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The first Monday in September  is Labor Day, a national holiday,  in the US. It is similar to May 1 in other countries to honor all working men and women. Here below is some interesting statistics compiled by the US Government agencies and the Census Bureau that give a glimpse of American society (from Harvard University Retiree Association newsletter dated 8/31/2010).

Labor Day 2010: Sept. 6

The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary. By 1893, more than half the states were observing a “Labor Day” on one day or another, and Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.

Who Are We Celebrating?

154.4 million

Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force in May 2010.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf>

Employee Benefits

83%

Percentage of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance during all or part of 2008.
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008
<http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-236.pdf>

78%

Percentage of workers in private industry who receive a paid vacation as one of their employment benefits.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010 Table 640 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>

Our Jobs

Americans work in a variety of occupations. Here is a sampling:

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 640 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>

10.1 million

Number of self-employed workers.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 592 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>

10.3 million

Number of independent contractors.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 595 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>

5.9 million

The number of people who work at home.
Source: 2008 American Community Survey <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm>

26.4 million

Number of female workers 16 and older in management, professional and related occupations. Among male workers 16 and older, 24.7 million were employed in management, professional and related occupations.
Source: 2008 American Community Survey <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm>

4.1

Median number of years workers have been with their current employer. About 10 percent of those employed have been with their current employer for 20 or more years.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 598 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>

16.1 million

Number of labor union members nationwide. About 12 percent of wage and salary workers belong to unions, with Alaska, Hawaii and New York having among the highest rates of any state. North Carolina has one of the lowest rates, 3 percent.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 650 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>

Another Day, Another Dollar

$46,367 and $35,745

The 2008 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively.
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008
<http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/income_wealth/cb09-141.html>

[We do not have mean earnings figures for Harvard]

$1,506

Average weekly wage in Santa Clara, Calif., for the third quarter of 2009, the highest among the nation's 334 largest counties.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewqtr.pdf>

Hot Jobs

53%

Projected percentage growth from 2006 to 2016 in the number of network systems and data communication analysts. Forecasters expect this occupation to grow at a faster rate than any other. Meanwhile, the occupation expected to add more positions over this period than any other is registered nurses (587,000).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 605 <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>

Early, Lonely and Long — the Commute to Work

17.7 million

Number of commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m. They represent 13 percent of all commuters.
Source: 2008 American Community Survey <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm>

76%

Percentage of workers who drive alone to work. Another 11 percent carpool and 5 percent take public transportation (excluding taxicabs).
Source: 2008 American Community Survey <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm>

25.5 minutes

The average time it takes people in the nation to commute to work. New York and Maryland had the most time-consuming commutes, averaging 31.6 and 31.5 minutes. (They are not significantly different from one another.)
Source: 2008 American Community Survey <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm>

3.5 million

Number of workers who face extreme commutes to work of 90 or more minutes each day.
Source: 2008 American Community Survey <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm