May 2013 US commercial printing shipments were $7.01 billion, down -$317 million (-4.3%) compared to 2012, and down by -$417 million after adjusting for inflation (-5.6%). April printing shipments were revised up by +$34 million, to $6.724 billion. May was the first month since October 2012 to register more than $7 billion in shipments. For the first five months of 2013, shipments are down -1.3%, -2.8% after inflation. (click chart to enlarge)

Employment in the commercial printing industry is down -3.4% for June, compared to 2012, a decrease of 16,000 workers. Content is still being created: public relations workers are up by 4,300, an +8.3% increase, and graphic design employment is up by 1,000 (+1.7%). The PR and design employment data exclude freelancers. Public relations has become the focal point for social media and other digital formats. (click chart to enlarge)

 

The latest monthly shipments report is now available from the e-store. It includes a PowerPoint presentation, an Excel spreadsheet for the US and Canada, and audio commentary as a podcast. This edition includes our economic forecast for the balance of 2013 and preliminary forecast for 2014, including our observations about the nature of the 2014 elections and how they will affect business perceptions during the year ahead. # # #