Monthly Labor Review December 2006 21

 Employment Changes by Earnings

Change in employment by occupation,

industry, and earnings quartile, 2000–05

An examination of employment changes in occupations and industries

by earnings quartiles provides new insight into distinguishing

between higher paying “good” jobs and lower paying “bad” jobs

The aftermaths of the last two recessions

were marked by at least two similarities—

the anemic pace of job growth and

dissension among data users and policy makers

alike regarding the quality of jobs that were

being created once the labor market began to

expand. From mid- to late-2004, a number of

articles on the quality of jobs surfaced. These

reports usually associated a particular industry

or occupational category with their respective

relative earnings (either the mean or median

earnings figure) as the criteria for distinguishing

between “good jobs” and “bad jobs.” Many of

the articles cited employment and earnings data

produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Most of the attempts to measure the quality of

new jobs focused on changes in industry

employment, as measured by the Current

Employment Statistics survey (CES or

establishment survey) or on occupational data

from the Current Population Survey (CPS or

household survey).

This article approaches the subject from the

perspective of how the composition of industry

or occupational employment changed across the

earnings spectrum. Determining where

employment growth (or decline) occurred in the

earnings distribution adds another dimension to

the analysis of the nature of job growth. Many

industries and occupations possess extensive

earnings distributions, and assessments that

base the “quality of jobs” in a particular industry

or occupation on a single earnings figure (either

mean or median) are somewhat problematic. For

example, the median weekly earnings figures for

construction and manufacturing workers have

been consistently higher than the median wage

for all wage and salary workers. Based on a single

earnings estimate (the median earnings figure for

the particular industry) and given the labor

market developments over the past few years in

these industries, it would not be unreasonable

to assume that jobs paying more than the overall

median wage were created in construction and

lost in manufacturing.

An examination of CPS employment data from

2000–2005 by earnings quartiles, however,

indicates that most of the employment growth in

construction occurred in jobs that paid less than

the median weekly wage for all wage and salary

workers ($577 in 2005). In manufacturing, where

job loss from 2000 to 2005 totaled 3.3 million,

factory employment declined across the entire

range of earnings quartiles. Furthermore, CPS

data show that women accounted for nearly all

of the net employment growth above the overall

median wage, whereas men accounted for most

of the net growth below the median.

Methodology

In this analysis of job growth, wage and salary

employment from the CPS for 2000 and 2005 were

tabulated by occupation and by industry from

the outgoing rotation groups in the CPS sample.1

These data were further partitioned into four

fairly equal-sized groups based on weekly

earnings quartiles. Quartiles, as referred to in this

study, adhere to the following properties: The

upper limit of earnings for the first quartile is the

By Randy E. Ilg

Randy E. Ilg is an

economist in the

Division of Labor Force

Statistics, Bureau of

Labor Statistics. E-mail:

Ilg.Randy@bls.gov
22 Monthly Labor Review December 2006

Employment Changes by Earnings

level for which 25 percent of the population of employed wage

and salary workers has lower earnings, and 75 percent have

higher earnings. The cutoff value for the lowest-paid quarter

of employment in 2000 was $303. The upper limit of the second

quartile ($498), also referred to as the median, evenly divided

employment.2

 Table 1 displays the earnings values (cutoffs)

that nearly evenly divided occupational employment of wage

and salary workers in 2000 into four groups of 30.5 million

each. The upper limit of the third quartile ($782) is the level for

which 75 percent of the population had lower earnings, and

25 percent had higher earnings. The upper limit of the fourth

quartile is the level for which 100 percent of the population

had lower earnings. This figure also is the highest level of

earnings reported. For reasons of confidentiality, the estimate

is not available in public use microdata files, nor is it presented

in this analysis because it is not needed to determine the level

of employment.

Data for 2005 also were partitioned in this manner but were

based on the corresponding earnings figures for that

particular year, rather than the earnings figures used to divide

employment in 2000. (Nominal earnings seldom remain the

same year after year.) The change in occupational

employment from 2000 to 2005 was calculated and recorded in

the bottom third of table 1. Employment data by intermediate

industry detail for 2000 and 2005 are shown in a similar format

in table 2. The tabulations are structured such that they can

be examined for the change in employment by occupation or

by industry as well as the change for a given earnings quartile,

an integral part of this analysis. Tables 3 and 4 provide the

distribution of employment by occupation or industry for

each earnings quartile.

It is important to note that the methodology and data set

used in this analysis combine to offer a new approach in

assessing the nature of job growth. Any overall conclusion

or interpretation of whether most net “new” jobs were “good”

jobs or “bad” jobs is constrained by the nature of quartiles

and medians; that is, half of the employment growth occurred

above the median and half below.

Occupational employment changes

From 2000–2005, wage and salary employment (as measured

by the CPS) grew by 3.8 million. From an occupational

perspective, employment in service occupations accounted

for the bulk of the net increase, 2.3 million.3 Elsewhere,

employment rose by about 1.9 million in professional and

related occupations and by nearly 1.3 million in natural

resources, construction, and maintenance occupations. In

addition, employment among management, business, and

financial operations occupations increased by 845,000. In

contrast to the employment gains in these four broad

occupational groups, wage and salary employment declined

by more than 2 million in production occupations and by

nearly a million in office and administrative support

occupations. (See table 1.)

Most of the employment growth in service occupations

(2.3 million) took place in three intermediate occupation

groups: food preparation and serving related occupations

(793,000), healthcare support occupations (625,000), and

personal care and service occupations (442,000). The bulk of

employment growth in those three categories (over 80

percent) occurred in jobs that paid below the overall median

weekly earnings figure of $577 in 2005. As a result, the share

of employment that consisted of service occupations in the

lower earnings quartiles increased dramatically, by 1.7

percentage points in the second quartile and by nearly 3

percentage points in the bottom quartile. Despite substantial

employment growth in service occupations over the 5-year

period, a relatively small part (381,000) of that increase

occurred in jobs paying above the overall median wage. (See

tables 1 and 3.)

The net employment gain of 1.9 million among professional

and related occupations principally occurred in education,

training, and library occupations (852,000) and in healthcare

practitioner and technical occupations (826,000). Threequarters of the growth in these two intermediate occupations

(1.3 million) occurred in jobs that paid more than the overall

median wage of $577. Thus, employment shares for

professional and related occupations rose in the third quartile

and the highest quartile by 1.1 and 1.5 percentage points,

respectively. Not all professional and related occupations

contributed to job growth, however. An employment decline

of 281,000 in architecture and engineering occupations

resulted in decreased shares of employment for those

occupations primarily in earnings quartiles above the overall

median weekly wage.

Nearly all of the increase in wage and salary employment

among natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations (1.3 million) occurred in construction and

extraction occupations (1.1 million). However, most of that

employment growth (about a million) was in jobs that paid

below the median weekly wage, rather than above it. Thus,

the share of employment made up of construction and

extraction occupations in earnings quartiles below the median

also rose, by about 1.7 percentage points in the second

quartile and by 1.2 percentage points in the bottom quartile.

In contrast, most of the employment growth in management,

business, and financial operations occupations (845,000)

occurred in jobs that paid above the overall median wage.

