1999–2001 Worker Displacement — 2002-08-21

During the January 1999 through December 2001 period, 4.0 million workers were displaced from jobs they had held for at least 3 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The number of displaced workers increased from 3.3 million in January 1997 through December 1999. The more recent period includes the recession that began in March 2001 and the resulting slowdown in the labor market. In contrast, the prior survey covered a period of strong employment growth and declining unemployment. Since 1984, the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor has sponsored surveys that collect information on workers who were displaced from their jobs. These surveys have been conducted biennially as supplements to the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of households that is the primary source of information on the nation's labor force.