U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OFFICE OF INFORMATION, WASHINGTON, 0. C. 20210 USDL - 10-952 Bureau of Labor Statistics (202) 961-2542 EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE ll:OOA.M . (EST) Friday, January 9, 1970 THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: DECEMBER 1969 Employment continued l;o show little growth in December, while the unemployment rate was unchanged from November at 3. 4 percent, the U. S. Department of Labor1 s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment was unchanged in December, continuing to reflect the slowdown in the pace of employment growth which has been evident since July. After allowance for strikes, payroll employment rose by only 37 5, 000 in the second half of 1969, compared with a 1. 5 million increase during the first half of the year; since October, payroll employment has been at a virtual standstill. The average workweek for rank-and-file workers and factory overtime both edged down in December and were also well below the levels of the first half of the year. Unemployment rates for most labor force groups in December remained at their November levels and were below" the rates of September and October. However, jobless rates for blue-collar workers, manufacturing workers, and the State insured unemployed have remained at or above their September and October levels. Industry Payroll Employment Total nonfarm payroll employment rose about in line with seasonal expectations in December to a total of 71.6 million; after seasonal adjustment, payroll employment was virtually unchanged. Modest employment gains in State and local government (40,000) and services (25,000) were offset by declines in trade (40,000), manufacturing (30,000), and construction (15,000). The decline in manufacturing employment in December was the fourth successive monthly decline, although the November drop reflected a major strike. The durable goods industries, particularly transportation equipment and primary metals, accounted for most of the over-the-month decrease. Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Transcript
U . S . D EP A R TM E N T OF LABOROFFICE OF I NFORMATI ON, WAS HI NGT ON, 0. C. 20210
USDL - 10-952Bureau of L abor S ta tistics(202) 961 -2542
EM B AR G O ED F O R R E LE A SE l l :O O A .M . (EST)F rid a y , January 9, 1970
THE E M P LO Y M E N T SITUATION: D E C E M B E R 1969
E m ploym en t continued l;o show little grow th in D e ce m b e r , w hile the unem ploym ent rate w as unchanged fro m N ovem ber at 3. 4 p e rce n t, the U. S. D epartm ent of L a b o r1 s Bureau of L a bor S ta tistics re p o rte d today.
N onfarm p a y ro ll em p loym en t was unchanged in D e ce m b e r , continuing to r e f le c t the slow dow n in the pace o f em p loym en t grow th w hich has been evident s ince July. A fter a llow an ce fo r s tr ik e s , p a y ro ll em p loym en t r o se by only 37 5, 000 in the secon d half o f 1969, com p a red w ith a 1. 5 m illio n in cre a s e during the f ir s t half of the y e a r ; s in ce O ctob er , p a y ro ll em ploym en t has been at a v irtu a l standstill. The a v era ge w orkw eek fo r ra n k -a n d -file w o rk e rs and fa c to ry overtim e both edged down in D e ce m b e r and w ere a lso w ell below the le v e ls of the f ir s t h alf of the y e a r .
U nem ploym ent ra tes fo r m o st la b or f o r c e grou p s in D e ce m b e r rem ain ed at th eir N ovem ber le v e ls and w ere below" the ra tes of S eptem ber and O cto b e r . H ow ever, jo b le s s ra tes fo r b lu e -c o lla r w o rk e r s , m anufacturing w o rk e r s , and the State in su red unem ployed have rem ain ed at or above their S eptem ber and O ctob er le v e ls .Industry P a y ro ll E m ploym en t
T ota l nonfarm p a y ro ll em p loym en t r o s e about in line with sea son a l exp ecta tion s in D e ce m b e r to a total o f 7 1 .6 m illio n ; a fter sea son a l ad justm ent, p a y ro ll em ploym ent was v irtu a lly unchanged. M od est em p loym en t ga ins in State and lo c a l governm ent (4 0 ,0 0 0 ) and s e r v ic e s (2 5 ,0 0 0 ) w ere o ffs e t by d e c lin e s in trade (4 0 ,0 0 0 ) , m anufacturing (3 0 ,0 0 0 ) , and co n s tru ctio n (1 5 ,0 0 0 ) .
The d eclin e in m anufacturing em ploym en t in D e ce m b e r w as the fourth s u c ce s s iv e m onthly d e c lin e , although the N ovem ber d rop re fle c te d a m a jo r s tr ik e . The durable good s in d u str ies , p a rticu la r ly tran sp orta tion equipm ent and p r im a ry m eta ls , a ccou n ted fo r m o st o f the o v e r -th e -m o n th d e c r e a s e .
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U nem ploym entThe num ber o f unem ployed p erso n s tota led 20 6 m illio n in D e ce m b e r .
A fte r season a l adjustm ent, unem ploym ent w as unchanged o v e r the m onth, a fter fa llin g substantia lly betw een O ctob er and N ovem b er.
