U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

 Current Population Survey (CPS) 

 Technical Documentation 

 June 2014 

 

 

How the Government 

Measures Unemployment 

Why does the government collect statistics on the unemployed? 

When workers are unemployed, they, their families, and the country as a whole lose. 

Workers and their families lose wages, and the country loses the goods or services that 

could have been produced. In addition, the purchasing power of these workers is lost, 

which can lead to unemployment for yet other workers. 

Addressing the issue of unemployment requires information about the extent and nature 

of the problem. How many people are unemployed? How did they become unemployed? 

How long have they been unemployed? Are their numbers growing or declining? Are 

they men or women? Are they young or old? Are they White, or Black, or Asian, or of 

Hispanic ethnicity? How much education do they have? Are they concentrated in one 

area of the country more than another? These statistics—together with other economic 

data—can be used by policymakers to determine whether measures should be taken to 

influence the future course of the economy or to aid those affected by joblessness. 

Where do the statistics come from? 

Early each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor 

announces the total number of employed and unemployed people in the United States for 

the previous month, along with many characteristics about them. These figures, 

particularly the unemployment rate—which tells you the percentage of the labor force 

that is unemployed—receive wide coverage in the media. 

Some people think that to get these figures on unemployment, the government uses the 

number of people collecting unemployment insurance (UI) benefits under state or federal 

government programs. But some people are still jobless when their benefits run out, and 
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many more are not eligible at all or delay or never apply for benefits. So, quite clearly, UI 

information cannot be used as a source for complete information on the number of 

unemployed. 

Other people think that the government counts every unemployed person each month. To 

do this, every home in the country would have to be contacted—just as in the population 

census every 10 years. This procedure would cost way too much and take far too long to 

produce the data. In addition, people would soon grow tired of having a census taker 

contact them every month, year after year, to ask about job-related activities. 

Because unemployment insurance records relate only to people who have applied for 

such benefits, and since it is impractical to count every unemployed person each month, 

the government conducts a monthly survey called the Current Population Survey (CPS) 

to measure the extent of unemployment in the country. The CPS has been conducted in 

the United States every month since 1940, when it began as a Work Projects 

Administration program. In 1942, the U.S. Census Bureau took over responsibility for the 

CPS. The survey has been expanded and modified several times since then. In 1994, for 

instance, the CPS underwent a major redesign in order to computerize the interview 

process as well as to obtain more comprehensive and relevant information. 

There are about 60,000 eligible households in the sample for this survey. This translates 

into approximately 110,000 individuals each month, a large sample compared to public 

opinion surveys, which usually cover fewer than 2,000 people. The CPS sample is 

selected so as to be representative of the entire population of the United States. In order 

to select the sample, all of the counties and independent cities in the country first are 

grouped into approximately 2,000 geographic areas (sampling units). The Census Bureau 

then designs and selects a sample of about 800 of these geographic areas to represent 

each state and the District of Columbia. The sample is a state-based design and reflects 

urban and rural areas, different types of industrial and farming areas, and the major 

geographic divisions of each state. (For a detailed explanation of CPS sampling 

methodology, see Chapter 1 of the BLS Handbook of Methods.) 

Every month, one-fourth of the households in the sample are changed, so that no 

household is interviewed for more than 4 consecutive months. After a household is 

interviewed for 4 consecutive months, it leaves the sample for 8 months, and then is 

again interviewed for the same 4 calendar months a year later, before leaving the sample 

for good. As a result, approximately 75 percent of the sample remains the same from 

month to month and 50 percent remains the same from year to year. This procedure 

strengthens the reliability of estimates of month-to-month and year-to-year change in the 

data. 

