Full text of 2001 : Text File, USDL 02-601
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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 02-601
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 691-5902 Wednesday, October 23, 2002
COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE AT WORK IN 2001
In September 2001, 72.3 million persons used a computer at work, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.
These workers accounted for 53.5 percent of total employment. About 2 of
every 5 employed persons connected to the Internet or used e-mail on the
job.
These findings are from a special supplement to the Current Population
Survey (CPS) in September 2001. The CPS is a monthly household survey that
provides information on national employment and unemployment. The Computer
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 jobsearch.
The data presented in this release pertain to computer and to Internet use
at work and to jobsearch methods using the Internet. (In the survey, res-
pondents were asked if they "connected to the Internet or used e-mail." In
this release, these two tasks will be collectively referred to as "Internet
use.") For further information about the survey, see the Technical Note.
Some of the highlights from the 2001 data include:
-- The proportion of workers who used a computer varied greatly by occupa-
tion. The computer-use rate for managers and professionals was about
80 percent, in contrast to only about 19 percent each for operators,
fabricators, and laborers and for farming, forestry, and fishing
occupations.
-- Women were more likely to use a computer at work than men (59.9 percent
and 47.9 percent, respectively). The proportion of women who used the
Internet (41.2 percent) also was higher than for men (36.0 percent).
-- Whites were more likely than blacks or Hispanics to use a computer or
the Internet at work.
-- The likelihood of computer or Internet use at work is much higher among
more educated workers.
-- Of the 72.3 million workers who used a computer at work, the most com-
monly reported task was using their computers to access the Internet or
use e-mail.
-- About 1 in every 10 individuals in the civilian noninstitutional popu-
lation age 16 and over said that they had used the Internet between
January and September 2001 to search for a job. The most often used
Internet jobsearch methods were reading on-line ads and researching
information on potential employers.
Occupation and Industry
There was a great deal of variation by occupation with regard to computer
and to Internet use on the job. 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 (which
includes computer programmers) and administrative support occupations also
had high rates of computer and of Internet use; about three-fourths of both
groups said they used a computer at work and roughly half reported that they
used the Internet. In contrast, computer- and Internet-use rates (23.3 per-
cent and 11.9 percent, respectively) were very low for service workers, for
operators, fabricators, and laborers (19.5 percent and 8.4 percent, respec-
tively), and for workers in farming, forestry, and fishing occupations
(19.1 percent and 12.8 percent, respectively). (See table 2.)
- 2 -
Also, the use of computers and of the Internet varied among different
industries. In private-sector industries, workers in the finance, insurance,
and real estate industry had the highest rates of computer use (81.4 percent)
and of Internet use (66.2 percent). In 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 2.)
Workers in the public sector had above-average rates of computer and of
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 of 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 of Internet use. In contrast, the proportion of
private-sector wage and salary workers employed in managerial and profes-
sional occupations is much lower--about one-fourth. (See table 2.)
Demographics
Younger and older workers were least likely to use a computer or the
Internet on the job. Among workers ages 16 to 24 years and ages 65 years
and over, roughly 1 in every 3 used a computer at work and only about 1 in
every 5 reported using the Internet on the job. In contrast, over half of
the workers ages 25 to 64 years used a computer and about two-fifths used
the Internet on the job. The likelihood of using a computer or of accessing
the Internet was highest among workers ages 25 to 54 years; nearly three-
fifths of these workers used a computer on the job and over two-fifths used
the Internet. (See table 1.)
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 largely due 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 jobs; the computer-
use rate for women in these three occupations combined was very high--
78.4 percent. In contrast, about two-fifths of men are employed inprecision
production, craft, and repair; operator, fabricator, and laborer; and
farming occupations. Among men, the combined computer-use rate in these
three occupations 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 workers (32.0 percent). With regard
to Internet use, 39.6 percent of whites used the Internet at work, compared
with 28.8 percent of blacks and only 19.8 percent of Hispanics. (See
table 1.)
