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Here’s a list of terms that are often used in connection with employment and labor market information.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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A |
Apprenticeship
A structured approach for entering a skilled occupation in most of the major trade industries. Combines training on the job with related and supplemental instruction at school.
Affirmative Action Program
A Federal government program covering actions: policies: and procedures for employers/contractors that are designed to achieve equal employment opportunity. The affirmative action obligation includes a thorough, systematic effort to prevent discrimination from occurring or to detect it and eliminate it as promptly as possible: and recruitment and outreach measures.
Annual Average Employment
The average number of people employed over a given year in a given occupation or industry. Gives a measure of average employment during the year without the effects of seasonal variations.
Average
The most popular understanding of the term is the arithmetic mean, which is calculated by summing all the values under consideration: and dividing by the number of values.
Average Annual Pay
Calculated by dividing total annual pay by the average of the twelve monthly employment levels. "Pay" includes wages (with bonuses and severance pay): cash value of meals and lodging: tips and employer paid contributions to individual retirement accounts.
Average Hourly Earnings
Calculated by dividing gross payrolls by total hours. Reflect the earnings of workers: including premium pay. They differ from wage rates: which are the amounts stipulated for a given unit of work or time.
Average Weekly Wage
Derived by dividing total annual wages by fifty-two. |
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B |
Benchmark
A point of reference (either an estimate or a count) from which measurements can be made or upon which adjustments to estimates are based.
Bureau of the Census (BOC)
Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. This agency conducts the censuses of population and housing every 10 years and of agriculture, business: governments, manufacturers, mineral industries, and transportation at 5-year intervals. The Census Bureau also conducts the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Data from this survey are the source of unemployment statistics. (http://www.census.gov/)
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Part of the U.S. Department of Labor. This Federal agency is the principal data-gathering agency of the Federal government in the field of economics. The BLS collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates data relating to employment, unemployment, the labor force, productivity, prices, family expenditures, wages, industrial relations, and occupational safety and health. Well-known data released by the BLS include, the Consumer Price Index, the Producer Price Index, the unemployment rate, and nonagricultural employment levels. (http://www.bls.gov/home.htm)
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
The BEA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The BEA is part of the Department's Economics and Statistics Administration. The BEA produces and disseminates economic account statistics that provide government: businesses: households, and individuals with a comprehensive: up-to-date picture of economic activity. (http://www.bea.doc.gov/)
Business Cycle
Recurring expansion and contraction of the economy. |
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C |
Career Development
Career development refers to “the outcome of actions on career plans as viewed from both individuals and organizational perspectives”. The outcomes desired by individuals range from status to job flexibility to monetary rewards: depending on the situation. Organizations’ desired outcomes include achieving the best match between people and jobs.
Census
A complete count of a specified population or some measurable characteristics in a given area (e.g. housing, industry, etc.).
Census Data
Data derived from a census: typically the U.S. Census of population.
Census Tract
A small relatively permanent statistical subdivision of a county delineated by local committees of census data users for the purpose of collecting and presenting census data. It is worth noting that census tract conform with county lines (that is they are always sub-sets of a county), but may not follow zip code lines.
Core Inflation Rate
The rate of increase of prices of a set group of goods and services, excluding more volatile prices, such as food and energy prices.
Current Employment Statistics (CES)
Statistics based on a monthly survey of non-farm business establishments. The numbers include wage and salary employment, worker hours and payroll by industry and area statistics. Through a Federal/State cooperative effort, these data are used to compute current monthly employment, hours and earnings estimates, by industry, for the nation, the 50 states and the District of Columbia and over 250 Metropolitan Areas.
Civilian
Not in the military.
Civilian Employment
Civilian workers 16 years and older who (a) during the survey week did any work at all as paid employees or in their own businesses or profession on their own farm: or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family enterprise, or (b) were not working but had jobs or business from which they were temporarily absent because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor management disputes, personal reasons, whether or not they were paid for the time off. Civilian Labor Force
The sum of civilian individuals who are 16 years old or older and are either employed or counted as unemployed. This category does not include the military.
Civilian Non-institutional Population
Total population age 16 or older excluding prison inmates or those hospitalized or in some other form of institution.
