Southwest Information Office

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:                                         FOR RELEASE:
Cheryl Abbot, Regional Economist                                 August 27, 2008
(214) 767-6970     

 
                       DALLAS-FORT WORTH-ARLINGTON JOB GROWTH
                                HIGHEST IN THE NATION

     Total nonfarm employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan 
Statistical Area stood at 3,000,600 in July 2008, an increase of 68,000 jobs over 
the year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported 
today.  From July 2007 to July 2008, nonfarm employment rose 2.3 percent in the 
local area compared to a decline of 0.1 percent nationwide.  Among the 12 largest 
metropolitan areas in the country, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington registered the 
fastest rate of job growth during the past year and added the largest number of 
jobs.  Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that while the rate of job 
growth in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington has slowed during the last year, the July 
advance continued the trend of over-the-year employment increases that began in 
February 2004.  (See chart A and table 1; Technical Note at end of release 
contains metropolitan area definitions.  All data in this release are not 
seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)


Chart A.  Total nonfarm employment, over-the-year net change in the Dallas 
metropolitan area and its components, July 2000-July 2008


     The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area is comprised 
of two metropolitan divisions -- separately identifiable employment centers 
within the larger metropolitan area.  Both metropolitan divisions gained jobs 
from July 2007 to July 2008, the distribution of new jobs being roughly 
proportional to their employment concentrations.  The Dallas-Plano-Irving 
Metropolitan Division, which accounted for 71 percent of the greater metropolitan 
area's workforce, had 76 percent of the growth with the addition of 51,800 jobs 
from July a year ago.  The Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Division made up 29 
percent of those employed in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area and accounted 
for 24 percent of its overall growth with the addition of 16,200 jobs during the 
period.

Industry employment
     In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, 6 of 10 industry 
supersectors added at least 7,000 jobs from July 2007 to July 2008.  The 
educational and health services supersector experienced the largest employment 
gain, adding 15,500 jobs over the year.  Both metropolitan divisions contributed 
to the advance, but the growth was stronger in Dallas-Plano-Irving (5.4 percent) 
than in Fort Worth-Arlington (3.9 percent).  Still, job growth in both divisions 
exceeded the national rate of gain in education and health services of 3.1 
percent.  (See table 1 and chart B.)

     Government added 13,500 jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan 
area from July a year ago.  Almost all of the growth in public sector employment 
occurred in the Dallas-Plano-Irving division, which added 11,600 jobs.  Locally, 
government employment rose at a 3.8-percent pace area-wide, more than double the 
national average of 1.7 percent.


Chart B.  Over-the-year percent change in employment by industry supersector, 
United States and the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, July 2008



     Employment in natural resources, mining, and construction increased 11,100 
over the year in the greater Dallas area, growing by 5.9 percent.  The Dallas-
Plano-Irving division accounted for most of the growth in this supersector, with 
the addition of 8,100 jobs.

     Trade, transportation, and utilities added 10,800 jobs from July a year ago.  
Locally, employment was up 1.7 percent in this industry while nationally, it fell 
0.9 percent. 

     Rounding out the top six industries in job gains, employment in leisure and 
hospitality in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area rose by 8,700 or 
3.1 percent and in professional and business services, jobs increased by 7,200, a 
gain of 1.6 percent.  Nationally, leisure and hospitality added jobs at a slower 
pace, 1.3 percent, while professional and business services registered a 0.4-
percent decline.

     Job losses in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area were limited to two 
supersectors.  Manufacturing had the largest decrease, down 3,100 jobs over the 
year; the decline occurred in the Dallas-Plano-Irving Metropolitan Division.  The 
information supersector lost 1,100 jobs since July 2007, with the majority of the 
loss also taking place in the Dallas-Plano-Irving division.


Employment in the 12 largest areas
     Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington was one of the nation's 12 largest metropolitan 
statistical areas in July 2008.  Of the 12, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 
registered the fastest rate of employment growth, up 2.3 percent from July 2007, 
closely followed by Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, up 2.2 percent.  Four other areas 
experienced job growth during the 12-month period:  Washington-Arlington-
Alexandria (1.2 percent), Boston-Cambridge-Quincy (0.8 percent), New York-
Northern New Jersey-Long Island (0.3 percent), and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 
(0.1 percent).  Employment in another area, Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, was 
unchanged over the year.  Nationally, however, jobs were on the decline, slipping 
by 0.1 percent.  (See chart C.)


Chart C.  Over-the-year percent change in employment, United States and 12 
largest metropolitan areas, July 2008



     The percentage loss in jobs exceeded that for the nation in five of the 
largest metropolitan areas:  Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta (-0.2 percent), 
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach (-0.5 percent), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont 
(-0.6 percent), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana (-0.8 percent), and Detroit-
Warren-Livonia (-1.9 percent).

     Dallas, the area with the fastest annual growth rate in July 2008, also 
added the largest number of jobs over the year, 68,000, followed by Houston with 
the addition of 57,100 jobs.  Washington, D.C. was a more distant third, adding 
35,400 to its count.  The largest numeric declines in employment occurred in Los 
Angeles (-45,000) and Detroit (-36,700).


Additional information
     For personal assistance or further information on the Current Employment 
Statistics program, as well as other Bureau programs, contact the Southwest 
Information Office at 214-767-6970 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 
4:00 p.m.  Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired 
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 
1-800-877-8339.



                                 Technical Note

     This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current 
Employment Statistics (CES) program.  The CES survey is a Federal-State 
cooperative endeavor in which State employment security agencies prepare the data 
using concepts, definitions, and technical procedures prescribed by the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics.

     Employment Definition.  Employment data refer to persons on establishment 
payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period that includes the 12th of 
the month.  Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place 
of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each 
payroll.  Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in 
accordance with the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification 
System. 

     Method of estimation.  The employment data are estimated using a "link 
relative" technique in which a ratio (link relative) of current-month employment 
to that of the previous month is computed from a sample of establishments 
reporting for both months.  The estimates of employment for the current month are 
obtained by multiplying the estimates for the previous month by these ratios.  
Small-domain models are used as the official estimators for the approximately 39 
percent of CES published series which have insufficient sample for direct sample-
based estimates.

     Annual revisions.  Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete 
count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports that are 
submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) 
laws.  The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between 
the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of 
employment for the new benchmark month.  Thus, the benchmarking process 
establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-
to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months. 

     Reliability of the estimates.  The estimates presented in this release are 
based on sample survey, administrative data, and modeling and, thus, are subject 
to sampling and other types of errors.  Sampling error is a measure of sampling 
variability-that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than 
the entire population is surveyed.  Survey data also are subject to nonsampling 
errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and 
processing operations.  Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are 
subject to additional errors resulting from the specific estimation processes 
used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the 
same tables because of rounding. 

     Employment estimates.  Measures of sampling error are available for state 
CES data at the total nonfarm and supersector level and for metropolitan area CES 
data.  Information on recent benchmark revisions for states is available on the 
BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/sae/.

     Area definitions.  The substate area data published in this release reflect 
the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and 
Budget on November 20, 2007.  A detailed list of the geographic definitions is 
available at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy2008/b08-01.pdf.

     The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes 
     Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, 
     Tarrant, and Wise Counties in Texas.

     The Dallas-Plano-Irving Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Collin, Dallas, 
     Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, and Rockwall Counties in Texas.

     The Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Johnson, Parker, 
     Tarrant, and Wise Counties in Texas.

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