The o v e ra ll unem ploym ent ra te , at 3 .4 p ercen t in D e ce m b e r , was unchanged fro m N ovem b er. R ates o f unem ploym ent fo r adult m en (2. 2 p e r c e n t ) , adult w om en (3 .4 p e r ce n t) , and teen a g ers (1 1 .9 p e rce n t) w ere a ll unchanged o v e r the m onth, as w ere ra tes fo r m o st other la b or fo r c e g rou p s . A m ong N e g ro e s , h ow ever , the jo b le s s rate fe l l fr o m 6. 2 to 50 5 p ercen t, w ith the im p rov em en t con cen tra ted am ong adult w om en . The rate fo r N egro w o rk e rs in D e ce m b e r w as the low est s in ce the K orean W ar p e r io d .
A fte r r is in g substantia lly in S eptem ber and rem ain ing high in O cto b e r , jo b le s s ra tes fo r m o st grou p s have retu rn ed to the le v e ls o f late su m m er. H ow ever, unem ploym ent ra tes fo r b lu e -c o l la r w o rk e rs (4 .3 p e r c e n t ) , m anufa ctu rin g w o rk e rs (3 .7 p e r c e n t ) , and the State in su red unem ployed (2 .4 p e r cen t) in D e ce m b e r rem ain ed as high or h igh er than they w ere in the S eptem - b e r -O c to b e r p e r io d .
O ver the y e a r , unem ploym ent has r is e n by 200, 000, and the jo b le s s rate has inched up fro m its p o s t -K o re a n low of 3. 3 p ercen t. D esp ite the sm a ll change in o v e r a ll unem ploym ent, the in c id en ce o f unem ploym ent w as som ew hat g re a te r am ong p r im a ry w o rk e rs this D e ce m b e r than la st . J o b le ss ra tes fo r adult m en, a ll fu ll-t im e w o rk e rs , the State in su red , and b lu e -c o lla r and m anufacturing w o rk e rs w ere a ll h igher than a yea r ago. On the other hand, ra tes fo r te e n a g e rs , w om en , and p a rt -t im e w o rk e rs w ere unchanged o r below those of la st y e a r .W orkw eek
A verage w eek ly h ou rs fo r a ll ra n k -a n d -file w o rk e rs on private nonfarm p a y ro lls r o se le s s than usual in D e ce m b e r . On a sea son a lly ad justed b a s is , the avera ge w ork w eek edged down 0.1 hour to 37. 5 h ou rs , as d e c lin e s in trade and fin an ce , in su ra n ce , and re a l estate o ffs e t sm a ll in c r e a s e s in other in d u str ies .
Since S eptem ber, the average w ork w eek has fa llen by 0. 3 hour, a fter rem ain ing at 37. 8 hours fo r the p rev iou s 7 m onths. A v era g e hours in D e ce m b e r w ere at th eir low est le v e l (excep t fo r F eb ru a ry 1969) s in ce the
s e r ie s began in 1964.
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In m anufacturing, the average w ork w eek r o s e by 0 .1 hour to 40. 6 hours (sea son a lly ad ju sted ) in D e ce m b e r . D esp ite this slight r is e , the fa c to ry w orkw eek rem ain ed low re la tiv e to m ost m onths in the f ir s t half o f 1969.
O vertim e h ou rs in m anufacturing inched down 0. 1 hour (sea son a lly ad ju sted ) to 3. 4 hours and have d eclin ed by 0. 3 hour since S ep tem ber. With the excep tion o f A p ril 1968, overtim e hours w ere at the low est le v e l in 2 y e a rs . A ll of the d eclin e in overtim e hours o c c u rr e d in the durable goods s e c to r ; s in ce Septem ber, overtim e in d u rab les has dropped by a fu ll half hour. E arn ings
At $3 . 11 in D e ce m b e r , a v era ge hou rly earn ings fo r produ ction and n on su p erv isory w o rk e rs on private p a y ro lls w ere down 1 cent o v e r the m onth. A season a l d ec lin e in trade w as re sp o n s ib le fo r the drop® O ver the y e a r , hou rly earn in gs w ere up 19 cen ts (6. 5 p e r ce n t ) .
A v erage w eek ly earn ings r o s e by 25 cen ts in D e ce m b e r , r e fle c t in g the sm a ll actual r is e in the w ork w eek . In cre a s e s in m in ing, con stru ction , and m anufacturing o ffs e t red u ced w eek ly earn in gs in trade and fin an ce , in su ra n ce , and re a l esta te . C om p a red with a yea r ago, avera ge w eek ly earn in gs w e re up by $ 6 0 87, or 60 2 p ercen t.L a bor F o r c e and T ota l E m ploym en t
The c iv ilia n la b or fo r c e w as 8 1 .4 m illio n in D e ce m b e r , 2 .3 m illio n m o re than a yea r ago. About half o f this in c re a s e o c c u rr e d am ong adult w om en , w hile adult m en and teen a g ers accounted fo r equal sh ares o f the re m a in d er .