Each month, highly trained and experienced Census Bureau employees contact the 

60,000 eligible sample households and ask about the labor force activities (jobholding 

and job seeking) or non-labor force status of the members of these households during the 

survey reference week (usually the week that includes the 12th of the month). These are 

live interviews conducted either in person or over the phone. During the first interview of 

a household, the Census Bureau interviewer prepares a roster of the household members, 
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including key personal characteristics such as age, sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, marital 

status, educational attainment, veteran status, and so on. The information is collected 

using a computerized questionnaire. 

Each person is classified according to their activities during the reference week. Then, the 

survey responses are "weighted," or adjusted to independent population estimates from 

the Census Bureau. The weighting takes into account the age, sex, race, Hispanic 

ethnicity, and state of residence of the person, so that these characteristics are reflected in 

the proper proportions in the final estimates. 

A sample is not a total count, and the survey may not produce the same results that would 

be obtained from interviewing the entire population. But the chances are 90 out of 100 

that the monthly estimate of unemployment from the sample is within about 300,000 of 

the figure obtainable from a total census. Relative to total unemployment—which ranged 

between about 7 and 15 million over the past decade—the possible error resulting from 

sampling is not large enough to distort the total unemployment picture. 

Because these interviews are the basic source of data for total unemployment, 

information must be correct and consistent. Survey respondents are never asked 

specifically if they are unemployed, nor are they given an opportunity to decide their own 

labor force status. Their status will be determined based on how they respond to a 

specific set of questions about their recent activities. 

Similarly, interviewers do not decide the respondents' labor force classification. They 

simply ask the questions in the prescribed way and record the answers. Based on 

information collected in the survey and definitions programmed into the computer, 

individuals are then classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force. 

All interviews must follow the same procedures to obtain comparable results. Because of 

the crucial role interviewers have in the household survey, a considerable amount of time 

and effort is spent maintaining the quality of their work. Interviewers are given intensive 

training, including classroom lectures, discussion, practice, observation, home-study 

materials, and on-the-job training. At least once a year, they attend day-long training and 

review sessions. Also, at least once a year, they are accompanied by a supervisor during a 

full day of interviewing to determine how well they carry out their assignments. 

 

What are the basic concepts of employment and unemployment? 

The basic concepts involved in identifying the employed and unemployed are quite 

simple: 

 People with jobs are employed. 

 People who are jobless, looking for a job, and available for work are unemployed. 

 The labor force is made up of the employed and the unemployed. 
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 People who are neither employed nor unemployed are not in the labor force. 

The survey excludes people living in institutions (for example, a correctional institution 

or a residential nursing or mental health care facility) and those on active duty in the 

Armed Forces. The survey is designed so that each person age 16 and over (there is no 

upper age limit) is counted and classified in only one group. The sum of the employed 

and the unemployed constitutes the civilian labor force. People not in the labor force 

combined with those in the civilian labor force constitute the civilian noninstitutional 

population 16 years and over. Under these concepts, most people are quite easily 

classified. For example, consider these fictional scenarios: 

1. Elena reported to the interviewer that last week she worked 40 hours as a sales 

manager for a beverage company. Elena is employed. 

2. Steve lost his job when the local plant of an aircraft manufacturing company 

closed down. Since then, he has been contacting other businesses in town trying 

to find a job. Steve is unemployed. 

3. Linda is a stay-at-home mother. Last week, she was occupied with her normal 

household activities. She neither held a job nor looked for a job. Her 80-year-old 

father who lives with her has not worked or looked for work because of a 

disability. Linda and her father are not in the labor force. 

Who is counted as employed? 

People are considered employed if they did any work at all for pay or profit during the 

survey reference week. This includes all part-time and temporary work, as well as regular 

full-time, year-round employment. Individuals also are counted as employed if they have 

a job at which they did not work during the survey week, whether they were paid or not, 

because they were: 

 On vacation 

 Ill 

 Experiencing child care problems 

 On maternity or paternity leave 

 Taking care of some other family or personal obligation 

 Involved in a labor dispute 

 Prevented from working by bad weather 

These people are counted among the employed and tabulated separately as with a job but 

not at work, because they have a specific job to which they will return. 

