 50 States, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These data are the
product of a Federal-State cooperative program known as the Quarterly Census of
Employment and Wages (QCEW) program (also known as ES-202). State Workforce
Agencies compile the data from reports filed by employers each quarter. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics aggregates the data by industry and ownership. The
aggregations are available at the county, metropolitan statistical area,
combined statistical area, State, and national levels. County-, State- and
national-level aggregates appear in the tables in this publication. All of the
data, at each level of geography, can be found at
www.bls.gov/cew/.
In addition, all tables and charts in this publication are available in Portable
Document Format (PDF) on this Web site. The charts include chart 4, a map
showing changes in employment in large counties. Questions regarding these data
can be addressed by calling the information line at 202-691-6567 or sending
email .
This
years edition of the bulletin contains several new elements. Three new
charts are (1) chart 5, a map showing over-the-year percent change in annual
average employment by State, (2) chart 6, a map showing over-the-year
percent change in average weekly wage by State, and (3) chart 9, an employer
density map tracking the 2004 hurricanes in Florida. Three new tables are
(1) table 11, covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 318
largest counties, fourth quarter 2004, (2) table 12, private-sector gross
job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted, and (3) table 13, private-sector
gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted. Table 11 was
initially released in the fourth-quarter QCEW news release, while tables 12
and 13 were released in the fourth-quarter Business Employment Dynamics
(BED) news release.
The county news release presents
employment and wages by county and is released approximately 7 months after the
reference quarter. The BED news release presents gross job gains and losses and
is released approximately 8 months after the reference quarter. These data were
first released in September 2003. Questions about BED data can be directed to
the information line at 202-691-6467 or sent by email.
Material in this publication is
in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be reproduced without
permission. This information is available to sensory-impaired individuals on
request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service:
1-800-877-8339.
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The following members of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics prepared
this bulletin: Michael B. Buso, Joshua Byrge, Amanda Chadwick, John Dickson,
Italina DiFulvio, Paul E. Ferree, James M. Grounds, David R. H. Hiles, David A.
Ivory, Spencer A. Jobe, Keith G. Keel, William Kistler, Sheryl Konigsberg, Ryan
C. Martin, Jay Miller, James Rice, Akbar Sadeghi, Eli Stoltzfus, Robert Vigas,
Sally Williams, Linda Wohlford, and Rose A. Woods of the Division of
Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover, Richard L. Clayton, Chief. Data
were prepared and processed by Zipora Abzug, Barbara Athey, David Baggett, Noel
Cox, Patricia Felder, John Kennedy, Stephen Kim, Kern Kimbleton, Stephen
Lashick, Larry Lie, Sandra Logan, Reuel Paredes, William Plaskie, Carolyn
Raines-Fein, Ana Reyes, Leonard Stockmann, Jerry Trach, Natasha Tsyryulnikova,
Pat Walker, and William Yowler of the Division of Business Establishment Systems,
Robert Carlson, Chief. Cover art was
provided by Keith Tapscott, while typesetting and layout were furnished by
Margaret Jones and editorial services were provided by Edith Baker of the Office
of Publications and Special Studies.
BLS wishes to express its appreciation to U.S. employers for their continued
cooperation in providing establishment-level data on the Multiple Worksite
Report. This information for each business location is critical to the accurate
distribution of employment and wages to the appropriate geographical area and
specific industry. To the extent that businesses do not provide such detail, the
data are affected.
State Workforce Agencies that collect the data from employers also play a major
role in this ongoing program. Their efforts in verifying, editing, and supplying
high-quality data to BLS are essential to the accuracy of this bulletin and are
appreciated. We also would like to express our appreciation for the dedicated
work of the BLS staff in the Electronic Data Interchange Center and in regional
offices for their ongoing efforts to improve the quality of data provided in
this bulletin.
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This publication
presents final annual employment and wage data for 2004, as
defined under the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Tables 11 through 13 contain preliminary data from
fourth-quarter news releases produced by the Quarterly Census of Employment
and Wages (QCEW) program. These data pertain to workers covered by State
Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and to Federal civilian workers covered by
the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program. The data
for both private- and public-sector workers are reported to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) by the State Workforce Agencies of the 50 States, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands as part of the
QCEW program. Also called ES-202, the QCEW program was formerly known
as the Covered Employment and Wages program. The name was changed in
September 2003 to better identify the data produced by this section of the
U.S. economic statistics system.
