September 2013 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.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 148,000 in September, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in construction, wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing.

Household Survey Data

The unemployment rate, at 7.2 percent, changed little in September but has declined by 0.4 percentage point since June. The number of unemployed persons, at 11.3 million, was also little changed over the month; however, unemployment has decreased by 522,000 since June. (See table A-1.)

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (7.1 percent), adult women (6.2 percent), teenagers (21.4 percent), whites (6.3 percent), blacks (12.9 percent), and Hispanics (9.0 percent) showed little or no change in September. The jobless rate for Asians was 5.3 percent (not seasonally adjusted), little changed from a year earlier. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

In September, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 4.1 million. These individuals accounted for 36.9 percent of the unemployed. The number of long-term unemployed has declined by 725,000 over the past year. (See table A-12.)

Both the civilian labor force participation rate, at 63.2 percent, and the employment- population ratio at 58.6 percent, were unchanged in September. Over the year, the labor force participation rate has declined by 0.4 percentage point, while the employment- population ratio has changed little. (See table A-1.)

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was unchanged at 7.9 million in September. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.)

In September, 2.3 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, down from 2.5 million a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. (See table A-16.)

Among the marginally attached, there were 852,000 discouraged workers in September, essentially unchanged from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.5 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in September had not searched for work for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities. (See table A-16.)

Establishment Survey Data

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 148,000 in September, with gains in construction, wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing. Over the prior 12 months, employment growth averaged 185,000 per month. (See table B-1.)

Employment in construction rose by 20,000 in September, after showing little change over the prior 6 months.

Employment in wholesale trade rose by 16,000 in September. Over the prior 12 months, this industry added an average of 7,000 jobs per month.

Transportation and warehousing added 23,000 jobs in September. Most of the increase occurred in transit and ground passenger transportation (+18,000).

In September, employment in professional and business services continued to expand (+32,000). Over the prior 12 months, employment growth in this industry averaged 52,000 per month. Employment in temporary help services continued to trend up in September (+20,000).

Within retail trade, job gains occurred in building material and garden supply stores (+5,000) and in automobile dealers (+4,000). In the financial activities industry, employment in credit intermediation and related activities declined by 8,000 in September.

Employment in health care changed little (+7,000) in September. Thus far in 2013, health care has added an average of 19,000 jobs per month, compared with an average monthly increase of 27,000 in 2012.

Within leisure and hospitality, employment in food services and drinking places was essentially unchanged over the month (-7,000). Job growth in this industry averaged 28,000 per month over the prior 12 months.

Employment in other major industries, including mining and logging, manufacturing, information, and government, showed little change in September.

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged in September at 34.5 hours. In manufacturing, the workweek was 40.8 hours, the same as in August, and overtime was unchanged at 3.4 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 33.7 hours. (See tables B-2 and B-7.)

In September, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 3 cents to $24.09. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 49 cents, or 2.1 percent. In September, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 4 cents to $20.24. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for July was revised from +104,000 to +89,000, and the change for August was revised from +169,000 to +193,000. With these revisions, employment gains in July and August combined were 9,000 more than previously reported.