January, 2002, Vol. 125, No. 1
Labor month in review
The January Review
Working youths
Injury rate fell in 2000
Consumer spending patterns varied in 2000
New data tables
Once again, our January issue marks an excursion out of labor economics and labor statistics and into labor law. Charles J. Muhl investigates the legal definition of an employee. Although this might seem to be an obvious question, it is actually quite a vexing issue in the law. Defining the concept of employee is likely to become an increasingly important question in a labor market in which about a tenth of workers are already in an alternative work arrangement and technological trends may make such arrangements even more attractive in the future. It is instructive to see that one of Muhl’s "independent contractor" cases involved not software engineers or technical wizards, but workers who were assigned the information drudge work of looking up telephone numbers.
Richard R. Nelson has contributed his annual summary of developments in general labor law in the States. As usual, the issues range widely from the broad application of State minimum wage laws to exceptions to certain child labor restrictions for soccer referees.
Glenn Whittington updates developments in workers’ compensation law. Much of the focus over the past year was on coverage issues, especially the coverage of law enforcement and other public safety workers. In one special case, both the paid officers and law enforcement and public safety volunteers working at the Winter Games in Utah will be covered under workers’ compensation.
Loryn Lancaster and Anne Vogel report on legislation affecting unemployment insurance programs. The Federal enactment of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 changes the voluntary Federal tax withholding rate as it applies to unemployment insurance benefits and the treatment of training reimbursements in the calculation of wages. At the State level, most States increased their maximum weekly benefits, either through legislation or an automatic adjustment mechanism.
More than four-fifths of 17-year-olds work in some capacity. Most of these jobs are employee jobs in which there is a formal relationship with a particular employer such as a restaurant or supermarket. About 65 percent of 17-year-olds have an employee job only. Another 12 percent have both an employee job and a "freelance" job. Those with freelance jobs perform tasks such as babysitting or yard work, but have no formal job arrangement. Only 5 percent had a freelance job only. For more information, see news release USDL 01–479, "Employment Experience Of Youths: Results From The First Three Years Of A Longitudinal Survey."
The incidence rate for on-the-job injuries and illnesses declined to 6.1 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers in 2000, from 6.3 cases in 1999. In the 5 years between 1995 and 2000, the incidence rate dropped from 8.1 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers to 6.1 cases, a 25-percent decline.
There was a total of 5.7 million injuries and illnesses reported in private industry workplaces during 2000. Employers reported about the same number of cases in 1999. An increase in hours worked yielded the lower incidence rate. See news release USDL 01–472, "Workplace Injuries and Illnesses in 2000," for more information.
Consumer spending patterns varied in 2000
The changes in expenditures from 1999 to 2000 varied among the major components of spending. Expenditures on housing and food went up less than the overall change of 2.8 percent in 2000, rising by 2.2 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Within the food category, spending on food at home rose 3.6 percent, while spending at restaurants, carryouts, vending machines, and other sources of food away from home rose 1.0 percent.
Spending on apparel and services, transportation, and health care rose by 5.5 to 6.5 percent in 2000. In contrast, entertainment and personal insurance and pensions expenditures decreased by 1.5 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Consumer Expenditure Survey data also include the expenditures and income of consumers, as well as their demographic characteristics. For more information, see news release USDL 01–480, “Consumer Expenditures in 2000.”
This issue of Monthly Labor Review contains four new tables in the Current Labor Statistics section. The tables are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program and pertain to workers and establishments covered by State or Federal unemployment insurance programs. The ES-202 program serves as a near census of establishments, employment, and wage payments by four-digit industry at the national, State, and county levels. The four tables we have selected provide these elements for the most recent 10-year period available and for the 50 States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, employment by establishment size, and employment and wages for the 316 largest counties.
Communications regarding the Monthly Labor Review may be sent to the Editor-in-Chief at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Room 2850, Washington, DC, 20212, or faxed to (202) 691–7890.
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