In 2004, totals of 8.4 million establishments, 129.3 million employed, and $5.1
trillion in wages were derived from reports submitted to State Workforce
Agencies by every employer covered by UI or by UCFE. Of these employers, those
in private industry provided State Workforce Agencies with quarterly tax reports
on monthly employment, quarterly total and taxable wages, and contributions for
an average of 108.5 million wage and salary employees in approximately 8.1
million business establishments. Similar reports of
monthly employment and quarterly wages were submitted by the Federal Government
for 2.7 million civilian employees, by State governments for 4.5 million
employees, and by local governments for 13.6 million employees. UI-covered
employment reported by these sources constituted a virtual census (97.1 percent)
of employees on nonfarm payrolls. The principal exclusions from UI and UCFE
coverage are cited in Characteristics and Uses of the Data, which follows this
introduction. Data are presented by ownership, industry, and State and include
the average number of establishments, average annual employment, total wages,
and annual and average weekly wages per employee. National employment and wage
totals are published for 11 supersectors, 20 sectors, and all of the 1,197
six-digit NAICS industries. County-level data include number of establishments,
December employment, and average weekly wage. Private-sector data are presented
by State, from the total private ownership level to the six-digit industry
level. Private-sector data also are presented by national gross job gains and
losses. State, local, and Federal Government data are detailed for selected
industries.
Users interested in more information about NAICS can access the BLS Web page at
www.bls.gov/bls/NAICS.htm and the U.S. Census Bureau Web page at
www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html. The NAICS 2002 manual may be obtained
by accessing the Web page of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
at
www.ntis.gov and clicking on "Best Sellers."
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS; the
Bureau) compiled the data in this publication as part of the operations of
its Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. The data are
derived from the quarterly tax reports submitted to State Workforce Agencies
by employers subject to State UI laws and from Federal agencies subject to
the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program. Each
quarter, State agencies edit and process the data and send the information
to BLS in Washington, DC.
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The QCEW program provides the most complete set of
monthly employment and quarterly wage data by six-digit industry at the
national, State, combined metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan
statistical area, and county levels. The data have broad economic significance
for the evaluation of labor market trends and major industry developments, for
time-series analyses, and for interindustry comparisons.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S.
Department of Commerce uses QCEW data as a base for developing the wage and
salary component of personal income, part of the National Income and Product
Accounts. QCEW wages accounted for 52.4 percent of total personal income and
94.4 percent of the wage and salary component of personal income in 2004.
QCEW data are used by businesses and by public and private research
organizations for economic forecasting, transportation planning, industry and
regional analysis, impact studies, and other tasks.
The QCEW program provides data necessary to both the Employment and Training
Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor and State Workforce Agencies for
use in administering the workforce security program. The data accurately reflect
the extent of coverage of State UI laws and are used to measure UI revenues;
national, State, and local area employment; and total and UI-taxable wage
trends. The information is used as an input for actuarial studies, determination
of employer UI tax experience ratings, and UI maximum weekly benefit levels.
Research using QCEW data helps measure the solvency of UI trust funds. QCEW data
also are used to compute State and national insured unemployment rates for
workers covered by UI programs.
QCEW data also are important for a variety of other BLS programs. A quarterly
file containing employer name and address information serves as a sampling frame
for BLS establishment-based surveys such as the National Compensation Survey,
the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program, the Employment Cost Index
(ECI), the Injuries, Illness, and Fatalities (IIF) program, the Job Openings and
Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), and the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)
Survey. The data serve, for example, as the basic source of benchmark
information for employment by industry in the CES program, the IIF program, and
the OES Survey.
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Recent and historical data may be obtained from
the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cew/. Previous editions of
Employment and Wages Annual Averages are out of print, but file
copies may be examined at the BLS Washington office and at Federal Depository
Libraries. For assistance in obtaining QCEW data, a QCEW analyst can be reached by telephone at
202-691-6567, or by email.
Requests also may
be sent by mail to the Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics,
Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover, Room 4840, Bureau of
Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212. The request
should include the name and telephone number of an individual whom BLS staff may
contact if necessary.
Most State Workforce Agencies have QCEW employment and wage data for both the
private and government sectors by county and for major labor market areas.
Requests for these detailed data should be made directly to State agencies
(listed on the inside back cover of this publication). Data for Puerto Rico and
the Virgin Islands also are available and may be obtained from the State
Workforce Agencies in those jurisdictions.
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Initially, the Federal Unemployment Insurance Tax
Act (1938) applied only to firms employing at least eight persons for a minimum
of 20 weeks in a calendar year and excluded certain categories of workers.
Amendments to Title XV of the Social Security Act established the UCFE program,
which extended coverage to Federal civilian employees effective January 1, 1955,
and to workers in firms employing from four to seven workers effective January
1, 1956.
