Finding
a job takes time. But just how much time depends, in part,
on the occupation in which you’re seeking employment.
Each month, the Current Population Survey
asks unemployed people how long they have been looking for
work. In 2006, as the chart shows, unemployed people in
farming, fishing, and forestry occupations had been looking
for work for the fewest median number of weeks, compared
with people in other occupational groups. Why the
difference?
One reason might be that workers in some
occupations are more likely to wait for a specific type of
job before accepting employment, especially if their former
jobs paid well. Another reason is that finding work quickly
is difficult in some specialized occupations. And employment
in other occupations, including those in construction, is
cyclical; jobs begin and end more quickly, so people
experience shorter, but more frequent, periods of
unemployment.
The numbers in the chart are medians, which
means that half of the people surveyed had been looking for
work longer than the time shown, and half for shorter. In
every occupational group, some workers had been unemployed
for more than 6 months.
The workers were still unemployed when they
were surveyed, so the total length of their unemployment is
unknown. To learn more, call (202) 691-6378 or visit online
at www.bls.gov/cps.
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