GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Applicants—an unduplicated count of all persons who have registered at Employment Security Job Service Centers for job-finding assistance. The registration is reported by program year (July 1 to June 30). Applicants can be registered without a work history or specific DOT designation or may be assigned multiple designations based on their work history. Detailed data by occupation is reported only for applicants who have at least one nine-digit classification. In the event of multiple Dots, the tabulated data report only the classification that reflects the applicant's highest level of education and experience.

Economically disadvantaged—for JTPA purposes, an individual who is a member of a family receiving public assistance, or whose family income does not exceed either the poverty level as determined by the Office of Management and Budget, or 70 percent of the Lower Living Standard Income Level.

Employed—is a term used to describe a person 16 years or older with a job. People are considered employed if they did any work at all for pay or profit during the reference period. This includes all part-time and temporary work as well as regular full-time year-round employment.

Covered employment—employment in an industry that comes under coverage of the state's unemployment insurance program. Generally excluded from coverage are the self-employed, full commissioned sales-workers, employees of religious organizations, elected and appointed officials, some student employees and some agricultural workers. Since 1990, more agricultural workers have become eligible for unemployment insurance as the result of legislative changes.

Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)—a federal act, passed in 1982, designed to establish programs to prepare youth and unskilled adults for entry into the labor force and to provide job training for economically disadvantaged individuals and others with serious barriers to employment. It is administered in a partnership of Private Industry Councils (PICs) and local elected officials within Service Delivery Areas (SDAs) designated by the Governor.

Labor area—consists of a central city and the surrounding territory within commuting distance. It is an economically integrated geographical unit within which workers may readily change jobs without changing their residence. In Washington state, labor areas are composed of one or more counties.

Labor force (civilian)—the sum of all employed and unemployed persons 16 years and older actively seeking work, by place of residence (county or metropolitan statistical area).

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)—an area qualifies as an MSA in one of two ways: it must either have a city of at least 50,000 population or an urbanized area of at least 50,000 and a total metropolitan area population of at least 100,000. MSAs are defined in terms of counties. In addition to the county containing the main city, an MSA may include additional counties which have close economic and social ties to the central city.

Minority—as used in this report, refers to all races other than white and to whites of Spanish origin.

Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment—industry employment by place of work; excludes self-employed, unpaid family workers, domestics, and some agricultural workers. Conceptually, this is probably the most consistent economic time series available to compare different labor markets over an extended period of time.

Openings—a count of all job openings listed at Job Service Centers. All openings that were active during the program year are listed, including those later cancelled by employers.

Private Industry Council (PIC)—a group of individuals, within each JTPA SDA, representing private business, organized labor, educational agencies, rehabilitation agencies, community-based organizations, economic development agencies and the public employment service. Their major duties are to provide policy guidance for JTPA activities and the oversight of those activities.

Service Delivery Area (SDA)—a designated area within Washington that receives JTPA funds based upon a formula and uses those funds to establish employment and training programs. Currently, Washington State is divided into 12 SDAs.

Unemployed—describes persons 16 years and older who have actively looked for work, are currently available for work, and do not have a job at the same time.

Unemployment Insurance (UI) Claimants—an unduplicated count of all UI claimants residing in Washington who had an active claim under any program or entitlement. Although the claimant may have had more than one claim during the program year, that person is counted only once in Table III-B. Exhaustion of benefits refers to regular benefits only.

Unemployment Rate—the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the civilian labor force.

Veteran—refers to a person who has served but is not currently serving in the armed forces of the United States. Vietnam Era veterans are those who served in the armed forces between August 5, 1964 and May 7, 1975.