In recent years, moreover, Chicago’s labour force has actually been shrinking in absolute terms. For instance, from May 2010 to May 2011, the civilian labour force decreased from 4.87 million to 4.82 million workers, a reduction of 0.8% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). This performance contrasts sharply with the 1990s, when employment growth in the Chicago Tri-State metro-region was stronger and closer to the average growth rate of metro-regions. Between 2002 and 2007, the goods-producing sector was shedding jobs even during the years of growth that preceded the crisis, and the services sector, which is usually more resilient to both cyclical and structural changes, also under-performed the nation and even lost jobs in some key sub-sectors.