August 2015

Release Date: September 4, 2015

Prepared by Staff of the National Estimates Branch

Current Employment Statistics Survey

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

202-691-6555

Email CES

Contents

Summary

Mining & Logging

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale Trade

Retail Trade

Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities

Information

Financial Activities

Professional & Business Services

Private Education & Health Services

Leisure & Hospitality

Other Services

Government

Current Employment Statistics Highlights

Detailed Industry Employment Analysis

Current Employment Statistics

Highlights
Current Employment Statistics Survey Summary, August 2015

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015

+19,000 Financial Activities

 Employment in financial activities rose by 

19,000 in August, with employment growth in 

real estate (+8,000) and in securities, 

commodity contracts, investments and funds 

(+5,000). Employment in insurance carriers 

and related activities continued to trend up. 

Over the past 12 months, employment in 

financial activities has grown by 170,000, with 

insurance accounting for 47 percent of the 

growth.

 Nonfarm employment increased by 

173,000 in August, after rising by 245,000 in 

each of the prior 2 months. In August, health 

care and financial activities added jobs. 

Employment in mining and manufacturing fell 

over the month. 

 The employment change for June revised 

up from +231,000 to +245,000, and the 

change for July revised up from +215,000 to 

+245,000. Incorporating revisions, 

employment has increased by an average 

221,000 per month over the past 3 months

 Average hourly earnings for all employees 

on private, nonfarm payrolls rose by 8 cents in 

August, following a 6-cent gain in July. Hourly 

earnings are up 2.2 percent over the year. In 

August, average weekly hours of all employees

edged up 0.1 hour to 34.6 hours 

+62,000 Education and Health Services

 Employment in health care rose by 41,000 

in August. Ambulatory health care accounted 

for about half of the increase. Hospital 

employment grew by 16,000 over the month. 

Since reaching an employment trough in 

February 2014, hospitals have added 155,000 

jobs; more than two thirds of the jobs have 

been added thus far this year. 

 Social assistance added 16,000 jobs in 

August as well. 380 247 216 87 113 35 177188 144 213 164 293 205 314 115 187 219 127 164 256 150 225 317 109 166 188 225 330 236 286 249 213 250 221 423 329 201 266 119 187 260 245 245 173

0

50

100

150

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250

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350

400

450

Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jul-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15

Employment in total nonfarm

Over-the-month change, January 2012 - August 2015

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015.

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015

-10,000 Mining and Logging

 Mining lost 9,000 jobs in August. Since 

reaching a peak in December 2014, mining 

employment has declined by 90,000. Support 

activities for mining accounted for 73,000 of 

the jobs lost over the same period. 

-17,000 Manufacturing

 Manufacturing lost 17,000 jobs in August. 

Within durable goods manufacturing, 

employment edged down, as job losses in 

fabricated metal products (-7,000), machinery 

(-4,000), and semiconductors and electronic 

components (-2,000) more than offset job 

gains in motor vehicles and parts (+6,000) and 

miscellaneous durable goods (+4,000). Within 

nondurable goods manufacturing, 

employment fell by 12,000 in August. Food 

manufacturing (-7,000) and plastics and 

rubber products (-3,000) contributed to the 

job loss. 

+33,000 Professional and Business Services

 Employment in professional and business 

services continued to trend up in August. Over 

the prior 12 months, job growth had averaged 

55,000 per month. 

 In August, employment continued to trend 

up in computer systems design and related 

services (+7,000), and in management and 

technical consulting services (+6,000).

 

+33,000 Leisure and Hospitality

 Within leisure and hospitality, employment 

in food services and drinking places continued 

to trend up in August (+26,000). Over the 

year, food services has added 372,000 jobs.

33

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33

62

33

19

-7

2

7

11

8

-17

3

-10

-40 -20 0 20 40 60 80

Government

Other services

Leisure and hospitality

Education and health services*

Professional and business services

Financial activities*

Information

Utilities

Transportation and warehousing

Retail trade

Wholesale trade

Manufacturing

Construction

Mining and logging*

Employment in total nonfarm

August 2015 Prior 12-month average

Over-the-month change, August 2015

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Total nonfarm:

173*

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015.

Data are preliminary.

* denotes significance.

Current Employment Statistics Survey Summary, August 2015

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
8

7

2

2

2

-2

-2

-1

-5

-8 10

6

4

4

0

-4

3

2

1

2

2

3

0

1

5

2

2

7

1

4

8

3

7

1

0

1

-7

-14

-15

-14

-19

-6

-6

-9

-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jul-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15

Employment in mining

Over-the-month change, January 2012–August 2015

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Mining and Logging

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015

 Employment in mining and 

logging declined by 10,000 in 

August, equal to its prior 3-

month average.

