current employment statistics highlights for december 2011-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 nonresidential...

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Current Employment Statistics Highlights

December 2011

Bureau of Labor StatisticsJanuary 6, 2012

2

• Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 200,000 in December.

• Over the past year, payroll employment growth averaged 137,000 per month.

• Since reaching an employment trough in February 2010, nonfarm employment has expanded by 2.7 million, or 2.1 percent. During this period, the private sector has added 3.2 million jobs, while government cut about one-half million jobs.

13-8

3-7

2-1

85-2

33 -178

-231

-267

-434

-509

-802

-619

-820

-726

-796

-660

-386

-502

-300 -2

31-2

36-2

21-5

5-1

30-3

9-3

519

227

745

8-1

92-4

9-5

9 -29

171

9315

268

235

194

217

5320

127

104

210

112

100

200

-1,000

-800

-600

-400

-200

0

200

400

600

Jan-08 Jul-08 Jan-09 Jul-09 Jan-10 Jul-10 Jan-11 Jul-11

Employment in total nonfarmOver-the-month change, January 2008–December 2011

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, January 06, 2012.Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

120,000

122,000

124,000

126,000

128,000

130,000

132,000

134,000

136,000

138,000

140,000

Jan-00 Jan-02 Jan-04 Jan-06 Jan-08 Jan-10

Employment in total nonfarm

December 2011Level: 131,900Change: 200

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, January 06, 2012.Note: Shaded areas represent recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

January 2000–December 2011Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

3

• In December, private-sector employment grew by 212,000. Government employment was little changed. Transportation and warehousing added 50,000 jobs in December, with couriers and messengers adding 42,000 due to particularly strong seasonal hiring. Employment gains also occurred in education and health services, retail trade, and manufacturing.

• In 2011, the private sector added 1.9 million jobs, while government lost 280,000 jobs. Professional and business services had the largest employment gain (+452,000), followed by education and health services and leisure and hospitality (+427,000 and +268,000, respectively). These three industries contributed 60 percent of all private-sector job gains over the year.

-12

4

21

29

12

2

6

1

50

28

12

23

17

8

-20 0 20 40 60

Government

Other services

Leisure and hospitality

Education and health services

Professional and business services

Financial activities

Information

Utilities

Transportation and warehousing

Retail trade

Wholesale trade

Manufacturing

Construction

Mining and logging


Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, January 06, 2012.Note: Data are preliminary.

Over-the-month change, December 2011Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Total nonfarm:200

-280

44

268

427

452

7

-36

5.0

67.0

239.7

84.4

225

46

91

-400 -200 0 200 400 600

Government

Other services

Leisure and hospitality

Education and health services

Professional and business services

Financial activities

Information

Utilities

Transportation and warehousing

Retail trade

Wholesale trade

Manufacturing

Construction

Mining and logging



Over-the-year change, December 2011Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Total nonfarm:200

Total nonfarm:1,640

Total private:1,920

4

• As of December 2011, the private sector experienced 22 consecutive months of job gains,

recovering 36 percent of jobs lost in the peak-to-trough period from January 2008 to February 2010.

4-1

28 -87

-186

-240 -217

-265

-317

-434

-491

-787

-636

-841

-721

-787 -773

-326

-438

-287

-215

-213

-250

-34

-102

-42 -21

144

229

48 65 93 110

109 14

312

8 167

9426

121

9 241

99 7517

372

220

134

120

212

-1,000

-800

-600

-400

-200

0

200

400


Employment in total privateOver-the-month change, January 2008–December 2011



5

• In December, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.1 hour to 34.4 hours. The all-employee workweek is now 0.7 hour longer than its low in June 2009.

• The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls also edged up 0.1 hour to 33.7 hours in December. The production and nonsupervisory employee workweek has grown 0.7 hour since reaching a trough in October 2009, but remains 0.2 hour below its June 2007 peak.

• The index of aggregate weekly hours for all employees in the private sector rose 0.5 percent in December. Since reaching a low point in October 2009, the index has increased by 4.6 percent.

32.0

32.5

33.0

33.5

34.0

34.5

35.0


Average weekly hours, total private


January 2000–December 2011Seasonally adjusted

All employeesLevel: 34.4Change: 0.1

Production employeesLevel: 33.7Change: 0.1

90

92

94

96

98

100

102

Mar-06 Mar-07 Mar-08 Mar-09 Mar-10 Mar-11

Seas

onal

ly a

djus

ted,

200

7=10

0

Index of aggregate weekly hours


March 2006–December 2011

December 2011Level: 94.8

Change: 0.5%

Total private, all employees

6

• Average hourly earnings for all employees in the private sector increased by 4 cents to $23.24 in December.