Civilian Unemployment
All civilians 16 years and over who did not work during the survey week, who made specific efforts to find a job within the past four weeks, and who were available for work (except for temporary illness) during the survey week. Also included as unemployed are those who did not work at all: but were available for work, and (a) were waiting to be recalled to a job from which they had been laid off for a specific time, or (b) had a new job to go to within thirty days.
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
A Bureau of Labor Statistics program which measures the average change in prices of a fixed set of goods and services purchased by households. It is the most commonly recognized measure of inflation. (http://www.bls.gov/cpi/home.htm)
Contingent Workers
Workers hired for a limited time or to work on a specific project lasting from a few days to many months.
County
The largest territorial division for local government.
Crosswalk
A method that provides a means of matching components of different system.
Current Population Statistics (CPS)
Monthly household survey of the civilian noninstitutional population of the United States. The survey provides monthly statistics on employment: unemployment: and related subjects. The data are analyzed and published each month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Cyclical Unemployment
Temporary downturn in the job market. The most common form of cyclical unemployment occurs when workers are temporarily laid off. |
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D |
Data
Factual information used as a basis for reasoning: discussion or calculation.
Database
A collection of information organized so that a computer program can quickly select desired data. Think of a database as an electronic filing system.
Decennial Census
Enumeration: or head count: of the actual number of persons living in the U. S., required every ten years by the U.S. Constitution.
Demand
In labor market information this term is usually used in reference to the need for workers in a particular occupation, or workers with specific skills.
Demographics
The characteristics of the population such as age, income, ethnicity, etc.
Department of Labor (DOL)
Cabinet-level U.S. agency that enforces laws protecting workers, promotes labor-management cooperation, sponsors employment and training placement services, oversees the unemployment insurance system, and produces statistics on the labor force and living conditions. (http://www.dol.gov/)
Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)
Occupational coding system established by the U.S. Department of Labor to classify occupations in a consistent manner.
Discouraged Worker
Persons who had no employment during the survey week, want a job, have looked for work during the past year, and are available to work, but did not look for work in the last four weeks because they believed that no jobs were available to them. Discouraged workers are classified as not in the labor force. They are not counted as unemployed because they have not made specific efforts to find work.
Dislocated Occupations
Occupations to which workers who become unemployed are unlikely to return.
Discouraged Workers
A term used to describe persons aged 16 or over without jobs who are not actively seeking employment because they believe that they would be unable to find a job. Even though discouraged workers would like to be employed, they are not counted as unemployed, or even as part of the labor force. This number, added to the number of counted unemployed, can give a better idea of the actual number of potential workers.
Durable Goods
Manufactured items generally considered to have a normal life expectancy of three years or more. Examples are automobiles, furniture, household appliances, etc.
Duration of Unemployment
The length of time during which a person classified as unemployed has been continuously looking for work. |
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E |
Earnings
A general term describing monetary compensation paid to individuals for work performed. Depending on the context, this might not include irregular items such as tips, commissions, profit sharing and bonuses, but may include overtime pay, vacation and sick leave pay, shift differential and hazardous duty pay.
Economic Census
Profiles the US economy every 5 years, from the national to the local level. Results from the 2002 census will provide information on businesses operating at more than 21 million locations, giving key information on the number of businesses and employees, the value of shipments, sales, receipts, revenue and payroll.
Economic Development
The entire array of activities, some conducted by government, and some by the private sector, often in partnership with government, which are intended to expand the economy of a designated area to increase the number of jobs available to the population of that area.
Economic Indicator
A set of data that serves as a tool for analyzing current economic conditions and future prospects. Usually classified according to their timing in relationship to the ups and downs of the business cycle, that is, whether they anticipate (lead), coincide with, or lag behind general business conditions.
Emerging Occupations
(1) Occupations newly created as a result of technological innovation, shifting markets or new regulations, or (2) Existing occupations that have undergone substantial modification in skill requirements, or (3) Existing occupations with new opportunities created by changes in legislation, social concerns, demographics, industry or the market place.
Employed
Persons, aged 16 years or older, who are working.
