Full text of 2003 : Text File, USDL 05-1457
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Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 05-1457
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 691-5902 Tuesday, August 2, 2005
(This release was reissued on Wednesday, August 10, to correct the
September 2001 data for workers of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity in table A.
No other data were affected.)
COMPUTER AND INTERNET USE AT WORK IN 2003
In October 2003, 77 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 55.5 percent of total employment. About 2 of every 5
employed individuals connected to the Internet or used e-mail while on the
job. These proportions were slightly higher than those measured in the
prior survey conducted in September 2001. (See table A.)
These findings are from a special supplement to the October 2003
Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly household survey
that is one of the main sources of information on the U.S. labor force.
The Computer Use Survey also collected data on computer and Internet or
e-mail use at home, school, and work as well as use of the Internet for
job search. The data presented in this release focus on computer and
Internet use at work and on job search methods using the Internet. For
additional information about the survey, see the Technical Note. Some
of the highlights from the 2003 survey include:
--The proportion of workers who used a computer at work was higher for
women (61.8 percent) than for men (49.9 percent).
--Employed women had a greater likelihood of using the Internet at work
than employed men (45.1 and 38.7 percent, respectively).
--Asians were more likely than whites, blacks, or Hispanics or Latinos
to use a computer and the Internet at work.
--The likelihood of computer and Internet use at work is greater for
workers with more education.
--In terms of occupation, there were large variations in the proportions
of workers who used a computer at work. The computer-use rate was
relatively high for managers and professionals (about 80 percent)
and sales and office workers (67 percent). In contrast, about 26
percent of workers in natural resources, construction, and main-
tenance and production, transportation, and material moving occu-
pations used a computer at work.
--The most commonly reported task for the 77 million workers who used a
computer at work was accessing the Internet or using e-mail.
--Slightly more than 1 in every 10 individuals in the civilian noninsti-
tutional population age 16 and over reported that they had used the
Internet between January and October 2003 to search for a job. (The
concept of job search used in the survey is different from that used
in the basic monthly CPS; see the Technical Note for more informa-
tion.) Reading on-line ads and researching information on potential
employers were the most commonly used Internet job search methods used.
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Table A. Computer and Internet use at work by selected characteristics, September 2001 and October 2003
September 2001 r October 2003
Used a computer Used the Internet Used a computer Used the Internet
at work at work at work at work
Total Total
employed employed
Percent Percent Percent Percent
Total of Total of Total of Total of
employed employed employed employed
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years
and over...... 137,050 73,055 53.3 52,463 38.3 138,823 76,986 55.5 57,892 41.7
16 to 24 years...... 19,901 6,994 35.1 3,916 19.7 19,304 6,991 36.2 4,234 21.9
16 to 19 years.... 6,499 1,490 22.9 549 8.4 5,788 1,301 22.5 559 9.7
20 to 24 years.... 13,402 5,504 41.1 3,367 25.1 13,516 5,690 42.1 3,675 27.2
25 years and over... 117,149 66,061 56.4 48,547 41.4 119,519 69,995 58.6 53,658 44.9
25 to 34 years.... 30,847 17,561 56.9 13,109 42.5 30,401 17,641 58.0 13,608 44.8
35 to 44 years.... 35,669 20,700 58.0 15,239 42.7 34,854 20,797 59.7 16,226 46.6
45 to 54 years.... 31,205 18,260 58.5 13,518 43.3 32,221 19,607 60.9 15,017 46.6
55 to 64 years.... 14,916 8,023 53.8 5,739 38.5 17,202 9,930 57.7 7,499 43.6
65 years and
over............ 4,511 1,517 33.6 942 20.9 4,842 2,021 41.7 1,307 27.0
Men................. 73,511 35,023 47.6 26,298 35.8 74,353 37,124 49.9 28,788 38.7
Women............... 63,539 38,032 59.9 26,165 41.2 64,470 39,862 61.8 29,104 45.1
RACE AND HISPANIC OR
LATINO ETHNICITY
White............... 114,426 62,483 54.6 45,002 39.3 115,184 65,193 56.6 49,347 42.8
Black or African
American.......... 15,116 6,511 43.1 4,345 28.7 14,754 6,729 45.6 4,553 30.9
Asian............... 6,159 3,469 56.3 2,696 43.8 5,809 3,523 60.6 2,882 49.6
Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity......... c16,349 c5,211 c31.9 c3,210 c19.6 17,602 5,478 31.1 3,718 21.1
FULL- OR PART-TIME
STATUS
Usually full time on
