Unemployment Watch: Women's Unemployment Increases Across the Board in February 2003

3/7/2003

From: Katie O'Neill of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, 202-785-5100, E-mail: oneill@iwpr.org WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Following is a statement by Vicky Lovell, Ph.D., and Meghan Salas: Every group of women for which seasonally adjusted unemployment data are available experienced greater unemployment in February 2003 than in the previous month. The unemployment rate for adult women rose to 5.0, from 4.7 in January (see Table 1, below). Women heads of household experienced a dramatic rise in unemployment, from 8.0 in January to 9.0 in February. Communities of color were hit especially hard by rising unemployment: 9.0 percent of Black women workers are jobless (up from 8.4 in January), and Hispanic women's unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) stands at 8.2. A substantial number of women workers -- 3.8 million -- are now jobless. Of these, nearly 840,000 are heads of families. Driven by women's rising joblessness, and despite declines in men's unemployment, the overall unemployment rate rose slightly over the January rate, from 5.7 percent to 5.8 percent. As shown in Table 2, below, unemployment is substantially higher for all workers compared to February 2001, shortly before the recession began (see note 1). At that time, the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent-just slightly higher than the 30-year low of 3.9 percent experienced in 2000. Over two and a half million more adults are out of work now than in were unemployed in February 2001. The unemployment rate for adult women (5.0 percent) is slightly lower than adult men's (5.3 percent). However, women's unemployment increased last month (from 4.7 percent in January), while men's decreased slightly (to 5.3, from 5.4 percent the previous month). Women are particularly vulnerable as unemployment rises because they are less likely than men to receive unemployment insurance while searching for a new job. When they do qualify for unemployment insurance, their benefits are usually lower than men's because their wages are usually lower. In addition to rising unemployment rates, there are other signs of a serious job shortage. The ranks of the long-term unemployed are swelling: 1.9 million people had been unemployed for 27 weeks or more in February 2003, nearly 200,000 more than in the previous month. Almost a quarter of the unemployed have been out of work half a year or more. An additional 2.5 million women and 1.9 million men who do not meet the Department of Labor definition of unemployment want a job. 4.8 million workers who would like to work full-time are involuntarily working shorter shifts. There are 1.6 million fewer people with jobs than there were in February 2001, before the recession started, and the employment-to-population ratio has fallen from 64.5 to 62.4, indicating a general shrinking of job opportunities. Historically, women's employment has been less sensitive to the business cycle than men's-men tend to work in industries that react more strongly to economic slowdowns, like manufacturing and construction, while women's employment is concentrated in white collar work and in services, which are generally more resistant to economic contractions and expansions. As the economic downturn and war worries continue, some of these patterns are changing. Table 3 contrasts unemployment rates in several industries that have high female employment. Some are experiencing very high unemployment: professional and business services (8.9), leisure and hospitality (10.0), and retail and wholesale trade (6.1). Government and education and health services, however, continue to show very low unemployment-2.4 and 3.2 percent, respectively. --- Table 1. Unemployment in January and February 2003 ............................January........February ..............................2003..........2003 A: Unemployment Rate B: Number Unemployed (thousands) ........................-A-......-B-......-A-.....-B- ALL WORKERS..............5.7.....8,302....5.8....8,450 ADULT WOMEN..............4.7.....3,035....5.0....3,237 Adult white women.......4.1.....2,141....4.2....2,194 Adult Black or African American women....8.4.......698....9.0......748 Adult Hispanic or Latina women (a)..........8.4.......601....8.2......577 Women who maintain families..................8.0.......746....9.0......837 ADULT MEN................5.4.....4,026....5.3....3,962 Adult white men.........4.9.....3,009....4.6....2,893 Adult Black or African American men......10.3.......744...10.1......736 Adult Hispanic or Latino men (a)..........7.5.......785....7.3......775 Notes: 1."Adults" are aged 20 years and older; "all workers" includes 16- to 19-year-olds. 2. Data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Current Population Survey of the civilian noninstitutional population, as published in the BLS series The Employment Situation. 3. Except as noted, all unemployment rate data are seasonally adjusted. (a) Not seasonally adjusted. --- Table 2. Unemployment in February 2001 and February 2003 ........................February............February ..........................2001................2003 A: Unemployment Rate B: Number Unemployed (thousands) ........................-A-......-B-........-A-.....-B- ALL WORKERS.............4.2....5,936........5.8....8,450 ADULT WOMEN.............3.7....2,288........5.0....3,237 Adult white women......3.3....1,699........4.2....2,194 Adult Black or African American women...5.8......482........9.0......748 Adult Hispanic or Latina women (a).........n/a.................8.2......577 Women who maintain families.................6.1......541........9.0......837 ADULT MEN...............3.5....2,527........5.3....3,962 Adult white men........3.2....1,926........4.6....2,893 Adult Black or African American men......6.6......487.......10.1......736 Adult Hispanic or Latino men (a).........n/a.................7.3......775 Notes: 1."Adults" are aged 20 years and older; "all workers" includes 16- to 19-year-olds. 2. Data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Current Population Survey of the civilian noninstitutional population, as published in the BLS series The Employment Situation.. 3. Except as noted, all unemployment rate data are seasonally adjusted. (a) Not seasonally adjusted. --- Table 3. Unemployment Rates in Selected Industries ...............................January...........February .................................2003..............2003 A: Unemployment Rate B: Number Unemployed (thousands) . .............................-A-......-B-.......-A-.....-B- Retail/Wholesale Trade.........6.7....1,342......6.1....1,238 Information....................6.7......243......8.6......321 Professional and Business Services........................8.9....1,112......8.9....1,140 Education and health services..3.2......559......3.2......576 Leisure and Hospitality........9.3....1,049.....10.0....1,145 Other Services.................5.3......304......5.7......331 Government.....................2.8......571......2.4......483 Notes: 1. Not seasonally adjusted. 2.Data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Current Population Survey of the civilian noninstitutional population, The Employment Situation: February 2003.. --- NOTE 1: The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the official arbiter of the business cycle in the United States, pronounced that a recession began in March of 2001. Although there was moderate positive growth in 2002, the NBER has yet to determine whether or not the recession is officially over.