BISMARCK, N.D. (JSND) – Job Service North Dakota reported that labor statistics released today show North Dakota’s May not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.2 percent. It was 0.7 of a percentage point lower from April’s rate, and 0.1 of a percentage point higher than May 2017 which is a normal seasonal pattern for May.

The labor force participation rate remained at a high level of 70.4 percent, a slight over-the-month increase.

The April 2018 to May 2018 change in unemployment was -2,700, a decrease of 23.1 percent. This percentage decrease for May is large, with most of the decrease in Construction and Mining. The over-the-year-change (May 2017 to May 2018) in unemployment was 89, an increase of 1.0 percent.
The national unemployment rate for May was 3.6 percent.

The nation’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.8 percent for the month, lower by 0.1 percentage points from the prior month and lower than the same period one year ago. The seasonally adjusted rate for North Dakota was 2.6 percent, unchanged from the prior month and 0.1 percentage points higher from May 2017. The seasonal adjustment process uses a statistical adjustment to accommodate predictable fluctuations between months such as length of daylight and typical weather, allowing for comparison between all months of a year.

Preliminary estimates indicate North Dakota’s May 2018 not seasonally adjusted employment increased 2.5 percent (10,500) from the prior month and decreased 0.7 percent (-3,100) from the same period one year ago.
Mining & Logging reported the largest over-the-year increase, adding 2,700 jobs since May 2017.

In addition, Mining & Logging showed the largest growth for the year with a 15.3 percent increase for the month of May. This is the only super sector that reported a double digit over-the-year percent increase.

Construction posted the largest over-the-year drop in employment numbers and percentage, -7.6 percent and a decline of 2,200 jobs. Most of this drop comes from specialty trade contractors where 1,400 jobs disappeared since the same time last year.

Government reported the second largest over-the-year decline in employment with a decrease of 2,000 jobs since May 2017. Local Government had a loss of 1,400 jobs over-the-year, followed by State Government with a loss of 500 jobs since May 2017.

Of North Dakota’s three metro areas Fargo-Moorhead and Grand Forks posted over-the-year increases in employment of 0.3 percent and 1.1 percent respectively. Bismarck posted employment losses of 1.3 percent.
• The greatest losses in Fargo-Moorhead were in the sectors of Information (-6.3 percent), Professional and Business Services (-2.5 percent), and Retail Trade (-1.9 percent). The three sectors in the Fargo-Moorhead MSA that gained employment growth since last year, include Education and Health Services (3.3 percent), Mining, Logging, and Construction (2.2 percent), and Other Services (1.8 percent).

• Grand Forks decreases were largest in Wholesale Trade (-5.3 percent) and Government (-0.7 percent). The largest increases occurred in Manufacturing (7.0 percent) and Professional and Business Services (6.5 percent).

• Bismarck saw the largest losses in Manufacturing (-11.8 percent), Other Services (-5.9 percent), and Professional and Business Services (-4.9 percent). Manufacturing showed a slightly larger contraction in nondurable goods. The largest increases occurred in Financial Activities (3.0 percent) and Education and Health Services (0.7 percent).
Notes:
1. The unemployment rate is the percentage of people actively seeking work compared to those in the labor force (employed plus unemployed).
2. Data are subject to revision.
3. The Job Service North Dakota Labor Market Information Center produced these statistics using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ nationally-required standard methodology.
4. Labor Force data for county and substate areas will be posted on 6-20-2018 to the Labor Market Information website: http://www.ndworkforceintelligence.com.

5. Nonfarm Employment (CES) is a monthly estimate of nonfarm employment. It is benchmarked to actual data annually.

6. The Current Employment Statistics (CES) Survey, conducted by the BLS, is a monthly establishment survey of about 140,000 businesses and government agencies, which cover approximately 490,000 individual worksites.

The main objective of the CES Survey is to estimate nonfarm employment, hours and earnings at place of work for the entire Nation, individual States, and metropolitan areas. The survey, is a stratified, simple random sample of worksites where the sample strata, or subpopulations, are defined by state, industry, and employment size, yielding a state-based design. The establishment survey, like other sample surveys, is subject to sampling and nonsampling error.

The Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program produces monthly employment and unemployment estimates for approximately 7,500 geographic areas, which include all States, labor market areas, counties, cities with a population of 25,000 or more, and all cities and towns in New England, regardless of population. LAUS estimates are designed to reflect the labor force concepts embodied in the Current Population Survey (CPS).

The CPS is a monthly sample survey of households. The survey statistics on the labor force status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over. CPS data are collected each month from a probability sample of approximately 60,000 occupied households and yield estimates of demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the population.