For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Wednesday, December 11, 2013 USDL-13-2350
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 • cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov
WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION -- 2012
A total of 156.2 million persons worked at some point during 2012, 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 2012 was 63.8 percent, up from 63.3 percent in 2011.
The number of persons who experienced some unemployment during 2012
decreased by 1.3 million to 22.4 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 2012 data:
• The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round in
2012 was 65.5 percent, little different from the prior year.
(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--fell by 1.0 percentage point over the year to 13.9 percent in
2012. (See table 3.)
• About 5.5 million individuals looked for a job but did not work
at all in 2012, down from 6.2 million in 2011. (See table 3.)
Persons with Employment
The proportion of men who worked during 2012 was 69.5 percent, up from
68.8 percent in 2011. The proportion of women who worked at some point
during 2012 was 58.4 percent, little changed from 2011. (See table 1.)
The proportions of whites (64.5 percent), blacks (59.1 percent), Asians
(64.5 percent), and Hispanics (64.3 percent) who worked at some time
during 2012 increased from 2011. (See table 2.)
Among those with work experience during 2012, 78.4 percent usually
worked full time, little different from 2011. Men continued to be more
likely to work full time during the year (84.5 percent) than women
(71.5 percent). The proportions of employed men and women working full
time showed little change over the year. (See table 1.)
Of the total who worked during 2012, 76.7 percent were employed year
round (working 50 to 52 weeks, either full or part time), little
changed from 2011. The percentage of women working year round
decreased by 0.8 percentage point to 74.7 percent in 2012, while the
percentage of men employed year round was little changed at 78.5
percent.
Persons with Unemployment
Overall, 161.7 million persons worked or looked for work at some time
in 2012. Of those, 22.4 million experienced some unemployment during
the year, 1.3 million fewer than in 2011. Men accounted for a
disproportionately large share of the over-the-year decline in those
who experienced some unemployment. (See table 3.)
At 13.9 percent in 2012, 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 1.0 percentage point lower than
in 2011. The work-experience unemployment rates for whites (12.8
percent) and blacks (20.6 percent) declined from 2011 to 2012, while
the rates for Asians (10.6 percent) and Hispanics (17.3 percent)
changed little. (See tables 3 and 4.)
Overall, men continued to have higher work-experience unemployment
rates in 2012 than women, 14.5 percent versus 13.1 percent. Among
whites, blacks, and Hispanics, the rates for men were higher than the
rates for women. Among Asians, the rates for men and women were little
different from each other.
Among those who experienced unemployment in 2012, the median number of
weeks spent looking for work fell to 18.4, following 3 years of little
movement. The number of persons who looked for a job but did not work
at all in 2012 declined by 701,000 over the year to 5.5 million. Of the
16.9 million individuals who worked during 2012 and also experienced
unemployment, 22.2 percent had two or more spells of joblessness, up
from 20.1 percent in 2011. (See table 3.)
Technical Note
The data presented in this release were collected in the Annual Social and
Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a
monthly sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households, conducted by the U.S.
Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Data from the CPS
are used to obtain the monthly estimates of the nation's employment and unemployment
levels. The ASEC, conducted in the months of February through April, includes
questions about work activity during the prior calendar year. For instance, data
collected in 2013 refer to the 2012 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 was about
twice the number unemployed in an average month during the year.
Employed Unemployed
2012 estimates (in thousands)
Annual average of
monthly estimates 142,469 12,506
Annual supplement data 156,194 22,423
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 the supplement contains
fewer questions for categorizing respondents. 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 supplement data, whereas, for a specific monthly reference
week, each person is only counted in one category and employment activity takes
precedence over job search activity.
The data presented in this release are not strictly comparable with data for
earlier years due to the introduction of updated population controls used in
the CPS. The population controls are updated each year in January to reflect the
latest information about population change. Additional information is available 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
component of this difference that occurs because samples differ by chance is known as
sampling error, and its 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
The principle concepts and definitions used in connection with the data in this
release are described briefly below.
Persons who worked. In the 2013 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 2012?" or "Did you do any temporary, part-time, or seasonal work even
for a few days during 2012?"
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
2012, did you spend any time trying to find a job or on layoff?"
Work-experience unemployment rate. The number of persons unemployed at some point
during the year as a proportion of the number of persons who worked or looked for work
during the year.
