Internet and Computer Use at Work

26 Monthly Labor Review February 2003

Internet and Computer Use at Work

T

he personal computer is becoming a

hallmark of the workplace in postindustrial

America. The advent of microcomputers

in the mid-1970s expanded both the use of

computers and employees’ computer skills in the

workplace. For many people, computers have

become an indispensable tool on the job. In

September 2001, 72.3 million individuals used a

computer at work, accounting for 53.5 percent of

total employment; in addition, about 2 of every 5

employed persons connected to the Internet or

used e-mail while on the job.1

These findings are from a special supplement

to the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted

in September 2001.2 The Computer and Internet

Use Survey obtained information on computer

and Internet or e-mail use at home, school, and

work, as well as on the use of the Internet for job

searches. The data presented in this article

pertain to computer and Internet use at work and

to job searches using the Internet.3 (For further

information about the survey, see the appendix.)

Occupation and industry

The extent to which workers use computers

varies by age, sex, education, and other characteristics. Most of these differences probably

are tied to the occupational composition of the

groups in question. The computer and the

Internet, after all, are tools that are more useful

for some tasks than others. Computer and Internet use at work was most common among

managerial and professional specialty occupations, with 79.6 percent reporting that they

used a computer at work and 65.8 percent using

the Internet. Technicians and related support

occupations (including computer programmers)

and administrative support (including clerical)

occupations also had high rates of computer and

Internet use: about three-fourths of both groups

said that they used a computer at work, and

roughly half reported that they used the Internet.

In contrast, computer and Internet use rates were

very low for service workers (23.3 percent and

11.9 percent, respectively); operators, fabricators,

and laborers (19.5 percent and 8.4 percent,

respectively); and workers in farming, forestry,

and fishing occupations (19.1 percent and 12.8

percent, respectively). (See chart 1 and table 1.)

As with occupations, there was a great deal

of variation in the use of computers and the

Internet among the different industries. In the

private sector, the finance, insurance, and real

estate industry had the highest rates of computer

(81.4 percent) and Internet use (66.2 percent). In

Computer and Internet use

at work in 2001

In 2001, more than half of all workers

used a computer on the job;

the most commonly reported use

was connecting to the Internet or accessing e-mail

Steven Hipple

and

Karen Kosanovich

Steven Hipple and

Karen Kosanovich

are economists in the

Division of Labor Force

Statistics, Office of

Employment and

Unemployment

Statistics, Bureau of

Labor Statistics,

Washington, DC.

E-mail:

Hipple_S@bls.gov

Kosanovich_K@bls.gov
Monthly Labor Review February 2003 27

contrast, computer and Internet use rates were lowest in the

agriculture (22.6 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively) and

construction (21.3 percent and 14.5 percent, respectively)

industries. (See table 1.)

Workers in the public sector had above-average rates

of computer and Internet use. Among government workers,

67.2 percent used a computer on the job and 52.5 percent

used the Internet. By comparison, the proportions for all

private-sector wage and salary workers were 51.2 percent and

35.6 percent, respectively. The higher rates of computer and

Internet use among government workers can be explained by

their occupational makeup. For example, nearly half of all

government workers hold managerial and professional

specialty jobs, an occupational category that has very high

rates of computer and Internet use. In contrast, the proportion

of private-sector wage and salary workers employed in

managerial and professional occupations is much lower—

about one-fourth. (See table 1.)

Demographics

Younger and older workers were least likely to use a computer

or the Internet on the job. Among workers aged 16 to 24

years and among those workers aged 65 years and older,

roughly 1 in every 3 used a computer at work, and only about

1 in every 5 reported using the Internet. In contrast, more

than half of workers aged 25 to 64 years used a computer, and

about two-fifths used the Internet. (See table 2.)

Women were more likely than men to use a computer or

the Internet. Computer-use rates for women and men were

59.9 percent and 47.9 percent, respectively; the Internet use

rate for women was 41.2 percent, compared with 36.0 percent

for men. The higher rate of on-the-job computer use among

women is due largely to their concentration in occupations

in which computer use is most common. For example, nearly

three-fifths of women hold managerial, professional, or administrative support occupations, whose combined comput0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Percent

Internet-use rate

Computer-use rate

Chart 1. Internet- and computer-use rates by occupation, September 2001

 Total employed

 Managerial and professional specialty

Technical, sales, and administrative support

 Service occupations

 Precision production, craft, and repair

 Operators, fabricators, and laborers

 Farming, forestry, and fishing

Internet- and computer-use rates by occupation, September 2001

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Internet and Computer Use at Work

28 Monthly Labor Review February 2003

 Occupation

Total, 16 years and older ........................................... 135,089 72,277 53.5 51,929 38.4