• Over the past year, average hourly earnings of all private-sector employees have increased by 2.1 percent. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was up 3.4 percent from November 2010 to November 2011.

• The index of aggregate weekly payrolls of all private sector employees rose 0.7 percent in December. Since reaching a low point in June 2009, the index has increased by 8.9 percent. The index has also surpassed its June 2008 peak by 2.3 percent.

-3.0

-2.0

-1.0

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

Mar-07 Sep-07 Mar-08 Sep-08 Mar-09 Sep-09 Mar-10 Sep-10 Mar-11 Sep-11

Ove

r-th

e-ye

ar p

erce

nt c

hang

e

Average hourly earnings, all employees, and CPI–U*

Total private earnings CPI–U


Seasonally adjusted

December 2011 Earnings: 2.1November 2011 CPI-U: 3.4

*1982–84=100


92

94

96

98

100

102

104

106

Mar-06 Mar-07 Mar-08 Mar-09 Mar-10 Mar-11

Seas

onal

ly a

djus

ted,

200

7=10

0

Index of aggregate weekly payrolls



December 2011Level: 105

Change: 0.7%

Total private, all employees

7

• Mining and logging employment grew by 8,000 in December. Oil and gas extraction and support activities added 3,000 jobs each.

• Since reaching a trough in October 2009, mining employment has risen by 164,000, with support activities for mining accounting for most of the gains (+119,000).

550

600

650

700

750

800

850


Employment in mining and logging

December 2011Level: 825Change: 8



8

• Construction employment edged up by 17,000 in December.

• Nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 20,000 jobs over the month in

December, mostly offsetting losses over the prior 2 months.

• Since reaching a trough in January 2011, employment in construction has remained essentially flat and is currently 2.2 million below its April 2006 peak.

5,400

5,900

6,400

6,900

7,400


Employment in construction




20.2

-2.9

-0.3

-2.7

2.5

-5 0 5 10 15 20 25

Nonresidential specialty trades

Residential specialty trades

Heavy and civil engineering

Nonresidential building

Residential building

Employment in construction



Construction:17

9

• Manufacturing employment increased by 23,000 in December due entirely to gains in durable goods. In 2011, manufacturing job gains totaled 225,000.

• In December, transportation equipment manufacturers added 9,000 jobs, while fabricated metal products added 6,000 and machinery added 5,000.

• Within transportation equipment, motor vehicles and parts accounted for 7,000 of the job gain and has added 101,000 jobs since reaching an employment trough in June 2009.

11,000

12,000

13,000

14,000

15,000

16,000

17,000

18,000


Employment in manufacturing




1.7

-1.4

8.6

1.4

0.2

5.3

6.0

-0.1

0.3

0.9

-4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10

Miscellaneous manufacturing

Furniture and related products

Transportation equipment

Electrical equipment and appliances

Computer and electronic products

Machinery

Fabricated metal products

Primary metals

Nonmetallic mineral products

Wood products

Employment in durable goods



Durable goods:23

10

• In December, the factory workweek for all employees rose 0.1 hour, while overtime

hours were down 0.1 hour. Both series remain at or near their 5-year highs.

• The factory workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees also rose 0.1 hour, while overtime hours were unchanged.

38.0

38.5

39.0

39.5

40.0

40.5

41.0

41.5

42.0

42.5


Average weekly hours, manufacturing



Production employeesLevel: 41.5Change: 0.1

All employeesLevel: 40.5Change: 0.1

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0


Average weekly overtime hours, manufacturing



All employeesLevel: 3.2

Change: -0.1

Production employeesLevel: 4.1

Change: 0.0

11

• Retail trade continued to add jobs in December (+28,000).

• In December, job gains continued in both general merchandise stores and clothing and clothing accessories stores.

• Employment in sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores fell by 10,000.

• Retail trade has added 240,000 jobs over the past 12 months.

