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News Release Information

15-2467-ATL
Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Atlanta Area Employment – November 2015

Total nonfarm employment for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga. Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 2,646,000 in November 2015, up 86,500, or 3.4 percent over the year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the local area has had over-the-year employment gains of 50,000 or more since July 2013. Nationally, nonfarm employment increased 1.9 percent from November 2014 to November 2015. (See chart 1 and table 1; the Technical Note at the end of this release contains metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)

Industry employment

In the Atlanta metropolitan area, professional and business services recorded the largest employment gain from November 2014 to November 2015, adding 25,100 jobs. The area’s 5.3-percent growth in professional and business services employment was larger than the nationwide increase of 3.2 percent. (See chart 2.)

Trade, transportation, and utilities had the second largest increase in jobs locally, increasing by 18,000 from the previous November. Employment in this supersector grew 3.1 percent in Atlanta compared to 1.7 percent for the nation.

Three other supersectors in the Atlanta area gained at least 9,000 jobs since last November—leisure and hospitality (13,100); education and health services (9,200); and government (9,100). Locally, the rate of job growth in each supersector was equal to or greater than the respective national rate.

Other services was the only supersector in the Atlanta area that had an employment decline greater than 1,000 from the previous November, down 2,500 (-2.6 percent). Nationally, this supersector added jobs over the 12-month period, advancing 1.0 percent.

Twelve largest metropolitan areas

Atlanta was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in November 2015. All 12 areas experienced over-the-year job growth during the period, with 6 exceeding the national average of 1.9 percent. The fastest rate of job growth was in Atlanta, up 3.4 percent, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, up 3.0 percent. The slowest growth rate occurred in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (0.8 percent). (See chart 3 and table 2.)

The New York-Newark-Jersey City area added the largest number of jobs, 167,000 since November 2014. Employment increased by over 100,000 in two other areas—Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (112,200) and Dallas (101,200). Houston experienced the smallest gain, adding 23,700 jobs over the 12-month period.

Professional and business services recorded the most job growth in 6 of the 12 metropolitan areas from November a year ago—Atlanta, Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. Leisure and hospitality added the most jobs in three other areas—Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles.

Manufacturing recorded the largest over-the-year loss of jobs in four areas—Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington. Five other areas recorded no job losses greater than 1,000 for any supersector since last November—Boston, Miami, New York, Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, and Washington.

Metropolitan area employment data for December 2015 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 3, 2016.


Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. The employment data are estimated using a "link relative" technique in which a ratio (link relative) of current-month employment to that of the previous month is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are obtained by multiplying the estimates for the previous month by these ratios. Small-domain models are used as the official estimators for approximately 39 percent of CES published series which have insufficient sample for direct sample-based estimates.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports which are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months.

Reliability of the estimates. The estimates presented in this release are based on sample survey and administrative data and thus are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability—that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data are also subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the special estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of rounding.

Employment estimates. Measures of sampling error for state CES data at the supersector level are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/sae/additional-resources/reliability-of-state-and-area-estimates.htm. Information on recent benchmark revisions for states is available at www.bls.gov/sae/.

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the delineations issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on February 28, 2013. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga. Metropolitan Statistical Area includes the counties of Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Morgan, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton in Georgia.

Additional information

More complete information on the technical procedures used to develop these estimates and additional data appear in Employment and Earnings, which is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. Industry employment data for states and metropolitan areas from the Current Employment Statistics program are also available in the above mentioned news releases and from the Internet at www.bls.gov/sae/.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, Atlanta metropolitan area and its components, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands), November 2015
Area and Industry
 
Nov
2014
Sept
2015
Oct
2015
Nov
2015 (P)
Change from Nov
2014 to Nov 2015 (P)
NumberPercent

United States

 

Total nonfarm

141,478142,604143,784144,1282,6501.9

Mining and logging

916816808792-124-13.5

Construction

6,3396,6276,6626,6062674.2

Manufacturing

12,29012,37012,34712,332420.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities

27,10626,88327,11927,5544481.7

Information

2,7782,7962,8062,809311.1

Financial activities

8,0418,1638,1768,1831421.8

Professional and business services

19,50719,91920,13120,1276203.2

Education and health services

21,91222,10222,46822,5536412.9

Leisure and hospitality

14,61615,42215,26415,0614453.0

Other services

5,5925,6315,6555,646541.0

Government

22,38121,87522,34822,465840.4

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area

 