Employer Payroll Records
Wage records employers submit quarterly to support the unemployment insurance program.. These records contain information on the number of workers, and the total wages paid.
Employment
Jobs, or people who are working.
Employment Cost Index (ECI)
A measure of the change in the cost of labor, free from the influence of employment shifts among occupations and industries. Compensation used in the ECI includes all wages, salaries, and benefit costs paid by employers. Simply put, it measures the change in the total cost of labor to employers and so includes the cost of benefits as well as wages.
Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
A part of the U.S. Department of Labor. This agency oversees the State Unemployment Insurance Programs and job training and placement services provided by the State Employment Security Agencies. (http://www.doleta.gov/) Entry-Level
Jobs or occupations for which employers hire workers with little or no previous work experience or with relatively minimum training or education. Occupations that require more education or training may have specific entry-level classifications such as “apprenticeship” or “internship.”
ES-202 Program
Refer to Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) Program.
Establishment
The physical location of a certain economic activity, for example, a factory, store, or office. Generally a single establishment produces a single good or provides a single service.
Estimate
Numerical data calculated from sample data, or from a model, and intended to provide information about a larger set of data. |
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F |
Firm
A business entity, either corporate or otherwise. May consist of one or several establishments.
Forecast
To calculate or predict some future event or condition, usually as a result of study and analysis of available pertinent data
Frictional Unemployment
Occurs when a person voluntarily leaves one job and has not yet begun another job. The worker is voluntarily unemployed and is utilizing his/her right to change jobs.
Full-Time Employment
A person employed 35 or more hours per week. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey) |
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G |
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
A sophisticated computer based mapping and information gathering system. Includes 3 components,
(1) a computer graphics program that draws maps,
(2) external databases which are linked to the GIS maps, and
(3) tools that graphically interpret data through the use of color or shadings on maps.
Goods Producing Industries
Industries that produce tangible products. The goods producing sector includes mining, construction, and manufacturing.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The total value of all goods and services produced by the U.S. economy. GDP is compiled quarterly by the U.S. Department of Commerce. CES employment and earnings data are used for advance GDP estimates. ES-202 wage data are used for the final GDP estimates.
Gross State Product
The total market value, in terms of current dollars, of all final goods and service produced in the state in one year. |
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Household
People living in a single residence regardless of relationship. |
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Income
A recurrent benefit, usually measured in money, which derives from capital and labor. The major elements of income are wages (including tips and bonuses), rents, interest and dividend income, transfer payments, and proprietors’ income.
Industry
A group of firms that engage in similar activities. Every business is classified into a category according to what products or services account for the majority of revenue. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system has been the standard classification structure for many years. In the near future, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) will replace the SIC. Besides providing a highly organized way to understand and analyze the economy, industry classifications and business listings also provide a direct link to potential employers in a labor market.
Industry Cluster
Non-specific terms (such as tourism) used to group industries with similar economic activities, for instance linking a business with its suppliers. (An example might be a cluster representing growers, packing and shipping businesses, in an Agricultural cluster.)
Industry Employment
Full-time and part-time workers (including employees on paid vacation or paid sick leave) who work or receive compensation from establishments for any part of the pay period including the 12th of the month. Those workers involved in labor-management disputes are excluded. This is a count of the number of jobs, and is available by industry.
Inflation
The rate of increase in the general price level for a given area from one period to the next. The two most common price indices used to measure inflation are the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the GDP price deflator.
Inflationary Expectation
Anticipation of higher inflation contributing to faster price increases.
Infrastructure
The resources required for an activity. The underlying foundation or basic framework.
Internship
A structured program where a person gains supervised practical experience in an occupation. |
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J |
Job Leavers
Persons who quit a job voluntarily.
Job Losers
Unemployed persons who lost their last job or who had completed a temporary job. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2001)
Job Shadow
An experience that takes place at a work site in which an individual observes and interacts with an employee to learn about a specific job. As an exploratory exercise, teachers (employers and workers) share first-hand knowledge about occupations and businesses in their region, and the individual gains real life experience, which may lead them to improved career choice decisions. Also being used as part of the interview process by some employers.
