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CES National Benchmark Article (HTML) 

BLS Establishment Survey National Estimates Revised to Incorporate 

March 2022 Benchmarks 

Authors: Victoria Battista and Rokeya Khan

About the authors: 

Victoria Battista and Rokeya Khan are economists in the Division of Current Employment 

Statistics–National, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor 

Statistics. 

Telephone: (202) 691-6555

Email: Contact CES 
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Table of Contents

Summary of the revisions........................................................................................................3

Overview................................................................................................................................4

Benchmark level adjustments to services for the elderly and persons with disabilities................ 5

Seasonally adjusted estimates...................................................................................................5

Seasonally adjusted revisions...............................................................................................5

Not seasonally adjusted estimates.............................................................................................6

Not seasonally adjusted revisions.........................................................................................6

Benchmark revision effects for other data types.................................................................. 10

Net birth-death revisions........................................................................................................14

Net birth-death changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic..................................................... 14

Forecasted vs. actual net birth-death...................................................................................18

Net birth-death adjustments to the post-benchmark period................................................... 18

Reconstructions.....................................................................................................................20

Retail trade recoding..........................................................................................................20

Conversion to the 2022 North American Industry Classification System.............................. 21

Changes to the CES published series......................................................................................22

Series changes due to annual sample review....................................................................... 22

Availability of revised data....................................................................................................29

Table of figures.....................................................................................................................30

Tables...............................................................................................................................30

Exhibits.............................................................................................................................30
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Summary of the revisions 

With the release of January 2023 data on February 3, 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 

introduced its annual revision to national estimates of employment, hours, and earnings from the 

Current Employment Statistics (CES) monthly survey of nonfarm establishments. 

The March 2022 benchmarked seasonally adjusted employment level for total nonfarm 

employment is 151,424,000. The not seasonally adjusted benchmarked employment level is 

150,411,000. 

Compared with the sample-based, seasonally adjusted published estimate for March 2022, total 

nonfarm employment had a revision of 568,000, or 0.4 percent. The not seasonally adjusted total 

nonfarm employment estimate was revised by 506,000, or 0.3 percent. 

Table 1 presents revised total nonfarm employment data on a seasonally adjusted basis for 

January 2022 through December 2022. The revised data for April 2022 forward incorporate the 

effect of applying the rate of change measured by the sample to the new benchmark employment

level, as well as updated net birth-death model forecasts and new seasonal adjustment factors. 

Revisions to November and December also reflect incorporation of additional sample receipts.

For more information about the methodology of benchmarking in the CES program, see the 

Benchmark section in the CES Handbook of Methods. 

Table 1. Differences in seasonally adjusted levels and over-the-month changes, total 

nonfarm employment, January to December 2022 (in thousands)

2022

Levels Over-the-month Changes

As 

Revised

As 

Previously 

Published Difference

As 

Revised

As 

Previously 

Published Difference

January 150,106 149,744 362 364 504 -140

February 151,010 150,458 552 904 714 190

March 151,424 150,856 568 414 398 16

April 151,678 151,224 454 254 368 -114

May 152,042 151,610 432 364 386 -22

June 152,412 151,903 509 370 293 77

July 152,980 152,440 540 568 537 31

August 153,332 152,732 600 352 292 60

September 153,682 153,001 681 350 269 81

October 154,006 153,264 742 324 263 61

November 154,296 153,520 776 290 256 34

December(p) 154,556 153,743 813 260 223 37

Footnotes

(p) Preliminary

To Table of Figures
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Overview

Establishment survey benchmarking is done each year to align employment estimates from the 

survey with employment counts derived primarily from the administrative file of employees 

covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI). All employers covered by UI laws are required to 

report employment and wage information to the appropriate state UI agency four times per year. 

The UI data are obtained and edited by each state’s Labor Market Information agency. They are 

tabulated and published through the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) 

program. Both the QCEW and CES categorize their data using the North American Industry 

Classification System (NAICS). About 97 percent of total nonfarm employment within the scope 

of the establishment survey is covered by UI and is available to the CES program via QCEW 

records. 

An employment count for the remaining 3 percent is constructed from other sources, primarily 

records from the Railroad Retirement Board and Census Bureau data from County Business 

Patterns and the Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll. This 3 percent is referred to 

as noncovered employment. The combination of QCEW and noncovered employment data make 

up the benchmark level. The full benchmark employment level developed for March replaces the 

March sample-based estimate for each basic cell.

The total annual revision is the difference between the benchmark level for a given March and 

the published March sample-based employment estimate. The overall accuracy of the 

establishment survey is usually gauged by the size of the benchmark revision, which is often 

regarded as a proxy for total survey error. Typically, the total revision is equal to the benchmark 

revision. However, in years with historical reconstructions, affected CES series are re-estimated 

prior to benchmarking. Historical reconstructions sometimes are needed to correct errors, reflect 

updates to industry classification, or address other issues so that users can have continuous, 

comparable estimates suitable for economic analysis. The benchmark revision, in these cases, is 

the difference between the benchmark level and the newly reconstructed sample-based estimate. 

The benchmark revision is the difference between two independently derived employment 

counts, each subject to its own error sources. 

To create a continuous time series between the new March benchmark level and historical 

sample-based data from the prior March benchmark level, employment estimates for the months 

between the most recent March benchmark and the previous year's benchmark are adjusted using 

a linear "wedge-back" procedure. This procedure assumes that the total estimation error 

accumulated at a steady rate since the last benchmark. For the 9 months following the March 

benchmark (also called the post-benchmark period), BLS applies previously derived over-themonth sample changes to the revised March level to get the revised estimates. New net birthdeath model forecasts are also calculated and applied during post-benchmark estimation. More 

information on benchmarks in the CES program is available in the Benchmarks section of the 

CES Technical Notes and in the October 2017 Monthly Labor Review, “Benchmarking the 

Current Employment Statistics National Estimates.” 
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Benchmark level adjustments to services for the elderly and persons 

with disabilities

During benchmark processing, the CES program found that some first quarter 2022 QCEW 

employment microdata for services for the elderly and persons with disabilities (NAICS 624120) 

were erroneously reported. After further research, CES concluded that the incorrectly reported 

data for this industry should not be used and the first quarter 2022 QCEW employment data 

should be imputed for the series. The decision to impute was reached because corrected QCEW 

microdata would not have been received in time for CES production purposes. Therefore, CES 

used the QCEW average over-the-month employment change for services for the elderly and 

persons with disabilities from the prior 3 years (2019, 2020, and 2021) for each month between 

December 2021 and March 2022 to arrive at an imputed March 2022 level. This imputed level 

was approximately 83,000 greater than the originally reported QCEW level for services for the 

elderly and persons with disabilities. The final benchmark revision to CES not seasonally 

adjusted all employee employment for services for the elderly and persons with disabilities (65-

624120) was 24,800.

Seasonally adjusted estimates 

BLS seasonally adjusts 5 years of CES data with each annual benchmark for all industries and 

directly estimated data types. However, reconstructed series are seasonally adjusted over their 

revised time spans if the revised timespan is greater than 5 years. Details about seasonal 

adjustment during the 2022 benchmark are described below.

