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CES National Benchmark Article 

BLS Establishment Survey National Estimates Revised to 

Incorporate March 2018 Benchmarks 

Authors: Shane Haley and Caila Pinkleton 

About the authors: 

Shane Haley and Caila Pinkleton 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

IMPORTANT Special notice regarding seasonally adjusted historical data ................................... 3

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

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

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

Benchmark revision effects for other data types............................................................................. 9

Revisions to net birth/death .......................................................................................................... 13

Forecasted vs. actual net birth/death ......................................................................................... 13

Net birth/death adjustments to the post-benchmark period ...................................................... 14

Reconstructions ............................................................................................................................. 15

Wholesale trade recoding .......................................................................................................... 15

Ownership change in state government .................................................................................... 19

Aggregation processing error for production and nonsupervisory employees hours and 

earnings estimates ..................................................................................................................... 20

Changes to the CES published series ............................................................................................ 21

Series changes due to annual sample review ............................................................................ 21

Availability of revised data ........................................................................................................... 26

Table of figures ............................................................................................................................. 27

Tables ........................................................................................................................................ 27

Exhibits ..................................................................................................................................... 27
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Summary of the revisions 

With the release of January 2019 data on February 1, 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 

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

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

The March 2018 benchmarked seasonally adjusted employment level for total nonfarm 

employment is 148,279,000. The not seasonally adjusted benchmarked employment level is 

147,368,000. 

Compared with the sample-based, published seasonally adjusted estimate for March 2018, total 

nonfarm employment had a revision of -1,000, or less than -0.05 percent. The not seasonally 

adjusted total nonfarm employment estimate was revised by -16,000, or less than -0.05 percent.

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

January 2018 through December 2018. The revised data for April 2018 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. 

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

nonfarm employment, January to December 2018 (in thousands) 

2018 

Levels Over-the-month Changes

As 

Previously 

Published

As 

Revised Difference

As 

Previously 

Published

As 

Revised Difference

January 147,801 147,767 -34 176 171 -5

February 148,125 148,097 -28 324 330 6

March 148,280 148,279 -1 155 182 27

April 148,455 148,475 20 175 196 21

May 148,723 148,745 22 268 270 2

June 148,931 149,007 76 208 262 54

July 149,096 149,185 89 165 178 13

August 149,382 149,467 85 286 282 -4

September 149,501 149,575 74 119 108 -11

October 149,775 149,852 77 274 277 3

November 149,951 150,048 97 176 196 20

December(p) 150,263 150,270 7 312 222 -90

Footnotes

(p) Preliminary

To Table of Figures

IMPORTANT Special notice regarding seasonally adjusted historical data

Due to a major reconstruction effort, some seasonally adjusted series were revised further back 

than usual. Total nonfarm data was revised back to 1939. For more information, see the 

Reconstructions section of this article. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 4 of 27

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Overview 

Establishment survey benchmarking is done on an annual basis to population 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 Unemployment Insurance agency four times per year.

Approximately 97 percent of total nonfarm employment within the scope of the establishment 

survey is covered by UI. The UI data are obtained and edited by each state’s Labor Market 

Information (LMI) agency, and are tabulated and published through the BLS Quarterly Census of 

Wages and Employment (QCEW) program. Both the QCEW and CES are based on the North 

American Industry Classification System (NAICS). An employment count for the remaining 3 

percent is constructed from alternate sources, primarily records from the Railroad Retirement

Board (RRB), as well as County Business Patterns (CBP) and Annual Survey of Public 

Employment and Payroll (ASPEP) data from the Census Bureau. This 3 percent is referred to as 

noncovered employment (NCE). The combination of QCEW and NCE employment counts 

create the benchmark level and are used to replace CES sample-based estimates each March. The 

full benchmark 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. Typically, the total revision is equal to 

the benchmark revision. 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. In 

years that are affected by historical reconstructions, however, affected CES series are reestimated prior to benchmarking. The benchmark revision, in these cases, is the difference 

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

benchmark revision can be more precisely interpreted as the difference between two

independently derived employment counts, each subject to its own error sources. 

In order 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, which assumes that the total estimation error

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

benchmark (also referred to as the post-benchmark period), CES applies previously derived overthe-month sample changes to the revised March level to get the revised estimates. New net

birth/death 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, as well as in the October 2017 Monthly Labor Review,

“Benchmarking the Current Employment Statistics National Estimates.” 
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Seasonally adjusted revisions

Table 2 presents revised employment data on a seasonally adjusted basis for March 2018 by 

major industry sector. The revision to seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment is -1,000.

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

2018 (in thousands)

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title As Revised

As 

Previously 

Published

Differences

Amount Percent

00-000000 Total nonfarm 148,279 148,280 -1 (1)

05-000000 Total private 125,870 125,956 -86 -0.1

06-000000 Goods-producing 20,527 20,516 11 0.1

07-000000 Service-providing 127,752 127,764 -12 (1)

08-000000 Private service-providing 105,343 105,440 -97 -0.1

10-000000 Mining and logging 714 722 -8 -1.1

20-000000 Construction 7,201 7,164 37 0.5

30-000000 Manufacturing 12,612 12,630 -18 -0.1

31-000000 Durable goods 7,886 7,883 3 (1)

32-000000 Nondurable goods 4,726 4,747 -21 -0.4

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and utilities 27,591 27,736 -145 -0.5

41-420000 Wholesale trade 5,834.8 5,962 -127.2 -2.2

42-000000 Retail trade 15,834.3 15,930.4 -96.1 -0.6

43-000000 Transportation and warehousing 5,365.6 5,289 76.6 1.4

44-220000 Utilities 555.8 554.1 1.7 0.3

50-000000 Information 2,824 2,765 59 2.1

55-000000 Financial activities 8,537 8,548 -11 -0.1

60-000000 Professional and business services 20,816 20,817 -1 (1)

65-000000 Education and health services 23,518 23,491 27 0.1

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 16,244 16,248 -4 (1)

80-000000 Other services 5,813 5,835 -22 -0.4

90-000000 Government 22,409 22,324 85 0.4

Footnotes 

(1) Absolute revision is less than 0.05 percent.

