Bureau of Labor Statistics

Current Employment Statistics 

Highlights

May 2008

Bureau of Labor Statistics

June 6, 2008
2

126

25

177

46

162

107

57

74 81

140

60

41

-76 -83 -88

-28

-49

-120

-80

-40

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

Jan-07

Feb-07

Mar-07

Apr-07

May-07

Jun-07

Jul-07

Aug-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Employment in total nonfarm

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Note: Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Over-the-month change, 2007-08

May-08, 0.2

Mar-06, 2.1

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

Jan-06

Feb-06

Mar-06

Apr-06

May-06

Jun-06

Jul-06

Aug-06

Sep-06

Oct-06

Nov-06

Dec-06

Jan-07

Feb-07

Mar-07

Apr-07

May-07

Jun-07

Jul-07

Aug-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

Employment in total nonfarm

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Note: Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Over-the-year percent changes, 2007-08

• Nonfarm payroll employment edged down by 49,000 in May, continuing the 

recent downward trend. Through the first 5 months of 2008, payroll 

employment has fallen by 324,000.

• Payroll growth has trended downward for the past few years. In May, the 12-

month percentage change in payroll employment stood at +0.2 percent, down 

from a rate of +2.1 percent in March of 2006.
3

3

-34

-26

-4

-27

-11

1

-3

-1

-39

54

12

9

17

-70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -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

Over-the-month change, May 2008

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Employment in total nonfarm

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

-49

Total nonfarm:

• The goods-producing sector continued to see employment declines in May, 

spurred by declines in both construction and manufacturing.

• Within the service-providing sector, the continued job gains in education and 

health services were partially offset by continued weakness in retail trade. 

Driven by employment losses in temporary help services, professional and 

business services also help offset the job growth in education and health.
4

33.0

33.5

34.0

34.5

35.0

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07

Jan-08

33.0

33.5

34.0

34.5

35.0

1997-2008

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Notes: Shaded area denotes recession. Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Average weekly hours, total private

Seasonally adjusted

May 2008

Level: 33.7

Change: 0.0

85

90

95

100

105

110

115

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07

Jan-08

85

90

95

100

105

110

115

aggregate weekly hours

1997-2008

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Notes: Shaded area denotes recession. Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Index of total private

Seasonally adjusted, 2002=100

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

May 2008

Level: 107.1

Percent change: -0.1

• The average workweek was unchanged at 33.7 hours, seasonally adjusted. 

Since July 2001, the average workweek has not strayed from this level by 

more than 0.2 hour.

• As a result of the unchanged workweek and the employment decline in May, 

the index of aggregate weekly hours of production and nonsupervisory 

workers fell 0.1 percent and is down 0.6 percent since its most recent peak in 

December 2007.
5

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07

Jan-08

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

1997-2008

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Notes: Shaded area denotes recession. Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Index of total private

Seasonally adjusted, 2002=100

Aggregate weekly payrolls are the product of average hourly earnings, average weekly hours, and production and 

nonsupervisory workers.

aggregate weekly payrolls

May 2008

Level: 128.4

Percent change: +0.2

• Average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers on private 

nonfarm payrolls rose by 5 cents in May to $17.94, seasonally adjusted. Over 

the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have risen by 3.5 percent.

• The index of aggregate weekly payrolls grew by 0.2 percent in May, but the 

rate of growth has slowed. The index has grown by 3.5 percent over the past 

12 months, compared with a growth of 5.8 percent for the 12 months ending 

May 2007 and 7.0 percent for the 12 months ending May 2006.
6

5,000

5,500

6,000

6,500

7,000

7,500

8,000

8,500

Jan-97

Jan-98Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07

Jan-08

5,000

5,500

6,000

6,500

7,000

7,500

8,000

8,500

1997-2008

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Notes: Shaded area denotes recession. Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Employment in construction

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

May 2008

Level: 7,257

Change: -34

-6.3 -5.9

-3.0

-18.8

0.7

-7.9

-2.2 -3.3

-16.8

-0.5

-24

-20

-16

-12

-8

-4

0

4

8

12

Residential building Nonresidential

building

Heavy and civil

engineering

Residential specialty

trades

Nonresidential

specialty trades

May 2008 Prior 12-mo. avg. 