Not all of the wide range of job situations in the American economy fit neatly into a 

given category, however. What about the two following cases? 
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Garrett is 16 years old, and he has no job from which he receives any pay or profit. 

However, Garrett does help with the regular chores around his parents' farm and 

spends about 20 hours each week doing so. 

Lisa spends most of her time taking care of her home and children, but she helps in 

her husband's computer software business all day Friday and Saturday. 

Both Garrett and Lisa are considered employed. They fall into a group called unpaid 

family workers, which includes any person who worked without pay for 15 hours or more 

per week in a business or farm operated by a family member with whom they live. 

Unpaid family workers comprise a small proportion of total employment. Most of the 

employed are either wage and salary workers (paid employees) or self-employed 

(working in their own business, profession, or farm). 

In addition to estimating the number of employed people, the survey collects information 

about the job characteristics of the employed. For example, the survey gathers and 

provides data about workers' industry and occupation, hours worked, usual earnings, and 

union membership. 

Who is counted as unemployed? 

People are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for 

work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work. Actively looking for 

work may consist of any of the following activities: 

 Contacting: 

o An employer directly or having a job interview 

o A public or private employment agency 

o Friends or relatives 

o A school or university employment center 

 Submitting resumes or filling out applications 

 Placing or answering job advertisements 

 Checking union or professional registers 

 Some other means of active job search 

Passive methods of job search do not have the potential to connect job seekers with 

potential employers and therefore do not qualify as active job search methods. Examples 

of passive methods include attending a job training program or course, or merely reading 

about job openings that are posted in newspapers or on the Internet. 

Workers expecting to be recalled from temporary layoff are counted as unemployed 

whether or not they have engaged in a specific job seeking activity. In all other cases, the 

individual must have been engaged in at least one active job search activity in the 4 

weeks preceding the interview and be available for work (except for temporary illness). 
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The questions used in the interviews are carefully designed to obtain the most accurate 

picture of each person's labor force activities. Some of the major questions that determine 

employment status are as follows (the bolded words are emphasized when read by the 

interviewers). 

1. Does anyone in this household have a business or farm? 

2. Last week, did you do any work for (either) pay (or profit)? 

If the answer to question 1 is "yes" and the answer to question 2 is "no," the next 

question is: 

3. Last week, did you do any unpaid work in the family business or farm? 

For those who reply "no" to both questions 2 and 3, the next key questions used to 

determine employment status are: 

4. Last week, (in addition to the business) did you have a job, either full or part 

time? Include any job from which you were temporarily absent. 

5. Last week, were you on layoff from a job? 

6. What was the main reason you were absent from work last week? 

For those who respond "yes" to question 5 about being on layoff, the following 

questions are asked: 

7. Has your employer given you a date to return to work? 

If "no," the next question is: 

8. Have you been given any indication that you will be recalled to work within the 

next 6 months? 

If the responses to either question 7 or 8 indicate that the person expects to be 

recalled from layoff, he or she is counted as unemployed. For those who were 

reported as having no job or business from which they were absent or on layoff, the 

next question is: 

9. Have you been doing anything to find work during the last 4 weeks? 

For those who say "yes," the next question is: 

10. What are all of the things you have done to find work during the last 4 weeks? 

If an active method of looking for work, such as those listed at the beginning of this 

section, is mentioned, the following question is asked: 

11. Last week, could you have started a job if one had been offered? 

If there is no reason, except temporary illness, that the person could not take a job, he 

or she is considered to be not only looking but also available for work and is counted 

as unemployed. 
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Some fictional examples of typical responses that may result in a person being classified 

as unemployed are: 

1. Yvonne reported that 2 weeks ago she applied for jobs at a bank and at a 

mortgage lending company. She currently is waiting to hear back from both 

businesses. Yvonne is unemployed because she made a specific effort to find a job 

within the prior 4 weeks and is presently available for work. 