To Table of Figures

Typically, 5 years of seasonally adjusted data are revised with each CES annual benchmark. 

However, reconstructed series are seasonally adjusted over their revised time spans.

For technical information on how seasonal adjustment is performed in the CES program, see the 

Seasonal Adjustment section of the CES Technical Notes.

For information on seasonal adjustment model specifications and special model adjustments, see 

the CES Seasonal Adjustment Files and Documentation page.
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Not seasonally adjusted revisions

Table 3 presents the employment benchmarks for March 2018, not seasonally adjusted, by major 

industry sector. The revision to not seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment is -16,000. 

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

March 2018 (in thousands) 

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title Benchmark Estimate(1)

Differences

Amount Percent

00-000000 Total nonfarm 147,368 147,384 -16 (2)

05-000000 Total private 124,601 124,705 -104 -0.1

06-000000 Goods-producing 20,195 20,177 18 0.1

07-000000 Service-providing 127,173 127,207 -34 (2)

08-000000 Private service-providing 104,406 104,528 -122 -0.1

10-000000 Mining and logging 704 712 -8 -1.1

20-000000 Construction 6,933 6,889 44 0.6

30-000000 Manufacturing 12,558 12,576 -18 -0.1

31-000000 Durable goods 7,870 7,869 1 (2)

32-000000 Nondurable goods 4,688 4,707 -19 -0.4

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and utilities 27,283 27,360 -77 -0.3

41-420000 Wholesale trade 5,812 5,867 -54.4 -0.9

42-000000 Retail trade 15,611 15,707 -96.4 -0.6

43-000000 Transportation and warehousing 5,306 5,233 72.7 1.4

44-220000 Utilities 554 553 1.8 0.3

50-000000 Information 2,814 2,755 59 2.1

55-000000 Financial activities 8,491 8,503 -12 -0.1

60-000000 Professional and business services 20,566 20,638 -72 -0.4

65-000000 Education and health services 23,656 23,651 5 (2)

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 15,818 15,822 -4 (2)

80-000000 Other services 5,778 5,799 -21 -0.4

90-000000 Government 22,767 22,679 88 0.4

Footnotes 

(1) With the 2018 benchmark, CES reconstructed several series. The effects of these reconstructions are included in

this table. For more information, see the Reconstructions section in the 2018 CES Benchmark Article.

(2) Absolute revision is less than 0.05 percent.

To Table of Figures

Benchmarks for more detailed industries can be found at 

www.bls.gov/ces/publications/benchmark/cesbmart18-tables.htm. 

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 0.2 percent (in absolute terms), with a range of -0.7 percent to 0.3 

percent.

The differences listed in table 4 reflect the error due to normal benchmarking procedures after

the incorporation of reconstructions. Those years are footnoted. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 7 of 27

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Table 4. Percent and level differences between nonfarm employment benchmarks and estimates by industry supersector, March 2008-

2018 (in thousands)

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title Type 2008 2009 2010(1) 2011(2) 2012 2013(3) 2014 2015(4) 2016 2017(5) 2018(6)

00-000000 Total nonfarm Percent -0.1 -0.7 -0.3 0.1 0.3 -0.1 (7) -0.1 -0.1 0.1 (7)

Level -89 -902 -378 162 424 -119 67 -172 -81 135 -16

05-000000 Total private Percent -0.1 -0.9 -0.4 0.1 0.4 -0.1 0.1 -0.2 -0.1 0.1 -0.1

Level -137 -933 -391 134 481 -126 105 -232 -151 133 -104

10-000000 Mining and logging Percent 0.4 -3.5 -3.0 -0.4 1.6 -1.2 -1.8 -2.2 -3.2 -4.6 -1.1

Level 3 -25 -20 -3 13 -10 -16 -19 -22 -30 -8

20-000000 Construction Percent 0.7 -2.9 -1.3 -0.5 1.8 0.3 1.6 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.6

Level 49 -171 -67 -26 93 14 90 39 47 52 44

30-000000 Manufacturing Percent -0.1 -0.7 -1.0 0.1 -0.2 0.2 0.4 -0.1 0.5 0.1 -0.1

Level -17 -84 -119 9 -25 23 43 -12 58 15 -18

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and 

utilities

Percent 0.2 -1.2 -0.6 0.4 0.6 -0.5 -0.1 (7) -0.4 0.3 -0.3

Level 65 -300 -143 95 145 -131 -31 -5 -110 75 -77

41-420000(8) Wholesale trade Percent -0.7 -1.2 -2.3 -0.2 0.8 -0.4 -0.8 -0.7 -1.1 -0.4 -0.9