14,000

14,200

14,400

14,600

14,800

15,000

15,200

15,400

15,600

15,800

16,000


Employment in retail trade




1.8

3.6

13.0

-10.2

11.1

0.7

-2.3

8.2

0.8

-2.8

-0.4

4.4

-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15

Nonstore retailers

Miscellaneous store retailers

General merchandise stores

Sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores

Clothing and clothing accessories stores

Gasoline stations

Health and personal care stores

Food and beverage stores

Building material and garden supply stores

Electronics and appliance stores

Furniture and home furnishings stores

Motor vehicle and parts dealers

Employment in retail trade



Retail trade:28

12

• Employment in transportation and warehousing rose by 50,000 in December. Couriers

and messengers accounted for almost all of the gain (+42,000) due to particularly strong seasonal hiring in December for the second year in a row.

• Since reaching a trough in February 2010, transportation and warehousing has added 192,000 jobs.

-42 0

6-1

4-1

3-5

-12

-41

-17

-40

-12

-39

-24

-34

-45

-19

-20

-27

-3-1

3-1

51

19-4

0-3

85

9 11 9-1

84

2250

-47

178 6

129

-67

3 5 350

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60


Employment in transportation Over-the-month change, January 2008–December 2011



4,000

4,100

4,200

4,300

4,400

4,500

4,600


Employment in transportation and warehousing




13

• Employment in professional and business services changed little for the second month in a row in December (+12,000).

• The industry had added an average of 42,000 jobs per month for the first 10 months of 2011.

• After averaging monthly job gains of 15,000 in the prior 5 months, temporary help services employment edged down by 8,000 in December.

-6-3

4-5

93

-71

-45

-64

-77 -6

8-1

13-1

81-1

10-1

51-1

83-1

30-1

50-6

1-1

08-2

9 -26

-67

6626 31 31

269

2543

-230

840

8558 51

3875

45 440

39 4554

3019 12

-250

-200

-150

-100

-50

0

50

100

150


Employment in professional and business services

Over-the-month change, January 2008–December 2011



1,700

1,800

1,900

2,000

2,100

2,200

2,300

2,400

2,500

2,600

2,700


Employment in temporary help services

December 2011Level: 2,304Change: -8



14

• Health care continued to add jobs in December (+23,000). In 2011, health care added 315,000 jobs for an increase of 2.3 percent.

• Employment in hospitals grew by 10,000 in December.

3330 30

3724

2631

1914

1932

2414

238

1228

2421

1920

2224

2212

1635

1715

1625

2723

3020

2813

2730

3320

2336

2843

2416

23

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50


Employment in health care Over-the-month change, January 2008–December 2011



1.5

9.8

2.0

1.6

1.9

11.3

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Nursing and residential care

Hospitals

- Home health care services

- Outpatient care centers

- Offices of physicians

Ambulatory health care services˚

Employment in selected health care industries

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, January 06, 2012.Note: Data are preliminary.˚Includes additional component industries not shown separately.


Health care industries:

23

15

• Leisure and hospitality employment continued to trend up in December (+21,000) due entirely to a gain of 24,000 jobs within food services and drinking places. Food services and drinking places has added an average of 27,000 jobs per month over the last 5 months.

• Since an employment trough in January 2010, leisure and hospitality has added 411,000 jobs.

-9-4

1-1

7 -14

0-5

-16

-28

-30

-32

-24

-18

-19

-25

-24

313

-15

-22

-29 -2

4-8

-38

6-5

2317

-3-8

-15

2953

9-4

111

4028

23-6

4 522

3023

3624

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60


Employment in food services and drinking placesOver-the-month change, January 2008–December 2011



11,000

11,500

12,000

12,500

13,000

13,500

14,000


Employment in leisure and hospitality




16

• Government employment changed little in December (-12,000).

• Government lost 280,000 jobs in 2011. Local government education had lost 113,000 jobs over that span, accounting for 40 percent of the job losses within government.

945

15 1 739 34 50

0-1

8-1

517 21

-5 -911

3-6

0-6

4-1

3-1

6-2

329

-21

-28

3-1

448 48

410

-257

-142

-169 -1

3828

-35 -1

5-2

6-2

6-2

5-2

4-4

6-5

5 -46

32-1

0-2

2-2

0 -12

-400

-300

-200

-100

0

100

200

300

400

500


Employment in governmentOver-the-month change, January 2008–December 2011



-4.1

-9.4

-2.9

3.2

-0.8

2.6

-15 -10 -5 0 5

Local government, excluding education

Local government education

State government, excluding education

State government education

U.S. Postal Service

Federal, except U.S. Postal Service

Employment in selected government



Government:-12

current employment statistics highlights for december 2011-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 nonresidential...

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