Internet address:  http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm
Technical information:   (202) 691-6378          USDL 00-333

                                                 For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                 691-5902          Tuesday, November 14, 2000


                 WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION IN 1999


   A total of 147.5 million persons worked at some point during 1999, an
increase of about 2.7 million persons from the prior year, according to the
annual survey of work experience released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
of the U.S. Department of Labor.  The number of individuals who experienced
some unemployment during the year continued to decline.  About 13 million
individuals were in this category in 1999, down about 1 million from 1998.
   
   These data are from the March 2000 supplement to the Current Population
Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 50,000 households that is conducted
by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Additional
information about this annual supplement, including concepts and definitions,
is provided in the Technical Note.
   
   Highlights from the 1999 data include:
   
   --The proportion of workers employed full time, year round continued to
     rise, edging up by 0.3 percentage point to 65.9 percent, the highest in
     the 50 years since the series began.
        
   --Between 1998 and 1999, the proportion of blacks who worked at some
     point during the year increased by 1.9 percentage points, compared with
     an increase of 0.5 percentage point for whites.
   
   --Of the 149 million persons who worked or looked for work at some time
     in 1999, 8.8 percent experienced some unemployment during the year.

   --The "work-experience unemployment rate" continued to decline for most
     major worker groups.
   
Persons with Employment
   
   In 1999, the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16
years old and over that worked at some point during the year increased
slightly to 70.6 percent.  This upward movement has been the trend for the
past three decades, with the exception of recessionary periods.  The
increasing participation of women in the workforce has been the main factor
behind the rising employment rate.  The proportion of women who worked at
some point during the year has risen 11.9 percentage points since 1969, to
64.5 percent in 1999.  In contrast, the proportion of men who worked at
some time during 1999 was 77.2 percent, a decrease of 8.0 percentage points
since 1969.
   
   A greater share of whites (71.0 percent) worked in 1999 than either
Hispanics (69.3 percent) or blacks (68.4 percent).  However, blacks had the
largest over-the-year increase; the percentage of the black population
employed rose by 1.9 percentage points in 1999, compared with an increase
of 1.1 percentage points for Hispanics and 0.5 percentage point for whites.
(See tables 1 and 2.)

                                  - 2 -
   
   In 1999, 75.2 percent of persons with work experience were employed
year round (either full or part time), compared with 63.9 percent in 1969.
Full-year employment among women continued to increase, reaching 71.0
percent, 19.6 percentage points higher than in 1969.  The percentage of men
employed year round dipped to 78.9 percent in 1999 from 79.4 percent in
1998.  The proportion of workers employed full time increased by 0.7
percentage point for women and was nearly unchanged for men.
   
Persons with Unemployment
   
   Of the 149 million persons who worked or looked for work at some time
in 1999, 13.1 million experienced some unemployment during the year,
resulting in a "work-experience unemployment rate" of 8.8 percent.  This
rate was 0.8 percentage point lower than in 1998 and the lowest since the
series began in 1958.  (See table 3.)
   
   The "work-experience unemployment rate" for blacks, 12.6 percent, was
higher than the rate for either Hispanics (11.3 percent) or whites (8.2
percent).  The difference in the rates for men and women was negligible for
blacks, as it was for Hispanics.  The "work-experience unemployment rate"
for white men (8.6 percent) was higher than that for white women (7.7
percent).  Rates decreased for most of the various worker groups over the
year.
   
   The median number of weeks of unemployment in 1999 was 12.6, virtually
unchanged from the prior year.  Of the 11.5 million persons who had worked
during the year and also experienced unemployment, 27.9 percent had two or
more spells of joblessness.
Technical Note
 
   
   The data presented in this release were collected in March supplements
to the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about
50,000 households 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.  Each March,
additional questions are asked about work activity during the prior
calendar year.  For instance, data collected in March 2000 refer to the
1999 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
1999 was about 2-1/4 times the number unemployed in an average month during
the year.