Level -43.1 -68.0 -124.5 -13.1 45.3 -20.2 -45.4 -41.3 -66.6 -21.2 -54.4

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

Level 92.8 -235.6 -18.4 83.8 78.9 -110.3 5.5 -23.5 -118.2 15.4 -96.4

43-000000(8) Transportation and 

warehousing

Percent 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.7 0.1 0.2 1.4 1.7 1.6 1.4

Level 15.0 9.9 3.1 22.4 29.4 3.6 9.7 65.3 83.5 79.8 72.7

44-220000(8) Utilities Percent (7) -1.2 -0.6 0.5 -1.5 -0.8 -0.1 -0.8 -1.6 0.2 0.3

Level -0.2 -6.8 -3.4 2.8 -8.5 -4.6 -0.6 -4.7 -8.7 1 1.8

50-000000 Information Percent 0.3 -1.5 -0.4 -0.4 1.8 -0.2 2.4 -1.6 -0.1 2.5 2.1

Level 8 -42 -11 -12 47 -5 66 -44 -2 70 59

55-000000 Financial activities Percent -0.3 -0.1 0.4 0.9 0.6 -0.1 0.2 -0.1 (7) 0.1 -0.1

Level -23 -4 34 69 45 -10 19 -9 -4 7 -12

60-000000 Professional and business 

services

Percent -0.4 -0.8 (7) 0.7 (7) (7) -0.8 -0.6 -0.6 -1.3 -0.4

Level -63 -137 -3 125 2 4 -147 -110 -125 -270 -72

65-000000 Education and health 

services 

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

Level -17 -56 7 -108 -2 -61 -16 -7 -83 70 5

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality Percent -1.1 -0.6 -0.6 0.7 0.8 0.5 0.3 -0.3 0.7 0.8 (7)

Level -151 -72 -80 93 104 72 38 -45 102 126 -4

80-000000 Other services Percent 0.2 -0.8 0.2 -2.0 1.1 -0.4 1.1 -0.4 -0.2 0.3 -0.4

Level 9 -42 11 -108 59 -22 59 -20 -12 18 -21

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

Level 48 31 13 28 -57 7 -38 60 70 2 88
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Footnotes

(1) With the 2010 benchmark, CES reconstructed historical national employment levels of all employees for other federal government (91-999900) to reflect

corrections to initial counts for Census temporary and intermittent workers for the 2010 Census. The reconstructions resulted in about 4,000 in employment

moved out of other federal government (91-999900). For more information, see the Reconstructions section in the 2010 CES Benchmark Article. (2) A review of industries for the possible presence of noncovered employment yielded 13 additional industries. As a result of including these industries,

employment in the amount of 95,000 was added to the benchmark nonfarm level. For more information, see the Changes to noncovered employment section in

the 2011 CES Benchmark Article. (3) With the 2013 benchmark, CES reconstructed 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. (4) With the 2015 benchmark, CES reconstructed the national employment series 65-624120, services for the elderly and persons with disabilities back to January

2000. CES previously 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. (5) With the 2017 benchmark, CES reconstructed 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

section in the 2017 CES Benchmark Article. (6) With the 2018 benchmark, CES reconstructed 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 and warehousing, 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 the Reconstructions section in the 2018 CES Benchmark Article. (7) Absolute revision is less than 0.05 percent.

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

To Table of Figures
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Benchmark revision effects for other data types

The routine benchmarking process results in revisions to 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 Available Data section in the CES Technical Notes.

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. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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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 2018 benchmark. At the total private

level, there was no change in average weekly hours estimates for both AE and PE from the 

previously published level. Total private average hourly earnings increased by 4 cents for AE

and increased by 3 cents for PE from the previously published level. 

Benchmark effects on hours and earnings for more detailed industries can be found at 

www.bls.gov/ces/publications/benchmark/cesbmart18-tables.htm. 
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Table 6. Effect of March 2018 benchmark revisions to all employees average weekly hours and average hourly earnings 

estimates, major industry sectors 

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

Average Weekly Hours Average Hourly Earnings

Estimated(1) Revised Difference Estimated(1) Revised Difference

05-000000 Total private 34.3 34.3 0.0 $26.83 $26.87 $0.04

06-000000 Goods-producing 40.2 40.2 .0 27.97 27.99 .02

08-000000 Private service-providing 33.1 33.1 .0 26.57 26.61 .04

10-000000 Mining and logging 45.2 45.2 .0 32.79 32.68 -.11

20-000000 Construction 38.7 38.7 .0 29.50 29.52 .02

30-000000 Manufacturing 40.8 40.8 .0 26.87 26.90 .03

31-000000 Durable goods 41.3 41.3 .0 28.12 28.15 .03

32-000000 Nondurable goods 40.0 40.0 .0 24.71 24.73 .02

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and utilities 34.2 34.2 .0 23.07 23.06 -.01

41-420000 Wholesale trade 38.7 38.7 .0 30.01 29.96 -.05

42-000000 Retail trade 30.8 30.8 .0 18.47 18.47 .00

43-000000 Transportation and warehousing 38.4 38.6 .2 24.30 24.25 -.05

44-220000 Utilities 42.0 42.1 .1 40.44 40.45 .01

50-000000 Information 35.7 35.7 .0 38.97 39.13 .16

55-000000 Financial activities 37.3 37.2 -.1 34.32 34.31 -.01

60-000000 Professional and business services 35.9 35.9 .0 32.26 32.33 .07

65-000000 Education and health services 32.8 32.7 -.1 26.79 26.85 .06

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 26.0 26.0 .0 15.87 15.88 .01

80-000000 Other services 31.5 31.5 .0 24.41 24.59 .18

Footnotes

(1) With the 2018 benchmark, CES reconstructed several series. The effects of these reconstructions are included in this table. For more information, see the

Reconstructions section in the 2018 CES Benchmark Article.

