This section presents the latest employment data (4th Quarter 2003) for New York City, Manhattan, and the Fashion Center BID (i.e., zip code 10018). As noted earlier, the 1st quarter 2003 statistics reflect the change-over from the SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) to the NAICS (North American Industrial Classification System). (See definitions in Introduction) In effect, the implementation of the NAICS reflects the wide range of service-providing functions versus good-producing activities. Comparisons to prior periods can be made when looking at total employment, however, the various industry categories can not be compared, as the NAICS has introduced many new categories, and changed the definition of several categories.

Exhibit 5 presents the 1st and 4th quarter employment by category for New York City. Total private sector employment was reported to be 2,913,336, a 1.8% increase from the 1st quarter 2003. As expected, the manufacturing sector showed a 3.3% decline. Given the low interest rates, construction got a boost as employment rose 6.8% compared to the 1st quarter. The accommodation and food services category also experienced a rise in employment (6.2%), while a slight decline was reported for the finance and insurance and management of companies categories. Overall, the employment data for New York City reflects the trend towards a service-, rather than manufacturing-, based economy. Almost 74% of the total employment is within service-oriented industries.

New York City - "Fashion Industry" Employment

New York City’s “Fashion Industry” employment for the 1st quarter 2003 is presented in Exhibit 6.

Exhibit 6
"Fashion Industry" Employment - New York City
1st Quarter & 4th Quarter 2003
Based on NAICS Classifications

*NAICS codes 313 & 314
**NAICS codes 315
***NAICS code 4243
Source: NYS Department of Labor

New York City's "Fashion Industry" employment was reported to be 67,963 for the 4th quarter 2003. This is a decline of over 4,750 employees between the 1st and 4th quarter 2003. The most significant drop, (-12.2%) occurred in the apparel manufacturing sector and to a lesser degree in the textile manufacturing category. In contrast, apparel wholesaling had a nominal increase in employment of 0.7%

Manhattan's “Fashion Industry” employment for the 1st quarter 2003 is presented in Exhibit 7.

Exhibit 7
"Fashion Industry" Employment - Manhattan
1st Quarter & 4th Quarter 2003
Based on NAICS Classifications

*NAICS codes 313 & 314
**NAICS codes 315
***NAICS code 4243
Source: NYS Department of Labor

Total "Fashion Industry" employment in Manhattan was reported to be 50,030 in the 4th quarter 2003, a decline of approximately 1,465 employees. Similar to the New York City data, employment within the apparel and textile manufacturing sectors declined significantly, while the apparel wholesale industry gained. The "Fashion Industry" represented 2.8% of Manhattan private sector employment, and 2.3% citywide.

Total private sector employment within the district (i.e., zip code 10018) was reported to be 86,461 for the 1st quarter 2003, with “Fashion Industry” employment at about 25,226.. This is presented in Exhibit 8.

The Textile and Apparel Manufacturing sub-sectors accounted for the bulk of all Manufacturing employment. Similarly, Wholesale Apparel represented a significant portion of the entire Wholesale Trade sector. "Fashion Industry" employment as a percentage of total private sector employment continues to decline and is approximately 29.2%, as opposed to 31% last year.

Exhibit 8
Zip Code 10018 Employment By Category
1st Qtr 2003
Based on NAICS Classifications

Source: NYS Department of Labor

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