Seasonally adjusted revisions

Table 2 presents revised employment data on a seasonally adjusted basis for March 2022 by 

major industry sector. The revision to seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment is 568,000. 

Table 2. Seasonally adjusted employment revisions for major industry sectors, March 

2022 (in thousands)

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

As 

Revised

As 

Previously 

Published

Differences

Amount Percent

00-000000 Total nonfarm 151,424 150,856 568 0.4

05-000000 Total private 129,351 128,680 671 0.5

06-000000 Goods-producing 20,997 20,922 75 0.4

07-000000 Service-providing 130,427 129,934 493 0.4

08-000000 Private service-providing 108,354 107,758 596 0.6

10-000000 Mining and logging 589 605 -16 -2.7

20-000000 Construction 7,692 7,628 64 0.8

30-000000 Manufacturing 12,716 12,689 27 0.2

31-000000 Durable goods 7,902 7,887 15 0.2

32-000000 Nondurable goods 4,814 4,802 12 0.2

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and 

utilities 28,600 28,569 31 0.1
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CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

As 

Revised

As 

Previously 

Published

Differences

Amount Percent

41-420000 Wholesale trade 5,917.9 5,814.7 103.2 1.7

42-000000 Retail trade 15,542.0 15,804.9 -262.9 -1.7

43-000000 Transportation and 

warehousing 6,588.7 6,410.6 178.1 2.7

44-220000 Utilities 551.7 538.3 13.4 2.4

50-000000 Information 3,018 2,936 82 2.7

55-000000 Financial activities 8,997 8,905 92 1

60-000000 Professional and business 

services 22,439 22,090 349 1.6

65-000000 Private education and health 

services 24,050 24,124 -74 -0.3

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 15,590 15,471 119 0.8

80-000000 Other services 5,660 5,663 -3 -0.1

90-000000 Government 22,073 22,176 -103 -0.5

To Table of Figures

Not seasonally adjusted estimates

Benchmark employment levels for March are compared to CES estimates that have not been 

seasonally adjusted to calculate the new March employment level. Twenty-one months of not 

seasonally adjusted CES estimates for all data types are revised based on this new March level, 

prior to seasonal adjustment. Revisions to not seasonally adjusted CES estimates are described 

below.

Not seasonally adjusted revisions

Table 3 presents the employment benchmarks for March 2022, not seasonally adjusted, by major 

industry sector. The total revision to not seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment is 

506,000. 

Table 3. Not seasonally adjusted employment benchmarks for major industry sectors,

March 2022 (in thousands)

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title Benchmark Estimate

Differences

Amount Percent

00-000000 Total nonfarm 150,411 149,905 506 0.3

05-000000 Total private 128,085 127,478 607 0.5

06-000000 Goods-producing 20,719 20,645 74 0.4

07-000000 Service-providing 129,692 129,260 432 0.3

08-000000 Private service-providing 107,366 106,833 533 0.5

10-000000 Mining and logging 583 601 -18 -3.1

20-000000 Construction 7,463 7,393 70 0.9

30-000000 Manufacturing 12,673 12,651 22 0.2

31-000000 Durable goods 7,888 7,873 15 0.2
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CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title Benchmark Estimate

Differences

Amount Percent

32-000000 Nondurable goods 4,785 4,778 7 0.1

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and 

utilities

28,327 28,295 32 0.1

41-420000 Wholesale trade 5,890.4 5,789.3 101.1 1.7

42-000000 Retail trade 15,352.1 15,604.3 -252.2 -1.6

43-000000 Transportation and 

warehousing

6,533.9 6,363.8 170.1 2.6

44-220000 Utilities 551.0 537.7 13.3 2.4

50-000000 Information 3,006 2,926 80 2.7

55-000000 Financial activities 8,949 8,855 94 1.1

60-000000 Professional and business 

services

22,207 21,977 230 1

65-000000 Private education and health 

services

24,162 24,231 -69 -0.3

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 15,103 14,942 161 1.1

80-000000 Other services 5,612 5,607 5 0.1

90-000000 Government 22,326 22,427 -101 -0.5

To Table of Figures

Benchmarks for more detailed industries are available on the CES detailed industry tables page.

Table 4 below shows the recent history of not seasonally adjusted total nonfarm percent and 

level benchmark revisions. Over the prior 10 years, the annual benchmark revision at the total 

nonfarm level has averaged 0.1 percent (in absolute terms), with a range of -0.3 percent to 0.3

percent. 

The differences listed in table 4 and beyond reflect the error due to normal benchmarking 

procedures after the incorporation of reconstructions. Those years are footnoted.
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Table 4. Percent and level differences between nonfarm employment benchmarks and estimates by industry supersector, March 2012 

to 2022 (in thousands)

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title Type 2012 2013(1) 2014 2015(2) 2016 2017(3) 2018(4) 2019(5) 2020 2021 2022(6)

00-000000 Total nonfarm Percent 0.3 -0.1 (7) -0.1 -0.1 0.1 (7) -0.3 -0.1 (7) 0.3

Level 424 -119 67 -172 -81 135 -16 -489 -121 -7 506

05-000000 Total private Percent 0.4 -0.1 0.1 -0.2 -0.1 0.1 -0.1 -0.4 -0.1 -0.2 0.5

Level 481 -126 105 -232 -151 133 -104 -505 -184 -256 607

10-000000 Mining and logging Percent 1.6 -1.2 -1.8 -2.2 -3.2 -4.6 -1.1 -2.1 -4 -11.5 -3.1

Level 13 -10 -16 -19 -22 -30 -8 -15 -27 -63 -18

20-000000 Construction Percent 1.8 0.3 1.6 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.6 -0.1 (7) -0.6 0.9

Level 93 14 90 39 47 52 44 -4 2 -41 70

30-000000 Manufacturing Percent -0.2 0.2 0.4 -0.1 0.5 0.1 -0.1 (7) -0.6 -0.3 0.2

Level -25 23 43 -12 58 15 -18 -4 -75 -42 22

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and 

utilities

Percent 0.6 -0.5 -0.1 (7) -0.4 0.3 -0.3 -0.4 0.1 1.1 0.1

Level 145 -131 -31 -5 -110 75 -77 -117 24 307 32

41-420000(8) Wholesale trade Percent 0.8 -0.4 -0.8 -0.7 -1.1 -0.4 -0.9 -0.7 -0.8 -0.4 1.7

Level 45.3 -20.2 -45.4 -41.3 -66.6 -21.2 -54.4 -38.6 -48 -23.6 101.1

42-000000(8) Retail trade Percent 0.5 -0.8 (7) -0.2 -0.8 0.1 -0.6 -1 -0.5 0.4 -1.6

Level 78.9 -110.3 5.5 -23.5 -118.2 15.4 -96.4 -150.8 -78.3 57.9 -252.2

43-000000(8) Transportation and 

warehousing

Percent 0.7 0.1 0.2 1.4 1.7 1.6 1.4 1.4 2.6 4.5 2.6

Level 29.4 3.6 9.7 65.3 83.5 79.8 72.7 75.8 148.9 270.1 170.1

44-220000(8) Utilities Percent -1.5 -0.8 -0.1 -0.8 -1.6 0.2 0.3 -0.7 0.2 0.5 2.4

Level -8.5 -4.6 -0.6 -4.7 -8.7 1 1.8 -4.1 1.1 2.8 13.3

50-000000 Information Percent 1.8 -0.2 2.4 -1.6 -0.1 2.5 2.1 1.2 0.5 3 2.7

Level 47 -5 66 -44 -2 70 59 35 14 84 80

55-000000 Financial activities Percent 0.6 -0.1 0.2 -0.1 (7) 0.1 -0.1 0.8 0.3 -0.7 1.1

