Workforce Information for the 21st Century: You Can Count on the Bureau of Labor Statistics

1
Workforce Information for the 21st Century You
Can Count on the Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Paul LaPorte
• October 13, 2006

2
Agenda

• About the Bureau
• Economics 101
• Web site
• How to use BLS data like a pro
• Program overviews
• Data retrieval
• Uses

3
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

• Agency of the U.S. Department of Labor
• In existence since 1884
• Principal Fact Finder
• Not a regulatory agency

4
Major Economic Indicators

• Unemployment Rate
• Non Farm Payroll
• Inflation
• Retail price (Consumer Price Index)
• Producer level (Producer Price Index)
• Import/Export
• Labor costs (Employment Cost Index)

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Other Series

• Local area employment unemployment
• Workplace injuries, illnesses, fatalities
• Household expenditures
• Wages by occupation
• Employment by occupation
• Employment projections
• Productivity
• International comparisons

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BLS Program Offices

• Employment and Unemployment Statistics
• Prices and Living Conditions
• Compensation and Working Conditions
• Productivity and Technology
• Employment Projections

Postal Square Building
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BLS Regional Offices
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Role of the BLS Regional Offices and area offices

• Collect data
• Businesses
• Households
• Work with State Workforce Agencies
• Federal/State Cooperative Programs
• Analyze local labor conditions

9
The BLS Web site

• www.bls.gov

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BLS Web site provides

• National and regional news releases
• Detailed data series retrieval
• Program overviews
• Publications
• Headaches ?

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Economics 101

• Standard Occupational Classification Code System
  (SOC)
  
• North American Industry Classification Code
  System (NAICS)
  
• Unemployment Insurance File (UI)
• Seasonal Adjustment

12
The 2000 Standard Occupational Classification
(SOC) system

• classify workers into occupational categories
• workers are classified into one of over 820
  occupations
  
• occupations are combined to form
• 23 major groups
• 96 minor groups
• 449 broad occupations. Each broad occupation
  includes detailed occupation(s) requiring similar
  job duties, skills, education, or experience.

13
The 2000 Standard Occupational Classification
(SOC) system

• Major Group 29 Healthcare Practitioners and
  Technical Occupations
  
• Minor Group 29-1 Health Diagnosing and Treating
  Practitioners
  
• Broad Occupation 29-102 Dentists, Orthodontists
  and Oral Surgeon
  
• Unique Occupation 29-1021 Dentist, General

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North American Industry Classification Code
System (NAICS)

• The standard for use by Federal statistical
  agencies in classifying business establishments
  
• An establishments primary economic activity
  determines the specific code assignment
  
• USES
• Collection, analysis, and publication of
  statistical data related to the business economy
  

15
North American Industry Classification Code
System (NAICS)
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Unemployment Insurance File (UI)

• Employers subject to State and Federal
  unemployment insurance (UI) laws must report
  employment and wage data to their State Workforce
  Agency
• 8.6 million employers
• 132.9 million full part-time workers
• 96.6 percent of civilian wage and salary
  employment
  

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Seasonal Adjustment (SA)

• Seasonal adjustment smooths out economic series
  that undergo sharp annual fluctuations due to
  
• weather
• reduced or expanded production
• harvests
• major holidays
• opening and closing of schools

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Wage Statistics
I surrender!! Where can I find
data on wages and benefitsFAST?
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Bureau of Labor Statistics
Cmon, show me the money!
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?
Im reviewing my companies salary structure, what
does the BLS provide pertaining to pay by
occupation for workers in the State of Wisconsin
or metro areas within? How easy is it to obtain
the data from the BLS web site?
21
?
I was also wondering how my pay stacks up against
others in my field. Can we look at pay for my
occupation in other met areas? How about versus
the U.S., States, or in the industry I work in?
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Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (OES)

• Fed/State cooperative program
• Pay for 22 groups and up to 801 detailed jobs
• Over 300 metropolitan areas, states, nation
• Wage data collected for 12 intervals
• Under 6.75, 8.50-10.74,70 and over

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Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (OES)

• Covers all industries and occupations except
  military
  
• Excluded workers
• self-employed
• owners/partners of unincorporated firms
• unpaid family worker

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Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (OES)
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Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (OES)

• Available data
• National Cross-Industry
• Occupational Profiles
• State Cross-Industry
• Metropolitan Area Cross-Industry
• National sector, 3, 4, and 5-digit NAICS
  Industry-Specific

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Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (OES)
Pay in Madison, WI, May 2005
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Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (OES)
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Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (OES)
29
?
Do you have anything covering full-time and
part-time, or union/non-union/ jobs? How about by
experience, I will need to fill entry level
positions as well as those where experience is
required?
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National Compensation Survey (NCS)

