Employment gains in real estate in 2002

April 03, 2003

The real estate industry added 28,000 jobs in 2002, a gain of 1.8 percent. This increase reflected rising sales of both new and existing homes.

Percent change in number of employees in the finance, insurance and real estate industry, fourth quarter to fourth quarter, 2000 to 2002 (seasonally adjusted)
[Chart data—TXT]

Low mortgage rates, coupled with real earnings growth, boosted housing affordability and the demand for housing. Housing starts reached their highest level in more than 15 years. Minimal inflation and appreciating home sales prices (up 7.1 percent over the year) also may have inspired some investors to transfer funds from Wall Street to real estate.

Overall, employment in finance, insurance, and real estate increased 0.8 percent in 2002. Employment in finance was up by 1.0 percent, while jobs in insurance decreased by 0.1 percent.

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program. For more information on labor market trends in 2002, see "U.S. labor market in 2002: continued weakness," by Terence M. McMenamin, Rachel Krantz, and Thomas J. Krolik, Monthly Labor Review, February 2003.

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SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Editor's Desk, Employment gains in real estate in 2002 on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2003/mar/wk5/art04.htm (visited May 21, 2013).

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