Internet address:  http://stats.bls.gov:80/newsrels.htm
Technical information:                USDL 97-347
   Household data:  (202) 606-6378
                                      Transmission of material in this
                                      release is embargoed until
   Establishment data:    606-6555    8:30 A.M. (EDT),
Media contact:            606-5902    Friday, October 3, 1997.


                 THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION:  SEPTEMBER 1997


   The unemployment rate was unchanged in September, and returning strikers
bolstered an otherwise modest rise in nonfarm payroll employment, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.
At 4.9 percent, the jobless rate has remained within a very narrow range
since April.  The number of payroll jobs rose by 215,000, including a gain
of 166,000 in the air transportation industry, where workers returned from
strike.  (Workers on strike are not counted as employed in the
establishment survey.)
   
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
   
   The number of unemployed persons, at 6.8 million in September, was
little changed over the month, and the unemployment rate held at  4.9
percent.  Over the past 6 months, the unemployment rate has remained within
a tenth of a percentage point of 4.9 percent.  Jobless rates for the major
worker groups--adult men (4.1 percent), adult women (4.4 percent),
teenagers (16.7 percent), whites (4.3 percent), blacks (9.6 percent), and
Hispanics (7.6 percent)--showed little or no change in September.  (See
tables A-1 and A-2.)
   
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
   
   Total employment was essentially unchanged at a seasonally adjusted
level of 129.7 million in September.  The proportion of the population that
was employed (the employment-population ratio) was 63.7 percent and has
been at or near this level since March.  (See table A-1.)
   
   About 7.8 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in September.  They accounted for 6.0 percent of all employed persons.
Both the number of multiple jobholders and their percentage of the total
employed were about the same as a year earlier.  (See table A-9.)
   
   Both the civilian labor force, 136.5 million, and the labor force
participation rate, 67.0 percent, were about unchanged in September.
(See table A-1.)
   
Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
   
   About 1.4 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in September--that is, they wanted and were
available for work and had looked for jobs sometime in the prior 12 months.

                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
                      |   Quarterly     |       Monthly data       |
                      |   averages      |                          |
                      |_________________|__________________________|Aug.-
      Category        |      19971/     |          19971/          |Sept.
                      |_________________|__________________________|change
                      |   II   |   III  |  July  |  Aug.  |  Sept. |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
    HOUSEHOLD DATA    |                 Labor force status
                      |____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 136,157| 136,413| 136,290| 136,480| 136,467|    -13
  Employment..........| 129,462| 129,742| 129,708| 129,804| 129,715|    -89
  Unemployment........|   6,695|   6,671|   6,583|   6,677|   6,752|     75
Not in labor force....|  66,678|  66,954|  66,876|  66,884|  67,102|    218
                      |________|________|________|________|________|_______
                      |                 Unemployment rates
                      |____________________________________________________
All workers...........|     4.9|     4.9|     4.8|     4.9|     4.9|     .0
  Adult men...........|     4.1|     4.1|     4.0|     4.1|     4.1|     .0
  Adult women.........|     4.4|     4.3|     4.2|     4.4|     4.4|     .0
  Teenagers...........|    15.9|    16.5|    16.4|    16.4|    16.7|    0.3
  White...............|     4.1|     4.2|     4.2|     4.2|     4.3|     .1
  Black...............|    10.2|     9.4|     9.4|     9.3|     9.6|     .3
  Hispanic origin.....|     7.7|     7.6|     7.9|     7.2|     7.6|     .4
                       ________|________|________|________|________|_______
 ESTABLISHMENT DATA   |                     Employment
                      |____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 121,854|p122,538| 122,440|p122,480|p122,695|   p215
  Goods-producing 2/..|  24,694| p24,747|  24,713| p24,771| p24,757|   p-14
    Construction......|   5,616|  p5,633|   5,625|  p5,637|  p5,636|    p-1
    Manufacturing.....|  18,504| p18,541|  18,514| p18,562| p18,546|   p-16
  Service-producing 2/|  97,159| p97,791|  97,727| p97,709| p97,938|   p229
    Retail trade......|  22,045| p22,188|  22,159| p22,191| p22,214|    p23
    Services..........|  35,436| p35,727|  35,684| p35,699| p35,797|    p98
    Government........|  19,594| p19,744|  19,719| p19,795| p19,717|   p-78
                      |________|________|________|________|________|_______
                      |                  Hours of work 3/
                      |____________________________________________________
Total private.........|    34.5|   p34.5|    34.4|   p34.6|   p34.5|  p-0.1
  Manufacturing.......|    42.0|   p41.9|    41.8|   p41.9|   p41.9|    p.0
    Overtime..........|     4.8|    p4.7|     4.7|    p4.7|    p4.7|    p.0
                      |________|________|________|________|________|_______
                      |                     Earnings 3/
                      |____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, |        |        |        |        |        |
  total private.......|  $12.19| p$12.29|  $12.24| p$12.30| p$12.34| p$0.04
Avg. weekly earnings, |        |        |        |        |        |
  total private.......|  420.85| p424.12|  421.06| p425.58| p425.73|   p.15
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
    1/ Beginning in January 1997, household data reflect revised population
controls used in the survey.
    2/ Includes other industries, not shown separately.
    3/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers.
    p=preliminary.

                                  - 3 -

   The number of discouraged workers--a subset of the marginally attached
who were not currently looking for jobs specifically because they believed
no jobs were available for them or there were none for which they would
qualify--was 328,000 in September, little changed from a year earlier.
(See table A-9.)
   
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
   
   Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 215,000 in September, after seasonal
adjustment.  The bulk of the increase was due to the return of workers who
were on strike in August.  (See table B-1.)
   
   Employment in transportation was up by 170,000 in September, as
strikers in the air transportation industry returned to payrolls.
Employment in that industry was down by 6,000 since July, the month before
the strike.  In contrast, trucking and warehousing added 18,000 workers
over the same 2 months, reflecting, in part, increased business in the wake
of the strike-generated disruption of package delivery services.
   
   Following an exceptionally small gain in August, employment in the
services industry rose by 98,000 in September, in line with the average
monthly growth during the first 8 months of the year.  An increase of
46,000 in business services in September included continued growth in
computer and data processing services (12,000) and a gain in the help
supply industry (10,000).  Despite the September increase, employment in
help supply services has fallen by 50,000 since March.  Employment in
health services continued its steady growth by adding 19,000 jobs in
September, with half of the increase occurring in hospitals.  Employment in
home health services was flat over the month and has not shown any net gain
since April.  Engineering and management services continued its strong
growth, adding 14,000 employees in September.  In contrast, there were
small declines in amusement and recreation services (-9,000) and child day
care services (-14,000), following strong summer employment growth.
   
   Job gains in wholesale and retail trade were slightly below their
monthly averages for the first 8 months of the year.  Growth continued in
the finance industry in September, reflecting employment increases in
mortgage brokerages, security brokerages, and holding companies and other
investment offices.
   
   Government employment fell by 78,000 in September, due primarily to a
decline of 47,000 in local government education (after seasonal
adjustment), following large gains in the prior 3 months.  Changing
seasonal patterns due to the earlier start of the school year and the trend
toward year-round schools have made seasonal adjustment of these data
difficult.  Employment in local government, except education, fell by
18,000 in September, following strong summer hiring.  Federal employment
fell by 9,000, reflecting, in part, the layoff of postal workers hired to
handle increased demand for parcel delivery during the strike in the air
transportation industry.
   
   Within the goods-producing sector, construction employment was
virtually unchanged in September and has shown little growth since May.
Manufacturing employment fell by 16,000 in September, after a large
increase in the prior month.  Losses in the motor vehicles industry totaled
14,000, as several plants were shut down for inventory control.  Apparel
employment continued a downward trend, declining by 7,000 workers.  Of the
manufacturing industries that had been growing, only electronic components
showed a notable increase (4,000).
   
                                  - 4 -

Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
   
   The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls decreased by 0.1 hour in September to 34.5 hours,
seasonally adjusted.  The manufacturing workweek and factory overtime
remained at 41.9 and 4.7 hours, respectively.  (See table B-2.)
   
   The index of aggregate weekly hours of private production or
nonsupervisory workers on nonfarm payrolls edged down by 0.1 percent to
140.5 (1982=100), seasonally adjusted.  The manufacturing index was
unchanged in September, at 108.2.  (See table B-5.)
   
Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
   
   Average hourly earnings of private production or nonsupervisory workers
on nonfarm payrolls were up 4 cents in September to $12.34, seasonally
adjusted.  Average weekly earnings were little changed at $425.73.  Over
the past year, average hourly earnings have risen by 3.6 percent and
average weekly earnings by 3.0 percent.  (See table B-3.)
   
                 ________________________________________
   
   The Employment Situation for October 1997 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, November 7, at 8:30 A.M. (EST).

  --------------------------------------------------------------------
 |                    Changes in Household Data Series                |
 |                                                                    |
 |    Effective with the release of data for December 1997 in January |
 |1998, improvements will be introduced into the composite estimation |
 |procedures used in the Current Population Survey.  These changes    |
 |will simplify processing of the monthly labor force data at BLS and |
 |will allow users of the survey microdata to replicate the official  |
 |estimates released by BLS.  In addition, there will be a slight     |
 |decrease in the variance of some major estimates, particularly      |
 |employment levels and the over-the-month change in those levels.    |
 |The new procedures will produce somewhat lower estimates of the     |
 |civilian labor force and employment.                                |
  --------------------------------------------------------------------

                                  - 5 -

Explanatory Note


 This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (establishment survey).  The household survey provides the
information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears
in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA.  It is a sample survey of about
50,000 households  conducted by the Bureau of the Census  for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
 
 The establishment survey provides the information on the employment,
hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B
tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA.  This information is collected from
payroll records by BLS in cooperation with State agencies.  In June 1997,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing about 48 million
people.
 
 For both surveys, the data for a given month  relate to a particular week
or pay period.  In the household survey,  the reference week is generally
the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month.  In the
establishment survey, the reference  period is the pay period including the
12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week.

Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
 
 Household survey.  The sample  is selected  to reflect the entire
civilian noninstitutional population.  Based on responses to a series of
questions on work and job search activities, each person  16 years and over
in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the
labor force.
 
 People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid
employees during the reference week; worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours
in a family business or farm.  People are also counted as employed if they
were  temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather,
vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons.
 
 People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following
criteria:  They had no employment during the  reference week; they were
available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find
employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference
week.  Persons laid off from  a job and expecting recall   need not be
looking for work to be counted as unemployed.  The unemployment data
derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for
or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
 
 The civilian labor force  is the sum of  employed and  unemployed
persons.  Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the
labor force.  The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent
of the  labor force.  The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population.
 
 Establishment survey.  The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
Federal, State, and local government entities.  Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including persons on paid leave.  Persons are counted in each job
they hold.  Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate
only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory
workers in the service-producing sector.

                                  - 6 -
 
 Differences in employment estimates.  The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys
result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from
the surveys.  Among these are:
 
 --The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed,
unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed.
These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.

 --The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.
 
