Why are there three different sets of employment data on this Web site?

There are three different sets of employment data on this Web site:

  • Current Employment Statistics (CES) also called Monthly Employment Statistics
  • Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)
  • Civilian employment calculated as part of the program that generates unemployment rates

 

Industry Employment vs. Civilian Employment (used to calculate unemployment rate)

The CES and QCEW data sets both count the number of jobs by place of work. Neither includes business owners, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, or private household workers. If someone holds more than one job, that person may be counted more than once. CES employment data are released monthly for the state as a whole and for the state’s six economic regions. QCEW employment data are released quarterly (with a time lag of six to nine months) for the state as a whole and for all of the state’s boroughs and census areas.

CES data are considered the state’s and nation’s official industry employment time series. QCEW data are primarily used when more geographic detail is needed and for wage data.

Unlike the two industry employment data sets, civilian employment estimates generated in the calculation of unemployment rates count the number of working people by where they live. This includes business owners, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, private household workers, and wage and salary workers. A person with more than one job is only counted once.

Industry And Employment Job Count 
(CES And QCEW)		 Civilian Employment People Count 
(For Calculating Unemployment Rate)
The number of jobs in an area for which employers pay workers wages or salaries. The number of residents in an area who work.
Excludes business owners, self-employed, unpaid volunteers or family workers, and private household workers. Includes residents with wage and salary jobs and those who are business owners or self-employed, private household workers, or unpaid workers in a family enterprise.
Includes the number of jobs in an area held by commuters who live outside the area and local residents. Includes area residents who travel to jobs in other areas. Excludes residents of other counties or areas commuting to jobs in this area.
Counts all full-time and part-time jobs. Counts all residents with full-time or part-time jobs.
If a person holds two wage and salaried jobs, total industry employment will report both jobs. Local residents holding more than one job are only counted once.
Does not count jobs held by those not working because of a labor-management dispute. Includes residents with jobs, but who are not working due to a labor-management dispute.
  Civilian employment added to the number of unemployed people equals the labor force.