Over the 2000–2005 period, the large decline in wage and

salary employment in production occupations (– 2.1 million)

occurred across all earnings quartiles and resulted in fairly

equal decreases in these occupations’ shares of employment

in each earnings quartile. Those declining shares ranged from
Monthly Labor Review December 2006 23

Table 1. Employed wage and salary workers by occupation and earnings quartile in 2000 and 2005 and change

 in employment from 2000 to 2005

[Numbers in thousands]

 Upper limit of earnings ...................................................... ... $303 $498 $782 (1)

 Total employed .......................................................................... 122,089 30,519 30,525 30,521 30,524

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ...... 15,110 982 1,905 4,023 8,200

Management occupations ............................................................. 10,497 669 1,194 2,499 6,135

Business and financial operations occupations ........................... 4,613 313 712 1,524 2,065

Professional and related occupations .............................................. 24,420 3,148 3,784 7,039 10,449

Computer and mathematical occupations ..................................... 3,194 129 267 799 1,998

Architecture and engineering occupations ................................... 2,874 86 259 685 1,843

Life, physical, and social science occupations ........................... 1,111 100 156 326 528

Community and social services occupations ............................... 1,908 267 453 641 547

Legal occupations ......................................................................... 1,140 81 153 288 619

Education, training, and library occupations ................................ 6,961 1,494 1,125 2,014 2,329

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ...... 1,884 381 333 514 656

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ...................... 5,349 610 1,038 1,771 1,929

Service occupations ......................................................................... 18,748 9,694 5,321 2,458 1,275

Healthcare support occupations ................................................... 2,346 1,008 969 298 72

Protective service occupations .................................................... 2,552 504 625 718 705

Food preparation and serving related occupations ...................... 6,568 4,335 1,602 485 146

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations .... 4,351 2,128 1,440 603 180

Personal care and service occupations ....................................... 2,931 1,719 685 354 172

Sales and office occupations ........................................................... 33,000 10,302 9,966 8,080 4,652

Sales and related occupations ..................................................... 13,140 5,126 2,718 2,597 2,699

Office and administrative support occupations ............................ 19,860 5,176 7,248 5,484 1,953

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .... 11,621 1,734 3,098 3,829 2,961

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................................. 1,021 576 297 108 40

Construction and extraction occupations .................................... 6,189 759 1,765 2,063 1,602

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...................... 4,411 398 1,035 1,658 1,318

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ........ 19,190 4,659 6,452 5,092 2,987

Production occupations ................................................................ 11,062 2,365 3,914 3,046 1,739

Transportation and material moving occupations ......................... 8,128 2,294 2,538 2,046 1,249

First Third Highest

quartile quartile quartile

 Upper limit of earnings ...................................................... ... $342 $577 $915 (1

)

 Total employed .......................................................................... 125,889 31,470 31,473 31,473 31,474

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ...... 15,955 995 2,060 4,343 8,557

Management occupations ............................................................. 10,921 659 1,249 2,664 6,349

Business and financial operations occupations ........................... 5,034 336 811 1,679 2,208

Professional and related occupations .............................................. 26,271 3,462 3,963 7,607 11,239

Computer and mathematical occupations ..................................... 3,067 103 242 712 2,011

Architecture and engineering occupations ................................... 2,593 83 228 623 1,659

Life, physical, and social science occupations ........................... 1,305 114 163 387 642

Community and social services occupations ............................... 2,100 325 470 721 584

Legal occupations ......................................................................... 1,261 86 161 325 690

Education, training, and library occupations ................................ 7,813 1,653 1,304 2,351 2,505

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ...... 1,957 442 325 527 663

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ...................... 6,175 656 1,072 1,962 2,486

Service occupations ......................................................................... 21,074 10,930 6,030 2,735 1,379

Healthcare support occupations ................................................... 2,971 1,323 1,197 359 93

Protective service occupations .................................................... 2,843 526 723 783 811

Food preparation and serving related occupations ...................... 7,361 4,921 1,726 562 152

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations .... 4,525 2,285 1,488 583 169

Personal care and service occupations ....................................... 3,373 1,875 896 448 154

Sales and office occupations ........................................................... 32,541 9,861 9,776 8,054 4,849

Sales and related occupations ..................................................... 13,630 5,110 2,840 2,677 3,002

Office and administrative support occupations ............................ 18,911 4,751 6,936 5,377 1,847

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .... 12,907 2,055 3,813 4,181 2,858

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................................. 898 433 313 109 43

Construction and extraction occupations .................................... 7,296 1,161 2,348 2,267 1,521

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...................... 4,713 462 1,152 1,806 1,294

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ........ 17,142 4,167 5,831 4,551 2,592

Production occupations ................................................................ 9,007 1,876 3,230 2,515 1,385

Transportation and material moving occupations ......................... 8,135 2,291 2,601 2,036 1,207

Occupation

 See footnote at end of table.

Total

employed,

2005

Second

quartile

(median)

Occupation

Total

employed,

2000

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Highest

quartile

First

quartile
24 Monthly Labor Review December 2006

Employment Changes by Earnings

Table 1. Continued—Employed wage and salary workers by occupation and earnings quartile in 2000 and 2005

 and change in employment from 2000 to 2005

[Numbers in thousands]

Third Highest

 quartile quartile

 Total .......................................................................................... 3,800 951 948 952 950

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ...... 845 13 155 320 357

Management occupations ............................................................. 424 –10 55 165 214

Business and financial operations occupations ........................... 421 23 99 155 143

Professional and related occupations .............................................. 1,851 314 179 568 790

Computer and mathematical occupations ..................................... –127 –26 –25 –87 13

Architecture and engineering occupations ................................... –281 –3 –31 –62 –184

Life, physical, and social science occupations ........................... 194 14 7 61 114

Community and social services occupations ............................... 192 58 17 80 37

Legal occupations ......................................................................... 121 5 8 37 71

Education, training, and library occupations ................................ 852 159 179 337 176

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ...... 73 61 –8 13 7

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ...................... 826 46 34 191 557

Service occupations ......................................................................... 2,326 1,236 709 277 104

Healthcare support occupations ................................................... 625 315 228 61 21

Protective service occupations .................................................... 291 22 98 65 106

Food preparation and serving related occupations ...................... 793 586 124 77 6

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations .... 174 157 48 –20 –11

Personal care and service occupations ....................................... 442 156 211 94 –18

Sales and office occupations ........................................................... –459 –441 –190 –26 197

Sales and related occupations ..................................................... 490 –16 122 80 303

Office and administrative support occupations ............................ –949 –425 –312 –107 –106

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations .... 1,286 321 715 352 –103

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................................. –123 –143 16 1 3

Construction and extraction occupations .................................... 1,107 402 583 204 –81

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...................... 302 64 117 148 –24

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ........ –2,048 –492 –621 –541 –395

Production occupations ................................................................ –2,055 –489 –684 –531 –354

Transportation and material moving occupations ......................... 7 –3 63 –10 –42

Occupation

Second

quartile

(median)

negative 2.6 percentage points in the second quartile to

negative 1.3 percentage points in the highest quartile. There

is a close association between production occupations and

production workers in the manufacturing industry. In the

industry employment discussion, similarly large employment

declines in manufacturing will be noted.