 Mining was responsible for 

the majority of the industry’s 

employment losses in August 

(-9,000). Since reaching a peak 

in December, mining has lost 

90,000 jobs, with support 

activities for mining 

accounting for most of the loss 

(-73,000). 
 Employment in construction changed 

little (+3,000) in August and has 

changed little over the past 3 months 

(+11,000). 

 

 

 17

0

-1-1

-19 15

99

8 19 16 40 22 52 17

-2 2023-2 12 27 25 35

-16 69 2630 41 11

7 31 1722 10 30 44 41 31

-12 30 12

1

7

3

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jul-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15

Employment in construction

Over-the-month change, January 2012–August 2015

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Construction

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade:

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
 Employment in manufacturing declined in August (-17,000). Within durable 

goods, losses in fabricated metal products (-7,000) and machinery (-4,000) offset

gains in motor vehicles and parts (+6,000) and miscellaneous manufacturing 

(+4,000). Nondurable goods shed 12,000 jobs, partly offsetting a 19,000 gain the 

previous month.

 The one-month diffusion index for manufacturing decreased to 41.3 in August

from 50.6 in July, the lowest index reading since January 2010. The diffusion 

index measures the dispersion of employment change in manufacturing, with a 

value below 50 indicating that more manufacturing industries are losing jobs 

than adding. 

 Average weekly hours in manufacturing remained unchanged for production 

employees at 41.8 hours and for all employees at 40.8 hours. 

NAICS 332—Fabricated metal products manufacturing

 Fabricated metal products lost 7,000 jobs in August. Over the past 6 months, 

19,000 jobs were lost in this industry. In August, job losses in fabricated metal 

products were concentrated in machine shops and in architectural and structural 

metals. 

 

 35 23 42 17 14 11 24

-4

-13

3

-4 14 1922

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1

-2

-22 28 11 18 32 1416 20

91112 23 1414

9 23 45 19 17

3

6

0

6

1 12

-17

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jul-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15

Employment in manufacturing

Over-the-month change, January 2012–August 2015

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015. Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands 10

8

7

4

7

4

3

-2

-3

-1

3

1

2

5

3

2

-1

2

-1

2

5

3

1

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3

2

-2

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2

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3

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5

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1

-4

-5

-2

-7

-12

-10

-8

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-2

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2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jul-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15

Employment in fabricated metal products

Over-the-month change, January 2012–August 2015

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015. Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Manufacturing

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
 Employment in wholesale trade 

changed little in August (+8,000). 

5,200

5,400

5,600

5,800

6,000

6,200

Jan-05 Jan-07 Jan-09 Jan-11 Jan-13 Jan-15

Employment in wholesale trade

August 2015 Level: 5,927

OTM Change: 8

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015.

Shaded area represents recession as denoted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

January 2005–August 2015

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Wholesale Trade

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade:

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015
 Employment in retail trade 

changed little in August (+11,000), 

following average gains of 34,000 

over the prior 3 months. 

NAICS 4521 – Department Stores

 Employment in department 

stores fell by 7,000 in August. Over 

the year, the industry has lost 

33,000 jobs.

13,800

14,000

14,200

14,400

14,600

14,800

15,000

15,200

15,400

15,600

15,800

16,000

Jan-05 Jan-07 Jan-09 Jan-11 Jan-13 Jan-15

Employment in retail trade

August 2015 Level: 15,711

OTM Change: 11

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015.

Shaded area represents recession as denoted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

January 2005–August 2015

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Retail Trade

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade:

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015
 Employment in transportation and 

warehousing continued to trend upward 

in August (+7,000). The industry has 

added 141,000 jobs over the past 12 

months.

Transportation and Warehousing

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015
 Utilities employment edged up (+2,000) in 

August.

 

 

 

 

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Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jul-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15

Employment in utilities

Over-the-month change, January 2012–August 2015

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Utilities

CES Highlights Release Date: : September 4, 2015

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade:

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
 Employment in information 

changed little in August (-7,000). 

Telecommunications lost 4,000 

jobs, offsetting a gain in July. 

0.9

1.6

-3.5

-3.1

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4

Other information services

Data processing, hosting and related services

Telecommunications

Motion picture and sound recording industries

Employment in information

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Over-the-month change, August 2015

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015.

Information

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015
 Employment in financial activities

increased by 19,000 in August and has 

grown by 170,000 over the past 12 

months. Job growth in securities, 

commodity contracts, investments, and 

funds and trusts (+5,000) and in real 

estate (+8,000) accounted for most of 

the August gain in financial activities. 

