Current Employment Statistics

Highlights

August 2006

Bureau of Labor Statistics

September 1, 2006

Bureau of Labor Statistics
All employees on nonfarm payrolls

1990-2006

100,000

110,000

120,000

130,000

140,000

Jan-90Jan-91Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-96Jan-97Jan-98Jan-99Jan-00Jan-01Jan-02Jan-03Jan-04Jan-05Jan-06

100,000

110,000

120,000

130,000

140,000

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 1, 2006.

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

August 2006

Level: 135,500

Change: +128

• Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 128,000 in August, which was in line 

with the average monthly gain of 117,000 for the 4-month period ending in July.

• Job growth averaged 169,000 during the 12-month period ending in March, and 

5.7 million jobs have been added since the most recent employment trough in 

August 2003.
Employment in total nonfarm and supersectors

Over-the-month change, August 2006 

4

17

-11

6

-14

-7

-1

7

10

26

60

10

3

17

-20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

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, September 1, 2006.

Note: Data are preliminary. 

Total nonfarm: 

+128

• Education and health services added 60,000 jobs to payrolls, accounting for 

nearly half of the total nonfarm gain.

• Elsewhere in the service-providing sector, employment in professional and 

business services grew by 26,000, and employment in other industries trended up 

at a more modest pace.

• Manufacturing and retail trade reduced employment in August.
Index of total private aggregate weekly hours

1992-2006

80

85

90

95

100

105

110

Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-96Jan-97Jan-98Jan-99Jan-00Jan-01Jan-02Jan-03Jan-04Jan-05Jan-06

80

85

90

95

100

105

110

Seasonally adjusted, 2002 = 100

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statisti cs survey, September 1, 2006.

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

August 2006

Level: 105.0

Percent Change: -0.2

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 ticked down 0.2 percent in August, seasonally adjusted. 

This index has increased by 6.9 percent since its most recent trough in August 

2003, but has expanded just 1.1 percent above its most recent peak in October 

2000.

• The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private 

nonfarm payrolls fell by 0.1 hour to 33.8 hours, seasonally adjusted.
Index of total private aggregate weekly payrolls

1992-2006

55

68

81

94

107

120

Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-96Jan-97Jan-98Jan-99Jan-00Jan-01Jan-02Jan-03Jan-04Jan-05Jan-06

55

68

81

94

107

120

Seasonally adjusted, 2002 = 100

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statisti cs survey, September 1, 2006.

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

August 2006

Level: 117.9

Percent Change: -0.1

Aggregate weekly payrolls are the product of average hourly earnings, average weekly hours, and production or nonsupervisory workers.

• The index of aggregate weekly payrolls of production or nonsupervisory workers 

on private nonfarm payrolls fell 0.1 percent in August to 117.9, seasonally 

adjusted. However, the index has risen by 6.1 percent over-the-year.

• Much of the recent rise in this index has been driven by increases in the average 

hourly earnings of production workers. Seasonally adjusted, earnings have 

increased 3.9 percent over-the-year. During the same time span the numbers of 

production workers on private nonfarm payrolls have increased by 1.9 percent and 

the average weekly hours of production workers have edged up just 0.3 percent, 

seasonally adjusted.
Employment in construction

1992-2006

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-96Jan-97Jan-98Jan-99Jan-00Jan-01Jan-02Jan-03Jan-04Jan-05Jan-06

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statisti cs Survey, September 1, 2006.

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

August 2006

Level: 7,521

Change: +17

• Construction employment edged up 17,000 in August following 5 months in 

which employment remained relatively unchanged. During the most recent 6 

months, construction has added an average of only 5,000 jobs per month. 

• Prior to the latest 6-month period, employment had grown by an average of 

24,000 per month since its most recent trough in March 2003. 
-20

-10

0

10

20

30

Jan-05Feb-05

Mar-05

Apr-05

May-05

Jun-05

Jul-05

Aug-05

Sep-05

Oct-05

Nov-05

Dec-05Jan-06Feb-06

Mar-06

Apr-06

May-06

Jun-06

Jul-06

Aug-06

Residential Nonresidential

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statisti cs survey, September 1, 2006.

