Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics  

Release: Employment Situation  

Units:  Thousands of Persons, Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:  Monthly

All Employees: Total Nonfarm, commonly known as Total Nonfarm Payroll, is a measure of the number of U.S. workers in the economy that excludes proprietors, private household employees, unpaid volunteers, farm employees, and the unincorporated self-employed. This measure accounts for approximately 80 percent of the workers who contribute to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This measure provides useful insights into the current economic situation because it can represent the number of jobs added or lost in an economy. Increases in employment might indicate that businesses are hiring which might also suggest that businesses are growing. Additionally, those who are newly employed have increased their personal incomes, which means (all else constant) their disposable incomes have also increased, thus fostering further economic expansion.

Generally, the U.S. labor force and levels of employment and unemployment are subject to fluctuations due to seasonal changes in weather, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) adjusts the data to offset the seasonal effects to show non-seasonal changes: for example, women's participation in the labor force; or a general decline in the number of employees, a possible indication of a downturn in the economy. To closely examine seasonal and non-seasonal changes, the BLS releases two monthly statistical measures: the seasonally adjusted All Employees: Total Nonfarm (PAYEMS) and All Employees: Total Nonfarm (PAYNSA), which is not seasonally adjusted.

The series comes from the 'Current Employment Statistics (Establishment Survey).'

The source code is: CES0000000001

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (US)  

Release: G.5 Foreign Exchange Rates  

Units:  South Korean Won to One U.S. Dollar, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:  Monthly

Averages of daily figures. Noon buying rates in New York City for cable transfers payable in foreign currencies.

This data series is updated from the source files in the Data Download Program (http://www.federalreserve.gov/datadownload/Choose.aspx?rel=h10). The files are updated on a weekly basis every Monday. If Monday is a holiday, the data files are updated the next business day.

Monthly values are averages of the daily data available. Preliminary value for the current month is provided by the source even if not all daily values are available for the entire month.

Please note that the values reported on the press release may not correspond to the values in the Data Download Program when the press release is published on a day other than Monday. This inconsistency is resolved on the next available weekly release date.