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, 2011-12
Total Men Women
Extent of employment
2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012
Numbers (in thousands)
Civilian noninstitutional population............................ 242,602 244,993 116,984 118,202 125,619 126,791
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 159,693 161,707 83,715 84,999 75,978 76,708
Percent of the population................................... 65.8 66.0 71.6 71.9 60.5 60.5
Total who worked during the year (1).......................... 153,479 156,194 80,503 82,143 72,976 74,051
Percent of the population................................... 63.3 63.8 68.8 69.5 58.1 58.4
Full time (2)............................................... 120,585 122,407 68,289 69,437 52,295 52,970
50 to 52 weeks............................................ 100,915 102,296 57,288 58,304 43,627 43,992
48 to 49 weeks............................................ 1,691 1,848 971 1,038 720 810
40 to 47 weeks............................................ 4,862 5,391 2,639 2,944 2,223 2,447
27 to 39 weeks............................................ 4,474 4,448 2,561 2,553 1,913 1,895
14 to 26 weeks............................................ 5,291 4,711 2,941 2,585 2,350 2,126
1 to 13 weeks............................................. 3,351 3,713 1,889 2,013 1,463 1,700
Part time (3)............................................... 32,895 33,787 12,214 12,706 20,681 21,081
50 to 52 weeks............................................ 17,247 17,487 5,786 6,197 11,460 11,291
48 to 49 weeks............................................ 791 870 295 304 496 566
40 to 47 weeks............................................ 2,633 2,831 987 1,062 1,647 1,768
27 to 39 weeks............................................ 2,855 2,966 1,121 1,103 1,735 1,863
14 to 26 weeks............................................ 4,729 4,858 2,009 1,927 2,719 2,930
1 to 13 weeks............................................. 4,639 4,776 2,016 2,112 2,623 2,663
Percent distribution
Total who worked during the year (1)............................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)................................................. 78.6 78.4 84.8 84.5 71.7 71.5
50 to 52 weeks.............................................. 65.8 65.5 71.2 71.0 59.8 59.4
48 to 49 weeks.............................................. 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.1
40 to 47 weeks.............................................. 3.2 3.5 3.3 3.6 3.0 3.3
27 to 39 weeks.............................................. 2.9 2.8 3.2 3.1 2.6 2.6
14 to 26 weeks.............................................. 3.4 3.0 3.7 3.1 3.2 2.9
1 to 13 weeks............................................... 2.2 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.0 2.3
Part time (3)................................................. 21.4 21.6 15.2 15.5 28.3 28.5
50 to 52 weeks.............................................. 11.2 11.2 7.2 7.5 15.7 15.2
48 to 49 weeks.............................................. 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.8
40 to 47 weeks.............................................. 1.7 1.8 1.2 1.3 2.3 2.4
27 to 39 weeks.............................................. 1.9 1.9 1.4 1.3 2.4 2.5
14 to 26 weeks.............................................. 3.1 3.1 2.5 2.3 3.7 4.0
1 to 13 weeks............................................... 3.0 3.1 2.5 2.6 3.6 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, 2011-12
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 192,898 194,041 94,146 94,752 98,752 99,289
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 127,809 128,903 68,304 69,027 59,505 59,876
Percent of the population................................. 66.3 66.4 72.6 72.8 60.3 60.3
Total who worked during the year (1)........................ 123,717 125,206 66,180 67,080 57,537 58,125
Percent of the population................................. 64.1 64.5 70.3 70.8 58.3 58.5
Percent who worked during the year (1)...................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 78.4 78.1 85.1 84.6 70.6 70.6
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 65.8 65.5 71.7 71.4 59.0 58.7
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 7.2 7.5 7.7 8.0 6.7 6.9
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 5.4 5.1 5.8 5.3 5.0 5.0
Part time (3)............................................. 21.6 21.9 14.9 15.4 29.4 29.4
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 11.4 11.4 7.0 7.5 16.5 15.9
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 4.2 4.4 3.0 3.0 5.5 5.9
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 6.0 6.1 4.8 4.9 7.4 7.6
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 29,790 30,253 13,447 13,684 16,343 16,568
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 18,822 19,095 8,685 8,851 10,137 10,244
Percent of the population................................. 63.2 63.1 64.6 64.7 62.0 61.8
Total who worked during the year (1)........................ 17,332 17,870 7,932 8,253 9,399 9,617
Percent of the population................................. 58.2 59.1 59.0 60.3 57.5 58.0