3

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3 10

1

-1

6 12 10

8 10 1213

6 12136 17

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-1

9

3

2

4 13

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9

9 17 16 13 10

7 287 19

9 13

7

9 2121 19

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jul-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15

Employment in financial activities

Over-the-month change, January 2012–August 2015

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Financial Activities

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015
 Employment in professional and 

business services continued to trend up 

in August (+33,000), short of its prior-12 

month average change of 55,000.

 Professional and technical services 

employment edged up by 15,000 over 

the month. Computer systems design 

and related services (+7,000) and 

management and technical consulting 

services (+6,000) continued to be major 

contributors to employment growth.

 Employment in management of 

companies and enterprises was flat 

over-the-month (+3,000), following a 

gain of 13,000 in July.

 Administrative and waste services 

employment changed little in August

(+16,000), following little change in July. 

Over the prior 3 months (April-June), job 

gains had averaged 35,000 per month. 

56

51

40

96

72

20

49

39

66 68 68

39

33

55

0

10

20

30

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50

60

70

80

90

100

110

Aug-14 Sep-14 Oct-14 Nov-14 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15

Professional and business services

Over-the-month change, August 2014 - August 2015

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Professional and Business Services

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: September 04, 2015
 Employment in education and health services increased by 62,000 in 

August, with the majority of the gain occurring in health care. Over the 

past 12 months, private education and health services has expanded by 

611,000 jobs. 

 In August, employment in ambulatory health care services and in 

hospitals expanded by 21,000 and 16,000, respectively. Social 

assistance added 16,000 jobs over the month as well. 

NAICS 622—Hospitals 

 Hospitals added 16,000 jobs in August, after adding 20,000 jobs in July.

Employment in the industry has increased by 134,000 over the past 12 

months, accounting for 22 percent of the job gains within

all of private education and health services in the same period.

gain

4

16

6

2

7

21

-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Nursing and residential care*

Hospitals*

 - Home health care services

 - Outpatient care centers

 - Offices of physicians

Ambulatory health care services°*

Employment in selected health care industries

August 2015 Prior 12-month average

Over-the-month change, August 2015

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Health care 

industries:

41*

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015.

Data are preliminary.

 ̊Includes additional component industries not shown separately.

* denotes significance. 16

7

5

1

1

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8 20 16

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10

20

30

Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jul-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15

Employment in hospitals

Over-the-month change, January 2012–August 2015

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015. Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Private Education and Health Services

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade:

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
 In August, employment in leisure and hospitality edged up (+33,000). 

Food services and drinking places employment continued to trend up

(+26,000), and the industry has added 372,000 jobs in the last 12 months. 

 

12,000

12,500

13,000

13,500

14,000

14,500

15,000

15,500

16,000

Jan-05 Jan-07 Jan-09 Jan-11 Jan-13 Jan-15

Employment in leisure and hospitality

August 2015 Level: 15,185

OTM Change: 33

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015.

Shaded area represents recession as denoted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

January 2005–August 2015

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands 40 33 43

6

5

6 33 46 56 1012 64 40 37 15 34 44 38 47 25 14 2832 1720 28 38 32 39 33 20 27 39 45 27 55 25 60

-9 2022 34 29 26

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jul-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15

Employment in food services and drinking places

Over-the-month change, January 2012–August 2015

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015. Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Leisure and Hospitality

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
 Employment in other services 

changed little (-4,000) in August. Over 

the most recent 12-month period, 

however, other services gained 61,000 

jobs.

5,200

5,250

5,300

5,350

5,400

5,450

5,500

5,550

5,600

5,650

5,700

5,750

Jan-05 Jan-07 Jan-09 Jan-11 Jan-13 Jan-15

Employment in other services

August 2015 Level: 5,646

OTM Change: -4

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015.

Shaded area represents recession as denoted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

January 2005–August 2015

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Other Services

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015
 Government employment changed 

little in August (+33,000). Employment 

at the federal, state, and local levels 

changed little over the month. 

Government has added 81,000 jobs 

since May, with the majority of the 

employment gain occurring in local 

government education.

-2

23

0

9

1

1

-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Local government, excluding education

Local government education

State government, excluding education

State government education

U.S. Postal Service

Federal, except U.S. Postal Service

Employment in selected government

August 2015 Prior 12-month average

Over-the-month change, August 2015

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Government:

33

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, September 04, 2015.

Data are preliminary.

* denotes significance.

Government

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: September 4, 2015
Prepared by Staff of the National Estimates Branch

Current Employment Statistics Survey

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

202-691-6555

Email CES

CES Analysts

Michael Calvillo

Steve Crestol

Tyler Downing

Brittney Forbes

Lyda Ghanbari

Mike McCall

John Mullins

Michael Osifalujo

Edward Park

Kara Sullivan

Jay Stuart

Parth Tikiwala

Current Employment Statistics Highlights

Detailed Industry Employment Analysis