Internet address:  http://stats.bls.gov:80/newsrels.htm
Technical information:                 USDL 97-117
   Household data:   (202) 606-6378
                                       Transmission of material in this
                                       release is embargoed until
   Establishment data:     606-6555    8:30 A.M. (EST),
Media contact:             606-5902    Friday, April 4, 1997.


                   THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION:  MARCH 1997
   
   
   Employment rose, and the unemployment rate was about unchanged at 5.2
percent in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today.  Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 175,000, and
average hourly earnings rose by 5 cents in March.
   
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
   
   The number of unemployed persons, 7.1 million, and the unemployment
rate, 5.2 percent, were essentially unchanged in March, after seasonal
adjustment.  Jobless rates for the major demographic groups--adult men (4.4
percent), adult women (4.7 percent), teenagers (16.4 percent), whites (4.5
percent), blacks (10.7 percent), and Hispanics (8.6 percent)--showed little
or no movement over the month.  (See tables A-1 and A-2.)

Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
   
   Total employment rose by 745,000 in March to 129.2 million (seasonally
adjusted).  The proportion of the population that was employed (the
employment-population ratio) rose to 63.8 percent, an all-time high for
this series.
   
   About 7.9 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one
job in March.  These multiple jobholders accounted for 6.1 percent of all
employed persons.  (See table A-9.)
   
   The civilian labor force increased by 685,000 to 136.3 million
(seasonally adjusted), and the labor force participation rate rose to 67.3
percent.  Over the past year, the labor force has increased by 2.5 million
(after adjusting for the change in population controls introduced in
January), and the participation rate has increased by half a percentage
point.
   
                                  - 2  -

Table A.  Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________
                      |   Quarterly     |       Monthly data       |
                      |   averages      |                          |
                      |_________________|__________________________|Feb.-
      Category        |  1996  | 19971/ |          19971/          |Mar.
                      |________|________|__________________________|change
                      |   IV   |   I    |  Jan.  |  Feb.  |  Mar.  |
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
    HOUSEHOLD DATA    |                 Labor force status
                      |____________________________________________________
Civilian labor force..| 134,830| 135,934| 135,848| 135,634| 136,319|    685
  Employment..........| 127,705| 128,728| 128,580| 128,430| 129,175|    745
  Unemployment......  |   7,124|   7,206|   7,268|   7,205|   7,144|    -61
Not in labor force....|  66,627|  66,462|  66,437|  66,754|  66,194|   -560
                      |________|________|________|________|________|_______
                      |                 Unemployment rates
                      |____________________________________________________
All workers...........|     5.3|     5.3|     5.4|     5.3|     5.2|   -0.1
  Adult men...........|     4.4|     4.5|     4.6|     4.4|     4.4|     .0
  Adult women.........|     4.8|     4.7|     4.6|     4.7|     4.7|     .0
  Teenagers...........|    16.6|    17.0|    17.0|    17.5|    16.4|   -1.1
  White...............|     4.6|     4.5|     4.6|     4.5|     4.5|     .0
  Black...............|    10.6|    10.9|    10.8|    11.3|    10.7|    -.6
  Hispanic origin.....|     8.0|     8.3|     8.3|     8.1|     8.6|     .5
                      |________|________|________|________|________|_______
 ESTABLISHMENT DATA   |                     Employment
                      |____________________________________________________
Nonfarm employment....| 120,509|p121,236| 120,982|p121,275|p121,450|   p175
  Goods-producing 2/..|  24,320| p24,471|  24,399| p24,513| p24,501|   p-12
    Construction......|   5,492|  p5,598|   5,535|  p5,643|  p5,616|   p-27
    Manufacturing.....|  18,262| p18,303|  18,296| p18,299| p18,315|    p16
  Service-producing 2/|  96,189| p96,765|  96,583| p96,762| p96,949|   p187
    Retail trade......|  21,864| p21,940|  21,922| p21,928| p21,971|    p43
    Services..........|  34,785| p35,097|  35,015| p35,082| p35,193|   p111
    Government........|  19,510| p19,566|  19,544| p19,587| p19,568|   p-19
                      |________|________|________|________|________|_______
                      |                  Hours of work 3/
                      |____________________________________________________
Total private.........|    34.6|   p34.6|    34.2|   p34.9|   p34.8|  p-0.1
  Manufacturing.......|    41.8|   p41.9|    41.7|   p41.9|   p42.1|    p.2
    Overtime..........|     4.5|    p4.8|     4.7|    p4.7|    p4.9|    p.2
                      |________|________|________|________|________|_______
                      |                     Earnings 3/
                      |____________________________________________________
Avg. hourly earnings, |        |        |        |        |        |
  total private.......|  $11.98| p$12.10|  $12.05| p$12.10| p$12.15| p$0.05
Avg. weekly earnings, |        |        |        |        |        |
  total private.......|  414.00| p419.07|  412.11| p422.29| p422.82|   p.53
______________________|________|________|________|________|________|_______
    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 -

Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
   
   About 1.5 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally
attached to the labor force in March--that is, they wanted and were
available for work and had looked for jobs sometime in the prior 12 months.
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 356,000 in March, down from 451,000 a year earlier.  (See
table A-9.)
   
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)

     Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 175,000 in March to 121.5 million,
after seasonal adjustment.  Job gains in a variety of service-providing
industries were somewhat offset by losses in construction and government.
(See table B-1.)

     The services industry added 111,000 jobs in March, slightly more than
the average monthly gain of 100,000 in 1996.  Employment in business
services rose by 58,000, as the help supply industry added 25,000 jobs, and
computer and data processing services continued its robust growth.
Employment in health services increased by 22,000, led by a sizable advance
in hospitals.  Private education employment also rose.
     
     Employment in retail trade increased by 43,000 in March.  Department
stores had large gains in both February and March, which offset a loss in
January.  There were above-average increases in March in building supply
stores, food stores, and miscellaneous retail establishments.  Eating and
drinking places had a large employment decline, after seasonal adjustment,
reflecting lighter-than-usual March hiring.

     Employment in finance continued to grow in March, primarily in banks,
security brokerages, and mortgage brokerages.  Strong growth also continued
in real estate, which has added 53,000 jobs in the past year.  Wholesale
trade posted a large job gain for the second month in a row.  Employment in
transportation and public utilities rose modestly after 2 months of large
increases.

     Manufacturing employment edged up by 16,000 in March, with the largest
increases occurring in lumber and industrial machinery.  Factory employment
has increased by 74,000 since September, following a loss of 319,000 from
its recent peak in March 1995.  The recent growth has been concentrated in
the durable goods industries, especially industrial machinery and aircraft.

     Construction employment fell by 27,000 in March, following an increase
of 108,000 in February.  The unusual winter weather patterns this year and
last have caused large fluctuations in the construction employment series,
even after seasonal adjustment.  Nevertheless, monthly job gains in
construction have averaged 30,000 since October, compared with an average
gain of 22,000 in the prior 12 months.

     A decrease in government employment of 19,000 reflected a decline of
14,000 in local education, after seasonal adjustment, following gains in
the prior 2 months.  Employment in state government was unchanged, while
federal employment continued to decline.

                                  - 4 -

Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)
     
     The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on
private nonfarm payrolls edged down by 0.1 hour in March, to 34.8 hours,
seasonally adjusted.  The manufacturing workweek rose by 0.2 hour to 42.1
hours, a very high level by historical standards.  Factory overtime
advanced by 0.2 hour to 4.9 hours, the highest level since the series began
in 1956.  (See table B-2.)

     The index of aggregate weekly hours of private production or
nonsupervisory workers on nonfarm payrolls, at 140.5 (1982=100) in March,
was little changed, after seasonal adjustment, as the rise in employment
offset the decline in the average workweek.  The manufacturing index
increased by 0.5 percent to 107.4.  (See table B-5.)

Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)
     
     Average hourly earnings of private production or nonsupervisory
workers on nonfarm payrolls rose by 5 cents in March to $12.15, seasonally
adjusted.  Average weekly earnings edged up by 0.1 percent to $422.82,
reflecting the largely offsetting movements of higher hourly earnings and a
slightly shorter workweek.  Over the past year, average hourly earnings
rose by 4.0 percent, and average weekly earnings increased by 4.9 percent.
(See table B-3.)