primary job....... 103,887 59,563 57.3 44,035 42.4 103,757 61,538 59.3 47,472 45.8
Usually part time on
primary job....... 21,412 8,482 39.6 4,891 22.8 22,487 9,708 43.2 6,255 27.8
Hours vary on
primary job....... 11,751 5,009 42.6 3,537 30.1 12,579 5,740 45.6 4,165 33.1
EDUCATIONAL
ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years
and over...... 117,149 66,061 56.4 48,547 41.4 119,519 69,995 58.6 53,658 44.9
Less than a high
school diploma.... 11,737 1,875 16.0 876 7.5 11,520 1,810 15.7 899 7.8
High school
graduates, no
college (1)....... 35,880 14,440 40.2 8,627 24.0 36,065 15,208 42.2 9,521 26.4
Some college or
associate
degree............ 32,858 19,754 60.1 13,507 41.1 32,455 19,907 61.3 14,445 44.5
Bachelor's degree
and higher (2).... 36,675 29,992 81.8 25,537 69.6 39,479 33,071 83.8 28,793 72.9
Advanced degree.. 12,954 10,893 84.1 9,494 73.3 13,831 11,982 86.6 10,709 77.4
1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
r = revised. Estimates for September 2001 have been revised to reflect the use of Census 2000-based population
controls. See the Technical Note for additional information.
c = corrected.
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. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and
Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is
Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.
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Occupation and Industry
Managers and professionals were most likely to use a computer and the
Internet; 79.6 percent reported that they used a computer at work and 67.1
percent used the Internet. Sales and office occupations also had high rates
of computer and Internet use--over two-thirds reported using a computer at
work and nearly half said they used the Internet. In contrast, computer- and
Internet-use rates were lower for service workers (27.5 and 15.9 percent,
respectively), for natural resources, construction, and maintenance workers
(26.4 and 16.6 percent, respectively), and for production, transportation,
and material moving workers (26.0 and 13.9 percent, respectively). (See
table 2.)
As with occupations, there was a great deal of variation by industry
with regard to the use of computers and the Internet. Among private
nonagricultural industries, persons employed in financial activities had
the highest rates of computer (82.4 percent) and Internet use (68.9 percent).
In contrast, computer- and Internet-use rates were lowest in the leisure and
hospitality (30.4 and 17.6 percent, respectively) and construction (28.1
and 21.0 percent, respectively) industries. (See table 2.)
Government workers had an above-average likelihood of using a computer
and the Internet on the job. The proportions of workers in the public
sector that used a computer and the Internet were 69.1 and 56.0 percent,
respectively. By comparison, the computer- and Internet-use rates for
private-sector workers were 53.5 and 39.3 percent, respectively. (See
table 2.) The high computer- and Internet-use rates among government
workers is due, in part, to their occupational concentration. For example,
more than half of all workers in the public sector hold management and pro-
fessional jobs, an occupational category characterized by very high rates
of computer and Internet use. In contrast, the proportion of private-
sector wage and salary workers employed as managers and professionals is
much lower (30.9 percent).
Demographics
The youngest and oldest workers were least likely to use a computer and
the Internet on the job. Among workers ages 16 to 24 and 65 years and over,
about one-third used a computer at work and only about 1 in every 5 said
that they used the Internet. In contrast, about 60 percent of workers ages
25 to 64 used a computer on the job and almost half used the Internet.
(See table 1.)
As was the case in the prior survey, women were more likely than men to
use a computer and the Internet. Computer-use rates for women and men were
61.8 and 49.9 percent, respectively; the Internet-use rate for women was
45.1 percent, compared with 38.7 percent for men. (See table 1.) Although
computer- and Internet-use rates for men and women are fairly similar
within occupations, the greater likelihood of women to use a computer at
work is due largely to their concentration in occupations in which computer
use is most prevalent. For instance, nearly three-fourths of employed
women are in management and professional and sales and office occupations;
the computer-use rate for women in these two occupations combined was very
high (74.8 percent). In contrast, nearly two-fifths of men hold natural
resources, construction, and maintenance and production, transportation,
and material moving jobs. For men, the combined computer-use rate in these
two occupational categories was 26.0 percent--30 percentage points lower
than the rate for all workers.