Journey Level
A fully qualified worker in a specific trade. |
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L |
Labor Dispute
Any controversy concerning terms or conditions of employment, or concerning the association or representation of persons in negotiating, fixing, maintaining, changing, or seeking to arrange terms or conditions of employment, regardless of whether or not the disputants stand in the proximate relation of employer and employee.
Labor Force
The sum of individuals who are 16 years old or older and either employed or counted as unemployed, including persons in the military.
Labor Force Participation Rate
The percent of people 16 years of age and older in a specific population who are considered part of the labor force (i.e., either employed or unemployed). Indicates the degree to which a population is working, a low rate may indicate a reliance on other forms of income, and a high rate may indicate a tighter labor market.
Labor Force Turnover Rate
All job changing which occurs within the labor force, excluding permanent separations from the labor force. Two major types of labor force turnover include, 1) lateral or vertical movement within an occupation, and 2) transfers between occupations, either in the same firm or to other firms.
Labor Market Area (LMA)
An economically integrated geographic area within which individuals can reside and find employment within a reasonable distance or can readily change employment without changing their place of residence. (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics-January 2001)
Labor Market Information (LMI)
Information about the market -where labor skills are exchanged for wages. Information can be descriptive (qualitative) or statistical (quantitative). The key elements in the labor market are the workers (labor resources) and jobs (employment opportunities).
Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
A Federal/State cooperative program which produces employment, labor force and unemployment estimates for States and local areas.
Local Employment Dynamics (LED)
The LED partnership between the Census Bureau and the individual states is the cornerstone of a program designed to develop new information about local labor market conditions at low cost, with no added respondent burden, and with the same confidentiality protections afforded census and survey data. This partnership between state labor market information agencies and the Census Bureau supplies new measures - the Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) - on labor markets that,
- Is Local, at the state, county and sub county level.
- Supplies statistics on Employment, job creation, turnover, and earnings by industry, age and sex.
- Provides Dynamic information on the rapidly changing economy.
Long Term Unemployment
Persons who have been unemployed for 15 or more consecutive weeks.
Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD)
The U.S. Census Bureau title for the software that runs the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) and Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) programs. |
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M |
Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) Program
This is a Federal-State cooperative effort to identify, describe, and track the effects of major jobs cutbacks using each State’s unemployment insurance database. The program has reports on mass layoff actions that result in workers being separated from their jobs. (http://www.bls.gov/mls/)
Mean
The average value of a set of numbers. Median
The mid-point in a data set after the numbers are sorted. The median is the point where half of the numbers lie above and half lie below this value
Metropolitan Division (MD)
If a metropolitan area (MA) has more than 1 million inhabitants it may be defined as a Metropolitan Division (MD). MDs consist of a large urbanized county or cluster of counties that demonstrates very strong internal economic and social links, but are also linked to other portions of the larger area. This larger area is then called a MD.
Mode
The number in a distribution of numbers that appears most frequently. |
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NAICS
Refer to North American Industry Classification System. The successor to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System.
National Compensation Survey
A BLS survey that provides information on average weekly or hourly earnings and compensation for selected occupations.
Natural Increases in Population
The number of births minus the number of deaths in a specified area over a specified period of time.
Net Migration
The number of people who moved into an area minus the number of people who moved out during a specified period of time.
New Entrants
Persons entering the labor force for the first time.
Nominal Dollars/Income
The face, actual, or par value of currency with no regard to actual purchasing power over time. In other words, this is "dollar value" not adjusted for inflation. Nominal income is the number of dollars received as wages, rent, interest or profits.
Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (NAIRU)
The theoretical rate of unemployment which provides the maximum long-run sustainable economic growth and output below which inflationary pressure begin to accelerate. Usually defined as the full employment level, when cyclical unemployment is minimal or zero. Believed to be around four percent currently.
Non-Durable Goods
Manufactured items that generally last three years or less. Food, beverages, clothing, shoes, and gasoline are common examples.
