According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, telecom industry unemployment was 1.4% in October
The latest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, released each month, indicate October marked the low point in 2015 (so far) of unemployment for the telecom workforce.
According to figures, unemployment in the telecommunications industry was just 1.4% last month. That’s down from 3.8% in September, 4.1% in August and 4% in July. Here’s a graph tracking the movement during the course of the year.
For purposes of the BLS tracking, the telecommunications subsector includes people who work in telephony, VoIP, cable and satellite television distribution; Internet access; and telecom reselling. The BLS describes the telecom subsector as “primarily engaged in operating, and/or providing access to facilities for the transmission of voice, data, text, sound and video.”
The total telecom workforce, as defined above, was tallied at 863,600 in October, down from 864,000 in September, up from 862,700 in August and down from 864,700 in July. This graph, also provided by the BLS, tracks the total workforce movement in 2015.
The low point in telecom workforce unemployment stands in contrast to recent moves by some of the major U.S. carriers.
The last 30 days have been tough on mobile operator employees; however, keep in mind announcing layoffs in the third and fourth quarters has long been a telecom tradition. To recap previously announced layoffs: Sprint said it’s reducing expenses by $2.5 billion and has halved severance packages ahead of planned layoffs; Verizon Communications is consolidating 20 regional operations centers into just six; and AT&T is cutting 200 jobs in Houston at a credit and collections center.
RCR Wireless News CEO and Editorial Director Jeff Mucci goes into more detail on who’s firing, and, on the bright side, who’s hiring. Read more about the telecom workforce here, and be sure to watch RCRtv’s Telecom Careers Insider.
The BLS tracks monthly labor statistics for a variety of sectors, including telecom. For the telecom-specific entries, as well as back data, click here.