From 2000 to 2005, employment also declined among office

and administrative support occupations (–949,000), mostly in

jobs that paid less than the overall median wage. While shares

of employment declined across all earnings quartiles for that

occupation group, the decreases were substantially larger in

the bottom two quartiles. (See tables 1 and 3.)

Industry employment changes

From an industry standpoint, wage and salary employment in

education and health services increased by 3.0 million over

the 2000–2005 period. Construction employment expanded by

more than 1 million, and employment in retail trade and in food

services and drinking places each rose by about threequarters of a million. Employment in financial activities

increased by about 600,000 during the 2000–05 period, and

employment in public administration rose by a little more

than half a million. A number of industries sustained

employment decreases, some quite severe. Manufacturing

employment declined by 3.3 million over the period, with

slightly more than 2 million in the durable goods

component. Employment in the information sector also

declined, by about 660,000. (See table 2.)

Within education and health services, employment in

health services, except hospitals, rose by 1.2 million, with the

gain distributed fairly equally across all earnings quartiles.

Employment also expanded in hospitals, primarily in the

higher paying earnings quartiles. In educational services,

employment increased by nearly 1 million—also mainly in jobs

that paid above the overall median weekly wage.

The employment increase of more than 1 million in the

construction industry was consistent with employment gains

in the corresponding construction and extraction occupations. Most of the employment growth in the construction

industry occurred in jobs that paid less than the overall

median, and shares of construction employment in the lower

1 For reasons of confidentiality, the upper limit of earnings is not available

in public use files.

NOTE: Data may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Change in

employment,

2000–2005

First

quartile
Monthly Labor Review December 2006 25

Table 2. Employed wage and salary workers by industry and earnings quartile in 2000 and 2005 and change

 in employment from 2000 to 2005

[Numbers in thousands]

 Industry First Third Highest

quartile quartile quartile

 Upper limit of earnings ........................................ ... $303 $498 $782 (1

)

 Total employed ............................................................ 122,089 30,519 30,525 30,521 30,524

Agriculture and related industries ...................................... 1,307 626 364 210 108

Mining .................................................................................. 451 33 72 154 191

Construction ........................................................................ 7,437 923 2,056 2,406 2,052

Manufacturing ..................................................................... 18,940 2,542 5,304 5,340 5,754

Durable goods manufacturing ......................................... 12,017 1,286 3,265 3,520 3,946

Nondurable goods manufacturing ................................... 6,923 1,255 2,039 1,820 1,809

Wholesale and retail trade .................................................. 17,995 6,706 4,704 3,723 2,863

Wholesale trade .............................................................. 3,693 636 1,009 1,080 969

Retail trade ...................................................................... 14,302 6,070 3,695 2,643 1,894

Transportation and utilities ................................................. 6,946 937 1,509 2,223 2,278

Transportation and warehousing ..................................... 5,655 855 1,287 1,856 1,657

Utilities ............................................................................. 1,292 83 222 367 620

Information .......................................................................... 3,782 567 732 995 1,487

Financial activities .............................................................. 8,243 1,293 2,108 2,262 2,580

Finance and insurance .................................................... 6,121 764 1,521 1,722 2,115

Real estate and rental and leasing ................................. 2,122 529 588 539 465

Professional and business services .................................. 10,892 2,208 2,560 2,512 3,612

Professional and technical services ............................. 6,555 760 1,111 1,635 3,049

Management, administrative, and waste services ......... 4,337 1,448 1,449 877 563

Education and health services ........................................... 24,697 6,354 6,066 6,391 5,886

Educational services ....................................................... 10,977 2,721 2,059 2,973 3,224

Health care and social assistance ................................. 13,720 3,633 4,006 3,418 2,663

Hospitals ...................................................................... 5,184 816 1,360 1,600 1,408

Health services, except hospitals .............................. 6,435 1,866 2,067 1,442 1,060

Social assistance ........................................................ 2,101 951 579 376 195

Leisure and hospitality ....................................................... 10,220 5,648 2,538 1,270 764

Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................................ 2,065 868 538 366 293

Accommodation and food services ................................ 8,155 4,781 1,999 904 470

Accommodations ......................................................... 1,501 581 518 250 151

Food services and drinking places ............................. 6,654 4,200 1,482 654 319

Other services .................................................................... 5,132 2,060 1,241 1,045 786

Other services, except private households ................... 4,424 1,554 1,108 995 767

Repair and maintenance .............................................. 1,403 343 390 416 254

Personal and laundry services ................................... 1,285 614 352 208 110

Membership associations and organizations .............. 1,736 596 365 372 403

Other services, private households ............................... 708 506 133 50 19

Public administration ........................................................... 6,048 622 1,273 1,991 2,162

 Industry

 Upper limit of earnings ........................................ ... $342 $577 $915 (1

)

 Total employed ............................................................ 125,889 31,470 31,473 31,473 31,474

Agriculture and related industries ...................................... 1,076 461 331 190 94

Mining .................................................................................. 603 29 112 186 276

Construction ........................................................................ 8,513 1,267 2,645 2,605 1,996

Manufacturing ..................................................................... 15,596 2,068 4,335 4,369 4,824

Durable goods manufacturing ......................................... 9,900 1,069 2,675 2,842 3,314

Nondurable goods manufacturing ................................... 5,696 999 1,660 1,527 1,510

Wholesale and retail trade .................................................. 19,101 6,771 5,059 4,011 3,260

Wholesale trade .............................................................. 4,028 535 1,070 1,191 1,232

Retail trade ...................................................................... 15,073 6,235 3,989 2,821 2,028

Transportation and utilities ................................................. 6,730 908 1,603 2,187 2,032

Transportation and warehousing ..................................... 5,552 843 1,395 1,821 1,493

Utilities ............................................................................. 1,178 64 209 366 539

Information .......................................................................... 3,118 522 613 793 1,190

Financial activities .............................................................. 8,845 1,244 2,147 2,468 2,986

Finance and insurance .................................................... 6,445 674 1,532 1,865 2,373

Real estate and rental and leasing ................................. 2,399 570 614 603 612

Professional and business services .................................. 11,337 2,326 2,512 2,632 3,868

Professional and technical services ............................. 6,682 754 1,039 1,672 3,217

Management, administrative, and waste services ......... 4,656 1,572 1,473 960 651

Education and health services ........................................... 27,661 6,744 6,692 7,325 6,900

See footnote at end of table.

