Bureau of Labor Statistics:
BLS is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency in the broad field of labor economics and statistics, providing statistics on labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. BLS collects, calculates, analyzes, and publishes data essential to the public, employers, researchers, and government organizations.
There are several ways to search for labor statistics, among them: Frequently Asked Questions, the A-Z Index, a Glossary, the Site Map, the About page, or the Program List, are all good approaches. Below are a number of links to lots of information about the labor market and related topics.
- You can also look at their Overview of BLS Statistics (several BLS programs provide data on sex, age, race, and other demographic characteristics), specifically their Statistics by Industry, by Demographic Data, Business Costs, Occupation, and by Geography (workplaces are classified using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) coding system).
- Another option is to look at their Subjects page, which provides information on Employment, Unemployment, Inflation & Prices, International, Pay & Benefits Use, Productivity, Regional Resources, Spending & Time, and Workplace Injuries.
- A third approach to looking for information is the Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject page, which includes links to information about Calculators, Employment, Employment Projections, Historical News Release Tables, Inflation & Prices, International, Maps, Occupational Requirements, Pay & Benefits, Productivity, Public Data API, Regional Resources, Series Report, Spending & Time Use, Unemployment, and Workplace Injuries
- A fourth option for looking for information is their Office of Publications & Special Studies, which provides access to Beyond the Numbers (newsletter), Career Outlook, Commissioner's Corner, Geographic Profile, Handbook of Methods, Monthly Labor Review, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Reports, Research Papers, Spotlight on Statistics, The Economics Daily, and Weekly Update.
- Economic News Releases provide information about Employment & Unemployment, Employment Projections, Inflation & Prices, Latest Releases, Major Economic Indicators (Major Economic Indicators!), Pay & Benefits & Workplace Injuries, Productivity & Technology, Regional News Releases, and Schedules for News Releases.
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services. Additional indexes are available for the U.S. and various geographic areas.
- The BLS has a handy list of Statistical Sites on the World Wide Web - including the principal U.S. Federal Statistical Agencies (also listed in this LibGuide), U.S. State Labor Market Information Agencies, International Statistical Organizations, and the National Statistical Agencies of Several Other Countries (the United Nations also maintains a webpage with a listing of National Statistics Offices Websites). BLS Disclaimer: Links to non-BLS Internet sites are provided for convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.
- The BLS also offers a page for people from kindergarten to twelfth grade: Games & Quizzes, Student´s Desk, Teacher´s Desk, and Questions & Answers.
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