To Table of Figures
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Table 7. Effect of March 2018 benchmark revisions to production and nonsupervisory employees average weekly hours 

and average hourly earnings estimates, major industry sectors 

CES Industry Code CES Industry Title

Average Weekly Hours Average Hourly Earnings

Estimated(1) Revised Difference Estimated(1) Revised Difference

05-000000 Total private 33.5 33.5 0.0 $22.48 $22.51 $0.03

06-000000 Goods-producing 41.2 41.2 .0 23.63 23.66 .03

08-000000 Private service-providing 32.2 32.2 .0 22.23 22.26 .03

10-000000 Mining and logging 46.5 46.4 -.1 28.05 27.99 -.06

20-000000 Construction 39.2 39.3 .1 27.29 27.32 .03

30-000000 Manufacturing 42.0 42.0 .0 21.36 21.39 .03

31-000000 Durable goods 42.5 42.5 .0 22.27 22.30 .03

32-000000 Nondurable goods 41.3 41.3 .0 19.89 19.89 .00

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and utilities 33.6 33.6 .0 19.65 19.65 .00

41-420000 Wholesale trade 38.7 38.7 .0 24.61 24.58 -.03

42-000000 Retail trade 30.0 30.0 .0 15.69 15.69 .00

43-000000 Transportation and warehousing 37.8 38.0 .2 21.76 21.71 -.05

44-220000 Utilities 42.7 42.7 .0 36.97 36.99 .02

50-000000 Information 35.5 35.5 .0 31.26 31.35 .09

55-000000 Financial activities 36.6 36.6 .0 26.89 26.88 -.01

60-000000 Professional and business services 35.0 35.1 .1 26.57 26.61 .04

65-000000 Education and health services 32.1 32.0 -.1 23.43 23.47 .04

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 24.8 24.8 .0 13.74 13.74 .00

80-000000 Other services 30.5 30.5 .0 20.62 20.79 .17

Footnotes

(1) With the 2018 benchmark, CES reconstructed several series. The effects of these reconstructions are included in this table. For more information, see the

Reconstructions section in the 2018 CES Benchmark Article.

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Revisions to net birth/death

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

because each month new firms generate employment that cannot be captured through the sample. 

There is an unavoidable lag between a firm opening for business and its appearance on the CES 

sample frame. The sample frame is built from Unemployment Insurance (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 firm, and verifying the initial data provided. In practice, BLS 

cannot sample and begin to collect data from new firms until they are at least a year old.

BLS has researched both sample-based and model-based approaches to measuring birth/death

units 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 the Bureau 

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 and 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 

Birth/Death Model section of the CES Technical Notes.

Forecasted vs. actual net birth/death

Only error from the second component 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. Most recently, the data from April 2017 to March 

2018 can be measured. As table 8 shows, the actual net birth/death for April 2017 to March 2018 

was approximately 65,000 below the forecasted amount used in the CES monthly estimates for 

the same period. 

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

employment, April 2017-March 2018 (in thousands) 

2017 2018

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

Actual Net 

Birth/Death 281 204 124 140 91 -61 279 -24 -45 -149 157 42 1,039

Forecast Net 

Birth/Death 264 232 110 200 115 -41 247 8 -23 -198 125 65 1,104

Difference 17 -28 14 -60 -24 -20 32 -32 -22 49 32 -23 -65

Cumulative 

Difference 17 -11 3 -57 -81

-

101 -69

-

101 -123 -74 -42 -65

To Table of Figures
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 14 of 27

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Net birth/death adjustments to the post-benchmark period

From April 2018 to December 2018, also known as the post-benchmark period, 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 2018 to December 2018, the net birth/death model cumulatively added 1,055,000, 

compared with 963,000 in the previously published April 2018 to December 2018 employment estimates.

Table 9. Net birth/death forecasts by industry supersector, April to December 2018 (in thousands) 

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

Cumulative

Total

10-000000 Mining and logging 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 5

20-000000 Construction 35 39 23 12 10 4 22 -9 -13 123

30-000000 Manufacturing 0 7 6 -1 3 3 5 2 2 27

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and utilities 5 22 7 8 16 11 37 10 6 122

41-420000(1) Wholesale trade -3 4 -1 -2 2 -2 6 2 1 7

42-000000(1) Retail trade 6 13 5 8 9 7 20 2 0 70

43-000000(1) Transportation and warehousing 2 5 3 2 5 6 11 6 5 45

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

50-000000 Information 4 6 0 6 5 -3 9 4 -1 30

55-000000 Financial activities 2 6 1 6 4 -4 21 1 9 46

60-000000 Professional and business services 97 22 -4 40 22 -23 97 1 -26 226

65-000000 Education and health services 40 16 -20 28 17 -2 62 10 -7 144

70-000000 Leisure and hospitality 79 88 92 73 23 -44 11 -23 0 299

80-000000 Other services 13 8 6 -2 4 -3 10 -1 -2 33

Total private net birth/death forecast 275 215 112 171 105 -61 275 -5 -32 1,055

Footnote

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

To Table of Figures
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 15 of 27

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Reconstructions 

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

are sometimes reconstructed in order 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, 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.