Managerial and professional specialty ............................... 41,936 33,374 79.6 27,607 65.8

Executive, administrative, and managerial ...................... 20,279 16,297 80.4 13,616 67.1

Professional specialty .................................................. 21,657 17,077 78.9 13,990 64.6

Technical, sales, and administrative support ...................... 38,761 26,056 67.2 17,539 45.3

Technicians and related support .................................... 4,617 3,462 75.0 2,439 52.8

Sales occupations ....................................................... 15,905 9,173 57.7 6,360 40.0

Administrative support, including clerical ........................ 18,238 13,421 73.6 8,741 47.9

Service occupations ....................................................... 18,279 4,259 23.3 2,175 11.9

Precision production, craft, and repair .............................. 14,850 4,447 29.9 2,662 17.9

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................. 17,737 3,465 19.5 1,493 8.4

Farming, forestry, and fishing ........................................... 3,527 675 19.1 453 12.8

 Industry

Total, 16 years and older1.......................................... 135,089 72,277 53.5 51,929 38.4

Private wage and salary workers. ..................................... 101,187 51,764 51.2 36,015 35.6

Agriculture. ................................................................. 1,779 401 22.6 218 12.2

Nonagricultural industries ............................................. 99,408 51,362 51.7 35,798 36.0

Mining ..................................................................... 529 233 44.1 173 32.7

Construction ............................................................. 7,242 1,544 21.3 1,053 14.5

Manufacturing ........................................................... 17,364 8,787 50.6 6,454 37.2

Durable goods ........................................................ 10,687 5,450 51.0 4,020 37.6

Nondurable goods ................................................... 6,678 3,337 50.0 2,434 36.5

Transportation and public utilities ................................. 7,470 4,179 55.9 3,052 40.9

Wholesale trade ........................................................ 4,322 2,467 57.1 1,865 43.2

Retail trade ............................................................... 20,758 7,815 37.6 3,814 18.4

Finance, insurance, and real estate ............................. 7,514 6,114 81.4 4,971 66.2

Services 2................................................................. 34,155 20,209 59.2 14,403 42.2

Business, automobile, and repair services ................ 7,976 4,772 59.8 3,676 46.1

Personal services, except private households ........... 2,784 985 35.4 571 20.5

Entertainment and recreation services ...................... 1,951 861 44.1 566 29.0

Professional services ............................................. 20,672 13,517 65.4 9,536 46.1

Government workers ....................................................... 19,264 12,945 67.2 10,108 52.5

Federal ....................................................................... 3,383 2,262 66.9 1,822 53.9

State .......................................................................... 5,631 4,016 71.3 3,269 58.0

Local .......................................................................... 10,249 6,667 65.0 5,017 48.9

Self-employed workers .................................................... 14,516 7,500 51.7 5,758 39.7

1 Includes unpaid family workers, not shown separately.

2 Includes other industries, not shown separately.

NOTE: Data refer to computer or Internet use on the sole or primary job.

“Used the Internet at work” refers to either connecting to the Internet or

accessing e-mail.

er-use rate for women was a very high 78.4 percent. In contrast,

about two-fifths of men are employed in precision production,

craft, and repair; operator, fabricator, and laborer; and farming

occupations, whose combined computer-use rate for men was

23.1 percent, about 30 percentage points lower than that for

all workers.

Computer use at work was more common among white

workers (54.9 percent) than black (43.2 percent) or Hispanic

(32.0 percent) workers. With regard to Internet use, 39.6

percent of whites used the Internet at work, compared with

28.8 percent of blacks and 19.8 percent of Hispanics. (See

chart 2 and table 2.)

Workers with more education were much more likely than

those with less education to use a computer or the Internet at

work. For example, 84.2 percent of workers with advanced

degrees (that is, master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, or professional degrees, such as M.D.’s or J.D.’s) used a computer at

work, and 73.4 percent used the Internet. At the other end of the

educational spectrum, computer and Internet use rates for

workers with less than a high school diploma were 16.2 percent

and 7.6 percent, respectively. (See chart 3 and table 2.)

Computer activity at work

Although there was a great deal of variation by worker

characteristic, the most common use for a computer at work

was to access the Internet or e-mail. Of the 72.3 million workers

who used a computer on the job, 71.8 percent said that they

used the computer to connect to the Internet or to their e-mail.

Other common uses included word processing (67.0 percent),

Total

 employed

Total

Percent of

employed

Percent of

employed Total

Table 1. Employed persons who used a computer or the Internet at work, by occupation and industry,

[Numbers in thousands]

September 2001

Occupation and industry

Used a computer at work Used the Internet at work
Monthly Labor Review February 2003 29

 Table 2.