2. Ms. Jenkins tells the interviewer that her teenage daughter, Katherine Marie, was 

thinking about looking for work in the prior 4 weeks but knows of no specific efforts 

she has made. Katherine Marie does not meet the activity test for unemployment and 

is, therefore, counted as not in the labor force. 

3. John has been checking for openings at a local warehouse store for each of the 

past 3 weeks, but last week he had the flu and was unavailable for work because of 

it. John is counted as unemployed because he took steps to look for work and would 

have been available for work during the survey reference week, except for his 

temporary illness. 

4. Marcus was laid off from the local plant of a major automaker when the firm 

began retooling to produce a new model car. Marcus knows he will be called back to 

work as soon as the model changeover is completed, and he also knows it is unlikely 

that he would be able to find a job for the period he is laid off; so, although he is 

available to work, he is not seeking a job. Marcus is unemployed because he is 

waiting to be recalled from layoff. 

5. Julia told the interviewer that she has submitted applications with three 

companies for summer jobs. However, it is only April and she doesn't wish to start 

work until at least June 15, because she is attending school. Although she has taken 

specific steps to find a job, Julia is classified as not in the labor force because she is 

not currently available for work. (She could not have started a job if one had been 

offered.) Students are treated the same as other persons; that is, they are classified as 

employed or unemployed if they meet the criteria, whether they are in school on a 

full- or part-time basis. 

The total unemployment figures cover more than the number of people who have lost 

jobs. They include people who have quit their jobs to look for other employment, workers 

whose temporary jobs have ended, individuals looking for their first job, and experienced 

workers looking for jobs after an absence from the labor force (for example, stay-at-home 

parents who return to the labor force after their children have entered school). 

Information also is collected for the unemployed on the industry and occupation of the 

last job they held (if applicable), how long they have been looking for work, their reason 

for being jobless (for example, did they lose or quit their job), and their job search 

methods. 
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Who is not in the labor force? 

As mentioned previously, the labor force is made up of the employed and the 

unemployed. The remainder—those who have no job and are not looking for one—are 

counted as not in the labor force. Many who are not in the labor force are going to school 

or are retired. Family responsibilities keep others out of the labor force. Since the mid1990s, typically fewer than 1 in 10 people not in the labor force reported that they want a 

job. 

A series of questions is asked each month of persons not in the labor force to obtain 

information about their desire for work, the reasons why they had not looked for work in 

the last 4 weeks, their prior job search, and their availability for work. These questions 

include the following (the bolded words are emphasized when read by the interviewers). 

1. Do you currently want a job, either full or part time? 

2. What is the main reason you were not looking for work during the last 4 weeks? 

3. Did you look for work at any time during the last 12 months? 

4. Last week, could you have started a job if one had been offered? 

These questions form the basis for estimating the number of people who are not in the 

labor force but who are considered to be marginally attached to the labor force. These 

are individuals without jobs who are not currently looking for work (and therefore are not 

counted as unemployed), but who nevertheless have demonstrated some degree of labor 

force attachment. Specifically, to be counted as marginally attached to the labor force, 

they must indicate that they currently want a job, have looked for work in the last 12 

months (or since they last worked if they worked within the last 12 months), and are 

available for work. Discouraged workers are a subset of the marginally attached. 

Discouraged workers report they are not currently looking for work for one of the 

following types of reasons: 

 They believe no job is available to them in their line of work or area. 

 They had previously been unable to find work. 

 They lack the necessary schooling, training, skills, or experience. 

 Employers think they are too young or too old, or 

 They face some other type of discrimination. 

What about cases of overlap? 