Level 45 -10 19 -9 -4 7 -12 68 25 -64 94

60-000000 Professional and business 

services

Percent (7) (7) -0.8 -0.6 -0.6 -1.3 -0.4 -0.8 -0.6 1 1

Level 2 4 -147 -110 -125 -270 -72 -159 -123 218 230

65-000000 Private education and 

health services 

Percent (7) -0.3 -0.1 (7) -0.4 0.3 (7) -0.4 -0.2 0.5 -0.3

Level -2 -61 -16 -7 -83 70 5 -95 -47 125 -69

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality Percent 0.8 0.5 0.3 -0.3 0.7 0.8 (7) -1.1 0.2 -4.4 1.1

Level 104 72 38 -45 102 126 -4 -170 31 -572 161

80-000000 Other services Percent 1.1 -0.4 1.1 -0.4 -0.2 0.3 -0.4 -0.8 -0.1 -3.9 0.1

Level 59 -22 59 -20 -12 18 -21 -44 -8 -208 5

90-000000 Government Percent -0.3 (7) -0.2 0.3 0.3 (7) 0.4 0.1 0.3 1.1 -0.5

Level -57 7 -38 60 70 2 88 16 63 249 -101
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Footnotes

(1) With the 2013 benchmark, BLSreconstructed several national employment series. Each first quarter, the 

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, whose data account for approximately 97 percent 

of the CES universe scope (see The Sample section of the CES Technical Notes), incorporates updated industry 

assignments. In 2013, these updates included two substantial groups of nonrandom, noneconomic code changes, 

one to funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles (NAICS 525), and the other, a reclassification of approximately 

466,000 in employment from private households (NAICS 814), which is out of scope for CES, to services for the 

elderly and persons with disabilities (NAICS 62412), which is in scope. These changes also had an impact, 

beyond what would be considered typical for a given benchmark year, on corresponding CES series. For more 

information about the changes to these industries, see the QCEW First Quarter 2013 News Release or the Special 

notice regarding reconstructed data section in the 2013 CES Benchmark Article. (2) With the 2015 benchmark, BLSreconstructed the national employment series 65-624120, services for the elderly 

and persons with disabilities back to January 2000. BLSpreviously reconstructed this series with the 2013 

benchmark; however, between the 2013 and 2015 benchmark, a better source of information for the employment 

within NAICS 62412 for the state of California was found. The inclusion of the reconstructed series resulted in 

total nonfarm and total private employment that was 27,000 less than the originally published March 2015 

estimate level. The difference between the benchmarked and originally published March 2015 estimate level is 

−199,000 or −0.1 percent. This table displays March 2015 data after accounting for the decrease of 27,000 from 

the reconstructed series. Similarly, for the education and health services supersector, this table displays March 

2015 data after incorporating the reconstructed series. For more information, see the Reconstructions section in

the 2015 CES Benchmark Article. (3) With the 2017 benchmark, BLSreconstructed the national employment series 60-561613, security guards and 

patrols and armored car services back to October 2016 to correct a microdata error. The inclusion of the 

reconstructed series resulted in total nonfarm and total private employment that was 3,000 more than the 

originally published March 2017 estimate level. The difference between the benchmarked and originally 

published March 2017 estimate level is 138,000 or 0.1 percent. This table displays March 2017 data after 

accounting for the increase of 3,000 from the reconstructed series. Similarly, for the professional and business 

services supersector, this table displays March 2017 data after incorporating the reconstructed series. For more 

information, see the Reconstructions sectionin the 2017 CES Benchmark Article. (4) With the 2018 benchmark, BLSreconstructed several national employment series. A recoding effort in the 

QCEW resulted in about 336,000 in employment in wholesale trade agents and brokers (41-425120) moving into 

other series within the wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation andwarehousing, and professional and business 

services major industry sectors. Affected basic series were reconstructed for their entire history, generally back to 

January 1990. Additionally, a reclassification of a state employer to private ownership caused a shift of about 

17,000 in employment from the CES series other state government (90-922999) into services for the elderly and 

persons with disabilities (65-624120). Affected basic series were reconstructed from March 2018 back to January 

2018. For more information, see theReconstructions section in the 2018 CES Benchmark Article. (5) With the 2019 benchmark, BLSreconstructed some national employment series in transportation to correct an 

error in rail transportation (43-482000), which had resulted in 16,000in employment being double counted. The 

reconstruction removed the doubled-counted employment and affected aggregates of rail transportation, up to and 

including total nonfarm, back to January 1990. While the difference between the benchmarked and originally 

published March 2019 estimate level is −505,000, or −0.3 percent, this table displays March 2019 data after 

accounting for the removal of 16,000 from the published series. For more information, see the Reconstructions 

section in the 2019 CES Benchmark Article. (6) With the 2022 benchmark, BLS reconstructed several national employment series. A recoding effort in the 

QCEW resulted in about 68,000 in employment in electronic shopping and mail-order houses (42-454100) being 

moved into corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing offices (60-551114). Affected series were reconstructed 

for their entire history going back to January 1990. Additionally, the CES program found that some QCEW 

employment microdata submitted for services for the elderly and persons with disabilities (NAICS 624120) was 

erroneously reported for the first quarter of 2022. CES imputed the March 2022 level for this industry, and the 

new level was approximately 83,000 greater than the originally reported QCEW level. Formore information, see 

the Reconstructions and Benchmark level adjustment to services for the elderly and persons with disabilities 

sections in the 2022 CES Benchmark Article. (7) Absolute revision is less than 0.05 percent. 

(8) Indented industries are part of trade, transportation, and utilities.

To Table of Figures
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Benchmark revision effects for other data types

Benchmarking also affects the series for production and nonsupervisory employees (PE) and 

women employees (WE). There are no benchmark employment levels for these series; they are 

revised by preserving ratios of employment for the particular data type to the all employee (AE) 

level prior to benchmarking, and then applying these ratios to the revised all employee level. 

These figures are calculated at the basic cell level and then aggregated to produce the summary 

estimates. Average weekly hours (AWH), average hourly earnings (AHE), and, in manufacturing 

industries, average weekly overtime hours (AWOH) are not benchmarked; they are estimated 

solely from reports supplied by survey respondents at the basic estimating cell level. New 

employment benchmarks can additionally affect indirectly estimated data types. For more 

information on indirectly estimated data types, see the Definitions for derivative series section in 

the CES Handbook of Methods.

Table 5 lists directly estimated data types and their common abbreviations. Directly estimated 

data types except for AE are collectively called non-AE data types.

