Employment Blog November 2016
This report is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U S Department of Labor. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 161,000 in October, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.9 percent. Employment continued to trend up in health care, professional and business services, and financial activities. Thus far this year, nonfarm job growth has averaged 181,000 per month, compared with an average gain of 229,000 per month in 2015. Incorporating revisions for August and September, which increased nonfarm payroll employment by 44,000, monthly job gains have averaged 176,000 over the past 3 months. These results are summarized in Charts 1 and 2 below.
In October, health care employment rose by 31,000, with gains in ambulatory health care services (+19,000) and hospitals (+13,000). Over the year, health care has added 415,000 jobs.
Employment in professional and business services continued to trend up over the month (+43,000) and has expanded by 542,000 over the year. Within the industry, computer systems design and related services added 8,000 jobs in October.
Employment in management and technical consulting services continued on an upward trend (+5,000).
Employment in financial activities also continued to trend up in October (+14,000). Insurance carriers and related activities added 8,000 jobs. Over the year, financial activities employment has grown by 172,000.
Employment in other major industries—mining , construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, leisure and hospitality, and government–changed little over the month.
Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls grew by 10 cents in October to $25.92, following an 8-cent increase in September. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have risen by 2.8 percent. From September 2015 to September 2016, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased by 1.5 percent (on a seasonally adjusted basis).
Labor market differences among the race and ethnicity groups are associated with many factors, not all of which are measurable. These factors include variations across the groups in educational attainment; the occupations and industries in which the groups work; the geographic areas of the country in which the groups are concentrated, including whether they tend to reside in urban or rural settings; and the degree of discrimination encountered in the workplace.
By race, Whites made up the majority of the labor force (79 percent). Blacks and Asians made up an additional 12 percent and 6 percent, respectively. American Indians and Alaska Natives made up 1 percent of the labor force, while Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders made up less than 1 percent. People of Two or More Races made up 2 percent of the labor force.
Fifty-one percent of employed Asians worked in management, professional, and related occupations—the highest paying major occupational category—compared with 40 percent of employed Whites, 30 percent of employed Blacks, and 22 percent of employed Hispanics.
Among employed men, 52 percent of Asians worked in management, professional, and related occupations, compared with 36 percent of Whites, 25 percent of Blacks, and 18 percent of Hispanics. About 2 in 10 employed Black and Hispanic men were employed in service occupations, whereas about 1 in 10 employed Asian and White men worked in these occupations. Employed Black and Hispanic men were also more likely than White and Asian men to work in production, transportation, and material moving occupations. Twenty-seven percent of employed Hispanic men worked in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations, compared with 18 percent of White men, 12 percent of Black men, and 5 percent of Asian men.
Employed Asian and White women were more likely than other employed women to work in management, professional, and related occupations—50 percent of Asian women and 44 percent of White women, compared with 35 percent of Black women and 27 percent of Hispanic women. Among employed women, 62 percent of Hispanics worked in two job groups—service occupations and sales and office occupations—compared with 57 percent of Blacks, 50 percent of Whites, and 43 percent of Asians.
Hispanics accounted for 16 percent of total employment but were over represented by a substantial amount in several detailed occupational categories, including miscellaneous agricultural workers (51 percent), painters, construction and maintenance (49 percent), maids and housekeeping cleaners (49 percent), and construction laborers (46 percent). Blacks made up 12 percent of all employed workers, but accounted for one-quarter or more of those in several specific occupations, including nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides (38 percent); security guards and gaming surveillance officers (29 percent), licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (29 percent), and bus drivers (28 percent). Asians accounted for 6 percent of all employed workers but made up a much larger share of workers in several occupation categories, including miscellaneous personal appearance workers (57 percent), software developers (34 percent), and physicians and surgeons (18 percent). Whites made up 79 percent of all employed people, but accounted for 97 percent of farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers; 91 percent of construction managers; and 90 percent of chief executives. This information is summarized in Chart 3 below.