Wholesale trade recoding

During processing for the 2018 benchmark, a QCEW recoding effort for the first quarter of 2018 

moved a significant amount of employment out of NAICS 425120. For CES purposes, this 

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 and warehousing, 

and professional and business services major industry sectors. This amounted to approximately 

38.8 percent of the previously published March 2018 employment level of wholesale trade 

agents and brokers. Affected basic series were reconstructed for their entire histories, generally 

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

to January 1990 for all affected basic and independent series. AE AWH and AE AHE were 

reconstructed back to the start of those data types, March of 2006. A complete list of affected 

basic and independent series is available in exhibit 1. Basic series are those at the most detailed 

industry level that get aggregated into other series levels; independent series are detailed series 

estimated independently of aggregation. For more information about CES aggregation 

procedures, see the Aggregation Procedures section in the CES Technical Notes. 

Some of the changes associated with the recoding of NAICS 425120 affected levels of NAICS 

detail not published by CES; therefore, only cases where CES industries were affected are 

discussed in detail here. Reconstructions were applied to not seasonally adjusted CES data. 

Basic-level reconstruction methods

The reconstruction of data from wholesale trade agents and brokers redistributes a single NAICS 

(425120) that made up the entire CES industry wholesale trade agents and brokers (41-425120) 

to many NAICS that span industries in the CES major industry sectors wholesale trade, retail 

trade, transportation and warehousing, and professional and business services. Employment in 

wholesale trade agents and brokers was split into 69 basic series, including the portion that 

remained in the original series, and 6 independent series. 

Ratios of employment moving out of wholesale trade agents and brokers and into other basiclevel CES series were created from QCEW data for March 2018 and used to reconstruct each 

series. Ratios were held constant and applied to each monthly CES employment estimate for the 

entire history of the series, usually back to 1990, to determine the amount of employment 

moving from wholesale trade agents and brokers to a different CES industry. Average weekly 

hours and average hourly earnings were recalculated by applying the same ratios to the amount 

of old total hours and old total payroll to move the correct amount of hours or earnings into the 

new CES industry. Total hours and total earnings summed for the new industries were then 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 16 of 27

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averaged using the new employment levels. More information about the calculation of CES 

employment, hours, and earnings estimates is available in the CES Technical Notes under 

Estimation Methods. 

Exhibit 1 shows the ratios that were applied to 41-425120 to calculate proportions of 

employment, total hours, and total earnings moving to other series. AE series are sometimes 

published at a more detailed level than non-AE series. Furthermore, aggregate-level series for 

AE may be basic series for non-AE datatypes, as noted in exhibit 1. 

Exhibit 1. Ratios used to move employment out of wholesale trade agents and brokers 

and into other industries

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title AE 

Ratio(1)

Non-AE 

Ratio(1)

41-423100 Motor vehicles and parts 1.0 1.0

41-423110 Motor vehicles 0.5 0.5

41-423120 New motor vehicle parts 0.4 0.4

41-423200 Furniture and furnishings (2) 0.3

41-423210 Furniture 0.1 (3)

41-423220 Home furnishings 0.2 (3)

41-423310 Lumber and wood 0.4 0.4

41-423320 Masonry materials 0.2 0.2

41-423390 Roofing, siding, and other construction materials 0.5 0.5

41-423420 Office equipment 0.2 0.2

41-423430 Computer and software 1.2 1.2

41-423450 Medical equipment 4.3 4.3

41-423490 Miscellaneous professional and commercial equipment 1.1 1.1

41-423500 Metals and minerals 1.0 1.0

41-423610 Electrical equipment and wiring 1.1 1.1

41-423690 Electric appliances and other electronic parts 1.5 1.5

41-423710 Hardware 0.4 0.4

41-423720 Plumbing equipment 0.3 0.3

41-423740 HVAC and refrigeration equipment 0.4 0.4

41-423810 Construction equipment 0.1 0.1

41-423820 Farm and garden equipment 0.2 0.2

41-423830 Industrial machinery 1.8 1.8

41-423840 Industrial supplies 0.3 0.3

41-423850 Service establishment equipment 0.1 0.1

41-423860 Other transportation goods 0.3 0.3

41-423910 Sporting goods 0.1 0.1

41-423940 Jewelry 0.1 0.1

41-423990 Toy, hobby, and other durable goods 0.7 0.7

41-424120 Printing and writing paper and office supplies 0.7 0.7

41-424130 Industrial paper 0.6 0.6
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 17 of 27

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41-424200 Druggists' goods 3.8 3.8

41-424300 Apparel and piece goods 0.5 0.5

41-424330 Women's and children's clothing 0.2 (3)

41-424400 Grocery and related products 2.9 2.9

41-424410 General line grocery 0.5 0.5

41-424480 Fruits and vegetables 0.1 0.1

41-424500 Farm product raw materials 0.1 0.1

41-424510 Grains and field beans (4) (4)

41-424600 Chemicals 1.7 1.7

41-424700 Petroleum 0.7 0.7

41-424800 Alcoholic beverages (2) 0.4

41-424810 Beer and ale 0.2 (3)

41-424820 Wine and spirits 0.2 (3)