 --The household survey is limited to  workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
 
 --The  household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals  are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In
the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job  and thus
appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each
appearance.
 
 Other differences between the two surveys are described in   "Comparing
Employment Estimates from Household and Payroll Surveys," which may be
obtained from BLS upon request.

Seasonal adjustment
 
 Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the
levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to
such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production,
harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools.  The
effect of such seasonal  variation can  be  very large; seasonal
fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month
changes in unemployment.
 
 Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each
year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting
the statistics from month to month.  These adjustments make nonseasonal
developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the
participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot.  For example,
the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to
obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it
difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or
declined.  However, because the effect of students finishing school in
previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be
adjusted to allow for a comparable change.  Insofar as the seasonal
adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful
tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity.
 
 In both the household and establishment surveys, most seasonally adjusted
series are independently adjusted.  However, the adjusted series for many
major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most major
industry divisions, total employment, and unemployment are computed by
aggregating independently adjusted component series.  For example, total
unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major age-
sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration,
reasons, or more detailed age categories.
 
 The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are
recalculated twice a year.  For the household survey, the factors are
calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December

                                  - 7 -

period.  For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal
adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along
with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period.  In both
surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year.

Reliability of the estimates
 
 Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject
to both sampling and nonsampling error.  When a sample rather than the
entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates
may differ from the "true" population values they represent.  The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample
selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the
estimate.  There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error.  BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
 
 For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total
employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus
376,000.  Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000
from one month to the next.  The 90-percent confidence interval on the
monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100,000 +/- 376,000).
These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these
magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the
"true" over-the-month change lies within this interval.  Since this range
includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
employment had, in fact, increased.  If, however, the reported employment
rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero.  In this case, it is likely
(at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact,
occurred.  The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in
unemployment is +/- 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment
rate it is +/- .21 percentage point.
 
 In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have
lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates
which are based on a small number of observations.  The precision of
estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as
for quarterly and annual averages.  The seasonal adjustment process can
also improve the stability of the monthly estimates.
 
 The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling
error.  Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes
made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
 
 For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2
months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason,
these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables.  It is only after
two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample
reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final.
 
 Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is
the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new
firms.  To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth
(and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is
included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number
of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change.  The size of the

                                  - 8 -

monthly bias adjustment is based largely on past relationships between the
sample-based estimates of employment and the total counts of employment
described below.
 
 The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted
once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment
obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program.
The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and the
March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a
rough proxy for total survey error.  The new benchmarks also incorporate
changes in the classification of industries.  Over the past decade, the
benchmark revision for total nonfarm employment has averaged 0.2 percent,
ranging from zero to 0.6 percent.

Additional statistics and other information
 
 More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings,
published each month by BLS.  It is available for $17.00 per issue or
$35.00 per year from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402.  All orders must be prepaid by sending a check or money order
payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or by charging to Mastercard or
Visa.
 
 Employment and Earnings also provides measures of sampling error for the
household survey data published in this release.  For unemployment and
other labor force categories, these measures appear in tables 1-B through
1-H of its "Explanatory Notes."  Measures of the reliability of the data
drawn from the establishment survey and the actual amounts of revision due
to benchmark adjustments are provided in tables 2-B through 2-G of that
publication.
 
 Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone:  202-606-STAT; TDD phone:
202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone:  1-800-326-2577.
         HOUSEHOLD DATA                                                                                              HOUSEHOLD DATA
         
         Table A-1.  Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age

         (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                            Not seasonally adjusted              Seasonally adjusted(1)            
                                                                                                                                   
                  Employment status, sex, and age                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                             Sept.    Aug.   Sept.   Sept.    May     June    July    Aug.   Sept. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1997    1997    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                               TOTAL                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............ 201,061 203,364 203,570 201,061 202,832 203,000 203,166 203,364 203,570
             Civilian labor force.......................... 134,230 137,460 136,375 134,291 136,173 136,200 136,290 136,480 136,467
                   Participation rate......................    66.8    67.6    67.0    66.8    67.1    67.1    67.1    67.1    67.0
               Employed.................................... 127,529 130,865 129,972 127,248 129,639 129,364 129,708 129,804 129,715
                   Employment-population ratio.............    63.4    64.4    63.8    63.3    63.9    63.7    63.8    63.8    63.7
                 Agriculture...............................   3,607   3,661   3,569   3,480   3,430   3,391   3,482   3,383   3,450
                 Nonagricultural industries................ 123,923 127,205 126,403 123,768 126,209 125,973 126,226 126,421 126,265
               Unemployed..................................   6,700   6,594   6,403   7,043   6,534   6,836   6,583   6,677   6,752
                   Unemployment rate.......................     5.0     4.8     4.7     5.2     4.8     5.0     4.8     4.9     4.9
             Not in labor force............................  66,831  65,904  67,195  66,770  66,659  66,800  66,876  66,884  67,102
                                                                                                                                   
                       Men, 16 years and over                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  96,447  97,838  97,946  96,447  97,559  97,649  97,733  97,838  97,946
             Civilian labor force..........................  72,028  74,149  73,068  72,087  73,200  73,242  73,230  73,315  73,190
                   Participation rate......................    74.7    75.8    74.6    74.7    75.0    75.0    74.9    74.9    74.7
               Employed....................................  68,614  70,890  69,890  68,304  69,929  69,567  69,749  69,791  69,639
                   Employment-population ratio.............    71.1    72.5    71.4    70.8    71.7    71.2    71.4    71.3    71.1
               Unemployed..................................   3,413   3,259   3,178   3,783   3,271   3,674   3,481   3,524   3,551
                   Unemployment rate.......................     4.7     4.4     4.3     5.2     4.5     5.0     4.8     4.8     4.9
                                                                                                                                   
                       Men, 20 years and over                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  88,733  89,982  90,068  88,733  89,766  89,829  89,888  89,982  90,068
             Civilian labor force..........................  68,140  69,571  69,204  68,056  69,059  69,167  69,203  69,301  69,171
                   Participation rate......................    76.8    77.3    76.8    76.7    76.9    77.0    77.0    77.0    76.8
               Employed....................................  65,353  67,000  66,648  64,978  66,418  66,266  66,414  66,491  66,325
                   Employment-population ratio.............    73.7    74.5    74.0    73.2    74.0    73.8    73.9    73.9    73.6
                 Agriculture...............................   2,439   2,424   2,474   2,366   2,421   2,417   2,411   2,300   2,407
                 Nonagricultural industries................  62,914  64,576  64,174  62,612  63,997  63,849  64,003  64,191  63,918
               Unemployed..................................   2,788   2,571   2,556   3,078   2,640   2,901   2,789   2,810   2,846
                   Unemployment rate.......................     4.1     3.7     3.7     4.5     3.8     4.2     4.0     4.1     4.1
                                                                                                                                   
                      Women, 16 years and over                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............ 104,614 105,527 105,623 104,614 105,274 105,351 105,433 105,527 105,623
             Civilian labor force..........................  62,202  63,311  63,307  62,204  62,973  62,958  63,060  63,165  63,277
                   Participation rate......................    59.5    60.0    59.9    59.5    59.8    59.8    59.8    59.9    59.9
               Employed....................................  58,915  59,976  60,082  58,944  59,710  59,796  59,958  60,013  60,076
                   Employment-population ratio.............    56.3    56.8    56.9    56.3    56.7    56.8    56.9    56.9    56.9
               Unemployed..................................   3,287   3,335   3,225   3,260   3,263   3,162   3,102   3,152   3,201
                   Unemployment rate.......................     5.3     5.3     5.1     5.2     5.2     5.0     4.9     5.0     5.1
                                                                                                                                   
                      Women, 20 years and over                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  97,226  98,000  98,082  97,226  97,767  97,834  97,919  98,000  98,082
             Civilian labor force..........................  58,548  59,123  59,705  58,349  59,130  59,207  59,186  59,408  59,483
                   Participation rate......................    60.2    60.3    60.9    60.0    60.5    60.5    60.4    60.6    60.6
               Employed....................................  55,776  56,311  57,038  55,644  56,481  56,585  56,685  56,819  56,882
                   Employment-population ratio.............    57.4    57.5    58.2    57.2    57.8    57.8    57.9    58.0    58.0
                 Agriculture...............................     890     888     886     844     743     740     841     836     841
                 Nonagricultural industries................  54,886  55,423  56,153  54,800  55,738  55,845  55,844  55,983  56,041
               Unemployed..................................   2,772   2,811   2,666   2,705   2,650   2,621   2,501   2,589   2,601
                   Unemployment rate.......................     4.7     4.8     4.5     4.6     4.5     4.4     4.2     4.4     4.4
                                                                                                                                   
                     Both sexes, 16 to 19 years                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian  noninstitutional population...........  15,101  15,382  15,420  15,101  15,300  15,336  15,359  15,382  15,420
             Civilian labor force..........................   7,541   8,765   7,466   7,886   7,984   7,826   7,901   7,771   7,813
                   Participation rate......................    49.9    57.0    48.4    52.2    52.2    51.0    51.4    50.5    50.7
               Employed....................................   6,401   7,554   6,285   6,626   6,740   6,512   6,608   6,493   6,508
                   Employment-population ratio.............    42.4    49.1    40.8    43.9    44.1    42.5    43.0    42.2    42.2
                 Agriculture...............................     278     348     209     270     266     234     229     246     202
                 Nonagricultural industries................   6,123   7,205   6,076   6,356   6,474   6,279   6,379   6,247   6,306
               Unemployed..................................   1,140   1,212   1,181   1,260   1,244   1,314   1,293   1,278   1,305
                   Unemployment rate.......................    15.1    13.8    15.8    16.0    15.6    16.8    16.4    16.4    16.7

           1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
         and seasonally adjusted columns.
            NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.






