Atlanta, GA — May 29, 2012 — The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is exhibiting at the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) 2012 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia. The exhibit will be held June 24-26 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Staff will be on hand in Booth 3054 to explain the data that BLS produces and demonstrate how that data can be used by Human Resource professionals.
Most of the data featured at the exhibit come from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) and the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program. The NCS produces data on employment cost trends as well as the incidence, provisions, and cost of employer provided benefits. The OES provides data on occupational employment and wages. All BLS data are free of charge and available online.
As part of the exhibit, BLS staff will show users how to access data online from the BLS website. Survey respondents—those invaluable Human Resource professionals that provide the data for BLS surveys—are encouraged to stop by the booth to discuss the reporting process and see the results of their efforts. Karen Ransom, BLS Regional Economist, noted: “The SHRM Annual Conference is our best opportunity for meeting data users and survey respondents face-to-face. Showing Human Resource professionals the data we produce and how they can access it, as well as providing them with contact information for more detailed personal assistance, is a great way for us to get the word out about BLS data. Meeting with respondents allows us to say thank you and show them in concrete ways the importance of their assistance.”
All visitors to the booth will receive a copy of “Zooming in on Compensation Data — A guide to BLS data for Human Resources Professionals”. Those not attending the conference can request a copy of this booklet by sending an email request to HRGuide {at} bls {dot} gov.
About the Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. Its mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate essential economic information to support public and private decision-making. As an independent statistical agency, BLS serves its diverse user communities by providing products and services that are objective, timely, accurate, and relevant.
About the BLS Information Offices
BLS has eight regional information offices, located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. BLS staff from these offices are available to assist data users in finding and understanding the data they need. The Information Offices may be contacted via email, telephone, or in person.
About the National Compensation Survey
The National Compensation Survey is an on-going comprehensive employer-based survey of approximately 11,000 establishments conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCS is an umbrella program that produces data on several topics including benefits, wages, and compensation cost trends. One of its outputs—the Employment Cost Index (ECI)—is a principal federal economic indicator. The ECI measures the percent change in the cost of wages and benefits. Another output is the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC). The ECEC provides costs for wages and individual benefits on a cost per hour worked basis. Additional information on pay and benefits will soon be included in a new BLS publication, Beyond the Numbers.
About the Occupational Employment Statistics Program
The Occupational Employment Statistics program is an on-going, comprehensive employer-based survey of approximately 1.2 million establishments collected over a 3-year period. The OES survey is a Federal-State cooperative program between BLS and State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS provides the procedures and technical support, draws the sample, and produces the survey materials, while the SWAs collect the data. OES provides employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations by State, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area, as well as by detailed industry and ownership (private industry, local government, state government, and federal government) at the National level.