Total nonfarm

2,559.52,595.62,627.62,646.086.53.4

Mining and logging

1.31.31.41.40.17.7

Construction

104.6109.5109.2109.14.54.3

Manufacturing

153.6156.9158.7159.45.83.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

576.8571.5582.1594.818.03.1

Information

87.687.688.087.2-0.4-0.5

Financial activities

162.6164.8166.7167.14.52.8

Professional and business services

472.2490.4496.8497.325.15.3

Education and health services

313.6318.6321.6322.89.22.9

Leisure and hospitality

263.0270.7274.6276.113.15.0

Other services

96.793.294.394.2-2.5-2.6

Government

327.5331.1334.2336.69.12.8
(P) Preliminary


 

Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, 12 largest metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
Area and Industry
 
Nov
2014
Sept
2015
Oct
2015
Nov
2015 (P)
Change from Nov
2014 to Nov 2015 (P)
NumberPercent

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

 

Total nonfarm

2,559.52,595.62,627.62,646.086.53.4

Mining and logging

1.31.31.41.40.17.7

Construction

104.6109.5109.2109.14.54.3

Manufacturing

153.6156.9158.7159.45.83.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

576.8571.5582.1594.818.03.1

Information

87.687.688.087.2-0.4-0.5

Financial activities

162.6164.8166.7167.14.52.8

Professional and business services

472.2490.4496.8497.325.15.3

Education and health services

313.6318.6321.6322.89.22.9

Leisure and hospitality

263.0270.7274.6276.113.15.0

Other services

96.793.294.394.2-2.5-2.6

Government

327.5331.1334.2336.69.12.8

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH

 

Total nonfarm

2,628.12,647.92,671.32,676.047.91.8

Mining, logging, and construction

99.0103.6105.4105.76.76.8

Manufacturing

191.7190.1190.3190.9-0.8-0.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

421.1412.5417.0422.41.30.3

Information

75.877.677.277.01.21.6

Financial activities

173.3176.8177.6178.24.92.8

Professional and business services

449.2459.5463.4462.513.33.0

Education and health services

550.4550.4560.3562.412.02.2

Leisure and hospitality

246.6259.9257.1250.03.41.4

Other services

101.2102.1102.7102.81.61.6

Government

319.8315.4320.3324.14.31.3

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

 

Total nonfarm

4,566.84,580.04,609.94,613.847.01.0

Mining and logging

1.61.51.51.5-0.1-6.3

Construction

163.5170.8172.7170.67.14.3

Manufacturing

409.9406.6405.9404.3-5.6-1.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

929.1917.8923.6936.87.70.8

Information

80.579.880.381.00.50.6

Financial activities

289.7288.0288.3289.3-0.4-0.1

Professional and business services

809.4826.1826.7822.713.31.6

Education and health services

700.0695.4708.6710.910.91.6

Leisure and hospitality

431.2446.4442.8434.23.00.7

Other services

192.0194.9196.7197.55.52.9

Government

559.9552.7562.8565.05.10.9

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

 

Total nonfarm

3,341.93,397.33,427.73,443.1101.23.0

Mining, logging, and construction

196.7193.1193.0193.9-2.8-1.4

Manufacturing

263.3258.3257.9257.9-5.4-2.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

704.8712.7720.5729.124.33.4

Information

81.881.781.382.50.70.9

Financial activities

271.7275.4277.0277.86.12.2

Professional and business services

552.9568.6575.8576.223.34.2

Education and health services

411.2425.9430.6431.820.65.0

Leisure and hospitality

333.3355.8357.9358.024.77.4

Other services

116.0120.8119.9119.13.12.7

Government

410.2405.0413.8416.86.61.6

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

 

Total nonfarm

2,982.72,979.83,001.63,006.423.70.8

Mining and logging

113.4111.2108.4107.9-5.5-4.9

Construction

209.1205.3214.5213.14.01.9

Manufacturing

257.4244.4242.5242.0-15.4-6.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

612.4605.1605.8614.11.70.3

Information

32.734.634.133.81.13.4

Financial activities

148.8143.8144.8144.9-3.9-2.6

Professional and business services

471.3473.5473.1469.5-1.8-0.4

Education and health services

359.8371.2374.9374.915.14.2

Leisure and hospitality

289.0303.8306.8308.519.56.7

Other services

104.9103.8104.8103.6-1.3-1.2

Government

383.9383.1391.9394.110.22.7

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

 

Total nonfarm

5,844.85,873.45,923.25,957.0112.21.9

Mining and logging

5.45.25.24.9-0.5-9.3

Construction

209.7219.9222.3224.114.46.9

Manufacturing

525.7526.0522.9522.3-3.4-0.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,093.11,081.71,085.91,107.013.91.3

