News release: “A total of 153.5 million persons worked at some point during 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The proportion of the civilian non institutional population age 16 and over who worked at some time during
2011 was 63.3 percent, down from 63.7 percent in 2010. The number of persons who experienced some unemployment during 2011 was 23.7 million, down by 1.5 million from 2010….Overall, 63.3 percent of the population worked in 2011. The proportion of
men who worked during the year was 68.8 percent, down from 69.3 percent in 2010. The proportion of women who worked at some point during 2011 was 58.1 percent, little changed from the prior year. These data are based on information collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.”