                                          Employed      Unemployed
1999 estimates (in thousands)
Annual average of
  monthly estimates                        133,488         5,880
March supplement data                      147,539        13,050

   In addition, estimates from the March 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 are asked in the supplement by which to categorize
respondents.  In particular, the March 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 1999, collected in March 2000, are not
strictly comparable with those for 1998 and earlier years because of minor
adjustments made to the population controls in January 2000.  The effect of
these adjustments on work experience estimates is unknown.  However, the
effect of the change on the monthly CPS estimates was to decrease the
January 2000 total employment level by about 120,000 relative to the
December 1999 level.  The effect on monthly unemployment estimates was
negligible.  For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current
Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of
Employment and Earnings.

   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

                                  - 2 -

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 March 2000 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 1999?" or "Did you do
any temporary, part-time, or seasonal work even for a few days during
1999?"
   
   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 1999, 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.
                                       
     Table 1.  Work experience of the population during the year by sex and extent of employment, 1998-99
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                                                            Total              Men              Women      
                           Extent of employment                                                                            
                                                                                                                           
                                                                        1998     1999      1998    1999     1998     1999  
                                                                                                                           
                                                                      
                                                                                     Numbers (in thousands)
                                                                      
                                                                                                                           
     Civilian noninstitutional population............................  207,038  209,067   99,364  100,418  107,674  108,649
       Total who worked or looked for work...........................  146,570  149,042   77,047   78,236   69,523   70,806
         Percent of the population...................................     70.8     71.3     77.5     77.9     64.6     65.2
       Total who worked during the year(1)...........................  144,841  147,539   76,260   77,476   68,581   70,063
         Percent of the population...................................     70.0     70.6     76.7     77.2     63.7     64.5
                                                                                                                           
         Full time(2)................................................  115,697  118,368   66,603   67,698   49,094   50,669
           50 to 52 weeks............................................   95,077   97,248   56,322   56,901   38,755   40,346
           48 to 49 weeks............................................    2,095    2,190    1,177    1,217      918      973
           40 to 47 weeks............................................    5,502    5,634    2,827    2,916    2,675    2,718
           27 to 39 weeks............................................    4,545    4,449    2,190    2,252    2,355    2,198
           14 to 26 weeks............................................    4,870    5,060    2,355    2,485    2,515    2,575
           1 to 13 weeks.............................................    3,608    3,787    1,731    1,927    1,877    1,860
                                                                                                                           
         Part time(3)................................................   29,144   29,171    9,658    9,777   19,486   19,394
           50 to 52 weeks............................................   13,535   13,664    4,193    4,289    9,341    9,375
           48 to 49 weeks............................................      804      874      277      284      528      589
           40 to 47 weeks............................................    2,679    2,647      894      892    1,785    1,755
           27 to 39 weeks............................................    2,994    2,794      916      884    2,078    1,911
           14 to 26 weeks............................................    4,440    4,435    1,529    1,575    2,910    2,860
           1 to 13 weeks.............................................    4,693    4,758    1,848    1,854    2,845    2,905
                                                                                                                           
                                                                      
                                                                                      Percent distribution
                                                                      
                                                                                                                           
     Total who worked during the year(1).............................   100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0 
                                                                                                                           
       Full time(2)..................................................    79.9     80.2     87.3     87.4     71.6     72.3 
         50 to 52 weeks..............................................    65.6     65.9     73.9     73.4     56.5     57.6 
         48 to 49 weeks..............................................     1.4      1.5      1.5      1.6      1.3      1.4 
         40 to 47 weeks..............................................     3.8      3.8      3.7      3.8      3.9      3.9 
         27 to 39 weeks..............................................     3.1      3.0      2.9      2.9      3.4      3.1 
         14 to 26 weeks..............................................     3.4      3.4      3.1      3.2      3.7      3.7 
         1 to 13 weeks...............................................     2.5      2.6      2.3      2.5      2.7      2.7 
                                                                                                                           
       Part time(3)..................................................    20.1     19.8     12.7     12.6     28.4     27.7 
         50 to 52 weeks..............................................     9.3      9.3      5.5      5.5     13.6     13.4 
         48 to 49 weeks..............................................      .6       .6       .4       .4       .8       .8 
         40 to 47 weeks..............................................     1.8      1.8      1.2      1.2      2.6      2.5 
         27 to 39 weeks..............................................     2.1      1.9      1.2      1.1      3.0      2.7 
         14 to 26 weeks..............................................     3.1      3.0      2.0      2.0      4.2      4.1 
         1 to 13 weeks...............................................     3.2      3.2      2.4      2.4      4.1      4.1 

       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 1999, which were collected in the March 2000 supplement
     to the Current Population Survey (CPS), are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years because of
     the introduction in January 2000 of revised population controls used in the survey.  For additional information, see
     the technical note and "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue
     of Employment and Earnings. 