Percent who worked during the year (1)...................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 79.4 79.1 82.2 82.9 77.1 75.9
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 65.0 64.0 66.1 66.3 64.0 62.1
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 7.2 8.2 8.1 8.5 6.5 7.9
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 7.2 6.9 8.1 8.1 6.5 5.9
Part time (3)............................................. 20.6 20.9 17.8 17.1 22.9 24.1
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 10.0 10.6 8.3 8.5 11.3 12.3
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 4.0 3.9 3.2 2.9 4.6 4.7
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 6.7 6.5 6.3 5.8 7.0 7.1
ASIAN
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 12,813 13,228 5,979 6,174 6,834 7,055
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 8,364 8,830 4,347 4,627 4,017 4,203
Percent of the population................................. 65.3 66.7 72.7 75.0 58.8 59.6
Total who worked during the year (1)........................ 8,048 8,528 4,194 4,472 3,854 4,056
Percent of the population................................. 62.8 64.5 70.1 72.4 56.4 57.5
Percent who worked during the year (1)...................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 81.4 81.5 87.0 87.1 75.3 75.3
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 70.4 71.1 76.6 76.7 63.6 65.0
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 6.2 5.8 5.7 5.7 6.7 5.8
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 4.9 4.6 4.7 4.7 5.0 4.4
Part time (3)............................................. 18.6 18.5 13.0 12.9 24.7 24.7
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 11.0 10.3 7.2 7.1 15.1 13.9
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 3.1 3.5 2.0 2.4 4.3 4.8
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 4.5 4.6 3.8 3.3 5.3 6.1
HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 36,461 37,240 18,276 18,655 18,185 18,585
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 24,216 24,914 13,683 14,185 10,533 10,729
Percent of the population................................. 66.4 66.9 74.9 76.0 57.9 57.7
Total who worked during the year (1)........................ 23,124 23,954 13,127 13,673 9,997 10,281
Percent of the population................................. 63.4 64.3 71.8 73.3 55.0 55.3
Percent who worked during the year (1)...................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 79.2 78.6 84.6 84.3 72.1 71.0
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 64.3 63.7 68.6 68.3 58.8 57.6
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 8.5 8.8 9.6 10.1 7.1 7.2
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 6.3 6.1 6.4 6.0 6.2 6.2
Part time (3)............................................. 20.8 21.4 15.4 15.7 27.9 29.0
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 11.3 11.7 7.8 8.4 15.9 16.1
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 3.8 3.9 3.0 2.9 4.8 5.2
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 5.7 5.8 4.7 4.4 7.2 7.7
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, 2011-12
Total Men Women
Extent of unemployment
2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012
Numbers (in thousands)
Total who worked or looked for work............................. 159,693 161,707 83,715 84,999 75,978 76,708
Percent with unemployment..................................... 14.9 13.9 15.8 14.5 13.8 13.1
Total with unemployment....................................... 23,739 22,423 13,262 12,352 10,477 10,071
Did not work but looked for work............................ 6,214 5,513 3,212 2,856 3,002 2,657
1 to 14 weeks............................................. 1,395 1,455 656 614 739 842
15 weeks or more.......................................... 4,819 4,057 2,556 2,242 2,263 1,815
Worked during the year...................................... 17,525 16,910 10,050 9,496 7,476 7,414
Year-round workers (1) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment.. 417 464 271 309 147 155
Part-year workers (2) with unemployment................... 17,108 16,447 9,779 9,187 7,329 7,259
1 to 4 weeks............................................ 2,211 2,242 1,170 1,178 1,041 1,064
5 to 10 weeks........................................... 2,273 2,349 1,238 1,362 1,035 987
11 to 14 weeks.......................................... 2,063 2,174 1,276 1,242 787 933
15 to 26 weeks.......................................... 4,942 4,709 2,936 2,714 2,007 1,995
27 weeks or more........................................ 5,619 4,972 3,159 2,692 2,459 2,280
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers........ 19.8 18.4 19.9 18.1 19.8 18.8
With 2 spells or more of unemployment............... 3,524 3,761 2,448 2,326 1,076 1,435
2 spells.......................................... 1,745 1,730 1,121 1,002 624 727
3 spells or more.................................. 1,779 2,031 1,327 1,324 451 707
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................................................. 22.4 26.4 20.4 21.5 24.6 31.7
15 weeks or more.............................................. 77.6 73.6 79.6 78.5 75.4 68.3
