This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Project Delivery and Small Project Practitioners .
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Michael,
This may not exactly the information you are looking for, but hope it helps.
Here is a link to an Architecture Record story from late 2010:
http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/2010/10/101025real_employment.asp
This is a poll by Gallup on the overall unemployed and under employed.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/146147/gallup-finds-unemployment-mid-february.aspx
From the 2009 Firm Survey:
Majority of architecture firms remain small
Sixty percent of firms in the architecture services industry have fewer than five employees, and one-quarter of firms are sole practitioners. Just over one-third belongs to firm size with 5 to 9 employees and 10 to 49 employees, with 19 percent and 17 percent, respectively. The percentage of large firms has remained constant in recent years, at 2 percent for firms with 50-99 employees and firms with 100 or more employees.
| | NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES |
| | 1 | 2-4 | 5-9 | 10-19 | 20-49 | 50-99 | 100+ |
| 2008 | 24% | 37% | 19% | 11% | 6% | 2% | 2% |
| 2005 | 23% | 38% | 19% | 11% | 6% | 2% | 2% |
| 2002 | 31% | 29% | 18% | 11% | 7% | 2% | 2% |
Below is a table from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS:
www.bls.gov). They don't have the unemployed number for detailed industries and is based on individuals. What we tell members or those interested is how much the employment picture has decreased. From the peak at the end of around July 2008 with nearly 220.5K employed A/E workers, it is now at 153.2K a decline of 30.5% in the A/E workforce. Now the factors could include the following, such as retirement, changed profession, under employed, unemployed, etc. No matter what, the overall effect is daunting with nearly one-third employment decline in just two and half years in the profession.
| Series Id: CEU6054131001
Not Seasonally Adjusted
Super Sector: Professional and business services
Industry: Architectural services
NAICS Code: 54131
Data Type: ALL EMPLOYEES, THOUSANDS Top of Form Download: Bottom of Form |
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
| 2005 | 186.2 | 186.6 | 186.7 | 187.5 | 189.2 | 194.5 | 198.2 | 198.3 | 194.4 | 197.6 | 198.1 | 199.6 | 193.1 |
| 2006 | 199.0 | 199.3 | 199.9 | 200.3 | 202.7 | 206.9 | 211.3 | 211.6 | 207.2 | 206.5 | 207.5 | 208.9 | 205.1 |
| 2007 | 209.3 | 211.8 | 210.3 | 210.3 | 213.3 | 217.8 | 218.5 | 217.1 | 213.4 | 215.5 | 215.6 | 215.9 | 214.1 |
| 2008 | 214.8 | 214.3 | 215.3 | 214.5 | 214.8 | 218.8 | 220.5 | 217.3 | 212.6 | 209.8 | 205.1 | 198.9 | 213.1 |
| 2009 | 196.1 | 189.0 | 183.8 | 181.1 | 177.2 | 175.8 | 174.3 | 172.7 | 170.1 | 168.6 | 165.9 | 164.0 | 176.6 |
| 2010 | 160.3 | 158.6 | 156.4 | 156.7 | 156.6 | 157.5 | 157.7 | 156.0 | 154.2 | 155.1 | 153.5 | 153.2(P) | 156.3(P) |
| P : preliminary |
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James Chu
Director, Research
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
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