For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, December 8, 2011 USDL-11-1719
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsnfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION -- 2010
A total of 152.3 million persons worked at some point during 2010, the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics reported today. The proportion of the civilian noninstitutional
population age 16 and over who worked at some time during 2010 was 63.7 percent,
down from 64.9 percent in 2009. The number of persons who experienced some
unemployment during 2010 decreased by 894,000 to 25.2 million.
These data are based on information collected in the Annual Social and Economic
Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly
survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The ASEC collects information on employment and unemployment experienced during the
prior calendar year. Additional information about the CPS and the ASEC, including
concepts and definitions, is provided in the Technical Note.
Highlights from the 2010 data:
-- The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round in 2010 was
64.7 percent, up from 64.0 percent in 2009. (See table 1.)
-- The "work-experience unemployment rate"--defined as the number of persons
unemployed at some time during the year as a proportion of the number of
persons who worked or looked for work during the year--was 15.9 percent
in 2010, down from 16.4 percent in 2009. (See table 3.)
-- The number of individuals who looked for a job but did not work at all
during 2010 rose by 715,000 over the year to 6.6 million. (See table 3.)
Persons with Employment
The percent of men who worked during 2010 was 69.3 percent, down from 70.6 percent
in 2009. The proportion of women who worked at some point during 2010 was 58.5
percent, down from 59.6 percent in the prior year. (See table 1.)
The proportions of whites (64.7 percent) and Hispanics (63.5 percent) who worked
at some time during the year declined from 2009 to 2010, while the share of blacks
(58.2 percent) and Asians (64.1 percent) were about unchanged. (See table 2.)
Of those employed at some time during 2010, 78.2 percent usually worked full time,
little changed from 78.3 percent in 2009. Men were more likely to work full time
during the year (84.3 percent) than were women (71.5 percent). In 2010, the
proportion of employed men and women working full time showed little or no change.
(See table 1.)
Of the total who worked during 2010, 75.9 percent were employed year round (working
50 to 52 weeks, either full or part time), compared with 75.3 percent in 2009. The
percentage of men employed year round rose by 1.1 percentage points to 76.7 percent
in 2010, and the percentage of women working year round was nearly unchanged at
75.0 percent.
Persons with Unemployment
About 158.9 million persons worked or looked for work at some time in 2010. Of
those, 25.2 million experienced some unemployment during the year, down slightly
from 26.1 million in 2009. (See table 3.)
At 15.9 percent in 2010, the "work-experience unemployment rate" (those looking for
work during the year as a percent of those who worked or looked for work during the
year) was 0.5 percentage point lower than in 2009. The 2009 rate (16.4 percent) was
the highest since 1985. The rate for whites (15.0 percent) declined from 2009 to
2010, while the rates for blacks (22.5 percent), Hispanics (20.5 percent), and
Asians (12.9 percent) were little changed. (See tables 3 and 4.)
Overall, men continued to have higher "work-experience unemployment rates" in 2010
than women, 17.7 versus 13.8 percent. Among whites, the rate for men (16.8 percent)
was higher than that for women (12.8 percent). This also was the case for men and
women among blacks (25.9 and 19.5 percent, respectively) and Hispanics (22.4 and
18.0 percent, respectively). The rates for Asian men and women were the same (12.9
percent).
Among those who experienced unemployment in 2010, the median number of weeks spent
looking for work was 19.9, little changed from 19.7 in 2009. The number of persons
who looked for a job but did not work at all in 2010 rose by 715,000 to about 6.6
million. Of the 18.7 million individuals who worked during 2010 and also experienced
unemployment, 20.7 percent had 2 or more spells of joblessness, nearly the same as
in 2009 (20.5 percent).
Technical Note
The data presented in this release were collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement
to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample survey conducted by the
U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data from the CPS are used to obtain
the monthly estimates of the nation's employment and unemployment levels. The supplement, conducted
in the months of February through April, includes questions about work activity during the prior
calendar year. For instance, data collected in 2011 refer to the 2010 calendar year. Because the
reference period is a full year, the number of persons with some employment or unemployment
greatly exceeds the average levels for any given month, which are based on a 1-week reference
period, and the corresponding annual average of the monthly estimates. As shown below, for example,
the number experiencing any unemployment during 2010 was over twice the number unemployed in an
average month during the year.
