Current Employment Statistics 

Highlights

January 2007

Bureau of Labor Statistics

February 2, 2007

Bureau of Labor Statistics
2

All employees on nonfarm payrolls

1996-2007

110,000

120,000

130,000

140,000

Jan-96

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07 110,000

120,000

130,000

140,000

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, February 2, 2007.

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

January 2007

Level: 137,258

Change: +111

• Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 111,000 in January following a gain of 

206,000 jobs in December. 

• Job growth had averaged 187,000 per month in 2006. Since last reaching a low 

point in August 2003, nonfarm employment has grown by 7.4 million. 
3

Employment in total nonfarm and supersectors

Over-the-month change, January 2007 

1

22

-16

-5

4

13

0

3

4

25

31

23

-9

14

-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, February 2, 2007.

Note: Data are preliminary. 

Total nonfarm: 

+111

• In January, employment growth continued in several service-providing industries, 

with professional and business services, education and health services, and leisure 

and hospitality providing well over half the growth for the month. 

• In the goods-producing sector, manufacturing employment continued to trend 

downward, while construction employment was up slightly. 
4

Average weekly hours, total private

1992-2007

33.0

33.5

34.0

34.5

35.0

Jan-92Jan-93

Jan-94

Jan-95

Jan-96

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01Jan-02

Jan-03Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07 33.0

33.5

34.0

34.5

35.0 Seasonally adjusted

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, February 2, 2007.

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

January 2007

Level: 33.8

Change: -0.1

Index of total private aggregate weekly hours

1996-2007

85

90

95

100

105

110

Jan-96

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07 85

90

95

100

105

110

Seasonally adjusted, 2002 = 100

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, February 2, 2007.

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

January 2007

Level: 106.7

Percent Change: -0.1

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

• The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory workers on private 

nonfarm payrolls fell by 0.1 hour in January to 33.8 hours, seasonally adjusted. 

• The index of aggregate weekly hours of production and nonsupervisory workers 

on private nonfarm payrolls fell 0.1 percent in January to 106.7, seasonally 

adjusted. While the general trend in aggregate hours has been upward for over 3 

years, the pace of growth has slowed somewhat over the past 6 months.
5

Over-the-year percent change in average hourly earnings, 

1990-2007

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

Jan-90

Jan-91

Jan-92

Jan-93Jan-94

Jan-95

Jan-96

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03Jan-04

Jan-05Jan-06

Jan-07

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0 Seasonally adjusted, percent

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, February 2, 2007.

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

January 2007

Percent Change: +4.0

Index of total private aggregate weekly payrolls

1996-2007

65

75

85

95

105

115

125

Jan-96

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07 65

75

85

95

105

115

125

Seasonally adjusted, 2002 = 100

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, February 2, 2007.

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

January 2007

Level: 121.8

Percent Change: 0.0

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

• Average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers on private 

nonfarm payrolls rose by 3 cents in January to $17.09, seasonally adjusted. This 

follows an increase of 7 cents in December. Over the year, both average hourly 

earnings and average weekly earnings rose by 4.0 percent. 

• The index of aggregate weekly payrolls of production and nonsupervisory 

workers on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged in January at 121.8, 

seasonally adjusted. Over the year, the index has increased 6.1 percent.
6

Employment in construction

1996-2007

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

Jan-96

Jan-97

Jan-98

Jan-99

Jan-00

Jan-01

Jan-02

Jan-03

Jan-04

Jan-05

Jan-06

Jan-07 5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Survey, February 2, 2007.

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

January 2007

Level: 7,715

Change: +22

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

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

Residential Nonresidential

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, February 2, 2007.

Note: Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Employment in residential and nonresidential specialty 

trade contractors, 2006-07

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

January 2007

Residential: -5 

Nonresidential: +19

• Construction employment increased by 22,000 in January, about double the 

average monthly gain in 2006.

• Nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 19,000 jobs in January, and have 

added 316,000 jobs since last reaching a low point in March 2003. Residential 

specialty trade contractors employment changed little in January, and has declined 

by 104,000 since its most recent high point in February 2006. 
7

10

-7

0

15

-12

23

-9 -11 -12

-40

-23

-18 -16

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

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

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, February 2, 2007.

Note: Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Employment in manufacturing

Over-the-month change, 2006-07

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

• Manufacturing employment fell for the seventh consecutive month and stands at 

its lowest level since 1950. Motor vehicle and parts plants lost 23,000 workers in 

January, as both employee buyouts and larger-than-normal seasonal plant 

shutdowns combined to reduce payrolls. Job losses also occurred in computer 

and peripheral equipment, furniture and related products, and textile mills. A job 

gain of 12,000 in plastics and rubber was due to the return of striking tire workers. 

• The factory workweek fell by 0.2 hour to 40.8 hours, seasonally adjusted. Since 

last reaching a high point in July 2006, manufacturing weekly hours have fallen 

by 0.7 hour. Manufacturing overtime fell by 0.1 hour to 4.1 hours in January, and 

has fallen by 0.5 hour since last reaching a high point in February 2006. 
8

Employment in selected professional and business services

Over-the-month change, January 2007

18.5

2.4

9.1

-0.9

3.3

3.1

3.4

-2.5

5.4

-5 0 5 10 15 20 25

Accounting and

bookkeeping services

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 Statistics survey, February 2, 2007.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Professional and Business 

services: +25

Professional and 

technical services

Management of 

companies

Administrative and 

waste services

• In January, employment in professional and business services continued to 

expand, with a gain of 25,000 jobs. This follows job gains that averaged 69,000 

in the prior 2 months. Within this industry, employment in architectural and 

engineering services rose by 9,000 over the month. 

• Over the year, almost a quarter of total nonfarm job growth occurred in 

professional and business services, which added 509,000 jobs. 
9

Employment in health care 

Over-the-month change, January 2007

8.2

0.8

1.5

3.6

6.1

4.1

0 2 4 6 8 10

Offices of physicians

Outpatient care centers

Home health care

services

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, February 2, 2007.

Note: Data are preliminary.

Health care:

+18.4

Ambulatory health 

care services

Hospitals

Nursing and residential 

care facilities

• In January, health care employment continued to expand, adding 18,000 jobs. 

Within health care, employment continued to trend up in hospitals, in ambulatory 

health care, and in nursing and residential care facilities. Over the year, health 

care employment increased by 328,000.