[Economic Indicators May, 1999]
[Page Number 11]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 
EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND WAGES

STATUS OF THE LABOR FORCE

In May, employment rose by 155,000, and unemployment fell by 227,000.
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                                    [Thousands of persons 16 years of age and over, except as noted; monthly data seasonally adjusted except as noted by NSA]
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                                                                                                   Civilian employment                 Unemployment                         Percent \2\
                                                                                    ------------------------------------------------------------------            ------------------------------
                                                               Civilian                                          Nonagricultural
                                                             noninstitu-   Civilian                          -----------------------             15      Not in                   Employ-  Unem-
                           Period                               tional      labor                                        Part time             weeks      labor     Labor force    ment/   ploy-
                                                              population    force      Total    Agricultural                for       Total     and       force    participation    pop-    ment
                                                                 NSA                                            Total     economic              over                    rate      ulation   rate
                                                                                                                        reasons \1\                                                ratio
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1989.......................................................     186,393     123,869    117,342       3,199     114,142       4,657     6,528    1,375     62,523         66.5        63.0    5.3
1990 \3\...................................................     189,164     125,840    118,793       3,223     115,570       4,950     7,047    1,525     63,324         66.5        62.8    5.6
1991.......................................................     190,925     126,346    117,718       3,269     114,449       5,874     8,628    2,357     64,578         66.2        61.7    6.8
1992.......................................................     192,805     128,105    118,492       3,247     115,245       6,240     9,613    3,408     64,700         66.4        61.5    7.5
1993.......................................................     194,838     129,200    120,259       3,115     117,144       6,230     8,940    3,094     65,638         66.3        61.7    6.9
1994 \4\...................................................     196,814     131,056    123,060       3,409     119,651       4,414     7,996    2,860     65,758         66.6        62.5    6.1
1995.......................................................     198,584     132,304    124,900       3,440     121,460       4,279     7,404    2,363     66,280         66.6        62.9    5.6
1996.......................................................     200,591     133,943    126,708       3,443     123,264       4,123     7,236    2,316     66,647         66.8        63.2    5.4
1997 \3\...................................................     203,133     136,297    129,558       3,399     126,159       3,879     6,739    2,062     66,837         67.1        63.8    4.9
1998 \3\...................................................     205,220     137,673    131,463       3,378     128,025       3,501     6,210    1,637     67,547         67.1        64.1    4.5
 
1998:May ..................................................     204,899     137,369    131,330       3,351     127,979       3,608     6,039    1,509     67,530         67.0        64.1    4.4
      June ................................................     205,085     137,498    131,253       3,363     127,890       3,618     6,245    1,641     67,587         67.0        64.0    4.5
      July ................................................     205,270     137,407    131,176       3,423     127,753       3,606     6,231    1,606     67,863         66.9        63.9    4.5
      Aug .................................................     205,479     137,481    131,264       3,492     127,772       3,339     6,217    1,644     67,998         66.9        63.9    4.5
      Sept ................................................     205,699     138,081    131,818       3,470     128,348       3,191     6,263    1,636     67,618         67.1        64.1    4.5
      Oct .................................................     205,919     138,116    131,858       3,558     128,300       3,253     6,258    1,598     67,803         67.1        64.0    4.5
      Nov .................................................     206,104     138,193    132,113       3,348     128,765       3,191     6,080    1,611     67,911         67.1        64.1    4.4
      Dec..................................................     206,270     138,547    132,526       3,222     129,304       3,257     6,021    1,578     67,723         67.2        64.2    4.3
 
1999:Jan \3\...............................................     206,719     139,347    133,396       3,299     130,097       3,413     5,950    1,469     67,372         67.4        64.5    4.3
      Feb..................................................     206,873     139,271    133,144       3,328     129,817       3,298     6,127    1,550     67,602         67.3        64.4    4.4
      Mar..................................................     207,036     138,816    133,033       3,281     129,752       3,374     5,783    1,434     68,220         67.0        64.3    4.2
      Apr .................................................     207,236     139,091    133,069       3,384     129,685       3,224     6,022    1,446     68,145         67.1        64.2    4.3
      May .................................................     207,427     139,019    133,224       3,295     129,929       3,247     5,795    1,523     68,408         67.0        64.2    4.2
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    \1\ Persons at work. Economic 
reasons include slack work, material 
shortages, inability to find 
fulltime work, etc.
    \2\ Civilian labor force (or 
employment) as percent of civilian 
noninstitutional population; and 
unemployment as percent of civilian 
labor force.
    \3\ Not strictly comparable with 
earlier data.
    \4\ Data beginning January 1994 
are not directly comparable with 
data for earlier periods because of 
a major redesign of the household 
survey questionnaire.

    Note.--Data beginning January 
1998 reflect new composite estimate 
procedures. Data beginning January 
1998 and January 1999 reflect 
revised population controls. For 
details, see February issues, 
Employment and Earnings.
    Source: Department of Labor, 
Bureau of Labor Statistics.