         
         
         HOUSEHOLD DATA                                                                                              HOUSEHOLD DATA
         
         Table A-2.  Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, age, and Hispanic origin

         (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                            Not seasonally adjusted              Seasonally adjusted(1)            
                                                                                                                                   
               Employment status, race, sex, age, and                                                                              
                          Hispanic origin                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                   
                                                             Sept.    Aug.   Sept.   Sept.    May     June    July    Aug.   Sept. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1997    1997    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                               WHITE                                                                                               
           Civilian noninstitutional population............ 168,639 170,148 170,290 168,639 169,782 169,897 170,010 170,148 170,290
             Civilian labor force.......................... 113,275 115,365 114,614 113,334 114,630 114,691 114,627 114,649 114,694
                 Participation rate........................    67.2    67.8    67.3    67.2    67.5    67.5    67.4    67.4    67.4
               Employed.................................... 108,495 110,654 110,018 108,217 110,052 109,821 109,853 109,782 109,770
                 Employment-population ratio...............    64.3    65.0    64.6    64.2    64.8    64.6    64.6    64.5    64.5
               Unemployed..................................   4,780   4,711   4,596   5,117   4,578   4,870   4,774   4,867   4,924
                 Unemployment rate.........................     4.2     4.1     4.0     4.5     4.0     4.2     4.2     4.2     4.3
                                                                                                                                   
                       Men, 20 years and over                                                                                      
             Civilian labor force..........................  58,369  59,307  59,052  58,343  59,008  59,088  59,096  59,129  59,035
                 Participation rate........................    77.2    77.6    77.2    77.2    77.4    77.5    77.4    77.4    77.2
               Employed....................................  56,344  57,418  57,186  56,042  57,112  56,981  57,030  57,018  56,901
                 Employment-population ratio...............    74.6    75.2    74.8    74.2    74.9    74.7    74.7    74.6    74.4
               Unemployed..................................   2,024   1,889   1,867   2,301   1,895   2,107   2,066   2,111   2,134
                 Unemployment rate.........................     3.5     3.2     3.2     3.9     3.2     3.6     3.5     3.6     3.6
                                                                                                                                   
                      Women, 20 years and over                                                                                     
             Civilian labor force..........................  48,536  48,677  49,214  48,314  48,874  48,924  48,756  48,927  48,997
                 Participation rate........................    59.8    59.7    60.3    59.5    60.0    60.1    59.8    60.0    60.0
               Employed....................................  46,591  46,699  47,354  46,394  47,047  47,128  47,055  47,123  47,165
                 Employment-population ratio...............    57.4    57.3    58.0    57.2    57.8    57.9    57.7    57.8    57.8
               Unemployed..................................   1,945   1,978   1,861   1,920   1,827   1,795   1,701   1,805   1,831
                 Unemployment rate.........................     4.0     4.1     3.8     4.0     3.7     3.7     3.5     3.7     3.7
                                                                                                                                   
                     Both sexes, 16 to 19 years                                                                                    
             Civilian labor force..........................   6,370   7,382   6,347   6,677   6,748   6,679   6,775   6,593   6,663
                 Participation rate........................    53.4    60.5    51.9    56.0    55.5    54.9    55.6    54.0    54.5
               Employed....................................   5,560   6,538   5,479   5,781   5,893   5,711   5,768   5,641   5,704
                 Employment-population ratio...............    46.6    53.6    44.8    48.5    48.5    46.9    47.3    46.2    46.7
               Unemployed..................................     811     843     868     896     855     968   1,007     951     959
                 Unemployment rate.........................    12.7    11.4    13.7    13.4    12.7    14.5    14.9    14.4    14.4
                   Men.....................................    13.8    12.1    13.7    14.8    12.7    16.3    15.4    15.5    14.6
                   Women...................................    11.5    10.7    13.7    11.9    12.7    12.6    14.3    13.2    14.1
                                                                                                                                   
                               BLACK                                                                                               
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  23,690  24,043  24,081  23,690  23,950  23,978  24,006  24,043  24,081
             Civilian labor force..........................  15,132  15,953  15,706  15,184  15,434  15,398  15,510  15,804  15,746
                 Participation rate........................    63.9    66.4    65.2    64.1    64.4    64.2    64.6    65.7    65.4
               Employed....................................  13,547  14,409  14,220  13,566  13,837  13,793  14,055  14,341  14,236
                 Employment-population ratio...............    57.2    59.9    59.1    57.3    57.8    57.5    58.5    59.6    59.1
               Unemployed..................................   1,585   1,544   1,487   1,618   1,597   1,605   1,455   1,463   1,510
                 Unemployment rate.........................    10.5     9.7     9.5    10.7    10.3    10.4     9.4     9.3     9.6
                                                                                                                                   
                       Men, 20 years and over                                                                                      
             Civilian labor force..........................   6,840   7,077   7,026   6,834   6,831   6,926   6,957   7,072   7,006
                 Participation rate........................    72.6    73.7    73.1    72.6    71.5    72.4    72.6    73.7    72.9
               Employed....................................   6,190   6,554   6,484   6,174   6,255   6,296   6,386   6,541   6,459
                 Employment-population ratio...............    65.7    68.3    67.4    65.6    65.5    65.8    66.6    68.1    67.2
               Unemployed..................................     651     523     542     660     575     630     572     532     548
                 Unemployment rate.........................     9.5     7.4     7.7     9.7     8.4     9.1     8.2     7.5     7.8
                                                                                                                                   
                      Women, 20 years and over                                                                                     
             Civilian labor force..........................   7,429   7,793   7,810   7,435   7,693   7,615   7,689   7,803   7,818
                 Participation rate........................    62.6    64.8    64.8    62.7    64.1    63.5    64.0    64.8    64.8
               Employed....................................   6,767   7,081   7,132   6,788   6,974   6,921   7,053   7,146   7,161
                 Employment-population ratio...............    57.0    58.8    59.2    57.2    58.1    57.7    58.7    59.4    59.4
               Unemployed..................................     662     712     678     647     719     694     636     658     657
                 Unemployment rate.........................     8.9     9.1     8.7     8.7     9.4     9.1     8.3     8.4     8.4
                                                                                                                                   
                     Both sexes, 16 to 19 years                                                                                    
             Civilian labor force..........................     863   1,083     870     915     910     857     864     928     921
                 Participation rate........................    35.9    44.9    36.1    38.0    37.9    35.4    35.7    38.5    38.3
               Employed....................................     591     774     603     604     608     577     616     655     616
                 Employment-population ratio...............    24.6    32.1    25.0    25.1    25.3    23.8    25.5    27.2    25.6
               Unemployed..................................     272     309     267     311     302     281     247     273     305
                 Unemployment rate.........................    31.5    28.5    30.7    34.0    33.2    32.7    28.6    29.4    33.1
                   Men.....................................    32.1    32.7    33.0    37.2    32.6    41.1    32.9    33.1    38.7
                   Women...................................    30.9    24.4    28.7    30.9    33.8    24.5    25.1    26.2    28.4
                          HISPANIC ORIGIN                                                                                          
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  19,346  20,407  20,464  19,346  20,236  20,293  20,351  20,407  20,464
             Civilian labor force..........................  12,912  14,028  13,864  12,871  13,746  13,807  13,866  13,910  13,827
                 Participation rate........................    66.7    68.7    67.8    66.5    67.9    68.0    68.1    68.2    67.6
               Employed....................................  11,895  13,014  12,882  11,801  12,730  12,756  12,768  12,911  12,780
                 Employment-population ratio...............    61.5    63.8    62.9    61.0    62.9    62.9    62.7    63.3    62.5
               Unemployed..................................   1,016   1,014     982   1,070   1,016   1,051   1,098     999   1,047
                 Unemployment rate.........................     7.9     7.2     7.1     8.3     7.4     7.6     7.9     7.2     7.6

           1 The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted
         and seasonally adjusted columns.
             NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races"
         group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.  Beginning in January
         1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.






         
         
         HOUSEHOLD DATA                                                                                              HOUSEHOLD DATA
         
         Table A-3. Selected employment indicators

         (In thousands)
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                            Not seasonally adjusted               Seasonally adjusted              
                                                                                                                                   
                              Category                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                             Sept.    Aug.   Sept.   Sept.    May     June    July    Aug.   Sept. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1997    1997    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                           CHARACTERISTIC                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                   
           Total employed, 16 years and over............... 127,529 130,865 129,972 127,248 129,639 129,364 129,708 129,804 129,715
             Married men, spouse present...................  42,603  42,740  42,825  42,330  42,273  42,448  42,589  42,697  42,527
             Married women, spouse present.................  32,798  32,472  33,007  32,679  32,445  32,519  32,866  32,933  32,843
             Women who maintain families...................   7,443   7,854   7,899   7,420   7,858   7,847   7,901   7,941   7,891
                                                                                                                                   
                             OCCUPATION                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                   
             Managerial and professional specialty.........  36,759  37,407  37,833  36,759  37,318  37,493  37,558  37,775  37,869
             Technical, sales, and administrative support..  37,725  38,475  38,523  37,812  38,362  38,142  38,193  38,322  38,600
             Service occupations...........................  17,200  18,041  17,595  17,435  17,390  17,412  17,523  17,774  17,809
             Precision production, craft, and repair.......  13,881  14,349  13,988  13,681  14,380  14,364  14,282  13,972  13,822
             Operators, fabricators, and laborers..........  18,199  18,754  18,345  18,069  18,647  18,597  18,515  18,473  18,226
             Farming, forestry, and fishing................   3,766   3,839   3,688   3,557   3,680   3,499   3,554   3,407   3,499
                                                                                                                                   
                          CLASS OF WORKER                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                   
             Agriculture:                                                                                                          
               Wage and salary workers.....................   1,899   2,001   1,940   1,834   1,941   1,929   1,913   1,841   1,898
               Self-employed workers.......................   1,616   1,597   1,586   1,557   1,444   1,404   1,492   1,487   1,527
               Unpaid family workers.......................      92      63      43      91      50      40      53      51      40
             Nonagricultural industries:                                                                                           
               Wage and salary workers..................... 114,960 118,116 117,380 114,765 116,969 116,653 117,104 117,323 117,286
                 Government................................  18,052  17,706  17,979  18,092  17,807  18,099  18,338  18,254  18,033
                 Private industries........................  96,909 100,409  99,401  96,673  99,162  98,554  98,766  99,069  99,253
                   Private households......................     976   1,005     869     981     967     870     910     946     864
                   Other industries........................  95,932  99,404  98,532  95,692  98,195  97,684  97,856  98,122  98,389
               Self-employed workers.......................   8,825   8,959   8,935   8,811   9,106   9,126   8,887   8,923   8,926
               Unpaid family workers.......................     138     130      87     129     148     128     131     129      81
                                                                                                                                   
                     PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                   
             All industries:                                                                                                       
               Part time for economic reasons..............   4,012   4,036   3,638   4,302   4,019   4,025   4,017   3,992   3,916
                 Slack work or business conditions.........   2,215   2,078   1,986   2,398   2,300   2,375   2,211   2,122   2,159
                 Could only find part-time work............   1,531   1,518   1,405   1,617   1,391   1,347   1,522   1,519   1,476
               Part time for noneconomic reasons...........  18,223  15,398  18,097  17,823  18,336  18,322  18,015  18,093  17,690
                                                                                                                                   
             Nonagricultural industries:                                                                                           
               Part time for economic reasons..............   3,852   3,877   3,475   4,130   3,806   3,782   3,872   3,854   3,728
                 Slack work or business conditions.........   2,114   1,972   1,881   2,284   2,159   2,220   2,102   2,037   2,040
                 Could only find part-time work............   1,495   1,479   1,365   1,580   1,347   1,298   1,509   1,485   1,435
               Part time for noneconomic reasons...........  17,530  14,839  17,506  17,204  17,780  17,663  17,418  17,519  17,180

             NOTE: Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for
         reasons such as vacation, illness, or industrial dispute.  Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually
         work full time but worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad
         weather.  Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.






