Full text of 1999 : Text File, USDL 00-333
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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.)
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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
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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.