Total

employed,

2005

Total

employed,

2000

Second

quartile

(median)

Second

quartile

(median)

First

quartile

Third

quartile

Highest

 quartile
26 Monthly Labor Review December 2006

Employment Changes by Earnings

earnings quartiles increased. Whether on an occupational

basis (construction and extraction occupations) or on an

industry basis (construction), there was no employment

Educational services ............................................................. 11,958 2,814 2,237 3,408 3,499

Health care and social assistance ....................................... 15,702 3,929 4,455 3,917 3,401

Hospitals ............................................................................ 5,742 803 1,411 1,746 1,782

Health services, except hospitals .................................... 7,680 2,158 2,418 1,725 1,380

Social assistance .............................................................. 2,280 969 626 446 239

Leisure and hospitality ............................................................. 11,102 6,337 2,570 1,398 797

Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...................................... 2,253 943 565 448 296

Accommodation and food services ...................................... 8,849 5,393 2,005 950 501

Accommodations ............................................................... 1,471 612 452 261 146

Food services and drinking places ................................... 7,378 4,781 1,553 689 355

Other services .......................................................................... 5,628 2,183 1,490 1,169 787

Other services, except private households ......................... 4,832 1,643 1,296 1,121 772

Repair and maintenance .................................................... 1,502 345 495 424 238

Personal and laundry services .......................................... 1,401 673 398 231 98

Membership associations and organizations .................... 1,929 626 402 465 435

Other services, private households ..................................... 797 540 194 48 15

Public administration ................................................................. 6,578 612 1,365 2,138 2,464

First Third Highest

quartile quartile quartile

 Total .................................................................................. 3,800 951 948 952 950

Agriculture and related industries ............................................ –231 –165 –33 –20 –14

Mining ........................................................................................ 152 –4 40 32 85

Construction .............................................................................. 1,076 344 589 199 –56

Manufacturing ........................................................................... –3,344 –474 –969 –971 –930

Durable goods manufacturing ............................................... –2,117 –217 –590 –678 –632

Nondurable goods manufacturing ......................................... –1,227 –256 –379 –293 –299

Wholesale and retail trade ........................................................ 1,106 65 355 288 397

Wholesale trade .................................................................... 335 –101 61 111 263

Retail trade ............................................................................ 771 165 294 178 134

Transportation and utilities ....................................................... –216 –29 94 –36 –246

Transportation and warehousing ........................................... –103 –12 108 –35 –164

Utilities ................................................................................... –114 –19 –13 –1 –81

Information ................................................................................ –664 –45 –119 –202 –297

Financial activities .................................................................... 602 –49 39 206 406

Finance and insurance .......................................................... 324 –90 11 143 258

Real estate and rental and leasing ....................................... 277 41 26 64 147

Professional and business services ........................................ 445 118 –48 120 256

Professional and technical services ................................... 127 –6 –72 37 168

Management, administrative, and waste services .............. 319 124 24 83 88

Education and health services ................................................. 2,964 390 626 934 1,014

Educational services ............................................................. 981 93 178 435 275

Health care and social assistance ....................................... 1,982 296 449 499 738

Hospitals ............................................................................ 558 –13 51 146 374

Health services, except hospitals .................................... 1,245 292 351 283 320

Social assistance .............................................................. 179 18 47 70 44

Leisure and hospitality ............................................................. 882 689 32 128 33

Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...................................... 188 75 27 82 3

Accommodation and food services ...................................... 694 612 6 46 31

Accommodations ............................................................... –30 31 –66 11 –5

Food services and drinking places ................................... 724 581 71 35 36

Other services .......................................................................... 496 123 249 124 1

Other services, except private households ......................... 408 89 188 126 5

Repair and maintenance .................................................... 99 2 105 8 –16

Personal and laundry services ......................................... 116 59 46 23 –12

Membership associations and organizations .................... 193 30 37 93 32

Other services, private households ..................................... 89 34 61 –2 –4

Public administration ................................................................. 530 –10 92 147 302

Table 2. Continued—Employed wage and salary workers by industry and earnings quartile in 2000 and 2005

 and change in employment from 2000 to 2005

[Numbers in thousands]

First Third Highest

quartile quartile quartile

growth in the highest earnings quartile. (See tables 2 and 4.)

From 2000 to 2005, employment in retail trade expanded by

771,000; this growth was spread across all earnings quartiles.

1 For reasons of confidentiality, the upper limit of earnings is not available

in public use files.

NOTE: Data may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Total

employed,

2005

Second

quartile

 (median)

 Industry

Change in

employment,

2000–2005 Industry

Second

quartile

 (median)
Monthly Labor Review December 2006 27

Table 3. Percent distribution of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and earnings quartile in 2000

 and 2005 and change in the distribution from 2000 to 2005

First Third Highest

quartile quartile quartile

 Upper limit of earnings ......................................................... ... $303 $498 $782 (1

)

Total employed ................................................................................. 122,089 30,519 30,525 30,521 30,524

Percent ............................................................................................. 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ......... 12.38 3.22 6.24 13.18 26.86

Management occupations ................................................................ 8.60 2.19 3.91 8.19 20.10

Business and financial operations occupations .............................. 3.78 1.03 2.33 4.99 6.77

Professional and related occupations ................................................. 20.00 10.32 12.40 23.06 34.23

Computer and mathematical occupations ........................................ 2.62 .42 .88 2.62 6.55

Architecture and engineering occupations ...................................... 2.35 .28 .85 2.25 6.04

Life, physical, and social science occupations .............................. .91 .33 .51 1.07 1.73

Community and social services occupations .................................. 1.56 .88 1.48 2.10 1.79

Legal occupations ............................................................................ .93 .26 .50 .94 2.03

Education, training, and library occupations ................................... 5.70 4.89 3.68 6.60 7.63

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ......... 1.54 1.25 1.09 1.68 2.15

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......................... 4.38 2.00 3.40 5.80 6.32

Service occupations ............................................................................ 15.36 31.76 17.43 8.05 4.18

Healthcare support occupations ...................................................... 1.92 3.30 3.17 .98 .24

Protective service occupations ....................................................... 2.09 1.65 2.05 2.35 2.31

Food preparation and serving related occupations ......................... 5.38 14.20 5.25 1.59 .48

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ....... 3.56 6.97 4.72 1.98 .59

Personal care and service occupations .......................................... 2.40 5.63 2.24 1.16 .56

Sales and office occupations .............................................................. 27.03 33.76 32.65 26.47 15.24

Sales and related occupations ........................................................ 10.76 16.80 8.90 8.51 8.84

Office and administrative support occupations ............................... 16.27 16.96 23.74 17.97 6.40

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ....... 9.52 5.68 10.15 12.55 9.70

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................................... .84 1.89 .97 .35 .13

Construction and extraction occupations ....................................... 5.07 2.49 5.78 6.76 5.25

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......................... 3.61 1.31 3.39 5.43 4.32

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ........... 15.72 15.27 21.14 16.68 9.79

Production occupations ................................................................... 9.06 7.75 12.82 9.98 5.70

Transportation and material moving occupations ............................ 6.66 7.52 8.31 6.70 4.09

 Upper limit of earnings ......................................................... ... $342 $577 $915 (1

)

Total employed ................................................................................. 125,889 31,470 31,473 31,473 31,474

Percent ............................................................................................. 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ......... 12.67 3.16 6.54 13.80 27.19

Management occupations ................................................................ 8.67 2.09 3.97 8.47 20.17

Business and financial operations occupations .............................. 4.00 1.07 2.58 5.34 7.02

Professional and related occupations ................................................. 20.87 11.00 12.59 24.17 35.71

Computer and mathematical occupations ........................................ 2.44 .33 .77 2.26 6.39

Architecture and engineering occupations ...................................... 2.06 .26 .73 1.98 5.27

Life, physical, and social science occupations .............................. 1.04 .36 .52 1.23 2.04

Community and social services occupations .................................. 1.67 1.03 1.49 2.29 1.86

Legal occupations ............................................................................ 1.00 .27 .51 1.03 2.19