         
         
         HOUSEHOLD DATA                                                                                              HOUSEHOLD DATA
         
         Table A-4. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                   Number of                                                       
                                                               unemployed persons                Unemployment rates(1)             
                                                                 (in thousands)                                                    
                              Category                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                   
                                                             Sept.    Aug.   Sept.   Sept.    May     June    July    Aug.   Sept. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1997    1997    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                           CHARACTERISTIC                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                   
            Total, 16 years and over.......................   7,043   6,677   6,752    5.2     4.8     5.0     4.8     4.9     4.9 
              Men, 20 years and over.......................   3,078   2,810   2,846    4.5     3.8     4.2     4.0     4.1     4.1 
              Women, 20 years and over.....................   2,705   2,589   2,601    4.6     4.5     4.4     4.2     4.4     4.4 
              Both sexes, 16 to 19 years...................   1,260   1,278   1,305   16.0    15.6    16.8    16.4    16.4    16.7 
                                                                                                                                   
              Married men, spouse present..................   1,319   1,131   1,161    3.0     2.6     2.7     2.6     2.6     2.7 
              Married women, spouse present................   1,138   1,009   1,064    3.4     3.2     3.2     3.1     3.0     3.1 
              Women who maintain families..................     676     701     662    8.3     7.6     8.0     7.4     8.1     7.7 
                                                                                                                                   
              Full-time workers............................   5,644   5,311   5,353    5.1     4.7     4.9     4.7     4.7     4.8 
              Part-time workers............................   1,369   1,363   1,340    5.6     5.2     5.3     5.4     5.6     5.5 
                                                                                                                                   
                           OCCUPATION(2)                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                   
              Managerial and professional specialty........     880     767     776    2.3     2.1     2.0     2.0     2.0     2.0 
              Technical, sales, and administrative support.   1,770   1,662   1,575    4.5     3.8     4.3     4.1     4.2     3.9 
              Precision production, craft, and repair......     787     690     694    5.4     4.6     4.7     4.9     4.7     4.8 
              Operators, fabricators, and laborers.........   1,470   1,535   1,583    7.5     7.1     7.4     7.4     7.7     8.0 
              Farming, forestry, and fishing...............     271     271     240    7.1     6.2     8.1     6.0     7.4     6.4 
                                                                                                                                   
                              INDUSTRY                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                   
              Nonagricultural private wage and salary                                                                              
              workers......................................   5,441   5,227   5,280    5.3     5.0     5.0     4.9     5.0     5.1 
                Goods-producing industries.................   1,568   1,552   1,479    5.6     5.2     5.2     5.4     5.4     5.2 
                  Mining...................................      31      36      19    5.1     3.0     2.3     3.8     5.3     2.9 
                  Construction.............................     614     635     581    9.3     8.4     8.5     8.7     9.3     8.6 
                  Manufacturing............................     923     881     879    4.4     4.2     4.1     4.3     4.1     4.2 
                    Durable goods..........................     521     443     400    4.2     3.5     3.5     3.4     3.6     3.3 
                    Nondurable goods.......................     402     438     479    4.7     5.3     5.0     5.5     4.9     5.5 
                Service-producing industries...............   3,873   3,675   3,801    5.2     4.9     5.0     4.7     4.9     5.0 
                  Transportation and public utilities......     288     288     293    4.1     3.6     2.9     3.4     3.9     3.9 
                  Wholesale and retail trade...............   1,633   1,635   1,663    6.2     6.1     6.5     6.0     6.2     6.3 
                  Finance, insurance, and real estate......     221     238     239    3.0     3.2     2.5     3.2     3.0     3.0 
                  Services.................................   1,731   1,514   1,606    5.3     4.6     4.8     4.3     4.5     4.7 
              Government workers...........................     552     497     485    3.0     2.4     2.9     2.8     2.6     2.6 
              Agricultural wage and salary workers.........     223     192     185   10.8     7.1    10.6     7.5     9.5     8.9 

           1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
           2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which
         is small relative to the trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
            NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.






         
         
         HOUSEHOLD DATA                                                                                              HOUSEHOLD DATA
         
         Table A-5. Duration of unemployment

         (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                            Not seasonally adjusted               Seasonally adjusted              
                                                                                                                                   
                              Duration                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                   
                                                             Sept.    Aug.   Sept.   Sept.    May     June    July    Aug.   Sept. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1997    1997    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                        NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                   
            Less than 5 weeks..............................   2,581   2,409   2,525   2,522   2,523   2,538   2,352   2,598   2,470
            5 to 14 weeks..................................   1,998   2,322   1,896   2,245   2,022   2,211   2,071   2,134   2,142
            15 weeks and over..............................   2,122   1,863   1,982   2,277   2,071   2,063   2,157   2,012   2,127
               15 to 26 weeks..............................     935     780     933   1,040   1,078   1,045   1,082     931   1,035
               27 weeks and over...........................   1,187   1,084   1,049   1,237     993   1,018   1,074   1,082   1,092
                                                                                                                                   
            Average (mean) duration, in weeks..............    16.9    16.0    16.0    16.9    15.1    15.1    16.6    15.9    16.0
            Median duration, in weeks......................     8.5     8.0     8.3     8.6     7.7     7.7     8.5     7.8     8.4
                                                                                                                                   
                        PERCENT DISTRIBUTION                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                   
            Total unemployed...............................   100.0   100.0   100.0   100.0   100.0   100.0   100.0   100.0   100.0
              Less than 5 weeks............................    38.5    36.5    39.4    35.8    38.1    37.3    35.7    38.5    36.7
              5 to 14 weeks................................    29.8    35.2    29.6    31.9    30.6    32.5    31.5    31.6    31.8
              15 weeks and over............................    31.7    28.3    31.0    32.3    31.3    30.3    32.8    29.8    31.6
                15 to 26 weeks.............................    14.0    11.8    14.6    14.8    16.3    15.3    16.5    13.8    15.4
                27 weeks and over..........................    17.7    16.4    16.4    17.6    15.0    14.9    16.3    16.0    16.2

            NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.






          
          
          HOUSEHOLD DATA                                                                                             HOUSEHOLD DATA
          
          Table A-6. Reason for unemployment

          (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                        Not seasonally               Seasonally adjusted           
                                                                           adjusted                                                
                                    Reason                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                      Sept.  Aug.   Sept.  Sept.   May   June   July   Aug.   Sept.
                                                                      1996   1997   1997   1996   1997   1997   1997   1997   1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                             NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                   
            Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs.....  2,812  2,859  2,616  3,236  2,902  3,145  2,903  3,064  3,017
              On temporary layoff...................................    674    716    595    989    871    925    877    865    878
              Not on temporary layoff...............................  2,138  2,143  2,021  2,247  2,031  2,220  2,026  2,199  2,140
                Permanent job losers................................  1,450  1,438  1,384   (1)    (1)    (1)    (1)    (1)    (1) 
                Persons who completed temporary jobs................    688    705    637   (1)    (1)    (1)    (1)    (1)    (1) 
            Job leavers.............................................    892    958    980    800    801    829    822    915    868
            Reentrants..............................................  2,495  2,217  2,307  2,441  2,306  2,359  2,244  2,144  2,259
            New entrants............................................    500    561    501    559    574    481    553    544    561
                                                                                                                                   
                             PERCENT DISTRIBUTION                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                   
            Total unemployed........................................                                                               
             Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs....   42.0   43.4   40.9   46.0   44.1   46.2   44.5   46.0   45.0
               On temporary layoff..................................   10.1   10.9    9.3   14.1   13.2   13.6   13.4   13.0   13.1
               Not on temporary layoff..............................   31.9   32.5   31.6   31.9   30.9   32.6   31.1   33.0   31.9
             Job leavers............................................   13.3   14.5   15.3   11.4   12.2   12.2   12.6   13.7   12.9
             Reentrants.............................................   37.2   33.6   36.0   34.7   35.0   34.6   34.4   32.2   33.7
             New entrants...........................................    7.5    8.5    7.8    7.9    8.7    7.1    8.5    8.2    8.4
                                                                                                                                   
                        UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE                                                                             
                               CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE                                                                                
                                                                                                                                   
             Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs....    2.1    2.1    1.9    2.4    2.1    2.3    2.1    2.2    2.2
             Job leavers............................................     .7     .7     .7     .6     .6     .6     .6     .7     .6
             Reentrants.............................................    1.9    1.6    1.7    1.8    1.7    1.7    1.6    1.6    1.7
             New entrants...........................................     .4     .4     .4     .4     .4     .4     .4     .4     .4

            1 Not available.
             NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.






          
          
          HOUSEHOLD DATA                                                                                            HOUSEHOLD DATA
          
          Table A-7. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization

          (Percent)
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                               Not seasonally          Seasonally adjusted        
                                                                                  adjusted                                        
                                       Measure                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                             Sept.  Aug. Sept. Sept.  May   June  July  Aug. Sept.
                                                                              1996  1997  1997  1996  1997  1997  1997  1997  1997
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
          U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer,                                                                              
             as a percent of the civilian labor force.......................   1.6   1.4   1.5   1.7   1.5   1.5   1.6   1.5   1.6
                                                                                                                                  
          U-2 Job losers and persons who completed                                                                                
             temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian                                                                         
             labor force....................................................   2.1   2.1   1.9   2.4   2.1   2.3   2.1   2.2   2.2
                                                                                                                                  
          U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the                                                                               
             civilian labor force (official unemployment rate)..............   5.0   4.8   4.7   5.2   4.8   5.0   4.8   4.9   4.9
                                                                                                                                  
          U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged                                                                                   
             workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force                                                                    
             plus discouraged workers.......................................   5.3   5.0   4.9  (1)   (1)   (1)   (1)   (1)   (1) 
                                                                                                                                  
          U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other                                                          
             marginally attached workers, as a percent of the civilian                                                            
             labor force plus all marginally attached workers...............   6.1   5.7   5.6  (1)   (1)   (1)   (1)   (1)   (1) 
                                                                                                                                  
          U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus                                                        
             total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of                                                       
             the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers..   9.0   8.6   8.3  (1)   (1)   (1)   (1)   (1)   (1) 

            1 Not available.
              NOTE: This range of alternative measures of labor underutilization replaces the U1-U7 range published in table A-7
          of this release prior to 1994.  Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking
          for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. 
          Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently
          looking for a job.  Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time
          work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule.  For further information, see "BLS introduces new range of
          alternative unemployment measures,"  in the October 1995 issue of the Monthly Labor Review.  Beginning in January 1997,
          data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.






