1

Technical information: (202) 691-6378

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 04-2532

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION IN 2003

A total of 150.7 million persons worked at some point during 2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of

the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round

was unchanged from the previous 2 years. The number of persons who experienced some unemployment

during the year fell by 358,000 from 2002, to 16.4 million.

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 2003 data include:

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

some time during the year was 67.7 percent in 2003, down from 68.4 percent in 2002.

 • The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round in 2003 (66.3 percent) was unchanged

from the previous 2 years. Although this proportion is 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—edged down

by 0.3 percentage point over the year to 10.7 percent in 2003.

Persons with Employment

In 2003, the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years old and over that worked at

some point during the year was 67.7 percent—0.7 percentage point lower than the 2002 level. (See table

1.) This proportion had remained above 68.0 percent from 1984 through 2002, peaking at 70.6 percent in

1999. The proportion of men who worked at some time during the year was 74.2 percent in 2003, down

from 75.1 percent in 2002. The proportion of women who worked some time during the year, 61.7 percent,

was down from its peak of 64.5 percent in 1999.

Among those with work experience during 2003, 76.5 percent were employed year round (either full

or part time), up by 0.5 percentage point from 2002. Continuing a long-term growth trend, full-year employment among women edged up to 73.3 percent from 73.0 percent in 2002. The percentage of men

employed year round also was up over the year, increasing to 79.3 percent from 78.7 percent in 2002.

About 4 out of 5 of those who were employed at some time during 2003 worked full time, about the

same as in 2002. This proportion has been in the narrow range of 77.0 to 81.5 percent since the series
2

began in 1966. Among both men and women, the proportion who worked full time was little changed

between 2002 and 2003. (See table 1.)

Persons with Unemployment

Overall, 153.4 million persons worked or looked for work at some time in 2003. Of these, 16.4 million

experienced some unemployment during the year, down from 16.8 million in 2002. Men accounted for about

80 percent of the over-the-year decrease.

At 10.7 percent in 2003, the “work-experience unemployment rate” was down by 0.3 percentage point

from 2002. The rate is still low by historical standards, but is above the series low of 8.6 percent reached in

2000. The rate for blacks in 2003, 14.7 percent, was higher than the rates for Hispanics or Latinos (12.9

percent), Asians (10.2 percent), and whites (10.1 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 (13.3 percent). Similarly, the rate for white men (10.8 percent) was higher than that for

white women (9.1 percent). In contrast, among Hispanics or Latinos and Asians, there was little difference

in the rates for men and women in 2003. (See table 4.)

Among those who experienced unemployment in 2003, the median number of weeks spent looking for

work was 16.6 weeks, up from 15.5 weeks the year before. About 2.8 million individuals had looked for

a job but did not work at all in 2003, about the same as a year earlier. Of the 13.7 million persons who

worked during the year and also experienced unemployment, 22.6 percent had two or more spells of joblessness, about the same proportion as in 2002.
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 2004 refer

to the 2003 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 2003 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 2003, which were collected in the

2004 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS, are

not strictly comparable with data for 2002 and earlier years

because of the introduction in January 2004 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 decrease the January 2004

employment level by 409,000 and the unemployment level by

27,000 relative to the December 2003 level. For additional

information, see “Adjustments to Household Survey

Population Estimates in January 2004” in the February 2004

issue of Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet at

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps04adj.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 2004 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

2003?” or “Did you do any temporary, part-time, or seasonal

work even for a few days during 2003?”

