1

Technical information: (202) 691-6378

http://www.bls.gov/cps/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 03-911

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Friday, December 19, 2003

WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION IN 2002

A total of 150.8 million persons worked at some point during 2002, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of

the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The number of persons who experienced some unemployment during the year rose to 16.8 million in 2002, 968,000 higher than the year before.

These data are based on information collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the

Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for

the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additional information about the CPS and the annual supplement, including

concepts and definitions, is provided in the Technical Note. Highlights from the 2002 data include:

• The proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years old and over that worked at

 some time during the year was 68.4 percent in 2002, down from 69.3 percent the year before.

• The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round (66.3 percent) was unchanged from

 the prior year. Although this proportion was lower than it had been in 2000 when it peaked at

 66.7 percent, it is still high by historical standards.

• The “work-experience unemployment rate”—defined as the number unemployed at some time

 during the year as a proportion of the number who worked or looked for work during the

 year—rose by 0.6 percentage point to 11.0 percent.

Persons with Employment

In 2002, the proportion of the civilian noninstituional population 16 years old and over that worked at

some point during the year was 68.4 percent, 0.9 percentage point below its 2001 level. (See table 1.)

In contrast, from 1986 through 2001, the proportion with work experience had remained at or above

69.0 percent, peaking at 70.6 percent in 1999.

Among those with work experience during 2002, 76.0 percent were employed year round (either full

or part time), essentially the same as in 2001. Continuing a long-term growth trend, full-year employment

among women increased to 73.0 percent from 72.3 percent in 2001.

As in the prior year, about 4 out of 5 of those who were employed at some time during 2002 worked

full time. The proportions of men or women who worked full time were also little changed between 2001

and 2002. (See table 1.)
2

Persons with Unemployment

Overall, 153.4 million persons worked or looked for work at some time in 2002. Of these, 16.8 million

experienced some unemployment during the year, up from 15.8 million in 2001. Men accounted for about

70 percent of the over-the-year increase.

At 11.0 percent in 2002, the “work-experience unemployment rate” was the highest it has been since

1996, when it was 11.7 percent. The rate for blacks in 2002, 14.9 percent, was higher than the rates for

Hispanics (12.8 percent), Asians (10.8 percent), or whites (10.3 percent). (See tables 3 and 4.)

The “work-experience unemployment rate” for black men (16.3 percent) was somewhat higher than

that for black women (13.7 percent), as was the rate for white men (11.2 percent) versus white women

(9.1 percent). In contrast, among Hispanics and Asians, there was little difference in the rates for men and

women in 2002. (See table 4.)

The median number of weeks spent looking for work for those who experienced unemployment in 2002

was 15.5, up from 13.7 weeks the year before. Some 2.7 million individuals who had looked for a job did

not work at all in 2002, up from 2.0 million a year earlier. Of the 14.1 million persons who worked during

the year and also experienced unemployment, 22.8 percent had two or more spells of joblessness, down

from 24.7 percent in 2001.
Technical Note

The data presented in this release were collected in the

Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current

Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample survey

conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor

Statistics. Data from the CPS are used to obtain the monthly

estimates of the nation’s employment and unemployment

levels. The supplement, conducted in the months of February

through April, includes questions about work activity during

the prior calendar year. For instance, data collected in 2003 refer

to the 2002 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 during 2002 was about twice the number

unemployed in an average month during the year.

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 fewer questions by

which to categorize respondents are asked in the supplement.

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 data, whereas, for a specific reference week, each

person is only counted in one category and employment

activity takes precedence over job search activity.

Work experience data for 2002, which were collected in the

2003 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS, are

not strictly comparable with data for 2001 and earlier years

because of the introduction in January 2003 of revised

population controls used in the CPS. The effect of the revised

population controls on the work experience estimates is

unknown. However, the effect of the new controls on the

monthly CPS estimates was to increase the January 2003

employment level by 576,000 and the unemployment level

by 38,000 relative to the December 2002 level. For additional information, see “Revisions to the Current Population Survey Effective in January 2003” in the February 2003 issue

of Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet at

http://www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone:

202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.

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 exact difference, or sampling error, varies

depending on the particular sample selected, and this

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.

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS

and information on estimating standard errors, see the

“Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” section of

Employment and Earnings.

Concepts and definitions

Persons who worked. In the 2003 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 2002?” or “Did you do any temporary, part-time, or

seasonal work even for a few days during 2002?”

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 2002, did you

spend any time trying to find a job or on layoff?”

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.

