Covered Employment and Wages for Second Quarter 1999
Source: ES-202 Report
Run Date: December 1999
Prepared: 12/14/99 by Nancy Brennan
Text by: Craig Henderson
"Comparing Preliminary Covered Employment and Wages (ES-202) data for the second quarter 1999 to data for the same quarter in 1998 shows that the state's average monthly employment increased by 3,390 ..."
All but one major industry in the private sector demonstrated monthly increases in employment between March and June 1999 (see Table 1). The exception, Transportation, Communications, & Public Utilities (TCPU), showed a slight decrease in employment in April, but finished the second quarter of 1999 reporting an industry increase of 390 jobs over first quarter 1999. Total Government employment showed marginal growth during second quarter 1999. An increase in Federal Government employment (by nearly 1,000) from January through June 1999 offset the second quarter decrease in Local Government employment from 36,788 to 36,069 (719 jobs).
Four industries experienced decreases in average monthly employment from second quarter 1998 to 1999 (see Table 2). Mining showed the largest decrease in employment (-1,305 or -7.8%). Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate (FIRE) and Wholesale Trade also had declines in average monthly employment over this time (-524 or -6.1% and -230 or -2.9%, respectively). State Government showed a small decrease (-29 or -0.3%). Industries increasing their average monthly employment included Construction (1,202 or 7.3%), Services (2,622 or 5.4%) and Manufacturing (400 or 3.7%). A large part of recent employment growth in Manufacturing occurred when firms were recoded from nonmanufacturing industries as a result of refiling2 with the state. These are considered non-economic code changes. For example, if a firm changed its primary business from selling bulk groceries (Wholesale Trade) to producing plastic and paper food containers (Manufacturing), Wyoming’s economy would show artificial growth in employment levels in the Manufacturing industry. By comparison, industries showing significant increases in average monthly employment between second quarter 1997 and second quarter 1998 included Construction (8%), FIRE (5.7%), and Services (3.7%).3
Total payroll rose by 4.3 percent between second quarter 1998 and second quarter 1999 (see Table 2). Mining, FIRE and Wholesale Trade experienced reductions in total payroll by (-3.9%, -1.4% and -0.2%, respectively). All other industries showed gains, with Construction and Services leading with 13.7 percent and 9.2 percent increases, respectively, over the period. Average weekly wages increased for all industries except Manufacturing and Federal Government, both of which incurred small reductions of -0.4 percent. Construction showed the highest percent change in average weekly wages over the year (6.0%, $30). The statewide total showed an average weekly wage increase of $13.
All regions in Wyoming experienced employment gains in second quarter 1999 (see Table 3). Average monthly employment showed increases throughout the counties of the Central and Northeastern regions. The largest percent increase in employment occurred in Johnson County (6.1% or 159 jobs). Only Teton County showed a comparable increase of 5.9 percent (850 jobs). Sweetwater County experienced the largest numeric decrease in employment (-636 or -3.2%). Other counties showing smaller decreases were Washakie (-180 or -4.8%), Big Horn (-107 or -2.7%), Uinta (-103 or -1.3%) and Goshen (-31 or -0.8%).
Total payroll increased for most counties from second quarter 1998 to second quarter 1999. Teton County led with a substantial 13.0 percent change in payroll, followed by Lincoln, Johnson and Weston Counties (7.7%, 7.6% and 7.3%, respectively). Washakie County experienced the largest decrease in total payroll (-6.2%). Niobrara, Hot Springs and Sweetwater Counties showed much smaller decreases (-0.9%, -0.4% and -0.3%, respectively). Most counties registered increases in average weekly wages over the same time. Teton, Big Horn and Weston Counties showed the highest percent gains (6.7%, 5.6% and 5.0%, respectively). Hot Springs County showed no change. Washakie, Niobrara and Park Counties experienced decreases in average weekly wages (-1.5%, -1.0%, -0.1%, respectively).
1 Gayle Edlin, "Covered Employment and Wages for Second Quarter 1998,"Wyoming Labor Force Trends, January 1999.
2 Each year, Research & Planning surveys a randomly selected group of firms representing one third of all firms. Employers are asked whether or not their primary business function has changed. If it has, they are coded into their new industrial classification.
3 Gayle Edlin, "Covered Employment and Wages for Second Quarter 1998," Wyoming Labor Force Trends, January 1999.
Employment in Wyoming increased during second quarter 1999, typical of a seasonal pattern that marks a low point in the winter and peaks in the summer months1 (see Table 1). Comparing Preliminary Covered Employment and Wages (ES-202) data for the second quarter 1999 to data for the same quarter in 1998 shows that the state’s average monthly employment increased by 3,390, from 223,565 to 226,955 over the year (see Table 2). Employment registered 1.5 percent higher in second quarter 1999 than in second quarter 1998. We emphasize the preliminary nature of these data. Data for the second quarter 1999 reflect the normal transition to a new electronic imaging system, an Employment Resources Division initiative aimed at improving the efficiency in collecting Unemployment Insurance tax data. We have confidence in the integrity of the data, and we expect to make upward revisions as the data are finalized (i.e., identifying delinquent employers, making edit checks, collecting the balance of partial employer reports).
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