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Number of unemployed at 5.7 million in January 2023

February 07, 2023

The total number of unemployed people was essentially unchanged at 5.7 million in January 2023. In January, the number of unemployed people on temporary layoff was at 734,000, the lowest since January 2020.

Reasons for unemployment, January 2022–January 2023

Reasons for unemployment, January 2022–January 2023
Month Total unemployed On temporary layoff Not on temporary layoff Job leavers Reentrants New entrants
Level Level Percentage Level Percentage Level Percentage Level Percentage Level Percentage

Jan 2022

6,511,000 952,000 14.4% 2,265,000 34.3% 953,000 14.4% 1,995,000 30.2% 438,000 6.6%

Feb 2022

6,272,000 879,000 13.8 2,125,000 33.4 964,000 15.1 1,971,000 30.9 429,000 6.7

Mar 2022

5,972,000 784,000 12.9 2,057,000 33.8 789,000 12.9 1,992,000 32.7 472,000 7.7

Apr 2022

5,968,000 857,000 14.2 1,993,000 33.1 794,000 13.2 1,856,000 30.9 516,000 8.6

May 2022

5,979,000 815,000 13.6 1,916,000 32.1 766,000 12.8 1,944,000 32.6 530,000 8.9

Jun 2022

5,945,000 832,000 14.1 1,802,000 30.5 833,000 14.1 1,979,000 33.5 466,000 7.9

Jul 2022

5,718,000 802,000 14.0 1,814,000 31.6 843,000 14.7 1,822,000 31.7 465,000 8.1

Aug 2022

6,021,000 796,000 13.5 1,898,000 32.3 897,000 15.3 1,833,000 31.2 451,000 7.7

Sep 2022

5,770,000 772,000 13.5 1,758,000 30.7 904,000 15.8 1,834,000 32.0 460,000 8.0

Oct 2022

6,053,000 853,000 14.4 1,842,000 31.1 861,000 14.5 1,873,000 31.6 494,000 8.3

Nov 2022

6,000,000 806,000 13.5 1,956,000 32.9 829,000 13.9 1,798,000 30.2 558,000 9.4

Dec 2022

5,722,000 814,000 14.2 1,815,000 31.7 825,000 14.4 1,767,000 30.9 497,000 8.7

Jan 2023

5,694,000 734,000 12.7 1,795,000 31.2 884,000 15.3 1,817,000 31.5 531,000 9.2

The number of reentrants was at 1.8 million in January, below the recent peak of 2.4 million in August 2021. In January 2023, the number of unemployed people not on temporary layoff was at 1.8 million, while the number of job leavers was at 884,000.

In January 2023, reentrants and unemployed people not on temporary layoff each made up nearly one-third of total unemployment, at 31.5 percent and 31.2 percent, respectively. Job leavers made up 15.3 percent, while new entrants made up 9.2 percent of unemployed people.

These data are from the Current Population Survey and are seasonally adjusted. Detail for the data shown by reason for unemployment will not necessarily add to total unemployed because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. For more information, see “The Employment Situation — January 2023.” We also have more charts on employment and unemployment.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Number of unemployed at 5.7 million in January 2023 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/number-of-unemployed-at-5-7-million-in-january-2023.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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