OLMIS Labor Market Information Glossary

Oregon Labor Market Information System May 14, 2008

A B C D E F G I J L M N O P R S T U W

A

Affirmative Action Program - A Federal government program covering actions, policies, and procedures for employers/contractors that are designed to achieve equal employment opportunity. The affirmative action obligation includes a thorough, systematic effort to prevent discrimination from occurring or to detect it and eliminate it as promptly as possible, and recruitment and outreach measures.

See also - QualityInfo.org's Oregon Affirmative Action packets.

American Community Survey (ACS) - The ACS is an on-going survey that the Census Bureau plans to use to replace the long form census survey done every ten years, starting with the 2010 Census. It is a way to provide the data that communities need every year instead of once every ten years. ACS data is currently available only for Multnomah County in Oregon. Full implementation will begin in 2003 in every county of the United States.

Annual Average Employment - The average number of people employed over a given year in a given occupation or industry. Gives a measure of average employment during the year without the effects of seasonal variations.

Average - The most popular understanding of the term is the arithmetic mean, which is calculated by summing all the values under consideration, and dividing by the number of values. Another average is the median or middle point, in which there are equal number of data points above and below that data point. The final type is the mode, which is the data point that occurs the most frequently. So, given the following 7 data points: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, and 9; then the mean is 4.143 (1+2+3+4+5+5+9)/7); the median (the middle value) is 4, and the mode (most common) is 5 (there are 2 of them, only 1 of the others).

Average Annual Pay - Calculated by dividing total annual pay by the average of the twelve monthly employment levels. "Pay" includes wages (with bonuses and severance pay), cash value of meals and lodging, tips and employer paid contributions to individual retirement accounts.

See also - Average Weekly Wage.

Average Hourly Earnings - Calculated by dividing gross payrolls by total hours. Reflect the earnings of workers, including premium pay. They differ from wage rates, which are the amounts stipulated for a given unit of work or time.

Note - Average hourly earnings do not represent total labor costs per hour for the employer, because they exclude retroactive payments and irregular bonuses, employee benefits, and the employer's share of payroll taxes. Earnings for those employees not covered under production worker and non-supervisory categories are not reflected in the estimates.

See also - Employment Cost Index (ECI), Average Weekly Wage.

Average Weekly Wage - Derived by dividing total annual wages by fifty-two.

See also - Average Hourly Earnings.

B

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) - The BLS is an agency within the US Department of Labor and is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data relating to employment, unemployment, the labor force, productivity, prices, family expenditures, wages, industrial relations, and occupational safety and health. Well known data released by BLS include the Consumer Price Index, the Producer Price Index, the national unemployment rate, hours and earnings, and nonfarm employment levels.

Bureau of the Census - Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. It conducts censuses of population and housing every ten years and of agriculture, business, governments, manufacturing, mineral industries, and transportation at five-year intervals. The Census Bureau also conducts the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) in cooperation with BLS. Data from this survey provide data inputs for the calculation of unemployment statistics.

See also - Census, Census Tract, and American Community Survey.

Business Cycle - Recurring expansion and contraction of the economy.

See also - Productivity, Recession, and Unemployment.

C

Career Information System (CIS) - A complete Oregon-based occupational, educational and job search information system for Oregonians. The software can be accessed from computers at most One-Stop Centers, local offices of the Employment Department, offices of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, public secondary schools, community colleges, and on the Internet at http://oregoncis.uoregon.edu/webcis.

Census - U.S. Census Bureau collects information on population and housing every 10 years for all geographic areas of the nation. The entire nation is divided into small sections called Census Tracts, and within each tract the Census bureau attempts to count the number of persons and demographic, economic, and housing characteristics of the individuals living in that tract. The first official US Census was done in 1790, the most recent count was done on April 1, 2000. The data in the census is key to planning for both private business and government.

See also - Census Tract, American Community Survey, Bureau of the Census.

Census Tract - A small relatively permanent statistical subdivision of a county delineated by local committees of census data users for the purpose of collecting and presenting census data. It is worth noting that census tract conform with county lines (that is they are always sub-sets of a county), but may not follow zip code lines.

See also - Census, American Community Survey, and Bureau of the Census.