• Occupational earnings
• Benefit availability and provisions
• Compensation Cost Levels
• Employment Cost Index (ECI)
• Compensation Cost Trends
• Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC)

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NCS collection process

• Establishments identified
• Economist sets up appointment
• List of establishments jobs obtained
• Jobs randomly selected

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Information collected

• Job classification (legal, health care, sales)
• Leveling
• Knowledge
• Complexity
• Contacts
• Physical environment
• Full/part-time
• Union/nonunion
• Private industry
• State and local government

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Information collected

• Wages
• Straight-time hourly wage (or converted to)
• Benefits
• Vacations-Holidays
• Sick Leave
• Premium pay-Shift differentials
• Insurance (health, life, short/long term)
• Legally required

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Final Products

• Information collected is the source for
• Occupational pay reports
• Employee Benefits Survey (EBS)
• Employment Cost Index (ECI)
• Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC)

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Occupational Pay (NCS)

• Over 100 metropolitan areas covered
• Detailed occupation
• Level of difficulty
• Private Industry/State local government
• Full/Part-time
• Union/Nonunion

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Occupational Pay (NCS)
Administrative support occupations, Milwaukee,
WI, September 2005
National Compensation Survey, Milwaukee, WI,
September 2005
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Occupational Pay (NCS)
Mean hourly earnings, occupational group,
selected characteristics, Milwaukee, WI,
September 2005
National Compensation Survey, Milwaukee, WI,
September 2005
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?
I wonder how my companys total compensation
costs compare to others. Do you have anything
that breaks out compensation costs--how much goes
toward pay and benefits?
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Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC)

• Measures the average cost per employee hour
  worked that employers pay for wages and salaries
  and benefits
  
• Actual cost levels, not an index
• Quarterly publication
• Product of the National Compensation Survey

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Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC)

• Available series
• Private Industry/State local government
• Industry/Occupational Group
• Full/Part-time
• Union/Nonunion
• Size of establishment
• Region and Census Division

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Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC)
Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private
industry, March 2006
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Benefit costs and percent of total compensation,
U.S. and E. North Central Region
Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private
industry, March 2006
43
?
OK, so you have costs for employee benefits from
an employers stand point, do you have anything
that shows how much an employee kicks in for
health insurance? How many were offered a
retirement package? How many vacation days they
get?
44
Healthcare benefits
Percentage of workers with access to and
participation in selected healthcare benefits,
Private industry, March 2005
Employee Benefits Survey
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Health Insurance
Average employee flat monthly contribution for
health benefits and percent of total premium paid
by employee, U.S., Private industry, March 2005
Employee Benefits Survey
46
Retirement and Savings
Percentage of workers with access to and
participation in retirement and savings plans,
Private industry, March 2005
Employee Benefits Survey
47
Other benefits
Percentage of workers with access to selected
leave benefits, Private industry, March 2005
Employee Benefits Survey
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Paid vacations
Average number of paid vacation days by minimum
length of service, Private industry, March 2005
Employee Benefits Survey
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Wage Adjustments
I want a pay raise!!
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Wage Adjustments
Did you say you wanted a pay raise???
YOURE FIRED!!!
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Adjusting wages

• Employment Cost Index (ECI)
• Consumer Price Index (CPI)

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Employment Cost Index (ECI)

• Quarterly indexes measuring change over time in
  labor costs
  
• Tracks total compensation costs
• Tracks wages and salaries
• Tracks employer costs for employee benefits
• Answers the questions
• How much have wages gone up?
• How much have the cost of benefits gone up?

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(ECI) data series

• Occupational group
• Industry group
• Union/Nonunion
• Census region and division

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(ECI) data series
Percent change in wages and salaries for the
12-month period ending in June, 2001-06, private
industry and State local government, U.S.
average
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Consumer Price Index (CPI)

• Measures the average change in price over time of
  a market basket of consumer goods and services
  
• Tracks the prices of goods and services you and I
  buy
  
• Referred to as the inflation rate or the cost
  of living index

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CPI market basket

• The CPI is based on prices paid for
• food
• clothing
• shelter
• fuels
• transportation fares
• charges for physician and dental services
• other goods and services purchased for every day
  living
  

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What product? What store? What brand? How
collected?

• Market basket determined by Consumer Expenditure
  Survey
  
• Retail establishments identified by Point of
  Purchase Survey
  
• Specific items identified by disaggregation
• Prices of goods and services are obtained by
  personal visit or phone calls by Bureau
  representatives
  

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Where? How many?