Computer use at work was more common among Asian workers (60.6 percent)
and whites (56.6 percent) than among black (45.6 percent) or Hispanic or
Latino workers (31.1 percent). In terms of Internet use, 49.6 percent of
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Asians used the Internet at work, compared with 42.8 percent of whites,
30.9 percent of blacks, and 21.1 percent of Hispanics or Latinos. (See
table 1.)
With regard to educational attainment, workers with more years of
schooling were much more likely than those with less education to use
a computer and the Internet at work. For example, computer- and Inter-
net-use rates for workers with advanced degrees were 86.6 and 77.4 per-
cent, respectively. At the other end of the educational spectrum, only
15.7 percent of workers with less than a high school diploma used a com-
puter on the job, and 7.8 percent used the Internet. (See table 1.)
Computer Activity at Work
As was the case in the 2001 survey, the most common use for a computer
at work was to access the Internet or to use e-mail. Of the 77 million
workers who used a computer on the job, 75.2 percent reported that they
used the computer to connect to the Internet or to use e-mail. Other
common tasks included word processing (67.6 percent), working with spread-
sheets or databases (64.2 percent), and calendar or scheduling (56.8 per-
cent). Less common uses were graphics or design (29.7 percent) and pro-
gramming (16.4 percent). (See table 3.)
In terms of occupation, workers in management and professional occu-
pations, who were most likely to use a computer at work, also reported
some of the highest proportions for specific uses of a computer. For
instance, 84.4 percent used a computer to use the Internet or e-mail,
76.9 percent used word processing, and 70.7 percent used spreadsheets
or databases. (See table 4.)
Job Search Activity Using the Internet
In addition to questions concerning computer and Internet use on the
job, the survey also collected information on Internet job search. (The
concept of job search using the Internet differs from the concept of job
search in the basic monthly CPS; see the Technical Note for more infor-
mation.) Respondents were asked if they had used the Internet (at any
location) to search for a job "that year"--from January to October 2003.
Over this period, about 25.5 million individuals, or 11.5 percent of the
civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over, said that they had
used the Internet to search for a job. Internet job search rates were
highest for individuals in the 20-to-24 (21.2 percent), 25-to-34 (19.3
percent), and 35-to-44 year-old (14.3 percent) age groups. (See table 5.)
Men and women were about equally likely to have used the Internet to
search for a job. Also, individuals with more years of schooling were much
more likely than those with the lowest level of education to have used the
Internet to search for a job. The Internet job search rate for college
graduates was 17.6 percent, in contrast to only 2.2 percent for those with
less than a high school diploma. (See table 5.)
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Data on Internet job search activity by occupation and industry are
shown in table 6. The estimates given are limited to the experienced
labor force, that is, the sum of the employed and the unemployed whose
last job was in one of the occupations or industries shown. Of the 146.5
million persons in this group in October 2003, 21.9 million, or 14.9 per-
cent of the total, reported that they used the Internet to look for a job
at some point between January and October 2003. Individuals in management
and professional occupations had the highest rate of Internet job search--
19.3 percent. Among the other major occupational categories, Internet job
search rates ranged from a low of 8.6 percent for natural resources, con-
struction, and maintenance occupations to a high of 17.2 percent for sales
and office occupations.
The most common job search methods reported by Internet jobseekers were
reading on-line ads or job listings (92.6 percent) and researching informa-
tion on potential employers (70.2 percent). Less common methods were sub-
mitting a resume or application (57.0 percent) and posting a resume on a
job listing site or with a service (41.0 percent). This pattern of Internet
job searching was similar, regardless of demographic characteristic, occu-
pation, or industry. (See tables 5 and 6.)
