By Nick Dobbins
August 2020
Monthly analysis is based on seasonally adjusted employment data.
Yearly analysis is based on unadjusted employment data.
Employment was up by 40,500 (1.5%) in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, with the private sector adding 29,500 jobs (1.3%) and the public sector adding 11,000 (2.8%). Over the year the state lost 219,268 jobs (7.3%), an improvement over July’s 8.5% over-the-year decrease. The loss was felt more severely among service providers (down 194,160 jobs or 7.7%) than goods producers (down 25,208 or 5.2%) although significant losses remain across every supersector in the state.
Employment in Mining and Logging was up by 300 (5.9%) in August, on a seasonally-adjusted basis. It was the first positive monthly growth in the supersector since January. Over the year Mining and Logging employers lost 1,198 jobs (17.2%), a slight improvement over July’s 20.6% decline.
Construction employers added 1,500 jobs over the month (1.3%) in August. On an annual basis, the supersector lost 8,504 jobs (5.9%) with declines in all three published component sectors. Specialty Trade Contractors lost 6,137 jobs (6.7%), the largest real and proportional losses in the supersector. Construction of Buildings was off by 1,911 jobs (6.2%).
Employment in Manufacturing was up by 5,200 (1.7%) in August. Most of that growth came in Non-durable Goods Manufacturing, which added 3,600 jobs (3.3%), while their counterparts in Durable Goods added 1,600 jobs (0.8%). Over the year, Manufacturing employment was down by 4.7% (15,406 jobs), a marked improvement over July’s 6.2% decline. Durable Goods employment continued to struggle relative to Non-durable Goods, as employment in that component was off by 14,117 or 6.7% (compared to the 1.1% decline among non-durable goods manufacturers).
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employment was up by 2,700 (0.5%) in August. Retail Trade continued to lead the supersector, adding 2,900 jobs (1%), while Wholesale Trade lost 800 jobs (0.7%), and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities added 600 (0.6%). Annually Trade, Transportation, and Utilities lost 13,028 jobs (2.5%), the best over-the-year performance of any supersector in the state with a loss of 7,463 jobs (5.8%) in Wholesale Trade and 7,140 jobs (6.7%) in Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities. Retail Trade was the rare major component sector to post positive over-the-year growth, adding 1,575 jobs (0.5%) from August of 2019. This marked a steep recovery for the sector, which was off by 11.5% over the year as recently as April.
Information employment was up by 100 (0.2%) in August, after being down by 2.2% in July. Over the year the long-declining supersector’s employment was off by 7,472 (15.7%) with losses in both published component sectors.
Employment in Financial Activities was down by 100 (0.1% on the month, with the loss of 200 jobs (0.1%) in Finance and Insurance outpacing the small gains in Real Estate and Rental and Leasing. Over the year, employment in the supersector was down by 7,688 (3.9%), displaying virtually no change from July’s over-the-year losses, bucking the trend of incremental improvements in most supersectors. Real Estate and Rental and Leasing remained the harder hit of the two major components, down 16% (5,851 jobs) from August of 2019.
Professional and Business Services added 4,300 jobs (1.2%) in August, with similar levels of growth in all three component sectors. Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services was up 1%, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services was up 1.2%, and Management of Companies and Enterprises was up 1.5%. Over the year the supersector lost 15,135 jobs (3.9%). Employment Services, which is considered a leading indicator for the labor market in many situations, was down by 4.9% (2,848 jobs). This was a dramatic improvement over July’s 10.2% decline, which may indicate employers turning to temporary help as they tentatively begin to ramp up employment.
Employment in Educational and Health Services was up by 7,100 (1.4%). Educational Services added 2,400 jobs (3.9%), and Health Care and Social Assistance added 4,700 (1.1%). The supersector has displayed growth of better than 1% in every month since April, when employment declined by 10.6%. Over the year, employment in the supersector was down by 34,359 (6.3%), with roughly proportional declines in both major component sectors. Overall the supersector remained on an upward trajectory, with over-the-year employment improving from -7.1% in July.
Leisure and Hospitality employment was up by 7,800 (4%) in August, the largest proportional increase of any supersector in the state. Accommodation and Food Services was home to all of the growth, adding 8,100 jobs (4.9%) while Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation was down by 300 (1%). On the year, employment in Leisure and Hospitality was off by 79,118 jobs or 26.6%, the largest real and proportional decline of any supersector in the state, but an improvement over July’s 28.7% over-the-year job loss.
Employment in Other Services was up by 600 (0.6%) in August as the supersector continued to recover from the large-scale job losses in April. On an annual basis employment was down by 14,455 (12.4%). Most of those declines came in Personal and Laundry Services, which was down by 9,805 (33.6%) while Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, and Professional Organizations were down 4,767 (7.4%) and Repair and Maintenance actually added jobs on the year, up by 117 or 0.5%.
Government employers added 11,000 jobs (2.8%) in August. Federal employers added 3,700 jobs (11.3%), and Local Government employers added 8,500 (3.2%), while State Government employment was off by 1,200 (1.2%). Over the year, Government employment was off by 22,905 (5.7%), with most of that loss coming at the Local Government level (down 23,305 or 8.4%). State Government was down 3,515 (3.8%), while Federal Government employment was up 3,915 or 12%, likely from an increase in temporary Census workers.