                 ________________________________________
   
   The Employment Situation for April 1997 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, May 2, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).
                                  - 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 1996,
the sample included about 390,000 establishments employing over 47 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 $13.00 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                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                              Mar.    Feb.    Mar.    Mar.    Nov.    Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1996    1996    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                               TOTAL                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............ 199,921 202,388 202,513 199,921 201,463 201,636 202,285 202,388 202,513
             Civilian labor force.......................... 132,692 134,535 135,524 133,464 134,831 135,022 135,848 135,634 136,319
                   Participation rate......................    66.4    66.5    66.9    66.8    66.9    67.0    67.2    67.0    67.3
               Employed.................................... 124,992 126,887 128,125 126,062 127,644 127,855 128,580 128,430 129,175
                   Employment-population ratio.............    62.5    62.7    63.3    63.1    63.4    63.4    63.6    63.5    63.8
                 Agriculture...............................   3,243   2,933   3,166   3,470   3,354   3,426   3,468   3,292   3,386
                 Nonagricultural industries................ 121,750 123,954 124,959 122,592 124,290 124,429 125,112 125,138 125,789
               Unemployed..................................   7,700   7,647   7,399   7,402   7,187   7,167   7,268   7,205   7,144
                   Unemployment rate.......................     5.8     5.7     5.5     5.5     5.3     5.3     5.4     5.3     5.2
             Not in labor force............................  67,229  67,854  66,989  66,457  66,632  66,614  66,437  66,754  66,194
                                                                                                                                   
                       Men, 16 years and over                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  95,864  97,320  97,386  95,864  96,654  96,742  97,264  97,320  97,386
             Civilian labor force..........................  71,444  72,214  72,731  71,936  72,362  72,414  73,106  72,987  73,268
                   Participation rate......................    74.5    74.2    74.7    75.0    74.9    74.9    75.2    75.0    75.2
               Employed....................................  66,961  67,981  68,573  67,856  68,589  68,707  69,164  69,232  69,478
                   Employment-population ratio.............    69.9    69.9    70.4    70.8    71.0    71.0    71.1    71.1    71.3
               Unemployed..................................   4,483   4,233   4,158   4,080   3,773   3,707   3,942   3,755   3,790
                   Unemployment rate.......................     6.3     5.9     5.7     5.7     5.2     5.1     5.4     5.1     5.2
                                                                                                                                   
                       Men, 20 years and over                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  88,366  89,556  89,604  88,366  88,971  89,040  89,446  89,556  89,604
             Civilian labor force..........................  67,753  68,447  68,937  67,886  68,391  68,369  68,998  68,827  69,111
                   Participation rate......................    76.7    76.4    76.9    76.8    76.9    76.8    77.1    76.9    77.1
               Employed....................................  64,005  64,923  65,502  64,562  65,349  65,367  65,813  65,818  66,066
                   Employment-population ratio.............    72.4    72.5    73.1    73.1    73.4    73.4    73.6    73.5    73.7
                 Agriculture...............................   2,249   2,080   2,244   2,376   2,355   2,356   2,364   2,276   2,362
                 Nonagricultural industries................  61,755  62,843  63,257  62,186  62,994  63,011  63,449  63,542  63,703
               Unemployed..................................   3,749   3,523   3,435   3,324   3,042   3,002   3,185   3,009   3,045
                   Unemployment rate.......................     5.5     5.1     5.0     4.9     4.4     4.4     4.6     4.4     4.4
                                                                                                                                   
                      Women, 16 years and over                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............ 104,058 105,068 105,127 104,058 104,809 104,894 105,022 105,068 105,127
             Civilian labor force..........................  61,248  62,321  62,794  61,528  62,469  62,608  62,742  62,647  63,051
                   Participation rate......................    58.9    59.3    59.7    59.1    59.6    59.7    59.7    59.6    60.0
               Employed....................................  58,031  58,906  59,552  58,206  59,055  59,148  59,416  59,197  59,697
                   Employment-population ratio.............    55.8    56.1    56.6    55.9    56.3    56.4    56.6    56.3    56.8
               Unemployed..................................   3,217   3,415   3,241   3,322   3,414   3,460   3,327   3,450   3,354
                   Unemployment rate.......................     5.3     5.5     5.2     5.4     5.5     5.5     5.3     5.5     5.3
                                                                                                                                   
                      Women, 20 years and over                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  96,798  97,571  97,638  96,798  97,366  97,457  97,520  97,571  97,638
             Civilian labor force..........................  57,811  58,720  59,160  57,803  58,574  58,728  58,894  58,743  59,130
                   Participation rate......................    59.7    60.2    60.6    59.7    60.2    60.3    60.4    60.2    60.6
               Employed....................................  55,109  55,931  56,442  55,054  55,753  55,871  56,165  55,954  56,359
                   Employment-population ratio.............    56.9    57.3    57.8    56.9    57.3    57.3    57.6    57.3    57.7
                 Agriculture...............................     807     697     710     842     786     772     797     775     739
                 Nonagricultural industries................  54,303  55,234  55,732  54,212  54,967  55,099  55,369  55,179  55,620
               Unemployed..................................   2,701   2,788   2,718   2,749   2,821   2,857   2,729   2,788   2,771
                   Unemployment rate.......................     4.7     4.7     4.6     4.8     4.8     4.9     4.6     4.7     4.7
                                                                                                                                   
                     Both sexes, 16 to 19 years                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                   
           Civilian  noninstitutional population...........  14,757  15,261  15,271  14,757  15,126  15,139  15,318  15,261  15,271
             Civilian labor force..........................   7,128   7,368   7,428   7,775   7,866   7,925   7,956   8,065   8,078
                   Participation rate......................    48.3    48.3    48.6    52.7    52.0    52.3    51.9    52.8    52.9
               Employed....................................   5,879   6,032   6,182   6,446   6,542   6,617   6,601   6,657   6,750
                   Employment-population ratio.............    39.8    39.5    40.5    43.7    43.3    43.7    43.1    43.6    44.2
                 Agriculture...............................     187     156     212     252     213     298     307     240     285
                 Nonagricultural industries................   5,692   5,877   5,970   6,194   6,329   6,319   6,294   6,417   6,465
               Unemployed..................................   1,250   1,336   1,246   1,329   1,324   1,308   1,354   1,408   1,328
                   Unemployment rate.......................    17.5    18.1    16.8    17.1    16.8    16.5    17.0    17.5    16.4

           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                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                   
                                                              Mar.    Feb.    Mar.    Mar.    Nov.    Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1996    1996    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                               WHITE                                                                                               
           Civilian noninstitutional population............ 167,853 169,492 169,569 167,853 168,924 169,044 169,436 169,492 169,569
             Civilian labor force.......................... 112,246 113,484 114,135 112,827 113,816 113,991 114,377 114,333 114,736
                 Participation rate........................    66.9    67.0    67.3    67.2    67.4    67.4    67.5    67.5    67.7
               Employed.................................... 106,495 107,863 108,745 107,398 108,570 108,734 109,151 109,197 109,630
                 Employment-population ratio...............    63.4    63.6    64.1    64.0    64.3    64.3    64.4    64.4    64.7
               Unemployed..................................   5,751   5,621   5,389   5,429   5,246   5,257   5,226   5,136   5,106
                 Unemployment rate.........................     5.1     5.0     4.7     4.8     4.6     4.6     4.6     4.5     4.5
                                                                                                                                   
                       Men, 20 years and over                                                                                      
             Civilian labor force..........................  58,106  58,622  59,000  58,229  58,549  58,623  59,042  58,968  59,161
                 Participation rate........................    77.2    77.1    77.5    77.4    77.3    77.4    77.7    77.5    77.7
               Employed....................................  55,237  55,899  56,411  55,749  56,276  56,356  56,653  56,692  56,923
                 Employment-population ratio...............    73.4    73.5    74.1    74.1    74.3    74.4    74.5    74.5    74.8
               Unemployed..................................   2,869   2,723   2,589   2,480   2,273   2,267   2,388   2,275   2,238
                 Unemployment rate.........................     4.9     4.6     4.4     4.3     3.9     3.9     4.0     3.9     3.8
                                                                                                                                   
                      Women, 20 years and over                                                                                     
             Civilian labor force..........................  48,056  48,603  48,852  48,051  48,558  48,686  48,631  48,619  48,832
                 Participation rate........................    59.4    59.8    60.1    59.4    59.8    59.9    59.8    59.8    60.0
               Employed....................................  46,095  46,700  46,962  46,062  46,530  46,614  46,750  46,747  46,915
                 Employment-population ratio...............    57.0    57.4    57.7    56.9    57.3    57.3    57.5    57.5    57.7
               Unemployed..................................   1,961   1,902   1,891   1,989   2,028   2,072   1,881   1,872   1,917
                 Unemployment rate.........................     4.1     3.9     3.9     4.1     4.2     4.3     3.9     3.9     3.9
                                                                                                                                   
                     Both sexes, 16 to 19 years                                                                                    
             Civilian labor force..........................   6,084   6,259   6,282   6,547   6,709   6,682   6,704   6,746   6,742
                 Participation rate........................    52.0    51.6    51.8    56.0    56.0    55.6    55.3    55.6    55.6
               Employed....................................   5,163   5,264   5,373   5,587   5,764   5,764   5,747   5,758   5,792
                 Employment-population ratio...............    44.2    43.4    44.3    47.8    48.1    48.0    47.4    47.5    47.7
               Unemployed..................................     921     995     910     960     945     918     957     988     951
                 Unemployment rate.........................    15.1    15.9    14.5    14.7    14.1    13.7    14.3    14.6    14.1
                   Men.....................................    17.0    16.3    16.0    15.9    15.5    14.8    14.9    14.6    15.0
                   Women...................................    13.1    15.5    12.8    13.3    12.6    12.6    13.6    14.7    13.1
                                                                                                                                   
                               BLACK                                                                                               
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  23,485  23,872  23,895  23,485  23,762  23,794  23,847  23,872  23,895
             Civilian labor force..........................  14,899  15,170  15,325  15,019  15,290  15,306  15,372  15,408  15,439
                 Participation rate........................    63.4    63.5    64.1    64.0    64.3    64.3    64.5    64.5    64.6
               Employed....................................  13,282  13,465  13,677  13,401  13,673  13,693  13,709  13,672  13,784
                 Employment-population ratio...............    56.6    56.4    57.2    57.1    57.5    57.5    57.5    57.3    57.7
               Unemployed..................................   1,617   1,705   1,649   1,618   1,617   1,613   1,663   1,736   1,655
                 Unemployment rate.........................    10.9    11.2    10.8    10.8    10.6    10.5    10.8    11.3    10.7
                                                                                                                                   