     Table 2.  Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic origin, and sex, 1998-99

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                                                            Total               Men              Women      
              Extent of employment, race, and Hispanc origin                                                               
                                                                                                                           
                                                                        1998     1999      1998     1999     1998     1999  
                                                                                                                           
                                  WHITE                                                                                    
                                                                                                                           
       Civilian noninstitutional population..........................  172,544  173,867   83,621   84,298   88,923   89,569
         Total who worked or looked for work.........................  122,791  124,454   65,684   66,472   57,107   57,983
           Percent of the population.................................     71.2     71.6     78.5     78.9     64.2     64.7
         Total who worked during the year(1).........................  121,627  123,447   65,113   65,969   56,514   57,478
           Percent of the population.................................     70.5     71.0     77.9     78.3     63.6     64.2
                                                                                                                           
         Percent who worked during the year(1).......................    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0
           Full time(2)..............................................     79.6     79.7     87.6     87.5     70.4     70.7
             50 to 52 weeks..........................................     65.7     65.8     74.3     73.8     55.7     56.6
             27 to 49 weeks..........................................      8.4      8.2      8.2      8.3      8.7      8.2
             1 to 26 weeks...........................................      5.5      5.7      5.1      5.4      6.1      6.0
           Part time(3)..............................................     20.4     20.3     12.4     12.5     29.6     29.3
             50 to 52 weeks..........................................      9.6      9.6      5.5      5.5     14.4     14.3
             27 to 49 weeks..........................................      4.6      4.5      2.8      2.7      6.7      6.5
             1 to 26 weeks...........................................      6.2      6.2      4.2      4.3      8.5      8.5
                                                                                                                           
                                  BLACK                                                                                    
                                                                                                                           
       Civilian noninstitutional population..........................   24,726   25,110   11,080   11,271   13,645   13,839
         Total who worked or looked for work.........................   16,902   17,556    7,739    8,070    9,163    9,486
           Percent of the population.................................     68.4     69.9     69.8     71.6     67.2     68.5
         Total who worked during the year(1).........................   16,436   17,164    7,572    7,870    8,864    9,294
           Percent of the population.................................     66.5     68.4     68.3     69.8     65.0     67.2
                                                                                                                           
         Percent who worked during the year(1).......................    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0
           Full time(2)..............................................     81.4     83.2     85.8     86.4     77.7     80.5
             50 to 52 weeks..........................................     65.4     66.5     70.2     70.4     61.4     63.2
             27 to 49 weeks..........................................      8.2      8.9      8.3      8.2      8.2      9.5
             1 to 26 weeks...........................................      7.7      7.8      7.3      7.8      8.1      7.8
           Part time(3)..............................................     18.6     16.8     14.2     13.6     22.3     19.5
             50 to 52 weeks..........................................      7.4      7.3      5.2      5.7      9.3      8.6
             27 to 49 weeks..........................................      4.3      3.3      3.0      2.3      5.3      4.1
             1 to 26 weeks...........................................      6.9      6.2      6.0      5.6      7.7      6.8
                                                                                                                           
                             HISPANIC ORIGIN                                                                               
                                                                                                                           
       Civilian noninstitutional population..........................   21,411   22,170   10,599   10,961   10,811   11,209
         Total who worked or looked for work.........................   14,886   15,598    8,503    8,934    6,383    6,663
           Percent of the population.................................     69.5     70.4     80.2     81.5     59.0     59.4
         Total who worked during the year(1).........................   14,599   15,371    8,381    8,837    6,218    6,534
           Percent of the population.................................     68.2     69.3     79.1     80.6     57.5     58.3
                                                                                                                           