Employed Unemployed
2010 estimates (in thousands)
Annual average of
monthly estimates 139,064 14,825
Annual supplement data 152,320 25,241
In addition, estimates from the supplement differ from those obtained in the basic CPS
because the questions used to classify workers as either employed or unemployed are different.
More important, perhaps, is that fewer questions by which to categorize respondents are asked
in the supplement. In regard to unemployment in particular, the supplement has no questions
on the type of job search activity or on the respondent's availability to work. Also, individuals
can be counted as both employed and unemployed in the work experience data, whereas, for a
specific reference week, each person is only counted in one category and employment activity
takes precedence over job search activity.
Work experience data for 2010, which were collected in the 2011 Annual Social and
Economic Supplement to the CPS, are not strictly comparable with data for 2009 and earlier
years because of the introduction in January 2011 of revised population controls used in
the CPS. The effect of the revised population controls on the work experience estimates
is unknown. However, the effect of the new January 2011 controls on the monthly CPS
estimates was to decrease the December 2010 employment level by 472,000 and the unemployment
level by 32,000. Additional information is available on the Internet at
www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error.
When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that
the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The
exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected,
and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about
a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will
differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of
sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can
occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population,
inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or
unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the
collection or processing of the data.
A full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and information on estimating
standard errors is available at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.
Concepts and definitions
Persons who worked. In the 2011 supplement, persons are considered to have worked if
they responded "yes" to either the question "Did you work at a job or business at any time
during 2010?" or "Did you do any temporary, part-time, or seasonal work even for a few
days during 2010?"
Unemployed persons. Persons who worked during the year but not in every week are counted
as unemployed if they also reported looking for work or being on layoff from a job during
the year. Those who reported no work activity during the year are considered unemployed if
they responded "yes" to the question "Even though you did not work in 2010, did you spend
any time trying to find a job or on layoff?"
Labor force participants. Persons who either worked or were unemployed during the year.
Usual full- and part-time employment. These data refer to the number of hours a worker
typically works during most weeks of the year. Workers are classified as full time if they
usually worked 35 hours or more in a week; part-time employment refers to workers whose
typical workweek was between 1 and 34 hours.
Year-round and part-year employment. Workers are classified as year round if they
worked 50 to 52 weeks. Part-year employment refers to workers who worked fewer than 50 weeks.
Other information
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon
request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Work experience of the population during the year by sex and extent of employment, 2009-10
Total Men Women
Extent of employment
2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010
(Numbers (in thousands)
Civilian noninstitutional population................ 237,158 238,999 114,820 115,986 122,339 123,012
Total who worked or looked for work............... 159,776 158,882 84,396 84,000 75,380 74,882
Percent of the population....................... 67.4 66.5 73.5 72.4 61.6 60.9
Total who worked during the year (1).............. 153,929 152,320 81,073 80,341 72,855 71,980
Percent of the population....................... 64.9 63.7 70.6 69.3 59.6 58.5
Full time (2)................................... 120,538 119,145 68,436 67,693 52,101 51,452
50 to 52 weeks................................ 98,519 98,490 55,341 55,738 43,178 42,752
48 to 49 weeks................................ 1,903 1,800 1,172 1,084 731 715
40 to 47 weeks................................ 5,428 5,392 3,153 3,052 2,275 2,340
27 to 39 weeks................................ 5,006 4,498 3,002 2,609 2,004 1,888
14 to 26 weeks................................ 5,717 5,287 3,378 3,103 2,339 2,184
1 to 13 weeks................................. 3,964 3,680 2,389 2,106 1,574 1,574