                       Men, 20 years and over                                                                                      
             Civilian labor force..........................   6,785   6,733   6,812   6,776   6,899   6,833   6,829   6,765   6,803
                 Participation rate........................    72.3    70.7    71.7    72.3    72.7    72.0    71.8    71.0    71.6
               Employed....................................   6,049   6,079   6,149   6,080   6,264   6,235   6,198   6,159   6,173
                 Employment-population ratio...............    64.5    63.8    64.7    64.8    66.0    65.7    65.2    64.7    65.0
               Unemployed..................................     735     654     663     696     635     598     632     605     629
                 Unemployment rate.........................    10.8     9.7     9.7    10.3     9.2     8.8     9.2     9.0     9.3
                                                                                                                                   
                      Women, 20 years and over                                                                                     
             Civilian labor force..........................   7,288   7,564   7,628   7,304   7,499   7,544   7,574   7,636   7,641
                 Participation rate........................    61.8    63.3    63.7    62.0    63.0    63.3    63.4    63.9    63.9
               Employed....................................   6,680   6,803   6,928   6,689   6,833   6,851   6,880   6,851   6,934
                 Employment-population ratio...............    56.7    56.9    57.9    56.7    57.4    57.5    57.6    57.3    57.9
               Unemployed..................................     608     761     700     615     666     693     694     785     706
                 Unemployment rate.........................     8.3    10.1     9.2     8.4     8.9     9.2     9.2    10.3     9.2
                                                                                                                                   
                     Both sexes, 16 to 19 years                                                                                    
             Civilian labor force..........................     827     872     886     939     892     929     969   1,007     996
                 Participation rate........................    35.6    36.4    36.5    40.5    37.5    38.9    40.4    42.0    41.1
               Employed....................................     553     583     600     632     576     607     631     662     676
                 Employment-population ratio...............    23.8    24.3    24.8    27.2    24.2    25.4    26.3    27.6    27.9
               Unemployed..................................     274     290     285     307     316     322     337     346     319
                 Unemployment rate.........................    33.1    33.2    32.2    32.7    35.4    34.7    34.8    34.3    32.1
                   Men.....................................    38.0    37.4    43.7    36.3    41.2    38.6    42.7    37.4    41.4
                   Women...................................    28.2    29.5    22.0    29.1    30.0    31.2    27.5    31.3    23.7
                          HISPANIC ORIGIN                                                                                          
           Civilian noninstitutional population............  19,025  20,067  20,119  19,025  19,454  19,505  20,013  20,067  20,119
             Civilian labor force..........................  12,524  13,529  13,620  12,543  13,182  13,150  13,795  13,640  13,662
                 Participation rate........................    65.8    67.4    67.7    65.9    67.8    67.4    68.9    68.0    67.9
               Employed....................................  11,229  12,337  12,381  11,320  12,094  12,141  12,653  12,538  12,493
                 Employment-population ratio...............    59.0    61.5    61.5    59.5    62.2    62.2    63.2    62.5    62.1
               Unemployed..................................   1,295   1,192   1,239   1,223   1,088   1,009   1,142   1,102   1,169
                 Unemployment rate.........................    10.3     8.8     9.1     9.8     8.3     7.7     8.3     8.1     8.6

           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                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                              Mar.    Feb.    Mar.    Mar.    Nov.    Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1996    1996    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                           CHARACTERISTIC                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                   
           Total employed, 16 years and over............... 124,992 126,887 128,125 126,062 127,644 127,855 128,580 128,430 129,175
             Married men, spouse present...................  42,051  42,173  42,339  42,223  42,631  42,607  42,909  42,513  42,509
             Married women, spouse present.................  32,277  32,611  32,830  32,168  32,509  32,631  32,826  32,578  32,699
             Women who maintain families...................   7,457   7,571   7,812   7,372   7,444   7,500   7,501   7,556   7,720
                                                                                                                                   
                             OCCUPATION                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                   
             Managerial and professional specialty.........  36,186  37,591  37,811  36,098  37,177  37,234  37,478  37,525  37,723
             Technical, sales, and administrative support..  37,631  37,845  38,044  37,751  37,821  37,902  38,163  38,073  38,158
             Service occupations...........................  16,831  17,067  17,275  16,843  17,408  17,271  17,171  17,170  17,292
             Precision production, craft, and repair.......  13,277  13,702  13,887  13,602  13,508  13,574  13,902  14,140  14,200
             Operators, fabricators, and laborers..........  17,804  17,752  17,931  18,106  18,259  18,310  18,317  18,144  18,234
             Farming, forestry, and fishing................   3,263   2,930   3,177   3,613   3,445   3,496   3,528   3,388   3,507
                                                                                                                                   
                          CLASS OF WORKER                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                   
             Agriculture:                                                                                                          
               Wage and salary workers.....................   1,719   1,664   1,764   1,863   1,829   1,878   1,988   1,932   1,905
               Self-employed workers.......................   1,484   1,257   1,348   1,560   1,464   1,475   1,448   1,353   1,414
               Unpaid family workers.......................      40      12      55      43      68      66      62      15      59
             Nonagricultural industries:                                                                                           
               Wage and salary workers..................... 112,648 114,790 115,601 113,535 115,133 115,212 115,560 115,987 116,533
                 Government................................  18,419  18,289  18,282  18,141  18,270  18,266  18,385  18,144  17,994
                 Private industries........................  94,229  96,501  97,319  95,394  96,863  96,946  97,176  97,843  98,539
                   Private households......................     917     863     875     911     956     934   1,002     882     869
                   Other industries........................  93,312  95,638  96,444  94,483  95,907  96,012  96,174  96,962  97,671
               Self-employed workers.......................   8,992   9,033   9,245   9,041   9,023   9,109   9,445   9,124   9,292
               Unpaid family workers.......................     109     132     113     105     140     149     162     136     108
                                                                                                                                   
                     PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                   
             All industries:                                                                                                       
               Part time for economic reasons..............   4,569   4,419   4,277   4,451   3,983   4,338   4,426   4,262   4,153
                 Slack work or business conditions.........   2,630   2,616   2,459   2,507   2,107   2,353   2,423   2,378   2,344
                 Could only find part-time work............   1,626   1,485   1,542   1,608   1,559   1,653   1,552   1,550   1,518
               Part time for noneconomic reasons...........  18,524  18,865  18,918  17,743  17,957  17,868  18,340  18,070  18,120
                                                                                                                                   
             Nonagricultural industries:                                                                                           
               Part time for economic reasons..............   4,358   4,209   4,075   4,224   3,815   4,162   4,163   4,098   3,937
                 Slack work or business conditions.........   2,491   2,491   2,329   2,363   2,001   2,214   2,310   2,277   2,210
                 Could only find part-time work............   1,608   1,465   1,516   1,573   1,543   1,622   1,512   1,523   1,475
               Part time for noneconomic reasons...........  17,870  18,342  18,338  17,114  17,313  17,237  17,737  17,452  17,565

             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                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                   
                                                              Mar.    Feb.    Mar.    Mar.    Nov.    Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1996    1996    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                           CHARACTERISTIC                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                   
            Total, 16 years and over.......................   7,402   7,205   7,144    5.5     5.3     5.3     5.4     5.3     5.2 
              Men, 20 years and over.......................   3,324   3,009   3,045    4.9     4.4     4.4     4.6     4.4     4.4 
              Women, 20 years and over.....................   2,749   2,788   2,771    4.8     4.8     4.9     4.6     4.7     4.7 
              Both sexes, 16 to 19 years...................   1,329   1,408   1,328   17.1    16.8    16.5    17.0    17.5    16.4 
                                                                                                                                   
              Married men, spouse present..................   1,349   1,238   1,218    3.1     3.0     3.0     2.8     2.8     2.8 
              Married women, spouse present................   1,176   1,145   1,096    3.5     3.6     3.7     3.3     3.4     3.2 
              Women who maintain families..................     614     748     769    7.7     8.8     8.4     9.1     9.0     9.1 
                                                                                                                                   
              Full-time workers............................   5,943   5,706   5,736    5.5     5.3     5.2     5.2     5.1     5.1 
              Part-time workers............................   1,481   1,497   1,428    6.0     5.6     5.8     5.7     6.0     5.7 
                                                                                                                                   
                           OCCUPATION(2)                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                   
              Managerial and professional specialty........     872     817     787    2.4     2.3     2.4     2.1     2.1     2.0 
              Technical, sales, and administrative support.   1,745   1,724   1,702    4.4     4.5     4.6     4.4     4.3     4.3 
              Precision production, craft, and repair......     831     701     732    5.8     5.7     5.4     5.3     4.7     4.9 
              Operators, fabricators, and laborers.........   1,639   1,609   1,616    8.3     7.7     7.6     7.9     8.1     8.1 
              Farming, forestry, and fishing...............     307     273     279    7.8     7.7     7.7     7.5     7.5     7.4 
                                                                                                                                   
