March 14, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Shorter unemployment spells in 2000

The median spell of unemployment was half a week shorter in 2000 than in 1999.

[Chart data—TXT]

When surveyed in 1999, the median duration of unemployment among unemployed persons was 6.4 weeks; this dropped to 5.9 weeks in 2000.

The mean duration of unemployment also declined in 2000. The average spell of employment among those still unemployed was 13.4 weeks in 1999—this fell to 12.6 weeks in 2000.

All of the above figures on duration of spells of unemployment refer to spells still in progress at the time of the survey; the figures are not for completed spells of unemployment.

These data are a product of the Current Population Survey. More information on duration of unemployment in 2000 can be found in Table 31 of the January 2001 Employment and Earnings. (Data for 1999 are from Table 31 of the January 2000 Employment and Earnings.)