 Age and sex

Total, 16 years and older ........................................... 135,089 72,277 53.5 51,929 38.4

16 to 24 years ............................................................... 20,024 7,087 35.4 3,973 19.8

16 to 19 years ............................................................ 6,633 1,532 23.1 565 8.5

20 to 24 years ............................................................ 13,391 5,555 41.5 3,408 25.4

25 years and older ......................................................... 115,065 65,190 56.7 47,956 41.7

25 to 34 years ............................................................ 29,638 17,038 57.5 12,739 43.0

35 to 44 years ............................................................ 35,881 20,909 58.3 15,410 42.9

45 to 54 years ............................................................ 30,831 18,075 58.6 13,387 43.4

55 to 64 years ............................................................ 14,293 7,681 53.7 5,495 38.4

65 years and older ....................................................... 4,423 1,488 33.6 925 20.9

Men .............................................................................. 72,306 34,663 47.9 26,040 36.0

Women .......................................................................... 62,784 37,614 59.9 25,889 41.2

 Race and Hispanic origin

White ............................................................................ 113,130 62,063 54.9 44,746 39.6

Black ............................................................................ 15,367 6,635 43.2 4,433 28.8

Hispanic origin ............................................................... 14,848 4,754 32.0 2,933 19.8

 Full- or part-time status

Usually full time on primary job ........................................ 102,228 58,918 57.6 43,578 42.6

Usually part time on primary job ....................................... 21,265 8,414 39.6 4,854 22.8

Hours vary on primary job ............................................... 11,596 4,945 42.6 3,497 30.2

 Educational attainment

 Total, 25 years and older ............................................ 115,065 65,190 56.7 47,956 41.7

Less than a high school diploma ...................................... 11,275 1,831 16.2 859 7.6

High school graduate, no college ..................................... 35,220 14,227 40.4 8,518 24.2

Some college, no degree ................................................. 21,319 12,565 58.9 8,679 40.7

Associate’s degree ......................................................... 11,154 7,013 62.9 4,725 42.4

College degree ............................................................... 36,096 29,553 81.9 25,176 69.7

Advanced degree ........................................................ 12,695 10,685 84.2 9,316 73.4

Characteristic Total

employed

Used a computer at work Used the Internet at work

Total Percent of

employed Total Percent ofemployed

[Numbers in thousands]

working with spreadsheets or databases (62.3 percent), and

engaging in calendar-related or scheduling activities (52.9

percent). Less commonly reported uses were graphics and

design (28.8 percent) and programming (15.2 percent). (See

table 3.)

Men and women used computers at work for different tasks.

A higher proportion of men than women reported using the

computer to access the Internet or e-mail (75.1 percent,

compared with 68.8 percent). Men were also more likely than

women to use a computer for spreadsheets and databases

(64.9 percent, compared with 59.9 percent), graphics and design

(32.0 percent and 25.8 percent, respectively), and computer

programming (20.4 percent, compared with 10.5 percent).

Women were more likely than men to report using the computer

to do word processing (69.4 percent and 64.3 percent, respectively). As mentioned previously, nearly three-fifths of all

women were employed as managers, professionals, or

clerical workers; the proportion of workers in these three

occupations who used a computer to do word processing

was a very high (74.4 percent).

In terms of occupation, workers in managerial and

professional specialty occupations, who had the highest

rate of computer use on the job, reported some of the

highest proportions for specific uses of a computer. For

example, 82.7 percent used a computer to access the Internet

or their e-mail, 78.3 percent performed word processing or

desktop publishing on the computer, and 70.3 percent

worked with spreadsheets or databases. (See table 4.)

Job search activity on the Internet

In addition to asking questions on computer and Internet

Employed persons who used a computer or the Internet at work, by selected characteristics, September 2001

NOTE: Data refer to computer or Internet use on the sole or primary job.

Details for the race and Hispanic-origin groups do not sum to totals, because

data for the “other races” group are not presented and Hispanics are

included in both the white and black population groups.
Internet and Computer Use at Work

30 Monthly Labor Review February 2003

Both sexes Men Women White Black Hispanic origin

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Internet-use rate

Computer-use rate

Chart 2. Internet- and computer-use rates by sex, race, and Hispanic origin, September 2001

Percent Percent

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Internet-use rate

Computer-use rate

Chart 3. Internet- and computer-use rates by educational attainment, September 2001

Percent Percent

Both sexes, 

aged 25 and 

older

High shcool 

graduate, no 

colege

Some college, 

no degree

Associate's 

degree

College 

graduate

Less than a 

high school 

diploma

Percent Percent

Percent Percent

Internet- and computer-use rates by educational attainment, September 2001

Internet- and computer-use rates by sex, race, and Hispanic origin, September 2001

college

school
Monthly Labor Review February 2003 31

 Age and sex

Total, 16 years and older .................. 72,277 67.0 71.8 52.9 62.3 28.8 15.2 13.1