Federal legislation, effective January 1,
1972, extended coverage of State UI systems to firms employing one worker or
more in 28 States and expanded some of the statutory coverage provisions. The
remaining States previously had extended coverage to these small employers. The
1972 legislation also brought coverage to employees of State hospitals,
colleges, and universities.
The Federal Unemployment Compensation Amendments of 1976 incorporated major
changes in State UI laws effective January 1, 1978. Under the Federal
Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), States expanded coverage to include nearly all
remaining State and local government employees, employees of nonprofit
elementary and secondary schools, and certain domestic workers. Some States
began implementing the amendments as early as 1976. The law also brought the
Virgin Islands under the UI system.
The 1976 amendments covered agricultural labor if performed for an employer who,
in any calendar quarter in the current or preceding calendar year, paid cash
remuneration of $20,000 or more to individuals employed in agricultural labor.
The 1976 amendments also apply to employers who, on each of some 20 days in 20
different weeks during the current or preceding calendar year, employed at least
10 individuals in agricultural labor.
Under a 1981 Supreme Court ruling, schools affiliated with religious
organizations are not required to be covered under the UI system. Many of these
schools, however, continue to cover their employees on a voluntary basis.
Special provisions for railroad workers are made through the Railroad
Unemployment Insurance Act. Data for workers covered under the Railroad
Retirement Board and for those covered under Unemployment Compensation for
Ex-Servicemen programs are excluded from the tables in this publication.
While coverage is largely consistent, comparisons of data from one State to
another should take into consideration the differences in UI laws among States.
In addition, when UI-covered private-industry employment data are compared
directly with other employment series, the coverage exclusions should be taken
into account. The tabulation at the right quantifies some of the exclusions in
2004.
Group
|
Number Excluded (in millions)
|
Number Included (in millions)
|
Wage and salary agricultural workers
|
0.1
|
1.2 |
*Self-employed farmers
|
1.0
|
Not covered |
*Self-employed nonagricultural workers
|
9.5
|
Not covered |
Domestic workers
|
0.3
|
0.5 |
*Unpaid family workers
|
0.1
|
Not covered |
State and local government workers
|
0.8
|
18.0 |
Railroad workers
|
0.2
|
Not covered |
*These are out-of-scope according to QCEW criteria.
Certain types of nonprofit employers, such as religious organizations, are given
a choice of coverage or exclusion in a number of States. Under FUTA, all States
must cover nonprofits that employ four or more workers. Some States have
extended coverage to nonprofits employing one or more workers. Details on
coverage laws are provided in Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance
Laws, available on request from the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor,
www.doleta.gov.
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Employment and wage data developed in the QCEW
program have been classified by industry since 1938. An industrial code based on
a description provided by the employer on a questionnaire is assigned to each
establishment by the State agency. If a private or government employer conducts
different activities at various establishments or installations, separate
industrial codes are assigned, to the extent possible, to each
establishment.
The data presented in this bulletin are classified
in accordance with the 2002 North American Industry Classification System
(NAICS). Beginning with the release of data for 2001, publications presenting
data from the QCEW program used the 2002 version of NAICS as the basis for the
assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry. NAICS is the product of
a cooperative effort on the part of the statistical agencies of the United
States, Canada, and Mexico. Due to differences in structure between NAICS and
the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system that was previously used,
industry data for 2001 forward are not comparable to the SIC-based data for
earlier years.
NAICS uses a production-oriented approach to
categorize economic units. Units with similar production processes are
classified into the same industry. NAICS focuses on how products and
services are created, as opposed to the SIC focus on what is produced.
This approach yields industry groupings that are significantly different from
those obtained with the SIC approach.
Data users will be able to work with NAICS industrial groupings that better
reflect the workings of the U.S. economy. For example, the industry sector
called Information brings together units
that turn information into a commodity with units that distribute that
commodity. Informations major components are publishing, broadcasting,
telecommunications, information services, and data processing. Under the SIC
system, these units were spread across the manufacturing, communications,
business services, and amusement services groups. Another sector of interest is
Professional and technical services. This sector consists of
establishments engaged in activities into which human capital is the major
input.
The NAICS manual defines:
- 20 sectors
- 100 subsectors
- 317 four-digit industry groups
- 725 five-digit NAICS industries
- 1,179 six-digit industries.
BLS has extended the NAICS coding upwards, into 2 domains and 11
supersectors.