 Employed Unemployed 2002 estimates (in thousands)

 Annual average of

 monthly estimates

 Annual supplement data

136,485

150,755

 8,378

 16,802
Table 1. Work experience of the population during the year by sex and extent of employment, 2001-02

Extent of employment

Total Men Women

2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002

Numbers (in thousands)

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................................................................... 216,788 220,285 104,162 105,973 112,626 114,312

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 152,300 153,411 80,304 80,933 71,996 72,478

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 70.3 69.6 77.1 76.4 63.9 63.4

Total who worked during the year1 ................................................................... 150,286 150,755 79,300 79,564 70,986 71,191

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 69.3 68.4 76.1 75.1 63.0 62.3

Full time2 ...................................................................................................... 121,182 120,970 69,414 69,445 51,768 51,525

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 99,644 99,946 58,076 58,115 41,568 41,831

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,323 2,113 1,373 1,261 950 852

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 5,827 5,604 3,067 3,002 2,759 2,602

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 5,002 4,803 2,631 2,522 2,370 2,281

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,850 4,898 2,488 2,636 2,362 2,262

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 3,536 3,605 1,779 1,908 1,757 1,697

Part time3 ...................................................................................................... 29,103 29,785 9,885 10,120 19,218 19,666

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 14,025 14,615 4,298 4,499 9,727 10,116

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 828 820 262 294 566 526

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,562 2,547 801 811 1,761 1,737

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,747 2,807 924 929 1,823 1,878

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,188 4,488 1,672 1,769 2,516 2,719

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 4,753 4,508 1,928 1,818 2,825 2,690

Percent distribution

Total who worked during the year1 ....................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time2 .......................................................................................................... 80.6 80.2 87.5 87.3 72.9 72.4

50 to 52 weeks ............................................................................................. 66.3 66.3 73.2 73.0 58.6 58.8

48 to 49 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.5 1.4 1.7 1.6 1.3 1.2

40 to 47 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.9 3.7 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.7

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.2

14 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.4

Part time3 .......................................................................................................... 19.4 19.8 12.5 12.7 27.1 27.6

50 to 52 weeks ............................................................................................. 9.3 9.7 5.4 5.7 13.7 14.2

48 to 49 weeks ............................................................................................. .6 .5 .3 .4 .8 .7

40 to 47 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.7 1.7 1.0 1.0 2.5 2.4

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.8 1.9 1.2 1.2 2.6 2.6

14 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 2.8 3.0 2.1 2.2 3.5 3.8

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 3.2 3.0 2.4 2.3 4.0 3.8

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. Data for 2002, which

were collected in the 2003 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the

Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 2001

and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2003 of revised

population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see the

technical note and "Revisions to the Current Population Survey Effective in

January 2003" in the February 2003 issue of Employment and Earnings, 

available on the Internet at http: //www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf. 
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2001-02

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002

WHITE 1

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 179,293 180,648 87,105 87,873 92,188 92,776

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 126,353 126,416 67,703 67,836 58,650 58,580

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 70.5 70.0 77.7 77.2 63.6 63.1

Total who worked during the year2 ............................................................... 125,097 124,727 67,076 66,966 58,021 57,761

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.8 69.0 77.0 76.2 62.9 62.3

Percent who worked during the year2 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time3 .................................................................................................. 80.2 79.9 87.8 87.5 71.5 71.0

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 66.3 66.1 73.8 73.5 57.5 57.6

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.6 8.3 8.9 8.5 8.4 8.1

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.3 5.4 5.1 5.5 5.6 5.3

Part time4 .................................................................................................. 19.8 20.1 12.2 12.5 28.5 29.0

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 9.7 10.0 5.4 5.6 14.7 15.2

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 4.2 4.2 2.5 2.5 6.2 6.2

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.8 5.9 4.3 4.4 7.6 7.7

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 1

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 25,445 25,547 11,325 11,385 14,119 14,162

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 17,493 17,176 8,097 7,862 9,397 9,314

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.8 67.2 71.5 69.1 66.6 65.8

Total who worked during the year2 ............................................................... 16,876 16,471 7,787 7,494 9,089 8,976

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 66.3 64.5 68.8 65.8 64.4 63.4

Percent who worked during the year2 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time3 .................................................................................................. 83.0 83.0 86.0 85.9 80.4 80.6

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 66.6 67.9 69.5 70.0 64.2 66.0

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 9.2 8.1 9.2 8.4 9.3 7.9

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 7.1 7.0 7.3 7.5 6.9 6.7

Part time4 .................................................................................................. 17.0 17.0 14.0 14.1 19.6 19.4

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 6.9 7.7 5.1 6.0 8.4 9.1

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.4 3.1 2.7 2.5 4.1 3.7

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 6.7 6.2 6.2 5.6 7.1 6.7

ASIAN 1

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 9,636 9,141 4,635 4,317 5,001 4,824