Over-the-month change

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Employment in construction

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

• Construction shed 34,000 jobs in May. Since reaching a peak in September 

2006, this industry has cut 475,000 jobs from payrolls; two-thirds of these 

losses have come in the last 7 months.

• Employment declines were concentrated in construction of buildings and 

residential specialty trade contractors. Within construction of buildings, the 

declines were evenly split between the residential and nonsresidential 

components.
7

13,000

14,000

15,000

16,000

17,000

18,000

19,000

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07Jan-08

13,000

14,000

15,000

16,000

17,000

18,000

19,000

1997-2008

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Notes: Shaded area denotes recession. Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Employment in manufacturing

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

May 2008

Level: 13,569

Change: -26

• Employment in manufacturing fell by 26,000 jobs in May. Declines were 

spread broadly amongst most manufacturing component industries.

• Job losses in this sector have been accelerating. The average decline thus far 

in 2008 is 41,000 per month, nearly double the average monthly decline of 

2007 and roughly three times that of 2006.

• Among manufacturing industries with ties to housing, both wood products 

(-8,000) and nonmetallic mineral products (-5,000) experienced employment 

declines.

• The manufacturing workweek was unchanged at 41.0 hours, while overtime 

hours decreased by 0.2 hour to 3.8 hours.
8

-2

13

3

16

12

18

11

6

9

14

5

-2

-6

-10

-3

-10

-4

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

Jan-07

Feb-07

Mar-07

Apr-07

May-07

Jun-07

Jul-07

Aug-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Employment in wholesale trade

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Note: Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Over-the-month change, 2007-08

35

13

60

-33

13

-16

5

13

-15 -18

44

-25

-16

-43

-27

-39

-27

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

Jan-07

Feb-07

Mar-07

Apr-07

May-07

Jun-07

Jul-07

Aug-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Employment in retail trade

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Note: Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Over-the-month change, 2007-08

• Employment in wholesale trade continued to edge down in May. In the past 6 

months, employment in this industry has declined by an average of 6,000 per 

month; the last time wholesale trade saw a similar decline was in the 6-month 

period ending in September 2003.

• Retail trade employment fell by 27,000 in May. Since reaching a peak in 

March 2007, this industry has shed 184,000 jobs. Job losses in department 

stores and gasoline stations accounted for most of the decline in May.
9

24 25

2

28 35

-3

23 21 21

70

9

52

-30 -28

-59

32

-39

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

Jan-07

Feb-07

Mar-07

Apr-07

May-07

Jun-07

Jul-07

Aug-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Employment in professional and

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Note: Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Over-the-month change, 2007-08

business services

1,500

1,750

2,000

2,250

2,500

2,750

3,000

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07

Jan-08

1,500

1,750

2,000

2,250

2,500

2,750

3,000

1997-2008

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Notes: Shaded area denotes recession. Most recent two months of data are preliminary.

Employment in temporary help services

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

May 2008

Level: 2,464.6

Change: -29.6

• Professional and business services employment edged down by 39,000 in 

May. Employment has declined by an average of 25,000 per month thus far in 

2008, compared to an average gain of 26,000 in 2007.

• The losses in professional and business services in May were concentrated in 

temporary help services. Since reaching a peak in December 2006, 

employment in temporary help has fallen by 193,000.
10

12.8

5

1.1

3.8

14.0

7.1

16.6

5.6

0.8

4.0

10.8

3.8

0 5 10 15 20 25

Ambulatory health care

services*

Offices of physicians

Outpatient care centers

Home health care services

Hospitals

Nursing and residential

care facilities

May 2008:+33.9

Prior 12-mo. avg.: +31.1

Over-the-month change, May 2008

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, June 6, 2008.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Employment in health care

Seasonally adjusted in thousands

Health care:

Ambulatory health care

services*

Hospitals

Nursing and residential care

facilities

* Includes additional component industries not shown separately.

• Employment in health care saw continued growth in May, with payrolls 

expanding by 34,000. Over the past 12 months, employment in health care 

has expanded by 383,000.