41-424900 Miscellaneous nondurable goods (2) 1.3

41-424910 Farm supplies 0.3 0.3

41-424920 Books and periodicals 0.2 (3)

41-424930 Nursery stock and florists' supplies 0.1 0.1

41-424990 All other nondurable goods wholesalers 0.7 (3)

42-443142 Electronics stores 0.1 0.1

42-444100 Building material and supplies dealers (2) 0.1

42-444130 Hardware stores 0.1 0.1

42-444190 Other building material dealers 0.1 (3)

42-454100 Electronic shopping and mail-order houses 0.4 0.4

42-454390 Other direct selling establishments 0.2 0.2

43-484230 Other specialized trucking, long-distance 0.1 0.1

43-493110 General warehousing and storage 0.5 0.5

43-493120 Refrigerated warehousing and storage 0.1 0.1

60-541200 Accounting and bookkeeping services (2) 0.1

60-541214 Payroll services 0.1 0.1

60-541340 Engineering and drafting services 0.1 0.1

60-541511 Custom computer programming services 0.4 0.4

60-541512 Computer systems design services 0.4 0.4

60-541519 Other computer-related services 0.1 0.1

60-541600 Management and technical consulting services (2) 4.1

60-541610 Management consulting services (2) 4.1

60-541611 Administrative management consulting services 0.1 0.1

60-541613 Marketing consulting services 3.9 3.9

60-541614 Process and logistics consulting services 0.2 0.2

60-541690 Other technical consulting services (4) (4)

60-541714 Research and development in biotechnology, except 

nanobiotechnology 0.1 0.1 
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60-541715

Research and development in the physical, engineering, 

and life sciences, except nanotechnology and 

biotechnology

0.2 0.2 

60-541800 Advertising and related services (2) 0.3

60-541840 Media buying agencies and media representatives (4) (4)

60-541890 Advertising material distribution and other advertising 

services 0.2 0.2

60-541990 Miscellaneous professional and technical services 0.1 0.1

60-551114 Managing offices 0.7 0.7

60-561310 Employment placement agencies and executive search 

services

(2) 0.1

60-561311 Employment placement agencies 0.1 (3)

60-561320 Temporary help services 0.1 0.1

60-561400 Business support services (2) 0.3

60-561410 Document preparation services 0.1 0.1

60-561420 Telephone call centers (2) 0.2

60-561422 Telemarketing bureaus 0.2 (3)

60-561620 Security systems services 0.1 0.1

60-561990 All other support services 0.2 0.2

Footnotes

(1) Ratios will not sum to 100.0 because of the inclusion of independent series.

(2) Calculated at more detailed level for AE.

(3) Calculated at less detailed level than AE.

(4) Less than 0.05 percent.

To Table of Figures

Aggregate-level reconstruction effects

Reconstructed basic series were summed to aggregate levels using the normal CES aggregation 

methods (see the Aggregation Procedures section in the CES Technical Notes), and, 

consequently, unadjusted aggregate employment series are subject to change from the detailed 

aggregate series to the major industry sector levels for trade, transportation, and utilities and 

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

aggregate series to aggregate major industry sectors for private service-providing, serviceproviding, total private, and total nonfarm. Not seasonally adjusted employment for private 

service-providing, service-providing, total private, and total nonfarm are unaffected.

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 2 and applied to the pre-1990 histories for these series. Pre-1990 PE AWH 

did not change, but the historical PE AWH data was used to calculate PE AHE changes for pre1990 data, which had minor changes between 1 and -2 cents for some months. 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 19 of 27

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Exhibit 2. Start years of pre-1990 industries affected by recoding wholesale trade 

agents and brokers 

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title AE PE

PE

AWH

PE

AHE WE

40-000000 Trade, transportation, and utilities 1939 1964 1964 1964 1964 

41-420000 Wholesale trade 1939 1972 1972 1972 1972 

42-000000 Retail trade 1939 1972 1972 1972 1972 

43-000000 Transportation and warehousing 1972 1972 1972 1972 1972 

60-000000 Professional and business services 1939 1964 1964 1964 1964 

60-561300 Employment services 1985 1990 1990 1990 1990 

To Table of Figures

Seasonal adjustment in reconstructed series

For all series affected by the redistribution of employment, hours, and earnings from wholesale 

trade agents and brokers into other industries, the corresponding seasonally adjusted series were 

also subject to change for the entirety of their histories. Aggregate industries as well as component 

series used as 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 

in the CES Technical Notes under Seasonal Adjustment. 

Ownership change in state government

A reclassification of some employers from state to private ownership caused a shift in 

employment of about 17,000 from the CES series other state government (90-922999) into 

services for the elderly and persons with disabilities (65-624120). This shift amounted to 

approximately 3.5 percent of the previously published March 2018 employment level of other 

state government. The change occurred in January 2018, necessitating a reconstruction of 3 

months of CES data for January, February, and March of 2018. Exhibit 3 lists data types affected 

by the change in ownership. Changes include AE, PE, and WE in services for the elderly and 

persons with disabilities and AE and WE in other state government. Hours and earnings are not 

applicable for government series, so the hours and earnings for services for the elderly and 

persons with disabilities were not affected by the change at the most detailed industry level. 

Changes to employment at the most detailed level, however, can affect the hours and earnings at 

aggregate levels. 