When the population is classified according to who is employed, unemployed, and not in 

the labor force on the basis of their activities during a given calendar week, situations are 

often encountered where individuals have engaged in more than one activity. Since 

individuals are counted only once, a system of priorities is used to determine their status. 
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Labor force activities take precedence over non-labor force activities, and working or 

having a job takes precedence over looking for work. Some hypothetical examples are: 

1. James and Elyse are high school students. James works after school at a fast food 

restaurant, and Elyse is seeking a part-time job at the same establishment (also after 

school). James' job takes precedence over his non-labor force activity of going to 

school, as does Elyse's search for work; therefore, James is counted as employed and 

Elyse is counted as unemployed. 

2. Last week, Megan, who was working for a comic book store, went to a home 

electronics store on her lunch hour to be interviewed for a higher paying job. 

Megan's interview constitutes looking for work, but her work takes priority, and she 

is counted as employed. (Indeed, because the questionnaire does not ask about job 

search by the employed, information about Megan's search for work is not even 

obtained.) 

3. Mike has a job at a fabricated metal manufacturer, but he didn't go to work last 

week because of a strike at the plant. Last Thursday, he went to a machinery 

manufacturing company to see about getting a temporary job until the strike ends. 

Mike was with a job but not at work due to a labor dispute, which takes priority over 

looking for work; therefore, he is counted as employed. (Again, information would 

not be obtained on Mike's job search effort.) 

4. Avery lost her full-time job at a book store on Wednesday of the survey reference 

week. She submitted several applications with other local retailers on Thursday and 

Friday but had not obtained a new job by the end of the week. Avery is counted as 

employed, since she did work for 3 days in the reference week, even though she was 

unemployed for part of the week. (Once again, information would not be obtained on 

her search for work, though Avery would be identified as working part time for 

economic reasons also called "involuntary part time," by virtue of having her 

workweek reduced to part time—defined as less than 35 hours per week—by her 

dismissal from her previous job.) 

To summarize, the employed are: 

 All those who did any work for pay or profit during the survey reference week. 

 All those who did at least 15 hours of unpaid work in a business or farm operated 

by a family member with whom they live. 

 All those who were temporarily absent from their regular jobs because of illness, 

vacation, bad weather, labor dispute, or various personal reasons, whether or not 

they were paid for the time off. 
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The unemployed are: 

 All those who did not have a job at all during the survey reference week, made at 

least one specific active effort to find a job during the prior 4 weeks, and were 

available for work (unless temporarily ill). 

 All those who were not working and were waiting to be called back to a job from 

which they had been laid off. (They need not be looking for work to be classified as 

unemployed.) 

Because of the wide variety of employment arrangements and job seeking methods found 

in the U.S. labor market, the definitions of employment and unemployment must be 

specific and objective to ensure uniformity of reporting at any given time and over any 

period of time. When all of the details are considered, the definitions may seem rather 

complicated. The basic concepts, however, remain little changed since the inception of 

the CPS in 1940: People with jobs are employed, people who do not have jobs and are 

looking for jobs are unemployed, and people who meet neither labor market test are not in 

the labor force. 

Other important labor market statistics are developed using the basic survey estimates of 

people employed, unemployed, and not in the labor force. These statistics include: 

 The number of people in the labor force. This measure is the sum of the 

employed and the unemployed. In other words, the labor force level is the number 

of people who are either working or actively seeking work. 

 The national unemployment rate. Perhaps the most widely known labor market 

indicator, this statistic reflects the number of unemployed people as a percentage 

of the labor force. 

 The labor force participation rate. This measure is the number of people in the 

labor force as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years old 

and over. In other words, it is the percentage of the population that is either 

working or actively seeking work. 

 The employment-population ratio. This measure is the number of employed as a 

percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years old and over. In 

other words, it is the percentage of the population that is currently working. 

Where can people find the data? 

Each month, national summary statistics on unemployment and employment are 

published in a news release titled The Employment Situation. The dates of release are 

announced in advance and made available on the BLS release calendar. 
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Detailed information also is published in tables online, and in numerous news releases 

and reports. Historical data series can be obtained from various database tools. 

