Manufacturing: NAICS 31-33
About the Manufacturing sector
The manufacturing sector is part of the goods-producing industries supersector group.
The Manufacturing sector comprises establishments engaged in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products.
Establishments in the Manufacturing sector are often described as plants, factories, or mills and characteristically use power-driven machines and materials-handling equipment. However, establishments that transform materials or substances into new products by hand or in the worker's home and those engaged in selling to the general public products made on the same premises from which they are sold, such as bakeries, candy stores, and custom tailors, may also be included in this sector. Manufacturing establishments may process materials or may contract with other establishments to process their materials for them. Both types of establishments are included in manufacturing.
North American Industry Classification System
The manufacturing sector consists of these subsectors:
NOTE: There was a change in the definition of this subsector between NAICS 2002 and NAICS 2007. Some of the data below reflect the 2002 definition and some reflect the 2007 definition. See the BLS
implementation schedule for NAICS 2007 to find out which BLS programs have already implemented NAICS 2007.
Workforce Statistics
This section provides information relating to employment and unemployment in manufacturing.
While most data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys, information on industry unemployment comes from a national survey of households.
The following tables present an overview of the industry including
the number of jobs,
the unemployment rate of those previously employed in the industry,
job openings and labor turnover,
union membership and representation,
gross job gains and losses,
mass layoffs,
data for occupations common to the industry,
and projections of occupational employment change.
Employment, Unemployment, Layoffs, and Openings, Hires, and Separations
| Data series |
Back
data |
May
2012 |
Jun.
2012 |
Jul.
2012 |
Aug.
2012 |
Employment (in thousands) |
|
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted) |
|
11,955 |
11,962 |
11,985 |
11,970 |
Employment, production and nonsupervisory employees (seasonally adjusted) |
|
8,424 |
8,423 |
8,448 |
8,438 |
Unemployment |
|
Unemployment rate |
|
7.1% |
6.9% |
7.2% |
7.3% |
Layoffs |
|
Mass layoff events |
|
186 |
255 |
559 |
251 |
Initial claimants for unemployment benefits |
|
18,800 |
28,570 |
74,963 |
31,193 |
Job openings, hires, and separations (in thousands) |
|
Job openings |
|
311 |
308 |
299 |
|
Hires |
|
295 |
310 |
277 |
|
Separations |
|
240 |
257 |
236 |
|
(Source: Current Employment Statistics, Current Population Survey, Mass Layoff Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey)
Union Membership and Representation
| Data series |
Back
data |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
Union membership and representation |
|
Members of unions (percent of wage and salary workers) |
|
11.4% |
10.9% |
10.7% |
10.5% |
Represented by unions (percent of wage and salary workers) |
|
12.3% |
11.9% |
11.6% |
11.2% |
(Source: Current Population Survey)
Dynamic Changes in Employment
| Data series |
Back
data |
1st quarter
2011 |
2nd quarter
2011 |
3rd quarter
2011 |
4th quarter
2011 |
Dynamic changes in employment (in thousands) |
|
Gross job gains |
|
422 |
458 |
458 |
432 |
Gross job losses |
|
370 |
379 |
407 |
427 |
(Source: Business Employment Dynamics)
Extended Mass Layoffs
(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)
Employment by Occupation
| Data series |
Employment,
2011 |
Helpers--production workers |
254,520 |
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
293,540 |
Machinists |
294,620 |
Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
93,150 |
Team assemblers |
703,740 |
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)
Projections
For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for manufacturing.
(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)
Earnings and Hours
This section presents data on employee earnings and weekly hours.
The latest industry averages of hourly earnings and weekly hours, as well as weekly earnings by union membership status, are shown.
In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in manufacturing.
This section also contains information on the average cost of benefits paid by employers, as well as recent rates of change in wages and total compensation.
Earnings and Hours of All Employees
(Source: Current Employment Statistics)
Earnings and Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees
(Source: Current Employment Statistics)
Union Membership and Representation
(Source: Current Population Survey)
Earnings by Occupation
| Data series |
Wages, 2011 |
| Hourly |
Annual |
| Median |
Mean |
Median |
Mean |
Helpers--production workers |
$11.49 |
$12.30 |
$23,900 |
$25,580 |
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers |
$16.61 |
$17.68 |
$34,540 |
$36,780 |
Machinists |
$18.89 |
$19.51 |
$39,290 |
$40,580 |
Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products |
$26.88 |
$28.29 |
$55,920 |
$58,840 |
Team assemblers |
$14.06 |
$15.10 |
$29,240 |
$31,410 |
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)
Employer Compensation Costs
| Data series |
Back
data |
3rd quarter
2011 |
4th quarter
2011 |
1st quarter
2012 |
2nd quarter
2012 |
12-month percent change |
|
Total compensation |
|
2.6% |
2.8% |
1.8% |
1.2% |
Wages and salaries |
|
1.7% |
1.8% |
1.9% |
1.8% |
(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)
(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)
Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses
This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in manufacturing. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.
(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)
Prices
This section provides industry-specific pricing information. The producer price index measures the percentage change in prices that domestic producers receive for goods and services. The prices included in the producer price index are from the first commercial transaction. The import price index reflects the percentage change in prices paid to foreign producers for their goods and services within the U.S., while the export price index measures the percentage change in prices received by U.S. producers for goods and services sold outside the U.S.
| Data series |
Back
data |
May
2012 |
Jun.
2012 |
Jul.
2012 |
Aug.
2012 |
Producer price index |
|
193.6 |
192.2 |
191.0 |
193.3 |
Percent change from previous month |
|
-0.6% |
-0.7% |
-0.6% |
1.2% |
Import index |
|
118.3 |
117.5 |
117.1 |
117.3 |
Percent change from previous month |
|
-0.6% |
-0.7% |
-0.3% |
0.2% |
Export index |
|
121.6 |
120.1 |
119.8 |
120.3 |
Percent change from previous month |
|
-0.5% |
-1.2% |
-0.2% |
0.4% |
(Source: Producer Price Indexes, International Price Program)
Workplace Trends
This section presents data on the number of establishments and the number of establishments experiencing job gains or job losses in manufacturing. Also included in this section is information on productivity and costs, presented as indexes and changes in output per hour and unit labor costs.
Establishments
(Source: Business Employment Dynamics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)
Productivity
| Data series |
Back
data |
3rd quarter
2011 |
4th quarter
2011 |
1st quarter
2012 |
2nd quarter
2012 |
Output per hour index (seasonally adjusted) |
|
114.413 |
114.599 |
116.133 |
116.160 |
Percent change from previous quarter |
|
5.5 |
0.7 |
5.5 |
0.1 |
Hours index (seasonally adjusted) |
|
84.422 |
85.420 |
86.346 |
86.644 |
Percent change from previous quarter |
|
-0.3 |
4.8 |
4.4 |
1.4 |
Output index (seasonally adjusted) |
|
96.590 |
97.890 |
100.277 |
100.645 |
Percent change from previous quarter |
|
5.2 |
5.5 |
10.1 |
1.5 |
Unit labor costs (seasonally adjusted) |
|
104.017 |
102.253 |
102.554 |
102.771 |
Percent change from previous quarter |
|
-4.8 |
-6.6 |
1.2 |
0.8 |
(Source: Productivity and Costs)
Other BLS Resources
The Editor's Desk
See manufacturing and industry studies in the subject matter index of The Editor's Desk (Current Edition).
Monthly Labor Review
See manufacturing in the Index of the Monthly Labor Review Online (Current Issue).
Career Guide to Industries
To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.
Data extracted on:
September 27, 2012