Civilian Labor Force - The civilian labor force comprises the total of all civilians age 16 and older classified as employed or unemployed. This gives employers a measure of the labor pool.

See also - Employed, Labor Force, Labor Force Participation Rate, and Unemployed.

Civilian Non-institutional Population - Total population age 16 or older excluding prison inmates or those hospitalized or in some other form of institution.

See also - Civilian Labor Force, Labor Force, Labor Force Participation Rate, and Unemployment.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) - A measure of the average change in prices over time for a set group of goods and services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) for all urban consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 80 percent of the total population and (2) for all urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) which covers 32 percent of the total population. Among the CPI components are the costs of housing, food, transportation, and energy. While the CPI is not technically a cost of living index, it is often used to indicate changes in the cost-of-living.

See also - Employment Cost Index, Inflation.

Core Inflation Rate - The rate of increase of prices of a set group of goods and services, excluding more volatile prices, such as food and energy prices.

See also - Consumer Price Index (CPI), Inflation.

Covered Employment and Wages - The Covered Employment and Wages program, sometimes called the ES-202 program, is a cooperative endeavor of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the employment security agencies of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Using quarterly data submitted on magnetic media or electronically by the agencies, BLS summarizes employment and payroll data for workers covered by State unemployment insurance (UI) laws and for civilian workers covered by the program of Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE).

See also - ES-202.

Current Employment Statistics (CES) Survey - A monthly survey of nonfarm business establishments used to collect nonfarm payroll employment, worker hours and earnings, by industry and area. Through the Federal/State cooperative effort, these data are used to compute current monthly employment, hours and earnings estimates, by industry, for the nation, the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and over 250 Metropolitan Statistical Area�s (MSA) and Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area�s (PMSA). In Oregon this data is also gathered for each county.

See also - Covered Employment and Payroll, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Current Population Survey - A monthly household survey of the civilian non-institutional population of the United States. This BLS survey provides labor market statistics (e.g., employment, unemployment, and wages) by industry, occupation, and demographic characteristics. The Bureau of the Census collects data for this survey in cooperation with BLS.

See also - Demographics

Cyclical Unemployment - Unemployment that results from periodic declines in the business cycle (for example, recessions). Downswings in the level of economic activity create unemployment as a result of inadequate demand for workers. During a recovery, cyclical unemployment will be reduced or eliminated.

See also - Frictional Unemployment, Structural Unemployment, Unemployment Insurance, and Recession.

D

Data Limitations - Margin of error in collection methods, or incomplete data, which affect the accuracy of some statistical analysis.

Decennial Census - Enumeration, or head count, of the actual number of persons living in the U. S., required every ten years by the U.S. Constitution.

Demographics - Data related to population; size, components of change, and characteristics (e.g. age, education, etc.).

See also - Decennial Census, Current Population Survey.

Discouraged Workers - A term used to describe persons aged 16 or over without jobs who are not actively seeking employment because they believe that they would be unable to find a job. Even though discouraged workers would like to be employed, they are not counted as unemployed, or even as part of the labor force. This number, added to the number of counted unemployed, can give a better idea of the actual number of potential workers.

See also - Dislocated Workers.

Dislocated Occupations - Occupations to which workers who become unemployed are unlikely to return.

See also - Dislocated Workers.

Dislocated Workers - Workers who have become unemployed because of structural changes in an industry, natural disaster, or other factors, and have limited opportunity to return to their old industry or occupation.

Durable Goods - Manufactured items generally considered to have a normal life expectancy of three years or more. Examples are automobiles, furniture, household appliances, etc.

Duration of Unemployment - Represents the length of time that unemployed persons had been looking for work at a given point in time.

See also - Unemployment.

E

Earnings - A general term describing monetary compensation paid to individuals for work performed. Depending on the context, this might not include irregular items such as tips, commissions, profit sharing and bonuses, but may include overtime pay, vacation and sick leave pay, shift differential and hazardous duty pay.

See also - Income.

Economic Census - Profiles the US economy every 5 years, from the national to the local level. Results from the 2002 census will provide information on businesses operating at more than 21 million locations, giving key information on the number of businesses and employees, the value of shipments, sales, receipts, revenue and payroll.