Part time (3)................................... 33,391 33,175 12,637 12,648 20,754 20,528
50 to 52 weeks................................ 17,405 17,113 5,904 5,874 11,502 11,239
48 to 49 weeks................................ 811 780 253 257 558 523
40 to 47 weeks................................ 2,706 2,941 1,023 1,079 1,682 1,863
27 to 39 weeks................................ 3,153 2,856 1,246 1,183 1,907 1,673
14 to 26 weeks................................ 4,627 4,753 2,042 2,141 2,585 2,611
1 to 13 weeks................................. 4,689 4,732 2,169 2,113 2,520 2,619
Percent distribution
Total who worked during the year (1)................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)..................................... 78.3 78.2 84.4 84.3 71.5 71.5
50 to 52 weeks.................................. 64.0 64.7 68.3 69.4 59.3 59.4
48 to 49 weeks.................................. 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.0 1.0
40 to 47 weeks.................................. 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.8 3.1 3.3
27 to 39 weeks.................................. 3.3 3.0 3.7 3.2 2.8 2.6
14 to 26 weeks.................................. 3.7 3.5 4.2 3.9 3.2 3.0
1 to 13 weeks................................... 2.6 2.4 2.9 2.6 2.2 2.2
Part time (3)..................................... 21.7 21.8 15.6 15.7 28.5 28.5
50 to 52 weeks.................................. 11.3 11.2 7.3 7.3 15.8 15.6
48 to 49 weeks.................................. 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.8 0.7
40 to 47 weeks.................................. 1.8 1.9 1.3 1.3 2.3 2.6
27 to 39 weeks.................................. 2.0 1.9 1.5 1.5 2.6 2.3
14 to 26 weeks.................................. 3.0 3.1 2.5 2.7 3.5 3.6
1 to 13 weeks................................... 3.0 3.1 2.7 2.6 3.5 3.6
1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
2 Usually worked 35 hours or more per week.
3 Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the
release of January data.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2009-10
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 191,727 192,792 93,927 94,689 97,800 98,103
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 130,189 129,249 70,042 69,593 60,147 59,656
Percent of the population................................. 67.9 67.0 74.6 73.5 61.5 60.8
Total who worked during the year (1)........................ 126,236 124,651 67,731 66,984 58,504 57,667
Percent of the population................................. 65.8 64.7 72.1 70.7 59.8 58.8
Percent who worked during the year (1)...................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 77.8 77.9 84.4 84.5 70.3 70.2
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 63.7 64.5 68.3 69.6 58.4 58.6
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 8.1 7.7 9.2 8.5 6.8 6.7
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 6.1 5.7 7.0 6.4 5.1 4.9
Part time (3)............................................. 22.2 22.1 15.6 15.5 29.7 29.8
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 11.6 11.5 7.3 7.3 16.5 16.4
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 4.5 4.5 3.2 3.1 6.0 6.0
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 6.1 6.1 5.1 5.1 7.2 7.3
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 28,590 29,004 12,879 13,108 15,711 15,896
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 18,250 18,263 8,421 8,466 9,829 9,797
Percent of the population................................. 63.8 63.0 65.4 64.6 62.6 61.6
Total who worked during the year (1)........................ 16,804 16,868 7,641 7,708 9,163 9,160
Percent of the population................................. 58.8 58.2 59.3 58.8 58.3 57.6
Percent who worked during the year (1)...................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 80.5 79.6 83.4 82.0 78.0 77.6
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 65.1 64.5 66.3 66.0 64.1 63.2
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 7.9 8.3 8.7 8.6 7.3 8.0
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 7.5 6.8 8.4 7.4 6.7 6.3
Part time (3)............................................. 19.5 20.4 16.6 18.0 22.0 22.4
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 9.9 9.5 7.4 7.3 12.0 11.4
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 3.4 3.4 2.9 3.2 3.8 3.6
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 6.2 7.4 6.3 7.5 6.1 7.4
ASIAN
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 11,033 11,320 5,192 5,325 5,841 5,995
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 7,430 7,569 3,935 3,955 3,495 3,614
Percent of the population................................. 67.3 66.9 75.8 74.3 59.8 60.3
Total who worked during the year (1)........................ 7,194 7,253 3,822 3,811 3,372 3,442
Percent of the population................................. 65.2 64.1 73.6 71.6 57.7 57.4
Percent who worked during the year (1)...................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 82.7 81.7 87.7 87.2 77.1 75.7
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 70.8 70.7 75.8 76.4 65.0 64.4
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 6.0 5.7 5.9 5.9 6.2 5.5
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 5.9 5.4 6.0 5.0 5.9 5.8
Part time (3)............................................. 17.3 18.3 12.3 12.8 22.9 24.3
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 9.8 10.1 7.0 6.6 13.0 14.1
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 3.2 3.6 1.9 2.6 4.8 4.7
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 4.2 4.5 3.4 3.6 5.2 5.5
HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 33,413 34,155 17,200 17,602 16,213 16,552
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 22,668 22,825 13,268 13,301 9,400 9,524
Percent of the population................................. 67.8 66.8 77.1 75.6 58.0 57.5
Total who worked during the year (1)........................ 21,723 21,686 12,724 12,663 9,000 9,023
Percent of the population................................. 65.0 63.5 74.0 71.9 55.5 54.5
Percent who worked during the year (1)...................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 78.5 78.9 83.5 84.0 71.5 71.8
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 61.2 62.2 63.8 65.7 57.6 57.2
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 9.6 9.8 11.2 11.0 7.3 8.1
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 7.6 7.0 8.4 7.3 6.5 6.5
Part time (3)............................................. 21.5 21.1 16.5 16.0 28.5 28.2
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 11.7 11.2 8.3 8.0 16.5 15.8
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 4.3 4.1 3.7 3.4 5.1 5.0
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 5.6 5.8 4.6 4.6 7.0 7.4
1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
2 Usually worked 35 hours or more per week.
3 Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in
table 1 because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 3. Extent of unemployment during the year by sex, 2009-10
Total Men Women
Extent of unemployment
2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010
Numbers (in thousands)
Total who worked or looked for work............................. 159,776 158,882 84,396 84,000 75,380 74,882
Percent with unemployment..................................... 16.4 15.9 18.8 17.7 13.6 13.8
Total with unemployment....................................... 26,135 25,241 15,864 14,880 10,271 10,360
Did not work but looked for work............................ 5,847 6,562 3,323 3,659 2,525 2,903
1 to 14 weeks............................................. 1,231 1,351 572 634 658 717
15 weeks or more.......................................... 4,617 5,211 2,750 3,025 1,866 2,186
Worked during the year...................................... 20,288 18,679 12,542 11,221 7,746 7,458
Year-round workers (1) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment.. 693 591 458 379 235 211
Part-year workers (2) with unemployment................... 19,595 18,088 12,083 10,842 7,512 7,246
1 to 4 weeks............................................ 2,526 2,259 1,466 1,178 1,060 1,081
5 to 10 weeks........................................... 2,560 2,393 1,592 1,419 968 974
11 to 14 weeks.......................................... 2,414 2,299 1,557 1,438 857 861
15 to 26 weeks.......................................... 5,693 5,113 3,559 3,231 2,134 1,882
27 weeks or more........................................ 6,402 6,024 3,908 3,577 2,494 2,447
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers........ 19.7 19.9 19.7 20.1 19.5 19.5
With 2 spells or more of unemployment............... 4,149 3,872 2,862 2,620 1,287 1,252
2 spells.......................................... 1,915 1,786 1,297 1,129 619 657
3 spells or more.................................. 2,234 2,086 1,565 1,491 668 595
Percent distribution
Did not work but looked for work................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1 to 14 weeks................................................. 21.0 20.6 17.2 17.3 26.1 24.7
15 weeks or more.............................................. 79.0 79.4 82.8 82.7 73.9 75.3
Worked during the year.......................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (1) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment...... 3.4 3.2 3.7 3.4 3.0 2.8
Part-year workers (2) with unemployment....................... 96.6 96.8 96.3 96.6 97.0 97.2
1 to 4 weeks................................................ 12.5 12.1 11.7 10.5 13.7 14.5
5 to 10 weeks............................................... 12.6 12.8 12.7 12.6 12.5 13.1
11 to 14 weeks.............................................. 11.9 12.3 12.4 12.8 11.1 11.5
15 to 26 weeks.............................................. 28.1 27.4 28.4 28.8 27.5 25.2
27 weeks or more............................................ 31.6 32.3 31.2 31.9 32.2 32.8