BLS also has extended NAICS downward in subsector 238, Specialty trade contractors, dividing the 19 industries into residential and nonresidential categories. BLS files also include totals for unclassified records at each NAICS level of aggregation. Unclassified, NAICS 999999, is its own supersector under the service-producing domain.The industry categories under subsector 238 and the inclusion of Unclassified bring the number of 6-digit industries to 1,199. Yet there are two six-digit industries not used in the United States. These are Dual purpose cattle ranching and farming, NAICS 112130, and Offices of notaries, NAICS 541120. Thus, the total number of 6-digit industries for which BLS publishes data is 1,197.
BLS publishes NAICS industry data under the principle that, as long as there is additional detail to be gained by publishing the next lower level, the Bureau will do so. This principle of
congruent data means that BLS will publish all data to the six-digit industry level if there are two or more six-digit industries below a five-digit NAICS industry level. If there is only one such industry, BLS publishes data for only the five-digit level. Likewise, if there is only one six-digit industry and one five- digit NAICS industry under a four-digit industry group, BLS will publish data for only the four-digit industry group. At this time, there are seven 4-digit industry groups that roll up to the 3-digit subsector level, sixty-eight 5-digit NAICS industries that roll up to the 4-digit industry group level, and 415 6-digit industries that roll up to the 5-digit NAICS industry level.
Additionally, there are two six-digit industries that have a significant last digit of
"0". These are Commercial lithographic printing, NAICS 323110, and Electromedical apparatus manufacturing, NAICS 334510. Both of the five-digit NAICS industries have ten six-digit industries under them. Thus, NAICS codes should not be padded with zeroes.
To ensure the highest possible quality of data, State Workforce Agencies verify and update, if necessary, the NAICS, location, and ownership classifications of all establishments on a 3-year cycle. Information for government units in the public administration sector, however, is verified less frequently. Each year, changes in establishment classification codes resulting from the verification process are introduced with the data reported for the first quarter.
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In general, QCEW monthly employment data represent the number of covered workers
who worked during, or received pay for, the pay period that included the 12th
day of the month. Virtually all workers are reported in the State in which their
jobs are located.
Covered private-industry employment includes most corporate officials, executives,
supervisory personnel, professionals, clerical
workers, wage earners, piece-workers, and part-time workers. It excludes
proprietors, the unincorporated self-employed, unpaid family members, and
certain farm and domestic workers.
Persons on paid sick leave, paid holiday, paid vacation, and the like are included. Persons on the payroll of
more than one firm during the period are counted by each UI-subject employer if
they meet the employment definition noted previously. Workers are counted even
though, in the latter months of the year, their wages may not be subject to UI
tax. The employment count excludes workers who earned no wages during the entire
applicable pay period because of work stoppages, temporary layoffs, illness, or
unpaid vacations.
Employment data reported for Federal
civilian employees are a byproduct of the operations of State Workforce Agencies
in administering the provisions of Title XV of the Social Security Actthe UCFE
program. Federal employment data are based on reports of monthly employment and
quarterly wages submitted each quarter to State agencies for all Federal
installations with employees covered by the Act, except for certain national
security agencies, which are omitted for security reasons.
Employment at all Federal agencies for
any given month is based on the number of persons who worked during, or received
pay for, the pay period that included the 12th of the month.
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An establishment is an economic unit such
as a farm, mine, factory, or store that produces goods or provides services. It
is typically at a single physical location and engaged in one, or predominantly
one, type of economic activity for which a single industrial classification may
be applied. Occasionally, a single physical location encompasses two or more
distinct and significant activities. Each activity is reported as a separate
establishment if separate records are kept, and the various activities are
classified under different NAICS industries.
Most employers have only one
establishment; thus, the establishment is the predominant reporting unit or
statistical entity for reporting employment and wage data. Most employers who
operate more than one establishment in a State file a Multiple Worksite Report
(MWR) each quarter, in addition to their quarterly UI report. The MWR form is
used to collect separate employment and wage data for each of the employers
establishments. Such data are not detailed on the UI report. Some employers with
two or more very small establishments do not file an MWR. If the total
employment in an employers secondary establishments (all establishments other
than the largest) is 10 or less, the employer generally files a consolidated
report for all establishments. Also, some employers either cannot or will not
report at the establishment level and thus aggregate establishments into one
consolidated unit, or possibly several units, though not at the establishment
level.
Before 1991, employers provided
covered employment and wage data on a reporting unit basis. Reporting unit
data typically furnished detail only for different county locations or
industrial operations within a State. A nonstandard form, similar in concept to
the MWR and called the Statistical Supplement, was used by States to collect
these county industry data. Although reporting units were, for the most part,
individual establishments, employers could provide a summary of their employment
and wage data for multiple establishments within a county that were conducting
the same type of industrial activity. For example, a fast-food business might
have submitted a single report that covered all of its operations within a
county prior to 1991; on the MWR, the employer reports employment and wage data
for each location.
