An Illustrated History of Employment (1990 & 1994)

Introduction: Purpose and Use of the Data

Table 1: Employment for the United States, Neighboring States, Wyoming & Wyoming's Counties
	Employment		Change in Employment
			1990-1994
	1990	1994	Numeric	Percent
United States	108,658,056	112,613,831	3,955,775	3.6%
Colorado	1,503,673	1,738,239	234,566	15.6
Idaho	386,056	462,651	76,595	19.8
Montana	286,562	328,248	41,686	14.5
Nebraska	710,969	772,412	61,443	8.6
North Dakota	245,705	274,297	28,592	11.6
South Dakota	274,171	316,194	42,023	15.3
Utah	694,274	827,451	133,177	19.2
	Employment		Change in Employment
			1990-1994
	1990	1994	Numeric	Percent
Wyoming	190,705	209,431	18,726	9.8%
Northwest	29,693	32,776	3,083	10.4%
Big Horn	3,211	3,321	110	3.4
Fremont	11,700	12,779	1,079	9.2
Hot Springs	1,910	2,075	165	8.6
Park	9,715	11,040	1,325	13.6
Washakie	3,157	3,560	403	12.8
Northeast	29,065	32,192	3,127	10.8%
Campbell	14,072	15,640	1,568	11.1
Crook	1,655	1,806	151	9.1
Johnson	2,226	2,413	187	8.4
Sheridan	8,927	10,189	1,262	14.1
Weston	2,185	2,143	-42	-1.9
Southwest	41,887	47,428	5,541	13.2%
Lincoln	4,304	4,638	334	7.8
Sublette	1,763	2,023	260	14.7
Sweetwater	18,290	19,935	1,645	9.0
Teton	10,326	13,107	2,781	26.9
Uinta	7,204	7,724	520	7.2
Southeast	49,528	53,961	4,433	9.0%
Albany	12,155	12,897	742	6.1
Goshen	3,635	3,966	331	9.1
Laramie	30,265	33,436	3,171	10.5
Niobrara	744	758	14	1.9
Platte	2,729	2,904	175	6.4
Central	38,107	38,884	777	2.0%
Carbon	6,738	6,692	-46	-0.7
Converse	3,601	3,978	377	10.5
Natrona	27,768	28,214	446	1.6

However, when the analysis shifts to explaining why the value of jobs in Wyoming declined by 3.0 percent between 1990 and 1994 (refer to Table 2: Nominal and Real Pay for the United States, Neighboring States & Wyoming), while the value of jobs in the North-Central Region rose in most states, differences begin to emerge which suggest a stream of questions. In 1994, employment in all states in the region was dominated by Retail Trade, Local Government, Services and Manufacturing while in Wyoming, employment in Mining replaced Manufacturing as the key element in the Goods-Producing sector. (It should also be pointed out that Local Government employment in Wyoming, in contrast to all other states, includes a share of publicly owned medical services.) What this distinction implies, if anything, about falling real earnings demands considerably more research and analysis than we intend to present here. This publication can be treated as a starting point in simply describing the demand side of the equation in the labor market and serve the purpose of assisting in raising more effective questions.

Table 2: Nominal and Real Pay for the United States, Neighboring States & Wyoming
	Nominal Annual Pay		Change in Nominal Annual Pay		Real Annual Pay		Change in Real Annual Pay
			1990-1994				1990-1994
	1990	1994	Numeric	Percent	1990	1994	Numeric	Percent
United States	$23,602	$26,939	$3,337	14.1%	$18,058	$18,177	$119	0.7%
Colorado	22,908	26,164	3,256	14.2	17,527	17,655	128	0.7
Idaho	18,980	21,938	2,958	15.6	14,522	14,803	281	1.9
Montana	17,895	20,219	2,324	13.0	13,692	13,643	-49	-0.4
Nebraska	18,577	21,500	2,923	15.7	14,213	14,507	294	2.1
North Dakota	17,626	19,893	2,267	12.9	13,486	13,423	-63	-0.5
South Dakota	16,430	19,255	2,825	17.2	12,571	12,993	422	3.4
Utah	20,074	22,811	2,737	13.6	15,359	15,392	33	0.2
Wyoming	$20,057	$22,071	$2,014	10.0%	$15,346	$14,893	-$453	-3.0%

Examination of published details (refer to the April 1996 issue of Wyoming Labor Force Trends and the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin 2467) indicates that—in comparison to Colorado’s labor market, for example—employment in Wyoming’s Retail Trade industry was responsible for 26.2 percent of growth from 1990 to 1994. But it was responsible for only 20.7 percent of growth in Colorado during the same period. Rapid growth in relatively low wage industries is problematic for both states . However, the situation is even more difficult in Wyoming where the average wage in the retail sector is 18.7 percent less than it is in Colorado. This pattern is repeated in the high growth Services industry where Wyoming’s earnings per job fall 31.6 percent below those of Colorado. While Retail Trade and Services growth dominate both labor markets, it is clear that something more complicated “explains” the difference in earnings levels.

Explaining the differences between states that appear in graphic form in this publication is a much more complicated step than we intend to take here. What this publication can do is open the door to understanding some of the basic components of the employment situation and serve as a pointer for those interested in additional research (refer to the Technical Appendix in this publication and Research & Planning’s Annual Covered Employment and Wages publications). Comparison over time is central to any analysis aimed at understanding underlying processes while comparison of the employment situation among states in the region allows one to focus on common factors such as climate, resources, transportation systems, remoteness and population density as factors that may explain the distribution of employment opportunities. The ability to discard an explanation—geographic location as a barrier to growth, for example—is only possible through comparison of labor market outcomes among similarly situated states or similarly situated counties.

 

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