Regional Labor Force Trends in New York State

From Program on Applied Demographics at Cornell University, prepared by Elizabeth (Jade) Womak, Research Support Specialist

The objective of this white paper is to expand on the September 2017 “Labor Force Trends in New York State” report authored by the Office of the New York State Comptroller, and to highlight its findings in regards to the 10 Economic Development Regions of New York State. The September report’s key findings are that 1) the labor force for New York State has been decreasing and 2) there has been a surge in participation of older individuals (65+ years and older) in the labor force.

This white paper will discuss Finding 1, which is notably prevalent in 5 of the 10 Economic Development Regions. Additionally, this white paper will discuss Finding 2 by exploring changes in population growth and labor force shares of “aged-out”prime working age individuals (65+). Unlike the September 2017 report, this paper has a focus on examining labor force trends by Economic Development Region.

Reasons people give for not being in the labor force, 2004 and 2014

People who are neither working nor looking for work are counted as “not in the labor force.” The proportion of the civilian working-age population who were in this group increased from 31.3 percent in 2004 to 35.0 percent in 2014. Over that 10-year period, the proportion of people who reported retirement as the main reason they were not working increased from 13.9 percent to 15.4 percent.

The proportion of the working-age population reporting school attendance as the main reason for being out of the labor force rose from 5.0 percent in 2004 to 6.4 percent in 2014. The percentage who cited illness or disability as the main reason increased from 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent over that same period. The proportion citing home responsibilities declined from 6.0 percent in 2004 to 5.4 percent in 2014.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

People who are not in the labor force: why aren't they working?

People who are neither working nor looking for work are counted as “not in the labor force,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since 2000, the percentage of people in this group has increased. Data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and its Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) provide some insight into why people are not in the labor force. The ASEC is conducted in the months of February through April and includes questions about work and other activities in the previous calendar year.

For example, data collected in 2015 are for the 2014 calendar year, and data collected in 2005 are for the 2004 calendar year.1 In the ASEC, people who did not work at all in the previous year are asked to give the main reason they did not work. Interviewers categorize survey participants’ verbatim responses into the following categories: ill health or disabled; retired;2 home responsibilities; going to school; could not find work;3 and other reasons.

This Beyond the Numbers article examines data on those who were not in the labor force during 2004 and 2014 and the reasons they gave for not working.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Women in the labor force: a databook

Over the past 70 years, women’s participation in labor force activities has greatly expanded. Immediately following World War II, less than one-third of women were in the labor force. However, women soon began to participate in greater numbers, and their labor force participation rose rapidly from the 1960s through the 1980s before slowing in the 1990s.

Women reached the peak of their labor force participation in 1999, with a rate of 60.0 percent. Since then, labor force participation among women has declined, to 57.0 percent in 2014, which is still relatively high by historical standards.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Failing on Two Fronts: The U.S. Labor Market Since 2000

For almost four decades and by almost all available measures, economic inequality has been increasing in the United States. For a portion of this period, the United States could console itself, in part, by celebrating its success as a “jobs machine.” Indeed, the two issues were often linked in the standard economics account of the post-Reagan era: widening wage inequality rewarded the skills of those at the top, while providing job opportunities for those at the bottom.

In countries where inequality did not increase, the story went, employment suffered. But, for almost 15 years, that story has not held. The U.S. jobs machine has broken down.

State & Local Government Jobs Continue to Decline in Most States

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics continue to show broad declines in state and local government employment in a majority of states, although public-sector jobs have increased elsewhere. This Data Alert examines recent changes in state and local government employment at the individual state level, as well as the national level, using several recent periods for comparison.

Using three-month employment averages to smooth short-term variations, total U.S. nonfarm employment rose by 1.4 percent over the year ending in January 2012. The growth was driven by a 2.0 increase in the private sector (+2.1 million jobs). By contrast, all the subsectors of government reported declines in employment over the year. As shown on Table 1, federal government employment declined by 1.2 percent (-35,000 jobs), state government employment by 1.5 percent (-76,000 jobs) and local government employment by 1.1 percent (-163,000 jobs).

Major Work Stoppages in 2011

In 2011, there were 19 major strikes and lockouts involving 1,000 or more workers and lasting at least one shift, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The 19 major work stoppages in 2011 idled 113,000 workers for 1.02 million lost workdays, a large increase compared to 2010 with 11 major work stoppages idling 45,000 workers for 302,000 lost workdays. In 2009, there were record lows of 5 major work stoppages idling 13,000 workers for 124,000 lost workdays

More HERE.

Foreign Labor Certification Data Center

The Foreign Labor Certification Data Center includes an Online Wage Library with Download Data Files, plus Foreign Labor Certification (FLC) disclosure data for the Permanent, H-1B, H-2A and H-2B programs.

Fake a Sick Day? Non!