Note: Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Employment in residential and nonresidential specialty 

trade contractors, over-the-month change, 2005-06

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

August 2006

Residential: +1 

Nonresidential: +10

• Much of August’s growth in construction occurred within nonresidential specialty 

trade contractors (+10,000). This makes 7 consecutive months in which 

nonresidential specialty trade contractors have outpaced the residential 

component. Since reaching a high point in February 2006, residential specialty 

trade contractors have shed 41,000 jobs. Over the same time period, 

nonresidential specialty trade contractors have added 59,000.

• Construction of buildings has experienced similar weakness within its residential 

component in recent months. Residential building construction has added just 

3,000 jobs to payrolls since February 2006 while employment in nonresidential 

building construction increased by 14,000.
-6

-10

8

29

23

-8

0

16

-19

-9

-12

-14

-26

8

-8

-12

-5

-18

-9

-11

-26

9

18

8

5

-1 -1

19

-10

25

-23

-11

-35

-25

-15

-5

5

15

25

35

Jan-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

Apr-05

May-05

Jun-05

Jul-05

Aug-05

Sep-05

Oct-05

Nov-05

Dec-05Jan-06Feb-06

Mar-06

Apr-06

May-06

Jun-06

Jul-06

Aug-06

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 1, 2006.

Note: Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Employment in manufacturing

Over-the-month change, 2004-06

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

• Manufacturing employment edged down by 11,000 in August, following a 23,000 

loss in July. Motor vehicles and parts, wood products, and furniture and related 

products accounted for most of the employment decline in August.

• Employment in motor vehicles and parts decreased by 7,000 in August, following 

a decline of 22,000 in July. August traditionally marks the return to payrolls of 

employees furloughed in July for model year plant retooling. However, smallerthan-usual August rebounds in production were matched by smaller-than-usual 

rebounds in employment.

• The manufacturing workweek fell 0.1 hour to 41.3, while factory overtime was 

unchanged at 4.5 hours, seasonally adjusted.
Employment in selected professional and business services

Over-the-month change, August 2006

12.4

2.5

3.5

4.2

3.8

10.5

10.1

-1.3

-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15

Architectural and

engineering services

Computer systems design

and related services

Management and technical

consulting services

Employment services

Services to buildings and

dwellings

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statisti cs survey, September 1, 2006.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Professional and Business 

services: +26

Professional and 

technical services

Management of 

companies

Administrative and 

waste services

Employment in temporary help services

1992-2006

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-96Jan-97Jan-98Jan-99Jan-00Jan-01Jan-02Jan-03Jan-04Jan-05Jan-06

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statisti cs survey, September 1, 2006.

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

August 2006

Level: 2,609.1

Change: +3.4

• Professional and business services added 26,000 jobs in August. The August job 

gain was more modest than the average gain of 52,000 per month for the prior 3 

months.

• Over the year, professional and business services employment grew by 461,000.

• Employment in temporary help services has changed little since January; the 

industry added 3,000 jobs in August.
Employment in health care 

Over-the-month change, August 2006

20.9

5.5

3.3

5.3

13.5

0.4

0 5 10 15 20 25

Offices of physicians

Outpatient care centers

Home health care

services

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 1, 2006.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Health care:

+34.8

Ambulatory health 

care services

Hospitals

Nursing and residential 

care facilities

• Health care employment rose by 35,000 jobs, with ambulatory health care 

services contributing 21,000 of the net increase and hospitals contributing 14,000.

• Health care has added an average of 27,000 jobs to payrolls per month this year—

an annualized growth rate of 2.6 percent. This compares to an annualized growth 

rate of only 1.3 percent for total nonfarm employment.