For government, the reporting unit is
the installation: a single location at which a department, agency, or other
government body has civilian employees. Federal agencies follow slightly
different criteria than do private employers when breaking down their reports by
installation. They are permitted to combine as a single statewide unit all
installations with 10 or fewer workers if those installations belong to the same
subdepartmental unit. Reports from Cabinet-level departments are not aggregated
to a departmentwide level. Departments submit separate reports for each bureau
or agency (terminology for subdepartmental units may differ) within a given
department. Independent agencies report on an agencywide basis. As a result of
these reporting rules, the number of reporting units is always larger than the
number of employers (or government agencies), but smaller than the number of
actual establishments (or installations).
Data reported for the first quarter of 2004 were
tabulated into size categories ranging from worksites with few employees to
those with 1,000 or more employees. The size category is determined by the
establishments March employment level. It is important to note that data for
each establishment of a multiestablishment firm are tabulated separately into
the appropriate size category. The total employment level of the reporting
multiestablishment firm is not used in the size tabulation.
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Total wages. Covered employers in most States report
total compensation paid during the calendar quarter, regardless of when the
services were performed. A few State laws, however, specify that wages be
reported for or be based on the period during which services are performed,
rather than for the period during which compensation is paid. Under most State
laws or regulations, wages include bonuses, stock options, severance pay, the
cash value of meals and lodging, tips and other gratuities, andin some
Statesemployer contributions to certain deferred compensation plans, such as
401(k) plans.
Covered employer contributions for
old-age, survivors, and disability insurance; health insurance; UI; workers
compensation; and private pension and welfare funds are not reported as wages.
Employee contributions for the same purposes, however, as well as money withheld
for income taxes, union dues, and so forth are reported even though they are
deducted from the workers gross pay.
Average wages. Average annual wages per employee for
any given industry are computed by dividing total annual wages by annual average
employment. A further division by 52 yields average weekly wages per employee.
Annual pay data only approximate annual earnings, because an individual may not
be employed by the same employer all year or may work for more than one employer
at a time.
Average weekly or annual pay is
affected by the ratio of full-time to part-time workers, as well as by the
numbers of individuals in high-paying and low-paying occupations. When comparing
average pay levels among States and industries, data users should take these
factors into consideration. For example, industries characterized by high
proportions of part-time workers will show average weekly wage levels
appreciably less than the weekly pay levels of regular full-time employees in
these industries. The opposite is true of industries with low proportions of
part-time workers and of industries that typically schedule heavy weekend and
overtime work. Average wage data also may be influenced by work stoppages, labor
turnover, retroactive payments, seasonal factors, and bonus payments.
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The Business Employment Dynamics (BED)
data are a product of the QCEW program. BED data are compiled by BLS from
existing quarterly State UI records for nonhousehold employers and are
supplemented with MWR records. In the BED program, the UI records are linked
across quarters to provide a longitudinal history for each privately owned
establishment. The linkage process allows the tracking of net employment changes
at the establishment level, which in turn allows the estimation of jobs gained
at opening and expanding establishments and jobs lost at closing and contracting
establishments.
The linkage process initially matches
establishments unique UI identification numbers assigned by the State Workforce
Agencies. Between 95 and 97 percent of establishments identified as continuous
from quarter to quarter are matched by UI numbers. The rest are linked in one of
three ways. The first method uses predecessor and successor information,
identified by the State Workforce Agencies, to relate records with different UI
numbers across quarters. Predecessor and successor relationships can come about
for a variety of reasons, including a change in ownership, a firms
restructuring, or a UI accounts restructuring. If a match cannot be attained in
this manner, a probability-based match is used. This match attempts to identify
two establishments with different UI numbers as continuous. The match is based
upon establishments having the same business name, address, and phone number.
Third, an analyst examines unmatched records individually and attempts to make a
possible match.
The change in employment at the
establishment level results from one of four types of event. An increase in
employment can come from either opening
establishments or expanding
establishments. A decrease in employment can come from either closing
establishments or contracting establishments. Gross job gains
include the sum of all jobs added at either opening or expanding establishments.
Gross job losses include the sum of all jobs lost in either closing or
contracting establishments. The net change in employment is the difference
between gross job gains and gross job losses.
The formal definitions of
establishment-level employment changes are as follows:
Openings. These are establishments either with positive third-month employment for the
first time in the current quarter and with no links to the previous quarter or
with positive third-month employment in the current quarter following zero
employment in the previous quarter.
