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South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin

January 2024

Benchmarking: Annual data housekeeping chore underway

If you follow our data release dates, you’ll notice we typically release statewide labor market data about mid-month, followed by the release of all monthly data (including data for substate areas)--normally on the fourth Friday of each month with publication of the South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin.

In an attempt to make commonly referenced workforce data as easy as possible for users to access, we also update the Economic Snapshot page with national labor force data, normally released the first Friday each month. We do a fourth data release each month (also included on the Economic Snapshot page) when seasonally adjusted labor force data is released for the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (Rapid City and Sioux Falls). That release typically falls about a week after the other substate data is published. In each of these four cases, the virtual labor market data system is also updated to offer the most current data available at any point in time for each area.

You may notice the pattern of release dates gets a bit wonky the first few months of the year. Why? We have one word for you, “benchmarking.”

As explained on our Definitions page, estimates published as "preliminary" and "subject to revision" are benchmarked (or revised) once a year using data from other sources not available at the time of estimation.
The benchmarking process is undertaken with national data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and by all their cooperating state agencies like ours to produce benchmarked (or improved) data for the nation, all states and territories, as well as all substate geographic areas like Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), Micropolitan Statistical Areas (MiSAs), counties, and large cities. That benchmarking process takes time and involves its own parameters of data availability.

Two major labor market data series are benchmarked:

• Nonfarm Wage and Salaried Workers (developed through the Current Employment Statistics [CES] survey)
• Labor force data, including unemployment rates (produced through the Local Area Unemployment Statistics [LAUS] program)

In both cases, development of these data series makes it possible to have widely used workforce data (considered leading economic indicators) available to users in a timely manner each month. For example, by about mid-month, statewide labor force data (including the unemployment rate) and nonfarm worker levels by industry are available for the prior month. With other workforce data sets, there is a minimum of a five-month lag time before data is available because of inherent timeframes involved in collecting, verifying, and tabulating the data.

Let’s take a brief look at the benchmarking process for each of these major workforce data series and the timeframes involved.

Benchmarking of the Nonfarm Wage and Salaried Worker Data Series

Through the CES program, approximately 122,000 businesses and government agencies nationwide are surveyed each month to collect data for 666,000 worksites (including about 2,500 South Dakota worksites). The data are used to develop estimates of nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels by industry each month, as published on this website for South Dakota, the Rapid City MSA, and the Sioux Falls MSA.

Once each year, the nonfarm wage and salaried worker data estimated through the CES program are benchmarked using information previously not available at the time of estimation. In this process, BLS revises the estimates to realign with data from:

• The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program (collected largely through unemployment insurance tax reports employers are required to file quarterly with their appropriate state agency). The QCEW program encompasses about 97% of nonfarm wage and salaried employment.
• Estimates of “Non-Covered Employment” (NCE) data, meaning wage and salaried employment not covered by unemployment insurance. This non-covered employment accounts for the remaining 3% of nonfarm wage and salaried employment. Non-covered data comes primarily from records of the Railroad Retirement Board, County Business Patterns available from the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll.

During the benchmark process, the nonfarm worker estimates are compared with 18 months of data (April to September) from these two sources and revised as needed. The nonfarm wage and salaried worker estimates for October, November, and December are then re-estimated to align with the new benchmarked estimates for the 18-month period.

The benchmarking process also involves analysis of the estimates compared to the two data sources to determine if changes are needed to the CES survey sample to ensure it appropriately reflects employment by industry.

Benchmarking of the Labor Force Data Series

In the annual benchmarking process for statewide labor force data, the originally published estimates are revised to reflect updated input data and new Census Bureau population controls. As part of this procedure, all state and substate area data are reviewed and revised as necessary. The updates incorporate any changes in the inputs, such as revisions to establishment-based employment estimates (from the QCEW program), unemployment insurance claims data, and updated historical relationships. Historical labor force data is also revised as needed following the benchmark process. Data for substate areas are also readjusted as needed to sum to the latest statewide estimates of employment and unemployment.

Availability of Benchmarked Data

The benchmarked, monthly nonfarm wage and salaried worker data for 2023 will be published March 8, 2024, in the virtual labor market data system.

The benchmarked labor force data will be published as follows:

• Statewide data for each month of 2023 and annual averages will be published March 1. Historical statewide data back to 2010 will also be published at that time.
• Data for substate areas for each month of 2023 and annual averages will be published April 19. Historical data back to 2010 will also be published at that time.

Need Help?

For more information on when and how the most accurate and current workforce data will be available, or assistance finding the data, contact us. We will be happy to provide the data you are seeking or provide helpful guidance on finding the data online.

Visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website for more information on benchmarking of estimates from the CES program or the LAUS program.