T ota l n on agricu ltu ra l e m p lo y m e n t--in c lu d in g s e lf-e m p lo y e d , unpaid fa m ily , and private household w o r k e r s - -w a s 75. 8 m illion in D e ce m b e r , not s ign ifican tly d iffe ren t fro m N ovem ber a fter a llow ance fo r season a l ch an ges. N on agricu ltu ra l em ploym ent has shown m od era te grow th in the la st part o f 1969, a fter r is in g rap id ly e a r ly in the y e a r . A g r icu ltu ra l em ploym ent, at 3 .0 m illio n , w as a lso unchanged o v e r the m onth (after season al a d ju stm en t). C om p ared with D e ce m b e r 1968, a g ricu ltu ra l em ploym en t has d eclin ed by 3 0 0 ,00 0 .The Y ear in R ev iew
The N ation1 s em ploym ent situation in 1969 w as h ighlighted by strong em ploym ent ga ins w ith e sse n tia lly no change in unem ploym ent. F o r the year as a w hole , em ploym en t r o s e by 2 m illio n to 77. 9 m illio n , and the un em ploy-
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m ent rate inched down to 3. 5 p ercen t, a new p o s t -K o re a n W ar low .W ithin the co u rse of the y e a r , h ow ever , there w ere se v e ra l key la b or
fo r c e developm entSo D uring the f ir s t part o f 1969, em ploym en t r o s e at a v e ry rap id p ace , and unem ploym ent rem ain ed at o r near p o s t -K o re a n low s.By the end o f the y e a r , em p loym en t grow th had slow ed substantia lly , and jo b le s s n e s s w as s ligh tly above ea r ly 1969 le v e ls .
T ota l em ploym ent and la b or fo r c e . T ota l em ploym en t advanced to 77. 9 m illio n betw een 1968 and 1969. The 2 m illio n y e a r - t o -y e a r gain e x ceed ed the in c r e a s e s of the p rev iou s 2 y e a rs and was s im ila r to the e x tra o rd in a r ily rapid em ploym en t grow th ach ieved in 1965 and 1966. Adult w om en accou n ted fo r 1. 1 m illio n o f the 1969 in c r e a s e , adult m en 530, 000, and teen a g e rs 340, 000.
The advance in total em p loym en t o c c u r r e d en tire ly in the n on agricu ltu ra l s e c to r of. the econ om y , as nonfarm em p loym en t r o s e by 2. 2 m illio n to 74. 3 m illio n . E m ploym en t in a g r icu ltu re , a fter rem ain ing unchanged in 1968, continued its lo n g -te rm d ec lin e in 1969, reced in g by 210, 000 to 3. 6 m illio n .
The c iv ilia n labor fo r c e in c re a s e d by 2 m illio n over the yea r to 80. 7 m illio n , m arking the la rg e s t annual in c re a s e s ince 1947. The bulk o f the 1969 in cre a s e o c c u rr e d ea r ly in the y e a r , when tight la b or m ark et con d ition s and fa v o ra b le em ploym ent op p ortu n ities drew a la rge num ber o f new w o rk e rs into the la b or fo r c e . T h re e -fo u rth s of this advance took p lace am ong adult w om en and teen a g ers . The in cre a s e fo r adult m a le s rep re se n te d their sm a lle s t p rop ortion o f o v e r a ll labor fo r c e grow th since 1966 (when there w as a d eclin e in their c iv ilia n labor f o r c e ) .
U nem ploym ent. A bout 2. 8 m illio n p e rso n s w ere unem ployed in 1969, the sam e as in 1968. In both y e a rs , the total num ber o f unem ployed c o n s isted of ap p rox im ate ly 1 m illio n adult m en, 1 m illio n adult w om en, and 850, 000 teen a g ers . Of the total, slightly m o re than half had los t or le ft their p rev iou s jo b , a lso e sse n tia lly the sam e as in 1968.
The num ber o f p e rso n s unem ployed fo r 15 w eeks or lon ger fe ll by 35, 000 in 1969 to 375, 000. T h is was the eighth con secu tiv e year in w hich the num ber o f lo n g -te rm unem ployed had d eclin ed and was the low est annual le v e l r e c o rd e d since 1953. The average duration of jo b le s s n e s s fo r unem p loyed w o rk e rs dropped fro m 8. 5 to 7. 9 w eeks in 1969.