Table 5. Directly estimated data types

Data Type Abbreviation

All employees AE

Production and nonsupervisory employees PE

Women employees WE

Average weekly hours of all employees AE AWH

Average hourly earnings of all employees AE AHE

Average weekly overtime hours of all employees AE AWOH

Average weekly hours of production and nonsupervisory employees PE AWH

Average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory employees PE AHE

Average weekly overtime hours of production and nonsupervisory employees PE AWOH

To Table of Figures

The aggregate industry levels of the hours and earnings series are derived as a weighted average. 

AE and PE estimates for basic cells act as weights for their respective hours and earnings 

estimates for broader industry groupings. Adjustments of AE estimates to new benchmarks may 

alter the implicit weights used for both AE and PE hours and earnings, which, in turn, may 

change the estimates for both AE and PE hours and earnings at higher levels of aggregation.

Generally, new employment benchmarks have little effect on hours and earnings estimates for 

major industry groupings. To influence the hours and earnings estimates of a broader industry 

group, employment revisions have to be relatively large and must affect industries that have 

hours or earnings averages that are substantially different from those of other industries in their 

broader group.

Table 6 and table 7 provide information on the not seasonally adjusted levels of major industry 

sector hours and earnings series resulting from the March 2022 benchmark. At the total private 

level, there was no change in average weekly hours estimates for AE, and average weekly hours 
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for PE increased by 0.1 hour from the previously published level. Total private average hourly 

earnings increased by 8 cents for AE and PE from the previously published levels. 

Benchmark effects on hours and earnings for more detailed industries are available on the CES 

detailed industry tables page. 
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Table 6. Effect of March 2022 benchmark revisions to all employee average weekly hours and average hourly earnings

estimates, major industry sectors

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

Average Weekly Hours Average Hourly Earnings

Estimated Revised Difference Estimated Revised Difference

05-000000 Total private 34.4 34.5 0.1 $31.72 $31.80 $0.08

06-000000 Goods-producing 39.9 39.9 0.0 31.91 31.90 -0.01

08-000000 Private service-providing 33.4 33.4 0.0 31.67 31.77 0.10

10-000000 Mining and logging 45.4 45.6 0.2 35.90 35.63 -0.27

20-000000 Construction 38.3 38.3 0.0 34.04 34.03 -0.01

30-000000 Manufacturing 40.6 40.6 0.0 30.52 30.53 0.01

31-000000 Durable goods 41.1 41.1 0.0 32.03 32.05 0.02

32-000000 Nondurable goods 39.9 39.9 0.0 27.95 27.96 0.01

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and utilities 33.5 33.7 0.2 27.33 27.37 0.04

41-420000 Wholesale trade 39.1 39.1 0.0 34.46 34.51 0.05

42-000000 Retail trade 29.6 29.7 0.1 22.72 22.76 0.04

43-000000 Transportation and warehousing 37.4 37.4 0.0 27.62 27.35 -0.27

44-220000 Utilities 42.1 42.1 0.0 47.00 47.12 0.12

50-000000 Information 36.6 36.6 0.0 44.99 45.23 0.24

55-000000 Financial activities 37.4 37.4 0.0 40.93 40.98 0.05

60-000000 Professional and business services 36.5 36.5 0.0 38.22 38.22 0.00

65-000000 Private education and health 

services 33.3 33.3 0.0 31.20 31.39 0.19

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 25.9 26.0 0.1 19.72 19.76 0.04

80-000000 Other services 32.2 32.2 0.0 28.31 28.68 0.37

To Table of Figures
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Table 7. Effect of March 2022 benchmark revisions to production and nonsupervisory employee average weekly hours 

and average hourly earnings estimates, major industry sectors

CES Industry Code CES Industry Title

Average Weekly Hours Average Hourly Earnings

Estimated Revised Difference Estimated Revised Difference

05-000000 Total private 33.9 33.9 0.0 $27.02 $27.10 $0.08

06-000000 Goods-producing 40.7 40.7 0.0 27.38 27.36 -0.02

08-000000 Private service-providing 32.8 32.8 0.0 26.94 27.04 0.10

10-000000 Mining and logging 47.4 47.4 0.0 32.42 32.29 -0.13

20-000000 Construction 38.8 38.8 0.0 31.48 31.46 -0.02

30-000000 Manufacturing 41.5 41.5 0.0 24.72 24.72 0.00

31-000000 Durable goods 41.9 41.9 0.0 25.88 25.86 -0.02

32-000000 Nondurable goods 40.9 40.9 0.0 22.86 22.85 -0.01

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and utilities 33.7 33.8 0.1 23.47 23.52 0.05

41-420000 Wholesale trade 39.2 39.2 0.0 28.49 28.52 0.03

42-000000 Retail trade 30.2 30.2 0.0 19.26 19.32 0.06

43-000000 Transportation and warehousing 36.9 36.9 0.0 25.70 25.48 -0.22

44-220000 Utilities 41.8 41.8 0.0 41.40 41.50 0.10

50-000000 Information 36.4 36.5 0.1 36.71 36.95 0.24

55-000000 Financial activities 37.2 37.2 0.0 31.54 31.59 0.05

60-000000 Professional and business services 36.1 36.1 0.0 32.05 32.05 0.00

65-000000 Private education and health services 32.5 32.5 0.0 28.34 28.53 0.19

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 24.8 24.8 0.0 17.53 17.56 0.03

80-000000 Other services 31.1 31.2 0.1 24.42 24.84 0.42

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Net birth-death revisions

The difference between CES estimates and the population employment results from various 

sources. Disaggregating the difference into its components is complex. Both data sources are 

subject to nonresponse and reporting error. Additionally, the CES estimates are subject to 

sampling error and business birth and death modeling error. 

The CES sample alone is not sufficient for estimating the total nonfarm employment level 

because each month new establishments generate employment that cannot be captured through 

the sample. There is an unavoidable lag between an establishment opening for business and its 

appearance on the CES sample frame. The sample frame is built from UI quarterly tax records. 

These records cover virtually all U.S. employers and include business births, but they only 

become available for updating the CES sampling frame 7 to 9 months after the reference month. 

After the births appear on the frame, there is also time required for sampling, contacting, and 

soliciting cooperation from the establishments, and verifying the initial data provided. In

practice, BLS cannot sample and begin to collect data from new establishments until they are at 

least a year old.

BLS has researched both sample-based and model-based approaches to measuring employment 

from business births and deaths that have not yet appeared on the UI universe frame. The 

research demonstrated that sampling for births was not feasible in the very short CES production 

timeframes, so BLS uses a model-based approach to account for this employment. This model 

incorporates two components. The first component is an indirect imputation for business deaths. 

The second component is an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) time series 

model designed to estimate the net birth-death employment not accounted for by the imputation 

from the first component. More information on the CES birth-death model is available in the 

Business births and deaths section of the CES Handbook of Methods. 

An analysis of error in the birth-death model and the effect of those errors on CES estimation 

follows.

Net birth-death changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic 

Current estimates of not seasonally adjusted employment include both a sample-based

component and a model-based component. The model-based portion, called the net birth-death 

forecast, is intended to account for businesses that have closed or opened since the sample was 

initially drawn. While this model performs well in times of relative stability, it has not 

traditionally included a mechanism to account for rapid changes in the most recent months of 

employment estimates. 

