| TOPICS | Current Employment Statistics (CES) | Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) | Quarterly Census Of Employment And Wages (QCEW) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Employment, average production worker wages, and average weekly hours by industry and geographic area (place of employment) | Employed and unemployed persons by geographic area (place of residence) | Employment, number of employers, average weekly wage, and total wages, quarterly and annual average, by industry and geographic area (place of employment) |
| Methodology | Survey of a sample of employers | Estimation based on a survey of households, CES, and Unemployment Insurance claims | Census of all employers liable for Unemployment Insurance (97-99% of total non-agricultural employment) |
| Populations Excluded | Self-employed, agriculture, domestic workers, military | Individuals not in the labor force | Self-employed, unpaid family workers, railroad workers, student workers, some agricultural workers |
| Currency | Monthly data available by the third week of the following month | Monthly data available by the third week of the following month | Quarterly data available six months after the close of the quarter |
| Geographic Detail | U.S., states, MSAs, counties outside MSAs | U.S., states, regions, MSAs, counties, cities over 25,000 | U.S., states, MSAs, counties |
| Advantages | Current employment data | Current household data | Complete universe of employers, and fine level of geographic and industry detail |
| Limitations | Uses statistical sample not universe of employers | Frequent revisions | Six month time lag and some data confidentiality |
| Other Products | Monthly Press Release; Employment in New York State newsletter | Monthly Press Release; Employment in New York State newsletter |