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The o v e ra ll unem ploym ent rate of 3e 5 p ercen t in 1969 w as v irtu a lly the sam e as the 3C 6 p e rce n t rate of 19680 R ates fo r m o st m a jo r groups in the la b or fo r c e a ls o exh ib ited little change betw een 1968 and 1969o U nem ploym ent ra tes edged down sligh tly fo r adult m en (from 2. 2 to 2. 1 p e r c e n t ) , teen a g ers (from 120 7 to 12 .2 p e r ce n t ) , and fo r m a r r ie d m en (from I. 6 to 1. 5 p e r c e n t ) . The jo b le s s rate fo r adult w om en , at 3 .7 p e r c e n t , w as v irtu a lly unchanged fro m 1968. The unem ploym ent rate fo r white w o rk e r s , at 3. 1 p ercen t, a lso was little changed fro m 1968, w hile the N egro rate of 6. 4 p ercen t w as a little low er than the 6. 7 p e rce n t figu re o f the p rev iou s y e a r .
Industry d eve lop m en ts . T ota l n on agricu ltu ra l p a y ro ll em p loym en t in c r e a s e d 2. 3 m illio n in 1969 and p a ssed the 70 m illio n m ark fo r the f ir s t tim e . C on sisten t w ith re ce n t tren d s, the vast m a jo r ity of new jo b grow th resu lted fr o m p ickups in the s e rv ic e -p r o d u c in g in d u str ie s . W ithin this s e c to r , the 1968-69 in c r e a s e w as con cen tra ted in trade (5 6 0 ,0 0 0 ), s e r v ic e s (5 1 0 ,0 0 0 ), and State and lo c a l govern m en t (3 6 0 ,0 0 0 ).
C on sid era b le em p loym en t grow th a lso o c c u r r e d in the g o o d s -p ro d u c in g in d u str ie s , in con tra st to the e x p e r ie n ce of re ce n t y e a rs . The num ber of w o rk e rs em p loyed in m anufacturing su rp a ssed the 20 m illio n m ark on an annual b a s is fo r the f i r s t tim e, but v irtu a lly a ll o f the y e a r 1 s advance took p la ce during the f ir s t q u a rter . T h re e -fo u rth s o f the gain was con cen tra ted in the durable good s in d u str ie s . The y e a r - t o -y e a r gain in co n stru ctio n w as a lso im p r e s s iv e , with 140, 000 new w o rk e rs added to p a y r o l l s - - a l l o f the in c re a s e o c c u r r e d in the f ir s t half o f the y e a r .
The average w ork w eek fo r a ll p rodu ction and other n on su p e rv iso ry w o rk e rs on private p a y ro lls d ec lin ed fo r the fourth con secu tiv e y e a r , edging down 0. 1 hour in 1969 to 3 7 .7 h ou rs . W orkw eek red u ction s in m anufacturing (0. 1 h ou r) and trade (0. 4 h ou r) o ffs e t lon ger avera ge hou rs in con stru ctio n (0. 6 h ou r) and m ining (0. 4 h o u r ).
G ro s s w eekly earn in gs fo r the N ation1 s ra n k -a n d -file w o rk e rs ro se to $114. 60 in 1969, a gain of $6. 90 (or 6. 4 p e rce n t) fro m 1968. The gain was due en tire ly to a 19 -cen t r is e (6. 7 p e rce n t) in average hourly ea rn in g s .
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Among the major industry divisions, the sharpest rise in gross weekly earnings--10. 1 percent--occurred in construction.
This re lease presents and analw.es statistics f rom two m ajor surveys . Data on labor force , total employment, and unemployment arc* de r ived f rom the* sample? surveys of households conducted and tabulated by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Statistics on industry employment, hours, and earnings are co l lec ted by State; agencies f rom payro l l r eco rds of em p loye rs and are tabulated by the; Bureau of Labor Statistics. A descr ipt ion of the; two surveys appears in the BLS publication Employment a nci Earn ings .