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 2003, 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

2003 estimates (in thousands)

 Annual average of

 monthly estimates

 Annual supplement data

137,736 8,774

150,689 16,444
Table 1. Work experience of the population during the year by sex and extent of employment, 2002-03

Extent of employment

Total Men Women

2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

Numbers (in thousands)

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................................................................... 220,285 222,509 105,973 107,241 114,312 115,269

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 153,411 153,448 80,933 81,023 72,478 72,425

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 69.6 69.0 76.4 75.6 63.4 62.8

Total who worked during the year1 ................................................................... 150,755 150,689 79,564 79,539 71,191 71,150

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 68.4 67.7 75.1 74.2 62.3 61.7

Full time2 ...................................................................................................... 120,970 120,325 69,445 69,019 51,525 51,306

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 99,946 99,904 58,115 58,064 41,831 41,841

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,113 1,917 1,261 1,128 852 789

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 5,604 5,269 3,002 2,762 2,602 2,508

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,803 4,763 2,522 2,571 2,281 2,192

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,898 4,909 2,636 2,614 2,262 2,295

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 3,605 3,562 1,908 1,880 1,697 1,682

Part time3 ...................................................................................................... 29,785 30,364 10,120 10,520 19,666 19,844

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 14,615 15,325 4,499 5,034 10,116 10,291

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 820 782 294 236 526 546

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,547 2,611 811 813 1,737 1,798

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,807 2,632 929 821 1,878 1,810

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,488 4,386 1,769 1,684 2,719 2,702

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 4,508 4,628 1,818 1,932 2,690 2,696

Percent distribution

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

Full time2 .......................................................................................................... 80.2 79.8 87.3 86.8 72.4 72.1

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

48 to 49 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.4 1.3 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.1

40 to 47 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.7 3.5 3.8 3.5 3.7 3.5

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1

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

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4

Part time3 .......................................................................................................... 19.8 20.2 12.7 13.2 27.6 27.9

50 to 52 weeks ............................................................................................. 9.7 10.2 5.7 6.3 14.2 14.5

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

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

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.9 1.7 1.2 1.0 2.6 2.5

14 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.0 2.9 2.2 2.1 3.8 3.8

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 3.0 3.1 2.3 2.4 3.8 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 2003, which

were collected in the 2004 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the

Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 2002

and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2004 of revised

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

Technical Note and "Adjustments to Household Survey Population

Estimates in January 2004" in the February 2004 issue of

Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet at

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps04adj.pdf. 
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2002-03

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

WHITE 

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 180,648 181,964 87,873 88,600 92,776 93,364

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 126,416 126,232 67,836 67,807 58,580 58,425

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 70.0 69.4 77.2 76.5 63.1 62.6

Total who worked during the year1 ............................................................... 124,727 124,362 66,966 66,803 57,761 57,560

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.0 68.3 76.2 75.4 62.3 61.7

Percent who worked during the year1 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time2 .................................................................................................. 79.9 79.3 87.5 86.9 71.0 70.6

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 66.1 66.1 73.5 73.4 57.6 57.6

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.3 7.9 8.5 8.1 8.1 7.7

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

Part time3 .................................................................................................. 20.1 20.7 12.5 13.1 29.0 29.4

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 10.0 10.6 5.6 6.3 15.2 15.5

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 4.2 4.2 2.5 2.4 6.2 6.2

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.9 5.9 4.4 4.4 7.7 7.7

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 25,547 25,931 11,385 11,589 14,162 14,343

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 17,176 17,161 7,862 7,829 9,314 9,331

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 67.2 66.2 69.1 67.6 65.8 65.1

Total who worked during the year1 ............................................................... 16,471 16,520 7,494 7,488 8,976 9,032

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 64.5 63.7 65.8 64.6 63.4 63.0

Percent who worked during the year1 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time2 .................................................................................................. 83.0 82.8 85.9 86.1 80.6 80.1

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 67.9 67.9 70.0 70.7 66.0 65.6

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.1 7.8 8.4 8.0 7.9 7.7

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 7.0 7.1 7.5 7.4 6.7 6.8

Part time3 .................................................................................................. 17.0 17.2 14.1 13.9 19.4 19.9

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 7.7 7.9 6.0 6.5 9.1 9.2

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.1 3.1 2.5 2.1 3.7 3.9

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 6.2 6.1 5.6 5.3 6.7 6.9

ASIAN 

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 9,141 9,429 4,317 4,516 4,824 4,913

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 6,294 6,411 3,357 3,457 2,937 2,954