16 to 24 years .................................... 7,087 53.6 56.1 45.6 52.2 20.8 12.2 14.3

16 to 19 years ................................... 1,532 39.8 36.9 32.1 35.7 12.8 7.4 19.6

20 to 24 years ................................... 5,555 57.4 61.3 49.3 56.7 22.9 13.6 12.8

25 years and older .............................. 65,190 68.4 73.6 53.7 63.4 29.7 15.6 12.9

25 to 34 years ................................... 17,038 68.8 74.8 56.3 66.4 30.0 17.6 12.6

35 to 44 years ................................... 20,909 68.8 73.7 55.5 65.2 31.3 16.9 12.0

45 to 54 years ................................... 18,075 69.4 74.1 53.5 62.3 29.9 13.5 13.7

55 to 64 years ................................... 7,681 66.4 71.5 47.0 57.5 25.5 12.9 13.8

65 years and older ............................. 1,488 58.0 62.2 37.2 47.2 20.6 12.1 16.6

Men ................................................... 34,663 64.3 75.1 55.2 64.9 32.0 20.4 13.0

Women ............................................... 37,614 69.4 68.8 50.9 59.9 25.8 10.5 13.1

 Race and Hispanic origin

White ................................................. 62,063 67.4 72.1 52.7 62.7 28.9 14.7 13.2

Black ................................................. 6,635 62.6 66.8 53.9 56.9 26.1 15.8 13.0

Hispanic origin .................................... 4,754 64.0 61.7 49.7 57.9 22.8 12.7 11.9

 Full- or part-time status

Usually full time on primary job ............. 58,918 68.4 74.0 55.2 64.3 29.6 16.2 12.7

Usually part time on primary job ............ 8,414 59.7 57.7 39.2 49.8 22.8 9.1 16.0

Hours vary on primary job .................... 4,945 62.7 70.7 49.6 59.5 29.1 14.0 12.1

 Educational attainment

Total, 25 years and older .................. 65,190 68.4 73.6 53.7 63.4 29.7 15.6 12.9

Less than a high school diploma ........... 1,831 45.5 46.9 40.7 45.7 15.5 11.3 19.2

High school graduate, no college .......... 14,227 55.2 59.9 46.2 53.8 19.9 11.6 14.5

Some college, no degree ...................... 12,565 64.1 69.1 51.1 60.6 26.5 14.0 13.4

Associate’s degree .............................. 7,013 61.6 67.4 51.2 58.2 25.9 14.9 14.9

College degree .................................... 29,553 79.6 85.2 59.9 71.5 37.4 18.6 11.1

Advanced degree ............................. 10,685 83.8 87.2 60.0 70.0 38.4 18.7 11.3

 use at work, the survey gathered information on Internet job

searching.4 Respondents were asked whether they had used

the Internet (at any location) to search for a job “that year”—

that is, from January to September 2001. About 19.6 million

individuals, or 9.2 percent of the civilian noninstitutional

population aged 16 and older, reported using the Internet (at

any location) to search for a job.5 Job search rates using the

Internet were highest for individuals in the 20- to 24-year-old

(17.4 percent), 25- to 34-year-old (16.8 percent), and 35- to 44-

year-old (11.0 percent) age groups. (See table 5.)

Men and women were about equally likely to have used

the Internet to search for a job: nearly 1 in every 10 reported

such use. Also, individuals with more years of schooling were

much more likely than the less educated to have used the

Internet to search for a job. The Internet job search rate for

college graduates was 15.6 percent, in contrast to only 1.5

percent for those with less than a high school diploma. (See

table 5.)

Table 6 shows data on job searching by occupation. The

estimates given are limited to the experienced labor force—

the sum of the employed and the unemployed whose last job

was in one of the occupations or industries listed. Of the

141.4 million individuals in this group in September 2001,

17.2 million, or 12.2 percent of the total, used the Internet to

search for a job between January and September 2001. As

was the case for Internet use, individuals in managerial and

professional specialty occupations had the highest rate of

Internet job searching (16.9 percent). Job search rates for the

Table 3. Type of computer activity at work, by selected characteristics, September 2001

Characteristic

Employed

persons who

used a

computer

at work

(in

thousands)

Word

processing

or desktop

publishing

Internet or

e-mail

Calendar or

scheduling

Spreadsheets

or databases

Graphics

or

design

Other

activities Programming

NOTE: Data refer to computer use on the sole or primary job. The

percentage of persons who used computers for various activities may

exceed 100 percent, because some may report multiple activities. Details

for the race and Hispanic-origin groups do not sum to totals, because data

for the “other races” group are not presented and Hispanics are included in

both the white and black population groups.