In terms of educational attainment, 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 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 table 1.)
- 3 -
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 to
use 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
use e-mail. Other common uses included word processing (67.0 percent),
working with spreadsheets or databases (62.3 percent), and calendar or
scheduling (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 use e-mail (75.1 percent compared with 68.8 percent). Men
also were 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 compared with 25.8 percent), and computer programming
(20.4 percent compared with 10.5 percent). Women, however, were more likely
than men to report using the computer to do word processing (69.4 percent
compared with 64.3 percent). As mentioned previously, nearly three-fifths
of all women were employed as managers, professionals, or administrative
support workers; the proportion of workers in these three occupations that
used a computer to do word processing was very high--74.4 percent. (See
tables 3 and 4.)
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 use e-mail,
78.3 percent to use word processing, and 70.3 percent to use spreadsheets
or databases. (See table 4.)
Jobsearch Activity Using the Internet
In addition to questions on computer and on Internet or e-mail use at
work, the survey also gathered information on Internet jobsearch. Res-
pondents were asked if they had used the Internet (at any location) to
search for a job "that year" from January to September 2001. About
19.6 million individuals, or 9.2 percent of the civilian noninstitutional
population ages 16 and over, reported using the Internet to search for a
job. Jobsearch rates using the Internet were highest for individuals in
the 20-to-24 (17.4 percent), 25-to-34 (16.8 percent), and 35-to-44
(11.0 percent) year-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 using the Internet to search
for a job. With regard to educational attainment, individuals with more
years of schooling were much more likely than those less educated to have
used the Internet to search for a job. The Internet-jobsearch 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.)
- 4 -
Table 6 shows data on jobsearch by occupation and industry. The estimates
shown in this table are limited to the experienced labor force--the sum of
the employed and the unemployed whose last job was in one of these occupa-
tions or industries. 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 occupa-
tions had the highest rate of Internet jobsearch (16.9 percent). Jobsearch
rates for the other major occupations ranged from 14.3 percent for technical,
sales, and administrative support to 4.1 percent for farming, forestry, and
fishing.
The most common Internet-jobsearch methods reported were reading on-line
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 website (4.8 percent).
This pattern of Internet jobsearch was essentially the same regardless of
demographic characteristic, occupation, or industry. (See tables 5 and 6.)
Technical Note
These data and other information on computer and Internet use were
obtained from a supplement to the September 2001 Current Population Survey
(CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households
conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), principally to gather information on employment and unemployment.
Respondents to the September 2001 supplement answered questions about
computer and Internet use at home, school, and work in addition to other
information. The data in this release cover the incidence of computer and
Internet use at work and jobsearch activity using the Internet. The
National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S.
Department of Commerce also analyzed data on computer and Internet use
collected from the September 2001 CPS supplement. For more information,
see A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the
Internet, National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
February 2002, available on the Internet at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/
ntiahome/dn/index.html. Since 1984, surveys of computer (and later)
Internet use have been conducted periodically by the Census Bureau.
However, because of comparability issues, data in this release pertain
only to the September 2001 supplement.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone number: 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 for
information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings.
Concepts
Data discussed in this release on computer and Internet use at work and
jobsearch using the Internet were obtained from the following questions:
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
The following questions on jobsearch using the Internet were asked of
all individuals in the survey who said they used the Internet.
This year, have you used the Internet to search for a job?
1. Yes
2. No
("This year" refers to January to September 2001.)
How did you use the Internet to search for a job?
Did you read on-line job ads or search on-line 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 on-line?
1. Yes
2. No
Did you post a resume on a job listing site or with a service on-line?
1. Yes
2. No
Did you post a resume on your own website?
1. Yes
2. No
Did you do anything else to search for a job on-line?
1. Yes
2. No
Internet jobsearch
The above questions on Internet jobsearch were asked of all Internet
users in September 2001. The Internet jobsearch questions in the supplement
are different from the jobsearch questions that are asked in the basic labor
force section of the CPS and that are used in the classification of unemploy-
ment. The supplement questions on Internet jobsearch cannot be used to
determine the official classification of unemployment for several reasons.