         
         
         HOUSEHOLD DATA                                                                                              HOUSEHOLD DATA
         
         Table A-8. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                   Number of                                                       
                                                               unemployed persons                Unemployment rates(1)             
                                                                 (in thousands)                                                    
                            Age and sex                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                             Sept.    Aug.   Sept.   Sept.    May     June    July    Aug.   Sept. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1997    1997    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
         Total, 16 years and over..........................   7,043   6,677   6,752    5.2     4.8     5.0     4.8     4.9     4.9 
           16 to 24 years..................................   2,442   2,390   2,410   11.5    10.9    11.5    10.9    11.3    11.3 
             16 to 19 years................................   1,260   1,278   1,305   16.0    15.6    16.8    16.4    16.4    16.7 
               16 to 17 years..............................     579     544     640   17.6    18.4    17.3    17.5    17.7    19.5 
               18 to 19 years..............................     680     732     666   14.7    13.7    16.3    15.8    15.6    14.6 
             20 to 24 years................................   1,182   1,112   1,105    8.9     8.2     8.4     7.7     8.3     8.1 
           25 years and over...............................   4,612   4,318   4,342    4.1     3.7     3.8     3.7     3.7     3.8 
             25 to 54 years................................   4,080   3,786   3,830    4.2     3.8     3.9     3.8     3.8     3.9 
             55 years and over.............................     530     500     518    3.3     2.9     3.1     3.0     3.0     3.1 
                                                                                                                                   
           Men, 16 years and over..........................   3,783   3,524   3,551    5.2     4.5     5.0     4.8     4.8     4.9 
             16 to 24 years................................   1,340   1,340   1,356   12.1    10.3    12.1    11.4    12.0    12.1 
               16 to 19 years..............................     705     714     705   17.5    15.2    19.0    17.2    17.8    17.5 
                 16 to 17 years............................     319     282     317   19.2    17.8    19.9    18.6    17.5    18.9 
                 18 to 19 years............................     385     429     387   16.2    13.5    18.2    16.2    18.1    16.5 
               20 to 24 years..............................     635     626     651    9.0     7.5     8.2     8.1     8.7     9.1 
             25 years and over.............................   2,445   2,218   2,177    4.0     3.4     3.7     3.5     3.6     3.5 
               25 to 54 years..............................   2,168   1,917   1,922    4.2     3.5     3.8     3.6     3.6     3.6 
               55 years and over...........................     291     279     273    3.3     2.8     3.1     3.0     3.0     2.9 
                                                                                                                                   
           Women, 16 years and over........................   3,260   3,152   3,201    5.2     5.2     5.0     4.9     5.0     5.1 
             16 to 24 years................................   1,102   1,050   1,053   10.9    11.6    10.8    10.4    10.5    10.3 
               16 to 19 years..............................     555     564     600   14.4    16.0    14.4    15.5    15.0    15.8 
                 16 to 17 years............................     260     262     323   16.0    19.0    14.4    16.4    17.8    20.1 
                 18 to 19 years............................     295     303     279   13.1    13.8    14.3    15.4    13.1    12.6 
               20 to 24 years..............................     547     486     453    8.7     8.9     8.6     7.3     7.8     7.1 
             25 years and over.............................   2,167   2,100   2,165    4.2     4.0     3.9     3.9     4.0     4.1 
               25 to 54 years..............................   1,912   1,869   1,908    4.2     4.2     4.0     4.1     4.1     4.2 
               55 years and over...........................     239     221     245    3.4     3.0     3.2     3.0     3.0     3.4 

           1 Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force.
            NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.






          
          
          HOUSEHOLD DATA                                                                                            HOUSEHOLD DATA
          
          Table A-9. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted

          (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                   Total              Men              Women      
                                                                                                                                  
                                       Category                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                               Sept.    Sept.    Sept.    Sept.    Sept.    Sept. 
                                                                               1996     1997     1996     1997     1996     1997  
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE                                                                            
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
            Total not in the labor force....................................  66,831   67,195   24,419   24,878   42,412   42,317 
              Persons who currently want a job..............................   5,219    4,705    1,948    1,888    3,271    2,816 
                 Searched for work and available to work now(1).............   1,518    1,363      681      667      836      696 
                    Reason not currently looking:                                                                                 
                      Discouragement over job prospects(2)..................     391      328      218      213      173      115 
                         Reasons other than discouragement(3)...............   1,127    1,035      464      454      663      581 
                                                                                                                                  
                                 MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS                                                                              
                                                                                                                                  
            Total multiple jobholders(4)....................................   7,808    7,838    4,197    4,220    3,611    3,618 
                Percent of total employed...................................     6.1      6.0      6.1      6.0      6.1      6.0 
                                                                                                                                  
                Primary job full time, secondary job part time..............   4,253    4,438    2,565    2,611    1,688    1,827 
                Primary and secondary jobs both part time...................   1,714    1,601      506      514    1,208    1,087 
                Primary and secondary jobs both full time...................     258      238      199      183       58       55 
                Hours vary on primary or secondary job......................   1,547    1,528      914      894      633      634 

            1 Data refer to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available to take a job during
          the reference week.
            2 Includes thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or
          old, and other types of discrimination.
            3 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as child-care and
          transportation problems, as well as a small number for which reason for nonparticipation was not determined.
            4 Includes persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown
          separately.
             NOTE: Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
     ESTABLISHMENT DATA                                                                                    ESTABLISHMENT DATA
     
     
     Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry

     (In thousands)
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                  Not seasonally adjusted                   Seasonally adjusted              
                                                                                                                             
                     Industry                                                                                                
                                               Sept.    July    Aug.   Sept.   Sept.    May     June    July    Aug.   Sept. 
                                                1996    1997   1997p   1997p    1996    1997    1997    1997   1997p   1997p 
                                                                                                                             
               Total......................... 120,454 122,232 122,236 123,139 120,019 121,834 122,056 122,440 122,480 122,695
                                                                                                                             
            Total private.................... 101,187 103,616 103,743 103,669 100,506 102,269 102,417 102,721 102,685 102,978
                                                                                                                             
     Goods-producing.........................  24,852  25,002  25,242  25,175  24,439  24,702  24,714  24,713  24,771  24,757
                                                                                                                             
       Mining................................     577     584     584     580     571     576     574     574     572     575
         Metal mining........................    54.6    55.5    55.3    54.5      54      54      54      54      54      54
         Coal mining.........................    95.3    92.1    91.6    91.1      95      93      92      91      91      91
         Oil and gas extraction..............   317.2   324.7   324.6   322.8     316     321     320     321     320     322
         Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels..   110.2   112.1   112.1   111.5     106     108     108     108     107     108
                                                                                                                             
       Construction..........................   5,725   5,947   5,980   5,931   5,441   5,628   5,622   5,625   5,637   5,636
         General building contractors........ 1,302.7 1,366.3 1,369.2 1,349.5   1,259   1,300   1,302   1,308   1,306   1,303
         Heavy construction, except building.   851.7   828.0   834.8   841.2     771     777     766     761     762     761
         Special trade contractors........... 3,570.8 3,752.5 3,775.5 3,740.5   3,411   3,551   3,554   3,556   3,569   3,572
                                                                                                                             
       Manufacturing.........................  18,550  18,471  18,678  18,664  18,427  18,498  18,518  18,514  18,562  18,546
           Production workers................  12,840  12,721  12,917  12,927  12,723  12,790  12,791  12,792  12,818  12,814
                                                                                                                             
        Durable goods........................  10,805  10,861  10,979  10,981  10,771  10,864  10,891  10,910  10,964  10,947
           Production workers................   7,402   7,420   7,533   7,546   7,372   7,454   7,466   7,482   7,530   7,519
         Lumber and wood products............   794.8   807.4   814.2   810.5     782     800     797     796     798     797
         Furniture and fixtures..............   504.5   500.5   506.2   507.0     503     508     508     510     506     506
         Stone, clay, and glass products.....   551.5   549.8   552.7   551.1     541     540     538     541     541     540
         Primary metal industries............   712.2   703.1   715.6   716.7     711     708     709     708     715     716
           Blast furnaces and basic steel                                                                                    
              products.......................   240.9   235.6   239.7   240.4   (1)     (1)     (1)     (1)     (1)     (1)  
         Fabricated metal products........... 1,455.9 1,454.7 1,476.0 1,478.5   1,452   1,468   1,470   1,468   1,475   1,475
         Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,103.5 2,151.1 2,158.1 2,160.5   2,108   2,146   2,152   2,155   2,165   2,166
           Computer and office equipment.....   362.6   383.7   384.3   381.5     364     378     379     381     384     383
         Electronic and other electrical                                                                                     
            equipment........................ 1,652.1 1,650.7 1,661.6 1,666.6   1,652   1,644   1,651   1,658   1,663   1,666
           Electronic components and                                                                                         
              accessories....................   609.0   632.7   637.5   640.0     610     622     628     632     637     641
         Transportation equipment............ 1,788.0 1,803.6 1,846.9 1,840.8   1,783   1,809   1,824   1,826   1,856   1,836
           Motor vehicles and equipment......   969.7   945.1   983.8   976.0     965     960     967     965     985     971
           Aircraft and parts................   461.3   507.7   511.4   514.0     461     498     505     510     514     515
         Instruments and related products....   854.4   858.4   859.3   859.5     854     854     856     859     858     859
         Miscellaneous manufacturing.........   388.3   381.7   388.2   389.4     385     387     386     389     387     386
                                                                                                                             
        Nondurable goods.....................   7,745   7,610   7,699   7,683   7,656   7,634   7,627   7,604   7,598   7,599
           Production workers................   5,438   5,301   5,384   5,381   5,351   5,336   5,325   5,310   5,288   5,295
         Food and kindred products........... 1,754.0 1,716.4 1,759.1 1,753.7   1,682   1,693   1,692   1,684   1,679   1,683
         Tobacco products....................    43.5    37.8    40.4    42.0      41      41      41      41      40      40
         Textile mill products...............   620.4   603.4   607.9   608.7     618     609     607     608     604     607
         Apparel and other textile products..   861.1   793.9   810.4   808.9     853     818     816     810     808     801
         Paper and allied products...........   680.9   677.9   679.7   678.2     678     677     675     675     675     676
         Printing and publishing............. 1,531.2 1,547.3 1,546.5 1,540.9   1,536   1,546   1,550   1,549   1,547   1,546
         Chemicals and allied products....... 1,029.8 1,028.3 1,029.8 1,027.1   1,029   1,030   1,027   1,023   1,024   1,027
         Petroleum and coal products.........   143.7   141.1   141.2   140.0     141     139     138     138     138     138
         Rubber and misc. plastics products..   985.7   977.2   993.6   993.6     984     988     989     986     993     992
         Leather and leather products........    95.0    86.6    90.5    90.1      94      93      92      90      90      89
                                                                                                                             
     Service-producing.......................  95,602  97,230  96,994  97,964  95,580  97,132  97,342  97,727  97,709  97,938
                                                                                                                             
       Transportation and public utilities...   6,334   6,425   6,267   6,497   6,290   6,431   6,434   6,443   6,284   6,451
         Transportation......................   4,103   4,169   4,011   4,252   4,066   4,187   4,193   4,202   4,043   4,213
           Railroad transportation...........   231.7   230.6   226.9   227.7     230     226     230     229     225     226
           Local and interurban passenger                                                                                    
              transit........................   457.8   396.2   396.2   475.2     444     458     457     461     462     460
           Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,672.1 1,707.2 1,725.1 1,732.2   1,651   1,687   1,686   1,692   1,702   1,710
           Water transportation..............   177.5   186.8   186.8   180.9     173     176     178     176     179     176
           Transportation by air............. 1,128.6 1,194.5 1,020.3 1,180.7   1,134   1,192   1,192   1,193   1,021   1,187
           Pipelines, except natural gas.....    14.5    14.6    14.6    14.2      14      14      14      14      14      14
           Transportation services...........   420.9   438.6   441.0   440.6     420     434     436     437     440     440
         Communications and public utilities.   2,231   2,256   2,256   2,245   2,224   2,244   2,241   2,241   2,241   2,238
           Communications.................... 1,350.5 1,378.4 1,384.3 1,381.6   1,345   1,372   1,372   1,372   1,376   1,376
           Electric, gas, and sanitary                                                                                       
              services.......................   880.0   877.1   872.1   863.2     879     872     869     869     865     862
                                                                                                                             
