December 20, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Work experience, 2006

The proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 years old and over that worked at some time during the year was 67.8 percent in 2006, essentially unchanged from 2005.

[Chart data—TXT]

The proportion of men who worked at some time during 2006 held at 74.4 percent. The percent of women who worked during 2006, at 61.6 percent, was little changed from a year earlier. 

The proportions of whites (68.5 percent), blacks (63.6 percent), and Asians (67.5 percent) that worked some time during the year were essentially unchanged in 2006. The proportion of Hispanics who worked at some point during 2006 (69.1 percent) was up from 2005.

These data are from the Current Population Survey. To learn more, see "Work Experience of the Population in 2006," USDL news release 07-1923.