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created a severe economic shock to the global 

economy, resulting in massive job losses across the United States. This widespread disruption to 

labor markets and the potential impact to the birth-death model prompted BLS to revisit research 

conducted after the Great Recession (2007-09) and incorporate new ideas to account for changes 

in the number of business openings and closings. Two areas of research were implemented to 

improve the accuracy of the birth-death model in the CES estimates. These adjustments better 

reflect the net effect of the contribution of business births and deaths to the estimates. These two 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 15 of 30

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methodological changes, one to adjust each of the two steps in the birth-death model, are the 

following:

• A portion of both reported zero employment and returns from zero in the current 

month from the sample were used in estimation to better account for the fact that 

business births and deaths do not offset.

• Current sample growth rates were included in the net birth-death forecasting model to 

better account for the changing relationships between business openings and closings.

First, a proportion of reports that fell to zero employment and reports that returned from zero 

employment in each month were used to adjust the weighted contribution of each report used in 

the calculation of the over-the-month change of the sample-based estimates. Typically, reports 

with zero employment in either the previous or current month are not included in estimation. To 

account for an excess amount of reports going to zero employment and reports returning from 

zero employment, BLS calculated the likelihood that either a reported zero or a return from zero 

exceeded what would be expected for the month. These “excess declines to zero” and “excess 

returns from zero” (collectively called excess reported zeroes) partially account for drops in 

employment (when more business deaths than are usually observed in historical population data 

occur) and for increases in employment (when there are more business births than normal). More 

specifically, “excess declines to zero” were used in March 2020 and subsequent months’ first 

preliminary, second preliminary, and final estimates through September 2021. “Excess returns 

from zero” were used in first, second, and final estimates from May 2020 to September 2021. 

Second, BLS adjusted the portion of business births and deaths that cannot be accounted for 

using sample data by including more recent information. Net birth-death forecasts are normally 

modeled using an ARIMA based on over-the-month changes of 5 years of historical birth-death 

residual values that end 9 months before the forecast of the current month. Instead of using only 

historical data—data that would not accurately account for how the labor market has changed 

due to COVID-19—a regression variable that includes data up to the current month was included 

in the model. The regression variable is the CES sample-based ratio of over-the-month change, 

known as the sample link, for each of the major industry sectors. Each major industry sector 

sample link was used as a regressor for the basic-level industry forecasts only within that sector

from April 2020 to September 2021. 

BLS did research on a monthly basis to determine when to return to normal estimation. BLS 

monitored responses to the CES survey for a reduction in rates of newly reported zeroes and 

returns from zero in the current month and the resumption of previous patterns in the net birthdeath forecasts. Effective with the release of October 2021 preliminary estimates, BLS

determined that adjustments to its birth-death methodology were no longer necessary. 

The use of sample links as regression variables in the model accounted for a difference of 47,000

in the net birth-death forecasts from April 2021 to September 2021, with a range from -21,000 to 

39,000. Exhibit 1 below outlines monthly differences due to the inclusion of the sample link 

regressor. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 16 of 30

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Exhibit 1. Preliminary and revised net birth-death forecasts for total private with and without 

regressor adjustments, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Month

Preliminary Forecast Revised Forecast

With 

Adjustment

Without 

Adjustment Difference

With 

Adjustment

Without 

Adjustment Difference

April 2020 -553 246 -799 -470 282 -752

May 345 207 138 319 203 116

June 295 73 222 235 68 167

July 241 193 48 254 211 43

August 154 104 50 142 95 47

September -62 -99 37 -64 -96 32

October 344 293 51 363 313 50

November 6 2 4 -1 0 -1

December 19 -56 75 18 -48 66

Total 2020 789 963 -174 796 1,028 -232

January 2021 -143 -143 0 (1) (1) (1)

February 131 135 -4 (1) (1) (1)

March 38 -1 39 (1) (1) (1)

April 298 277 21 309 270 39

May 218 242 -24 239 260 -21

June 76 95 -19 106 118 -12

July 224 225 -1 264 244 20

August 142 135 7 146 134 12

September -89 -103 14 -87 -96 9

Total 2021 895 862 33 977 930 47

Footnotes

(1) Net birth-death forecasts are only revised in the post-benchmark period for months April to December. 

To Table of Figures

The effect of these adjustments to CES estimates of employment reflect the pronounced impact 

of the COVID-19 pandemic. Exhibit 2 illustrates the difference at the total private level between 

the published CES estimates that use these two adjustments and a simulated CES series 

calculated without using either adjustment. The total private benchmark revision amount applied 

to March 2022 was 506,000. Without these adjustments to the birth-death model, the total private 

employment would have been 141,000 less, and the benchmark revision amount would have 

been 647,000. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 17 of 30

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Exhibit 2. Effects of adjusted net birth-death and use of reported zeroes on total private 

employment before benchmarking, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Month

Total Private 

Employment with 

Adjustments

Total Private 

Employment without 

Adjustments Difference

Apr-21 122,117 122,052 65

May 123,111 123,069 42

June 124,593 124,504 89

July 125,471 125,317 154

August 125,653 125,488 165

September 125,444 125,285 159

October 126,847 126,686 161

November 127,659 127,497 162

December 127,922 127,763 159

Jan-22 125,482 125,342 140

February 126,784 126,641 143

March 127,478 127,337 141

To Table of Figures
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 18 of 30

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Forecasted vs. actual net birth-death 

Only error from the model-based component of CES estimation is directly measurable. Error from this component is measured by 

comparing the actual net of births and deaths with the model-based forecast that was used in the CES sample-based estimates during 

the previous benchmark year. Most recently, the data from April 2021 to March 2022 can be measured. As table 8 shows, the actual 

net birth-death from April 2021 to March 2022 was approximately 289,000 above the forecast used in the CES monthly estimates for 

the same period. 

Table 8. Differences between forecasted and actual net birth-death, total private employment, April 2021 to March 2022 

(in thousands)

Benchmark 2022 2021 2022

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Total

Actual Net BirthDeath

499 212 13 465 102 -217 653 30 -20 -160 169 -61 1,685

Forecast Net 

Birth-Death

309 239 106 264 146 -87 379 17 -42 -114 156 23 1,396

Difference 190 -27 -93 201 -44 -130 274 13 22 -46 13 -84 289

Cumulative 

Difference

190 163 70 271 227 97 371 384 406 360 373 289

To Table of Figures

Net birth-death adjustments to the post-benchmark period

From April 2022 to December 2022, also called the post-benchmark period, CES estimates were recalculated for each month based 

primarily on new benchmark levels and new net birth-death forecasts. Net birth-death forecasts were revised to incorporate 

information from the most recent year of universe employment counts. Table 9 shows the net birth-death values for the supersectors 

over the post-benchmark period. From April 2022 to December 2022, the net birth-death model cumulatively added 1,459,000 jobs, 

compared with 1,276,000 in the previously published April 2022 to December 2022 employment estimates. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 19 of 30

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Table 9. Net birth-death forecasts by industry supersector, April to December 2022 (in thousands)

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Cumulative

Total

10-000000 Mining and logging -1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2

20-000000 Construction 33 41 22 17 10 -4 31 -9 -17 124

30-000000 Manufacturing -2 11 7 3 5 -1 11 4 1 39

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and utilities 4 32 19 39 23 -3 112 23 14 263

41-420000(1) Wholesale trade -4 6 -3 6 2 -11 21 2 0 19

42-000000(1) Retail trade 5 19 13 17 11 0 31 0 -3 93

43-000000(1) Transportation and warehousing 3 7 9 16 10 8 59 21 17 150

44-220000(1) Utilities 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

50-000000 Information 9 6 3 10 4 0 14 6 2 54

55-000000 Financial activities 8 8 -5 18 4 -16 45 1 8 71

60-000000 Professional and business services 111 37 -8 85 26 -33 142 10 -21 349

65-000000 Private education and health services 45 18 -31 57 19 -35 102 12 -14 173

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 99 90 82 88 22 -52 31 -24 -6 330

80-000000 Other services 17 10 4 10 6 -9 22 -2 -4 54

Total private net birth-death forecast 323 254 93 327 120 -153 511 21 -37 1,459

Footnotes

(1) Indented industries are part of trade, transportation, and utilities.