                              INDUSTRY                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                   
              Nonagricultural private wage and salary                                                                              
              workers......................................   5,793   5,517   5,447    5.7     5.5     5.4     5.4     5.3     5.2 
                Goods-producing industries.................   1,803   1,627   1,615    6.4     6.1     5.9     6.0     5.6     5.5 
                  Mining...................................      38      26      26    6.5     4.9     7.6     6.0     4.2     4.0 
                  Construction.............................     684     645     674   10.3    10.3     9.4    10.1     9.0     9.6 
                  Manufacturing............................   1,081     956     915    5.2     4.7     4.8     4.6     4.5     4.3 
                    Durable goods..........................     606     508     467    4.9     4.5     4.7     4.4     4.0     3.6 
                    Nondurable goods.......................     475     448     448    5.6     5.1     5.0     4.8     5.3     5.2 
                Service-producing industries...............   3,990   3,890   3,832    5.5     5.2     5.2     5.2     5.2     5.1 
                  Transportation and public utilities......     294     310     296    4.2     3.5     4.0     4.1     4.3     4.1 
                  Wholesale and retail trade...............   1,738   1,702   1,675    6.7     6.3     6.2     6.4     6.5     6.3 
                  Finance, insurance, and real estate......     192     222     247    2.5     2.9     3.1     3.5     3.0     3.2 
                  Services.................................   1,766   1,656   1,614    5.5     5.3     5.2     4.9     5.0     4.8 
              Government workers...........................     522     544     523    2.8     2.8     3.0     2.9     2.9     2.8 
              Agricultural wage and salary workers.........     223     186     200   10.7    10.9    10.3     8.6     8.8     9.5 

           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                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                   
                                                              Mar.    Feb.    Mar.    Mar.    Nov.    Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1996    1996    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                        NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                   
            Less than 5 weeks..............................   2,303   2,440   2,313   2,632   2,819   2,671   2,801   2,591   2,650
            5 to 14 weeks..................................   2,578   2,902   2,663   2,305   2,252   2,357   2,223   2,382   2,380
            15 weeks and over..............................   2,819   2,305   2,423   2,406   2,184   2,179   2,155   2,163   2,064
               15 to 26 weeks..............................   1,398   1,153   1,259   1,102   1,018     976     943   1,025   1,001
               27 weeks and over...........................   1,421   1,153   1,164   1,304   1,166   1,203   1,212   1,138   1,063
                                                                                                                                   
            Average (mean) duration, in weeks..............    18.2    15.7    16.3    17.2    16.0    15.8    16.0    16.0    15.3
            Median duration, in weeks......................     9.8     8.6     9.3     8.2     7.7     7.8     7.7     8.4     7.9
                                                                                                                                   
                        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............................    29.9    31.9    31.3    35.8    38.9    37.1    39.0    36.3    37.4
              5 to 14 weeks................................    33.5    37.9    36.0    31.4    31.0    32.7    31.0    33.4    33.6
              15 weeks and over............................    36.6    30.1    32.7    32.8    30.1    30.2    30.0    30.3    29.1
                15 to 26 weeks.............................    18.2    15.1    17.0    15.0    14.0    13.5    13.1    14.4    14.1
                27 weeks and over..........................    18.5    15.1    15.7    17.8    16.1    16.7    16.9    15.9    15.0

            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                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                      Mar.   Feb.   Mar.   Mar.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar. 
                                                                      1996   1997   1997   1996   1996   1996   1997   1997   1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                             NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                   
            Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs.....  3,849  3,659  3,493  3,508  3,261  3,221  3,245  3,163  3,187
              On temporary layoff...................................  1,266  1,327  1,250  1,031    994    987    953    944  1,021
              Not on temporary layoff...............................  2,583  2,332  2,243  2,477  2,267  2,234  2,293  2,218  2,167
                Permanent job losers................................  1,925  1,608  1,560   (1)    (1)    (1)    (1)    (1)    (1) 
                Persons who completed temporary jobs................    658    724    683   (1)    (1)    (1)    (1)    (1)    (1) 
            Job leavers.............................................    806    813    808    783    825    845    890    787    784
            Reentrants..............................................  2,534  2,608  2,530  2,538  2,523  2,556  2,505  2,648  2,535
            New entrants............................................    511    567    568    593    586    626    600    647    647
                                                                                                                                   
                             PERCENT DISTRIBUTION                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                   
            Total unemployed........................................                                                               
             Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs....   50.0   47.8   47.2   47.3   45.3   44.4   44.8   43.7   44.6
               On temporary layoff..................................   16.4   17.4   16.9   13.9   13.8   13.6   13.2   13.0   14.3
               Not on temporary layoff..............................   33.6   30.5   30.3   33.4   31.5   30.8   31.7   30.6   30.3
             Job leavers............................................   10.5   10.6   10.9   10.5   11.5   11.7   12.3   10.9   11.0
             Reentrants.............................................   32.9   34.1   34.2   34.2   35.1   35.3   34.6   36.6   35.4
             New entrants...........................................    6.6    7.4    7.7    8.0    8.1    8.6    8.3    8.9    9.0
                                                                                                                                   
                        UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE                                                                             
                               CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE                                                                                
                                                                                                                                   
             Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs....    2.9    2.7    2.6    2.6    2.4    2.4    2.4    2.3    2.3
             Job leavers............................................     .6     .6     .6     .6     .6     .6     .7     .6     .6
             Reentrants.............................................    1.9    1.9    1.9    1.9    1.9    1.9    1.8    2.0    1.9
             New entrants...........................................     .4     .4     .4     .4     .4     .5     .4     .5     .5

            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                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                              Mar.  Feb.  Mar.  Mar.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.  Mar.
                                                                              1996  1997  1997  1996  1996  1996  1997  1997  1997
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
          U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer,                                                                              
             as a percent of the civilian labor force.......................   2.1   1.7   1.8   1.8   1.6   1.6   1.6   1.6   1.5
                                                                                                                                  
          U-2 Job losers and persons who completed                                                                                
             temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian                                                                         
             labor force....................................................   2.9   2.7   2.6   2.6   2.4   2.4   2.4   2.3   2.3
                                                                                                                                  
          U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the                                                                               
             civilian labor force (official unemployment rate)..............   5.8   5.7   5.5   5.5   5.3   5.3   5.4   5.3   5.2
                                                                                                                                  
          U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged                                                                                   
             workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force                                                                    
             plus discouraged workers.......................................   6.1   5.9   5.7  (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...............   6.9   6.8   6.5  (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..  10.3  10.0   9.6  (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                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                              Mar.    Feb.    Mar.    Mar.    Nov.    Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                              1996    1997    1997    1996    1996    1996    1997    1997    1997 
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
         Total, 16 years and over..........................   7,402   7,205   7,144    5.5     5.3     5.3     5.4     5.3     5.2 
           16 to 24 years..................................   2,616   2,583   2,554   12.3    11.9    11.9    12.2    12.0    11.8 
             16 to 19 years................................   1,329   1,408   1,328   17.1    16.8    16.5    17.0    17.5    16.4 
               16 to 17 years..............................     632     655     637   19.4    17.0    19.3    17.7    19.7    19.4 
               18 to 19 years..............................     704     712     697   15.6    17.0    14.7    16.6    15.2    14.6 
             20 to 24 years................................   1,287   1,175   1,226    9.5     9.0     9.1     9.4     8.7     9.0 
           25 years and over...............................   4,788   4,638   4,591    4.3     4.1     4.1     4.0     4.1     4.0 
             25 to 54 years................................   4,166   4,142   4,018    4.3     4.2     4.2     4.2     4.2     4.1 
             55 years and over.............................     591     485     550    3.7     3.1     3.3     3.1     3.0     3.3 
                                                                                                                                   
           Men, 16 years and over..........................   4,080   3,755   3,790    5.7     5.2     5.1     5.4     5.1     5.2 
             16 to 24 years................................   1,467   1,361   1,384   13.1    12.5    12.3    12.9    12.0    12.2 
               16 to 19 years..............................     756     746     745   18.7    18.4    17.4    18.4    17.9    17.9 
                 16 to 17 years............................     356     338     368   21.2    18.9    20.6    20.4    19.6    21.4 
                 18 to 19 years............................     407     369     386   17.1    19.0    15.4    17.1    15.4    15.7 
               20 to 24 years..............................     711     615     640    9.9     9.2     9.3     9.8     8.6     8.9 
             25 years and over.............................   2,595   2,419   2,390    4.3     3.9     3.8     4.0     3.9     3.9 
               25 to 54 years..............................   2,268   2,117   2,058    4.4     4.0     3.9     4.1     4.0     3.9 
               55 years and over...........................     314     299     323    3.5     3.1     3.4     3.2     3.3     3.5 
                                                                                                                                   
           Women, 16 years and over........................   3,322   3,450   3,354    5.4     5.5     5.5     5.3     5.5     5.3 
             16 to 24 years................................   1,149   1,222   1,170   11.4    11.3    11.4    11.4    11.9    11.3 
               16 to 19 years..............................     573     662     583   15.4    15.2    15.5    15.5    16.9    14.9 
                 16 to 17 years............................     276     317     269   17.4    15.1    18.1    14.9    19.7    17.1 
                 18 to 19 years............................     297     343     311   14.0    15.0    14.0    16.2    15.0    13.3 
               20 to 24 years..............................     576     560     587    9.1     8.9     8.9     8.9     8.8     9.1 
             25 years and over.............................   2,193   2,219   2,202    4.3     4.3     4.5     4.1     4.2     4.2 
               25 to 54 years..............................   1,898   2,025   1,960    4.3     4.5     4.7     4.3     4.5     4.3 
               55 years and over...........................     277     186     227    3.9     3.0     3.3     2.9     2.6     3.1 

