CHEMICAL INDUSTRY EMPLOYMENT: has held at over 1 million for past 30 years

Employment in the chemicals and allied products industry surged in the 1940s in response to the end of the Depression and the demands of World War II. It first reached 1 million in 1967 and has held above this level ever since, reaching a peak of 1,109,300 in 1979. However, employment has been declining since 1991 to an average of 1,020,000 in 1996.

WAGES: Chemical production worker earnings have averaged 5.5% annual gain for past 50 years

The weekly earnings of production workers in the chemicals and allied products industry have grown from $50 in 1947 to $700 in 1996. This represents an average annual gain of 5.5%. Growth has been uninterrupted, with no year-to-year declines. The average annual increase in the Consumer Price Index over this period has been 4.1%.