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Table A* Employment status o f the n on in stitu tion a l population 16 years and over, annual averages, 1967-69
(In thousands)
Employment status 1969 1968 1967 Change1968-69 1967-68
T otal labor f o r c e ........................... 84,239 82,272 80,793 1,967 1,479Armed forces 3,506 3,535 3,446 - 29 89C iv ilia n labor f o r c e . .................... 80,733 78,737 77,347 1,996 1,390
Employed••••••••••••••••••..• 77,902 75,920 74,372 1,982 1,548A g ricu ltu re ................................. 3,606 3,817 3,844 - 211 - 27N onagricultural in d u str ie s . 74,296 72,103 70,527 2,193 1,576
Unemployed.•••••••••••••••••• 2,831 2,817 2,975 14 - 158Unemployment rate ( p e r c e n t ) . . . . 3.5 3 .6 3.8 - 1 - .2Mot in labor f o r c e ........................... 53,602 53,291 52,527 311 764
Table B. Unemployed persons 16 years and over by duration o f unemployment, annual averages, 1967-69
1969 196 [ 1967Duration o f unemployment
Thousandso f
personsPercent
Thousandso f
personsPercent
Thousandso f
personsPercent
T o t a l . . ........... 2,831 100.0 2,817 100.0 2,975- 100.0
Less than 5 w eeks.. 1,629 57.5 1,594 56.6 1,635 54.95 to 14 weeks. . . . . . 827 29.2 810 28.8 893 30.015 weeks and o v e r .. 375 13.3 412 14.6 449 15.1
15 to 26 w eek s ... 27 weeks and
242 8.5 256 9.1 271 9.1
over. 133 4 .7 156 5.5 177 5.9
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Table C. Major unemployment in d ica to rs , annual averages, 1964-69 (Persons 16 years and o v e r --in percents)
S elected ca tegories 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964
T otal ( a l l c iv i l ia n w ork ers ).. 3 .5 3.6 3.8 3.8 4 .5 5.2
Men, 20 years and o v e r . . . . . . 2 .1 2.2 2.3 2.5 3.2 3.9Women, 20 years and o v e r . . . . 3.7 3 .8 4.2 3.8 4 .5 5.2Both sexes, 16-19 y e a r s . . . . . 12.2 12.7 12.9 12.7 14.8 16.2
Married men.•••••••.••••••«»•• 1.5 1.6 1.8 1.9 2 .4 2.8F u ll-tim e w orkers................... .. 3 .1 3 .1 3 .4 3 .4 4 .2 4 .9Part-tim e workers 6.2 6.5 6.9 6.2 6.7 7.3Unemployed 15 week and o v e r . . . .5 .5 .6 .7 1.0 1.3Labor force time l o s t . . . . . . . . . 3 .9 4 .0 4 .2 4 .2 5 .0 5.8
OCCUPATION
W h ite -co lla r w o r k e r s . . . ......... .. 2 .1 2.0 2.2 2.0 2.3 2 .6P rofess ion a l and m anagerial. 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.6C le r ic a l workers 3 .0 3 .0 3.1 2.9 3.3 3.7Sales workers................ «•.•••• 2.9 2.8 3.2 2.8 3 .4 3.5
B lu e -co lla r w o r k e r s . . . . . ........... 3.9 4 .1 4 .4 4 .2 5.3 6.3Craftsmen and f o r e m e n . . . . . . . 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.8 3 .6 4 .1Operatives • • ..............•••••.••• 4 .4 4 .5 5.0 4 .4 5.5 6.6Nonfarm la b o r e r s . . .••••••••• 6.7 7.2 7.6 7.4 8 .6 10.8
Service w ork ers....................... .. 4 .2 4 .4 4 .5 4 .6 5.3 6.0Farm w orkers.•••••••............•••• 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.2 2.6 3 .1
Durable goods••••••••••••••••• 11,881 11,624 11,439 257 185Ordnance . . . . • a * ......... ................. 328 342 317 - 13 24Lumber*............................................ 600 598 597 2 1Furniture ••••••••»........... .. 492 474 455 18 19Stone, c la y , and g l a s s . . . . . . 661 637 628 24 9Primary metal in d u s tr ie s . . . . 1,350 1,314 1,322 36 - 8Fabricated metal p r o d u cts ... 1,454 1,394 1,363 61 31M achinery.••••••••••............... 2,007 1,961 1,970 46 - 9E le c t r ic a l e q u ip m e n t . . . . . . . . 2,038 1,982 1,959 56 23Transportation equ ip m en t.... 2,036 2,028 1,949 8 80Instrum ents................••••••••• 470 460 451 10 9M iscellaneous manufacturing. 444 435 428 10 6
Nondurable g o o d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,240 8,144 8,008 96 136Food................•••••••••••••••• 1,792 1,781 1,786 11 - 6Tobacco......... .............................. 81 84 87 - 3 - 3T e x t ile s .......................................... 987 991 959 - 3 32A p p a re l..................... ................. 1,418 1,408 1,398 10 10Paper............ .. 716 693 679 24 13Printing and p u b l is h in g . . . . . 1,086 1,063 1,048 23 15Chem icals••••••••••••••••••• 1,049 1,026 1,001 23 25P etroleum .•••.•••••••••••••• 184 187 183 - 3 4Rubber ................................... ••••• 581 557 516 24 41Leather. • •••••............................ 345 356 351 - 10 5
Transportation and publicu t i l i t i e s ....................................... 4,449 4,313 4,261 136 52
Wholesale and r e t a i l t r a d e . . . . . . 14,644 14,081 13,606 563 475Finance, insurance, and
rea l e s t a t e . . . . . . . .................. .. 3,558 3,383 3,225 175 158S e r v ic e s ..................•••••••••••••• 11,102 10,592 10,099 510 493
Government......... •••••. ........................... 12,227 11,846 11,398 381 448Federal. 2,756 2,737 2,719 19 18State and l o c a l . . . . . ........................ 9,471 9,109 8,679 362 430
1/ Prelim inary.