With 2 spells or more of unemployment............. 20.5 20.7 22.8 23.3 16.6 16.8
2 spells........................................ 9.4 9.6 10.3 10.1 8.0 8.8
3 spells or more................................ 11.0 11.2 12.5 13.3 8.6 8.0
1 Worked 50 or 51 weeks.
2 Worked less than 50 weeks.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2009-10
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010
WHITE
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 130,189 129,249 70,042 69,593 60,147 59,656
Percent with unemployment................................... 15.5 15.0 18.1 16.8 12.6 12.8
Total with unemployment..................................... 20,231 19,329 12,669 11,687 7,562 7,643
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 3,954 4,598 2,311 2,609 1,643 1,989
Worked during the year.................................... 16,277 14,732 10,358 9,078 5,920 5,654
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 19.1 19.2 19.2 19.6 19.0 18.5
Percent who worked during the year (1).................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 3.4 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.0 3.1
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 96.6 96.6 96.4 96.4 97.0 96.9
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 12.8 12.0 11.8 10.2 14.5 14.9
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 25.3 26.3 26.0 26.6 24.0 25.7
15 weeks or more...................................... 58.6 58.3 58.6 59.6 58.5 56.3
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 21.5 21.5 23.9 23.7 17.3 17.9
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 18,250 18,263 8,421 8,466 9,829 9,797
Percent with unemployment................................... 22.4 22.5 26.1 25.9 19.1 19.5
Total with unemployment..................................... 4,082 4,105 2,201 2,192 1,881 1,913
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 1,446 1,395 780 758 666 637
Worked during the year.................................... 2,636 2,710 1,421 1,434 1,215 1,276
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 22.8 22.9 23.6 22.3 22.1 23.6
Percent who worked during the year (1).................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 3.3 1.8 3.8 2.0 2.7 1.6
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 96.7 98.2 96.2 98.0 97.3 98.4
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 9.9 11.7 11.1 11.4 8.5 12.2
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 19.9 19.9 18.8 20.0 21.2 19.8
15 weeks or more...................................... 66.9 66.5 66.3 66.6 67.6 66.4
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 14.7 17.2 16.8 20.7 12.1 13.2
ASIAN
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 7,430 7,569 3,935 3,955 3,495 3,614
Percent with unemployment................................... 12.6 12.9 12.4 12.9 12.8 12.9
Total with unemployment..................................... 937 973 489 509 448 465
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 236 316 114 144 123 172
Worked during the year.................................... 701 657 376 364 325 293
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 19.9 21.3 21.3 21.7 18.9 20.8
Percent who worked during the year (1).................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 7.0 3.0 8.0 3.6 5.8 2.3
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 93.0 97.0 92.0 96.4 94.2 97.7
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 13.6 14.6 10.9 15.3 16.7 13.9
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 22.8 20.6 24.6 19.5 20.7 21.9
15 weeks or more...................................... 56.6 61.8 56.5 61.6 56.8 61.9
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 15.3 14.0 15.3 16.9 15.2 10.5
HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 22,668 22,825 13,268 13,301 9,400 9,524
Percent with unemployment................................... 20.9 20.5 23.7 22.4 16.9 18.0
Total with unemployment..................................... 4,729 4,686 3,140 2,974 1,589 1,712
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 944 1,138 544 638 400 500
Worked during the year.................................... 3,784 3,548 2,595 2,336 1,189 1,212
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 20.0 20.0 19.4 19.9 21.6 20.2
Percent who worked during the year (1).................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 1.5 2.3 1.4 2.3 1.7 2.1
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 98.5 97.7 98.6 97.7 98.3 97.9
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 12.4 10.7 12.3 8.9 12.6 14.0
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 25.5 26.5 26.8 27.8 22.6 24.1
15 weeks or more...................................... 60.6 60.5 59.5 60.9 63.1 59.8
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 24.1 24.0 27.7 26.7 16.2 18.8
1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
2 Worked 50 or 51 weeks.
3 Worked less than 50 weeks.
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in
table 3 because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
United States Department of Labor