Employed - A condition in which persons 16 years of age or older worked for compensation in a business during the week which includes the 12th day of the month, or worked at least 15 hours (during the week which includes the 12th day of the month) as unpaid workers in a family business; or had jobs from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation or labor-management dispute. Used to describe statistical employment payroll numbers that reflect the number of jobs rather than the number of persons employed.

See also - Employment (total).

Employment (nonfarm payroll) - A count of all persons who worked full- or part-time or received pay from a nonagricultural employer for any part of the pay period which included the 12th of the month. Because this count comes from a survey of employers, persons who work for two different companies would be counted twice. Therefore, nonfarm payroll employment is really a count of the number of jobs, rather than the number of persons employed. Persons may receive pay from a job if they are temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation, or labor-management dispute. This count is based on where the jobs are located, regardless of where the workers reside, and is therefore sometimes referred to as employment "by place of work". Nonfarm payroll employment data are collected and compiled based on the Employment Department�s Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey. Formerly referred to as nonagricultural wage and salary employment.

See also - Employment (total).

Employment (total) - A count of all civilians 16 years of age or older who worked for compensation in a business or on a farm during the week which included the 12th day of the month; or worked at least 15 hours (during the week which includes the 12th day of the month) as unpaid workers in a family business; or had jobs from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation, or labor-management dispute. This count is based on the residence of the workers, and each worker is counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. Therefore, this is sometimes referred to as employment "by place of residence." The Employment Department�s Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) staff compiles total employment data.

See also - Covered Employment and Payroll, Employment (nonfarm payroll).

Employment Cost Index - A measure of the change in the cost of labor, free from the influence of employment shifts among occupations and industries. Compensation used in the ECI includes all wages, salaries, and benefit costs paid by employers. Simply put, it measures the change in the total cost of labor to employers and so includes the cost of benefits as well as wages.

See also - Unit Labor Costs, Producer Price Index, Full Employment.

ES-202 - A Federal/State cooperative program, which collects and compiles employment and wage data for workers covered by State unemployment insurance (UI) laws, and Federal civilian workers covered by unemployment compensation for federal employees (UCFE). The ES-202 programs gets its data from quarterly tax reports submitted to State Employment Security Agencies by employers subject to state unemployment insurance (UI) laws and from Federal unemployment compensation for federal employees (UCFE) program. These reports provide information on the number of people employed and the wage paid to the employees each quarter.

See also - Covered Employment and Wages.

F

Frictional Unemployment - Unemployment resulting from the lags involved in the redeployment of labor. If the number of vacancies in an occupation was exactly equal to the number seeking employment, there "should" be no unemployment. In practice, though, it takes time for the unemployed to find vacancies, be interviewed, and be hired. At any one time, therefore, there exists a small pool of unemployed owing to these "frictions" in the workings of the labor market. Frictional unemployment results primarily from people looking for their first jobs or those who quit one job to look for another.

See also - Cyclical Unemployment, Seasonal Unemployment.

Full Employment - The level of employment, or unemployment rate, which provides the maximum sustainable rate of economic growth and Gross Domestic Product without resulting in accelerating inflation. A Full Employment rate that is also just above the rate which will cause inflationary pressure, is called the Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (NAIRU).

See also - Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (NAIRU).

G

Goods Producing Industries - Industries that produce tangible products. The goods producing sector includes mining, construction, and manufacturing.

See also - Durable Goods.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - The total value of all goods and services produced by the U.S. economy. GDP is compiled quarterly by the U.S. Department of Commerce. CES employment and earnings data are used for advance GDP estimates. ES-202 wage data are used for the final GDP estimates.

See also - Gross State Product.

Gross State Product - The total market value, in terms of current dollars, of all final goods and service produced in the state in one year.

See also - Gross Domestic Product.

I

Income - A recurrent benefit, usually measured in money, which derives from capital and labor. The major elements of income are wages (including tips and bonuses), rents, interest and dividend income, transfer payments, and proprietors� income.

See also - Oregon Wage Information.

Industry - A group of establishments that produce similar products or provide similar services.

See also - Standard Industrial Classification (SIC).

