Bureau of Labor Statistics

April 1, 2005

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Current Employment Statistics

Highlights

March 2005
2

86

-122

-218

-54

-26

27

3 2

94

123

96 83

117

94

320 337

250

106

83

188

130

282

132

155

124

243

110

-300

-200

-100

0

100

200

300

400

Jan-03Feb-03

Mar-03

Apr-03

May-03

Jun-03

Jul-03

Aug-03

Sep-03

Oct-03

Nov-03

Dec-03Jan-04Feb-04

Mar-04

Apr-04

May-04

Jun-04

Jul-04

Aug-04

Sep-04

Oct-04

Nov-04

Dec-04Jan-05Feb-05

Mar-05

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, April 1, 2005.

Note: Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Employment in total nonfarm

Over-the-month change, 2003-05

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

• Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 110,000 in March. This 

followed a gain of 243,000 in February. Payroll employment rose by 2.1 million 

over the year and is up by 3.1 million since its most recent low point in May 

2003.

• Average weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers on private 

nonfarm payrolls were unchanged in March, remaining at 33.7 hours, seasonally 

adjusted. Since late 2002, the average workweek has fluctuated between 33.6 and 

33.8 hours.

• Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private 

nonfarm payrolls rose by 4 cents in March to $15.95, seasonally adjusted. 

Average weekly earnings increased by 0.3 percent over the month to $537.52. 

Over the year, average hourly and average weekly earnings each grew by 2.6 

percent.
3

Employment in total nonfarm and supersectors

Over-the-month change, March 2005

6

26

-8

15

-10

6

0

7

2

27

23

10

-2

9

-20 -10 0 10 20 30 40

Natural resources and mining

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale trade

Retail trade

Transportation and warehousing

Utilities

Information

Financial activities

Professional and business services

Education and health services

Leisure and hospitality

Other services

Government

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, April 1, 2005.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Total nonfarm: 

+110

• Job growth in March was spread across several industries, with job gains in both 

service-providing and goods-producing industries.

• Construction, professional and business services, and education and health 

services all saw gains of over 20,000 jobs this month, while manufacturing, retail 

trade, and other services all experienced small changes.
4

Index of total private aggregate weekly hours

1990-2005

80

85

90

95

100

105

110

Jan-90Jan-91Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-96Jan-97Jan-98Jan-99Jan-00Jan-01Jan-02Jan-03Jan-04Jan-05

80

85

90

95

100

105

110

Seasonally adjusted, 2002 = 100

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, April 1, 2005.

Notes: Shaded areas denote recessions. Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

March 2005

Level: 101.8

Change: +0.1

Aggregate weekly hours are the product of average weekly hours and production or nonsupervisory workers.

• The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers on 

private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.1 percent in March to 101.8, seasonally 

adjusted.

• Although the index of total private aggregate weekly hours has not fully 

recovered from its most recent downturn, it has been growing since the middle of 

2003. This growth is attributable to increases in production worker employment, 

rather than increases in average weekly hours.
5

Employment in natural resources and mining

1990-2005

500

550

600

650

700

750

800

Jan-90Jan-91Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-96Jan-97Jan-98Jan-99Jan-00Jan-01Jan-02Jan-03Jan-04Jan-05

500

550

600

650

700

750

800

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, April 1, 2005.

Notes: Shaded areas denote recessions. Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

March 2005

Level: 619

Change: +6

• Natural resources and mining added 6,000 jobs in March.

• Mining, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of employment within the industry, 

added 5,000 jobs in March—its fifth consecutive month of employment growth. 

• Mining has added just over 51,000 jobs since its most recent employment trough 

in April 2003 and has surpassed its June 2001 employment peak by nearly 14,000 

jobs.

• A sustained period of high oil prices and increased world-wide demand for many 

commodities may help explain the recent growth within the industry.
6

Employment in construction

1990-2005

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

Jan-90Jan-91Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-96Jan-97Jan-98Jan-99Jan-00Jan-01Jan-02Jan-03Jan-04Jan-05

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, April 1, 2005.

Notes: Shaded areas denote recessions. Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

March 2005

Level: 7,147

Change: +26

• Employment in construction increased by 26,000 in March, following a similar 

increase in February. 

• Since its trough 2 years ago, this industry has added 489,000 jobs, and has 

surpassed its March 2001 employment peak by 283,000 jobs. 

• Residential building and residential specialty trade contractors, which have been 

helped by a period of sustained low mortgage rates and strong demand for new 

housing and remodeling, accounted for 70 percent of this 2-year gain. 
7

-57

-74

-54

-111

-60 -61

-84

-37

-25 -20 -13 -18 -14

-2

10

32

24

-3 -3

25

-14 -8 -7 -3

-27

15

-8

-180

-140

-100

-60

-20

20

60

100

Jan-03Feb-03

Mar-03

Apr-03

May-03

Jun-03

Jul-03

Aug-03

Sep-03

Oct-03

Nov-03

Dec-03Jan-04Feb-04

Mar-04

Apr-04

May-04

Jun-04

Jul-04

Aug-04

Sep-04

Oct-04

Nov-04

Dec-04Jan-05Feb-05

Mar-05

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, April 1, 2005.

Note: Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Employment in manufacturing

Over-the-month change, 2003-05

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

• Manufacturing employment changed little in March. Small job losses occurred in 

textile and apparel industries, continuing a protracted trend of job declines in 

these industries.

• From February through August 2004, manufacturing employment grew by 

85,000. However, since last summer, the trend has been one of decline, and that 

gain has been cut substantially.

• The factory workweek declined by 0.1 hour in March to 40.5 hours. After 

reaching a low point in July 2003, the manufacturing workweek grew steadily, 

reaching 41.0 hours in January 2004. However, it has since fallen by one-half 

hour. Manufacturing overtime fell by 0.2 hour over the month to 4.4 hours
8

Employment in selected professional and business services 

Over-the-month change, March 2005

3.5

4.3

0.9

-0.7

13.3

-2.1

1.5

-5 0 5 10 15 20

Accounting and

bookkeeping services

Architectural and

engineering services

Computer systems design

and related services

Management and technical

consulting services

Employment services

Business support services

Services to buildings and

dwellings

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, April 1, 2005.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Professional and business services:

+27

• Professional and business services continued to trend upward in March, adding 

27,000 jobs, with almost half of this gain occurring within employment services. 

• Employment in temporary help services was little changed in March after 

increasing by 26,000 in February. A job gain in professional employer 

organizations offset weakness in temporary help.

• Accounting and bookkeeping services and architectural and engineering services 

experienced small job increases in March, while business support services saw a 

small employment loss.
9

Employment in health care 

Over-the-month change, March 2005

7.5

0.0

1.6

2.9

7.8

0.3

0 3 6 9 12

Offices of physicians

Outpatient care centers

Home health care

services

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, April 1, 2005.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Health care:

+15.6

Ambulatory health 

care services

Hospitals

Nursing and residential 

care facilities

• Employment in health care continued to expand in March, with an increase of 

16,000. This industry has exhibited impressive growth over the years, seeing only 

one over-the-month job loss since 1990. Over the year ending March 2005, this 

industry added 243,000 jobs, accounting for 12 percent of private payroll growth.

• Over the month, ambulatory health care services added about 7,500 jobs, but 

employment in offices of physicians was uncharacteristically flat. Hospitals 

added 7,800 jobs to payrolls.