       Wholesale trade.......................   6,527   6,706   6,709   6,697   6,513   6,630   6,634   6,664   6,674   6,684
         Durable goods.......................   3,821   3,962   3,970   3,953   3,826   3,909   3,917   3,938   3,955   3,959
         Nondurable goods....................   2,706   2,744   2,739   2,744   2,687   2,721   2,717   2,726   2,719   2,725
       Retail trade..........................  21,797  22,289  22,368  22,290  21,718  22,026  22,079  22,159  22,191  22,214
         Building materials and garden                                                                                       
            supplies.........................   907.1   964.5   950.4   934.1     901     932     928     930     929     928
         General merchandise stores.......... 2,712.4 2,750.4 2,782.8 2,792.2   2,739   2,787   2,798   2,803   2,822   2,822
           Department stores................. 2,381.7 2,413.4 2,438.7 2,449.2   2,403   2,452   2,450   2,458   2,470   2,473
         Food stores......................... 3,446.2 3,523.9 3,521.5 3,504.5   3,445   3,482   3,487   3,502   3,505   3,504
         Automotive dealers and service                                                                                      
            stations......................... 2,305.2 2,348.5 2,352.5 2,346.2   2,289   2,316   2,315   2,318   2,325   2,330
           New and used car dealers.......... 1,044.8 1,060.4 1,062.5 1,063.1   1,040   1,054   1,056   1,055   1,058   1,058
         Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,083.7 1,088.2 1,100.4 1,083.4   1,101   1,099   1,097   1,096   1,102   1,101
         Furniture and home furnishings                                                                                      
            stores...........................   987.9 1,032.3 1,035.1 1,037.1     998   1,032   1,034   1,042   1,044   1,047
         Eating and drinking places.......... 7,642.2 7,805.1 7,827.1 7,767.6   7,509   7,572   7,595   7,639   7,622   7,633
         Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,711.8 2,776.0 2,798.3 2,824.4   2,736   2,806   2,825   2,829   2,842   2,849
                                                                                                                             
       Finance, insurance, and real estate...   6,936   7,148   7,150   7,085   6,925   7,029   7,034   7,058   7,066   7,075
         Finance.............................   3,314   3,431   3,437   3,420   3,317   3,389   3,394   3,405   3,413   3,424
           Depository institutions........... 2,022.0 2,064.2 2,065.0 2,044.7   2,023   2,043   2,044   2,048   2,048   2,046
             Commercial banks................ 1,467.3 1,503.4 1,504.2 1,488.7   1,468   1,488   1,487   1,490   1,492   1,490
             Savings institutions............   258.4   254.6   253.5   249.7     259     253     254     253     252     251
           Nondepository institutions........   523.7   547.4   549.2   552.0     525     542     543     545     548     553
             Mortgage bankers and brokers....   235.0   245.2   245.0   246.5     235     244     243     243     244     247
           Security and commodity brokers....   557.9   597.3   600.0   598.4     558     586     586     592     595     599
           Holding and other investment                                                                                      
              offices........................   209.9   222.3   222.9   224.6     211     218     221     220     222     226
         Insurance...........................   2,218   2,241   2,239   2,227   2,220   2,222   2,226   2,230   2,232   2,229
           Insurance carriers................ 1,509.2 1,516.5 1,515.4 1,506.4   1,510   1,503   1,506   1,509   1,510   1,507
           Insurance agents, brokers, and                                                                                    
              service........................   708.7   724.2   723.5   721.0     710     719     720     721     722     722
         Real estate.........................   1,404   1,476   1,474   1,438   1,388   1,418   1,414   1,423   1,421   1,422
                                                                                                                             
       Services2.............................  34,741  36,046  36,007  35,925  34,621  35,451  35,522  35,684  35,699  35,797
         Agricultural services...............   665.0   747.7   738.6   716.4     630     669     668     673     675     679
         Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,772.1 1,893.0 1,893.4 1,799.5   1,722   1,752   1,744   1,747   1,748   1,749
         Personal services................... 1,156.9 1,141.5 1,141.5 1,154.7   1,189   1,189   1,182   1,182   1,183   1,187
         Business services................... 7,464.9 7,707.0 7,760.7 7,824.8   7,354   7,618   7,645   7,682   7,660   7,706
           Services to buildings.............   899.7   905.7   904.0   906.0     898     903     903     901     895     904
           Personnel supply services......... 2,822.6 2,774.7 2,812.2 2,860.9   2,706   2,744   2,748   2,767   2,734   2,740
             Help supply services............ 2,507.6 2,435.3 2,471.7 2,520.1   2,398   2,409   2,407   2,425   2,397   2,407
           Computer and data processing                                                                                      
              services....................... 1,222.2 1,343.9 1,357.4 1,364.9   1,226   1,322   1,337   1,347   1,357   1,369
         Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,099.3 1,146.6 1,144.6 1,145.3   1,097   1,136   1,131   1,137   1,136   1,143
         Miscellaneous repair services.......   378.7   391.1   391.3   389.2     377     384     386     387     388     388
         Motion pictures.....................   520.6   547.7   556.2   539.2     530     532     537     539     546     549
         Amusement and recreation services... 1,537.4 1,859.3 1,832.3 1,627.0   1,471   1,542   1,561   1,576   1,567   1,558
         Health services..................... 9,503.8 9,725.9 9,734.0 9,720.4   9,514   9,673   9,673   9,697   9,712   9,731
           Offices and clinics of medical                                                                                    
              doctors........................ 1,691.5 1,751.4 1,752.3 1,750.1   1,691   1,740   1,740   1,745   1,744   1,750
           Nursing and personal care                                                                                         
              facilities..................... 1,740.1 1,768.4 1,771.8 1,765.3   1,739   1,764   1,761   1,762   1,765   1,764
           Hospitals......................... 3,817.4 3,890.5 3,889.4 3,886.8   3,823   3,864   3,869   3,877   3,884   3,893
           Home health care services.........   669.2   685.1   684.4   687.0     668     682     682     685     685     685
         Legal services......................   925.7   972.2   965.2   957.6     933     952     953     957     958     965
         Educational services................ 1,979.0 1,821.9 1,798.1 2,053.8   2,022   2,062   2,074   2,089   2,092   2,100
         Social services..................... 2,401.7 2,472.5 2,458.2 2,478.6   2,421   2,466   2,474   2,494   2,499   2,498
           Child day care services...........   574.5   535.7   546.9   588.3     573     587     590     594     600     586
           Residential care..................   674.5   708.9   709.8   705.5     678     695     698     702     703     709
         Museums and botanical and zoological                                                                                
           gardens...........................    86.3    96.3    94.8    89.9      85      88      88      88      88      88
         Membership organizations............ 2,171.0 2,275.6 2,243.6 2,183.5   2,188   2,201   2,202   2,209   2,206   2,201
         Engineering and management services. 2,862.9 3,030.2 3,038.2 3,028.3   2,872   2,971   2,988   3,010   3,025   3,039
           Engineering and architectural                                                                                     
              services.......................   849.9   891.2   894.6   888.8     845     869     877     878     880     884
           Management and public relations...   888.4   967.3   974.2   970.2     886     941     950     959     969     968
         Services, nec.......................    47.9    49.4    49.0    48.8   (1)     (1)     (1)     (1)     (1)     (1)  
                                                                                                                             
       Government............................  19,267  18,616  18,493  19,470  19,513  19,565  19,639  19,719  19,795  19,717
         Federal.............................   2,739   2,713   2,706   2,682   2,740   2,703   2,694   2,689   2,691   2,682
           Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,890.4 1,867.5 1,852.4 1,833.0   1,884   1,851   1,843   1,839   1,831   1,826
         State...............................   4,577   4,431   4,413   4,600   4,640   4,636   4,640   4,671   4,667   4,663
           Education......................... 1,873.9 1,679.7 1,678.5 1,900.3   1,941   1,943   1,950   1,972   1,965   1,968
           Other State government............ 2,703.3 2,751.6 2,734.2 2,699.6   2,699   2,693   2,690   2,699   2,702   2,695
         Local...............................  11,951  11,472  11,374  12,188  12,133  12,226  12,305  12,359  12,437  12,372
           Education......................... 6,621.1 5,769.7 5,752.2 6,792.6   6,796   6,850   6,902   6,954   7,017   6,970
           Other local government............ 5,329.6 5,702.7 5,621.9 5,395.1   5,337   5,376   5,403   5,405   5,420   5,402

       1 This series is not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
     trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
       2 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
       p = preliminary.




     ESTABLISHMENT DATA                                                                                    ESTABLISHMENT DATA
     
     
     Table B-2. Average weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by industry
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                  Not seasonally adjusted                   Seasonally adjusted              
                                                                                                                             
                     Industry                                                                                                
                                               Sept.    July    Aug.   Sept.   Sept.    May     June    July    Aug.   Sept. 
                                                1996    1997   1997p   1997p    1996    1997    1997    1997   1997p   1997p 
                                                                                                                             
            Total private....................   34.9    34.7    35.0    34.7    34.7    34.5    34.6    34.4    34.6    34.5 
                                                                                                                             
     Goods-producing.........................   41.8    41.0    41.5    41.9    41.1    41.4    41.1    41.2    41.1    41.2 
                                                                                                                             
       Mining................................   45.9    45.2    45.7    45.3    45.3    46.0    45.4    45.4    45.6    44.7 
                                                                                                                             
       Construction..........................   39.7    40.1    39.7    40.0    38.7    39.4    38.7    39.0    38.6    39.0 
                                                                                                                             
       Manufacturing.........................   42.3    41.2    42.0    42.4    41.7    42.0    41.8    41.8    41.9    41.9 
           Overtime hours....................    5.1     4.5     4.9     5.2     4.5     4.8     4.6     4.7     4.7     4.7 
                                                                                                                             
        Durable goods........................   43.1    41.9    42.7    43.1    42.5    42.8    42.6    42.6    42.7    42.6 
           Overtime hours....................    5.3     4.7     5.2     5.5     4.8     5.2     5.0     5.0     5.0     5.0 
                                                                                                                             
