Unemployment rate in May 2004
June 08, 2004
The number of unemployed persons was essentially unchanged at 8.2 million in May, and the unemployment rate held at 5.6 percent. The unemployment rate has been either 5.6 or 5.7 percent in each month since December 2003.
[Chart data—TXT]
Total employment was 138.8 million in May, and the employment-population ratio—the proportion of the population age 16 and over with jobs—remained at 62.2 percent. The civilian labor force participation rate was 65.9 percent for the fourth consecutive month.
The data in this report are from the Current Population Survey. Data in this article are seasonally adjusted. For more information, see "The Employment Situation: May 2004" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-996.
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