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 6,779 6,294 3,638 3,357 3,141 2,937

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 70.4 68.9 78.5 77.8 62.8 60.9

Total who worked during the year2 ............................................................... 6,680 6,139 3,586 3,282 3,094 2,857

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.3 67.2 77.4 76.0 61.9 59.2

Percent who worked during the year2 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time3 .................................................................................................. 82.5 82.8 86.8 87.8 77.5 77.1

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 68.7 70.2 73.2 76.0 63.5 63.5

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.4 7.4 8.2 7.6 8.7 7.3

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.4 5.2 5.5 4.2 5.4 6.3

Part time4 .................................................................................................. 17.5 17.2 13.2 12.2 22.5 22.9

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 9.0 8.5 6.5 5.6 12.0 11.8

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.0 3.2 2.1 2.4 4.0 4.1

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.5 5.5 4.6 4.2 6.5 7.0

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2001-02 —

Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 25,642 27,184 13,051 13,903 12,591 13,281

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 18,093 18,990 10,484 11,194 7,609 7,795

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 70.6 69.9 80.3 80.5 60.4 58.7

Total who worked during the year2 ............................................................... 17,799 18,606 10,356 11,030 7,443 7,576

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.4 68.4 79.3 79.3 59.1 57.0

Percent who worked during the year2 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time3 .................................................................................................. 84.2 84.2 90.0 89.3 76.2 76.6

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 67.1 68.2 73.3 73.5 58.5 60.4

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 9.9 9.4 10.2 10.0 9.5 8.6

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 7.2 6.5 6.5 5.8 8.2 7.6

Part time4 .................................................................................................. 15.8 15.8 10.0 10.7 23.8 23.4

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.1 8.1 4.7 5.6 12.9 11.9

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 2.8 3.0 1.8 2.0 4.1 4.4

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 4.9 4.7 3.5 3.1 6.8 7.1

1 Beginning with data for 2002, which were collected in the 2003

Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population

Survey, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected

more than one race group are excluded. Prior to 2002, persons who

reported more than one race were included in the group they identified as

their main race. Also beginning in 2002, Asians no longer include Pacific

Islanders. 2 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.

3 Usually worked 35 hours or more per week. 4 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. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is

identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are

classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Data refer to persons 16 years

and over. Also, see Note, table 1.
Table 3. Extent of unemployment during the year by sex, 2001-02

Extent of unemployment

Total Men Women

2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002

Numbers (in thousands)

Total who worked or looked for work .................................................................... 152,300 153,411 80,304 80,933 71,996 72,478

Percent with unemployment ............................................................................. 10.4 11.0 11.1 11.9 9.6 9.9

Total with unemployment .................................................................................. 15,834 16,802 8,919 9,603 6,915 7,199

Did not work but looked for work .................................................................. 2,014 2,656 1,004 1,369 1,010 1,287

1 to 14 weeks ........................................................................................... 939 931 419 373 520 558

15 weeks or more ..................................................................................... 1,075 1,725 585 996 490 729

Worked during the year ................................................................................ 13,820 14,146 7,915 8,234 5,905 5,912

Year-round workers1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ....................... 602 581 421 361 180 220

Part-year workers2 with unemployment .................................................... 13,218 13,565 7,493 7,873 5,725 5,692

1 to 4 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,365 1,997 1,244 1,071 1,121 927

5 to 10 weeks ....................................................................................... 2,556 2,371 1,445 1,340 1,111 1,031

11 to 14 weeks ..................................................................................... 2,038 1,966 1,207 1,182 831 784

15 to 26 weeks ..................................................................................... 3,681 3,847 2,188 2,282 1,492 1,566

27 weeks or more ................................................................................. 2,579 3,383 1,409 1,998 1,170 1,385

 Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ....................................... 13.7 15.5 13.8 15.9 13.6 15.0

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ................................................... 3,420 3,222 2,099 1,916 1,321 1,306

 2 spells ................................................................................................. 1,642 1,553 1,001 911 641 642

 3 spells or more .................................................................................... 1,778 1,669 1,098 1,006 680 664

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 ................................................................................................... 46.6 35.1 41.7 27.2 51.5 43.4

15 weeks or more ............................................................................................. 53.4 64.9 58.3 72.8 48.5 56.6

Worked during the year ........................................................................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ............................... 4.4 4.1 5.3 4.4 3.1 3.7

Part-year workers2 with unemployment ............................................................ 95.6 95.9 94.7 95.6 96.9 96.3