To Table of Figures
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 20 of 30

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Reconstructions

In addition to the regular benchmark revisions, CES employment, hours, and earnings estimates 

are sometimes reconstructed to avoid series breaks and to provide users with continuous, 

comparable employment time series suitable for economic analysis. Reconstructions may be 

necessary to correct processing errors, reporting errors, changes in scope, updates to the North 

American Industry Classification System (NAICS), or to address other issues that may cause 

breaks in CES time series that are not economic in nature. The reconstructions that were 

incorporated with this year’s annual benchmark are described below.

Retail trade recoding

During processing for the 2022 benchmark, QCEW’s Annual Refiling Survey identified 

incorrectly coded establishments for the first quarter of 2022, moving a significant amount of 

employment out of Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (NAICS 454110) into 

Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices (NAICS 551114). For CES purposes, this 

resulted in about 68,000 in employment in electronic shopping and mail-order houses (42-

454100) moving into corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing offices (60-551114) for 

March 2022. This amounted to approximately 14.6 percent of the previously published March 

2022 employment level of electronic shopping and mail-order houses. Both industries were 

reconstructed for AE, PE, WE, PE AWH, and PE AHE back to January 1990. AE AWH and AE 

AHE were reconstructed for both industries back to the start of those data types, March 2006. All 

reconstructions were applied to not seasonally adjusted CES data.

Basic-level reconstruction methods

A part of the CES industry electronic shopping and mail-order houses (42-454100) in the retail 

trade major industry sector was redistributed into corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing 

offices (60-551114) in the professional and business services major industry sector. 

A ratio of employment moving out of electronic shopping and mail-order houses amounting to 

14.6 percent was calculated from QCEW data for March 2022. That ratio was applied to the 

March 2022 CES AE, PE, and WE estimates for electronic shopping and mail-order houses to 

determine the amount of employment to wedge back from March 2022 for the history of the 

series back to 1990, or 387 months. The amount of employment moving out of electronic 

shopping and mail-order houses in March 2022 was spread back across those 387 months

linearly; 1/387 of the March difference is subtracted from the January 1990 estimate, 2/387 from 

the February 1990 estimate, and so on, until the full amount is subtracted from the March 2022

estimate. These employment amounts were then added to the employment of corporate, 

subsidiary, and regional managing offices to get the new totals. 

Average weekly hours (AWH) and average hourly earnings (AHE) did not change for electronic 

shopping and mail-order houses, although the total hours and total earnings did. The amount of 

total hours to move into corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing officeswas calculated by 

multiplying the amount of employment moving out of electronic shopping and mail-order houses 

by the AWH for that industry. Total earnings to move out of electronic shopping and mail-order 

houses was calculated by multiplying the AWH moving to corporate, subsidiary, and regional

managing offices by AHE for electronic shopping and mail-order houses. These formulas apply 

to both AE and PE hours and earnings. These moving amounts of total hours and total earnings
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 21 of 30

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were summed with the original total hours and total earnings for corporate, subsidiary, and 

regional managing offices. Those new total hours and total earnings were then averaged using 

the new employment levels for corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing offices. The AWH 

and AHE for corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing offices, therefore, did change due to 

the reconstruction. More information about the calculation of CES employment, hours, and 

earnings estimates is available in the Handbook of Methods under Monthly Estimation. 

The resulting reconstructed series for electronic shopping and mail-order houses was distributed 

in its entirety to other industries due to the NAICS 2022 update. The NAICS 2022 update is

briefly described below. More information about NAICS changes in the CES program is 

available on the CES NAICS page. 

Conversion to the 2022 North American Industry Classification System

With the release of January 2023 data on February 3, 2023, the CES program updated the 

national nonfarm payroll series to the NAICS 2022 basis from the NAICS 2017 basis. The 

conversion to NAICS 2022 resulted in minor revisions reflecting content and coding changes 

within the mining and logging, manufacturing, wholesale trade, financial activities, and other 

services sectors, as well as major revisions reflecting content and coding changes in the retail 

trade and information sectors. Many industry titles and descriptions were also updated to better 

reflect official NAICS titles. Approximately 10 percent of CES employment was reclassified into 

different industries as a result of the update. For more information on the CES program 

conversion to NAICS 2022, see the CES NAICS 2022 page. 

Aggregate-level reconstruction effects

Reconstructed basic series from both the corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing offices

reconstruction and the NAICS update were summed to aggregate levels using the normal CES 

aggregation methods (see the Aggregation procedures section in the CES Handbook of 

Methods), and, consequently, unadjusted aggregate employment series are subject to change 

from the detailed aggregate series to summary level aggregates within each the major industry 

sector. Additionally, the reconstruction to corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing offices 

affected major industry sector level employment for trade, transportation, and utilities and 

professional and business services. Hours and earnings series are subject to change from 

summary levels to major industry sector levels for private service-providing, service-providing, 

total private, and total nonfarm. Differences for not seasonally adjusted employment for private 

service-providing, service-providing, total private, and total nonfarm are minor, ranging 

from -2,000 to 3,000.

Reconstruction methods for series that go back further than 1990 

For industries that have series with earlier data than January 1990, ratios at the major industry 

level were created from summed reconstructed data and the originally published estimates. These 

pre-1990 ratios were calculated for employment and total earnings using January 1990 data for 

all series in exhibit 3 and applied to the pre-1990 histories for these series. Pre-1990 PE AWH 

did not change, but the historical PE AWH data were used to calculate PE AHE changes for pre1990 data, which had minor changes between -1 and 1 cent for some months. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 22 of 30

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Exhibit 3. Start years of pre-1990 industries affected by NAICS 2022 conversion

CES 

Industry 

Code

CES Industry Title AE PE PE 

AWH

PE 

AHE

PE 

AOT

WE

31-333200 Industrial machinery 

manufacturing

1972 1972 1972 1972 1972 1972

31-333248 All other industrial machinery 

manufacturing

1972 1972 1972 1972 1972 1972

31-335910 Battery manufacturing 1972

32-325300 

Pesticide, fertilizer, and other 

agricultural chemical 

manufacturing

1972

42-445132 Vending machine operators 1982 1982 1982 1982 1982

50-516110 Radio broadcasting stations 1982

50-516120 Television broadcasting stations 1982

Seasonal adjustment in reconstructed series

For all series affected by the redistribution of employment, hours, and earnings due to either the 

corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing offices reconstruction or the NAICS update, the 

corresponding seasonally adjusted series were also subject to change for the entirety of their 

histories. Aggregate industries as well as component series used in indirect seasonal adjustment 

are also subject to change, up to and including total private and total nonfarm. More information 

about seasonal adjustment of CES series is available on the CES Seasonal Adjustment page.