Industry Employment - The number of filled positions in a particular industry at a particular time. This does not necessarily imply full-time or year-round positions.

See also - Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), Covered Employment and Payroll, Current Employment Statistics Survey.

Industry/Occupational Matrix - A data file that contains occupational staffing patterns of industries, based on the Employment Department�s Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey. The matrix is a tool used to convert between industry employment and occupational employment.

See also - Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), Occupational Employment Statistics.

Inflation - The rate of increase in the general price level for a given area from one period to the next. The two most common price indices used to measure inflation are the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the GDP price deflator.

See also - Consumer Price Index, Employment Cost Index, Core inflation Rate.

Inflationary Expectation - Anticipation of higher inflation contributing to faster price increases.

Internship - An experience that takes place at a work site, paid or unpaid, during which an intern (often a student, but not always) works with an employee to complete structured projects or activities specific to that business or occupation.

J

Job Shadow - An experience that takes place at a work site in which an individual observes and interacts with an employee to learn about a specific job. As an exploratory exercise, teachers (employers and workers) share first-hand knowledge about occupations and businesses in their region; and the individual gains real life experience, which may lead them to improved career choice decisions. Also being used as part of the interview process by some employers.

L

Labor Force - Consists of the population, aged 16 and over, which is employed or unemployed, including those in active military duty.

See also - Civilian Labor Force, Labor Force Participation Rate, Employed, and Unemployed.

Labor Force Participation Rate - The percent of people 16 years of age and older in a specific population who are considered part of the labor force (i.e., either employed or unemployed). Indicates the degree to which a population is working; a low rate may indicate a reliance on other forms of income, and a high rate may indicate a tighter labor market.

See also - Civilian Labor Force, Labor Force, Employed, and Unemployed.

Labor Force Turnover Rate - All job changing which occurs within the labor force, excluding permanent separations from the labor force. Two major types of labor force turnover include: 1) lateral or vertical movement within an occupation; and 2) transfers between occupations, either in the same firm or to other firms.

See also - Turnover Rate, JOLTS, a national labor turnover survey by the Department of Labor.

Labor Market Information - See Workforce Information.

Labor Trends - See Oregon Labor Trends.

Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - A federal/State cooperative program that produces employment, labor force, and unemployment estimates for states and local areas.

M

Mean - See Average.

Median - See Average.

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) - An MSA refers to an area with a significant population nucleus, surrounded by adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social integration with the nucleus. Metropolitan statistical areas are based on county boundaries, not city boundaries. The Office of Management and Budget in Washington, DC designates metropolitan statistical areas. An MSA may include one or more outlying counties that have close economic and social relations with the central county. An outlying county must have a specified level of commuting to the central county and must meet certain standards regarding metropolitan character, ie: population density, urban population, and population growth. If an MSA has more than one million people, it may be categorized as a primary metropolitan statistical area (PMSA). Each MSA must include a central city of 50,000 or more inhabitants, or an urbanized area of at least 50,000 population, provided that the component county/counties of the MSA have a total population of at least 100,000. In Oregon, there are five MSA's:

Eugene/Springfield MSA, which consists of Lane County;

Medford/Ashland MSA, which consists of Jackson County;

Portland/Vancouver PMSA which includes Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill, Columbia Counties in Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Prior to 1994, the Portland PMSA included Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, and Yamhill counties.

Salem PMSA, which includes Marion and Polk counties.

Corvallis MSA, which includes Benton County.

Notes: - The Salem PMSA and the Portland/Vancouver PMSA are part of the Portland-Salem, Oregon-Washington CMSA (Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area).

Mode - See Average

N

National Compensation Survey - A BLS survey that provides information on average weekly or hourly earnings and compensation for selected occupations.

See also - Employment Cost Index.

Natural Increases in Population - The number of births minus the number of deaths in a specified area over a specified period of time.

Net Migration - The number of people who moved into an area minus the number of people who moved out during a specified period of time.

Nominal Dollars/Income - The face, actual, or par value of currency with no regard to actual purchasing power over time. In other words, this is "dollar value" not adjusted for inflation. Nominal income is the number of dollars received as wages, rent, interest or profits.