Noninstitutional
Persons not residing in penal or mental institutions, sanitariums, and homes for the aged, infirm, and needy.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
The successor to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System. The United States, Mexico, and Canada will universally use this system of classifying business establishments. Due to differences in NAICS and SIC structures, industry data for 2001 are not comparable to the SIC-based data for earlier years. NAICS focuses on how products and services are created, as opposed to the SIC focus on what is produced. (http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm)
Not in the Labor Force
All persons in the civilian noninstitutional population who are neither employed nor counted as unemployed are “not in the labor force.” |
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O |
Occupation
A set of activities or tasks that employees perform. Employees that perform the same tasks are in the same occupation, whether or not they are in the same industry. (Ref, Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Occupation Classifications
Systems of collective job descriptions which attempt to place individual jobs into general, but recognizable categories. Currently, three different occupational classifications systems are in general use in the U.S., 1. Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), 2. Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), 3. Census occupational codes. In addition, the Career Information System (CIS), which is the designated career information delivery system for Oregon, has its own occupational classifications. Since the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) system is used in employer surveys, conducted in every state and territory in the U.S., it is the classification system of choice for most occupational publications and software products. However, OES will soon be replaced with the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system.
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Program
A Federal/State cooperative program produces employment and wage estimates for over 700 occupations. (http://www.bls.gov/oes/home.htm)
Occupational Information
Specific information about a particular occupation (e.g., wages, skills required, benefits, entrance requirements, etc.)
Occupational Information Network (O*NET)
The Occupational Information Network is a comprehensive database of worker attributes and job characteristics. (http://online.onetcenter.org/)
Opportunity Cost
The amount of something that must be given up or sacrificed to obtain something else. For instance, if you choose to spend $50.00 on football tickets, you give up the opportunity to buy a $50.00 savings bond, so one of the opportunity costs of the football tickets is the purchase and possible investment return of the savings bond.
Outlook
An expectation for the future. |
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P |
Part-Time Employment
A person employed less than 35 hours per week.
Payroll
Total wages paid by a business to its employees for work performed during the pay period (weekly, monthly, etc.)
Pay Period
Frequency with which worker’s wages are calculated and paid, usually weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly.
Per Capita Personal Income
Per capita personal income is the total amount of income earned in specifically defined geographic region divided by the population in that region.
Percentile
A percentile is the value of a variable below which a certain percent of observations fall. So the 25th percentile is the value (or score) below which 25 percent of the observations may be found.
Personal Income
An estimate of total gross income that an individual receives from wages, proprietor's income, rents, dividends, interest payments, and transfer payments.
Piece-Work
Work paid for at a fixed rate (piece-rate) per piece of work done.
Population
The total number of inhabitants occupying an area.
Poverty Level
The poverty level is a determined by the United States Housing and Urban Development Department to estimate what it costs to minimally feed, cloth, and provide shelter for families of different sizes. The most common quoted family size is four, but the guidelines give values for families from 1 to 8 persons. The guidelines also give a numeric amount for each person over 8 in the family. Refers to an income level below which the recipients are considered to be living in poverty. This level is adjusted each year, and varies depending on the number of members in each household. The U.S. Census Bureau measures the poverty level.
Producer Price Index
A family of indexes that measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services. PPI's measure price change from the perspective of the seller. This contrasts with other measures, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), that measures price change from the purchaser's perspective, and the Employment Cost Index, that measures cost changes from an employers perspective. Sellers' and purchasers' prices may differ due to government subsidies, sales and excise taxes, and distribution costs. PPI data are commonly used in escalating purchase and sales contracts. These contracts typically specify dollar amounts to be paid at some point in the future. It is often desirable to include an escalation clause that accounts for increases in input prices. For example, a long-term contract for bread may be escalated for changes in wheat prices by applying the percent change in the PPI for wheat to the contracted price for bread. Other uses of PPI are as an economic indicator and as a deflator of other economic series.
Productivity
Amount of output by worker per unit of labor hours.
Projections
An estimate of a future occurrence, event or activity based on historical evidence of past experience. Projections of employment are based on historical employment statistics, and structural factors, and estimates of economic growth, trends in the U.S., State, and regional characteristics that are likely to affect the region’s economy. |
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Q |
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) Program (ES-202)
This program produces employment and wage data for workers covered by State unemployment insurance laws and Federal workers covered by the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees Program. (http://www.bls.gov/cew/cewover.htm)
Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI)
The Quarterly Workforce Indicators are derived from the LED partnership and are possible because of an innovative system that merges data already collected from various sources. The state Labor Market Information (LMI) agencies supply key data from unemployment wage records and from businesses each quarter. The Census Bureau merges the data from the LMIs with current demographic information to produce the data found on the LED web site. By combining data from different administrative sources, censuses and surveys, the Census Bureau produces local employment information that was not available before.