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Technical Note
These data and other information on computer and Internet use were
obtained from a supplement to the October 2003 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 October 2003 supplement answered questions about com-
puter and Internet use at home, school, and work in addition to other in-
formation. In the survey, respondents were asked if they "connected to
the Internet or used e-mail or instant messaging." In this release, these
two tasks are collectively referred to as "Internet use." In addition, the
data in this release cover the incidence of computer and Internet use at
work and job search activity using the Internet. Since 1984, surveys of
computer and, later, Internet use have been conducted periodically by the
Census Bureau.
Data presented in this release incorporate changes associated with the
introduction of the 2002 Census Bureau industry and occupational classi-
fication systems into the CPS and changes to the race and ethnicity cate-
gories. In addition, the data for 2003 reflect revised CPS population
controls introduced in January 2003. For a discussion of the impact that
these changes had on CPS data, see "Revisions to the Current Population
Survey Effective in January 2003" in the February 2003 issue of Employment
and Earnings and available at http://www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf on the BLS
Web site. The estimates from the September 2001 survey have been recalcu-
lated using the new Census 2000-based population controls. (See table A.)
The revised population controls raised the overall levels, but had little or
no impact on the rates.
Data on Internet job search are not directly comparable between the
September 2001 and October 2003 surveys because the reference periods for
job search differ. In the September 2001 survey, respondents were asked
if they had used the Internet to search for a job "that year"--from January
to September 2001. In the October 2003 survey, the reference period for
job search was from January to October 2003.
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 de-
pending 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 infor-
mation, 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.
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Survey questions and concepts
Data discussed in this release on computer and Internet use at work and
job search 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 or instant messaging?
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
The following questions on job search using the Internet were asked of 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 to October 2003.)
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
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Internet job search
The above questions on job search were asked of all Internet users in
October 2003. 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 questions on Internet job search 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, while in the October 2003 supplement, Internet job search
questions were asked of all Internet users, including employed persons.
Also, in the basic CPS, job search among the unemployed must have occurred
within the 4 weeks prior to the survey collection; by contrast, the Inter-
net job search activity recorded in the supplement could have occurred at
any time from January to October 2003. Moreover, there is no information
gathered in the supplement about respondents' labor force status during
this longer reference period. Finally, in the basic CPS, job search meth-
ods are divided into active and passive; only active methods--those that
can lead to a job offer--classify a person as unemployed. 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 as well as active job search methods. Job
search 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, October 2003
(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............ 138,823 76,986 55.5 57,892 41.7
16 to 24 years.......................... 19,304 6,991 36.2 4,234 21.9
16 to 19 years........................ 5,788 1,301 22.5 559 9.7
20 to 24 years........................ 13,516 5,690 42.1 3,675 27.2
25 years and over....................... 119,519 69,995 58.6 53,658 44.9
25 to 34 years........................ 30,401 17,641 58.0 13,608 44.8
35 to 44 years........................ 34,854 20,797 59.7 16,226 46.6
45 to 54 years........................ 32,221 19,607 60.9 15,017 46.6
55 to 64 years........................ 17,202 9,930 57.7 7,499 43.6
65 years and over..................... 4,842 2,021 41.7 1,307 27.0
Men..................................... 74,353 37,124 49.9 28,788 38.7
Women................................... 64,470 39,862 61.8 29,104 45.1
RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
White................................... 115,184 65,193 56.6 49,347 42.8
Black or African American............... 14,754 6,729 45.6 4,553 30.9
Asian................................... 5,809 3,523 60.6 2,882 49.6
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity............ 17,602 5,478 31.1 3,718 21.1
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS
Usually full time on primary job........ 103,757 61,538 59.3 47,472 45.8
Usually part time on primary job........ 22,487 9,708 43.2 6,255 27.8
Hours vary on primary job............... 12,579 5,740 45.6 4,165 33.1
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over............ 119,519 69,995 58.6 53,658 44.9
Less than a high school diploma......... 11,520 1,810 15.7 899 7.8
High school graduates, no college (1)... 36,065 15,208 42.2 9,521 26.4
Some college or associate degree........ 32,455 19,907 61.3 14,445 44.5
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........ 39,479 33,071 83.8 28,793 72.9
Advanced degree....................... 13,831 11,982 86.6 10,709 77.4
1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
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. Estimates for the
above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals
because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is
Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well
as by race.
