The Current Employment Statistics (CES) program is a monthly
survey of business establishments which provides estimates of
employment, hours and earnings data by industry for the nation
as a whole, all states, and most major metropolitan areas since
1939. Each month, respondents report data on employment hours
and earnings from a sample of about 300,000 nonfarm
establishments which employ nearly 40 percent of the total
nonfarm population nationally. In Iowa, the sample is composed
of 8,300. All establishments with 1,000 employees or more are
asked to participate in the survey along with a representative
sample of smaller establishments.
Employment estimates are made at
the publication cell level and aggregated to broader levels of
industry detail. A minimum guaranteed publication structure has
been defined for statewide and MSAs. The structure consists of
“expanded” super sectors, which break Manufacturing; Trade,
Transportation, and Utilities; and Government into further
publication detail. The guaranteed publication cells aggregate
to the summary cells of goods-producing, service-producing,
total private and total nonfarm employment. All other published
series had to pass a minimum sufficiency test of at least 30
unique unemployment insurance (UI) accounts in its sample, or a
minimum universe employment count of 3,000 with at least 50
percent covered by the sample.
Beginning January 2005, the new
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) definitions will become
standard area definitions in the CES program. These were
released by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in
June 2003 and updated in February and March of 2004.
Previously released CES data based on the old MSA definitions
have been moved; historical files have been built using the new
definitions.
(see
PDF map)
Estimates are revised as follows:
Preliminary-to-Final Estimates
– Initial monthly estimates are calculated from an incomplete
sample and are subject to revision in the subsequent month when
more sample data are available. Revisions at the total nonfarm
levels for preliminary statewide employment are generally
small.
Final-to-Benchmark Estimates
– Final estimates are subject to annual benchmarks of universe
counts of employment derived from the unemployment insurance
(UI) reports from employers.
CES data are a coincident
economic indicator and are often cited in national and local
newspapers, magazines, and reports. The data can be used for
projects in geography, urban planning, and public policies.
For detailed Iowa data, call (800) 532-9793.
Iowa Links:
Current Employment Statistics (CES) Data