Quartile
One of four divisions of observations that have been grouped into four equal-sized sets based on their rank. |
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Real Dollars/ Income
To understand "Real Dollars/Income" one has to understand "Nominal Dollars/Income." The adjective "nominal" describes the measurement of Dollars or Income in current prices or buying power. The adjective "Real," on the other hand, describes those same Dollars or Income in constant prices but adjusted for inflation as to record the real buying power of the Dollars or Income at a given point in time.
Real Per Capita Personal Income
Per capita personal income (pcpi) of an area after adjusting for inflation.
Recession
A recurring period of decline in total output, income, employment, and trade, usually lasting from six months to a year, and marked by widespread contractions in many sectors of the economy.
Reconciliation
Comparing different data sources to establish accuracy.
Re-Entrants
Persons who are re-entering the labor force after an absence.
Regional Economic Information System (REIS)
Employment Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis including farm, nonfarm, military, civilian, and self-employment. Annual State data is available 8 months after year’s end, metro and county data is available 16 months after year’s end. This data, despite the time lag, is the most comprehensive government source of employment by industry for state, county, and MSA area. REIS has extensive geographic coverage, all states, MSA's and counties, and data is available back to 1969.
Regional Workforce Investment Board (RWIB)
Regional Workforce Boards made up of partner agencies, business employers and labor boards. By law these Regional Boards are made up of at least 51 percent employers. The responsibilities of the RWIB are to focus on strategic planning, policy development and oversight of the local work force investment system.
Replacement
Openings resulting from people leaving an occupation.
Replacement Openings
Openings which results when individuals leave an occupation for a variety of reasons and must be replaced. It should be taken into account that if employment in an occupation is to grow or remain the same, those individuals who left the occupation must be replaced. In most cases, total occupational separations are replacement needs and a source of job openings. |
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Salary
Fixed compensation paid for labor or services. Most salaries are paid for a fixed periods of working hours.
Sample
A finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the whole.
School to Work
Connects what students are learning in class to the real world, helps students see why learning is important. Includes both school based and work based learning. Prepares students for the next step beyond high school.
Seasonal Adjustment
A process whereby normal seasonal changes are removed or discounted. In doing so, the underlying trends are easier to identify.
Seasonal Factors
Seasonal factors are events that cause normal fluctuations in business activity within individual or combinations of industries. Seasonal factors include, but are not limited to, such events as, weather conditions, holidays, and school schedules.
Seasonal Unemployment
A condition resulting from jobs being available for only a portion of the year. For example, migrant workers who follow the harvest of various crops, but have little chance of working when that crop is completed, are seasonally unemployed.
Seasonally Adjusted
Seasonal changes have been removed or discounted.
Self-Employed
Persons who work for profit or fees in their own business, profession or trade, or who operate a farm.
Separations
Job opening created due to workers permanently leaving one occupation to take a job in a different occupation, stay home, attend school, move out of the area, retire or die. This term is not the same as turnover.
Service Producing Industries
Those industries that primarily produce services, transportation, communications, and utilities, trade, Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (FIRE), services, and, government. 75th Percentile Wages
Seventy five percent of the workers in the occupation earn below this wage level. Twenty five percent of the workers in the occupation earn above is wage level.
Short Term Unemployment
Persons who have been jobless for fewer than five weeks.
Shortage of Workers
There are too few applicants with the required experience and abilities to fill openings within a reasonable amount of time.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)
The Standard Industrial Classification system is a hierarchical classification system that defines all establishments to a specific industry based on their primary output or product. The SIC is scheduled to be replaced by the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS).