Percent who use a computer for—
Internet and Computer Use at Work

32 Monthly Labor Review February 2003

 Occupation

Total, 16 years and older ......................... 72,277 67.0 71.8 52.9 62.3 28.8 15.2 13.1

Managerial and professional specialty ........... 33,374 78.3 82.7 60.8 70.3 37.2 18.6 11.0

Executive, administrative, and managerial ... 16,297 79.0 83.5 65.3 76.9 34.4 16.6 9.4

Professional specialty ............................... 17,077 77.6 81.9 56.5 63.9 39.9 20.5 12.5

Technical, sales, and administrative support .. 26,056 62.6 67.3 48.4 59.7 22.5 12.4 13.2

Technicians and related support ................. 3,462 58.5 70.4 52.3 59.3 29.5 27.0 14.3

Sales occupations .................................... 9,173 59.9 69.3 48.6 60.1 25.6 11.1 14.5

Administrative support, including clerical ..... 13,421 65.6 65.1 47.2 59.6 18.5 9.6 11.9

Service occupations ................................... 4,259 52.6 51.1 45.7 43.8 17.2 8.9 18.2

Precision production, craft, and repair .......... 4,447 46.5 59.9 45.4 51.7 23.7 17.4 17.4

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ............. 3,465 35.7 43.1 32.4 41.2 17.1 9.5 20.8

Farming, forestry, and fishing. ..................... 675 60.9 67.1 43.7 61.3 21.7 10.6 12.5

 Industry

Total, 16 years and older1........................ 72,277 67.0 71.8 52.9 62.3 28.8 15.2 13.1

Private wage and salary workers .................. 51,764 63.4 69.6 53.6 62.1 26.6 15.4 13.3

Agriculture ............................................... 401 58.0 54.2 47.7 65.6 18.2 8.3 15.6

Nonagricultural industries ........................... 51,362 63.5 69.7 53.7 62.1 26.7 15.5 13.3

Mining ................................................... 233 63.5 74.1 54.7 76.1 28.1 20.1 8.9

Construction .......................................... 1,544 65.1 68.2 56.5 67.1 31.1 18.2 11.5

Manufacturing ........................................ 8,787 63.9 73.4 54.2 67.0 34.2 20.0 12.0

Durable goods ..................................... . 5,450 62.2 73.8 54.8 67.4 35.1 23.1 12.9

Nondurable goods ................................. 3,337 66.7 72.9 53.4 66.3 32.8 15.0 10.5

Transportation and public utilities ................ 4,179 56.7 73.0 56.1 63.3 24.0 15.7 13.6

Wholesale trade ........................................ 2,467 63.9 75.6 52.8 66.2 25.0 14.0 13.6

Retail trade .............................................. 7,815 44.4 48.8 41.7 48.3 17.0 9.3 19.2

Finance, insurance, and real estate ............ 6,114 73.1 81.3 58.6 69.8 24.5 14.5 10.3

Services 2................................................. 20,209 68.9 71.3 55.9 61.6 28.3 16.0 12.6

Business, automobile, and repair

 services ............................................. 4,772 65.6 77.0 59.9 68.5 33.2 27.9 12.0

Personal services, except private

 households ......................................... 985 58.2 58.0 55.6 56.5 20.1 9.3 14.1

Entertainment and recreation services .... 861 62.2 65.8 51.9 57.4 31.2 14.0 12.7

Professional services ............................ 13,517 71.3 70.5 54.9 60.1 27.0 12.5 12.6

Government workers ................................... 12,945 77.9 78.1 53.8 62.5 32.4 14.5 12.2

Federal .................................................... 2,262 74.3 80.6 56.6 64.0 30.1 17.0 11.5

State ....................................................... 4,016 79.2 81.4 55.8 66.2 33.7 16.7 12.3

Local ....................................................... 6,667 78.2 75.2 51.7 59.7 32.3 12.2 12.3

Self-employed workers ................................ 7,500 72.6 76.8 46.9 63.1 37.5 15.6 13.0

 Occupation and industry

Employed

persons who

used a computer

at work

(in

thousands)

Word

processing

or desktop

publishing

Internet or

e-mail

Calendar

or

scheduling

Spreadsheets

or

databases

Graphics

 or

design

Programming Other

activities

Percent who use a computer for—

 Table 4. Type of computer activity at work, by occupation and industry, September 2001

other major occupations ranged from 14.3 percent for

technical, sales, and administrative support occupations to

4.1 percent for farming, forestry, and fishing.

The most common Internet job search methods reported

were reading online ads or job listings (92.2 percent of

Internet jobseekers) and researching information on

potential employers (68.5 percent). The least common

methods used were posting a resume on a job-listing site or

with a service (37.4 percent) and posting a resume on a

personal Web site (4.8 percent). This pattern of Internet job

searching was essentially the same, regardless of demographic

characteristic, occupation, or industry. (See tables 5 and 6.)