         Percent who worked during the year(1).......................    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0
           Full time(2)..............................................     83.5     84.1     89.5     90.0     75.3     76.2
             50 to 52 weeks..........................................     65.7     66.3     72.9     72.7     55.9     57.6
             27 to 49 weeks..........................................     10.3      9.8     10.9     10.3      9.4      9.0
             1 to 26 weeks...........................................      7.5      8.1      5.7      6.9     10.0      9.7
           Part time(3)..............................................     16.5     15.9     10.5     10.0     24.7     23.8
             50 to 52 weeks..........................................      7.7      8.0      4.6      5.0     11.9     11.9
             27 to 49 weeks..........................................      3.0      2.7      2.0      1.6      4.3      4.3
             1 to 26 weeks...........................................      5.9      5.2      3.9      3.4      8.5      7.5

       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:  Detail for the above race and Hispanic origin groups will 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.  Data refer
     to persons 16 years and over.  Also, see Note, table 1.






     Table 3.  Extent of unemployment during the year by sex, 1998-99
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                                                            Total               Men              Women      
                          Extent of unemployment                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                                                        1998     1999      1998     1999     1998     1999  
                                                                                                                           
                                                                      
                                                                                     Numbers (in thousands)
                                                                      
                                                                                                                           
     Total who worked or looked for work.............................  146,570  149,042   77,047   78,236   69,523   70,806
       Percent with unemployment.....................................      9.6      8.8      9.5      9.0      9.7      8.4
                                                                                                                           
       Total with unemployment.......................................   14,042   13,050    7,282    7,073    6,760    5,976
         Did not work but looked for work............................    1,729    1,503      787      760      942      743
           1 to 14 weeks.............................................      762      751      299      344      463      407
           15 weeks or more..........................................      967      752      487      416      479      336
         Worked during the year......................................   12,313   11,547    6,496    6,313    5,817    5,234
           Year-round workers(1) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment...      630      559      386      371      243      189
           Part-year workers(2) with unemployment....................   11,683   10,987    6,109    5,942    5,574    5,045
             1 to 4 weeks............................................    2,320    2,356    1,083    1,162    1,237    1,194
             5 to 10 weeks...........................................    2,495    2,217    1,363    1,166    1,131    1,050
             11 to 14 weeks..........................................    1,701    1,591      980      934      721      657
             15 to 26 weeks..........................................    3,019    2,800    1,585    1,653    1,434    1,148
             27 weeks or more........................................    2,148    2,023    1,098    1,027    1,050      996
                                                                                                                           
           Median weeks of unemployment for all workers..............     12.7     12.6     12.7     13.0     12.6     12.1
                                                                                                                           
           With 2 spells or more of unemployment.....................    3,629    3,225    2,014    1,845    1,615    1,379
             2 spells................................................    1,650    1,449      880      787      770      662
             3 spells or more........................................    1,978    1,776    1,134    1,058      844      717
                                                                                                                           
                                                                      
                                                                                      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.................................................    44.1     50.0     38.0     45.3     49.1     54.8 
       15 weeks or more..............................................    55.9     50.0     62.0     54.7     50.9     45.2 
     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.......     5.1      4.8      5.9      5.9      4.2      3.6 
       Part-year workers(2) with unemployment........................    94.9     95.2     94.1     94.1     95.8     96.4 
         1 to 4 weeks................................................    18.8     20.4     16.7     18.4     21.3     22.8 
         5 to 10 weeks...............................................    20.3     19.2     21.0     18.5     19.4     20.1 
         11 to 14 weeks..............................................    13.8     13.8     15.1     14.8     12.4     12.6 
         15 to 26 weeks..............................................    24.5     24.3     24.4     26.2     24.7     21.9 
         27 weeks or more............................................    17.4     17.5     16.9     16.3     18.0     19.0 
                                                                                                                           
       With 2 spells or more of unemployment.........................    29.5     27.9     31.0     29.2     27.8     26.4 
         2 spells....................................................    13.4     12.5     13.5     12.5     13.2     12.6 
         3 spells or more............................................    16.1     15.4     17.5     16.8     14.5     13.7 

       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 origin, and sex, 1998-99

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                             Total                Men                Women       
             Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanc origin                                                                    
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                        1998      1999       1998      1999      1998      1999  
                                                                                                                                 