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TabU A-1: Employment status off th# noninstitutional population by sox and ago
(In thousands)
Employment status, age, and sex D ec.1969
Nov.1969
D ec.1968
Seasonally adjustedDec.1969
Nov.1969
O ct.1969
S ept.1969
Aug.1969
Totol
Total labor f o r c e .......................................... ; • • 84,856 84,920 82,618 85,029 84,788 85 ,014 84,902 84,584Civilian labor force ............................................. 81 ,416 81,427 79,118 81 ,589 81,295 81 ,486 81,359 81,054
On part time for economic reasons............. 1 ,719 i 1,679 1,558 1,841 1,827 1,931 1,982 2 ,0 0 1Usually work full time............. .............. 986 -937 835 1,029 981 1 ,0 2 1 1,091 1,065Usually work part time ............................. 733 742 723 812 846 919 891 936
^Unemployment rate calculated as a percent of civilian labor force.^Insured unemployment under State programs—unemployment rate calculated as a percent of average covered employment.
^Man-hours lost by the unemployed and persons on part time for economic reasons as a percent of potentially available labor force man-hours.
^Unemployment by occupation includes all experienced unemployed persons, whereas that by industry covers only unemployed wage and salary workers.
^Includes mining, not shown separately.
Table A-4: Unemployed persons 16 years and over by duration off unemployment
(In thousands)
Duration of unemployment Dec.1969
Nov.1969
Dec.1968
Seasonally adjustedDec.1969
Nov.1969
Oct.1969
Sept.1969
Aug.1969
Less than 5 w eeks............................................... 1,373 1,555 1,303 1,436 1,564 1,857 1,818 1,6365. to 14 w eek s....................................................... 898 833 814 910 910 948 1,000 86115 weeks and o v e r ..................................... .. 357 322 301 382 384 370 389 382
15 to 26 weeks................................................. 244 198 164 262 244 240 233 24427 weeks and o v e r .......................................... 113 124 137 120 140 130 156 138
Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Tab le A - 5 : U n e m p l o y e d persons by reason for u n e m p lo y m e n t , sex, a g e , a n d color,
not seasonally a d ju s te d
Reason for unemployment
Totalunemployed
Male, 20 years and over
Female, 20 years and over
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
White N egro and other races
Dec.1969
D ec.1968
D ec.1969
Dec.1968
D ec.1969
D ec.1968
Dec.1969
D ec.1968
D ec.1969
D ec.1968
D ec.1969
D ec.1968
UNEMPLOYMENT LEVEL
Total unemployed, in thousands.................... 2 ,628 2,419 1,052 873 840 818 736 728 2 ,155 1,917 . 473 501Lost last j o b .................................................... 1 ,133 914 693 512 303 286 137 116 959 727 174 187Left last jo b .................................................... 378 339 150 129 138 132 90 78 323 269 56 70Reentered labor fo r c e .................................. 825 822 188 .211 354 360 283 251 640 652 185 170Never worked before..................................... 292 343 20 21 46 40 226 283 234 270 58 74
1 Unemployment rates are calculated as a percent o f the civilian labor force.
Tab le A - 6 : U n e m p lo y e d persons by age and sex
Age and sex
Thousands of persons Percent looking for
full-time work
Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates
D ec.1969
Nov.1969
Dec.1969
Nov.1969
O ct.1969
S ep t.1969
Aug.1969
D ec.1968D ec. 1969
Total, 16 years and o v e r ................................ 2 ,628 2 ,710 7 2 .5 3 .4 3 .4 3 .9 4 .0 3 .5 3 .3
16 to 19 years................................................. 736 807 4 4 .6 11.9 1 1 .6 13 .0 13 .2 12 .5 12 .716 and 17 y e a r s ........................................ 384 448 24 .2 13.9 14 .2 16 .8 16.7 16 .1 15 .018 and 19 y e a r s .................................. 351 360 67 .2 1 0 .1 9 .0 1 0 .6 1 0 .8 9 .9 10 .9