         Lumber and wood products............   41.6    40.8    41.2    41.4    40.9    41.0    41.0    41.1    40.7    40.7 
         Furniture and fixtures..............   40.4    39.5    40.5    41.0    39.6    40.4    39.9    40.0    40.0    40.2 
         Stone, clay, and glass products.....   44.3    43.3    43.8    44.1    43.2    43.4    42.9    43.1    43.0    43.0 
         Primary metal industries............   44.8    43.9    44.8    45.5    44.4    44.8    44.7    44.4    45.1    45.1 
           Blast furnaces and basic steel                                                                                    
              products.......................   44.6    44.3    45.0    45.4    44.3    44.7    44.5    44.3    45.4    45.2 
         Fabricated metal products...........   43.1    41.6    42.6    43.0    42.4    42.6    42.4    42.4    42.4    42.3 
         Industrial machinery and equipment..   43.3    42.8    43.1    43.8    43.1    43.6    43.3    43.4    43.4    43.6 
         Electronic and other electrical                                                                                     
            equipment........................   42.0    41.2    41.7    42.3    41.6    42.0    42.0    42.0    41.7    41.8 
         Transportation equipment............   45.1    42.4    44.2    44.4    44.4    44.5    44.2    43.7    44.2    43.7 
           Motor vehicles and equipment......   46.2    42.2    44.8    44.9    45.3    45.2    44.8    44.0    44.8    44.0 
         Instruments and related products....   42.0    41.2    42.1    42.1    41.8    41.9    41.8    41.7    42.3    42.0 
         Miscellaneous manufacturing.........   40.4    39.5    40.3    40.8    39.9    40.3    40.1    40.4    40.2    40.3 
                                                                                                                             
        Nondurable goods.....................   41.3    40.4    41.0    41.4    40.7    40.8    40.6    40.6    40.7    40.8 
           Overtime hours....................    4.7     4.3     4.6     4.9     4.1     4.3     4.1     4.3     4.2     4.3 
                                                                                                                             
         Food and kindred products...........   42.2    41.1    41.8    42.3    41.0    41.4    40.9    41.1    41.1    41.1 
         Tobacco products....................   42.0    35.3    36.5    37.6    40.4    38.4    37.6    36.1    36.2    36.2 
         Textile mill products...............   41.4    40.6    41.6    41.9    40.9    41.4    41.2    41.3    41.2    41.4 
         Apparel and other textile products..   37.6    36.6    37.6    37.8    37.3    37.1    37.4    36.9    37.3    37.5 
         Paper and allied products...........   44.0    43.3    43.4    44.1    43.5    43.8    43.4    43.5    43.4    43.6 
         Printing and publishing.............   38.8    38.1    38.6    39.3    38.3    38.3    38.3    38.4    38.3    38.8 
         Chemicals and allied products.......   43.3    42.7    43.1    43.7    43.1    43.3    43.1    43.0    43.4    43.5 
         Petroleum and coal products.........   44.2    42.7    42.9    43.7    (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)  
         Rubber and misc. plastics products..   42.1    41.0    41.7    41.9    41.6    41.6    41.5    41.7    41.7    41.4 
         Leather and leather products........   39.2    37.8    38.2    38.8    38.7    38.2    38.1    38.4    37.8    38.3 
                                                                                                                             
     Service-producing.......................   33.0    33.1    33.2    32.8    32.9    32.7    32.9    32.7    32.9    32.7 
                                                                                                                             
       Transportation and public utilities...   40.3    39.4    40.5    40.0    39.8    39.5    39.6    39.0    40.1    39.5 
                                                                                                                             
       Wholesale trade.......................   38.6    38.3    38.5    38.5    38.4    38.4    38.5    38.3    38.4    38.4 
                                                                                                                             
       Retail trade..........................   29.1    29.6    29.7    28.9    28.9    28.9    28.9    28.8    29.1    28.7 
                                                                                                                             
       Finance, insurance, and real estate...   36.5    35.8    36.0    35.8    (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)  
                                                                                                                             
       Services..............................   32.6    32.8    32.9    32.5    (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)  

       1 Data relate to production workers in mining and manufacturing; construction workers in construction; and
     nonsupervisory workers in transportation and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real
     estate; and services. These groups account for approximately four-fifths of the total employees on private nonfarm
     payrolls.
       2 These series are not published seasonally adjusted because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the
     trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision.
       p = preliminary.




     ESTABLISHMENT DATA                                                                                    ESTABLISHMENT DATA
     
     
     Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
     industry
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                      Average hourly earnings                 Average weekly earnings        
                                                                                                                             
                     Industry                                                                                                
                                                Sept.      July      Aug.     Sept.     Sept.      July      Aug.     Sept.  
                                                 1996      1997     1997p     1997p      1996      1997     1997p     1997p  
                                                                                                                             
            Total private....................  $11.95    $12.15    $12.20    $12.39    $417.06   $421.61   $427.00   $429.93 
             Seasonally adjusted.............   11.91     12.24     12.30     12.34     413.28    421.06    425.58    425.73 
                                                                                                                             
     Goods-producing.........................   13.66     13.93     13.96     14.08     570.99    571.13    579.34    589.95 
                                                                                                                             
       Mining................................   15.73     16.03     15.96     16.28     722.01    724.56    729.37    737.48 
                                                                                                                             
       Construction..........................   15.75     16.00     16.09     16.28     625.28    641.60    638.77    651.20 
                                                                                                                             
       Manufacturing.........................   12.90     13.11     13.15     13.25     545.67    540.13    552.30    561.80 
                                                                                                                             
        Durable goods........................   13.52     13.62     13.71     13.82     582.71    570.68    585.42    595.64 
         Lumber and wood products............   10.57     10.82     10.80     10.86     439.71    441.46    444.96    449.60 
         Furniture and fixtures..............   10.27     10.53     10.60     10.69     414.91    415.94    429.30    438.29 
         Stone, clay, and glass products.....   12.99     13.20     13.19     13.28     575.46    571.56    577.72    585.65 
         Primary metal industries............   15.18     15.28     15.20     15.33     680.06    670.79    680.96    697.52 
           Blast furnaces and basic steel                                                                                    
              products.......................   18.10     18.09     17.98     18.31     807.26    801.39    809.10    831.27 
         Fabricated metal products...........   12.67     12.69     12.81     12.86     546.08    527.90    545.71    552.98 
         Industrial machinery and equipment..   13.77     14.01     14.01     14.17     596.24    599.63    603.83    620.65 
         Electronic and other electrical                                                                                     
            equipment........................   12.35     12.69     12.76     12.89     518.70    522.83    532.09    545.25 
         Transportation equipment............   17.45     17.23     17.48     17.63     787.00    730.55    772.62    782.77 
           Motor vehicles and equipment......   18.04     17.54     17.88     18.09     833.45    740.19    801.02    812.24 
         Instruments and related products....   13.31     13.54     13.53     13.69     559.02    557.85    569.61    576.35 
         Miscellaneous manufacturing.........   10.48     10.52     10.57     10.61     423.39    415.54    425.97    432.89 
                                                                                                                             
        Nondurable goods.....................   12.01     12.37     12.33     12.41     496.01    499.75    505.53    513.77 
         Food and kindred products...........   11.19     11.52     11.51     11.52     472.22    473.47    481.12    487.30 
         Tobacco products....................   18.37     20.95     19.77     18.23     771.54    739.54    721.61    685.45 
         Textile mill products...............    9.78     10.01     10.02     10.09     404.89    406.41    416.83    422.77 
         Apparel and other textile products..    8.00      8.20      8.24      8.37     300.80    300.12    309.82    316.39 
         Paper and allied products...........   14.74     15.18     15.14     15.18     648.56    657.29    657.08    669.44 
         Printing and publishing.............   12.82     13.01     13.06     13.21     497.42    495.68    504.12    519.15 
         Chemicals and allied products.......   16.25     16.59     16.56     16.58     703.63    708.39    713.74    724.55 
         Petroleum and coal products.........   19.35     20.02     19.95     20.52     855.27    854.85    855.86    896.72 
         Rubber and misc. plastics products..   11.31     11.57     11.58     11.66     476.15    474.37    482.89    488.55 
         Leather and leather products........    8.69      8.75      8.89      9.13     340.65    330.75    339.60    354.24 
                                                                                                                             
     Service-producing.......................   11.36     11.56     11.60     11.81     374.88    382.64    385.12    387.37 
                                                                                                                             
       Transportation and public utilities...  $14.57    $14.95    $14.95    $14.99    $587.17   $589.03   $605.48   $599.60 
                                                                                                                             
       Wholesale trade.......................   13.03     13.37     13.46     13.50     502.96    512.07    518.21    519.75 
                                                                                                                             
       Retail trade..........................    8.06      8.27      8.29      8.43     234.55    244.79    246.21    243.63 
                                                                                                                             
       Finance, insurance, and real estate...   12.89     13.18     13.32     13.44     470.49    471.84    479.52    481.15 
                                                                                                                             
       Services..............................   11.89     12.07     12.11     12.36     387.61    395.90    398.42    401.70 

       1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
       p = preliminary.




                ESTABLISHMENT DATA                                                              ESTABLISHMENT DATA
                
                
                Table B-4. Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm
                payrolls by industry, seasonally adjusted
                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                         Percent  
                                                   Sept.     May     June     July     Aug.     Sept.     change  
                            Industry               1996     1997     1997     1997     1997p    1997p     from:   
                                                                                                        Aug. 1997-
                                                                                                        Sept. 1997
                                                                                                                  
                Total private:                                                                                    
                   Current dollars..............   $11.91   $12.19   $12.23   $12.24   $12.30   $12.34      0.3   
                   Constant (1982) dollars2.....     7.45     7.52     7.54     7.53     7.56     N.A.     (3)    
                                                                                                                  
                  Goods-producing...............    13.57    13.85    13.86    13.86    13.94    13.99       .4   
                    Mining......................    15.70    16.05    16.12    16.10    16.09    16.25      1.0   
                    Construction................    15.59    15.91    15.95    15.96    16.03    16.11       .5   
                    Manufacturing...............    12.87    13.11    13.12    13.11    13.20    13.23       .2   
                      Excluding overtime4.......    12.20    12.38    12.42    12.41    12.50    12.51       .1   
                                                                                                                  
                  Service-producing.............    11.35    11.63    11.69    11.70    11.76    11.79       .3   
                    Transportation and public                                                                     
                       utilities................    14.51    14.80    14.85    14.95    14.96    14.93      -.2   
                    Wholesale trade.............    13.03    13.33    13.42    13.38    13.53    13.50      -.2   
                    Retail trade................     8.04     8.28     8.30     8.32     8.36     8.41       .6   
                    Finance, insurance, and real                                                                  
                       estate...................    12.91    13.18    13.29    13.30    13.46    13.46       .0   
                    Services....................    11.89    12.20    12.26    12.26    12.32    12.35       .2   

                  1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
                  2 The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to
                deflate this series.
                  3 Change was .4 percent from July 1997 to August 1997, the latest month available.
                  4 Derived by assuming that overtime hours are paid at the rate of time and one-half.
                    N.A. = not available.
                  p = preliminary.