Expansions. These are establishments with positive employment in the third month in both the
previous and current quarters and with an increase in employment over this
period.
Closings. These
are establishments with positive third-month employment in the previous quarter
and with either no employment or zero employment reported in the current
quarter.
Contractions.
These are establishments with positive employment in the third month in both the
previous and current quarters and with a decrease in employment from the
previous to the current quarter.
All establishment-level employment changes are measured
from the third month of each quarter. Not all establishments change their
employment levels; these establishments count towards estimates of total
employment, but not for levels of gross job gains and gross job
losses.
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In accordance with BLS policy, data
reported under a promise of confidentiality are not published and are used only
for specified statistical purposes. BLS withholds the publication of UI-covered
employment and wage data for any industry level when necessary to protect the
identity of cooperating employers. Totals at the industry level for the States
and the Nation include the undisclosed data suppressed within the detailed
tables. However, these totals do not reveal the suppressed data.
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To reduce the effect of the
exclusion of data because of late reporting by covered private and government
employers, State agencies impute employment and wages for such employers and
include them in each quarterly report. Corrections to data that may be entered
after a report is filed include replacement of imputations with reported data to
the extent possible. Imputations are calculated at the individual establishment
level, normally from historical data reported by the employer. Sometimes trends
reported by employers in the same industry and information obtained from other
sources also are used. If a report remains delinquent for more than one quarter
and research shows that it is still active, the data for the establishment will
again be imputed.
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The BLS publishes three different
establishment-based employment measures for any given quarter. Each of these
measuresthe QCEW, BED, and CESmakes use of the quarterly UI employment reports
in producing data. Each measure, however, has a somewhat different universe of
coverage and estimation procedure, and each produces a different publication.
Other data series are briefly covered here.
Business Employment
Dynamics. Business
Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of the QCEW program. BED data are
compiled by BLS from existing quarterly State UI records. Most employers in the
United States are required to file quarterly reports on the employment and wages
of workers covered by UI laws and to pay quarterly UI taxes. The quarterly UI
reports are sent by State Workforce Agencies to the Bureau and form the basis of
the BLS establishment sampling frame. These reports also are used to produce
quarterly QCEW data on total employment and wages and the longitudinal BED data
on gross job gains and losses. Other important BLS uses of the UI reports are in
the CES program.
In the BED program, the quarterly UI
records are linked across quarters to provide a longitudinal history for each
establishment. The linkage process allows the tracking of net employment changes
at the establishment level, in turn allowing the estimation of jobs gained at
opening and expanding establishments and of jobs lost at closing and contracting
establishments.
Current Employment
Statistics. BLS and State
Workforce Agencies cooperate in the CES program. In this program, State agencies
are responsible for preparing current employment estimates for the States and
for many metropolitan labor market areas, while BLS is responsible for producing
monthly employment estimates for the Nation. CES estimates of employment,
average weekly and hourly earnings, and average weekly hours are derived from an
employer survey of approximately 400,000 nonfarm establishments, selected
primarily from the QCEW administrative records of UI-covered employers. The
national and State industry CES estimates are then benchmarked annually to QCEW
employment data. Supplemental sources are used in benchmarking industries that
have noncovered workers.
Current Population Survey. The Current Population Survey (CPS) is
published monthly by BLS. CPS employment data are estimated from a survey of
about 60,000 U.S. households, while QCEW employment data are summarized from
quarterly reports submitted by 8.4 million U.S. establishments. The CPS counts
employed persons, whereas the QCEW program counts covered workers who earned
wages during the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. Consequently,
the CPS includes persons with a job but not at work who earn no wagesfor
example, workers on extended unpaid leaves of absence. QCEW data, by contrast,
exclude unpaid workers. QCEW data count separately each job held by multiple
jobholders. The CPS counts such workers once, in the job at which they worked
the most hours. The CPS counts employed persons at their place of residence; the
QCEW program counts jobs at the place of work. The CPS also differs from the
QCEW program in that it includes self-employed persons, unpaid family workers
employed 15 or more hours during the survey period, and a greater proportion of
agricultural and domestic workers. CPS data exclude persons under age 16, while
the QCEW program counts all covered workers regardless of age.
Office of Personnel Management data. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
publishes a statistical series on Federal employment and payrolls with
information on employing agencies, types of positions and appointments, and
characteristics of employees. Data on Federal employment covered by the UCFE
series provide industry, local area, and monthly employment detail not available
in the OPM series.
