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THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- OCTOBER 2009
The unemployment rate rose from 9.8 to 10.2 percent in October,
and nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline (-190,000),
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The largest
job losses over the month were in construction, manufacturing,
and retail trade.
Household Survey Data
In October, the number of unemployed persons increased by
558,000 to 15.7 million. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4
percentage point to 10.2 percent, the highest rate since
April 1983. Since the start of the recession in December 2007,
the number of unemployed persons has risen by 8.2 million,
and the unemployment rate has grown by 5.3 percentage points.
(See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult
men (10.7 percent) and whites (9.5 percent) rose in October. The
jobless rates for adult women (8.1 percent), teenagers (27.6 per-
cent), blacks (15.7 percent), and Hispanics (13.1 percent) were
little changed over the month. The unemployment rate for Asians
was 7.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted. (See tables A-1,
A-2, and A-3.)
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks
and over) was little changed over the month at 5.6 million. In
October, 35.6 percent of unemployed persons were jobless for 27
weeks or more. (See table A-9.)
The civilian labor force participation rate was little changed
over the month at 65.1 percent. The employment-population ratio
continued to decline in October, falling to 58.5 percent. (See
table A-1.)
The number of persons working part time for economic reasons
(sometimes refer-red to as involuntary part-time workers) was
little changed in October at 9.3 million. These individuals were
working part time because their hours had been cut back or because
they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-5.)
About 2.4 million persons were marginally attached to the labor
force in October, reflecting an increase of 736,000 from a year
earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals
were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and
had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not
counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4
weeks preceding the survey. (See table A-13.)
Among the marginally attached, there were 808,000 discouraged workers
in October, up from 484,000 a year earlier. (The data are not season-
ally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking
for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The other
1.6 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in October
had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for
reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.