                                  WHITE                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                 
       Total who worked or looked for work...........................  122,791   124,454    65,684    66,472    57,107    57,983 
         Percent with unemployment...................................      8.9       8.2       8.9       8.6       8.9       7.7 
                                                                                                                                 
         Total with unemployment.....................................   10,900    10,176     5,835     5,714     5,066     4,462 
           Did not work but looked for work..........................    1,163     1,007       571       503       593       504 
           Worked during the year....................................    9,737     9,169     5,264     5,211     4,473     3,958 
                                                                                                                                 
                    Median weeks of unemployment for all workers.....     12.1      11.8      12.0      12.4      12.2      11.0 
                                                                                                                                 
           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.      5.5       5.4       6.6       6.2       4.3       4.4 
             Part-year workers(3) with unemployment..................     94.5      94.6      93.4      93.8      95.7      95.6 
               1 to 4 weeks..........................................     19.6      21.5      17.4      19.1      22.3      24.5 
               5 to 14 weeks.........................................     34.9      34.1      36.9      34.8      32.4      33.2 
               15 weeks or more......................................     40.0      39.0      39.1      39.9      41.0      37.8 
                                                                                                                                 
                   With 2 spells or more of unemployment.............     28.5      28.8      30.5      29.3      26.2      28.0 
                                                                                                                                 
                                  BLACK                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                 
       Total who worked or looked for work...........................   16,902    17,556     7,739     8,070     9,163     9,486 
         Percent with unemployment...................................     14.5      12.6      14.2      12.6      14.8      12.5 
                                                                                                                                 
         Total with unemployment.....................................    2,452     2,206     1,099     1,017     1,353     1,188 
           Did not work but looked for work..........................      465       392       166       199       299       192 
           Worked during the year....................................    1,987     1,814       933       818     1,054       996 
                                                                                                                                 
                    Median weeks of unemployment for all workers.....     15.5      17.6      15.6      18.0      15.4      17.3 
                                                                                                                                 
           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.      3.5       3.0       2.4       4.9       4.5       1.4 
             Part-year workers(3) with unemployment..................     96.5      97.0      97.6      95.1      95.5      98.6 
               1 to 4 weeks..........................................     14.6      14.0      12.5      14.8      16.4      13.5 
               5 to 14 weeks.........................................     31.0      27.0      34.1      23.9      28.3      29.5 
               15 weeks or more......................................     50.9      56.0      51.0      56.4      50.8      55.7 
                                                                                                                                 
                   With 2 spells or more of unemployment.............     33.8      24.5      35.1      29.8      32.6      20.0 
                                                                                                                                 
                             HISPANIC ORIGIN                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                 
       Total who worked or looked for work...........................   14,886    15,598     8,503     8,934     6,383     6,663 
         Percent with unemployment...................................     12.7      11.3      12.2      11.4      13.5      11.2 
                                                                                                                                 
         Total with unemployment.....................................    1,896     1,768     1,037     1,021       859       747 
           Did not work but looked for work..........................      287       227       122        98       165       129 
           Worked during the year....................................    1,609     1,542       915       923       694       618 
                                                                                                                                 
                    Median weeks of unemployment for all workers.....     14.2      14.9      13.5      14.8      15.5      15.4 
                                                                                                                                 
           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.      4.3       3.0       4.9       4.1       3.6       1.3 
             Part-year workers(3) with unemployment..................     95.7      97.0      95.1      95.9      96.4      98.7 
               1 to 4 weeks..........................................     16.5      15.4      16.1      13.9      17.1      17.7 
               5 to 14 weeks.........................................     31.5      31.9      33.9      33.0      28.4      30.4 
               15 weeks or more......................................     47.7      49.7      45.2      49.1      51.0      50.6 
                                                                                                                                 
                   With 2 spells or more of unemployment.............     29.2      28.0      30.9      26.9      26.9      29.6 

       1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
       2 Worked 50 or 51 weeks.
       3 Worked less than 50 weeks.
        NOTE:  Detail for the above race and Hispanic origin groups will 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.  Data refer to persons 16
     years and over.  Also, see Note, table 1.