Both UCFE and OPM data exclude members of the Armed Forces, temporary emergency
workers employed to cope with catastrophes, and officers and crew members of
some U.S. vessels. UCFE and OPM data differ in coverage of workers. For example,
UCFE, but not OPM, includes Department of Defense workers paid from
nonappropriated funds and employees of county agricultural stabilization and
conservation committees, State and area marketing committees, and the
Agricultural Extension Service. OPM, but not UCFE, includes workers who are not
U.S. citizens and who are employed outside the United States and its
territories; workers paid on a contract or fee basis; paid patients or inmates
of Federal homes, hospitals, or institutions; and student employees of Federal
hospitals, clinics, or laboratories.
The two programs also differ in the payroll reference period. UCFE employment
data relate to the payroll period that includes the 12th day of the month. OPM
data, however, relate to persons employed on the last workday of the month, plus
all intermittent employees.
County Business Patterns. Employment data collected through the QCEW program
differ from employment data published in the Census Bureaus County Business
Patterns (CBP) in the following major ways:
- QCEW data are published
each quarter, with a 7-month lag. CBP data are published annually, with approximately an 18-month
lag.
- QCEW
data before 2001 are tabulated on the basis of the 1987 SIC system; data for
2001 and after are tabulated on the basis of the 2002 NAICS. Data for 19902000 have been made available through the
QCEW NAICS history project. CBP data for 1997 and earlier years are
tabulated on basis of the SIC system; data
for 1998 through 2002 are tabulated on the basis of the 1997 NAICS; data
for 2003 and after are based on the 2002 NAICS.
- QCEW data include
crop and animal production; the U.S. Postal Service; pension, health, welfare,
and vacation funds; trusts, estates, and agency accounts; private
households; and public administration. These sources of data are excluded from CBP.
- QCEW data include
most government employees. Most of these workers are excluded from CBP
employment.
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Established
in 1915, the Monthly Labor Review is the principal journal of fact,
analysis, and research of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the past
year, the Review published several articles at least partly based on
QCEW, Business Employment Dynamics (BED), or Unemployment Insurance (UI)
data. These articles are listed and briefly summarized here.
Changes in State unemployment insurance legislation in 2003
January 2004, Vol. 127, No. 1
Loryn Lancaster
Unemployment Insurance Program Specialist, Division of Legislation, Office of Workforce
Security, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.
Enactments included increase of maximum weekly benefit amounts, noncharging of certain
benefit costs, and excluding certain services from the term employment; enactments on the Federal side included a law [that] was
extended twice, one new law, and two regulations that affected the
Federal-State unemployment insurance program.
www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2004/01/art3full.pdf
Business
employment dynamics: new data on gross job gains and losses
April 2004, Vol. 127, No. 4
James R. Spletzer
Senior Research Economist, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
R. Jason Faberman
Research Economist, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Akbar
Sadeghi
Economist, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
David
M. Talan
Supervisory Economist,
Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
Richard
L. Clayton
Chief, Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover, Office of Employment and
Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The new BLS business employment dynamics data series captures
establishment-level employment changes that are absent from other BLS
series; the detail provided gives researchers insight into business
openings, closings, expansions, and contractions across the stages of the
business cycle.
www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2004/04/art3full.pdf
Measuring
labor dynamics: the next generation in labor market information
May 2004,
Vol. 127, No. 5
Richard L. Clayton
Chief, Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover, Office of Employment and
Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Jay A. Mousa
Regional Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chicago Regional Office, Chicago, Illinois.
The
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) provides the core of BLS
business statistics; now, new data linkages between the QCEW and unemployment insurance wage records enable economists to better understand
the complex job dynamics taking place in the national and local economy.
www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2004/05/art1full.pdf
9/11 and the New York City economy: A borough-by-borough analysis
June 2004, Vol. 127, No. 6
Michael L. Dolfman
Regional Commissioner, Economic Analysis and Information, New York Regional Office, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, New York, New York.
Solidelle F. Wasser
Senior Economist, Economic Analysis and Information, New York Regional Office, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, New York, New York.
The effect of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on the New York City
economy was far reaching and extended to every borough of the city; hardest
hit was New Yorks "export" sectorthe most internationally oriented
part of that economy.
www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2004/06/art1full.pdf
Why size class methodology matters in analyses of net and gross job flows
July 2004, Vol. 127, No. 7
Cordelia Okolie
Economist, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Washington, DC.