Education, training, and library occupations ................................... 6.21 5.25 4.14 7.47 7.96

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ......... 1.55 1.40 1.03 1.68 2.11

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......................... 4.91 2.08 3.41 6.23 7.90

Service occupations ............................................................................ 16.74 34.73 19.16 8.69 4.38

Healthcare support occupations ...................................................... 2.36 4.20 3.80 1.14 .29

Protective service occupations ....................................................... 2.26 1.67 2.30 2.49 2.58

Food preparation and serving related occupations ......................... 5.85 15.64 5.48 1.79 .48

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ....... 3.59 7.26 4.73 1.85 .54

Personal care and service occupations .......................................... 2.68 5.96 2.85 1.42 .49

Sales and office occupations .............................................................. 25.85 31.33 31.06 25.59 15.41

Sales and related occupations ........................................................ 10.83 16.24 9.02 8.51 9.54

Office and administrative support occupationsqq ........................... 15.02 15.10 22.04 17.08 5.87

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ....... 10.25 6.53 12.11 13.28 9.08

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................................... .71 1.38 1.00 .35 .14

Construction and extraction occupations ....................................... 5.80 3.69 7.46 7.20 4.83

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......................... 3.74 1.47 3.66 5.74 4.11

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ........... 13.62 13.24 18.53 14.46 8.24

Production occupations ................................................................... 7.15 5.96 10.26 7.99 4.40

Transportation and material moving occupations ............................ 6.46 7.28 8.26 6.47 3.84

Occupation

See footnote at end of table.

Employment

 distribution,

2005

First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Highest

 quartile

Employment

 distribution,

2000

Second

quartile

(median)

Occupation
28 Monthly Labor Review December 2006

Employment Changes by Earnings

 Additionally, employment rose in both financial activities and

in public administration, with most of the net job growth

paying more than the median wage. In contrast, employment

growth in food services and drinking places was concentrated

in the bottom earnings quartile, mirroring the growth in food

preparation and serving related occupations.

Manufacturing employment has trended down for several

decades, but the decline has been particularly sharp over the

past 5 years. The decline of 3.3 million over that time period

resulted in large employment declines of nearly 1 million each

in the second, third, and highest earnings quartiles.

Employment also declined by nearly a half million in the

bottom earnings quartile.

As employment in the information sector fell over the

period, that industry’s share of employment declined in all

quartiles, although disproportionately in jobs paying above

the overall median. In fact, over the 5-year period, about threequarters of the total job loss in information occurred in the

two highest earnings quartiles. (See tables 2 and 4.)

Gender differences

Despite being dramatically underrepresented in job categories

that pay more than the overall median weekly wage, women

Table 3. Continued—Percent distribution of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and earnings quartile

 in 2000 and 2005 and change in the distribution from 2000 to 2005

First Third Highest

quartile quartile quartile

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ......... .29 –.06 .30 .62 .33

Management occupations ................................................................ .07 –.10 .06 .28 .07

Business and financial operations occupations .............................. .22 .04 .25 .35 .25

Professional and related occupations ................................................. .87 .68 .19 1.11 1.48

Computer and mathematical occupations ........................................ –.18 –.09 –.11 –.36 –.16

Architecture and engineering occupations ...................................... –.29 –.02 –.12 –.27 –.77

Life, physical, and social science occupations .............................. .13 .03 .01 .16 .31

Community and social services occupations .................................. .11 .15 .01 .19 .07

Legal occupations ............................................................................ .07 .01 .01 .09 .16

Education, training, and library occupations ................................... .51 .36 .46 .87 .33

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ......... .01 .15 –.06 .00 –.04

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......................... .53 .08 .01 .43 1.58

Service occupations ............................................................................ 1.38 2.97 1.73 .64 .20

Healthcare support occupations ...................................................... .44 .90 .63 .16 .05

Protective service occupations ....................................................... .17 .02 .25 .14 .27

Food preparation and serving related occupations ......................... .47 1.44 .23 .20 .00

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ....... .03 .29 .01 –.13 –.05

Personal care and service occupations .......................................... .28 .33 .61 .26 –.07

Sales and office occupations .............................................................. –1.18 –2.43 –1.59 –.88 .17

Sales and related occupations ........................................................ .07 –.56 .12 .00 .70

Office and administrative support occupations ............................... –1.25 –1.86 –1.70 –.89 –.53

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ....... .73 .85 1.96 .73 –.62

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..................................... –.13 –.51 .03 .00 .01

Construction and extraction occupations ....................................... .73 1.20 1.68 .44 –.42

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ......................... .13 .16 .27 .31 –.21

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ........... –2.10 –2.03 –2.61 –2.22 –1.55

Production occupations ................................................................... –1.91 –1.79 –2.56 –1.99 –1.30

Transportation and material moving occupations ............................ –.20 –.24 –.05 –.23 –.25

contributed nearly all of the net employment growth above the

median over the 5-year period from 2000 to 2005.4 Women actually

accounted for nearly 1.7 million of the 1.9 million net increase in

total employment that occurred above the overall median wage.

In contrast, nearly all the net employment growth below the

median occurred among men. (See tables 5 and 6.)

In the highest earnings quartile, women accounted for all

of the net employment growth among management, business,

and financial operations occupations and most of the net

increase among professional and related occupations. On net,

employment among men in the highest earnings quartile

declined, primarily due to a large reduction in the number of

production occupations. (See table 5.)

In the third earnings quartile, women and men each

contributed roughly a half million to employment growth.

Most of the increase for women occurred in professional and

related occupations, while most of the increase among men

occurred in natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations. Employment declined for both men and women

in production occupations.

Much of the employment increase below the median wage

for men occurred in construction and extraction occupations

and in low-wage food preparation and serving related occupations. Women accounted for large employment increases

Occupation

Change in

 distribution,

2000–2005

Second

quartile

(median)

1 For reasons of confidentiality, the upper limit of earnings is not available

in public use files.

NOTE: Data may not sum to totals due to rounding.
Monthly Labor Review December 2006 29

Table 4. Percent distribution of employed wage and salary workers by industry and earnings quartile in 2000

 and 2005 and change in the distribution from 2000 to 2005

First Third Highest

quartile quartile quartile

 Upper limit of earnings ......................................... ... $303 $498 $782 (1)

Total employed .............................................................. 122,089 30,519 30,525 30,521 30,524

Percent ......................................................................... 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

Agriculture and related industries ....................................... 1.07 2.05 1.19 .69 .35

Mining ................................................................................... .37 .11 .24 .50 .63

Construction ......................................................................... 6.09 3.02 6.74 7.88 6.72

Manufacturing ...................................................................... 15.51 8.33 17.38 17.50 18.85

Durable goods manufacturing .......................................... 9.84 4.22 10.70 11.53 12.93

Nondurable goods manufacturing .................................... 5.67 4.11 6.68 5.96 5.92

Wholesale and retail trade ................................................... 14.74 21.97 15.41 12.20 9.38

Wholesale trade ............................................................... 3.02 2.08 3.30 3.54 3.17

Retail trade ....................................................................... 11.71 19.89 12.11 8.66 6.21

Transportation and utilities .................................................. 5.69 3.07 4.94 7.28 7.46

Transportation and warehousing ...................................... 4.63 2.80 4.22 6.08 5.43