           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                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                               Mar.     Mar.     Mar.     Mar.     Mar.     Mar.  
                                                                               1996     1997     1996     1997     1996     1997  
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                NOT IN THE LABOR FORCE                                                                            
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
            Total not in the labor force....................................  67,229   66,989   24,419   24,656   42,810   42,333 
              Persons who currently want a job..............................   5,400    4,949    2,233    2,108    3,167    2,840 
                 Searched for work and available to work now(1).............   1,584    1,471      752      683      832      788 
                    Reason not currently looking:                                                                                 
                      Discouragement over job prospects(2)..................     451      356      261      185      190      171 
                         Reasons other than discouragement(3)...............   1,132    1,115      491      498      641      617 
                                                                                                                                  
                                 MULTIPLE JOBHOLDERS                                                                              
                                                                                                                                  
            Total multiple jobholders(4)....................................   7,905    7,862    4,117    4,055    3,788    3,807 
                Percent of total employed...................................     6.3      6.1      6.1      5.9      6.5      6.4 
                                                                                                                                  
                Primary job full time, secondary job part time..............   4,687    4,546    2,724    2,642    1,963    1,903 
                Primary and secondary jobs both part time...................   1,751    1,687      505      499    1,246    1,188 
                Primary and secondary jobs both full time...................     214      196      160      133       54       63 
                Hours vary on primary or secondary job......................   1,213    1,398      702      755      511      643 

            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                                                                                                
                                                Mar.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar.    Mar.    Nov.    Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                1996    1997   1997p   1997p    1996    1996    1996    1997   1997p   1997p 
                                                                                                                             
               Total......................... 117,895 118,950 119,700 120,547 118,750 120,492 120,723 120,982 121,275 121,450
                                                                                                                             
            Total private....................  98,086  99,479  99,837 100,560  99,356 100,995 101,199 101,438 101,688 101,882
                                                                                                                             
     Goods-producing.........................  23,695  23,776  23,831  23,973  24,196  24,319  24,356  24,399  24,513  24,501
                                                                                                                             
       Mining................................     563     556     556     558     574     566     566     568     571     570
         Metal mining........................    50.2    51.3    51.1    51.2      51      52      52      52      52      52
         Coal mining.........................   100.8    96.6    96.0    96.0     101      97      97      97      96      97
         Oil and gas extraction..............   308.2   307.6   307.8   307.0     314     308     308     309     313     312
         Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels..   103.4   100.1   101.5   103.8     108     109     109     110     110     109
                                                                                                                             
       Construction..........................   4,944   5,065   5,092   5,199   5,341   5,491   5,520   5,535   5,643   5,616
         General building contractors........ 1,153.3 1,192.3 1,186.2 1,195.0   1,223   1,241   1,250   1,260   1,271   1,266
         Heavy construction, except building.   676.4   635.1   650.2   680.8     770     764     766     765     783     775
         Special trade contractors........... 3,114.4 3,237.8 3,255.2 3,322.7   3,348   3,486   3,504   3,510   3,589   3,575
                                                                                                                             
       Manufacturing.........................  18,188  18,155  18,183  18,216  18,281  18,262  18,270  18,296  18,299  18,315
           Production workers................  12,551  12,518  12,548  12,575  12,619  12,613  12,616  12,636  12,643  12,647
                                                                                                                             
        Durable goods........................  10,597  10,670  10,694  10,724  10,623  10,694  10,710  10,734  10,744  10,759
           Production workers................   7,248   7,302   7,333   7,358   7,263   7,327   7,333   7,355   7,372   7,377
         Lumber and wood products............   741.8   758.2   759.4   764.4     755     771     771     771     774     781
         Furniture and fixtures..............   499.7   502.7   504.0   505.6     500     501     503     503     505     507
         Stone, clay, and glass products.....   523.1   517.9   519.4   525.5     536     537     539     539     540     538
         Primary metal industries............   705.8   703.1   702.3   702.0     706     703     702     703     702     703
           Blast furnaces and basic steel                                                                                    
              products.......................   238.0   234.0   232.8   232.2     239     234     233     234     233     233
         Fabricated metal products........... 1,440.5 1,460.9 1,461.7 1,466.1   1,442   1,461   1,462   1,466   1,465   1,468
         Industrial machinery and equipment.. 2,091.4 2,098.1 2,107.8 2,116.6   2,087   2,087   2,092   2,101   2,107   2,112
           Computer and office equipment.....   356.5   362.5   364.6   368.2     358     360     361     362     366     370
         Electronic and other electrical                                                                                     
            equipment........................ 1,647.8 1,641.9 1,641.2 1,640.3   1,651   1,647   1,645   1,642   1,643   1,644
           Electronic components and                                                                                         
              accessories....................   612.8   611.6   614.9   617.0     614     611     611     612     615     617
         Transportation equipment............ 1,728.9 1,776.2 1,784.2 1,787.8   1,726   1,772   1,776   1,788   1,788   1,789
           Motor vehicles and equipment......   924.8   949.6   953.1   954.3     926     952     953     959     954     955
           Aircraft and parts................   446.0   476.3   480.3   482.4     445     468     472     476     481     483
         Instruments and related products....   831.6   830.0   829.9   830.0     832     830     834     832     831     830
         Miscellaneous manufacturing.........   386.2   381.4   384.0   385.6     388     385     386     389     389     387
                                                                                                                             
        Nondurable goods.....................   7,591   7,485   7,489   7,492   7,658   7,568   7,560   7,562   7,555   7,556
           Production workers................   5,303   5,216   5,215   5,217   5,356   5,286   5,283   5,281   5,271   5,270
         Food and kindred products........... 1,625.9 1,614.3 1,613.0 1,613.4   1,675   1,647   1,649   1,659   1,655   1,659
         Tobacco products....................    39.7    42.9    41.8    40.6      41      42      41      40      41      42
         Textile mill products...............   640.1   624.9   623.0   623.5     642     628     628     630     625     625
         Apparel and other textile products..   859.6   806.7   810.5   806.7     862     829     824     818     816     810
         Paper and allied products...........   676.2   670.8   669.7   668.7     681     675     674     673     674     673
         Printing and publishing............. 1,530.6 1,520.8 1,521.1 1,523.9   1,531   1,525   1,523   1,523   1,523   1,524
         Chemicals and allied products....... 1,024.0 1,011.6 1,012.9 1,013.9   1,027   1,017   1,016   1,017   1,016   1,017
         Petroleum and coal products.........   136.7   132.4   132.5   134.0     140     139     138     136     137     137
         Rubber and misc. plastics products..   960.7   967.8   972.5   974.5     960     974     973     972     975     976
         Leather and leather products........    97.9    92.9    92.1    92.5      99      92      94      94      93      93
                                                                                                                             
     Service-producing.......................  94,200  95,174  95,869  96,574  94,554  96,173  96,367  96,583  96,762  96,949
                                                                                                                             
       Transportation and public utilities...   6,233   6,312   6,333   6,358   6,292   6,350   6,340   6,378   6,404   6,415
         Transportation......................   3,965   4,035   4,052   4,075   4,011   4,062   4,057   4,091   4,110   4,121
           Railroad transportation...........   230.9   224.6   223.8   223.8     233     229     229     229     227     226
           Local and interurban passenger                                                                                    
              transit........................   455.3   474.7   475.8   479.9     442     460     462     465     464     466
           Trucking and warehousing.......... 1,835.9 1,832.0 1,838.3 1,846.9   1,884   1,870   1,852   1,881   1,891   1,894
           Water transportation..............   165.8   167.8   168.7   169.9     171     172     172     176     176     176
           Transportation by air.............   830.6   874.3   879.1   884.2     835     868     878     876     884     889
           Pipelines, except natural gas.....    14.0    13.6    13.6    13.6      14      14      14      14      14      14
           Transportation services...........   432.3   447.7   452.6   457.0     432     449     450     450     454     456
         Communications and public utilities.   2,268   2,277   2,281   2,283   2,281   2,288   2,283   2,287   2,294   2,294
           Communications.................... 1,371.8 1,397.3 1,403.8 1,407.5   1,378   1,401   1,397   1,404   1,411   1,413
           Electric, gas, and sanitary                                                                                       
              services.......................   896.5   879.4   877.5   875.2     903     887     886     883     883     881
                                                                                                                             
       Wholesale trade.......................   6,504   6,609   6,630   6,664   6,548   6,651   6,655   6,662   6,689   6,708
         Durable goods.......................   3,826   3,879   3,891   3,906   3,841   3,890   3,894   3,897   3,914   3,921
         Nondurable goods....................   2,678   2,730   2,739   2,758   2,707   2,761   2,761   2,765   2,775   2,787
       Retail trade..........................  20,912  21,521  21,390  21,504  21,350  21,857  21,931  21,922  21,928  21,971
         Building materials and garden                                                                                       
            supplies.........................   856.0   892.1   893.2   917.0     887     942     948     942     945     954
         General merchandise stores.......... 2,579.0 2,764.2 2,657.6 2,658.1   2,687   2,770   2,781   2,736   2,747   2,769
           Department stores................. 2,272.4 2,438.9 2,349.1 2,352.2   2,363   2,444   2,454   2,416   2,432   2,457
         Food stores......................... 3,356.7 3,447.9 3,432.1 3,435.6   3,403   3,462   3,461   3,469   3,471   3,484
         Automotive dealers and service                                                                                      
            stations......................... 2,222.4 2,286.8 2,291.3 2,305.7   2,242   2,309   2,313   2,315   2,321   2,329
           New and used car dealers.......... 1,016.6 1,040.8 1,044.4 1,047.9   1,020   1,042   1,044   1,047   1,050   1,051
         Apparel and accessory stores........ 1,068.8 1,108.2 1,070.2 1,068.9   1,100   1,106   1,102   1,108   1,103   1,102
         Furniture and home furnishings                                                                                      
            stores...........................   944.5 1,022.3 1,012.6 1,008.9     951   1,005   1,016   1,017   1,018   1,019
         Eating and drinking places.......... 7,272.8 7,230.4 7,295.0 7,397.3   7,413   7,527   7,558   7,571   7,567   7,544
         Miscellaneous retail establishments. 2,611.6 2,768.7 2,737.9 2,712.1   2,667   2,736   2,752   2,764   2,756   2,770
                                                                                                                             