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.9 68.0 77.8 76.6 60.9 60.1

Total who worked during the year1 ............................................................... 6,139 6,273 3,282 3,378 2,857 2,895

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 67.2 66.5 76.0 74.8 59.2 58.9

Percent who worked during the year1 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time2 .................................................................................................. 82.8 83.0 87.8 87.4 77.1 77.8

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 70.2 70.5 76.0 75.3 63.5 65.0

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 7.4 6.5 7.6 6.7 7.3 6.2

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.2 5.9 4.2 5.4 6.3 6.5

Part time3 .................................................................................................. 17.2 17.0 12.2 12.6 22.9 22.2

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.5 8.4 5.6 5.6 11.8 11.8

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.2 2.9 2.4 1.8 4.1 4.1

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.5 5.7 4.2 5.2 7.0 6.3

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2002-03 —

Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

HISPANIC OR LATINO

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 27,184 27,783 13,903 14,240 13,281 13,543

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 18,990 19,357 11,194 11,445 7,795 7,912

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.9 69.7 80.5 80.4 58.7 58.4

Total who worked during the year1 ............................................................... 18,606 18,969 11,030 11,246 7,576 7,723

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.4 68.3 79.3 79.0 57.0 57.0

Percent who worked during the year1 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time2 .................................................................................................. 84.2 83.7 89.3 89.4 76.6 75.4

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 68.2 67.7 73.5 73.5 60.4 59.3

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 9.4 9.2 10.0 9.6 8.6 8.7

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 6.5 6.7 5.8 6.3 7.6 7.4

Part time3 .................................................................................................. 15.8 16.3 10.7 10.6 23.4 24.6

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.1 8.3 5.6 5.4 11.9 12.7

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.0 2.8 2.0 1.7 4.4 4.3

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 4.7 5.2 3.1 3.5 7.1 7.6

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: 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, 2002-03

Extent of unemployment

Total Men Women

2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

Numbers (in thousands)

Total who worked or looked for work .................................................................... 153,411 153,448 80,933 81,023 72,478 72,425

Percent with unemployment ............................................................................. 11.0 10.7 11.9 11.5 9.9 9.8

Total with unemployment .................................................................................. 16,802 16,444 9,603 9,321 7,199 7,122

Did not work but looked for work .................................................................. 2,656 2,759 1,369 1,484 1,287 1,275

1 to 14 weeks ........................................................................................... 931 1,014 373 463 558 550

15 weeks or more ..................................................................................... 1,725 1,745 996 1,021 729 725

Worked during the year ................................................................................ 14,146 13,684 8,234 7,837 5,912 5,847

Year-round workers1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ....................... 581 530 361 354 220 176

Part-year workers2 with unemployment .................................................... 13,565 13,154 7,873 7,483 5,692 5,671

1 to 4 weeks ......................................................................................... 1,997 1,836 1,071 954 927 882

5 to 10 weeks ....................................................................................... 2,371 2,263 1,340 1,313 1,031 950

11 to 14 weeks ..................................................................................... 1,966 1,748 1,182 1,038 784 710

15 to 26 weeks ..................................................................................... 3,847 3,777 2,282 2,177 1,566 1,600

27 weeks or more ................................................................................. 3,383 3,530 1,998 2,001 1,385 1,530

 Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ....................................... 15.5 16.6 15.9 16.5 15.0 16.6

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ................................................... 3,222 3,088 1,916 1,877 1,306 1,211

 2 spells ................................................................................................. 1,553 1,584 911 945 642 639

 3 spells or more .................................................................................... 1,669 1,504 1,006 932 664 572

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 ................................................................................................... 35.1 36.7 27.2 31.2 43.4 43.2

15 weeks or more ............................................................................................. 64.9 63.3 72.8 68.8 56.6 56.8

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 ............................... 4.1 3.9 4.4 4.5 3.7 3.0

Part-year workers2 with unemployment ............................................................ 95.9 96.1 95.6 95.5 96.3 97.0

1 to 4 weeks ................................................................................................. 14.1 13.4 13.0 12.2 15.7 15.1