THE RESULTS FROM THE 2001 COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE

SURVEY show that computer and Internet use has become a fixture

in the U.S. workplace. Although there was a great deal of variation

in terms of occupation and industry, individuals employed in

managerial and professional specialty occupations and workers in

the finance, insurance, and real estate industry were most likely to

use a computer or the Internet on the job. Computer and Internet

1 Includes unpaid family workers, not shown separately.

2

 Includes other industries, not shown separately.

 NOTE: Data refer to computer or Internet use on the sole or primary job.

The percentage of persons who use computers for various activities may

exceed 100 percent, because some may report multiple activities.
Monthly Labor Review February 2003 33

[Numbers in thousands]

 Age and sex

Total, 16 years and older ............. 212,357 19,616 9.2 92.0 67.4 49.5 36.7 4.8 3.7

16 to 24 years ............................... 35,195 4,415 12.5 92.3 63.2 45.9 35.6 4.8 2.7

16 to 19 years .............................. 16,206 1,108 6.8 91.5 54.1 34.0 26.3 3.0 1.7

20 to 24 years .............................. 18,990 3,308 17.4 92.5 66.2 49.9 38.7 5.4 3.0

25 years and older ......................... 177,162 15,201 8.6 91.9 68.7 50.5 37.0 4.8 3.9

25 to 34 years .............................. 37,032 6,238 16.8 92.3 70.7 52.9 42.2 5.5 3.5

35 to 44 years. ............................. 44,318 4,890 11.0 91.9 68.6 50.4 35.4 4.4 3.8

45 to 54 years .............................. 38,642 3,051 7.9 91.3 66.2 48.9 32.5 4.3 4.4

55 to 64 years .............................. 24,328 877 3.6 89.9 67.4 41.3 26.9 2.7 5.4

65 years and older ........................ 32,842 145 .4 94.1 46.5 43.2 24.6 6.6 10.0

Men .............................................. 102,110 9,700 9.5 91.5 71.5 53.4 40.5 5.9 3.8

Women .......................................... 110,247 9,916 9.0 92.5 63.4 45.6 33.0 3.6 3.6

 Race and Hispanic origin

White ............................................ 176,220 16,018 9.1 91.9 67.1 48.2 35.1 4.5 3.8

Black ............................................ 25,644 2,396 9.3 92.3 67.1 52.9 41.5 5.5 3.2

Hispanic origin ............................... 23,288 1,377 5.9 89.2 67.7 47.0 36.6 5.8 2.4

 Educational attainment

 Total, 25 years and older ............. 177,162 15,201 8.6 91.9 68.7 50.5 37.0 4.8 3.9

Less than a high school diploma ...... 27,484 402 1.5 88.8 58.2 38.9 30.3 4.6 1.9

High school graduate, no college ..... 57,386 2,812 4.9 90.9 59.2 42.0 31.7 3.3 3.1

Some college, no degree ................. 30,641 3,029 9.9 92.2 63.1 48.2 34.7 3.8 3.1

Associate’s degree ......................... 14,779 1,667 11.3 93.7 65.4 48.3 34.7 4.7 3.7

College degree ............................... 46,872 7,291 15.6 91.9 76.0 55.9 40.8 5.7 4.8

Advanced degree. ....................... 16,283 2,390 14.7 91.6 77.8 55.6 39.3 6.4 4.8

 Occupation

Total, 16 years and older ......................... 141,447 17,235 12.2 92.2 68.5 50.7 37.4 4.8 3.8

Managerial and professional specialty ........... 43,058 7,258 16.9 92.8 74.3 56.0 40.1 5.9 4.8

Executive, administrative, and managerial ... 20,851 3,484 16.7 93.4 75.3 58.3 42.1 4.8 4.9

Professional specialty ............................... 22,206 3,775 17.0 92.4 73.3 53.9 38.2 6.9 4.7

Technical, sales, and administrative support .. 40,521 5,809 14.3 92.7 65.7 50.8 38.1 4.3 3.3

Technicians and related support ................. 4,784 868 18.1 90.1 72.6 54.8 42.4 6.0 2.7

Sales occupations .................................... 16,709 2,151 12.9 94.5 71.2 54.0 40.5 4.8 3.6

Administrative support, including clerical ..... 19,028 2,790 14.7 92.1 59.3 47.0 34.9 3.3 3.3

Service occupations ................................... 19,541 1,477 7.6 90.1 59.4 37.9 29.7 4.0 3.2

Precision production, craft, and repair .......... 15,528 1,172 7.5 89.7 65.5 45.3 35.4 2.9 3.0

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ............. 19,082 1,361 7.1 91.0 62.6 42.0 32.9 4.4 1.4

Farming, forestry, and fishing ....................... 3,705 152 4.1 87.5 62.8 37.1 19.9 2.2 2.5

Table 6. Job search activity1 using the Internet, by occupation and industry, September 2001

Table 5. Job search activity1 using the Internet, by selected characteristics, September 2001

1

 Refers to use of the Internet to search for a job “this year”—that is,

from January to September 2001.

