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• Cambridge Workforce 1967 - 2002

Cambridge Workforce 1967 - 2002

Information and the size and the wages earned by the Cambridge workforce from 1967 through 2002.  Figures shown here reflect employment as categorized by the Standard Industrial Code (SIC) system in widespread use through 2001.  Unless otherwise noted, all figures shown reflect employment.

For more current information, go to Cambridge Workforce 2002 - Present.

Footnotes:

1. Industry definitions mirror those used by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code system. Changes in industry definitions occurred in both 1973 (implementation of the 1972 SIC changes) and 1988 (implementation of the 1987 SIC changes), so employment by industry data before and after either change may not be strictly comparable. A number of minor SIC changes also occurred in 1978, but these do not affect the data in the table. 
2. Due to extensions in coverage in 1972 and 1980, prior years data is not comparable. See Notes 7 and 9 for details. 
3. In 1986 a definition change resulted in an increase in establishment counts, so prior years data is not strictly comparable. 
4. Mining firms are not included in the industry breakdown but are included in total employment. 
5. TCPU = Transportation, Communication and Public Utilities. 
6. FIRE = Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. 
7. On January 1, 1972 coverage was extended to include most employees of non-profit organizations formed and operated for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, educational or certain other purposes. Due to these changes, prior years information are not comparable. 
8. See Note 1. Prior years employment by industry data may not be strictly comparable. Two changes occurred in 1979. For the first time the table includes data stemming from the 1978 changes to the Massachusetts Unemployment Security Law, which added most employees of state and local government, of non-profit pre-elementary, elementary and secondary schools and of certain larger agricultural establishments, as well as to certain domestic workers. In addition, data was incorporated for the first time for employees covered by the Compensation for Federal Employees Law. Due to these changes, prior year figures are not comparable. 
9. See Note 2. Prior year establishments data not comparable. 
10. See Note 1. Prior years employment by industry data may not be strictly comparable. 
11. Following changes at the Federal level, the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance now collects data using the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS), rather than the SIC system previously in use in the United States. DET does not plan to analyze NAICS data for 2002 and subsequent years to mirror the broad employment divisions found in the SIC system. To obtain sub-sector employment data for 2002 to present go to the following table or go to DUA's Employment and Wages data collection tool.

Source: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, ES-202 Series, 2003.

For more current workforce data see the tabel Cambridge Workforce 2002 to Present, which uses the NAICS classification system.

Frequently Asked Questions about This Information

Where does this information come from?

 The information in this table derives from reports filed by establishments subject to either the Massachusetts Employment Security Law (1967 to present) or the Compensation for Federal Employees Law (1980 to present).

What population of workers does the table cover?

This table provide information about members of the Cambridge workforce, i. e., persons who work in Cambridge regardless of home address; it does not refer solely to Cambridge residents. The only workers included are those covered by either of the two laws cited above.

Which workers are not included?

Firms and employed persons not subject to the unemployment tax are not included in these statistics. The only employees currently excluded from coverage are those of religious organizations, smaller agricultural firms, certain domestic services, self employment and unpaid family service. Railroad employees are covered by a separate law and their employment in Cambridge, if any, is not included above.

Has the population of covered workers changed over time?

Beginning on January 1, 1972 most non-profit organizations formed and operated for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, educational or certain other purposes became covered by the Massachusetts Employment Security Law, and this change is reflected as of the same year the table. On January 1, 1978 coverage was extended to most employees of state and local government, of non-profit pre-elementary, elementary and secondary schools and of certain larger agricultural establishments, as well as to certain domestic workers. The data series first incorporates the 1978 changes in 1980.

So which religious workers are and are not covered?

Religious workers who perform primarily religious duties are not covered, including priests, ministers and rabbis. Employees of religious organizations who perform primarily secular functions are included in the table as of 1972, including parochial school teachers and social workers.

Do firms with multiple locations pose reporting problems?

Note that the reporting problems of large employers may result in either under or over reporting of employment. Large employers, such as utilities may attribute all employment to an office located in a central location, rather than to multiple locations. Abrupt increases or decreases in employment may result from a change in reporting by a multi-location employer. A number of such reporting problems have been resolved over time, improving the quality of the data series. However, this problem makes year to year comparisons somewhat problematic.

For More Information

For additional information about the ES-202 data series, see the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Home Page hosted by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Employment and Wages page in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development web site.

For information SIC codes go to the OSHA SIC web site.

For information about NAICS codes go to the Census NAICS web site.

For more information about socioeconomic and demographic statistics about Cambridge, please contact Cliff Cook, ccook@cambridgema.gov, Planning Information Manager, at 617/349-4656.