November 2000 Employment Situation

Historical release narrative reproduced from the official public-domain source. Statistical tables, standard technical appendices, administrative material and attendance rosters are omitted; formatting is adapted for reading. Figures retain the release's historical context and may have been revised. Consult the linked source for the complete document.

Payroll employment increased by 94,000 in November, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 4.0 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Employment rose by 148,000 in the private sector, with gains in the service-producing industries. Employment was little changed in the goods-producing industries and declined in government. Average hourly earnings increased by 6 cents.

Unemployment (Household Survey Data)

Both the number of unemployed persons (5.7 million) and the unemployment rate (4.0 percent) were essentially unchanged in November. The jobless rate has remained within the 3.9- to 4.1-percent range since October 1999. Unemployment rates for most of the major worker groups--adult men (3.5 percent), adult women (3.4 percent), teenagers (13.1 percent), whites (3.5 percent), and blacks (7.4 percent)--showed little change over the month. The rate for Hispanics rose to 6.1 percent. (See tables A-1 and A-2.)

Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)

The civilian labor force was little changed in November at 141.1 million, and the labor force participation rate was unchanged at 67.0 percent. Total employment, at 135.4 million, and the employment-population ratio, at 64.3 percent, were essentially unchanged. (See table A-1.)

The number of persons working part time for economic reasons increased by 277,000 to 3.5 million. These people indicated that they would like to work full time, but worked part time because their hours had been cut back or they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-4.)

About 7.5 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one job in November. These multiple jobholders represented 5.5 percent of total employment, compared with 6.0 percent a year earlier. (See table A-10.)

Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)

About 1.1 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally attached to the labor force in November. These people wanted and were available to work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed, however, because they had not actively searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged workers was 234,000 in November. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, were not currently looking for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for them. (See table A-10.)

Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 94,000 to 131.9 million in November, seasonally adjusted. Private-sector employment grew by 148,000, after rising by only 74,000 in October. Employment growth was generally stronger in the first half of 2000 than in the last 5 months. All of the November private-sector gain occurred among service-producing industries. Government employment declined by 54,000, with decreases occurring primarily at the federal and local levels. (See table B-1.)

In the service-producing sector, services industry employment increased by 65,000 in November, following no growth in October. Hospitals added 15,000 jobs in November, compared with average growth of only 3,000 for the prior 12 months. Computer and data processing services gained 11,000 jobs, the second consecutive month of larger-than-average gains, while engineering and management services added 12,000 jobs. In contrast, amusement and recreation services employment fell by 15,000. Employment declined in help supply services for the second month in a row. This industry, which had added 316,000 jobs in the 12 months ending in April of this year, has lost 71,000 since then.

Retail trade added 46,000 jobs in November. Department stores gained 38,000 jobs, compared with an average monthly loss of 3,000 over the first 10 months of this year. Employment in eating and drinking places grew by 17,000 after three consecutive monthly losses. The number of jobs in miscellaneous retail establishments (such as drug, jewelry, and toy stores) decreased by 14,000, seasonally adjusted, in November.

Wholesale trade employment rose by 14,000 in November, the second consecutive month of above-average growth. Nearly all of the job gains were in nondurable goods distribution.

Transportation and public utilities added 16,000 jobs in November, about in line with its monthly average for the first 10 months of the year. Air transportation (10,000) and communications (6,000) showed strength for the second consecutive month.

Finance, insurance, and real estate employment increased by 11,000 in November. This industry has had four consecutive monthly gains following declines earlier in the year. The largest employment gains occurred among insurance carriers, where employment had been in a declining trend since June 1999.

Real estate continued to add jobs. Employment in security brokerages was little changed; this industry had added jobs in every month since early last year.

Government employment fell by 54,000 in November. Both state and local education agencies showed job declines in November after seasonal adjustment. Local government education employment is 8,000 below the level at the close of the prior school year in May. Employment in local government agencies besides education declined by 18,000 over the month. Federal government employment fell by 13,000 in November, after seasonal adjustment, largely due to weak seasonal hiring of postal workers.

In the goods-producing sector, employment in manufacturing was about unchanged for the second month in a row, following 2 months of large losses. In November, job gains in durable goods were offset by losses in nondurable goods. Within durables, electronic components added 8,000 jobs, raising the gain so far this year to 54,000. Industrial machinery (6,000) and instruments and related products (4,000) also added jobs. In nondurables, textiles and apparel continued their long downward trends, and rubber and plastics lost 4,000 jobs.

Construction employment was about unchanged in November, following 2 months of job gains. Unusually cold November weather curtailed outdoor work activities, particularly heavy construction, which lost 7,000 jobs. Elsewhere in the goods-producing sector, the oil and gas industry continued to add jobs.

Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data)

The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls edged down by 0.1 hour in November to 34.3 hours, seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing workweek declined by 0.3 hour to 41.1 hours, following an increase of 0.1 hour in October. In November, manufacturing overtime declined by 0.2 hour to 4.3 hours. (See table B-2.)

The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls declined by 0.1 percent to 151.6 (1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index fell by 0.7 percent to 104.3. (See table B-5.)

Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data)

Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 6 cents in November to $13.94, seasonally adjusted. Over the month, average weekly earnings increased by 0.1 percent to $478.14. Over the year, average hourly earnings rose by 4.0 percent and average weekly earnings grew by 3.3 percent. (See table B-3.)

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