Exhibit 3. CES series involved in state government reconstructions 

CES Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

Data Type(s) 

Involved Time Span

65-624120 Services for the elderly and 

persons with disabilities AE, PE, WE January 2018 – March 2018 

90-922999 Other state government AE, WE January 2018 – March 2018 

To Table of Figures
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Basic-level reconstruction methods

A ratio of QCEW employment using the new ownership total to QCEW employment using the 

old ownership total for other state government for March 2018 was calculated. The ratio was 

applied to CES employment for other state government for January, February, and March of 

2018 for AE and WE to determine the amount remaining in those series. The difference between 

the old employment and new employment for each month was added to the corresponding month 

for services for the elderly and persons with disabilities. For PE, the original sample ratios used 

to calculate PE in services for the elderly and persons with disabilities were applied to the new 

totals for AE. 

Aggregate-level reconstruction effects

The previous employment was maintained at total nonfarm (00-000000), but aggregate levels 

were affected by the change in ownership. Exhibit 4 lists the affected aggregate industries. As 

with usual processing, 5 years of data are subject to seasonal adjustment during benchmark 

processing.

Exhibit 4. Aggregate series affected by the reconstruction in state government 

CES Industry Code CES Industry Title

05-000000 Total private 

08-000000 Private service-providing 

65-000000 Education and health services 

65-620000 Health care and social assistance 

65-624000 Social assistance 

65-624100 Individual and family services 

90-000000 Government 

90-920000 State government 

90-922000 State government, excluding education 

To Table of Figures

Aggregation processing error for production and nonsupervisory employees 

hours and earnings estimates 

During the 2018 benchmark, a processing error was found that caused both PE AWH and PE 

AHE to aggregate incorrectly, specifically between 1947 and 1989 for the total private, goodsproducing, and private service-providing sectors. The maximum absolute differences in 

aggregation totals were 0.1 hours for PE AWH and 2 cents for PE AHE. These were corrected by 

re-aggregating all hours and earnings estimates between 1947 and 1989. 
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Changes to the CES published series 

With the release of the January 2019 first preliminary estimates on February 1, 2019, CES

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

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 the 2017 North American Industry Classification System 

(NAICS). 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. 

A list of currently published CES series is available at 

www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesseriespub.htm. 

Some series have new CES industry codes or titles as a result of the series changes (see table 10). 

These CES industry code or title changes have been applied to all data types published for the 

designated series. Historical data for these series with new CES industry codes or CES industry 

titles are affected as noted on the remainder of this page; historical data are available under the 

new CES industry codes or new CES industry titles. 

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

335312,3,4 31-335314

Switchgears, switchboard 

apparatus, relays, and 

industrial controls

31-335314

Motors and generators, 

switchgears and switchboard 

apparatus, and relay and 

industrial controls

To Table of Figures

Table 11 through table 16 reference the new CES industry codes and titles, not the previous CES 

industry codes and titles, as noted in table 10. 

In order 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 for AE and non-AE data 

types. The first three tables in this section reference the AE data type and the second three tables

reference all non-AE data types. The three tables in each group display the discontinued, 

collapsed, and new series. Discontinued series tables (table 11 and table 14) display series for 

which the data types noted are no longer published. Collapsed series tables (table 12 and table 

15) display series for which the data types noted are no longer published because the industry no

longer has sufficient sample to be estimated and published separately. Affected industries have
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been combined with other similar industries for estimation and publication purposes. Historical 

data for these series were reconstructed to provide consistent time series. Series that no longer 

publish AE will also no longer publish other directly estimated datatypes or derivative series. 

New series tables (table 13 and table 16) display series for which the data types noted are now 

published. 

Table 11. Discontinued all employees series 

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title Next Highest Published Industry

32311 32-323110 Printing Printing and related support activities 

(32-323000)

323113 32-323113 Commercial screen printing Printing and related support activities 

(32-323000)

32312 32-323120 Support activities for 

printing

Printing and related support activities 

(32-323000)

To Table of Figures

Table 12. Collapsed all employees series 

Previous New

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code

CES Industry 

Title

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code

CES Industry 

Title

335312 31-335312 Motors and generators

335312,3,4 31-335314 

Motors and 

generators, 

switchgears and 

switchboard 

apparatus, and 

relay and industrial 

controls

335313,4 31-335314 

Switchgears, 

switchboard apparatus, 

relays, and industrial 

controls 

To Table of Figures

Table 13. New all employeesseries 

There are no new AE series published as a result of annual sample review. 

To Table of Figures
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Table 14. Discontinued series other than all employees 

NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

Discontinued 

From 

Publication

Next Highest Published 

Industry

321911 31-321911 Wood windows and doors PE AWOH Millwork (31-321910)

321912,8 31-321918

Cut stock, resawing 

lumber, planing, and other 

millwork, including 

flooring

PE AWOH Millwork (31-321910) 

32192 31-321920 Wood containers and 

pallets PE AWOH Other wood products (31-321900)

32199 31-321990 All other wood products PE AWOH Other wood products (31-

321900)

3271 31-327100 Clay products and 

refractories WE Nonmetallic mineralproducts (31-327000)

3274,9 31-327900

Lime, gypsum, and other 

nonmetallic mineral 

products

WE Nonmetallic mineral 

products (31-327000) 

3312 31-331200 Steel products from 

purchased steel

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, WE, AE 

AWOH

Primary metals (31-331000) 

3314 31-331400 Other nonferrous metal 

production

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, WE Primary metals (31-331000) 