       Finance, insurance, and real estate...   6,893   7,012   7,017   7,054   6,931   7,038   7,052   7,062   7,072   7,094
         Finance.............................   3,287   3,372   3,374   3,392   3,293   3,361   3,369   3,379   3,383   3,400
           Depository institutions........... 2,013.4 2,034.2 2,029.7 2,034.8   2,020   2,035   2,035   2,035   2,037   2,042
             Commercial banks................ 1,458.4 1,481.5 1,477.5 1,482.9   1,464   1,479   1,480   1,484   1,484   1,490
             Savings institutions............   265.2   254.8   253.3   251.8     265     258     257     255     255     252
           Nondepository institutions........   502.4   535.5   534.9   542.4     501     530     533     536     533     541
             Mortgage bankers and brokers....   226.3   242.6   243.0   247.5   (1)     (1)     (1)     (1)     (1)     (1)  
           Security and commodity brokers....   530.4   557.2   561.3   565.5     532     552     555     560     564     568
           Holding and other investment                                                                                      
              offices........................   240.5   245.2   248.2   249.5     240     244     246     248     249     249
         Insurance...........................   2,257   2,258   2,257   2,261   2,257   2,264   2,265   2,260   2,261   2,260
           Insurance carriers................ 1,549.0 1,546.5 1,544.1 1,545.1   1,549   1,550   1,551   1,549   1,547   1,544
           Insurance agents, brokers, and                                                                                    
              service........................   708.0   711.2   713.3   715.5     708     714     714     711     714     716
         Real estate.........................   1,349   1,382   1,386   1,401   1,381   1,413   1,418   1,423   1,428   1,434
                                                                                                                             
       Services2.............................  33,849  34,249  34,636  35,007  34,039  34,780  34,865  35,015  35,082  35,193
         Agricultural services...............   540.2   529.8   533.3   567.2     603     628     623     634     638     634
         Hotels and other lodging places..... 1,598.1 1,599.3 1,623.2 1,643.0   1,662   1,692   1,700   1,711   1,714   1,712
         Personal services................... 1,238.1 1,235.1 1,253.8 1,248.0   1,175   1,185   1,183   1,189   1,185   1,183
         Business services................... 6,944.1 7,195.4 7,224.0 7,337.9   7,058   7,285   7,326   7,389   7,408   7,466
           Services to buildings.............   892.0   867.7   872.4   874.3     898     885     885     878     883     880
           Personnel supply services......... 2,481.1 2,580.6 2,571.6 2,655.7   2,565   2,672   2,690   2,762   2,728   2,757
             Help supply services............ 2,188.0 2,279.7 2,258.5 2,332.2   2,265   2,362   2,379   2,448   2,403   2,428
           Computer and data processing                                                                                      
              services....................... 1,158.6 1,278.2 1,291.0 1,306.8   1,155   1,251   1,262   1,277   1,290   1,305
         Auto repair, services, and parking.. 1,064.9 1,119.2 1,133.8 1,145.7   1,066   1,121   1,128   1,133   1,143   1,147
         Miscellaneous repair services.......   358.7   363.8   364.2   367.6     361     370     370     369     369     371
         Motion pictures.....................   524.9   532.2   534.5   537.3     518     530     532     536     537     530
         Amusement and recreation services... 1,395.7 1,340.0 1,378.8 1,443.0   1,518   1,545   1,559   1,565   1,554   1,557
         Health services..................... 9,484.8 9,679.4 9,694.6 9,733.6   9,499   9,666   9,679   9,709   9,721   9,743
           Offices and clinics of medical                                                                                    
              doctors........................ 1,646.4 1,702.0 1,708.3 1,709.9   1,650   1,694   1,697   1,711   1,716   1,715
           Nursing and personal care                                                                                         
              facilities..................... 1,723.9 1,757.3 1,759.1 1,763.9   1,728   1,757   1,760   1,763   1,766   1,768
           Hospitals......................... 3,837.5 3,874.5 3,882.3 3,897.0   3,842   3,875   3,880   3,880   3,887   3,899
           Home health care services.........   652.1   665.5   662.3   667.0     655     668     665     670     666     668
         Legal services......................   924.1   940.8   944.2   950.7     928     941     943     944     947     954
         Educational services................ 2,116.0 1,979.5 2,147.0 2,173.4   1,991   2,025   2,021   2,016   2,028   2,044
         Social services..................... 2,390.0 2,412.1 2,432.1 2,450.5   2,381   2,420   2,416   2,425   2,432   2,439
           Child day care services...........   583.6   584.7   592.0   596.6     569     579     575     580     581     580
           Residential care..................   654.8   674.4   677.1   682.4     656     675     676     678     680     684
         Museums and botanical and zoological                                                                                
           gardens...........................    77.9    78.9    78.8    81.4      83      86      87      86      87      87
         Membership organizations............ 2,122.1 2,117.6 2,131.7 2,142.1   2,136   2,152   2,153   2,154   2,154   2,157
         Engineering and management services. 2,878.0 2,932.3 2,969.0 2,991.7   2,868   2,941   2,952   2,961   2,971   2,975
           Engineering and architectural                                                                                     
              services.......................   819.9   852.1   853.9   861.5     829     859     859     861     866     873
           Management and public relations...   891.1   928.4   941.6   948.7     894     935     942     941     949     950
         Services, nec.......................    44.7    46.2    46.2    46.7   (3)     (3)     (3)     (3)     (3)     (3)  
                                                                                                                             
       Government............................  19,809  19,471  19,863  19,987  19,394  19,497  19,524  19,544  19,587  19,568
         Federal.............................   2,770   2,703   2,698   2,701   2,780   2,733   2,729   2,725   2,712   2,709
           Federal, except Postal Service.... 1,915.2 1,837.1 1,846.9 1,848.5   1,922   1,873   1,870   1,860   1,858   1,856
         State...............................   4,773   4,582   4,757   4,788   4,639   4,640   4,642   4,638   4,656   4,656
           Education......................... 2,098.8 1,927.5 2,095.8 2,124.5   1,951   1,960   1,963   1,960   1,977   1,977
           Other State government............ 2,674.4 2,654.0 2,660.9 2,663.4   2,688   2,680   2,679   2,678   2,679   2,679
         Local...............................  12,266  12,186  12,408  12,498  11,975  12,124  12,153  12,181  12,219  12,203
           Education......................... 7,058.6 6,960.5 7,168.7 7,233.3   6,675   6,798   6,801   6,823   6,860   6,846
           Other local government............ 5,207.8 5,225.3 5,239.0 5,264.6   5,300   5,326   5,352   5,358   5,359   5,357

       1 This series is not suitable for seasonal adjustment because it has very little seasonal and irregular movement. 
     Thus, the not seasonally adjusted series can be used for analysis of cyclical and long-term trends.
       2 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
       3 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.
       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                                                                                                
                                                Mar.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar.    Mar.    Nov.    Dec.    Jan.    Feb.    Mar. 
                                                1996    1997   1997p   1997p    1996    1996    1996    1997   1997p   1997p 
                                                                                                                             
            Total private....................   34.2    33.9    34.5    34.6    34.5    34.6    34.8    34.2    34.9    34.8 
                                                                                                                             
     Goods-producing.........................   40.6    40.4    40.7    41.2    40.8    41.1    41.3    40.8    41.3    41.4 
                                                                                                                             
       Mining................................   45.0    44.2    45.7    45.8    45.7    44.8    45.7    44.3    46.3    46.4 
                                                                                                                             
       Construction..........................   38.1    36.3    37.4    38.3    38.7    38.9    38.8    37.8    39.0    38.9 
                                                                                                                             
       Manufacturing.........................   41.3    41.5    41.6    42.0    41.3    41.7    42.0    41.7    41.9    42.1 
           Overtime hours....................    4.1     4.5     4.5     4.7     4.3     4.5     4.6     4.7     4.7     4.9 
                                                                                                                             
        Durable goods........................   42.0    42.2    42.4    42.9    42.0    42.4    42.7    42.4    42.8    42.9 
           Overtime hours....................    4.4     4.8     4.8     5.1     4.5     4.7     4.9     5.0     5.0     5.3 
                                                                                                                             