Staffing Pattern
Each business employs workers with different types of skills to produce a good or provide a service. A staffing pattern summarizes this array of workers for an industry. The costs of labor and equipment in a local area will largely determine the mix of workers that a business will employ to remain competitive. Industry staffing patterns are often used to determine the ability of a local area to support economic development by being able to provide a skilled workforce.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
A numerical coding system that classifies occupational data for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data. All workers are classified into one of over 820 occupations according to their occupational definition. To facilitate classification, occupations are combined to form 23 major groups, 96 minor groups, and 449 broad occupations. Each broad occupation includes detailed occupation(s) requiring similar skills, education, or experience.
Static Labor Market
Unchanging labor market conditions resulting from the development of few openings coupled with a correspondingly low number of applicants.
Statistically Valid
Data that includes accurate collection and sampling methods and period of reference, using generally accepted statistical methods.
Structural Unemployment
This type of unemployment occurs when the basic nature of the economy changes over time, when employers no longer demand skills that unemployed workers possess. Structural unemployment is involuntary unemployment and typically requires retraining or education of displaced workers to bring their skills in line with demand.
Supply/Demand
In labor market information this term usually refers to the supply of workers in relationship to the demand for workers.
Surplus of Workers
More applicants ready and willing to work than there are job openings.
Survey
A study of all or a portion of the whole, conducted for purposes of making generalized statements about the whole.
Survey Week
The week including the 12th of the month. |
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T |
Technological Unemployment
A form of structural unemployment created by the substitution of automated equipment for labor, or by changing technologies.
Temporary Workers
Those workers who have no long-term attachment to an employer. They may work for several days, or several months, and often work for temporary help agencies.
Time Series
A variable in which the values are successive observations over time. A key characteristic of a time series is that any 2 points in a time series can be compared.
Trainee
An individual hired for a job, which may or may not require previous experience or education. A trainee could start in an entry-level, apprenticeship level, or internship level position.
Trend
The persistent underlying movement that takes place over a period of time. It is the basic growth or decline that would occur if no variations in activity existed.
Turnover
The rate of replacement of employees.
25th Percentile Wages
Twenty five percent of the workers in the occupation earn wages below this wage level. Seventy five percent of the workers earn wages above this wage level. |
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Under-Employment/Employed
A condition which exists when the full potential of labor is not being utilized. Measures of under-employment are not readily available.
Unemployed
Persons, aged 16 years or older, who are not working but are able to work, available for work, and seeking either full-time or part-time work.
Unemployment
Comprises all civilians 16 years and over who did not work during the survey week, who made specific efforts to find a job within the past four weeks, and who were available for work (except for temporary illness) during the survey week. Also included as unemployed are those who did not work at all, but were available for work, and (a) were waiting to be recalled to a job from which they had been laid off for a specific time, or (b) had a new job to go to within thirty days.
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE)
A program to provide Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits to individuals whose salary/wages were earned in Federal civilian employment.
Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program
A national program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Social Security Act. Provides temporary weekly payments to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. he payments are financed by contributions from employers on the wages of their covered workers. Eligibility for benefits requires that the claimant be able to work, be seeking work and be willing to accept a suitable job.
Unemployment Rate
The unemployment rate is derived by dividing the number of unemployed by the labor force. The result is expressed as a percentage.
Unit Labor Costs
Unit labor costs - the cost of labor input required to produce one unit of output - are computed as the ratio of labor costs in nominal terms divided by real output. |
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Wage and Salary Employment
Full-time and part-time workers (including employees on paid vacation or paid sick leave) who work or receive compensation from establishments for any part of the pay period including the 12th of the month. Those workers involved in labor-management disputes are excluded. This is a count of the number of jobs, and is available by industry.
Wages
A payment, usually of money, for labor or services performed.
Workforce Development Area (WDA)
The twelve Workforce Development Areas around the state are: WDA 1, the Olympic Consortium; WDA 2, the Pacific Mountain Consortium; WDA 3, Northwest Consortium; WDA 4, Snohomish Consortium; WDA 5, Seattle/King County Consortium; WDA 6, Tacoma/Pierce County Consortium; WDA 7, Southwest Washington Consortium; WDA 8, North Central (Pentad); WDA 9, South Central Workforce Council; WDA 10, Eastern Job Training Partnership; WDA 11, Benton Franklin; WDA 12, Spokane and County Consortium. |
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