Utilities .............................................................................. 1.06 .27 .73 1.20 2.03

Information ........................................................................... 3.10 1.86 2.40 3.26 4.87

Financial activities ............................................................... 6.75 4.24 6.91 7.41 8.45

Finance and insurance ..................................................... 5.01 2.50 4.98 5.64 6.93

Real estate and rental and leasing .................................. 1.74 1.73 1.93 1.77 1.52

Professional and business services ................................... 8.92 7.23 8.39 8.23 11.83

Professional and technical services .............................. 5.37 2.49 3.64 5.36 9.99

Management, administrative, and waste services .......... 3.55 4.74 4.75 2.87 1.84

Education and health services ............................................ 20.23 20.82 19.87 20.94 19.28

Educational services ........................................................ 8.99 8.92 6.75 9.74 10.56

Health care and social assistance .................................. 11.24 11.90 13.12 11.20 8.72

Hospitals ....................................................................... 4.25 2.67 4.46 5.24 4.61

Health services, except hospitals ............................... 5.27 6.12 6.77 4.72 3.47

Social assistance ......................................................... 1.72 3.12 1.90 1.23 .64

Leisure and hospitality ........................................................ 8.37 18.51 8.31 4.16 2.50

Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................................. 1.69 2.84 1.76 1.20 .96

Accommodation and food services ................................. 6.68 15.67 6.55 2.96 1.54

Accommodations .......................................................... 1.23 1.90 1.70 .82 .50

Food services and drinking places .............................. 5.45 13.76 4.85 2.14 1.04

Other services ..................................................................... 4.20 6.75 4.06 3.43 2.57

Other services, except private households .................... 3.62 5.09 3.63 3.26 2.51

Repair and maintenance ............................................... 1.15 1.12 1.28 1.36 .83

Personal and laundry services .................................... 1.05 2.01 1.15 .68 .36

Membership associations and organizations ............... 1.42 1.95 1.20 1.22 1.32

Other services, private households ................................ .58 1.66 .44 .16 .06

Public administration ............................................................ 4.95 2.04 4.17 6.52 7.08

 Upper limit of earnings ......................................... ... $342 $577 $915 (1)

 Total employed ............................................................. 125,889 31,470 31,473 31,473 31,474

 Percent ........................................................................ 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

Agriculture and related industries ....................................... .85 1.46 1.05 .60 .30

Mining ................................................................................... .48 .09 .36 .59 .88

Construction ......................................................................... 6.76 4.02 8.40 8.28 6.34

Manufacturing ...................................................................... 12.39 6.57 13.77 13.88 15.33

Durable goods manufacturing .......................................... 7.86 3.40 8.50 9.03 10.53

Nondurable goods manufacturing .................................... 4.52 3.17 5.27 4.85 4.80

Wholesale and retail trade ................................................... 15.17 21.51 16.07 12.75 10.36

Wholesale trade ............................................................... 3.20 1.70 3.40 3.78 3.91

Retail trade ....................................................................... 11.97 19.81 12.67 8.96 6.44

Transportation and utilities .................................................. 5.35 2.88 5.09 6.95 6.46

Transportation and warehousing ...................................... 4.41 2.68 4.43 5.79 4.74

Utilities .............................................................................. .94 .20 .66 1.16 1.71

Information ........................................................................... 2.48 1.66 1.95 2.52 3.78

Financial activities ............................................................... 7.03 3.95 6.82 7.84 9.49

Finance and insurance ..................................................... 5.12 2.14 4.87 5.93 7.54

Real estate and rental and leasing .................................. 1.91 1.81 1.95 1.92 1.95

See footnote at end of table.

Employment

distribution,

2005

First

quartile

Second

quartile

(median)

Third

quartile

Highest

 quartile

Industry

Employment

distribution,

2000

Second

quartile

(median)

Industry
30 Monthly Labor Review December 2006

Employment Changes by Earnings

Professional and business services ................................... 9.01 7.39 7.98 8.36 12.29

Professional and technical services .............................. 5.31 2.40 3.30 5.31 10.22

Management, administrative, and waste services .......... 3.70 4.99 4.68 3.05 2.07

Education and health services ............................................ 21.97 21.43 21.26 23.27 21.92

Educational services ........................................................ 9.50 8.94 7.11 10.83 11.12

Health care and social assistance .................................. 12.47 12.49 14.15 12.45 10.81

Hospitals ....................................................................... 4.56 2.55 4.48 5.55 5.66

Health services, except hospitals ............................... 6.10 6.86 7.68 5.48 4.39

Social assistance ......................................................... 1.81 3.08 1.99 1.42 .76

Leisure and hospitality ........................................................ 8.82 20.14 8.17 4.44 2.53

Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................................. 1.79 3.00 1.80 1.42 .94

Accommodation and food services ................................. 7.03 17.14 6.37 3.02 1.59

Accommodations .......................................................... 1.17 1.95 1.44 .83 .46

Food services and drinking places .............................. 5.86 15.19 4.93 2.19 1.13

Other services ..................................................................... 4.47 6.94 4.73 3.71 2.50

Other services, except private households .................... 3.84 5.22 4.12 3.56 2.45

Repair and maintenance ............................................... 1.19 1.10 1.57 1.35 .76

Personal and laundry services .................................... 1.11 2.14 1.27 .74 .31

Membership associations and organizations ............... 1.53 1.99 1.28 1.48 1.38

Other services, private households ................................ .63 1.72 .62 .15 .05

Public administration ............................................................ 5.23 1.95 4.34 6.79 7.83

First Third Highest

quartile quartile quartile

Agriculture and related industries ....................................... –.22 –.59 –.14 –.09 –.05

Mining ................................................................................... .11 –.02 .12 .09 .25

Construction ......................................................................... .67 1.00 1.66 .40 –.38

Manufacturing ...................................................................... –3.12 –1.76 –3.61 –3.62 –3.52

Durable goods manufacturing .......................................... –1.98 –.82 –2.20 –2.50 –2.40

Nondurable goods manufacturing .................................... –1.15 –.94 –1.41 –1.11 –1.12

Wholesale and retail trade ................................................... .43 –.46 .66 .55 .98

Wholesale trade ............................................................... .18 –.38 .10 .24 .74

Retail trade ....................................................................... .26 –.08 .56 .30 .23

Transportation and utilities .................................................. –.34 –.19 .15 –.33 –1.00

Transportation and warehousing ...................................... –.22 –.12 .21 –.29 –.69

Utilities .............................................................................. –.12 –.07 –.07 –.04 –.32

Information ........................................................................... –.62 –.20 –.45 –.74 –1.09

Financial activities ............................................................... .28 –.29 –.09 .43 1.04

Finance and insurance ..................................................... .11 –.36 –.11 .29 .61

Real estate and rental and leasing .................................. .17 .08 .02 .15 .43

Professional and business services ................................... .09 .16 –.41 .13 .46

Professional and technical services ............................... –.06 –.09 –.34 –.05 .23

Management, administrative, and waste services .......... .15 .25 –.07 .18 .23

Education and health services ............................................ 1.74 .61 1.39 2.33 2.64

Educational services ........................................................ .51 .02 .36 1.09 .56