Changes to the CES published series

With the release of the January 2023 first preliminary estimates on February 3, 2023, BLS

incorporated series changes related to annual sample adequacy and disclosure review and

updated the national nonfarm payroll series to the 2022 North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS) from the NAICS 2017 basis.

Series changes due to annual sample review

All CES series are evaluated annually for sample size, coverage, and response rates. The 

following changes result from a re-evaluation of the sample and universe coverage for CES 

industries, which are based on NAICS 2022. Some industries no longer have sufficient sample to 

be estimated and published separately and were discontinued or combined with other similar 

industries for estimation and publication purposes. This information is also available on the 

Notice of Publication Changes with the Release of Data on February 3, 2023 page. 

A list of currently published CES series is available at the CES published series page. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 23 of 30

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Table 10. Series with CES industry code or title changes

NAICS 

Code

Previous New

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

3322,9 31-332900 Other fabricated metal 

products 31-332900 

Cutlery, handtool, and other 

fabricated metal product 

manufacturing

33220,99 31-332990 All other fabricated metal 

products 31-332990 Cutlery, handtool, and all other fabricated metal product 

manufacturing

332200;9

91,6,9

31-332200 Cutlery and hand tools

31-332999 

Cutlery, handtool, ball and 

roller bearing, fabricated pipe, 

pipe fitting, and all other 

fabricated metal product 

manufacturing

332200;9

91,6,9 31-332999 Miscellaneous fabricated metal products and balls and 

roll bearings

333511,5

,9 31-333511 Industrial molds

31-333519 

Industrial mold, cutting tool 

and machine tool accessory, 

rolling mill, and other 

metalworking machinery 

manufacturing 

333511,5

,9 31-333519 Miscellaneous metalworking machinery

337122,6

,7 31-337122 Nonupholstered wood household furniture

31-337127 Nonupholstered household 

furniture and institutional 

furniture manufacturing 337122,6

,7 31-337127 Miscellaneous household and institutional furniture

3372,9 31-337200 Office furniture and fixtures 31-337200 Office furniture (including 

fixtures) and other furniture 

related product manufacturing

337215,9

00 31-337215 

Showcases, partitions, 

shelving, and lockers

31-337215 

Showcase, partition, shelving, 

locker, and other furniture 

related product manufacturing 337215,9

00 31-337900 Other furniture-related products 

44411,2,

8 42-444110 Home centers

42-444180 Home centers, paint, 

wallpaper, and other building 

material dealers

44411,2,

8 42-444120 Pain and wallpaper stores

44411,2,

8 42-444190 Other building material 

dealers

6112,3 65-611200 Junior colleges

65-611300 

Private junior colleges, 

colleges, universities, and 

professional schools 

6112,3 65-611300 Colleges and universities

6112,3 65-611300 Colleges and universities
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 24 of 30

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To Table of Figures

To more easily identify affected series and because AE series are published at a more detailed 

industry level than non-AE series, series changes are shown separately for AE and non-AE data 

types. The first two tables in this section reference discontinued and collapsed series for AE

only. The third table references discontinued series for all non-AE data types. Discontinued 

series tables (table 11 and table 13) display series for which the data types noted are no longer 

published. The collapsed series tables (table 12 and table 14) display series for which the data 

types noted are published at a more aggregate level because the more detailed industry no longer 

has sufficient sample to be estimated and published separately. Affected industries have been 

combined with other similar industries for estimation and publication purposes. Historical data 

for these series were reconstructed to provide consistent time series. Industries that are no longer 

published for AE will also no longer be published for other directly estimated data types or 

derivative series. Table 15 shows non-AE series that have sufficient sample to be broken into 

more detail.

Table 11. Discontinued AE series

NAICS Code

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title Next Highest Published Industry

32211,2 32-322120 Pulp mills and paper 

mills

Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills (32-

322100)

32213 32-322130 Paperboard mills Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills (32-

322100)

336111 32-336111 Automobiles Motor vehicle manufacturing (32-336100)

To Table of Figures

Table 12. Collapsed AE series

Previous New

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code

CES Industry 

Title

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

3322 31-332200 Cutlery and hand 

tools 

332200;

991,6,9 31-332999 

Cutlery, handtool, ball and 

roller bearing, fabricated 

pipe, pipe fitting, and all 

other fabricated metal 

product manufacturing 332999 31-332999 

Miscellaneous 

fabricated metal 

products and ball 

and roller bearings

333511 31-333511 Industrial molds 333511,

5,9 31-333519 

Industrial mold, cutting tool 

and machine tool accessory, 

rolling mill, and other 

metalworking machinery 

manufacturing 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 25 of 30

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Previous New

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code

CES Industry 

Title

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

333515,9 31-333519 

Miscellaneous 

metalworking 

machinery

337122 31-337122 

Nonupholstered 

wood household 

furniture 

337122,

6,7 31-337127 

Nonupholstered household 

furniture and institutional 

furniture manufacturing 337124,5,7 31-337127 

Miscellaneous 

household and 

institutional 

furniture 

337215 31-337215 

Showcases, 

partitions, 

shelving, and 

lockers

337215,

900 31-337215 

Showcase, partition, 

shelving, locker, and other 

furniture related product 

manufacturing 

3379 31-337900 Other furniturerelated products

44411 42-444110 Home centers

4411,2,

8 42-444180 

Home centers, paint, 

wallpaper, and other 

building material dealers

44412 42-444120 Paint and 

wallpaper stores

44419 42-444190 Other building 

material dealers

6112 65-611200 Junior colleges

6112,3 65-611300 

Private junior colleges, 

colleges, universities, and 

professional schools

6113 65-611300 Colleges and 

universities

To Table of Figures

Table 13. Discontinued non-AE series

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

Discontinued 

From Publication

Next Highest Published 

Industry

21239 10-212390 Other nonmetallic 

mineral mining

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Nonmetallic mineral mining and 

quarrying (10-212300)

23817 20-238170 Siding contractors PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Foundation, structure, and 

building exterior contractors 

(20-238100)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 26 of 30

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NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

Discontinued 

From Publication

Next Highest Published 

Industry

23819 20-238190 Other building 

exterior contractors

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Foundation, structure, and 

building exterior contractors 

(20-238100)

3211 31-321100 Sawmills and wood 

preservation

AE AWOH, PE 

AWOH

Wood product manufacturing 

(31-321000)

3212 31-321200 

Plywood and 

engineered wood 

products

AE AWOH, PE 

AWOH

Wood product manufacturing 

(31-321000) 

3324 31-332400 Boilers, tanks, and 

shipping containers

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Fabricated metal product 

manufacturing (31-332000)