Net and gross job flow statistics by size class are produced with data from the
Business Employment Dynamics program; alternative methodologies for defining
size classes yield sharply different pictures of employment growth.
www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2004/07/art1full.pdf
Annual measures of gross job gains and gross job losses
November 2004, Vol. 127, No. 11
Joshua C. Pinkston
Research Economist, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
James R. Spletzer
Senior Research Economist, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
As a complement to the quarterly gross job flow statistics, annual gross job
gains and losses statistics reveal the tremendous amount of churning that
underlies the net growth of employment.
www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2004/11/art1full.pdf
Employment and wages for the U.S. ocean and coastal economy
November 2004, Vol. 127, No. 11
Charles S. Colgan
Chief Economist, National
Ocean Economics Project, and Professor, Public Policy and Management, Edmund
S. Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine.
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data provide new industrial and geographic
views of the U.S. coastal and ocean economy over the 19902001 period.
www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2004/11/art3full.pdf
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The
BLS has added a powerful new tool for labor market analysis and local area
comparisons to its Web site services at www.bls.gov/cew/cewlq.htm:
the Location Quotient Calculator. The new calculator generates location
quotients, measures that are familiar to regional labor economists as a way
to readily compare the industrial activity levels among different areas of
the country. In general, location quotients are ratios that compare the
concentration of a resource or activity, such as employment, in a defined
area with that of a larger area or base. For example, location quotients can
be used to compare State employment by industry with that of the nation; or
employment in a city, county, MSA, or other defined geographic subarea with
that in the State. The new BLS location quotient calculator uses a timely
data source that is especially rich in comprehensive industry and area
detail: the Quarterly Census of Employment Wages (QCEW).
With
just a few quick selections from the BLS Web form, the user can specify a
base or reference area (usually the United States as a whole) and a base or
reference industry (usually the private sector, all industries), where
industries are classified on a NAICS basis. The user may choose up to three
geographic areas to be compared with the base area and may choose numerous
industries to be compared with the base industry. Users may choose standard
industry lists, such as the NAICS SuperSector, Sector, or SubSector levels,
or they may select any number of broadly or narrowly defined NAICS
industries for analysis. This innovative use of QCEW data allows for
focused, detailed industry study at the desired geographic level.
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-
1. Total coverage (UI and
UCFE) by ownership: Establishments, employment, and wages, 1994 to 2004 annual averages.
(PDF, 13 KB)
-
2. Private industry by
six-digit NAICS industry and government by level of government, 2004 annual averages: Establishments, employment,
and wages, change from 2003. (PDF, 176 KB)
-
3. Private industry by supersector and size of establishment: Establishments and employment, first quarter
2004.
(PDF, 10 KB)
-
4. Private industry by
supersector and size of establishment: Establishments and employment,
first quarter 2004, by State. (PDF, 106 KB)
-
5. Total coverage (UI and UCFE) by State,
2004 annual averages: Establishments, employment, and wages, change from
2003.
(PDF, 13 KB)
-
6. Private industry by
State, 2004 annual averages: Establishments, employment, and wages,
change from 2003. (PDF, 13 KB)
-
7. Federal Government by State and selected industries: Establishments, employment, and wages,
2004 annual averages.
(PDF, 37 KB)
-
8. State government by State and selected industries: Establishments, employment, and wages,
2004 annual averages.
(PDF, 39 KB)
-
9. Local government by State and selected industries: Establishments, employment, and wages,
2004 annual averages.
(PDF, 43 KB)
-
10. Private industry by State and 6-digit NAICS industry: Establishments, employment, and wages,
2004 annual averages:
-
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
(PDF, 214 KB)
-
Mining (PDF, 108 KB)
-
Utilities (PDF, 52 KB)
-
Construction (PDF, 182 KB)
-
Manufacturing (PDF, 1,600
KB)
-
Wholesale trade (PDF, 221 KB)
-
Retail trade (PDF, 250 KB)
-
Transportation and warehousing
(PDF, 218 KB)
-
Information (PDF, 144 KB)
-
Finance and insurance (PDF,
162 KB)
-
Real estate and rental and leasing
(PDF, 92 KB)
-
Professional and technical services
(PDF, 144 KB)
-
Management of companies and enterprises
(PDF, 29 KB)
-
Administrative and waste services
(PDF, 149 KB)
-
Educational services (PDF, 67 KB)
-
Health care and social
assistance (PDF, 140 KB)
-
Arts, entertainment, and recreation
(PDF, 94 KB)
-
Accommodation and food services
(PDF, 65 KB)
-
Other services, except public administration
(PDF, 164 KB)
-
11. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the 318 largest counties,
fourth quarter 2004
-
12. Private-sector gross job gains and losses, seasonally adjusted, September 1992 to December 2004
-
13. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, seasonally adjusted, December 2003 to December 2004
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Last Modified Date: March 31, 2008