Health care and social assistance .................................. 1.23 .59 1.03 1.25 2.09

Hospitals ....................................................................... .31 –.12 .02 .31 1.05

Health services, except hospitals ............................... .83 .74 .91 .76 .92

Social assistance ......................................................... .09 –.04 .09 .19 .12

Leisure and hospitality ........................................................ .45 1.63 –.14 .28 .03

Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................................. .10 .16 .04 .22 –.02

Accommodation and food services ................................. .35 1.47 –.18 .06 .05

Accommodations .......................................................... –.06 .05 –.26 .01 –.04

Food services and drinking places .............................. .41 1.43 .08 .05 .09

Other services ..................................................................... .27 .19 .67 .28 –.07

Other services, except private households .................... .22 .13 .49 .30 –.06

Repair and maintenance ............................................... .04 –.02 .29 –.01 –.07

Personal and laundry services .................................... .06 .13 .12 .06 –.05

Membership associations and organizations ............... .11 .04 .08 .26 .06

Other services, private households ................................ .05 .06 .18 –.01 –.01

Public administration ............................................................ .28 –.09 .17 .27 .75

Table 4. Continued—Percent distribution of employed wage and salary workers by industry and earnings quartile

 in 2000 and 2005 and change in the distribution from 2000 t0 2005

Employment Second

 Industry distribution, quartile

2005 (median)

1 For reasons of confidentiality, the upper limit of earnings is not available

in public use files.

NOTE: Data may not sum to totals due to rounding.

First

quartile

Third

quartile

Highest

quartile

Industry Second

quartile

(median)

Change in

distribution,

2000–2005
Monthly Labor Review December 2006 31

Table 5. Change in wage and salary employment by occupation, sex, and earnings quartile, 2000 to 2005

[Numbers in thousands]

Change in First Third Highest

employment quartile quartile quartile

Men, total change ................................................................... 1,806 682 903 419 –201

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ....... 177 –16 43 189 –38

Management occupations .............................................................. 89 –19 12 140 –43

Business and financial operations occupations ............................ 87 3 31 51 4

Professional and related occupations ............................................... 431 82 110 93 145

Computer and mathematical occupations ...................................... –7 –20 –13 –25 53

Architecture and engineering occupations .................................... –250 0 –27 –44 –179

Life, physical, and social science occupations ............................ 75 –9 2 26 55

Community and social services occupations ................................ 61 16 22 22 2

Legal occupations .......................................................................... 14 –1 9 –6 11

Education, training, and library occupations ................................. 281 71 78 76 55

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ....... 27 17 5 8 –2

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ....................... 231 8 35 35 152

Service occupations .......................................................................... 728 408 174 84 62

Healthcare support occupations .................................................... 96 51 45 2 0

Protective service occupations ..................................................... 148 –22 42 43 85

Food preparation and serving related occupations ....................... 366 300 32 29 3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ..... 14 45 –10 –7 –13

Personal care and service occupations ........................................ 103 35 65 16 –13

Sales and office occupations ............................................................ 249 48 72 17 111

Sales and related occupations ...................................................... 335 20 74 44 196

Office and administrative support occupations ............................. –86 28 –2 –27 –86

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ..... 1,252 307 707 364 –128

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ................................... –113 –129 17 –4 3

Construction and extraction occupations ..................................... 1,068 379 568 204 –82

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ....................... 296 57 122 164 –47

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ......... –1,031 –147 –203 –328 –353

Production occupations ................................................................. –1,057 –128 –294 –324 –312

Transportation and material moving occupations .......................... 26 –19 91 –5 –42

Women, total change .............................................................. 1,995 269 43 531 1,152

Management, business, and financial operations occupations ....... 668 30 112 131 395

 Management occupations ............................................................ 335 9 44 26 256

 Business and financial operations occupations ......................... 333 21 68 105 138

Professional and related occupations ............................................... 1,419 231 69 475 645

 Computer and mathematical occupations ................................... –120 –6 –12 –62 –40

 Architecture and engineering occupations .................................. –30 –4 –4 –19 –4

 Life, physical, and social science occupations ......................... 119 22 5 34 59

 Community and social services occupations .............................. 130 42 –6 58 35

 Legal occupations ........................................................................ 107 7 –2 42 60

 Education, training, and library occupations .............................. 571 88 101 261 121

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations .... 46 43 –13 6 9

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations .................... 596 38 –2 155 404

Service occupations .......................................................................... 1,599 828 535 193 42

 Healthcare support occupations ................................................. 528 265 184 59 20

 Protective service occupations .................................................. 143 44 56 22 21

 Food preparation and serving related occupations .................... 428 287 92 48 3

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ... 160 113 59 –13 3

 Personal care and service occupations ..................................... 340 121 146 77 –5

Sales and office occupations ............................................................ –707 –489 –262 –43 87

 Sales and related occupations .................................................... 156 –36 48 36 107

 Office and administrative support occupations .......................... –863 –453 –310 –79 –20

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ..... 34 14 7 –12 25

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ................................ –10 –15 –1 5 1

 Construction and extraction occupations ................................... 38 22 15 0 0

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ..................... 6 7 –6 –18 23

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ......... –1,018 –345 –418 –213 –42

 Production occupations ............................................................... –999 –361 –390 –207 –42

 Transportation and material moving occupations ........................ –19 15 –28 –6 0

NOTE: Data may not sum to totals due to rounding.

in service-related occupations that paid below the overall

median wage as well; they also experienced substantial

employment declines in sales occupations and in production

occupations. Overall, job declines in production occupations

Second

quartile

(median)

Occupation
32 Monthly Labor Review December 2006

Employment Changes by Earnings

Table 6. Change in wage and salary employment by industry, sex, and earnings quartile, 2000 to 2005

(Numbers in thousands)

Change in First Third Highest

 employment quartile quartile quartile

Men, total change ...................................................... 1,804 683 903 422 –201

Agriculture and related industries .................................... –186 –148 –14 –10 –13

Mining ................................................................................ 136 3 31 32 72

Construction ...................................................................... 977 308 564 177 –72

Manufacturing ................................................................... –1,919 –135 –373 –595 –816

Durable goods manufacturing ....................................... –1,224 –36 –231 –391 –566

Nondurable goods manufacturing ................................. –695 –99 –141 –205 –250

Wholesale and retail trade ................................................ 804 93 184 253 274

Wholesale trade ............................................................ 356 –48 59 121 225

Retail trade .................................................................... 448 141 125 132 50

Transportation and utilities ............................................... –147 17 78 –17 –224

Transportation and warehousing ................................... –56 21 89 –20 –146

Utilities ........................................................................... –92 –4 –10 2 –79

Information ........................................................................ –384 –20 –59 –81 –224

Financial activities ............................................................ 397 19 61 102 216

Finance and insurance .................................................. 254 –4 43 70 146

Real estate and rental and leasing ............................... 143 23 18 32 69

Professional and business services ................................ 377 57 74 91 155

Professional and technical services ........................... 78 –13 –28 12 107

Management, administrative, and waste services ....... 300 70 101 79 48

Education and health services ......................................... 815 88 203 264 261

Educational services ..................................................... 386 41 96 165 83

Health care and social assistance ............................... 429 47 106 98 178

Hospitals .................................................................... 144 –19 48 27 88

