About 3,800 fewer people were employed in February vs. January in the telecommunications sector, but because the numbers are seasonally adjusted, the unemployment rate declined .2 percentage points to 8.6%, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Department of Labor. Average hourly earnings in the sector totaled $28.12 in January, up 20 cents per hour from the previous month.
Overall, the nation’s unemployment rate held steady at 9.7%, with job losses in the information and construction sectors, but more jobs added in the temporary help category. Telecommunications falls under the broader information sector.
In the computer and electronics products segment, overall the sector had 1,900 fewer people employed in February, with an estimated 1.087 million people working in the sector. Computer and peripheral equipment employees were down about 200, while employees in the communications equipment sector were up 800 employees in February. Employment in the semiconductor segment showed little change, with 100 fewer employees in February. Employment in the telecommunications sector was down 3,800 employees in February, to 949,000 people working in the industry.
Employment in the wireless subsector, which runs a month behind the larger sectors, showed a 1,800 drop in employees from December to January, with 195,200 people employed in January. Women filled 75,000 of those jobs, a drop of 1,200 since December. Employment in wired telephony also dropped, from 619,000 employees in January to 615,300 in February.
By state, California remained steady, with 31,800 people employed in November and December, the most recent figures available. Employment in Georgia also remained steady with 12,700 employees in the wireless sector. In Kansas, where telecommunications is not broken down between wireless and wireless, employment was down 200 people to 22,000 in December. In New Jersey, which also does not break out telecom employment, about 38,700 people were employed in the sector, down about 100 from November. Telecom employment in New York saw an uptick of 400 to 52,900 people employed in the sector in December. In Texas, employment ticked down 100 people to 92,600 people employed in the space.