Information

225.3220.5221.0217.8-7.5-3.3

Financial activities

326.5324.6324.3325.1-1.4-0.4

Professional and business services

900.1906.6917.5919.119.02.1

Education and health services

963.8979.2988.5991.327.52.9

Leisure and hospitality

666.3688.8693.7694.227.94.2

Other services

202.8207.5207.7208.86.03.0

Government

726.1713.4734.2742.416.32.2

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

 

Total nonfarm

2,488.02,483.22,509.82,545.957.92.3

Mining and logging

0.60.60.60.60.00.0

Construction

107.6108.6109.4111.84.23.9

Manufacturing

82.180.880.781.3-0.8-1.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

581.1572.4578.4592.311.21.9

Information

48.547.948.348.60.10.2

Financial activities

173.7173.6176.1176.42.71.6

Professional and business services

401.4409.6415.4423.121.75.4

Education and health services

365.0366.9370.4370.25.21.4

Leisure and hospitality

302.4302.9305.2313.110.73.5

Other services

119.3119.4121.1122.53.22.7

Government

306.3300.5304.2306.0-0.3-0.1

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

 

Total nonfarm

9,293.09,289.59,402.79,460.0167.01.8

Mining, logging, and construction

358.3376.1378.1384.526.27.3

Manufacturing

368.4366.4369.1369.81.40.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,745.71,712.61,726.01,757.311.60.7

Information

284.9280.8284.3284.4-0.5-0.2

Financial activities

752.7761.4763.8763.911.21.5

Professional and business services

1,456.61,454.21,469.71,474.918.31.3

Education and health services

1,767.81,768.51,810.81,829.061.23.5

Leisure and hospitality

838.7887.4874.2861.923.22.8

Other services

408.7417.6418.4419.210.52.6

Government

1,311.21,264.51,308.31,315.13.90.3

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

 

Total nonfarm

2,829.12,817.82,847.82,863.634.51.2

Mining, logging, and construction

108.6117.8118.5117.38.78.0

Manufacturing

179.7177.6177.2177.9-1.8-1.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

523.8520.0525.0534.010.21.9

Information

46.245.245.345.5-0.7-1.5

Financial activities

204.6207.2207.6207.42.81.4

Professional and business services

457.3447.8452.1457.1-0.20.0

Education and health services

603.8596.3607.8611.88.01.3

Leisure and hospitality

243.2255.8253.9249.56.32.6

Other services

119.3119.5120.1120.41.10.9

Government

342.6330.6340.3342.70.10.0

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

 

Total nonfarm

1,906.41,906.21,934.31,956.049.62.6

Mining and logging

3.43.43.33.3-0.1-2.9

Construction

96.9102.6102.9104.87.98.2

Manufacturing

117.7117.0117.4118.00.30.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities

378.2369.6376.3387.08.82.3

Information

34.934.935.336.21.33.7

Financial activities

165.2168.0169.5169.24.02.4

Professional and business services

319.4318.7325.2326.77.32.3

Education and health services

276.4279.0283.9285.99.53.4

Leisure and hospitality

203.2203.9207.7209.96.73.3

Other services

66.467.368.469.02.63.9

Government

244.7241.8244.4246.01.30.5

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

 

Total nonfarm

2,237.02,271.22,293.02,301.864.82.9

Mining and logging

0.90.80.80.8-0.1-11.1

Construction

104.7108.5110.3109.64.94.7

Manufacturing

122.9124.3124.2124.01.10.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

367.2364.0369.6379.612.43.4

Information

79.682.682.782.83.24.0

Financial activities

128.0127.6127.6126.9-1.1-0.9

Professional and business services

458.8479.9482.7483.925.15.5

Education and health services

329.2331.6335.6336.16.92.1

Leisure and hospitality

254.6262.9263.0260.15.52.2

Other services

83.886.187.986.83.03.6

Government

307.3302.9308.6311.23.91.3

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

 

Total nonfarm

3,158.73,176.93,209.93,220.661.92.0

Mining, logging, and construction

151.2155.4156.3157.46.24.1

Manufacturing

50.049.149.550.00.00.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

409.1400.4405.5411.52.40.6

Information

76.176.275.676.20.10.1

Financial activities

151.4150.8153.0151.50.10.1

Professional and business services

710.4723.8735.2735.324.93.5

Education and health services

416.3420.9425.7427.811.52.8

Leisure and hospitality

300.3306.0307.3304.54.21.4

Other services

194.6197.4196.6197.42.81.4

Government

699.3696.9705.2709.09.71.4

(P) Preliminary

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2015