Many sources of labor statistics are available online and/or in print at the UWM Libraries, from both government and commercial publishers. This guide lists a variety of print and electronic sources of statistical information with the most frequently consulted sources listed first. Other sources are further organized by area of coverage [International, National, Wisconsin, and Milwaukee]. (Note that each individual source may contain more detailed information.)

• International Labour Organization: Bureau of Labour Statistics
  http://www.ilo.org/public/english/support/lib/dblist.htm
  The ILO collects worldwide statistics and information on labor from over 200 countries from as early as 1945, and produces several databases and publications. This website provides access to ILO databases and online publications. Data is provided as reported by individual governments or as taken from official publications.

  Laborsta
  http://laborsta.ilo.org/
  The International Labour Statistics Yearbook site provides an interactive database of labor statistics beginning in 1969. This web source provides data on employment and unemployment by age and sex or occupation, census data of fatal injuries by occupation, industry, and worker characteristics. Laborsta also includes data on types of injuries by industry and days of work loss. Other specialized data are also available; dates vary.

  Year-book of Labour Statistics     ((REF) HD 4826 .I63)
  The Year-book provides print access to the ILO's principal labor statistics, with tables providing data from the last 10 years. Data provided on population, employment, unemployment, hours, wages, cost, prices, injuries, strikes and lockouts. Older issues, from 1937, are located in the general stacks.

  Bulletin of Labour Statistics     (Current Periodicals HD 4826 .B8)
  The Bulletin is a quarterly update for the Year-book of Labour Statistics (see above). Older issues, from 1965, are located in the general stacks.

• LexisNexis Statistical
  (“Resources A-Z” on the library homepage: http://www.uwm.edu/library)
  LexisNexis Statistical provides indexing and abstracting of statistics collected by U.S. government agencies from 1973 - present. The “Power Tables” allow a quick search of over 30,000 full-text statistical tables. The “Abstracts” are detailed summaries of a much larger number of statistical publications. The most current Statistical Abstract of the United States is available through this source.

  American Statistics Index (ASI)     ((MFC) HA 214. A5x)
  ASI is a print index to over 800 government statistical publications, as well as statistics issued by the U.S. government in print as of 1970. Full-text documents from 1973 -1997 are on microfiche located at call number HA 02 (Microforms).

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
  http://www.bls.gov/
  BLS provides information on a wide variety of topics, including employment and unemployment, earnings, the employment cost index, consumer prices, producer prices, productivity, collective bargaining and union membership.

  Monthly Labor Review     (Current Periodicals HD 8051 .A78)
  http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm
  Monthly Labor Review provides data and analysis on labor issues from 1918 - present. Internet link to “current labor statistics” includes data on employment status, wage and earnings, union affiliation, working conditions, employment projections, etc. Older issues, from 1918, are located in the general stacks; supplements to the Monthly Labor Review are located at call number HD 02 (Microforms).

  Occupational Employment Statistics
  http://www.bls.gov/oes/
  Occupational Employment Statistics includes national occupational employment and wage estimates for specific industries. Information is categorized by the SIC code number for each specific industry group.

  Occupational Outlook Handbook     ((REF) HF 5381 .O23x)
  http://www.bls.gov/oco/
  The Handbook provides general and statistical information on careers, and describes 250 occupations, which cover approximately 107 million jobs. This title includes job descriptions, working conditions, necessary training and education, earnings, and expected job prospects over a ten-year period. Older issues, from 1951 are located in the general stacks.

  Occupational Outlook Quarterly     (Current Periodicals HF 5381 .O25x)
  http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm
  This title is a quarterly update for the Occupational Outlook Handbook (see above); online issues date back to 1999. Older print issues, from 1959, are located in the general stacks.

  National Compensation Survey
  http://www.bls.gov/ncs/home.htm
  This online source replaces the print Occupational Compensation Survey: National Summary (HD 4973 .O283x) which is available from 1993-96. The National Compensation Survey provides current national statistics on payroll by industry in the United States and surrounding regions. It includes occupational earnings, labor costs, incidence, and employee benefits. Data is available nationally, for census division or by metropolitan area (e.g., Milwaukee-Racine).

  Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities
  http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm
  Injuries, Illness, and Fatalities includes data on illnesses and injuries on the job and data on worker fatalities from early 1990's to date.

• Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics     ((REF) HD 8051 .H36)
  Formerly the Handbook of Labor Statistics, this title provides recent and historical data on U.S. employment, earnings, prices, productivity, and living conditions, and includes data on training, alternative work arrangements, union affiliation, and fatal occupational injuries. Older editions are located in the Stacks HD 8051 .H6 from the 2000/2001 edition. The earlier Handbook of Labor Statistics is located in Compact Shelving HD 8051 .A5 for 1947, 1967-1985, and 1989. The UWM Libraries has the 2003 edition available online via netLibrary

• Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS)
  http://www.cows.org/
  This UW-Madison site includes various labor resources, including the “State of Working Wisconsin” (HC 107 .W6 D74), which provides current data on wages, family income, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty in Wisconsin. COWS examines the trends in Wisconsin's economy and the impact they have on the living standards of Wisconsin workers and their families.

• Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD)
  http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/
  The primary responsibilities of the DWD include providing job services, training, and employment assistance to people looking for work, and to help employers fill current job openings.

  County Workforce Profiles of Wisconsin
  http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/oea/cp_pdf/cp_mainx.htm
  Provides current labor market information for each Wisconsin county. Data includes population and civilian labor force, commuting patterns, employment change by industry, largest industries and employers, and wage and income data.

  Wisconsin Projections    ((REF) HD 5725 .W5 W645)
  http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/oea/employment_projections/long_term_projections.htm
  Published every two years by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, this source provides data on job openings in Wisconsin for the past two years, and projects estimates of job growth for the next eight-year period. This title includes sections on population and industry trends and expected growth for specific occupational titles. Older issues, from 1990, are located in the general stacks.

  WORKnet
  http://worknet.wisconsin.gov/worknet/default.aspx
  This DWD site, "Wisconsin's Workforce & labor Market Information System," includes links to publications, maps, etc., on various labor topics, including census data for Wisconsin's labor force and related wages and salaries.

  INTERNATIONAL SOURCES

• Foreign Labor Trends     (Reference-Documents L 29.16:)
  Foreign Labor Trends includes yearly economic and labor updates for 103 individual countries. Each issue highlights the current year and gives background on the country's political and economic context, labor sector, and worker rights. This series includes data on health and safety, child labor, wealth, industry employment, financing, etc. Includes a Directory of Labor Organizations for that specific country.

• Illustrated Book of World Rankings    (HA 155 .K87 1997)
  The Illustrated Book of World Rankings is designed as an international scorecard that compares and ranks over 190 nations of the world according to their performance in more than 300 key areas. Key areas covered by this publication include the economy, labor, trade, and agriculture.

• Labour Force Statistics    (HD 5764 .A6 058)
  Labour Force Statistics provides time series data of the evolution of population and labor force of the twenty-nine member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). Issues of Labour Force Statistics are available from 1954 - date.

• World Bank Group - Child Labor
  http://www1.worldbank.org/sp/childlabor/data.asp
  This World Bank program offers statistics on child labor via three sources. Understanding Children's Work provides information on child labor research by country, year, agency, and agency-specific project categories. The Living Standards Measurement Surveys provides survey data on household well-being and poverty in developing countries. Data includes consumption, income, savings, employment, health, education, fertility, nutrition, housing, and migration. The World Development Report is a guide to the economic, social, and environmental state of the world today. Topics in the World Development Report include labor, health, poverty, and economics. The latest edition is located in REF HC 59.7 .W659; older editions (1978-1985, 1987+) are located in the general stacks. This title is also available online at http://econ.worldbank.org/wdr from 1992 to date.

• World Bank Research (Labor & Employment)
  http://econ.worldbank.org/topic.php?topic=17
  The World Bank Group provides information on labor and employment in various topics: agriculture, domestic finance, education, industry, poverty, and rural/urban development. Data can be browsed via Working Papers, Abstracts of Current Studies, Evaluations of Research, and Datasets.
  UNITED STATES SOURCES

• Statistical Abstract of the United States     ((REF) HA 202)
  http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract.html
  Statistical Abstract of the United States is the standard summary of social, political, and economic statistics of the United States. This source contains data from over 200 government and private agencies on topics ranging from baseball game attendance to number of employees in a particular industry. Older issues of the Statistical Abstract are located in the Stacks HA 202 from 1878 – date.

• American Factfinder
  http://factfinder.census.gov/
  This site from the U.S. Bureau of Census provides access to the 1990 and 2000 Censuses of Population & Housing. Also available on this site is the 1997 Economic Census and the American Community Survey. Data can be found by race, age, sex, and occupation, for town, city, county, and state levels. American Factfinder also allows the creation of reference and thematic maps.

• U.S. Census Bureau
  http://www.census.gov/
  The U.S. Census Bureau provides labor force and income data under “People” and the accompanying subsections. Employment by industry data appears under “Business” and the accompanying subsections.

