For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, March 29, 2023 USDL-23-0586
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
CHARACTERISTICS OF UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE APPLICANTS
AND BENEFIT RECIPIENTS -- 2022
In 2022, about one-quarter of the unemployed (26 percent) who worked in the past 12 months
had applied for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. Of the unemployed who had not applied for benefits, more than one-half
(55 percent) did not apply because they did not believe they were eligible to receive UI
benefits.
Only people who have previously worked are eligible for UI benefits, and they generally
must apply shortly after separating from their last job. Therefore, estimates presented
in this news release are restricted to people who had worked at some point in the 12 months
prior to the survey. In 2022, about two-thirds of the unemployed had worked in the last
12 months. Other unemployed people, including those who entered the labor force for the
first time and those who last worked more than a year ago, are excluded from these data.
This information was obtained in a supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), a
monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households that provides data on employment and
unemployment in the United States. This supplement, which was conducted in February and
May 2022, was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office. Estimates
in this news release--referred to as 2022 estimates--are averages of data collected in
both months. The official measure of unemployment from the CPS is based on job search
activity and current availability for employment, rather than on the application for or
receipt of UI benefits. A more detailed description of the concepts and definitions used
in the supplement is included in the Technical Note in this news release.
Highlights from the 2022 data:
--The majority--about 7 in 10--of unemployed people who worked in the past 12 months
had not applied for UI benefits since their last job. (See tables 1 and 3.)
--Unemployed people covered by a union contract on their last job were more than twice
as likely to have applied for UI benefits as those who were not covered: 57 percent
versus 24 percent. (See table 2.)
--Among unemployed people who had not applied for UI benefits, 55 percent did not apply
because they thought they were ineligible to receive benefits. About 17 percent of
the unemployed did not apply because they expected to start working soon. Another
10 percent cited attitudes about or barriers to applying, such as they did not need
the money, had a negative attitude about UI, did not know about UI, or had problems
with the application process. (See table 3.)
--Fifty-five percent of unemployed people who had applied for UI benefits since their
last job received benefits. (See table 1.)
Unemployment Insurance Applicants
In 2022, 26 percent of the unemployed who worked in the past 12 months had applied for UI
benefits after separating from their last job. (See table 1.)
The likelihood of applying for UI benefits varied by reason for unemployment. Among job
losers and people who completed temporary jobs, 37 percent had applied for UI benefits since
their last job. The figure was lower for people with other reasons for unemployment: 11 percent
for job leavers and 10 percent for reentrants to the labor force who worked in the last year.
(Job leavers are unemployed people who left their jobs voluntarily, and reentrants are unemployed
people who have past work experience but were not in the labor force before beginning their
current job search.)
People with longer durations of unemployment were more likely to apply for UI benefits than
were people with shorter durations of joblessness. For example, 37 percent of people looking
for work for 15 to 26 weeks and 36 percent of those looking for 27 weeks and over had applied
for UI benefits, higher than the share for those unemployed for less than 5 weeks (19 percent).
The share of unemployed men who applied for UI benefits was little different from the share
of unemployed women who applied: 27 percent and 24 percent, respectively. There was also
little difference in the likelihood of applying for benefits by race or Hispanic ethnicity.
The likelihood of applying for UI benefits increased with age. About 8 percent of unemployed
people ages 16 to 24 had applied since their last job, compared with 31 percent of those ages
25 to 54 and 35 percent of those 55 years and over.
Among unemployed people age 25 and over, 36 percent of unemployed people who were high school
graduates (no college) applied for UI benefits, little different from the percentage for people
with some college or an associate degree (38 percent). This was higher than the share of people
with a bachelor's degree and higher (23 percent).
Among major occupational groups, people last employed in natural resources, construction,
and maintenance occupations were more likely to have applied for UI benefits (37 percent)
than people last employed in management, professional, and related occupations (25 percent),
in service occupations (22 percent), and in production, transportation, and material moving
occupations (19 percent). (See table 2.)
Among industries, unemployed people who last worked in education and health (17 percent),
leisure and hospitality (19 percent), other services (21 percent), and in wholesale and
retail trade (22 percent) were the least likely to have applied for UI benefits. This compared
with 38 percent for those who last worked in construction and 39 percent for those who last
worked in manufacturing.
Unemployed people who were covered by a union contract on their last job were more than
twice as likely to have applied for UI benefits, 57 percent compared with 24 percent of
those who were not covered.
Reason for Not Applying for Unemployment Insurance Benefits
In 2022, the majority--about 7 in 10--of unemployed people who worked in the past 12 months
had not applied for UI benefits since their last job. Of these unemployed people, 55 percent
did not apply because they believed they were ineligible. Eligibility issues include: their
work was not covered by UI, they quit their job, were terminated for misconduct, had
insufficient past work, or had previously exhausted their benefits. (See tables 1 and 3.)
Approximately 1 out of 10 unemployed people who had not applied for UI benefits had not done
so because of attitudes about or barriers to applying--for example, they did not need the
money or want the hassle, had a negative attitude about UI, did not know about UI or did
not know how to apply, or had problems with the application process.
About 17 percent of unemployed people had not applied for UI benefits because they expected
to start work soon. Other reasons for not applying for UI benefits include personal reasons
or planned to file for benefits soon.
About 4 percent of unemployed people who had not applied for UI benefits did not provide a
reason for not applying.
Unemployment Insurance Benefit Recipients
In 2022, 55 percent of unemployed people who had applied for UI benefits after separating
from their last job received benefits. (See table 1.)
Among unemployed applicants, 59 percent of job losers and people who completed temporary
jobs received benefits. This was higher than the figures of 35 percent for job leavers and
34 percent for reentrants to the labor force who received UI benefits.
Applicants who were unemployed less than 5 weeks were less likely to receive benefits (42
percent) than were those with longer durations of joblessness. For example, 72 percent of
applicants unemployed for 27 weeks and over had received benefits.
The shares of men and women who received UI benefits were little different (58 percent and
51 percent, respectively). There was also little difference in the likelihood of receiving
benefits by race or Hispanic ethnicity.
Applicants who were covered by a union contract in their last job were more likely to have
received UI benefits than those who were not covered. About four-fifths (81 percent) of
applicants who were covered by a union contract had received benefits since separating from
their last job, compared with one-half (50 percent) of applicants who were not covered.
(See table 2.)
People Marginally Attached to the Labor Force
Some individuals may be eligible for UI benefits even though they were not classified as
unemployed in the survey. In 2022, 14 percent of people marginally attached to the labor
force had applied for UI benefits since separating from their last job. (These estimates
are restricted to people who had worked in the past 12 months.) (See table 4.)
People marginally attached to the labor force are those who are neither employed nor
unemployed, who want a job, have searched for work during the prior 12 months (but not in
the last 4 weeks), and were available to take a job. If they had looked for work in the
last 4 weeks, they would be counted as unemployed.
More than one-half (56 percent) of people marginally attached to the labor force had not
applied for UI benefits since separating from their last job because they believed they
were ineligible to receive benefits. Another 10 percent had not applied due to attitudes
about or barriers to applying for UI benefits, and 28 percent had not applied for UI
benefits for other reasons. Six percent of people marginally attached to the labor force
who had not applied for UI benefits did not provide a reason for not applying. (See table 5.)
United States Department of Labor