For a comprehensive subject list of CPS data published by BLS, and access to the data, 

see the CPS A to Z Index. 

How are seasonal fluctuations taken into account? 

Total employment and unemployment are higher in some parts of the year than in others. 

For example, unemployment is higher in January and February, when it is cold in many 

parts of the country and work in agriculture, construction, and other seasonal industries is 

curtailed. Also, both employment and unemployment rise every June, when students 

enter the labor force in search of summer jobs. 

The seasonal fluctuations in the number of employed and unemployed people reflect not 

only the normal seasonal weather patterns that tend to be repeated year after year, but 

also the hiring (and layoff) patterns that accompany regular events such as the winter 

holiday season and the summer vacation season. These variations make it difficult to tell 

whether month-to-month changes in employment and unemployment are due to normal 

seasonal patterns or to changing economic conditions. To deal with such problems, a 

statistical technique called seasonal adjustment is used. This technique uses the past 

history of the series to identify the seasonal movements and to calculate the size and 

direction of these movements. A statistical procedure is then applied to the estimates to 

remove the effects of regular seasonal fluctuations on the data. Seasonal adjustment 

eliminates the influence of these fluctuations and makes it easier for users to observe 

fundamental changes in the level of the series, particularly changes associated with 

general economic expansions and contractions. Many of the monthly time series for 

major labor market indicators, especially those in the monthly Employment Situation

report, are seasonally adjusted. More information about seasonal adjustment of CPS data 

is available in the CPS technical documentation. 

Is there only one official definition of unemployment? 

There is only one official definition of unemployment—people who are jobless, actively 

seeking work, and available to take a job, as discussed above. The official unemployment 

rate for the nation is the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labor force (the 

sum of the employed and unemployed). 

Some have argued, however, that these unemployment measures are too restricted, and 

that they do not adequately capture the breadth of labor market problems. For this reason, 

economists at BLS developed a set of alternative measures of labor underutilization. 

These measures, expressed as percentages, are published every month in The 

Employment Situation news release. They range from a very limited measure that 
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includes only those who have been unemployed for 15 weeks or more to a very broad one 

that includes total unemployed, all people marginally attached to the labor force, and all 

individuals employed part time for economic reasons. More information about the 

alternative measures is available on the BLS website. 

What other information is collected in the CPS? 

The CPS also is used to obtain detailed information on particular segments of the 

population and labor force. Generally, these "supplemental" inquiries are repeated 

annually or biennially in the same month and include topics such as annual earnings, 

income, and poverty of individuals and families (published by the Census Bureau); the 

extent of work experience of the population during the prior calendar year; the 

employment of school-age youth, recent high school graduates, and dropouts; job tenure; 

displaced workers; and veterans with a service-connected disability. Some additional 

supplements that are unrelated to labor force issues, such as those on smoking and voting, 

also are conducted through the CPS, although they are not sponsored by BLS. 

Supplemental questions are asked following the completion of the regular monthly labor 

force questions. 

Results of these special surveys usually are published in news releases and other BLS 

reports. For a comprehensive subject list of CPS data published by BLS, and access to the 

data, see the CPS A to Z Index. 

How is unemployment measured for states and local areas? 

 The Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program publishes monthly estimates 

of employment and unemployment for approximately 7,300 areas, including all states, 

counties, metropolitan areas, and cities of 25,000 population or more, by place of 

residence. These estimates are key indicators of current local economic conditions. BLS 

is responsible for the concepts, definitions, technical procedures, validation, and 

publication of the estimates that state government agencies prepare under agreement with 

BLS. 

Labor force data from the LAUS program follow the same Current Population Survey 

(CPS) concepts and definitions used for the national labor force data. Because the CPS 

survey of 60,000 households nationwide is insufficient for creating reliable monthly 

estimates for statewide and substate areas, LAUS uses three different estimating 

procedures, each being the most appropriate for the level of geography being estimated. 