         Lumber and wood products............   40.4    39.6    40.2    40.6    40.6    41.0    41.0    40.4    40.8    40.9 
         Furniture and fixtures..............   39.0    39.3    38.8    39.8    39.4    39.8    40.2    39.7    39.7    40.2 
         Stone, clay, and glass products.....   42.7    40.9    42.1    42.7    43.2    43.2    43.4    42.3    43.6    43.3 
         Primary metal industries............   43.8    44.5    44.6    45.1    43.9    44.1    44.6    44.4    44.7    45.1 
           Blast furnaces and basic steel                                                                                    
              products.......................   44.3    44.7    44.6    45.2    44.5    44.7    44.6    44.8    44.7    45.3 
         Fabricated metal products...........   41.9    42.1    42.3    42.6    42.0    42.3    42.5    42.1    42.6    42.7 
         Industrial machinery and equipment..   43.3    43.3    43.5    43.8    43.0    43.0    43.2    43.1    43.5    43.5 
         Electronic and other electrical                                                                                     
            equipment........................   41.4    41.2    41.5    42.0    41.4    41.4    41.8    41.1    41.9    42.0 
         Transportation equipment............   42.3    44.6    44.3    44.8    42.2    44.1    44.5    45.0    44.4    45.0 
           Motor vehicles and equipment......   42.3    45.5    45.1    45.8    42.1    44.6    45.1    45.9    45.2    45.9 
         Instruments and related products....   41.9    41.7    41.9    42.2    41.7    41.8    42.1    41.6    42.2    42.0 
         Miscellaneous manufacturing.........   39.8    39.6    40.1    40.7    39.7    40.0    40.6    40.0    40.7    40.6 
                                                                                                                             
        Nondurable goods.....................   40.3    40.5    40.4    40.7    40.5    40.7    41.0    40.6    40.8    40.9 
           Overtime hours....................    3.8     4.0     4.0     4.2     4.0     4.1     4.3     4.2     4.3     4.4 
                                                                                                                             
         Food and kindred products...........   40.5    40.7    40.8    40.7    41.1    41.2    41.4    41.0    41.4    41.3 
         Tobacco products....................   39.5    39.2    39.1    41.1    40.4    40.6    41.6    39.4    41.4    41.8 
         Textile mill products...............   40.7    40.9    40.5    41.5    40.8    41.3    41.6    41.1    40.8    41.5 
         Apparel and other textile products..   37.0    36.9    36.9    37.5    36.9    37.4    37.4    37.1    37.2    37.5 
         Paper and allied products...........   42.8    43.8    43.3    43.5    43.1    43.6    43.8    43.7    43.7    43.9 
         Printing and publishing.............   38.2    37.7    38.1    38.7    38.2    38.2    38.4    38.1    38.5    38.7 
         Chemicals and allied products.......   43.1    43.2    43.1    43.0    43.1    43.3    43.6    43.2    43.3    43.0 
         Petroleum and coal products.........   43.0    45.0    43.3    42.4    (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)  
         Rubber and misc. plastics products..   41.3    41.4    41.5    41.7    41.3    41.2    41.8    41.2    41.6    41.8 
         Leather and leather products........   37.7    37.7    38.0    38.6    37.8    39.0    38.8    38.0    39.0    38.8 
                                                                                                                             
     Service-producing.......................   32.5    32.2    32.9    32.9    32.8    32.8    33.0    32.4    33.2    33.1 
                                                                                                                             
       Transportation and public utilities...   39.5    39.1    39.6    39.5    39.9    39.9    40.0    39.4    39.9    39.9 
                                                                                                                             
       Wholesale trade.......................   38.1    37.8    38.5    38.4    38.3    38.3    38.6    38.0    38.8    38.6 
                                                                                                                             
       Retail trade..........................   28.5    28.0    28.7    28.7    28.9    29.0    28.9    28.7    29.4    29.1 
                                                                                                                             
       Finance, insurance, and real estate...   35.7    35.7    36.7    36.6    (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)     (2)  
                                                                                                                             
       Services..............................   32.2    32.0    32.7    32.6    (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                                                                                                
                                                 Mar.      Jan.      Feb.      Mar.      Mar.      Jan.      Feb.      Mar.  
                                                 1996      1997     1997p     1997p      1996      1997     1997p     1997p  
                                                                                                                             
            Total private....................  $11.69    $12.12    $12.14    $12.17    $399.80   $410.87   $418.83   $421.08 
             Seasonally adjusted.............   11.68     12.05     12.10     12.15     402.96    412.11    422.29    422.82 
                                                                                                                             
     Goods-producing.........................   13.17     13.67     13.67     13.74     534.70    552.27    556.37    566.09 
                                                                                                                             
       Mining................................   15.51     16.16     16.04     15.97     697.95    714.27    733.03    731.43 
                                                                                                                             
       Construction..........................   15.13     15.70     15.65     15.72     576.45    569.91    585.31    602.08 
                                                                                                                             
       Manufacturing.........................   12.54     13.04     13.03     13.09     517.90    541.16    542.05    549.78 
                                                                                                                             
        Durable goods........................   13.05     13.61     13.59     13.63     548.10    574.34    576.22    584.73 
         Lumber and wood products............   10.29     10.58     10.58     10.58     415.72    418.97    425.32    429.55 
         Furniture and fixtures..............   10.00     10.38     10.34     10.41     390.00    407.93    401.19    414.32 
         Stone, clay, and glass products.....   12.59     12.98     13.04     13.00     537.59    530.88    548.98    555.10 
         Primary metal industries............   14.74     15.13     15.11     15.21     645.61    673.29    673.91    685.97 
           Blast furnaces and basic steel                                                                                    
              products.......................   17.61     17.75     17.76     17.98     780.12    793.43    792.10    812.70 
         Fabricated metal products...........   12.28     12.72     12.73     12.76     514.53    535.51    538.48    543.58 
         Industrial machinery and equipment..   13.36     13.91     13.91     13.94     578.49    602.30    605.09    610.57 
         Electronic and other electrical                                                                                     
            equipment........................   11.91     12.45     12.45     12.53     493.07    512.94    516.68    526.26 
         Transportation equipment............   16.69     17.50     17.43     17.51     705.99    780.50    772.15    784.45 
           Motor vehicles and equipment......   17.11     18.09     17.98     18.05     723.75    823.10    810.90    826.69 
         Instruments and related products....   12.97     13.38     13.38     13.40     543.44    557.95    560.62    565.48 
         Miscellaneous manufacturing.........   10.25     10.60     10.57     10.55     407.95    419.76    423.86    429.39 
                                                                                                                             
        Nondurable goods.....................   11.83     12.21     12.20     12.28     476.75    494.51    492.88    499.80 
         Food and kindred products...........   11.11     11.43     11.35     11.44     449.96    465.20    463.08    465.61 
         Tobacco products....................   19.55     18.81     18.79     20.52     772.23    737.35    734.69    843.37 
         Textile mill products...............    9.55      9.92      9.87      9.91     388.69    405.73    399.74    411.27 
         Apparel and other textile products..    7.85      8.11      8.17      8.22     290.45    299.26    301.47    308.25 
         Paper and allied products...........   14.45     14.85     14.82     14.96     618.46    650.43    641.71    650.76 
         Printing and publishing.............   12.52     12.86     12.89     13.02     478.26    484.82    491.11    503.87 
         Chemicals and allied products.......   16.03     16.40     16.52     16.53     690.89    708.48    712.01    710.79 
         Petroleum and coal products.........   19.20     20.11     20.42     20.55     825.60    904.95    884.19    871.32 
         Rubber and misc. plastics products..   11.14     11.48     11.44     11.51     460.08    475.27    474.76    479.97 
         Leather and leather products........    8.46      8.84      8.93      8.90     318.94    333.27    339.34    343.54 
                                                                                                                             
     Service-producing.......................   11.21     11.61     11.65     11.66     364.33    373.84    383.29    383.61 
                                                                                                                             
       Transportation and public utilities...  $14.44    $14.75    $14.66    $14.66    $570.38   $576.73   $580.54   $579.07 
                                                                                                                             
       Wholesale trade.......................   12.67     13.15     13.24     13.22     482.73    497.07    509.74    507.65 
                                                                                                                             
       Retail trade..........................    7.90      8.23      8.23      8.25     225.15    230.44    236.20    236.78 
                                                                                                                             
       Finance, insurance, and real estate...   12.74     13.00     13.14     13.17     454.82    464.10    482.24    482.02 
                                                                                                                             
       Services..............................   11.72     12.20     12.25     12.27     377.38    390.40    400.58    400.00 

       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  
                                                   Mar.     Nov.     Dec.     Jan.     Feb.     Mar.      change  
                            Industry               1996     1996     1996     1997     1997p    1997p     from:   
                                                                                                        Feb. 1997-
                                                                                                        Mar. 1997 
                                                                                                                  
                Total private:                                                                                    
                   Current dollars..............   $11.68   $11.99   $12.04   $12.05   $12.10   $12.15      0.4   
                   Constant (1982) dollars2.....     7.40     7.45     7.46     7.46     7.47     N.A.     (3)    
                                                                                                                  
                  Goods-producing...............    13.25    13.62    13.69    13.73    13.76    13.82       .4   
                    Mining......................    15.46    15.76    15.90    16.01    15.94    15.93      -.1   
                    Construction................    15.24    15.55    15.66    15.72    15.76    15.85       .6   
                    Manufacturing...............    12.55    12.94    12.99    13.03    13.03    13.09       .5   
                      Excluding overtime4.......    11.91    12.27    12.30    12.34    12.32    12.38       .5   
                                                                                                                  
                  Service-producing.............    11.16    11.45    11.50    11.49    11.55    11.60       .4   
                    Transportation and public                                                                     
                       utilities................    14.47    14.59    14.61    14.75    14.62    14.68       .4   
                    Wholesale trade.............    12.70    13.05    13.16    13.08    13.21    13.25       .3   
                    Retail trade................     7.88     8.13     8.16     8.18     8.20     8.23       .4   
                    Finance, insurance, and real                                                                  
                       estate...................    12.68    13.02    13.01    12.95    13.06    13.10       .3   
                    Services....................    11.67    12.02    12.07    12.06    12.15    12.20       .4   