334413 31-334413 Semiconductors and 

related devices PE AWOH

Semiconductors and 

electronic components (31-

334400)

33637 31-336370 Motor vehicle metal 

stamping WE Motor vehicle parts (31-336300)

3366 31-336600 Ship and boat building WE Transportation equipment 

(31-336000)

3365,9 31-336900

Railroad rolling stock and 

other transportation 

equipment

WE Transportation equipment 

(31-336000) 

337215 31-337215 Showcases, partitions, 

shelving, and lockers

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, WE

Furniture and related 

products (31-337000)

339113 31-339113 Surgical appliances and 

supplies PE AWOH Medical equipment and supplies (31-339100)

3113 32-311300 Sugar and confectionery 

products PE AWOH Food manufacturing (32-311000)

31141 32-311410 Frozen food

PE, PE AWH, 

PE AHE, PE 

AWOH

Fruit and vegetable 

preserving and specialty (32-

311400)
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NAICS 

Code

CES 

Industry 

Code CES Industry Title

Discontinued 

From 

Publication

Next Highest Published 

Industry

31142 32-311420 Fruit and vegetable 

canning and drying 

PE, PE AWH, 

PE AHE, PE 

AWOH

Fruit and vegetable 

preserving and specialty (32-

311400)

311611 32-311611 Animal, except poultry, 

slaughtering

AE AWH, AE 

AHE

Animal slaughtering and 

processing (32-311600)

311612,3 32-311613 

Meat processed from 

carcasses, and rendering 

and meat byproduct 

processing

AE AWH, AE 

AHE

Animal slaughtering and 

processing (32-311600) 

3117 32-311700

Seafood product 

preparation and 

packaging

PE, PE AWH, 

PE AHE

Food manufacturing (32-

311000) 

3221 32-322100 Pulp, paper, and 

paperboard mills 

PE, PE AWH, 

PE AHE, AE 

AWOH

Paper and paper products 

(32-322000) 

3222 32-322200 Converted paper products

PE, PE AWH, 

PE AHE, AE 

AWOH

Paper and paper products 

(32-322000) 

32222 32-322220 Paper bags and coated 

and treated paper

AE AWH, AE 

AHE, WE

Converted paper products 

(32-322200)

32222 32-322220 Paper bags and coated 

and treated paper

PE, PE AWH, 

PE AHE, AE 

AWOH, PE 

AWOH

Paper and paper products 

(32-322000) 

44411 42-444110 Home centers PE, PE AWH, 

PE AHE, WE

Building material and 

supplies dealers (42-444100)

541713 60-541713

Research and 

development in 

nanotechnology 

PE, PE AWH, 

PE AHE

Research and development 

in the physical, engineering, 

and life sciences (60-

541710)

541714 60-541714

Research and 

development in 

biotechnology, except 

nanobiotechnology

PE, PE AWH, 

PE AHE

Research and development 

in the physical, engineering, 

and life sciences (60-

541710)

6112 65-611200 Junior colleges WE Educational services (65-

610000)

6116 65-611600 Other schools and 

instruction WE Educational services (65-610000)

To Table of Figures
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Table 15. Collapsed series other than all employees 

There are no collapsed non-AE series as a result of annual sample review. 

To Table of Figures

Table 16. New series other than all employees 

There are no new non-AE series published as a result of annual sample review. 

To Table of Figures
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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 www.bls.gov/ces/data/home.htm, 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 late February following the annual benchmark revision. 

Benchmarks for detailed industries can be found at www.bls.gov/ces/publications/benchmark/

cesbmart18-tables.htm.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page 27 of 27

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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 2018 (in thousands) ........................................................ 3

Table 2. Seasonally adjusted employment revisions for major industry sectors, March 2018 (in 

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

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

2018 (in thousands) ................................................................................................................. 6

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

by industry supersector, March 2008-2018 (in thousands) ..................................................... 7

Table 5. Directly estimated data types ............................................................................................ 9

Table 6. Effect of March 2018 benchmark revisions to all employees average weekly hours and 

average hourly earnings estimates, major industry sectors ................................................... 11

Table 7. Effect of March 2018 benchmark revisions to production and nonsupervisory employees 

average weekly hours and average hourly earnings estimates, major industry sectors ........ 12

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

April 2017-March 2018 (in thousands)................................................................................. 13

Table 9. Net birth/death forecasts by industry supersector, April to December 2018 (in 

thousands) ............................................................................................................................. 14

Table 10. Series with CES industry code or title changes ............................................................ 21

Table 11. Discontinued all employees series ................................................................................ 22

Table 12. Collapsed all employees series ..................................................................................... 22

Table 13. New all employees series .............................................................................................. 22

Table 14. Discontinued series other than all employees ............................................................... 23

Table 15. Collapsed series other than all employees .................................................................... 25

Table 16. New series other than all employees............................................................................. 25

Exhibits

Exhibit 1. Ratios used to move employment out of wholesale trade agents and brokers and into 

other industries ...................................................................................................................... 16

Exhibit 2. Start years of pre-1990 industries affected by recoding wholesale trade agents and 

brokers................................................................................................................................... 19

Exhibit 3. CES series involved in state government reconstructions ........................................... 19

Exhibit 4. Aggregate series affected by the reconstruction in state government .......................... 20

Last Modified Date: February 7, 2020

Shane Haley and Caila Pinkleton, Economists 

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

PSB Suite 4175, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20212-0001

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