See also - Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (NAIRU) - The theoretical rate of unemployment which provides the maximum long-run sustainable economic growth and output below which inflationary pressure begin to accelerate. Usually defined as the full employment level, when cyclical unemployment is minimal or zero. Believed to be around four percent currently.

See also - Full Employment.

Nondurable Goods - Manufactured items generally expected to last for less than three years. In terms of manufacturing industries, they would fall into the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 2-digit code 32. Food, beverages, clothing, shoes, and gasoline products are examples.

See also - Durable Goods.

Nonfarm Payroll Employment - see Employment (nonfarm payroll)

North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) - A system of identifying industry activity, NAICS is replacing the U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. NAICS will reshape the way we track our industries. NAICS was developed jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to provide new comparability in statistics about business activity across North America.

See also - Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), Industry.

O

Occupation - A collection of jobs with similar duties (e.g., secretary, machinist, accountant, truck driver), regardless of industry. Most occupations are found in more than one industry.

See also - Occupation Classifications.

Occupation Classifications - Systems of collective job descriptions which attempt to place individual jobs into general, but recognizable categories. Currently, three different occupational classifications systems are in general use in the U.S.: 1. Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), 2. Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), 3. Census occupational codes. In addition, the Career Information System (CIS), which is the designated career information delivery system for Oregon, has its own occupational classifications. Since the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) system is used in employer surveys, conducted in every state and territory in the U.S., it is the classification system of choice for most occupational publications and software products. However, OES will soon be replaced with the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system.

See also - Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).

Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) - A federal state cooperative program, which collects detailed occupational data by industry in a three-year cycle. The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is an annual mail survey measuring occupational employment and occupational wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments, by industry. On a national level, the survey samples approximately 400,000 establishments per year, taking 3 years to fully collect the sample of 1.2 million establishments. The coding system associated with this program, based on work performed and occupational descriptions, is known as the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes.

Opportunity Cost - The amount of something that must be given up or sacrificed to obtain something else. For instance, if you choose to spend $50.00 on football tickets, you give up the opportunity to buy a $50.00 savings bond, so one of the opportunity costs of the football tickets is the purchase and possible investment return of the savings bond.

Oregon Labor Market Information System (OLMIS) - This web site provides economic information to employers, job seekers, students, policy makers, analysts and others. It is designed to give users access to the Employment Department's information resources free of limitations due to time or location. It is part of the agency's effort to allow people to make informed decisions based on the best data available. You can access OLMIS at www.qualityinfo.org.

Oregon Labor Trends - A publication that provides current economic and labor market information for Oregon.

See also - The Oregon Labor Trends publication page on QualityInfo.org.

Oregon Wage Information (OWI) - Represents the most comprehensive collection of Oregon Wage data available. It offers a broad spectrum of wage rates from many sectors of Oregon's economy, and is designed to assist job seekers, employers, career planners, and others needing Oregon wage rates for specific occupations.

See also - the Oregon Wage Information page in this guide.

P

Pay Period - The accounting period an employer sets up to systematically count employee hours worked in order to pay for work done (earnings). This period of time will vary. Example: A bi-weekly pay period counts hours for a two week period and remits "checks" to employees

Payroll - Total wages paid by a business to its employees for work performed during the pay period (weekly, monthly, etc.)

See also - Average Annual Pay, Average Weekly Wage.

Per Capita Personal Income - Per capita personal income is the total amount of income earned in specifically defined geographic region divided by the population in that region.

Personal Income - An estimate of total gross income that an individual receives from wages, proprietor's income, rents, dividends, interest payments, and transfer payments.

Poverty Level - The poverty level is a determined by the United States Housing and Urban Development Department to estimate what it costs to minimally feed, cloth, and provide shelter for families of different sizes. The most common quoted family size is four, but the guidelines give values for families from 1 to 8 persons. The guidelines also give a numeric amount for each person over 8 in the family. Refers to an income level below which the recipients are considered to be living in poverty. This level is adjusted each year, and varies depending on the number of members in each household. The U.S. Census Bureau measures the poverty level.