In the basic CPS, jobsearch questions are not asked of persons with jobs,
while the Internet jobsearch questions were asked of all Internet users,
including employed persons. Also, in the basic CPS, jobsearch among the
unemployed must have occurred within the 4 weeks prior to the survey col-
lection, but the Internet jobsearch 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, jobsearch methods are divided into active and passive;
only active methods--those that can lead to a job offer--classify a person
as unemployed. The Internet jobsearch methods in the supplement are not
restricted to active methods. For example, reading job ads or listings on-
line and researching information on potential employers are not considered
to be active jobsearch methods in the basic CPS. However, tables 5 and 6
showing Internet jobsearch activity display both passive as well as active
jobsearch methods. Jobsearch activity as measured in the basic CPS may or
may not have involved the Internet.
Table 1. Employed persons who used a computer or the Internet at work by selected
characteristics, September 2001
(Numbers in thousands)
Used a computer Used the Internet
at work at work
Total
Characteristic employed
Percent Percent
Total of Total of
employed employed
Age and sex
Total, 16 years and over.......... 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 over..................... 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 over................... 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 over............ 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 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
NOTE: Data refer to computer or Internet use on the sole or primary job. 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. Internet use at work refers to either connecting to the Internet
or using e-mail.
Table 2. Employed persons who used a computer or the Internet at work by occupation and industry,
September 2001
(Numbers in thousands)
Used a computer Used the Internet
at work at work
Total
Occupation and industry employed
Percent Percent
Total of Total of
employed employed
Occupation
Total, 16 years and over................................ 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 over(1)............................. 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. Internet use at work refers to either
connecting to the internet or using e-mail.
Table 3. Type of computer activity at work by selected characteristics, September 2001
Employed Percent who used a computer for:
persons
who used
a Word
Characteristic computer process- Calendar Spread- Other
at work ing or Internet or sheets or Graphics Program- activ-
(in thou- desktop or e-mail sched- databases or design ming ities
sands) publish- uling
ing
Age and sex
Total, 16 years and over.......... 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 over..................... 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 over................... 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 over............ 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 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
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 as persons may report multiple activities. 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.
Table 4. Type of computer activity at work by occupation and industry, September 2001
Employed Percent who used a computer for:
persons
who used
a Word
Occupation and industry computer process- Calendar Spread- Other
at work ing or Internet or sheets or Graphics Program- activ-
(in thou- desktop or e-mail sched- databases or design ming ities
sands) publish- uling
ing
Occupation
Total, 16 years and over............ 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 over(1)......... 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
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 as persons may report multiple activities.
Table 5. Job search activity(1) using the Internet by selected characteristics, September 2001
(Numbers in thousands)
Total civilian Job search activity of persons who used the Internet to
noninstitutional search for a job (percent)
population
Characteristic Read Posted a
Total who on-line Researched Submitted resume on Posted a
used the Percent ads or informa- a resume a job resume on Other
Total Internet of searched tion on or listing own Web activ-
to search total on-line potential applica- site or site ities
for a job job employers tion with a
listings service
Age and sex
Total, 16 years and over.......... 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 over..................... 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 over................... 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 over............ 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 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
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 as persons may perform more than one
activity. 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.
Table 6. Job search activity(1) using the Internet by occupation and industry, September 2001
(Numbers in thousands)
Experienced labor force Job search activity of persons who used the Internet to
search for a job (percent)
Read Posted a
Occupation and industry Total who on-line Researched Submitted resume on Posted a
used the Percent ads or informa- a resume a job resume on Other
Total Internet of searched tion on or listing own Web activ-
to search total on-line potential applica- site or site ities
for a job job employers tion with a
listings service
Occupation
Total, 16 years and over............ 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
Industry
Total, 16 years and over(2)......... 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 -
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. Dash represents zero.