333514 31-333514 Special tools, dies, 

jigs, and fixtures PE AWOH Metalworking machinery manufacturing (31-333500)

334513 31-334513 Industrial process 

variable instruments

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, WE

Navigational, measuring, 

electromedical, and control 

instruments manufacturing (31-

334500)

33631 31-336310 

Motor vehicle 

gasoline engine and 

parts

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, PE, PE 

AWH, PE AHE, 

WE, PE AWOH

Motor vehicle parts 

manufacturing (31-336300) 

33635 31-336350 Motor vehicle power 

train components

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE, WE, PE 

AWOH

Motor vehicle parts 

manufacturing (31-336300) 

337121 31-337121 Upholstered 

household furniture

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, WE, AE 

AWOH

Household and institutional 

furniture manufacturing (31-

3371200)

311611 32-311611 Animal, except 

poultry, slaughtering WE Animal slaughtering and processing (32-311600)

311612,

3 32-311613 

Meat processed 

from carcasses, and 

rendering and meat 

byproduct 

processing

WE Animal slaughtering and 

processing (32-311600) 

3117 32-311700 

Seafood product 

preparation and 

packaging

AE AWOH Food manufacturing (32-

311000) 

313 32-313000 Textile mills PE AWOH Nondurable goods (32-000000)

32221 32-322210 Paperboard 

containers PE AWOH Paper manufacturing (32-322000)

324 32-324000 Petroleum and coal 

products

AE AWH, AE 

AHE Nondurable goods (32-000000) 

3259 32-325900 

Other chemical 

products and 

preparations

AE AWOH Chemical manufacturing (32-

325000) 

32611 32-326110 

Plastics packaging 

materials, film, and 

sheet

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, WE

Plastics product manufacturing 

(32-326100) 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 27 of 30

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NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

Discontinued 

From Publication

Next Highest Published 

Industry

312,6 32-329000 

Miscellaneous 

nondurable goods 

manufacturing

AE AWH, AE 

AHE Nondurable goods (32-000000) 

42342 41-423420 Office equipment PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Professional and commercial 

equipment and supplies 

merchant wholesalers (41-

423400)

42341,4,

6,9 41-423490 

Miscellaneous 

professional and 

commercial 

equipment

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Professional and commercial 

equipment and supplies 

merchant wholesalers (41-

423400)

44512 42-445120 Convenience stores

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, PE, PE 

AWH, PE AHE

Convenience retailers and 

vending machine operators (42-

445130)

44613 42-446130 Optical goods stores PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Health and personal care 

retailers (42-456100)

44619 42-446190 Other health and 

personal care stores

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Health and personal care 

retailers (42-456100)

484121 43-484121 

General freight 

trucking, longdistance TL

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

General freight trucking, longdistance (43-484120) 

484122 43-484122 

General freight 

trucking, longdistance LTL

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

General freight trucking, longdistance (43-484120) 

4883 43-488300 

Support activities 

for water 

transportation

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Support activities for 

transportation (43-488000) 

4882,9 43-488900 

Support activities 

for other 

transportation, 

including rail

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Support activities for 

transportation (43-488000) 

51511 50-515110 Radio broadcasting

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, PE, PE 

AWH, PE AHE, 

WE

Radio and television 

broadcasting stations (50-

516100) 

56191 60-561910 Packaging and 

labeling services

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Other support services (60-

561900)

56192 60-561920 

Convention and 

trade show 

organizers

PE, PE AWH, PE 

AHE

Other support services (60-

561900) 

81221 80-812210 Funeral homes and 

funeral services

AE AWH, AE 

AHE Death care services (80-812200) 

81222 80-812220 Cemeteries and 

crematories

AE AWH, AE 

AHE Death care services (80-812200) 

To Table of Figures
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 28 of 30

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Table 14. Collapsed non-AE series

Previous New

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

3322 31-332200 Cutlery and hand 

tools 

33220,99 31-332990 

Cutlery, handtool, and all 

other fabricated metal 

product manufacturing

33299 31-332990 All other fabricated 

metal products

3372 31-337200 Office furniture and 

fixtures 

3372,9 31-337200 

Office furniture (including 

fixtures) and other furniture 

related product 

manufacturing 3379 31-337900 Other furniturerelated products

To Table of Figures

Table 15. New non-AE series

NAICS 

Code

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title New Publication

2123 10-212300 Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying PE, PE AWH, PE AHE

To Table of Figures
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 29 of 30

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Availability of revised data

LABSTAT, the BLS public database, contains all historical employment, hours, and earnings 

data revised as a result of this benchmark, including both not seasonally adjusted and seasonally 

adjusted data. The data can be accessed at the CES-National Database page. 

Previously published data are available on both a not seasonally adjusted and seasonally adjusted 

basis for all CES industries down to the 3-digit level from the CES Vintage Data page. CES 

vintage data are typically updated in early March following the annual benchmark revision. 

Benchmarks for detailed industries can be found at the CES detailed industry tables page. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 30 of 30

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Table of figures 

Tables 

Table 1. Differences in seasonally adjusted levels and over-the-month changes, total nonfarm 

employment, January to December 2022 (in thousands).................................................... 3

Table 2. Seasonally adjusted employment revisions for major industry sectors, March 2022 (in 

thousands)....................................................................................................................... 5

Table 3. Not seasonally adjusted employment benchmarks for major industry sectors, March 

2022 (in thousands).......................................................................................................... 6

Table 4. Percent and level differences between nonfarm employment benchmarks and estimates 

by industry supersector, March 2012 to 2022 (in thousands).............................................. 8

Table 5. Directly estimated data types....................................................................................10

Table 6. Effect of March 2022 benchmark revisions to all employee average weekly hours and 

average hourly earnings estimates, major industry sectors................................................ 12

Table 7. Effect of March 2022 benchmark revisions to production and nonsupervisory employee 

average weekly hours and average hourly earnings estimates, major industry sectors........ 13

Table 8. Differences between forecasted and actual net birth-death, total private employment, 

April 2021 to March 2022 (in thousands)........................................................................ 18

Table 9. Net birth-death forecasts by industry supersector, April to December 2022 (in 

thousands).....................................................................................................................19

Table 10. Series with CES industry code or title changes........................................................ 23

Table 11. Discontinued AE series...........................................................................................24

Table 12. Collapsed AE series................................................................................................24

Table 13. Discontinued non-AE series....................................................................................25

Table 14. Collapsed non-AE series.........................................................................................28

Table 15. New non-AE series................................................................................................. 28

Exhibits 

Exhibit 1. Preliminary and revised net birth-death forecasts for total private with and without 

regressor adjustments, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands).......................................... 16

Exhibit 2. Effects of adjusted net birth-death and use of reported zeroes on total private 

employment before benchmarking, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)....................... 17

Exhibit 3. Start years of pre-1990 industries affected by NAICS 2022 conversion.................... 22

Last Modified Date: February 3, 2023

Victoria Battista and Rokeya Khan, Economists 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | Division of Current Employment Statistics – National

PSB Suite 4175, 2 MassachusettsAvenue,NE Washington,DC 20212-0001

www.bls.gov/CES |Telephone: 1-202-691-6555 | Email: Contact CES