Table 2. Employed persons who used a computer or the Internet at work by occupation and industry,
October 2003
(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................................ 138,823 76,986 55.5 57,892 41.7
Management, professional, and related occupations.......... 48,252 38,398 79.6 32,391 67.1
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations............................................ 19,600 15,842 80.8 13,938 71.1
Professional and related occupations..................... 28,652 22,556 78.7 18,452 64.4
Service occupations........................................ 21,887 6,025 27.5 3,490 15.9
Sales and office occupations............................... 35,492 23,874 67.3 16,990 47.9
Sales and related occupations............................ 16,051 9,577 59.7 6,949 43.3
Office and administrative support occupations............ 19,441 14,297 73.5 10,041 51.6
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations.............................................. 15,003 3,965 26.4 2,497 16.6
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations............... 1,270 140 11.0 79 6.3
Construction and extraction occupations.................. 8,392 1,589 18.9 1,046 12.5
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations........ 5,341 2,237 41.9 1,371 25.7
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations.............................................. 18,189 4,723 26.0 2,525 13.9
Production occupations................................... 9,736 2,878 29.6 1,577 16.2
Transportation and material moving occupations........... 8,454 1,845 21.8 948 11.2
INDUSTRY
Total, 16 years and over................................ 138,823 76,986 55.5 57,892 41.7
Private wage and salary workers............................ 108,135 57,855 53.5 42,505 39.3
Agriculture and related industries....................... 1,475 299 20.2 187 12.7
Nonagricultural industries............................... 106,660 57,557 54.0 42,317 39.7
Mining................................................. 519 221 42.5 165 31.8
Construction........................................... 8,198 2,304 28.1 1,719 21.0
Manufacturing.......................................... 16,420 8,521 51.9 6,416 39.1
Durable goods........................................ 10,179 5,540 54.4 4,192 41.2
Nondurable goods..................................... 6,241 2,981 47.8 2,224 35.6
Wholesale and retail trade............................. 19,571 9,998 51.1 6,406 32.7
Transportation and utilities........................... 5,167 2,462 47.6 1,741 33.7
Information............................................ 3,217 2,493 77.5 2,170 67.5
Financial activities................................... 8,888 7,328 82.4 6,127 68.9
Professional and business services..................... 11,485 7,850 68.4 6,554 57.1
Education and health services.......................... 17,063 10,620 62.2 7,297 42.8
Leisure and hospitality................................ 10,288 3,126 30.4 1,815 17.6
Other services......................................... 5,844 2,635 45.1 1,907 32.6
Government workers.......................................... 19,937 13,773 69.1 11,158 56.0
Federal................................................... 3,258 2,198 67.5 1,757 53.9
State..................................................... 5,759 4,234 73.5 3,664 63.6
Local..................................................... 10,920 7,341 67.2 5,737 52.5
Self-employed and unpaid family workers..................... 10,751 5,357 49.8 4,229 39.3
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, October 2003
Employed Percent who used a computer for:
persons
who used
a Word
Characteristic computer process- Calendar Spread-
at work ing or Internet or sheets or Graphics Program-
(in thou- desktop or e-mail sched- databases or design ming
sands) publish- uling
ing
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over............ 76,986 67.6 75.2 56.8 64.2 29.7 16.4
16 to 24 years.......................... 6,991 57.2 60.6 47.8 54.8 21.6 12.4
16 to 19 years........................ 1,301 44.8 43.0 41.3 43.9 18.3 12.5
20 to 24 years........................ 5,690 60.1 64.6 49.3 57.3 22.3 12.4
25 years and over....................... 69,995 68.7 76.7 57.7 65.1 30.5 16.8