Producer Price Index - A family of indexes that measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services. PPI's measure price change from the perspective of the seller. This contrasts with other measures, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), that measures price change from the purchaser's perspective, and the Employment Cost Index, that measures cost changes from an employers perspective. Sellers' and purchasers' prices may differ due to government subsidies, sales and excise taxes, and distribution costs. PPI data are commonly used in escalating purchase and sales contracts. These contracts typically specify dollar amounts to be paid at some point in the future. It is often desirable to include an escalation clause that accounts for increases in input prices. For example, a long-term contract for bread may be escalated for changes in wheat prices by applying the percent change in the PPI for wheat to the contracted price for bread. Other uses of PPI are as an economic indicator and as a deflator of other economic series.

See also - Consumer Price Index, Employment Cost Index.

Productivity - Amount of output by worker per unit of labor hours.

See also - Consumer Price Index, Oregon Wage Information.

R

Real Dollars/ Income - To understand "Real Dollars/Income" one has to understand "Nominal Dollars/Income." The adjective "nominal" describes the measurement of Dollars or Income in current prices or buying power. The adjective "Real," on the other hand, describes those same Dollars or Income in constant prices but adjusted for inflation as to record the real buying power of the Dollars or Income at a given point in time.

Real Per Capita Personal Income - Per capita personal income (pcpi) of an area after adjusting for inflation.

See also - Per Capita Personal Income.

Recession - A recurring period of decline in total output, income, employment, and trade, usually lasting from six months to a year, and marked by widespread contractions in many sectors of the economy.

See also - Unemployment Rate, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Per Capita Personal Income.

Regional Economic Information System (REIS) - Employment Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis including farm, nonfarm, military, civilian, and self-employment. Annual State data is available 8 months after year�s end, metro and county data is available 16 months after year�s end. This data, despite the time lag, is the most comprehensive government source of employment by industry for state, county, and MSA area. REIS has extensive geographic coverage, all states, MSA's and counties, and data is available back to 1969.

Regional Economic Profiles - These are publications compiled and published every two years by the Research section of the Employment Department. They provide a concise overview of the economies of Oregon and its regions, and contain information on population, unemployment, income and wages. Available by State, work force regions, The Oregon Consortium region, and the Portland PMSA.

Regional Economists - Individuals who work for the Oregon Employment Department and who are experts on employment and work force issues in their particular region of the state. They make estimates of employment data and trends; produce written analyses and publications; and are available to make presentations to businesses, civic groups, schools, and other groups. Here is a current list of the Regional Economists in Oregon.

See also - Workforce Analysts, Oregon Labor Market Information System (OLMIS).

Regional Workforce Investment Board (RWIB) - Regional Workforce Boards made up of partner agencies, business employers and labor boards. By law these Regional Boards are made up of at least 51 percent employers. The responsibilities of the RWIB are to focus on strategic planning, policy development and oversight of the local work force investment system.

See also - Workforce Investment Act.

Replacement Openings - Openings which results when individuals leave an occupation for a variety of reasons and must be replaced. It should be taken into account that if employment in an occupation is to grow or remain the same, those individuals who left the occupation must be replaced. In most cases, total occupational separations are replacement needs and a source of job openings.

See also - Labor Force, Oregon Wage Information.

S

School to Work - Connects what students are learning in class to the real world, helps students see why learning is important. Includes both school based and work based learning. Prepares students for the next step beyond high school.

Uses - Employers may want to become involved in school to work programs to encourage students to develop work ethic skills, and to increase interest in the employers industry or firm. This may help students gain knowledge about career paths that may interest them.

See also - Job Shadow, Internship.

Seasonal Adjustment - A statistical process which removes the effect of typical seasonal events such as summer breaks for school, or weather-related fluctuations in food processing or construction. Data that have been seasonally adjusted are more likely to reflect true changes in the economy

See also - Seasonal Unemployment, Unemployment Rate.

Seasonal Unemployment - Unemployment associated with the rather predictable swings in employment and job seeking that occurs at similar times each year. These seasonal events include seasonal changes in weather, reduced or expanded production, harvests, major holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other swings that follow a more or less regular pattern each year.

Service Producing Industries - Those industries that primarily produce services: transportation, communications, and utilities; trade; Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (FIRE); services; and, government.

