According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), more than half of all workers used a computer on the job in September 2001. And nearly three-fourths of those workers connected to the Internet or used e-mail.

Data from the September 2001 supplement to the Current Population Survey indicate that 54 percent of employed persons, or about 72 million workers, used a computer on the job. Of those, 72 percent—roughly 52 million workers—cited using a computer to gain access to the Internet or for sending and receiving e-mail. As the chart shows, rates of computer and Internet or e-mail use varied by occupation.

In addition to Internet access and e-mail use, activities of people who used a computer at work included word processing or desktop publishing, spreadsheet or database creation or review, and calendar or scheduling tasks. Computer use also varied by demographic characteristics such as age, sex, and level of educational attainment.

For more information, call (202) 691-6378, visit the Current Population Survey program online at www.bls.gov/cps, or view online the summary of computer and Internet use in 2001 at www.bls.gov/news.release/ciuaw.nr0.htm.

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