Information: NAICS 51
About the Information sector
The information sector is part of the service-providing industries supersector group.
The Information sector comprises establishments engaged in the following processes: (a) producing and distributing information and cultural products, (b) providing the means to transmit or distribute these products as well as data or communications, and (c) processing data.
The main components of this sector are the publishing industries, including software publishing, and both traditional publishing and publishing exclusively on the Internet; the motion picture and sound recording industries; the broadcasting industries, including traditional broadcasting and those broadcasting exclusively over the Internet; the telecommunications industries; Web search portals, data processing industries, and the information services industries.
The Information sector groups three types of establishments: (1) those engaged in producing and distributing information and cultural products; (2) those that provide the means to transmit or distribute these products as well as data or communications; and (3) those that process data.
North American Industry Classification System
The information sector consists of these subsectors:
NOTE: The NAICS 2002 subsector Internet Publishing and Broadcasting: NAICS 516 has been discontinued in NAICS 2007 and the establishments that had been classified in this subsector have been moved into Other Information Services: NAICS 519.
Workforce Statistics
This section provides information relating to employment and unemployment in information.
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) |
|
2,636 |
2,629 |
2,637 |
2,640 |
Employment, production and nonsupervisory employees (seasonally adjusted) |
|
2,129 |
2,127 |
2,135 |
2,137 |
Unemployment |
|
Unemployment rate |
|
7.8% |
7.1% |
6.7% |
7.3% |
Layoffs |
|
Mass layoff events |
|
39 |
48 |
32 |
33 |
Initial claimants for unemployment benefits |
|
5,349 |
8,612 |
4,303 |
4,653 |
Job openings, hires, and separations (in thousands) |
|
Job openings |
|
81 |
105 |
104 |
|
Hires |
|
68 |
68 |
67 |
|
Separations |
|
61 |
55 |
58 |
|
(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) |
|
12.7% |
10.0% |
9.6% |
10.1% |
Represented by unions (percent of wage and salary workers) |
|
13.7% |
11.2% |
10.9% |
10.8% |
(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 |
|
111 |
124 |
123 |
123 |
Gross job losses |
|
130 |
129 |
122 |
135 |
(Source: Business Employment Dynamics)
Extended Mass Layoffs
(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)
Employment by Occupation
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)
Projections
For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for information.
(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 information.
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
(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 |
|
2.0% |
2.3% |
3.2% |
3.7% |
Wages and salaries |
|
1.5% |
1.9% |
1.0% |
1.5% |
(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 information. 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.
| Data series |
Back
data |
May
2012 |
Jun.
2012 |
Jul.
2012 |
Aug.
2012 |
Producer price index |
|
102.9 |
103.1 |
102.8 |
103.1 |
Percent change from previous month |
|
0.6% |
0.2% |
-0.3% |
0.3% |
(Source: Producer Price Indexes)
Workplace Trends
This section presents data on the number of establishments and the number of establishments experiencing job gains or job losses in information.
Establishments
(Source: Business Employment Dynamics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)
Other BLS Resources
The Editor's Desk
See industry studies in the subject matter index of The Editor's Desk (Current Edition).
Career Guide to Industries
To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.
Data extracted on:
September 27, 2012
