Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-1803 

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

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, December 10, 2008 

WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION IN 2007 

A total of 157.7 million persons worked at some point during 2007, the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

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

round in 2007 was 68.4 percent, the same as in 2006. The number of persons who experienced some 

unemployment increased by 693,000, to 15.1 million. 

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

(ASEC) 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. The ASEC collects information on employment and 

unemployment experienced during the prior calendar year. Additional information about the CPS and 

the ASEC, including concepts and definitions, is provided in the Technical Note. Highlights from the 

2007 data include: 

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

some time during 2007 was 67.7 percent, essentially unchanged from 2006. 

• The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round in 2007 was 68.4 percent, the same 

as in the prior year. 

• 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—

was 9.5 percent in 2007, up from 9.1 percent in 2006. 

Persons with Employment

The percent of men who worked during 2007 was 74.1 percent, down slightly from 74.4 percent 

in 2006. The proportion of women who worked at some point during 2007 held at 61.6 percent. (See 

table 1.) 

The proportions of whites (68.3 percent), blacks (63.5 percent), and Asians (67.8 percent) who 

worked at some time during the year were essentially unchanged in 2007. The proportion of Hispanics 

who worked at some point during 2007 (68.5 percent) was down from 2006 (69.1 percent). (See 

table 2.) 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

Among those with work experience during 2007, 78.2 percent were employed year round (working 

50 to 52 weeks, either full or part time), little changed from 2006. The percentage of women working 

year round rose 0.9 percentage point to 75.7 percent in 2007, and the percentage of men employed year 

round edged down 0.4 percentage point to 80.5 percent. (See table 1.) 

Of those employed at some time during 2007, 80.9 percent usually worked full time, the same 

share as in 2006. Men were more likely to work full time during the year (87.4 percent) than were 

women (73.6 percent), but the gap narrowed in 2007. The incidence of men working full time declined 

by 0.4 percentage point while the incidence of women working full time increased by 0.6 percentage 

point. 

Persons with Unemployment

About 159.8 million persons worked or looked for work at some time in 2007. Of those, 15.1 

million experienced some unemployment during the year, up from 14.4 million in 2006. Men accounted for the majority of the over-the-year increase in unemployment. (See table 3.) 

At 9.5 percent in 2007, the “work-experience unemployment rate” (those looking for work during 

the year as a percent of those who worked or looked for work during the year) was 0.4 percentage point 

higher than in 2006. The 2007 rate is relatively low by historical standards, but is above the series low 

of 8.6 percent reached in 2000. The rates for Hispanics (12.3 percent) and whites (9.0 percent) rose in 

2007, while the rates for blacks (12.7 percent) and Asians (6.9 percent) were little changed. (See 

tables 3 and 4.) 

Overall, men continued to have higher “work-experience unemployment rates” in 2007 than did 

women, 10.3 versus 8.6 percent, respectively. Among whites, the rate for men (9.9 percent) was 

higher than that for women (8.0 percent). This also was the case among blacks (13.9 and 11.6 percent, respectively) and Hispanics (13.0 and 11.3 percent, respectively.) The rates for Asian men (7.0 

percent) and women (6.8 percent) were little different. 

Among those who experienced unemployment in 2007, the median number of weeks spent looking 

for work was 13.8, unchanged from the prior year. About 2.1 million individuals looked for a job but 

did not work at all in 2007, up from 1.9 million in 2006. Of the 13.0 million persons who worked 

during 2007 and also experienced unemployment, 23.8 percent had 2 or more spells of joblessness, little 

different than the share in 2006. 
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 2008 refer to the 2007 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 2007 was 

about twice the number unemployed in an average month 

during the year. 

 Employed Unemployed 

2007 estimates (in thousands) 

Annual average of 

monthly estimates 146,047 7,078 

Annual supplement data 157,653 15,117 

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 2007, which were collected in 

the 2008 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the 

CPS, are not strictly comparable with data for 2006 and 

earlier years because of the introduction in January 2008 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 

December 2007 employment level by 598,000 and the unemployment level by 40,000. For additional information, 

see "Adjustments to Household Survey Population Estimates in January 2008," available on the Internet at 

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps08adj.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 

"Reliability of estimates from the CPS" available on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability. 

Concepts and definitions 

Persons who worked. In the 2008 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 2007?" or "Did you do any temporary, part-time, 

or seasonal work even for a few days during 2007?" 