     ESTABLISHMENT DATA                                                                                    ESTABLISHMENT DATA
     
     
     Table B-5. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers1 on private nonfarm payrolls by
     industry
     
     (1982=100)
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                                                  Not seasonally adjusted                   Seasonally adjusted              
                                                                                                                             
                     Industry                                                                                                
                                               Sept.  July    Aug.     Sept.   Sept.   May     June   July    Aug.     Sept. 
                                               1996   1997    1997p    1997p   1996    1997    1997   1997    1997p    1997p 
                                                                                                                             
            Total private....................  139.9  142.7   143.8    142.7   137.9  140.0   140.6   140.2   140.7    140.5 
                                                                                                                             
     Goods-producing.........................  115.7  114.1   116.8    117.7   111.3  113.7   112.7   112.9   113.0    113.2 
                                                                                                                             
       Mining................................   56.6   57.2    57.7     57.0    54.9   57.3    56.3    56.3    56.5     55.3 
                                                                                                                             
       Construction..........................  162.2  169.5   169.0    169.0   148.1  156.2   152.8   154.1   152.8    154.4 
                                                                                                                             
       Manufacturing.........................  109.6  105.8   109.3    110.6   107.1  108.3   107.8   107.8   108.2    108.2 
                                                                                                                             
        Durable goods........................  111.2  108.4   112.2    113.6   109.4  111.4   111.0   111.1   112.1    111.8 
         Lumber and wood products............  144.1  143.5   146.4    146.7   138.6  142.9   142.2   142.3   141.0    141.2 
         Furniture and fixtures..............  127.0  122.9   128.0    129.8   123.9  128.0   126.7   127.3   126.7    127.0 
         Stone, clay, and glass products.....  115.6  112.4   114.5    115.1   109.9  110.2   108.7   110.0   109.7    109.4 
         Primary metal industries............   94.4   91.2    94.9     96.6    93.2   93.9    94.0    93.2    95.7     95.7 
           Blast furnaces and basic steel                                                                                    
              products.......................   74.3   72.1    74.6     75.3    74.0   72.6    72.3    72.0    75.0     75.1 
         Fabricated metal products...........  117.2  112.9   117.9    119.4   115.1  117.1   116.8   116.5   117.5    117.0 
         Industrial machinery and equipment..  104.7  106.2   107.4    109.6   104.4  108.5   108.1   108.5   109.0    109.4 
         Electronic and other electrical                                                                                     
            equipment........................  109.2  106.0   108.8    110.9   108.1  108.2   108.5   109.1   109.1    109.9 
         Transportation equipment............  126.5  119.5   128.4    128.8   124.2  126.8   126.2   125.7   129.5    126.7 
           Motor vehicles and equipment......  170.4  151.6   168.8    167.6   166.6  165.4   165.6   163.1   169.7    163.9 
         Instruments and related products....   75.7   73.7    75.5     75.8    75.4   75.1    75.2    75.1    75.8     75.6 
         Miscellaneous manufacturing.........  104.2   99.1   103.2    104.8   101.8  103.2   102.3   103.4   102.5    102.4 
                                                                                                                             
        Nondurable goods.....................  107.3  102.2   105.4    106.6   103.9  104.0   103.4   103.1   102.9    103.3 
         Food and kindred products...........  125.0  118.2   124.0    125.3   115.1  117.3   115.8   115.6   115.1    115.6 
         Tobacco products....................   71.6   48.8    55.1     61.0    64.0   58.9    57.8    57.2    53.8     53.8 
         Textile mill products...............   90.5   86.3    89.1     89.9    89.0   88.8    88.2    88.5    87.6     88.6 
         Apparel and other textile products..   77.9   69.5    72.6     73.0    76.4   73.0    73.2    72.0    71.8     71.5 
         Paper and allied products...........  111.3  109.2   109.6    111.5   109.4  110.4   109.0   109.0   108.5    109.7 
         Printing and publishing.............  125.0  124.0   125.3    126.5   123.7  125.1   125.2   125.4   124.5    125.5 
         Chemicals and allied products.......  101.3   98.8   100.2    101.9   100.6  100.5    99.7    99.3   100.4    101.1 
         Petroleum and coal products.........   79.0   76.2    76.5     77.2    76.8   75.0    74.2    73.5    73.9     75.1 
         Rubber and misc. plastics products..  145.8  139.9   145.5    146.7   143.8  144.7   144.2   144.3   145.1    144.6 
         Leather and leather products........   44.1   37.7    40.5     40.7    42.8   41.7    41.0    40.7    39.5     39.4 
                                                                                                                             
     Service-producing.......................  150.7  155.6   156.0    153.8   149.9  151.8   153.1   152.5   153.1    152.7 
                                                                                                                             
       Transportation and public utilities...  131.5  130.3   128.6    133.3   129.0  131.0   131.3   129.3   127.5    130.5 
                                                                                                                             
       Wholesale trade.......................  124.8  127.1   127.5    127.1   123.9  125.9   126.2   126.0   126.4    126.5 
                                                                                                                             
       Retail trade..........................  137.2  142.9   143.8    139.5   135.8  138.0   138.2   138.2   139.8    137.8 
                                                                                                                             
       Finance, insurance, and real estate...  127.7  129.7   130.3    127.9   128.1  127.3   130.5   127.4   128.9    128.3 
                                                                                                                             
       Services..............................  180.2  187.8   188.2    185.3   179.9  182.3   184.5   184.4   184.8    184.6 

       1 See footnote 1, table B-2.
       p = preliminary.




      ESTABLISHMENT DATA                                                                                   ESTABLISHMENT DATA
      
      
      Table B-6.  Diffusion indexes of employment change, seasonally adjusted
      
      (Percent)
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
             Time span          Jan.    Feb.    Mar.    Apr.    May     June    July    Aug.   Sept.    Oct.    Nov.    Dec. 
                                                                                                                             
                              
                                                         Private nonfarm payrolls, 356 industries1
                              
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 1-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   59.7    61.0    49.6    57.6    61.5    56.2    55.5    58.3    62.2    59.6    61.7    59.3 
           1994..............   57.6    61.9    67.1    64.5    57.7    63.9    62.5    62.6    61.4    60.3    63.8    62.4 
           1995..............   62.4    60.1    54.5    55.6    48.0    53.9    54.1    59.8    57.0    54.9    57.2    57.9 
           1996..............   51.7    64.3    60.1    54.9    62.9    60.5    56.5    59.3    54.4    62.6    58.1    61.0 
           1997..............   59.3    59.1    59.0    61.1    57.4    50.7    58.8   p57.4   p54.8                         
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 3-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   64.7    60.8    60.5    58.6    62.9    63.6    59.6    62.9    64.7    66.9    64.3    63.6 
           1994..............   65.3    69.5    70.4    68.7    67.1    67.0    69.1    69.7    65.7    65.6    67.0    66.2 
           1995..............   65.4    62.5    58.7    53.2    54.6    52.4    57.9    59.6    59.7    59.0    57.0    56.3 
           1996..............   62.6    63.6    62.6    61.2    62.1    63.1    62.6    58.8    62.8    60.4    64.7    65.0 
           1997..............   64.6    62.2    64.2    65.6    59.7    58.7   p59.3   p61.9                                 
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 6-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   62.9    64.6    64.3    64.3    62.2    65.6    66.0    64.9    66.3    66.7    69.4    69.2 
           1994..............   71.1    69.8    69.8    70.9    70.1    69.8    69.7    69.4    69.4    67.4    67.7    66.2 
           1995..............   66.9    61.4    58.1    56.6    58.1    58.1    56.7    59.8    60.3    59.1    61.5    63.3 
           1996..............   62.2    63.5    63.5    63.5    62.6    61.2    65.3    63.6    62.6    64.5    64.2    67.4 
           1997..............   67.6    66.6    64.5    64.6   p63.9   p64.3                                                 
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 12-month span:                                                                                                    
           1993..............   64.9    63.9    64.0    65.4    67.0    67.6    67.6    67.0    70.2    69.5    69.2    70.1 
           1994..............   70.2    71.6    71.8    71.8    72.1    71.8    71.5    72.1    70.1    69.5    66.6    65.0 
           1995..............   63.6    62.4    62.6    63.3    61.7    61.9    58.7    62.2    62.2    61.1    62.2    63.3 
           1996..............   63.5    64.7    62.4    62.9    64.7    64.2    65.0    63.1    63.8    66.7    65.7    65.0 
           1997..............   67.3   p65.9   p69.7                                                                         
                                                                                                                             
                              
                                                          Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1
                              
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 1-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   52.2    56.8    49.6    44.2    53.2    46.4    49.3    51.8    57.9    52.2    54.0    55.8 
           1994..............   55.8    59.0    60.4    58.6    52.9    58.6    59.4    56.1    52.9    55.0    58.6    58.3 
           1995..............   54.3    56.1    44.2    51.4    42.1    42.8    43.5    52.2    47.1    50.0    47.5    50.7 
           1996..............   45.7    54.3    47.8    39.2    52.2    52.2    44.2    52.9    44.2    50.7    49.6    52.2 
           1997..............   54.0    50.4    52.9    52.9    51.4    49.3    51.8   p50.4   p52.2                         
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 3-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   61.5    59.0    54.0    46.8    48.6    54.3    51.1    58.3    57.2    59.4    54.7    58.3 
           1994..............   61.9    64.7    65.5    59.7    57.6    60.1    62.2    57.9    55.0    55.4    60.1    59.4 
           1995..............   59.7    50.4    47.5    40.3    42.4    36.3    38.5    43.9    49.3    46.4    45.3    43.9 
           1996..............   47.5    47.8    42.1    38.5    43.2    45.0    48.9    43.2    50.4    46.4    52.5    52.5 
           1997..............   53.2    51.4    50.7    52.5    48.6    48.9   p49.6   p52.2                                 
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 6-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   55.8    58.6    58.6    55.8    51.8    57.2    59.7    57.2    57.6    58.3    62.6    60.8 
           1994..............   62.2    62.2    62.6    63.3    59.4    56.5    56.5    58.6    58.6    55.0    58.3    55.0 
           1995..............   55.8    48.6    43.9    38.8    39.2    39.6    38.8    39.6    43.9    45.0    44.2    44.6 
           1996..............   41.4    41.7    41.0    38.1    39.6    40.6    47.5    46.8    45.3    50.4    48.2    53.2 
           1997..............   53.2    53.2    50.4    49.3   p49.3   p51.8                                                 
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 12-month span:                                                                                                    
           1993..............   56.8    57.9    55.8    58.6    57.2    57.6    58.6    59.0    61.2    59.7    60.1    57.6 
           1994..............   57.9    58.6    60.8    60.8    60.8    63.3    59.4    60.1    57.2    56.5    50.4    49.6 
           1995..............   46.0    44.2    46.0    47.8    41.0    41.7    38.5    38.8    36.3    37.4    38.1    39.9 
           1996..............   39.6    42.8    39.2    39.6    42.4    40.3    43.5    40.3    43.5    46.8    46.4    47.1 
           1997..............   51.4   p47.8   p52.2                                                                         

        1 Based on seasonally adjusted data for 1-, 3-, and 6-month spans and unadjusted data for the 12-month span. Data are
      centered within the span. 
        p = preliminary.
        NOTE:  Figures are the percent of industries with employment increasing plus one-half of the industries with
      unchanged employment, where 50 percent indicates an equal balance between industries with increasing and decreasing
      employment.