July 07, 2004 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Unemployment rate unchanged in June

The number of unemployed persons, 8.2 million, was essentially unchanged in June 2004, and the unemployment rate held steady at 5.6 percent. The unemployment rate has been 5.6 percent in all but one month this year.

Unemployment rate, June 2003-June 2004
[Chart data—TXT]

Total employment was 139.0 million in June, and the employment-population ratio—the proportion of the population age 16 and over with jobs—was about unchanged at 62.3 percent. The civilian labor force participation rate also was little changed at 66.0 percent.

The data in this report are from the Current Population Survey and are seasonally adjusted. For more information, see "The Employment Situation: June 2004" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-1170.