  U.S. Economic Census
  http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/econ97.html
  http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/
  The Economic Census profiles the U.S. economy every 5 years, from the national to the local level. Data elements included in the economic census are numbers of employees by industry and total payroll. Industry information on this site is searchable by NAICS code.

  CenStats
  http://censtats.census.gov/
  CenStats provides access to Building Permits, Census Tract Street Locator, County Business Patterns, and International Trade Data, with detailed Occupation by Race, Hispanic Origin and Sex, and USA Counties.

  Employment and Earnings     (Current Periodicals HD 5723 .A4532)
  This monthly publication of the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides current statistics on employment, hours and wages. Data available at the national and state level, or by selected local areas. Includes some historical data for comparison. Older issues, from 1960, are located in general stacks.

• FedStats
  http://www.fedstats.gov/
  FedStats provides a comprehensive listing of statistical programs of over 100 federal government agencies. The site is arranged by agency or program and includes explanatory notes and contact information. The search engine allows keyword or agency queries and provides a direct link to individual statistical tables.

• American Salaries and Wages Survey     ((REF) HD 4973 .A67)
  The American Salaries and Wages Survey provides statistical data on wages and salaries at the city, county, state, U.S. region, and National levels. The 1995 and 1999 editions are located in the general stacks.

• Geographic Reference Report     ((REF) HT 123 .G43x)
  The Geographic Reference Report gives statistical data on wages, salaries, costs, and human relations statistics. This source only covers the United States and Canada. Older issues (1992–1996, 1999) are located in the general stacks.

• Employment, Hours, and Earnings     ((compact shelving) HD 5723 .A27)
  This source is published in two volumes and provides historical monthly and annual average data on national establishment-based employment, hours, and earnings by industry. Volume 1 covers total economy and the manufacturing industries and Volume 2 covers the service industries.

• Economagic: Economic Time Series Page
  http://www.economagic.com/
  This comprehensive collection of economic data on the web includes over 100,000 economic time series, browseable by region, source, or "most requested" series. Economagic provides links to a wide variety of topics.

• ERS/USDA Briefing Room (Farm Labor Data)
  http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/
  The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides links to basic information on the patterns of farm labor use and the demographic and employment characteristics of hired farm workers. Statistical sources available on this site provide data on supply, demand, wages, earnings, benefits, and characteristics of farm workers at the national level.
  WISCONSIN AND MILWAUKEE SOURCES

• Wisconsin Blue Book     ((REF) JK 6031)
  http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/pubs/bluebook.htm
  http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=browse&scope=WI.WIBlueBks
  Published biennially, the Blue Book gives a wide variety of statistics about Wisconsin. Includes some historical data to the early 1900's, and some data comparing Wisconsin with other states. Provides information on employment, industries, income, and benefits. The Blue Book is located in the reference collection and in the general stacks for 1913 to the current issue; all issues are also available online.

• LAUS Estimates Report, Wisconsin     (HD 5725 .W5 C5x)
  http://worknet.wisconsin.gov/worknet/dalaus.aspx?menuselection+da
  The LAUS Estimates Report, Wisconsin provides statistical data on the Wisconsin labor force, unemployment and employment. The data provided is broken down into each county of Wisconsin. Issues for 1976-2004 are located in the general stacks; issues from 1990 are available online.

• State of Wisconsin Demographic Services Center
  http://www.doa.state.wi.us/pagesubtext_detail.asp?linksubcatid=353&linkcatid=11
  Demographic Services develops annual total population estimates for the next 30 years for all towns, villages, and cities. The site also estimates the voting age population for all municipalities and population estimates for Zip Code Areas, and develops population projections by age and sex for the counties, total population for all municipalities, and total housing units and households for all counties.

• Workforce Observations.....     (HD 5701...)
  http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/oea/regional_county_information.htm
  Formerly the Employment Review, this series of publications provides monthly analysis of employment trends in Wisconsin by geographic region using current statistics. Data includes labor force, unemployment, employment, compensation rates, and unemployment rate for each area. Print issues, generally 2000-2003, are located in the general stacks; check the online catalog for the URL's of specific geographic areas.

• Milwaukee MSA Projections 1992-2005     ((REF) HD 5726 .M5 M53x 1996)
  This title gives estimates of employment trends by occupation and industry from 1992 through 2005, projecting future population and labor force numbers. Appendices include detailed industry trends, historical industry employment, detailed occupational trends, industry-occupational matrix, and regional labor market analysis.

Glossary of Terms:     Government agencies use specific language when compiling and measuring labor statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has a list of definitions to keep in mind when consulting a labor statistics source.
http://www.bls.gov/bls/glossary.htm