20 to 24 years....................... .. ...................... 496 531 8 1 .3 5 .6 5 .9 6 .5 6 .7 5 .4 5 .325 years and o v e r ......................................... 1 ,395 1,371 8 4 .2 2 .2 2 .2 2 .4 2 .5 2 .3 2 .0
25 to 54 years . . ............................. .. 1 ,085 1,096 8 6 .5 2 .2 2 .4 2 .4 2 .5 2 .4 2 .055 years and o v e r ...................................... 310 276 7 5 .8 2 .2 2 .0 2 .4 2 .3 2 .0 2 .1
Males, 16 years and o v e r ................................ 1 ,462 1,329 77 .2 2 .9 2 .9 3 .2 3 .2 2 .7 2 .6
16 to 19 years................................................. 410 420 4 3 .4 1 1 .1 11 .5 1 2 .2 1 2 .1 1 1 .1 1 1 .616 and 17 y e a r s ........................................ 216 238 25 .9 13 .2 1 4 .0 15 .1 1 5 .0 15 .7 1 4 .218 and 19 y e a r s ........................................ 194 181 62 .4 9 .3 8 . 6 1 0 .0 9 .6 7 .6 9 .5
20 to 24 years................................................. 275 259 82 .2 5 .2 5 .3 6 .5 6 .3 4 .5 4 .225 years and o v e r ........................................ 776 650 93 .4 1 .8 1 .8 1 .9 1 .9 1 ;7 1 .5
25 to 54 y e a r s ........................................... 559 479 97 .1 1 .6 1 .8 1 .8 1 .8 1 .7 1 .455 years and o v e r ...................................... 218 172 8 3 .5 2 .3 2 .0 2 .2 2 .0 2 .0 1 .9
Females, 16 years and o v e r .......................... 1 ,166 1 ,381 6 6 .6 4 .4 4 .3 5 .0 5 .3 4 .9 4 .5
16 to 19 years................................................. 325 388 4 6 .5 1 2 .8 1 1 .8 14 .0 14 .6 14 .1 14 .116 and 17 y e a r s ........................................ 168 209 21 .4 14 .9 14 .5 19 .0 19 .2 16 .7 16 .218 and 19 y e a r s ........................................ 157 179 72 .6 1 1 .1 9 .5 1 1 .2 1 2 .1 12 .3 1 2 .6
20 to 24 years................................................. 221 273 8 0 .1 6 .0 6 .6 6 .5 7 .1 6 .4 6 .525 years and o v e r ......................................... 619 721 72 .5 2 .9 3 .0 3 .4 3 .5 3 .3 2 .9
25 to 54 y e a r s ........................................... 526 617 75 .3 3 .3 3 .4 3 .6 3 .7 3 .6 3 .155 years and o v e r ..................................... 93 104 57 .0 2 .0 2 .0 2 .6 2 .7 2 .1 2 .4
Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table B-T: Employees on nonagricultural payrolls/ by industry
TRANSPO R TATIO N AND PUBLICU T IL IT IE S ................. ................... 4 ,5 0 2 4 ,5 1 0 4 , 502 4 ,3 7 0 - 8 132 4 , 493 4 ,4 8 8 4 ,4 8 0 5
WHOLESALE AND R E TA IL TR A D E 1 5 ,6 5 5 1 5 ,0 7 7 1 4 ,8 4 7 15,113 5 7 8 542 1 4 ,7 8 5 1 4 ,8 2 3 1 4 ,8 0 9 - 3 8 "
W H O L E S A L E T R A D E ........................ 3 ,8 7 5 3 ,8 5 1 3 ,8 3 4 3 ,7 1 5 24 160 3 ,8 3 7 3 ,8 1 7 3 ,8 0 7 2 0R E T A I L T R A D E .............. 1 1 ,7 8 0 1 1 ,2 2 6 1 1 ,0 1 3 11,398 5 5 4 382 1 0 ,9 4 8 1 1 , 0 Q6 1 1 , 0 0 2 - 5 8
FINANCE, INSURANCE, ANDR EAL E S T A T E ................................. 3 ,6 0 1 3 ,5 9 6 3 ,5 9 1 3 ,4 4 9 5 152 3 ,6 1 5 3 ,6 1 0 3 ,5 9 5 5
S E R V IC E S ...................... .................. 1 1 , 2 2 0 L I ,231 1 1 ,2 5 5 1 0 ,773 - 1 1 4 4 7 1 1 ,2 8 8 1 1 ,2 6 5 4 1 ,2 4 4 23-*
D U R A B L E G O O D S ........................................... 4 1 .6 4 1 . 2 41 .„4 4 1 .7 . 4 - . 1 4 1 . 2 4 1 . 1 4 1 . 2 . 1Overtime h o u r s .............................. 3 .6 3 .7 3 . 9 4 . 1 - . 1 - . 5 3 . 4 . 3 . 5 3 . 7 - . 1
N O N D U R A B L E G O O D S ................................. 4 0 . 0 .3 9 . 7 3 9 .7 4 0 . 1 . 3 - . 1 3 9 .8 3 9 .5 3 9 .5 . 3Overtime hours................................. 3 . 4 3 . 4 3 .5 3 .5 0 - . 1 3 . 3 3 .3 3 . 3 0
WHOLESALE AND R E TA IL TR A DE 3 5 .6 3 5 .2 35. 3 3 5 .9 . 4 - . 3 3 5 .4 3 5 .5 3 5 .5 - . 1W H O L E S A L E T R A D E ................. 4 0 .5 4 0 . 2 4 0 . 3 4 0 . 3 . 3 . 2 4 0 . 3 4 0 . 2 4 0 . 3 . 1R E T A I L T R A D E .................................