1 to 4 weeks ................................................................................................. 17.1 14.1 15.7 13.0 19.0 15.7

5 to 10 weeks ............................................................................................... 18.5 16.8 18.3 16.3 18.8 17.4

11 to 14 weeks ............................................................................................. 14.7 13.9 15.2 14.4 14.1 13.3

15 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 26.6 27.2 27.6 27.7 25.3 26.5

27 weeks or more ......................................................................................... 18.7 23.9 17.8 24.3 19.8 23.4

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ............................................... 24.7 22.8 26.5 23.3 22.4 22.1

 2 spells ............................................................................................. 11.9 11.0 12.6 11.1 10.9 10.9

 3 spells or more ................................................................................ 12.9 11.8 13.9 12.2 11.5 11.2

1 Worked 50 or 51 weeks. 2 Worked less than 50 weeks.

 NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Also, see Note, table 1.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2001-02

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002

WHITE 1

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 126,353 126,416 67,703 67,836 58,650 58,580

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 9.6 10.3 10.4 11.2 8.8 9.1

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 12,157 12,962 7,010 7,624 5,147 5,339

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 1,256 1,689 627 870 629 819

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 10,900 11,273 6,383 6,753 4,517 4,520

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 13.1 14.7 13.2 15.3 13.0 14.0

Percent who worked during the year2 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers3 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 4.8 4.5 5.9 4.7 3.2 4.2

Part-year workers4 with unemployment ................................................ 95.2 95.5 94.1 95.3 96.8 95.8

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 17.7 14.0 16.1 13.0 19.9 15.6

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 34.5 32.5 34.7 31.7 34.2 33.7

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 43.0 49.0 43.2 50.6 42.7 46.5

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 24.6 22.3 26.7 22.9 21.6 21.3

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 1

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 17,493 17,176 8,097 7,862 9,397 9,314

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 15.4 14.9 16.9 16.3 14.0 13.7

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 2,689 2,557 1,372 1,282 1,317 1,274

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 617 706 309 368 307 338

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 2,072 1,851 1,062 915 1,010 936

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 17.8 20.4 17.5 19.7 18.0 21.1

Percent who worked during the year2 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers3 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.9 1.8 1.7

Part-year workers4 with unemployment ................................................ 97.8 97.7 97.5 97.1 98.2 98.3

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 14.2 12.4 13.9 10.6 14.5 14.1

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 27.0 22.9 27.1 25.9 26.8 19.9

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 56.7 62.4 56.4 60.6 56.9 64.2

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 25.4 25.2 25.1 25.8 25.8 24.6

ASIAN 1

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 6,779 6,294 3,638 3,357 3,141 2,937

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 10.1 10.8 10.1 10.4 10.1 11.3

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 685 681 368 350 317 331

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 100 155 52 75 48 80

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 585 527 316 276 270 251

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 13.8 17.3 15.6 17.4 11.7 17.2

Percent who worked during the year2 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers3 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 4.4 2.5 3.1 1.3 6.0 3.9

Part-year workers4 with unemployment ................................................ 95.6 97.5 96.9 98.7 94.0 96.1

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 17.8 19.6 15.3 19.1 20.6 20.1

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 32.3 22.3 30.1 23.2 34.8 21.4

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 45.5 55.6 51.5 56.4 38.6 54.6

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 19.9 19.7 20.2 17.8 19.5 21.7

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2001-02 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 18,093 18,990 10,484 11,194 7,609 7,795

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 12.7 12.8 13.1 12.8 12.2 12.9

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 2,304 2,436 1,373 1,430 930 1,006

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 294 384 128 164 166 220

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 2,010 2,053 1,245 1,266 764 786

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 14.9 16.7 14.3 15.7 16.5 18.5

Percent who worked during the year2 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers3 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 3.9 4.2 4.3 4.1 3.3 4.2

Part-year workers4 with unemployment ................................................ 96.1 95.8 95.7 95.9 96.7 95.8

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 13.4 14.1 13.0 13.8 14.0 14.6

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 32.9 28.1 35.3 30.6 28.9 24.2

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 49.8 53.6 47.3 51.5 53.7 57.0

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 26.4 22.7 27.3 24.5 25.1 19.9

1 Beginning with data for 2002, which were collected in the 2003

Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population

Survey, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected

more than one race group are excluded. Prior to 2002, persons who

reported more than one race were included in the group they identified as

their main race. Also beginning in 2002, Asians no longer include Pacific

Islanders. 2 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.

3 Worked 50 or 51 weeks. 4 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. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is

identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are

classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Data refer to persons 16 years

and over. Also, see Note, table 1.