NOTE: The percentage of persons performing each activity may exceed

100 percent, because some may perform more than one activity. Details for

the race and Hispanic-origin groups do not sum to totals, because data for

the “other races” group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both

the white and black population groups.

 Charactertistic Total

Total civilian

noninstitutional population

Job search activity of persons who used

the Internet to search for a job (percent)

Total who

used the

Internet to

search

for a job

Percent

of

total

Read

online

ads

 or

 searched

 online

job

listings

Researched

information

on

potential

employers

Posted

a resume

on a joblisting

 site or with

 a service

Other

activities

Submitted

 a resume

or

application

Posted

a

resume

on own

Web site

Job search activity of persons who used

the Internet to search for a job (percent)

Other

activities

Posted

a

resume

on own

Web site

Posted

a resume

on a joblisting

 site or

with

 a service

Submitted

 a resume

or

application

 Total

Total who

used the

Internet to

search

for a job

Percent

of

total

Read

online

ads

 or

 searched

 online

job

listings

Researched

information

on

potential

employers

Occupation and industry

[Numbers in thousands]
Internet and Computer Use at Work

34 Monthly Labor Review February 2003

[Numbers in thousands]

 Industry

Total, 16 years and older2........................ 141,447 17,235 12.2 92.2 68.5 50.7 37.4 4.8 3.8

Private wage and salary workers .................. 106,847 13,819 12.9 92.7 69.7 52.0 38.8 4.7 3.7

Agriculture ............................................... 1,895 123 6.5 89.2 66.7 51.3 27.8 2.5 5.5

Nonagricultural industries ........................... 104,951 13,697 13.1 92.7 69.8 52.0 38.9 4.7 3.7

Mining ................................................... 554 52 9.4 98.1 62.3 35.0 11.2 6.1 .0

Construction .......................................... 7,747 548 7.1 88.3 64.2 44.9 29.2 5.0 1.6

 Manufacturing ........................................ 18,412 2,216 12.0 93.2 72.2 53.9 39.8 4.6 4.0

Durable goods .................................... 11,348 1,454 12.8 92.9 74.4 57.1 41.0 4.8 5.0

Nondurable goods ............................... 7,064 763 10.8 93.7 68.0 47.7 37.7 4.1 2.0

Transportation and public utilities ............. 7,784 1,069 13.7 91.0 70.2 53.2 41.8 6.9 3.4

Wholesale trade ..................................... 4,549 618 13.6 94.7 68.2 55.1 40.4 4.6 5.0

Retail trade ............................................ 22,123 2,348 10.6 93.8 64.1 47.2 36.3 4.7 2.4

Finance, insurance, and real estate .......... 7,753 1,307 16.9 92.3 71.6 56.2 42.0 4.7 4.1

Services 3.............................................. 35,971 5,537 15.4 92.7 71.5 52.6 39.4 4.4 4.1

Business, automobile, and repair

 services .......................................... 8,727 1,739 19.9 94.0 78.6 63.5 49.5 7.0 4.1

Personal services, except private

households ...................................... 2,995 324 10.8 91.7 59.8 48.7 35.0 3.6 5.6

Entertainment and recreation services ... 2,157 323 15.0 87.7 71.2 45.8 32.8 2.6 4.9

Professional services .......................... 21,278 3,097 14.6 92.7 68.8 48.4 35.3 3.2 4.0

Government workers ................................... 19,697 2,524 12.8 90.9 61.4 43.8 29.1 3.9 3.4

Federal .................................................... 3,495 480 13.7 91.7 55.0 46.0 30.7 2.3 3.5

State ....................................................... 5,760 891 15.5 90.6 60.8 43.3 28.2 5.1 3.5

Local ....................................................... 10,443 1,153 11.0 90.9 64.5 43.2 29.1 3.8 3.2

Self-employed workers ................................ 14,778 889 6.0 87.6 69.7 49.4 40.0 9.4 6.0

1 Refers to use of the Internet to search for a job “this year”—that is,

from January to September 2001.

2 Includes unpaid family workers, not shown separately.

3 Includes other industries, not shown separately.

NOTE: Data refer to computer or Internet use on the sole or primary job.

use at work also was most common among women, whites, and

those with higher levels of educational attainment. Data from the

2001 survey show the importance of the Internet in assisting

individuals in searching for new jobs, with nearly 1 in every 10

persons reporting that he or she used the Internet to search for a

job in the 9 months prior to responding to the survey. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: The authors thank Bernard R. Altschuler and

Sharon R. Cohany for their assistance in the preparation of this article.