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 2007, 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. Partyear employment refers to workers who worked fewer than 

50 weeks. 
Table 1. Work experience of the population during the year by sex and extent of employment, 2006-07

Extent of employment

Total Men Women

2006 2007 2006 2007 2006 2007

Numbers (in thousands)

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................................................................... 231,033 232,995 111,733 112,695 119,300 120,300

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 158,563 159,750 84,100 84,614 74,463 75,136

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 68.6 68.6 75.3 75.1 62.4 62.5

Total who worked during the year 1 .................................................................. 156,658 157,653 83,131 83,538 73,527 74,115

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 67.8 67.7 74.4 74.1 61.6 61.6

Full time 2 ..................................................................................................... 126,677 127,538 72,967 72,994 53,709 54,544

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 107,105 107,858 62,479 62,287 44,626 45,571

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 1,945 2,031 1,110 1,203 835 829

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 5,481 5,235 3,029 2,810 2,452 2,425

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,286 4,623 2,213 2,560 2,073 2,063

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,728 4,704 2,466 2,474 2,262 2,230

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 3,132 3,087 1,670 1,661 1,462 1,426

Part time 3 ..................................................................................................... 29,981 30,115 10,163 10,544 19,818 19,571

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 15,124 15,472 4,744 4,930 10,381 10,541

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 793 832 268 296 525 536

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,641 2,580 844 903 1,797 1,678

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,783 2,776 929 961 1,854 1,815

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,283 4,248 1,605 1,709 2,678 2,539

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 4,356 4,207 1,773 1,745 2,583 2,462

Percent distribution

Total who worked during the year 1 ...................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ......................................................................................................... 80.9 80.9 87.8 87.4 73.0 73.6

50 to 52 weeks ............................................................................................. 68.4 68.4 75.2 74.6 60.7 61.5

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

40 to 47 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.5 3.3 3.6 3.4 3.3 3.3

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 2.7 2.9 2.7 3.1 2.8 2.8

14 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.0

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9

Part time 3 ......................................................................................................... 19.1 19.1 12.2 12.6 27.0 26.4

50 to 52 weeks ............................................................................................. 9.7 9.8 5.7 5.9 14.1 14.2

48 to 49 weeks ............................................................................................. 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.7

40 to 47 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.7 1.6 1.0 1.1 2.4 2.3

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.8 1.8 1.1 1.2 2.5 2.4

14 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 2.7 2.7 1.9 2.0 3.6 3.4

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 2.8 2.7 2.1 2.1 3.5 3.3

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 2007, which

were collected in the 2008 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the

Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 2006

and earlier years because of the introduction of updated population

controls, which are introduced annually with the release of January data. 

For additional information, see the technical note and "Adjustments to

Household Survey Population Estimates in January 2008" available on the

Internet at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps08adj.pdf.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2006-07

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2006 2007 2006 2007 2006 2007

WHITE 

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 187,721 189,045 91,792 92,469 95,929 96,576

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 129,766 130,472 70,160 70,392 59,606 60,080

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.1 69.0 76.4 76.1 62.1 62.2

Total who worked during the year 1 .............................................................. 128,503 129,078 69,504 69,659 58,999 59,419

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.5 68.3 75.7 75.3 61.5 61.5

Percent who worked during the year 1 ......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ................................................................................................. 80.4 80.5 87.9 87.5 71.7 72.3

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 68.1 68.1 75.4 74.7 59.4 60.3

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 7.6 7.6 7.7 7.9 7.5 7.2

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 4.8 4.8 4.7 4.8 4.8 4.8

Part time 3 ................................................................................................. 19.6 19.5 12.1 12.5 28.3 27.7

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 10.0 10.1 5.7 5.9 15.0 15.0

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 4.1 4.1 2.5 2.7 6.1 5.8

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.5 5.3 4.0 4.0 7.3 6.9

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 27,345 27,709 12,291 12,448 15,055 15,261

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 17,879 18,112 8,200 8,347 9,678 9,765

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 65.4 65.4 66.7 67.1 64.3 64.0

Total who worked during the year 1 .............................................................. 17,405 17,602 7,973 8,104 9,432 9,499

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 63.6 63.5 64.9 65.1 62.7 62.2

Percent who worked during the year 1 ......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ................................................................................................. 83.5 83.6 87.1 87.0 80.4 80.7

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 70.5 69.9 73.0 72.4 68.3 67.8

