The Handbook of Labor Statistics is recognized as an authoritative resource on the U.S. labor force. It continues and enhances the Bureau of Labor Statistics's (BLS) discontinued publication, Labor Statistics. Compiled in the midst of a dramatic economic downturn, the 13th edition allows the user to understand recent developments as well as to compare today's economy with past history. The Handbook is a comprehensive reference providing an abundance of data on a variety of topics including: Employment and unemployment Earnings Prices Productivity Consumer expenditures Occupational safety and health Union membership International labor comparisons And much more Features of the publication In addition to over 200 tables that present practical data, the Handbook provides: Introductory material for each chapter that contains highlights of salient data and figures that call attention to noteworthy trends in the data. The tables in each section are also preceded by notes and definitions, which contain concise descriptions of the data sources, concepts, definitions, and methodology from which the data are derived. The introductory notes also include references to more comprehensive reports. These reports provide additional data and more extensive descriptions of estimation methods, sampling, and reliability measures. New in the 13th edition