In general, estimates for the states are developed using statistical models that incorporate 

current and historical data from the CPS, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) 

program, and regular state unemployment insurance (UI) systems. These model-based 

state estimates are also controlled in "real time" to sum to the not seasonally adjusted 

national monthly CPS totals. Model-based estimates are also developed for seven large 

substate areas and their respective balances of state. 
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Estimates for the substate labor market areas are produced through a building-block 

approach known as the "Handbook method." This procedure also uses data from several 

sources, including the CPS, the CES program and the Quarterly Census of Employment 

and Wages (QCEW) program where CES estimates are not available, state UI systems, 

and the decennial census, to create estimates that are adjusted to the statewide measures 

of employment and unemployment. Below the labor market area level, estimates are 

created for counties, cities, and towns above 25,000 population using disaggregation 

techniques based on inputs from the decennial census, annual population estimates, and 

current UI data. 

Unlike the LAUS state and substate labor force estimates, which have multiple sources of 

inputs and are available on a monthly basis, the demographic labor force data from the 

Geographical Profile of Employment and Unemployment (GP) bulletins, also published 

by LAUS, are derived solely from the CPS and are issued annually. These demographic 

data are available for the Census regions/divisions, all 50 states and the District of 

Columbia, and certain large metropolitan areas and cities. 

Where can people get more information? 

National CPS data can be found on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cps. For national labor 

force statistics from the CPS or inquiries regarding the concepts and definitions described 

in this report, contact the CPS staff at BLS. 

State, city, county, and other local area employment and unemployment data are 

available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/lau. Contact the Local Area Unemployment 

Statistics staff at BLS with questions about these data. 

What do the unemployment insurance (UI) figures measure? 

Unemployment insurance (UI) programs are administered at the state level and provide 

assistance to jobless people who are looking for work. Statistics on the insured 

unemployed in the United States are collected as a by-product of state UI programs. 

Workers who lose their jobs may file applications to determine if they are eligible for UI 

assistance. These applications are referred to as "initial claims." Claimants who meet the 

eligibility requirements must file "continuing claims" for each week that they seek 

benefits. 

Data on initial and continuing UI claims are maintained by the Employment and Training 

Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor, and are available on the 

Internet at http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims.asp. 

While the UI claims data provide useful information, they are not used to measure total 

unemployment because they exclude several important groups. To begin with, not all 
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workers are covered by UI programs. For example, self-employed workers, unpaid family 

workers, workers in certain not-for-profit organizations, and several other small 

(primarily seasonal) worker categories are not covered. 

In addition, the insured unemployed exclude the following: 

1. Unemployed workers who have exhausted their benefits. 

2. Unemployed workers who have not yet earned benefit rights (such as new 

entrants or reentrants to the labor force). 

3. Disqualified workers whose unemployment is considered to have resulted from 

their own actions rather than from economic conditions; for example, a worker fired 

for misconduct on the job. 

4. Otherwise eligible unemployed persons who do not file for benefits. 

Because of these and other limitations, statistics on insured unemployment cannot be 

used as a measure of total unemployment in the United States. Indeed, over the past 

decade, only about one-third of the total unemployed, on average, received regular UI 

benefits. 

UI claims data are widely used as an indicator of labor market conditions. Data users 

must be cautious, however, about trying to compare or reconcile the UI claims data with 

the official unemployment figures gathered through the CPS. Even if one sets aside the 

major definitional limitations outlined above, there are comparability issues related to the 

distinct reference periods, methodologies, and reporting practices of the two data 

sources. More importantly, though, the weekly UI claims data reflect only people who 

became unemployed and do not take into account the number of unemployed people who 

found jobs or stopped looking for work. The official unemployment figures from the 

CPS, on the other hand, represent the net result of overall movement into and out of 

unemployment in a given month. Changes in CPS estimates of total unemployment for 

any given month will tend to be far smaller than the sum total of weekly UI initial 

claimants over a month-long span.