Health services, except hospitals ............................ 231 30 51 64 86

Social assistance ...................................................... 54 35 8 6 5

Leisure and hospitality ..................................................... 487 392 14 50 31

Arts, entertainment, and recreation .............................. 93 51 23 17 2

Accommodation and food services .............................. 394 341 –10 33 28

Accommodations ....................................................... –9 3 –18 14 –8

Food services and drinking places ........................... 402 338 8 21 37

Other services .................................................................. 201 31 106 70 –7

Other services, except private households ................. 199 46 93 69 –8

Repair and maintenance ............................................ 111 22 88 13 –12

Personal and laundry services ................................. –12 –8 –1 –7 4

Membership associations and organizations ............ 99 31 6 62 1

Other services, private households ............................. 2 –14 13 1 0

Public administration ......................................................... 246 –22 35 87 145

Women, total change ................................................. 1,996 271 45 532 1,150

Agriculture and related industries .................................... –46 –18 –19 –8 –1

Mining ................................................................................ 17 –7 10 0 13

Construction ...................................................................... 99 36 25 22 16

Manufacturing ................................................................... –1,425 –339 –597 –375 –115

Durable goods manufacturing ....................................... -893 –181 –359 –287 –65

Nondurable goods manufacturing ................................. –532 –158 –238 –88 –49

Wholesale and retail trade ................................................ 301 –27 171 36 123

Wholesale trade ............................................................ –22 –52 3 –10 38

Retail trade .................................................................... 323 25 168 46 84

Transportation and utilities ............................................... –69 –46 17 –18 –21

Transportation and warehousing ................................... –47 –32 20 –15 –20

Utilities ........................................................................... –22 –13 –3 –3 –2

Information ........................................................................ –279 –25 –60 –122 –73

Financial activities ............................................................ 205 –68 –22 105 190

Finance and insurance .................................................. 70 –85 –30 73 112

Real estate and rental and leasing ............................... 135 17 8 32 78

Professional and business services ................................ 68 61 –122 29 101

Professional and technical services ........................... 48 7 –45 25 61

Management, administrative, and waste services ....... 20 54 –77 3 40

Education and health services ......................................... 2,149 301 424 672 753

Educational services ..................................................... 595 52 81 270 192

Health care and social assistance ............................... 1,554 250 342 401 560

Hospitals .................................................................... 414 6 4 118 285

 Second

 quartile

 (median)

 Industry

 See footnote at end of table.
Monthly Labor Review December 2006 33

Health services, except hospitals ............................ 1,015 261 300 218 235

Social assistance ...................................................... 126 –17 38 65 40

Leisure and hospitality ..................................................... 396 297 20 78 2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation .............................. 95 26 4 65 1

Accommodation and food services .............................. 301 271 15 12 2

Accommodations ....................................................... –20 28 –48 –3 3

Food services and drinking places ........................... 320 243 63 14 0

Other services .................................................................. 296 93 143 53 8

Other services, except private households ................. 208 45 96 57 12

Repair and maintenance ............................................ –11 –20 16 –4 –4

Personal and laundry services ................................. 128 65 48 30 –16

Membership associations and organizations ............ 92 –2 32 30 31

Other services, private households ............................. 87 48 47 –3 –4

Public administration ......................................................... 284 12 56 61 156

NOTE: Data may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Table 6. Continued—Change in wage and salary employment by industry, sex, and earnings quartile, 2000 to 2005

(Numbers in thousands)

Change in First Third Highest

 employment quartile quartile quartile

 Second

 quartile

 (median)

Industry

across all earnings quartiles were nearly equally split among

men and women (1.1 million and 1.0 million, respectively),

although a larger share of men’s employment losses occurred

at the higher end of the pay scale. (See table 5.)

By industry, employment in jobs that paid more than the

overall median wage increased substantially among women

in health care, educational services, and financial activities.

In contrast, employment declined among women in

manufacturing jobs across all earnings quartiles. Among men,

employment growth occurred above the median in wholesale

trade, financial activities, and, to a lesser extent, in educational

services and in health care and social assistance. However,

men incurred large employment declines in both manufacturing

and information industry jobs with wages that were greater than

the overall median wage. At the lower end of the pay scale (less

than the median), men’s employment increased in both

construction and in leisure and hospitality. (See table 6.)

IN SUM, THIS ANALYSIS PROVIDES another means by which to

 assess the quality of job growth. Employment by occupations

and industries for 2000 and 2005 was stratified by earnings

quartiles. Some of the more interesting findings indicated that

women disproportionately benefited from strong employment

growth in higher paying professional occupations and in

higher paying jobs within health care, educational services,

and financial activities. Employment declines in production

occupations and in the manufacturing and information sectors

were a drag on the labor market and were particularly acute

among men in job categories that paid more than the median

wage. Additionally, employment growth among men in

construction and extraction occupations, as well as in the

construction industry, proved to yield mostly lower paying

job opportunities. Lastly, much of the employment increase in

service occupations occurred at the lower end of the pay

scale. Overall, examination of employment changes in

occupations and industries by earnings quartiles offers

alternative and informative insights into distinguishing higher

paying “good” jobs from lower paying “bad” jobs. 

1

 The CPS is a nationwide sample survey of approximately 60,000

households conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S.

Census Bureau. Employment and earnings data analyzed in this article

are based on data collected from the outgoing rotation groups in the

CPS sample. Each month, the CPS is administered to the sample

households, divided into eight representative subsamples or rotation

groups. A given rotation group is interviewed for a total of 8 months,

divided into two equal periods. It is in the sample for 4 consecutive

months, leaves the sample during the following 8 months, and then

returns for another 4 consecutive months. In each monthly sample,

one of the eight rotation groups is in the first month of enumeration;

another rotation group is the second month, and so on.

Earnings data are collected from individuals whose households are

in the 4th or 8th month of enumeration, often referred to as the

Outgoing Rotation Groups or ORG files. Self-employed workers are

excluded, regardless of whether their businesses are incorporated. For

more information on the CPS, see Explanatory Notes and Estimates of

Error in the BLS monthly publication Employment and Earnings.

2

 Data represent earnings before taxes and other deductions and

include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually received (at

the main job in the case of multiple jobholders). Since January 1994,

respondents have been asked to identify the easiest way for them to

report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly,

annually, other) and how much they usually earn in the reported time

period. Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are converted

to a weekly equivalent. The term “usual” is as perceived by the

respondent. If the respondent asks for a definition of usual, interNotes
34 Monthly Labor Review December 2006

Employment Changes by Earnings

viewers are instructed to define the term as more than half the weeks

worked during the past 4 or 5 months.

3 The occupational and industry classifications presented in this

analysis are based on the 2002 Census Bureau classification systems

and are derived from, respectively, the 2000 Standard Occupational

Classification (SOC) system and the 2002 North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS). The occupational classification assigns

codes to individuals according to their usual activities or duties on their

job. The industry classification assigns codes to individuals according

to the type of business or industry in which they are employed.

4

 For more information on the distribution of employment by gender

and earnings quartile, see “Women Still Underrepresented Among

Highest Earners,” Issues in Labor Statistics, Summary 06–03 (Bureau

of Labor Statistics, March 2006).

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