25 to 34 years........................ 17,641 68.9 77.1 59.9 67.0 31.0 18.4
35 to 44 years........................ 20,797 69.9 78.0 60.8 68.4 32.3 18.4
45 to 54 years........................ 19,607 69.2 76.6 57.2 64.5 30.5 16.1
55 to 64 years........................ 9,930 66.2 75.5 52.3 59.5 28.0 13.8
65 years and over..................... 2,021 60.3 64.7 39.2 48.9 19.8 8.2
Men..................................... 37,124 65.5 77.5 58.5 67.1 33.8 21.4
Women................................... 39,862 69.6 73.0 55.3 61.5 25.9 11.8
RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
White................................... 65,193 68.0 75.7 56.6 64.8 30.1 15.9
Black or African American............... 6,729 61.6 67.7 56.5 55.2 24.1 16.6
Asian................................... 3,523 73.7 81.8 62.1 69.5 32.0 25.3
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity............ 5,478 62.8 67.9 56.1 58.7 24.8 15.6
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS
Usually full time on primary job........ 61,538 68.5 77.1 59.1 66.3 30.3 17.3
Usually part time on primary job........ 9,708 63.9 64.4 44.2 52.7 24.5 11.1
Hours vary on primary job............... 5,740 65.0 72.6 54.2 61.5 32.1 16.3
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over............ 69,995 68.7 76.7 57.7 65.1 30.5 16.8
Less than a high school diploma......... 1,810 43.7 49.7 40.4 45.0 15.8 11.4
High school graduates, no college (1)... 15,208 53.1 62.6 47.6 53.8 19.1 12.0
Some college or associate degree........ 19,907 63.5 72.6 55.0 62.3 26.0 15.2
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........ 33,071 80.3 87.1 65.0 73.1 39.3 20.3
Advanced degree...................... 11,982 84.5 89.4 65.3 72.3 41.5 20.0
1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
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. Estimates for the
above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not
presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and,
therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.
Table 4. Type of computer activity at work by occupation and industry, October 2003
Employed Percent who used a computer for:
persons
who used
a Word
Occupation and industry computer process- Calendar Spread-
at work ing or Internet or sheets or Graphics Program-
(in thou- desktop or e-mail sched- databases or design ming
sands) publish- uling
ing
OCCUPATION
Total, 16 years and over............ 76,986 67.6 75.2 56.8 64.2 29.7 16.4
Management, professional, and related
occupations.......................... 38,398 76.9 84.4 63.0 70.7 37.6 20.6
Management, business, and financial
operations occupations............. 15,842 79.9 88.0 69.1 79.8 35.8 18.4
Professional and related
occupations........................ 22,556 74.8 81.8 58.7 64.4 38.9 22.1
Service occupations.................... 6,025 55.0 57.9 48.5 48.5 19.9 11.9
Sales and office occupations........... 23,874 63.8 71.2 53.9 62.3 22.1 11.6
Sales and related occupations........ 9,577 60.6 72.6 53.3 61.0 26.2 11.6
Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 14,297 66.0 70.2 54.3 63.1 19.4 11.6
Natural resources, construction, and
maintenance occupations.............. 3,965 51.4 63.0 44.0 53.3 23.0 15.7
Farming, fishing, and forestry
occupations........................ 140 54.6 56.9 39.7 54.8 19.5 6.1
Construction and extraction
occupations........................ 1,589 60.9 65.8 43.9 56.6 25.9 12.8
Installation, maintenance, and repair
occupations........................ 2,237 44.4 61.3 44.3 50.8 21.1 18.3
Production, transportation, and
material moving occupations.......... 4,723 41.3 53.5 43.1 49.9 21.4 13.4
Production occupations............... 2,878 42.0 54.8 43.0 52.4 25.9 14.9
Transportation and material moving
occupations........................ 1,845 40.3 51.4 43.3 46.0 14.4 11.1
INDUSTRY
Total, 16 years and over............ 76,986 67.6 75.2 56.8 64.2 29.7 16.4
Private wage and salary workers........ 57,855 65.0 73.5 57.5 64.4 27.8 16.8
Agriculture and related industries... 299 64.4 62.7 38.5 57.6 14.2 9.2
Nonagricultural industries........... 57,557 65.0 73.5 57.6 64.4 27.9 16.8
Mining............................. 221 66.4 75.0 55.1 76.9 35.7 12.7