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) - An industry classification system underlying all establishment-based Federal economic statistics classified by industry. The SIC defines industries in accordance with the composition and structure of the economy. It was developed for use in the classification of establishments by type of activity in which they are engaged. Replaced by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) - This is an occupational coding system that was presented by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to replace and consolidate several previous coding systems used to classify occupations. The coding systems being consolidated include the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), and the grouping of occupational titles used by the Census based on survey responses. The new standardized SOC codes were released by the BLS in 1998, but to minimize complications the system is being phased in slowly, and will be fully implemented in 2005 when publications are available based on the 2000 census.

See also - Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).

Statistically Valid - Data that includes accurate collection and sampling methods and period of reference, using generally accepted statistical methods..

Structural Unemployment - Unemployment caused by a long-term change in the economic structure of an area. This unemployment tends to be long-term in nature as it results from the general problem of skill and location mismatches between jobs and workers.

T

Technological Unemployment - A form of structural unemployment created by the substitution of automated equipment for labor, or by changing technologies.

Trend - A pattern of that demonstrates a direction and/or statistical tendency.

Turnover Rate - The rate at which a firm replaces workers. The associated productivity costs, along with the overhead costs associated with recruiting and training replacement staff can be substantial.

See also - Labor Force Turnover Rate.

U

Unemployed - Persons 16 and over who had no job at all during the week which includes the 12th day of the month, had taken some specific steps to obtain a job within the prior month, and were available for work, expecting recall from a layoff, or waiting to begin new employment within 30 days. Persons not in the labor force, including so-called discouraged workers, are distinguished from the unemployed by the fact that they are not actively seeking work.

Unemployment - A situation that exists when members of the non-institutional civilian labor force wish to work but cannot find a job. It is considered an involuntary situation instead of one in which persons voluntarily choose leisure over work. There are several types of unemployment categorized by their uses and characteristics. They are: cyclical unemployment, frictional unemployment, seasonal unemployment, structural unemployment, and technological unemployment.

Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) - A program to provide Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits to individuals whose salary/wages were earned in Federal civilian employment.

Unemployment Insurance - A term used to describe both a government program and actual benefits received by unemployed workers. When discussing Employment Department program and services provision, Unemployment Insurance relates to the staff who assist unemployed workers to file for and receive their unemployment insurance benefits (checks).

Unemployment Rate - The percent of the non-institutional civilian labor force which is currently unable to find employment, but which is actively seeking employment. It is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed by the number in the labor force at a given point in time. This is NOT the percentage of the population who are unemployed, but rather an estimate of the percentage of those who want to work, are able to work, and are actively seeking work but are unable to find employment. To find out what percentage of the population is employed or unemployed, you should look to the "employment-population ratio" from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which measures the "the proportion of the civilian non-institutional population 16 years and over with a job". Here is a link to a map showing ranges of the employment-population ratio for 2001 (annual averages) for the United States.

See also - Unemployment, Current unemployment information from OLMIS.

Unit Labor Costs - Unit labor costs - the cost of labor input required to produce one unit of output - are computed as the ratio of labor costs in nominal terms divided by real output. Unit labor costs - the cost of labor input required to produce one unit of output - are computed as the ratio of labor costs in nominal terms divided by real output.

See also - Employment Cost Index, Producer Price Index.

W

Workforce Analysts - Oregon Employment Department staff strategically located throughout Oregon to assist employers, employer associations, planners, and other work force development partners, in their work force needs. Here is a current list of the Workforce Analysts in Oregon. Their role is to make labor market information more accessible, understandable, and relevant to specific work force development needs of employers. They assist employers in conducting customized research in the areas of wages, occupations, and workplace strategies, frequently through the use of the Internet and other information technologies. They also assist employers with skill identification as a component of work force recruitment and retention.

See also - Regional Economists, Oregon Labor Market Information System (OLMIS).

Workforce Information (also called Labor Market Information) - The body of data available on a particular labor market, including employment and unemployment statistics, occupational statistics, and average hours and earnings data.

See also - Workforce Analysts, Regional Economists, Oregon Labor Market Information System (OLMIS).

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) - The WIA reforms Federal job training programs and creates a new comprehensive work force investment system. Streamlines services through the One-stop delivery system. Programs and providers will co-locate, coordinate, and integrate activities and information.