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 6.7 7.6 7.4 8.1 6.2 7.1

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 6.3 6.1 6.7 6.4 6.0 5.7

Part time 3 ................................................................................................. 16.5 16.4 12.9 13.0 19.6 19.3

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 7.6 7.9 5.6 5.6 9.3 9.9

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.2 2.9 2.6 1.9 3.7 3.7

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.7 5.6 4.6 5.5 6.6 5.8

ASIAN 

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 10,518 10,571 4,999 4,992 5,519 5,580

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 7,174 7,291 3,797 3,810 3,378 3,480

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.2 69.0 76.0 76.3 61.2 62.4

Total who worked during the year 1 .............................................................. 7,096 7,171 3,754 3,745 3,342 3,427

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 67.5 67.8 75.1 75.0 60.5 61.4

Percent who worked during the year 1 ......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ................................................................................................. 83.3 83.7 88.7 89.1 77.4 77.8

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 72.7 74.3 79.1 80.5 65.6 67.5

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 5.7 5.6 4.9 5.3 6.6 5.9

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 4.9 3.8 4.6 3.4 5.2 4.4

Part time 3 ................................................................................................. 16.7 16.3 11.3 10.9 22.6 22.2

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 9.4 9.1 5.9 5.9 13.3 12.6

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.0 2.9 2.0 1.9 4.1 4.1

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 4.3 4.2 3.4 3.0 5.3 5.5

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2006-07 —

Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2006 2007 2006 2007 2006 2007

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 31,054 31,820 15,979 16,355 15,075 15,465

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 21,708 22,092 12,906 13,113 8,802 8,978

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.9 69.4 80.8 80.2 58.4 58.1

Total who worked during the year 1 .............................................................. 21,447 21,791 12,795 12,978 8,651 8,814

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.1 68.5 80.1 79.3 57.4 57.0

Percent who worked during the year 1 ......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ................................................................................................. 85.2 84.1 91.4 90.0 75.9 75.5

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 70.9 69.4 77.0 74.8 61.9 61.5

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.5 9.4 9.1 10.3 7.6 8.1

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.8 5.3 5.3 4.9 6.4 6.0

Part time 3 ................................................................................................. 14.8 15.9 8.6 10.0 24.1 24.5

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 7.5 8.3 4.0 5.0 12.7 13.3

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 2.9 3.1 1.9 2.3 4.3 4.2

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 4.4 4.5 2.6 2.8 7.1 6.9

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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Also, see Note, table 1.
Table 3. Extent of unemployment during the year by sex, 2006-07

Extent of unemployment

Total Men Women

2006 2007 2006 2007 2006 2007

Numbers (in thousands)

Total who worked or looked for work .................................................................... 158,563 159,750 84,100 84,614 74,463 75,136

Percent with unemployment ............................................................................. 9.1 9.5 9.6 10.3 8.5 8.6

Total with unemployment .................................................................................. 14,424 15,117 8,097 8,685 6,326 6,432

Did not work but looked for work .................................................................. 1,905 2,097 969 1,076 936 1,021

1 to 14 weeks ........................................................................................... 797 918 349 390 448 527

15 weeks or more ..................................................................................... 1,108 1,179 620 686 488 494

Worked during the year ................................................................................ 12,519 13,020 7,128 7,609 5,391 5,411

Year-round workers 1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ...................... 449 500 295 365 154 135

Part-year workers 2 with unemployment ................................................... 12,069 12,520 6,833 7,244 5,236 5,276

1 to 4 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,596 2,591 1,278 1,365 1,317 1,226

5 to 10 weeks ....................................................................................... 2,098 2,090 1,262 1,214 836 876

11 to 14 weeks ..................................................................................... 1,613 1,888 959 1,163 655 725

15 to 26 weeks ..................................................................................... 3,170 3,373 1,863 2,058 1,307 1,316

27 weeks or more ................................................................................. 2,592 2,577 1,472 1,443 1,120 1,134

 Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ....................................... 13.8 13.8 14.0 14.0 13.4 13.6

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ................................................... 3,068 3,098 1,929 1,982 1,139 1,116

 2 spells ................................................................................................. 1,559 1,420 940 840 619 580

 3 spells or more .................................................................................... 1,508 1,678 988 1,143 520 536

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 ................................................................................................... 41.8 43.8 36.0 36.3 47.8 51.7

15 weeks or more ............................................................................................. 58.2 56.2 64.0 63.7 52.2 48.3

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

Year-round workers 1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .............................. 3.6 3.8 4.1 4.8 2.9 2.5