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...... 2.4 2.7 2.7 3.3 2.0 2.1
Part-year workers (2) with unemployment....................... 97.6 97.3 97.3 96.7 98.0 97.9
1 to 4 weeks................................................ 12.6 13.3 11.6 12.4 13.9 14.3
5 to 10 weeks............................................... 13.0 13.9 12.3 14.3 13.8 13.3
11 to 14 weeks.............................................. 11.8 12.9 12.7 13.1 10.5 12.6
15 to 26 weeks.............................................. 28.2 27.8 29.2 28.6 26.8 26.9
27 weeks or more............................................ 32.1 29.4 31.4 28.3 32.9 30.8
With 2 spells or more of unemployment............. 20.1 22.2 24.4 24.5 14.4 19.4
2 spells........................................ 10.0 10.2 11.2 10.6 8.4 9.8
3 spells or more................................ 10.1 12.0 13.2 13.9 6.0 9.5
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, 2011-12
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012
WHITE
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 127,809 128,903 68,304 69,027 59,505 59,876
Percent with unemployment................................... 13.7 12.8 14.7 13.6 12.5 11.9
Total with unemployment..................................... 17,479 16,534 10,026 9,388 7,453 7,146
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 4,092 3,698 2,124 1,947 1,968 1,751
Worked during the year.................................... 13,387 12,836 7,902 7,442 5,485 5,395
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 18.8 17.6 19.0 17.4 18.4 18.0
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 2.6 2.9 3.0 3.5 2.1 2.2
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 97.4 97.1 97.0 96.5 97.9 97.8
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 13.6 13.9 12.3 12.7 15.5 15.6
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 25.7 27.5 25.8 28.4 25.5 26.3
15 weeks or more...................................... 58.1 55.6 58.9 55.4 56.9 55.9
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 20.4 23.2 24.5 25.5 14.6 20.0
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 18,822 19,095 8,685 8,851 10,137 10,244
Percent with unemployment................................... 22.2 20.6 24.5 21.9 20.3 19.5
Total with unemployment..................................... 4,180 3,936 2,124 1,936 2,056 2,000
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 1,491 1,225 753 598 737 627
Worked during the year.................................... 2,689 2,712 1,371 1,338 1,319 1,374
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 23.9 21.6 23.6 21.6 24.1 21.6
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 1.7 2.0 1.7 1.9 1.8 2.1
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 98.3 98.0 98.3 98.1 98.2 97.9
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 8.9 9.4 8.8 9.9 9.1 9.0
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 20.6 24.6 21.2 24.3 19.9 24.9
15 weeks or more...................................... 68.7 64.0 68.2 63.9 69.2 64.0
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 17.7 18.8 22.8 19.3 12.4 18.2
ASIAN
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 8,364 8,830 4,347 4,627 4,017 4,203
Percent with unemployment................................... 12.2 10.6 12.0 10.3 12.4 10.9
Total with unemployment..................................... 1,020 933 522 476 498 457
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 316 302 153 156 162 146
Worked during the year.................................... 705 631 369 320 335 311
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 20.5 17.4 20.2 17.5 20.7 17.3
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 0.8 3.0 0.9 4.2 0.6 1.6
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 99.2 97.0 99.1 95.8 99.4 98.4
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 10.6 16.6 12.1 17.9 8.9 15.3
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 27.1 25.3 28.1 22.6 25.9 28.0
15 weeks or more...................................... 61.6 55.2 58.8 55.3 64.6 55.1
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 18.9 19.0 22.0 21.9 15.4 16.0
HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 24,216 24,914 13,683 14,185 10,533 10,729
Percent with unemployment................................... 18.3 17.3 19.2 18.2 17.1 16.0
Total with unemployment..................................... 4,427 4,304 2,630 2,585 1,798 1,720
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 1,093 960 556 512 536 448
Worked during the year.................................... 3,335 3,345 2,073 2,073 1,261 1,272
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 20.0 18.1 19.7 16.9 20.6 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 2.4 3.2 2.9 3.9 1.7 1.9
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 97.6 96.8 97.1 96.1 98.3 98.1
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 11.0 14.0 10.3 12.6 12.3 16.2
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 24.8 26.1 25.2 29.2 24.1 20.9
15 weeks or more...................................... 61.7 56.8 61.6 54.2 61.9 61.0
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 22.5 22.9 25.9 24.5 16.8 20.1
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
