Unemployment

The average length of unemployment in 2005, according to Employment and Earnings, was 18.4 weeks, down from 19.6 weeks in 2004, but up from 13.2 weeks in 2001. The median duration of unemployment was 8.9 weeks. In 2005, 2.7 million (35.1%) of the nation's 7.6 million unemployed workers had been unemployed for less than five weeks, and 2.3 million (30.4%) had been out of work for five to fourteen weeks. About 2.6 million unemployed workers (34.5%) had been out of work for fifteen weeks or more, with 1.1 million (14.9% of all unemployed people) out of work fifteen to twenty-six weeks, and 1.5 million (19.6%) unemployed for twenty-seven weeks or more. (See Table 3.6.)

Gender and Age

Men tended to stay unemployed somewhat longer (an average of 19.1 weeks) than women (17.6 weeks) in 2005, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Generally, the older the job seeker, the longer it took to find TABLE 3.2 Over-the-year change in unemployment rates by state, December 2004–December 2005 "Over-the-Year Change in Unemployment Rates for States Monthly Rankings Seasonally Adjusted," in Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly), U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 22, 2005, http://www.bls.gov/web/laumstch.htm (accessed January 10, 2006)work. Because better-paying jobs usually take longer to find, men forty-five years and older, who were more likely to be seeking higher-paying employment than either women or younger people, remained unemployed longer. Young men and women aged sixteen to nineteen years old were unemployed an average of 12.5 weeks and 10.1 weeks, respectively, compared with 23.9 weeks for men and 23.8 weeks for women who were aged fifty-five to sixty-four. (See Table 3.6.)

Race and Ethnicity

Workers of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity were unemployed for an average of sixteen weeks in 2005, according to Employment and Earnings. This was the lowest figure of any racial or ethnic group, with whites out of work an average of 16.9 weeks, African-American workers unemployed for 22.6 weeks, and Asians unemployed the longest at an average of 23.3 weeks. Within these racial and ethnic groups, men tended to remain unemployed longer than women, except for those of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, with women out of work an average of 16.3 weeks while the men returned to work in 15.7 weeks. (See Table 3.6.)

Marital Status

Widowed, divorced, or separated women were unemployed somewhat longer (19.6 weeks) in 2005 than those who had never been married (16.3 weeks) or those who were living with their spouses (18.1 weeks). Married men living with their wives (19.9 weeks) and those who were widowed, divorced, or separated (23 weeks) were out of work longer than men who had never been married (17.7 weeks). (See Table 3.6.)

Occupations

In 2005, 602,000 of those unemployed in service occupations were out of work less than five weeks (37.9% of the total number of unemployed in this sector), and 511,000 people (32.2%) were still looking for work after fifteen weeks. Of those seeking managerial and professional positions, 385,000 were unemployed less than five weeks (representing 32.8% of the unemployed in this sector), and 436,000 (37.2%) still lacked jobs after fifteen weeks. (See Table 3.7.)

Workers in managerial and professional occupations had the longest average duration of unemployment (20.9 weeks). Production workers had an average duration of 19.5 weeks of unemployment; sales and office occupations workers were out of work for an average of eighteen weeks; and employees in service occupations endured unemployment for an average of 17.2 weeks. (See Table 3.7.)

Industry

During 2005, 279,000 construction workers (38.4% of the unemployed workers in this sector), 86,000 transportation and utilities laborers (33.6% of the sector), and 96,000 financial activities workers (34.5% of the sector) TABLE 3.3 Unemployed persons by demographic characteristics, 2004–2005 "24. Unemployed Persons by Marital Status, Race, Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity, Age, and Sex" in Employment and Earnings, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2006, http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat24.pdf (accessed January 10, 2006)found employment within five weeks of becoming jobless After fifteen weeks, 216,000 construction workers still needed jobs (29.8% of the sector). Construction workers were out of work an average of 15.5 weeks. Workers in the information sector had the longest average duration of unemployment in 2005 (23.3 weeks), followed by durable goods maunfacturing workers (22.7 weeks). The maunfacturing labor force as a whole took an average of 21.7 weeks to find a job. Of manufacturing workers, 250,000 (30.7% of the sector) were unemployefd for less than five weeks, and 326,000 (35.6% of the sector) were unemployed more than fifteen weeks. (See Table 3.7.)