                  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 .1 percent from January 1997 to February 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                                                                                                
                                               Mar.   Jan.    Feb.     Mar.    Mar.    Nov.    Dec.   Jan.    Feb.     Mar.  
                                               1996   1997    1997p    1997p   1996    1996    1996   1997    1997p    1997p 
                                                                                                                             
            Total private....................  132.5  133.0   136.0    137.4   135.5  138.2   139.3   137.1   140.6    140.5 
                                                                                                                             
     Goods-producing.........................  106.0  105.7   106.9    109.0   109.5  110.9   111.6   110.5   112.7    112.7 
                                                                                                                             
       Mining................................   53.4   52.3    54.3     54.8    55.7   53.9    55.1    54.0    56.8     57.0 
                                                                                                                             
       Construction..........................  129.9  126.7   131.4    137.6   145.6  150.5   151.3   147.9   156.4    154.3 
                                                                                                                             
       Manufacturing.........................  104.4  104.8   105.2    106.4   105.2  106.1   106.8   106.1   106.9    107.4 
                                                                                                                             
        Durable goods........................  106.1  107.6   108.5    110.0   106.3  108.4   109.3   108.8   110.0    110.5 
         Lumber and wood products............  129.7  130.4   132.5    135.0   133.1  137.9   137.7   135.6   137.6    139.3 
         Furniture and fixtures..............  121.0  123.2   122.0    125.5   122.0  123.9   125.4   124.2   125.1    127.0 
         Stone, clay, and glass products.....  104.5   99.1   102.4    105.2   108.9  109.2   110.2   107.4   111.2    109.7 
         Primary metal industries............   91.3   92.5    92.7     93.7    91.5   91.6    92.6    92.2    92.7     93.7 
           Blast furnaces and basic steel                                                                                    
              products.......................   72.6   72.2    71.5     72.2    73.1   72.6    72.1    72.8    72.2     72.8 
         Fabricated metal products...........  112.5  114.9   115.5    116.8   113.0  115.4   115.9   115.3   116.8    117.3 
         Industrial machinery and equipment..  104.4  104.9   106.0    107.1   103.2  103.2   104.0   104.4   105.7    106.0 
         Electronic and other electrical                                                                                     
            equipment........................  108.2  106.1   107.7    108.6   108.1  107.2   107.9   105.9   108.7    108.7 
         Transportation equipment............  113.9  124.0   123.8    125.5   113.2  122.7   123.9   126.1   124.1    125.7 
           Motor vehicles and equipment......  148.9  164.5   163.9    166.6   147.9  161.7   163.9   167.7   164.1    166.2 
         Instruments and related products....   73.9   73.1    73.8     74.5    73.6   73.6    74.2    73.3    74.5     74.0 
         Miscellaneous manufacturing.........  102.0   99.8   102.1    104.2   102.4  102.0   103.9   103.5   105.0    104.3 
                                                                                                                             
        Nondurable goods.....................  102.1  100.8   100.7    101.6   103.7  102.8   103.4   102.5   102.8    103.1 
         Food and kindred products...........  109.0  109.2   109.1    109.1   114.7  113.2   114.2   113.7   114.3    114.4 
         Tobacco products....................   59.4   65.9    63.2     64.3    64.0   66.4    65.9    60.5    65.6     68.3 
         Textile mill products...............   91.5   90.2    88.9     91.3    92.0   91.3    92.1    91.2    89.8     91.6 
         Apparel and other textile products..   76.7   71.6    71.8     72.7    76.7   74.3    73.9    73.1    72.9     73.0 
         Paper and allied products...........  106.8  109.1   107.7    107.7   108.4  109.3   109.8   109.5   109.3    109.6 
         Printing and publishing.............  123.6  120.5   121.5    123.8   123.6  122.8   123.2   121.8   123.1    123.5 
         Chemicals and allied products.......  100.7   98.2    98.3     97.7   100.9   99.4    99.8    98.7    98.9     97.9 
         Petroleum and coal products.........   71.2   72.9    70.6     70.6    74.6   74.8    75.5    76.3    73.6     74.2 
         Rubber and misc. plastics products..  139.3  140.5   141.6    142.8   139.2  140.9   142.6   140.3   142.4    143.1 
         Leather and leather products........   44.0   41.2    41.2     42.1    44.1   42.5    43.5    42.0    42.5     42.3 
                                                                                                                             
     Service-producing.......................  144.4  145.3   149.1    150.1   147.2  150.5   151.7   149.1   153.2    153.0 
                                                                                                                             
       Transportation and public utilities...  126.4  126.9   129.3    129.4   129.1  130.4   130.6   129.6   131.7    131.9 
                                                                                                                             
       Wholesale trade.......................  122.6  123.7   125.9    126.5   124.3  126.3   127.2   125.4   128.5    128.1 
                                                                                                                             
       Retail trade..........................  128.8  130.0   132.5    133.4   133.7  137.1   137.1   136.0   139.5    138.5 
                                                                                                                             
       Finance, insurance, and real estate...  123.7  125.8   129.4    129.6   125.4  127.6   130.6   125.6   130.9    131.5 
                                                                                                                             
       Services..............................  173.3  173.7   179.2    181.0   175.2  179.4   181.5   177.7   182.9    183.0 

       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..............   60.0    60.8    51.3    58.6    61.7    55.2    57.7    57.0    61.8    59.7    61.8    59.6 
           1994..............   58.8    62.1    66.0    64.2    60.3    63.5    61.5    62.1    60.8    61.5    63.1    63.9 
           1995..............   63.2    59.3    54.9    54.6    51.4    55.1    54.1    57.4    51.8    54.8    56.3    59.4 
           1996..............   52.4    63.2    60.0    52.4    62.2    57.4    55.8    57.3    52.7    63.1    57.2    59.0 
           1997..............   59.8   p58.3   p56.9                                                                         
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 3-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   63.8    61.2    61.1    59.8    63.1    62.9    59.7    63.1    64.5    67.1    64.6    63.5 
           1994..............   67.1    69.5    70.4    68.7    66.4    66.0    68.5    69.5    65.3    65.6    68.0    67.8 
           1995..............   66.6    63.2    56.9    53.4    54.2    52.9    56.6    53.8    54.2    54.6    58.3    57.0 
           1996..............   60.7    61.8    61.2    60.0    61.0    63.6    60.3    56.7    60.8    60.0    64.6    62.9 
           1997..............  p64.5   p64.2                                                                                 
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 6-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   63.3    65.2    63.8    64.2    62.4    65.9    65.7    63.9    66.3    67.3    70.6    69.5 
           1994..............   70.8    71.6    69.0    69.8    69.5    69.5    69.2    69.0    69.2    68.5    69.1    66.6 
           1995..............   66.3    60.8    58.7    54.4    53.5    54.1    53.1    56.3    55.9    54.1    56.2    61.8 
           1996..............   60.3    62.9    63.8    63.8    62.6    59.0    65.2    62.6    61.8    63.9   p65.4   p66.6 
           1997..............                                                                                                
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      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    69.4    65.7    65.0 
           1995..............   62.6    60.8    60.1    61.2    58.1    57.7    54.5    58.7    58.6    57.3    59.4    59.8 
           1996..............   61.0    61.7    61.5    61.1    62.8    64.3    64.2   p64.6   p64.7                         
           1997..............                                                                                                
                                                                                                                             
                              
                                                          Manufacturing payrolls, 139 industries1
                              
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 1-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   52.5    56.5    50.7    45.7    54.0    45.7    49.3    49.3    59.4    53.2    53.6    55.0 
           1994..............   56.5    60.1    59.7    58.6    53.2    57.9    57.6    53.6    55.8    54.7    57.2    59.4 
           1995..............   56.8    55.0    46.0    45.3    39.2    40.3    45.0    45.0    42.4    45.3    46.4    47.5 
           1996..............   42.1    48.2    48.2    39.6    53.2    49.6    43.9    50.0    44.6    54.3    48.2    52.9 
           1997..............   54.0   p49.6   p50.4                                                                         
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 3-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   60.8    58.3    53.2    47.8    48.9    54.0    50.4    58.3    57.6    59.7    54.7    57.6 
           1994..............   63.7    64.4    66.2    60.8    56.1    56.8    60.8    58.6    54.0    56.1    60.1    60.8 
           1995..............   60.4    51.8    43.5    34.9    33.1    32.0    33.1    35.6    38.8    39.6    40.6    38.8 
           1996..............   38.8    39.9    37.8    43.2    45.3    47.5    45.7    40.6    50.7    47.1    51.8    51.4 
           1997..............  p55.8   p52.5                                                                                 
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      Over 6-month span:                                                                                                     
           1993..............   56.5    59.0    56.8    55.4    50.7    57.9    59.4    56.5    57.6    58.6    64.4    60.8 
           1994..............   62.2    64.4    60.4    61.5    59.0    56.8    56.5    57.2    60.1    55.8    59.7    55.8 
           1995..............   55.4    45.0    38.5    33.5    27.7    28.8    28.8    30.6    33.5    33.1    34.2    38.8 
           1996..............   32.0    37.4    37.1    38.1    42.4    37.8    48.6    43.5    45.0    51.1   p51.1   p51.4 
           1997..............                                                                                                
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
      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    55.8    49.6    47.5 
           1995..............   42.1    40.3    39.9    40.6    34.5    31.7    25.9    28.8    28.1    24.1    27.0    29.1 
           1996..............   33.1    33.1    33.8    35.6    37.1    41.0    40.6   p42.1   p44.2                         
           1997..............                                                                                                

        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.