• Prices are collected in 87 areas across the
  country
  
• 23,000 retail establishments
• department stores
• supermarkets
• hospitals
• gas stations
• 50,000 housing units

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Consumer Price Index

• The index measures price change from a designated
  reference date
  
• The current reference base period is
  1982-84100
  
• An increase of 25.5 is shown as 125.5
• This change can also be expressed in dollars
• The cost of a basket of goods has risen from 10
  in 1982-84 to 12.55.

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Published indexes

• Published Indexes Include
• U.S. City Average
• Size of city
• Region of the country
• cross classifications of regions and size
  classes
  
• 26 local areas

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Two Population groups

• CPIs are published for two population groups
• Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)
• tracks price movement of goods and services
  purchased by households consisting of blue-collar
  and clerical workers (32 of the population)
  
• All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
• includes in addition to wage earners and clerical
  workers, professional , managerial, technical,
  self-employed, unemployed and retirees (87 of
  the population)

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Using the CPI

• Economic indicator
• As a deflator of other economic series
• As a means of adjusting dollar amounts

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Uses continued

• The CPI effects the income of
• Social Security Beneficiaries
• food stamp recipients
• retired military and Federal retirees
• Other Major uses of the CPI
• Rental agreements
• Adjust child support
• Wage and salary adjustments

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Uses continued

• The example below illustrates the computation of
  index points and percent changes
  
• Index Point Change
• Index number 176.6Less index number for
  previous period -174.1Equals index point
  change 2.5 points
  
• Percent Change
• Index point difference 2.5/
• Divided by previous index 174.1
• Equals 0.014
• Results multiplied by 100 0.014 x 100
• Equals percent change 1.4 percent

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Projections

• Every 2 years the BLS produces employment
  projections
  
• Employment by Occupation
• Employment by Industry
• Labor Force
• Age
• Race
• Gender

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Labor force participation rates for men and women
have converged
Percent
Men
Total
Women
67
Labor force participation of women continues to
increase
76.4
Percent
53.6
Women
Men
68
Number of live births, 1920-2004
Millions of births
Baby boomers
69
Workers 55 and older have a growing share of the
labor force
Percent distribution
70
Labor force growth rates of minorities outpace
whites
Percent change, 2004-14
71
The 10 detailed industries with the
fastest-growing wage and salary employment,
projected 2004-14
Percent change
79
72
The 10 detailed industries with the largest wage
and salary employment growth, projected 2004-14
Employment change in thousands, projected 2004-14
Employment services
1,580
Local government educational services
Local government, excluding education and
hospitals
Offices of physicians
Full-service restaurants
General medical and surgical hospitals, private
Limited-service eating places
Home health care services
Colleges, universities, and professional schools,
private
Management, scientific, technical consulting
services
73
The industries with the most projected job losses
Employment change in thousands, projected 2004-14
Wired telecommunications carriers
Cut and sew apparel manufacturing
Printing and related support activities
Fabric mills
Semiconductor other electronic component mfg
Crop production, primary job
Basic chemical manufacturing
Rubber product manufacturing
Foundries
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing
74
Seven of the ten fastest growing detailed
occupations are health related, three are
computer related
Percent change, projected 2004-14
Home health aides
56
Network systems and data communications analysts
Medical assistants
Physician assistants
Computer software engineers, applications
Physical therapist assistants
Dental hygienists
Computer software engineers, systems software
Dental assistants
Personal and home care aides
75
21 detailed occupations are growing by more than
200,000 jobs
Employment change in thousands, projected 2004-14
Retail salespersons
Registered nurses
Customer service representatives
Janitors and cleaners
Waiters and waitresses
Food preparation/ serving workers
Home health aides
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21 occupations are growing by more than 200,000
jobs (continued)
Employment change in thousands, projected 2004-14
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants
General and operations managers
Personal and home care aides
Elementary school teachers, excluding special
education
Accountants and auditors
Office clerks, general
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers,
hand
77
21 occupations are growing by more than 200,000
jobs (continued)
Employment change in thousands, projected 2004-14
246
Receptionists and information clerks
Business operations specialists, all other
Landscaping and grounds keeping
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor trailer
Computer software engineers, applications
Maintenance and repair workers, general
Medical assistants
78
Occupational employment declines often stem from
technological change
Numerical change in thousands, projected 2004-14
Farmers and ranchers
-155
Stock clerks and order fillers
-115
Sewing machine operators
File clerks
Order clerks
Mail clerks and mail machine operators except
postal service
Computer operators
Secretaries except legal, medical, and executive
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters,
operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Telemarketers
79
Education and training pay
Unemployment rate in 2004
Median weekly earnings in 2004
1.9
Doctoral degree
1.7
Professional degree
2.5
Masters degree
3.1
Bachelors degree
3.9
Associate degree
5.3
Some college, no degree
6.1
High school graduate
13.2
Some high school, no diploma
80
Thank You
www.bls.gov