Construction....................... 2,304 70.8 74.6 52.6 67.0 30.6 15.2
Manufacturing...................... 8,521 63.2 75.3 60.2 70.5 35.2 22.0
Durable goods.................... 5,540 64.1 75.7 61.4 71.5 36.5 24.4
Nondurable goods................. 2,981 61.5 74.6 57.7 68.6 32.6 17.5
Wholesale and retail trade......... 9,998 52.8 64.1 49.6 58.8 20.4 12.5
Transportation and utilities....... 2,462 54.4 70.7 56.8 60.1 24.4 15.1
Information........................ 2,493 73.2 87.0 64.2 70.6 38.1 23.9
Financial activities............... 7,328 71.0 83.6 61.2 72.0 24.3 15.8
Professional and business
services......................... 7,850 75.8 83.5 65.6 74.1 36.2 24.1
Education and health services...... 10,620 66.1 68.7 56.1 54.8 23.4 13.1
Leisure and hospitality............ 3,126 56.3 58.0 53.4 54.2 21.7 10.9
Other services..................... 2,635 71.0 72.4 56.8 61.9 34.1 16.1
Government workers...................... 13,773 76.2 81.0 56.2 64.0 33.8 15.1
Federal............................... 2,198 70.8 79.9 57.0 68.5 31.6 17.0
State................................. 4,234 79.4 86.5 60.2 68.3 35.6 17.5
Local................................. 7,341 75.9 78.2 53.7 60.1 33.4 13.1
Self-employed and unpaid family
workers.............................. 5,357 74.3 79.0 50.9 62.8 39.4 16.1
NOTE: Data refer to computer 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, October 2003
(Numbers in thousands)
Total civilian Job search activity of persons who used
noninstitutional the Internet to search for a job
population (percent)
Characteristic Read Posted a
Total who on-line Researched Submitted resume on
used the Percent ads or informa- a resume a job
Total Internet of searched tion on or listing
to search total on-line potential applica- site or
for a job job employers tion with a
listings service
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over............ 222,039 25,459 11.5 92.6 70.2 57.0 41.0
16 to 24 years.......................... 36,017 5,676 15.8 92.0 63.4 55.1 39.2
16 to 19 years........................ 16,145 1,470 9.1 88.9 51.1 46.3 27.9
20 to 24 years........................ 19,872 4,206 21.2 93.1 67.7 58.2 43.1
25 years and over....................... 186,022 19,784 10.6 92.8 72.2 57.5 41.6
25 to 34 years........................ 39,094 7,538 19.3 93.7 74.9 60.0 42.6
35 to 44 years........................ 43,670 6,228 14.3 92.8 71.3 57.3 41.4
45 to 54 years........................ 40,760 4,163 10.2 91.9 70.5 55.6 41.7
55 to 64 years........................ 28,112 1,595 5.7 91.1 68.0 53.1 38.1
65 years and over..................... 34,385 260 .8 91.4 68.4 47.4 35.3
Men..................................... 106,879 12,460 11.7 92.4 73.5 59.8 42.8
Women................................... 115,160 12,999 11.3 92.9 67.1 54.3 39.4
RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
White................................... 181,871 20,310 11.2 92.3 70.1 56.1 39.5
Black or African American............... 25,825 3,120 12.1 93.7 70.8 62.3 49.2
Asian................................... 9,328 1,297 13.9 93.5 73.5 60.0 45.2
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity............ 27,913 2,304 8.3 92.1 68.5 55.9 42.2
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 years and over............ 186,022 19,784 10.6 92.8 72.2 57.5 41.6
Less than a high school diploma......... 27,757 619 2.2 92.9 60.0 52.9 35.0
High school graduates, no college (2)... 59,569 3,846 6.5 93.3 63.7 51.7 39.4
Some college or associate degree........ 46,741 6,200 13.3 93.2 69.1 55.5 40.6
Bachelor's degree and higher (3)........ 51,954 9,119 17.6 92.3 78.8 61.6 43.6
Advanced degree....................... 17,846 2,868 16.1 90.8 80.9 60.6 41.8
1 Refers to use of the Internet to search for a job "this year," that is, from January to October 2003.
2 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
3 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
NOTE: The percentage of persons performing each activity may exceed 100 percent as persons may perform
more than one activity. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian)
do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is
Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.