5 to 10 weeks ............................................................................................... 16.8 16.5 16.3 16.8 17.4 16.3

11 to 14 weeks ............................................................................................. 13.9 12.8 14.4 13.2 13.3 12.1

15 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 27.2 27.6 27.7 27.8 26.5 27.4

27 weeks or more ......................................................................................... 23.9 25.8 24.3 25.5 23.4 26.2

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ............................................... 22.8 22.6 23.3 24.0 22.1 20.7

 2 spells ............................................................................................. 11.0 11.6 11.1 12.1 10.9 10.9

 3 spells or more ................................................................................ 11.8 11.0 12.2 11.9 11.2 9.8

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, 2002-03

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

WHITE 

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 126,416 126,232 67,836 67,807 58,580 58,425

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 10.3 10.1 11.2 10.8 9.1 9.1

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 12,962 12,691 7,624 7,348 5,339 5,342

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 1,689 1,870 870 1,004 819 866

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 11,273 10,821 6,753 6,344 4,520 4,477

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 14.7 15.7 15.3 15.9 14.0 15.5

Percent who worked during the year1 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 4.5 4.3 4.7 4.9 4.2 3.3

Part-year workers3 with unemployment ................................................ 95.5 95.7 95.3 95.1 95.8 96.7

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 14.0 13.9 13.0 12.3 15.6 16.2

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 32.5 30.3 31.7 30.9 33.7 29.4

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 49.0 51.5 50.6 51.8 46.5 51.1

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 22.3 22.6 22.9 24.3 21.3 20.2

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 17,176 17,161 7,862 7,829 9,314 9,331

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 14.9 14.7 16.3 16.3 13.7 13.3

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 2,557 2,520 1,282 1,279 1,274 1,240

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 706 641 368 341 338 299

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 1,851 1,879 915 938 936 941

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 20.4 21.2 19.7 21.2 21.1 21.1

Percent who worked during the year1 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 2.3 2.5 2.9 3.2 1.7 1.9

Part-year workers3 with unemployment ................................................ 97.7 97.5 97.1 96.8 98.3 98.1

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 12.4 10.1 10.6 10.4 14.1 9.7

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 22.9 24.2 25.9 23.2 19.9 25.2

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 62.4 63.2 60.6 63.2 64.2 63.2

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 25.2 22.8 25.8 23.7 24.6 22.0

ASIAN 

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 6,294 6,411 3,357 3,457 2,937 2,954

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 10.8 10.2 10.4 10.8 11.3 9.7

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 681 657 350 372 331 285

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 155 138 75 79 80 59

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 527 519 276 293 251 226

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 17.3 17.0 17.4 15.3 17.2 18.4

Percent who worked during the year1 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 2.5 2.4 1.3 1.5 3.9 3.4

Part-year workers3 with unemployment ................................................ 97.5 97.6 98.7 98.5 96.1 96.6

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 19.6 14.6 19.1 16.7 20.1 11.9

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 22.3 28.4 23.2 31.3 21.4 24.6

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 55.6 54.6 56.4 50.5 54.6 60.0

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 19.7 15.9 17.8 14.3 21.7 18.0

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2002-03 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

HISPANIC OR LATINO

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 18,990 19,357 11,194 11,445 7,795 7,912

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 12.8 12.9 12.8 13.1 12.9 12.5

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 2,436 2,494 1,430 1,502 1,006 991

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 384 388 164 199 220 189

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 2,053 2,106 1,266 1,303 786 803

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 16.7 17.6 15.7 16.9 18.5 18.5

Percent who worked during the year1 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 4.2 3.7 4.1 4.2 4.2 2.9

Part-year workers3 with unemployment ................................................ 95.8 96.3 95.9 95.8 95.8 97.1

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 14.1 13.0 13.8 12.2 14.6 14.4

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 28.1 27.4 30.6 29.6 24.2 24.0

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 53.6 55.9 51.5 54.1 57.0 58.7

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 22.7 23.9 24.5 25.3 19.9 21.8

1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave. 2 Worked 50 or 51 weeks. 3 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.