E S T A T E .............................................. 3 7 . 0 3 7 . 2 37 . 1 3 7 . 1 - . 2 - . 1 3 6 .9 3 7 .2 3 7 . 1 - . 3lData relate to production workea in mining and manufacturing: to construction workea in contract conatructiom and to vamapwriaaff work*a in wholesale and retail
trade} finance, imurance, and real estate} tramportation and public utilities; and services. These groups account for approximatelyr four-fifths of the total employment on . private nonagricultural payrolls. Transportation and public utilities, and services are included in Total Private but are not shown separately in this table.
NOTE: Data for the 2 most recent months are preliminary.
Table B-3: Average hourly and weekly earn ings of production or nonsupervisory w orkers1̂
on private nonagricultural payrolls, by industryAverage hoiniy earnings Average weekly earnings
Industry Dec.1969
Nov.1969
Oct.1969
Dec.1968
Change fromDec.1969
Nov.1969
Oct.1969
Dec.1968
Change fromNov.1969
Dec.1968
Nov.1969
D e c .1968
TO TA L P RIV A TE ....................... $3. 11 $3. 12 $3. 11 $2.92 $ -0. 01 $0. 19 $117.25 $117. 00 $117.25 $110.38 $0. 25 $6.87M IN IN G ........... .......................... ......... 3.70 3.69 3.68 3.49 . 01 .21 161.32 158.67 159.71 151. 12 2.65 10.20C O N TR A C T C O N S T R U C T IO N ____ 4.99 4. 95 4. 95 4.55 .04 .44 188.12 183.65 190. 08 168.81 4.47 19.31M AN U FA CTU R IN G .............................. 3.28 3. 26 3. 24 3. 11 . 02 . 17 134.15 132.36 131.87 127.82 1.79 6.33D U R A B L E G O O D S ........................................... 3.48 3.45 3.44 3. 30 .’03 .18 144.77 142.' 14 142,42 137.61 2.63 7. 16
N O N D U R A B L E G O O D S ................................. 2.99 2.97 2. 96 2.82 . 02 . 17 119.60 117. 9 r 117.51 113. 08 1.69 6.52Food and kindred psoducts.............. 3. 04 3. 00 2. 97 2.87 . 04 . 17 124. 03 122.70 120.88 117.96 1.33 6.07Tobacco manufactures...................... 2.69 2. 64 2.52 2.55 .05 . 14 100.61 98.74 96.77 96. 14 1.87 4.47Textile mill products.......................... 2.42 2.42 2.41 2.28 0 . 14 100.19 99.46 98.57 94.85 .73 5.34Apparel and other textile products. . 2.35 2. 35 2. 34 2. 26 0 . 09' 84.84 84. 13 83.77 81. 36 .71 3.48Paper and allied products................ 3. 32 3. 32 3. 31 3. 14 0 . 18 143. 09 142.76 142.33 136.90 .33 6.19Printing and publishing...................... 3.81 3. 78 3. 77 3.59 ..03 .22 149.35 144.77 144.77 139.65 4.58 9.70Chemicals and allied products . . . . 3. 58 3.55 3.54 3. 36 .03 .22 150.72 148.75 147.62 141.46 1.97 9.26Petroleum and coal products........... 4.04 4. 08 4. 06 3.79 -.04 .25 170.89 174.22 173.36 159.56 - 3.33 11.33Rubber and plastics products, n e c. 3. 14 3. 13 3. 13 3. 01 . 01 . 13 130. 31 128.64 129.27 126. 12 1.67 4. 19Leather and leather products........... 2.43 2.43 2.40 2. 30 0 . 13 92.58 90.88 88.80 . 88.32 1.70 4.26
WHOLESALE AND R E TA IL TR ADE 2.60 2. 63 2. 61 2.45 - . 03 . 15 92.56 TZ.'SS 92. 13 87.96 - . 02 4.60W H O L E S A L E T R A D E ........................... 3.34 3. 33 3.29 3. 12 . 01 . 22 135.27 133.87 132. 59 125.74 1.40 9.53R E T A I L T R A D E ...................................... 2. 33 2. 36 2. 35 2. 21 - . 03 . 12 79.69 79.30 79. 20 76.47 • 39 3.22
FINANCE, INSURANCE, AND R EAL E S TA TE ........................................... 2. 97 2.98 2. 94 2. 83 -.01 . 14 109.89 110.86 109.07 104.99 - . 9 7 ' 4 . 90...
l See footnote 1, table B-2.NOTE: Data for the 2 most recent months are preliminary.
Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
