Labor Day: A Day to Recognize Workers

Native News Network Staff in Native Briefs. Discussion »

Native Brief: WASHINGTON - Labor Day is Monday. Most Americans are do not have to work on Monday. Tribal offices and American Indian centers will be closed on Labor Day. It is a day to recognize workers.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

153.2 million Labor

The US Census Bureau furnished the following facts on Labor Day:

The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary. By 1893, more than half the states were observing "Labor Day" on one day or another, and Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.

Who Are We Celebrating?

153.2 million

Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force in July 2011.

Employee Benefits

84.7%

Percentage of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance during all or part of 2009.

26.2 million

Number of female workers 16 and older in management, professional and related occupations. Among male workers, 16 and older, 24.0 million were employed in management, professional and related occupations.

0.9%

Percentage change in employment in the United States between December 2009 and December 2010. Employment increased in 220 of the 326 largest counties (large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or more).

5.2%

Percentage change in Elkhart County, Indiana, between December 2009 and December 2010, the largest increase in employment among the 326 largest counties. New York County had the highest level increase of 37,500 jobs.

-4.0%

Percentage decline in employment in Manatee, Florida, between December 2009 and December 2010, the largest percentage decrease among the nation's 326 largest counties.

The number of people who work from home.

Working at Home

8%

Percent of total US workforce that were home-based workers in 2005, an increase from7 percent in 1999.

8.1 million

Number who worked from home exclusively in 2005, an increase from 6.7 million in 1999.

11+ hours

About 11 percent of those who worked at home for some or all of their workweek reported working 11 or more hours in a typical day in 2005. Only about 7 percent of workers who worked outside the home reported doing so.

Another Day, Another Dollar

$47,127 and $36,278 are the 2009 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively.

$1,943 is the average weekly wage in Santa Clara, California for the fourth quarter of 2010, the highest among the nation's 326 largest counties.

Hot Jobs

53% is the projected percentage growth from 2008 to 2018 in the number of network systems and data communication analysts. Forecasters expect this occupation to grow at a faster rate than any other.

Meanwhile, the occupation expected to add more positions over this period than any other is registered nurses at 581,500.

Early, Lonely and Long - the Commute to Work 16.5 million

Number of commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 am. They represent 12.4 percent of all commuters.

76.1%

Percentage of workers who drive alone to work. Another 10.0 percent carpool and 5.0 percent take public transportation (excluding taxicabs).

25.1 minutes

The average time it takes people in the nation to commute to work. New York and Maryland had the most time-consuming commutes, averaging 31.4 and 31.3 minutes. They are not significantly different from each another.

3.2 million

Number of workers who face extreme commutes to work of 90 or more minutes each day.

posted September 3, 2011 6:00 am edt