MERC at Framingham State College maintains an employment database for the MetroWest CCSA, the Greater Marlborough Region, the South Shore CCSA and other substate economies. MERC research relies on the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Insurance ES-202 series to develop a variety of time series for employment, payroll, wages and establishments in these substate regions. ES-202 data are derived from reports filed by all employers subject to unemployment laws, both state and federal.
In 2002, for the first time, employers were classified by industry solely in accordance with the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). NAICS groups together establishments that use the same processes to produce goods and services. NAICS has permanently replaced the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, which was in use for the previous 70 years.
In the ES-202 series employment refers to the count of all persons on the payroll of establishments subject to the law, who worked full-time or part-time within the communities studied. Annual payroll includes all wages and salaries paid to covered employees including commissions, bonuses, overtime and sick pay. The average annual wage is derived by dividing the gross annual payroll by the average annual employment. Establishment or place of work refers to an economic unit that produces goods or services at a single location and is engaged in one type of economic activity. A firm therefore may have one or more establishments where work is produced. More complete definitions are available from MERC.
Please note that data and analysis refer to business establishments, not residents, located within the various communities. Please also note that totals may not always add due to rounding.
1The definitions of terms included here are based on those in the Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics (1998), Employment and Wages in Massachusetts and the Major Metropolitan Statistical Areas Annual Averages 1993-1996, and the North American Industry Classification System - United States, 2002.