By Allison Linn
A new survey finds that a whopping 71 percent of Chinese workers admit to calling in sick when they weren’t.

On the other hand, only 16 percent of French workers say they have taken a fake sick day.

http://www.kronos.com/pr/kronos-global-absence-survey-shows-employees-around-the-world-playing-hooky-with-china-leading-the-pack.aspx The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive for Kronos Incorporated, found that about half of all Americans have taken a fake sick day. That’s about on par with countries including Canada and Australia.

More HERE.

Recession employment for mothers

Employment during the 2007–2009 recession
The U.S. economy officially entered a recession in December 2007. Nonfarm employment peaked in January 2008 and then entered a period of steady decline.

Share of married-couple families with an employed mother at its lowest, 1994-2010
In 2010, the mother was employed in 65.4 percent of married-couple families with children under the age of 18—a record low for the series. The series began in 1994. The mother was employed in 67.0 percent of families with children maintained by women in which no spouse was present.

Women’s Employment During the Recovery [PDF].

Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 2.0 percent for the 12-month period ending March 2011, compared to the 1.6-percent increase for the 12-month period ending March 2010.

Advance GDP by Industry Statistics for 2010

Durable-goods manufacturing and retail trade were among the leading contributors to the upturn in U.S. economic growth in 2010, according to preliminary statistics on the breakout of real gross domestic product (GDP) by industry from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The economic recovery was widespread: 20 of 22 industry groups contributed to real GDP growth.

MORE HERE.

Consumer Price Index

Of course, looking for the Consumer Price Index Index, one would look at bls.gov/cpi, which has the CPI for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the U.S.

But someone on a listserv also suggested USDA.gov, and use the advanced search for, e.g., cheese cpi or milk cpi; not as systematic, but interesting.

Multifactor productivity in private nonfarm business, 2009

In 2009, multifactor productivity—a measure of the change in output per unit of combined capital and labor—in the private nonfarm business sector grew at a modest 0.1-percent annual rate.

In 2009, the gain in multifactor productivity reflected decreases of 3.7 percent in output and 3.8 percent in the combined inputs of capital and labor.

More HERE.

County Compensation by Industry, 2009

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis

Compensation declined in two-thirds of the 3,113 counties in the U.S. in 2009, according to statistics released this week by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Total compensation of U.S. workers contracted 3.2 percent in 2009, as a decline in employment more than offset the increase in average annual compensation per job, which grew 1.2 percent to $56,962. Inflation measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, grew 0.2 percent.

Women's Earnings in 2009

Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2009, U.S. Department of Labor/U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2010, Report 1025 is part of the Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey.

Eurostat Regional Yearbook 2009

Source: Eurostat

Through graphics and text, the Eurostat regional yearbook 2009 paints a statistical portrait of life in the regions of the European Union’s member states, candidate countries and the EFTA countries. Its 13 chapters are written by specialists and presented in a language accessible to all. The book gives an ideal opportunity to assess the progress made so far in regional policy programmes recently launched as part of the EU’s new cohesion policy. The latest results from the Urban Audit provide a snapshot of city life across the regions.

Women in the Labor Force

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
From Introduction and Highlights

The past several decades have been marked by notable changes in women’s labor force activities. Women’s labor force participation is significantly higher today than it was in the 1970s, particularly among women with children, and a larger share of women work full time and year round than in past decades. In addition, women have increasingly attained higher levels of education: among women aged 25 to 64 who are in the labor force, the proportion with a college degree roughly tripled from 1970 to 2008. Women’s earnings as a proportion of men’s earnings also have grown over time. In 1979, women working full time earned 62 percent of what men did; in 2008, women’s earnings were 80 percent of men’s.

The State of the American Worker 2009

Source: American Enterprise Institute

+ Americans still display a high degree of satisfaction with their jobs. In August 2009, 50 percent of employed people told Gallup pollsters that they were completely satisfied with their jobs, and another 37 percent were somewhat satisfied.

+ The level of job satisfaction stands out even more because other polls in this collection show that economic anxiety has risen considerably. In 2009, for example, 31 percent told Gallup they were worried about being laid off, up from 15 percent in 2008. Twenty-seven percent were worried that their hours would be cut back, almost double the 2008 number (14 percent). Forty-six percent reported being worried that their benefits would be cut, up from 27 percent last year.

+ People are even more anxious about the possibility that someone in their family or someone else they know personally will lose a job in the next six months. Sixty percent told RBC/Ipsos interviewers that this was likely in a late July-early August 2009 poll.

+ One thing the vast majority of Americans are not worried about is that their job will be shipped overseas. Only ten percent replied that they were worried this year. Since Gallup began asking this question in 2003, no more than 12 percent have ever been worried that their job will be shipped overseas.

BLS Update

From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: A listing of the latest publications from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is now available here, including The Employment Situation: July 2009. Please refer questions to blsdata_staff@bls.gov

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