Part-year workers 2 with unemployment ........................................................... 96.4 96.2 95.9 95.2 97.1 97.5

1 to 4 weeks ................................................................................................. 20.7 19.9 17.9 17.9 24.4 22.6

5 to 10 weeks ............................................................................................... 16.8 16.1 17.7 16.0 15.5 16.2

11 to 14 weeks ............................................................................................. 12.9 14.5 13.4 15.3 12.1 13.4

15 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 25.3 25.9 26.1 27.0 24.3 24.3

27 weeks or more ......................................................................................... 20.7 19.8 20.6 19.0 20.8 21.0

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ............................................... 24.5 23.8 27.1 26.1 21.1 20.6

 2 spells ............................................................................................. 12.5 10.9 13.2 11.0 11.5 10.7

 3 spells or more ................................................................................ 12.0 12.9 13.9 15.0 9.6 9.9

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

 NOTE: See Note, table 1.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2006-07

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2006 2007 2006 2007 2006 2007

WHITE 

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 129,766 130,472 70,160 70,392 59,606 60,080

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 8.5 9.0 9.0 9.9 7.9 8.0

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 11,042 11,782 6,308 6,951 4,734 4,831

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 1,263 1,394 656 733 607 661

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 9,779 10,388 5,652 6,218 4,127 4,170

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 13.1 13.4 13.5 13.6 12.5 13.0

Percent who worked during the year 1 ..................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers 2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .................. 4.0 4.3 4.6 5.3 3.2 2.8

Part-year workers 3 with unemployment ............................................... 96.0 95.7 95.4 94.7 96.8 97.2

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 21.5 20.7 18.3 18.7 25.9 23.6

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 30.6 30.8 32.3 31.2 28.4 30.1

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 43.9 44.2 44.8 44.8 42.6 43.5

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 24.6 24.3 26.9 26.5 21.4 20.9

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 17,879 18,112 8,200 8,347 9,678 9,765

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 13.0 12.7 14.5 13.9 11.7 11.6

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 2,323 2,293 1,188 1,163 1,136 1,130

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 474 510 228 244 246 266

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 1,850 1,783 960 919 889 864

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 18.8 17.4 19.4 17.1 18.2 17.7

Percent who worked during the year 1 ..................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers 2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .................. 2.2 1.3 2.5 0.8 1.9 1.8

Part-year workers 3 with unemployment ............................................... 97.8 98.7 97.5 99.2 98.1 98.2

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 17.1 15.2 15.2 14.6 19.1 16.0

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 24.1 28.5 25.3 30.0 22.8 26.8

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 56.6 55.0 56.9 54.5 56.2 55.4

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 23.7 21.4 27.3 22.9 19.9 19.9

ASIAN 

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 7,174 7,291 3,797 3,810 3,378 3,480

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 7.3 6.9 7.5 7.0 7.0 6.8

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 521 500 285 265 236 235

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 78 119 42 66 36 54

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 443 381 243 200 200 181

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 14.0 13.5 14.7 15.4 13.5 12.1

Percent who worked during the year 1 ..................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers 2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .................. 1.1 4.6 1.6 7.8 0.4 1.2

Part-year workers 3 with unemployment ............................................... 98.9 95.4 98.4 92.2 99.6 98.8

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 19.8 18.2 20.2 9.8 19.3 27.5

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 32.7 31.7 29.2 30.9 37.1 32.5

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 46.4 45.5 49.0 51.5 43.2 38.9

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 24.3 15.9 24.9 12.9 23.6 19.1

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2006-07 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2006 2007 2006 2007 2006 2007

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 21,708 22,092 12,906 13,113 8,802 8,978

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 10.2 12.3 10.7 13.0 9.6 11.3

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 2,220 2,720 1,378 1,708 842 1,012

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 261 300 110 136 151 165

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 1,959 2,420 1,267 1,572 691 848

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 14.1 14.2 14.2 13.9 13.9 14.6

Percent who worked during the year 1 ..................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers 2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .................. 3.6 2.6 4.3 2.5 2.4 2.8

Part-year workers 3 with unemployment ............................................... 96.4 97.4 95.7 97.5 97.6 97.2

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 18.5 21.1 15.9 20.4 23.1 22.4

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 31.0 29.9 32.6 31.9 27.9 26.3

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 46.9 46.4 47.1 45.3 46.5 48.5

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 29.4 27.8 32.8 30.8 23.1 22.1

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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Also, see Note, table 1.