1

In the survey that is to be discussed, respondents were asked whether

they “connected to the Internet or used e-mail.” In this article, these two

tasks will be collectively referred to as “Internet use.”

2

 The CPS is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households

that provides information on demographic characteristics of the labor

Other

activities

 Occupation and Industry Total

Total who

used the

Internet to

search

for a job

Percent

of

total

Read

online

ads

 or

 searched

 online

job

listings

Researched

information

on

potential

employers

Submitted

 a resume

or

application

Posted

a resume

on a joblisting

 site or

with

 a service

Posted

a resume

on own

Web site

Job search activity of persons who used

the Internet to search for a job (percent)

Table 6. Continued—Job search activity1 using the Internet, by occupation and industry, September 2001

force and the employment status of the noninstitutionalized population aged 16 years and older.

3

 A recent report by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, also

based on the CPS Computer and Internet Use Survey, provides a

comprehensive overview of computer and Internet use at all locations:

home, school, and work. (See A Nation Online: How Americans Are

Expanding Their Use of the Internet (National Telecommunications

Notes
Monthly Labor Review February 2003 35

Appendix: Data collection

The data presented in this article and other information

on computer and Internet use were obtained from a

supplement to the September 2001 Current Population

Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about 60,000

households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the

Bureau of Labor Statistics, principally to gather information on employment and unemployment. Respondents

to the September 2001 supplement answered questions

about their computer and Internet use at home, school,

and work, in addition to giving other information. The data

cover the incidence of computer and Internet use at work

and job search activity using the Internet. Since 1984, surveys of computer use and (later) Internet use have been

conducted p eriodically by the Census Bureau. However,

because of comparability issues, the data pertain only to the

September 2001 supplement.

Questions

The data on computer and Internet use at work and on job

searching using the Internet were obtained from the following

questions in the Computer and Internet Use Survey:

Do you use a computer at your main job?

1. Yes

2. No

At your main job, what do you do on the computer? Do you do

word processing or desktop publishing?

1. Yes

2. No

Do you connect to the Internet or use e-mail?

1. Yes

2. No

(Respondents who answer “yes” to this question are considered

to be Internet users at work.)

Do you use a calendar or do scheduling on the computer?

1. Yes

2. No

Do you use spreadsheets or databases?

1. Yes

2. No

Do you do graphics and design?

1. Yes

2. No

Do you do programming?

1. Yes

2. No

Do you use your work computer for any other purpose?

1. Yes

2. No

Data on job searching using the Internet pertain to all individuals

in the survey who used the Internet:

This year, have you used the Internet to search for a job?

1. Yes

2. No

(“This year” refers to January through September 2001.)

How did you use the Internet to search for a job? Did you read

online job ads or search online job listings?

1. Yes

2. No

Did you research information about potential employers?

1. Yes

2. No

Did you submit a resume or application to an employer online?

1. Yes

2. No

Did you post a resume on a job-listing site or with a service

online?

1. Yes

2. No

Did you post a resume on your own Web site?

1. Yes

2. No

Did you do anything else to search for a job online?

1. No

2. Yes

and Information Administration, February 2002); on the Internet at http:/

/www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/index.html.)

4

 The Internet job search questions in the supplement are different

from the job search questions that are asked in the basic labor force

section of the CPS and that are used in the classification of

unemployment. The supplement’s questions on Internet job searching

cannot be used to determine the official classification of unemployment, for several reasons. In the basic CPS, job search questions are

not asked of persons with jobs, whereas the Internet job search

questions were asked of all Internet users, including employed persons.

Also, in the basic CPS, job searching among the unemployed must have

occurred within the 4 weeks prior to collection of the survey, but the

Internet job search activity could have occurred at any time from

January to September 2001. Moreover, there is no information about

respondents’ labor force status during this longer reference period.

Finally, in the basic CPS, job search methods are divided into active

and passive, and only active methods—those which can lead to a job

offer—classify a person as unemployed. By contrast, the Internet job

search methods in the supplement are not restricted to active methods.

For example, reading job ads or listings online and researching

information on potential employers are not considered to be active

job search methods in the basic CPS. However, tables 5 and 6, showing

Internet job search activity, display both passive and active job search

methods. As measured in the basic CPS , job search activity may or may

not have involved the Internet.

5

 In a recent study, Richard B. Freeman contends that the low cost

of transmitting information over the Internet is shifting job search

and recruiting efforts of employers to that medium. (See Richard B.

Freeman, “The Labour Market in the New Information Economy,”

Working Paper 9254 (National Bureau of Economic Research, October

2002).)