Table 6. Job search activity(1) using the Internet by occupation and industry, October 2003
(Numbers in thousands)
Job search activity of persons who used
Experienced labor force the Internet to search for a job
(percent)
Occupation and industry Read Posted a
Total who on-line Researched Submitted resume on
used the Percent ads or informa- a resume a job
Total Internet of searched tion on or listing
to search total on-line potential applica- site or
for a job job employers tion with a
listings service
OCCUPATION
Total, 16 years and over............ 146,532 21,877 14.9 92.9 71.6 58.2 42.2
Management, professional, and related
occupations.......................... 49,744 9,620 19.3 92.7 76.3 59.8 43.7
Management, business, and financial
operations occupations............. 20,225 3,648 18.0 93.8 80.8 64.0 47.1
Professional and related
occupations........................ 29,519 5,972 20.2 92.1 73.5 57.3 41.6
Service occupations.................... 23,616 2,591 11.0 91.3 65.1 52.9 35.6
Sales and office occupations........... 37,536 6,456 17.2 93.2 69.9 59.0 43.4
Sales and related occupations........ 17,080 2,762 16.2 92.1 72.2 59.3 43.6
Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 20,456 3,694 18.1 94.0 68.2 58.8 43.2
Natural resources, construction, and
maintenance occupations.............. 16,084 1,386 8.6 93.6 65.4 57.3 40.3
Farming, fishing, and forestry
occupations........................ 1,387 61 4.4 99.0 76.1 71.0 35.4
Construction and extraction
occupations........................ 9,046 715 7.9 93.0 64.0 55.6 37.0
Installation, maintenance, and repair
occupations........................ 5,652 610 10.8 93.9 66.0 57.8 44.6
Production, transportation, and
material moving occupations.......... 19,522 1,803 9.2 94.8 66.1 55.2 40.9
Production occupations............... 10,429 878 8.4 95.1 65.8 54.9 43.1
Transportation and material moving
occupations........................ 9,094 925 10.2 94.4 66.3 55.5 38.7
INDUSTRY
Total, 16 years and over............ 146,532 21,877 14.9 92.9 71.6 58.2 42.2
Private wage and salary workers........ 114,995 17,710 15.4 93.3 72.0 59.5 43.5
Agriculture and related industries... 1,613 85 5.3 94.7 67.1 55.3 36.4
Nonagricultural industries........... 113,382 17,625 15.5 93.3 72.0 59.5 43.5
Mining............................. 551 61 11.0 90.2 62.8 53.7 36.1
Construction....................... 8,852 813 9.2 93.0 66.4 55.4 39.5
Manufacturing...................... 17,478 2,367 13.5 94.8 72.3 59.7 46.3
Durable goods.................... 10,875 1,603 14.7 95.1 71.4 59.0 47.3
Nondurable goods................. 6,604 764 11.6 94.1 74.2 61.2 44.0
Wholesale and retail trade......... 20,778 3,087 14.9 93.5 69.0 58.9 42.3
Transportation and utilities....... 5,429 702 12.9 93.9 76.7 61.1 39.1
Information........................ 3,400 788 23.2 94.7 81.9 63.3 45.0
Financial activities............... 9,198 1,774 19.3 94.1 75.9 64.2 48.0
Professional and business
services......................... 12,517 2,803 22.4 94.6 76.5 66.7 51.2
Education and health services...... 17,713 2,945 16.6 91.6 69.6 54.9 39.2
Leisure and hospitality............ 11,236 1,572 14.0 90.4 66.9 51.7 35.8
Other services..................... 6,229 711 11.4 91.7 68.9 57.2 41.2
Government workers...................... 20,445 3,114 15.2 92.0 69.1 51.3 34.7
Federal............................... 3,402 661 19.4 90.7 70.8 55.4 40.4
State................................. 5,869 1,009 17.2 92.4 65.2 43.8 29.3
Local................................. 11,174 1,445 12.9 92.3 70.9 54.6 35.8
Self-employed and unpaid family
workers.............................. 11,092 1,053 9.5 89.5 72.4 57.5 42.1
1 Refers to use of the Internet to search for a job "this year," that is, from January to October 2003.
NOTE: Data refer to computer or Internet use on the sole or primary job.