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MEASURING UNEMPLOYMENT. WHAT EXACTLY DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?. WHO IS EMPLOYED?. Worked at least one day during the survey week. Currently sick or on leave but will return to a job. Unpaid family worker working at least 15 hours a week in a family enterprise.
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MEASURING UNEMPLOYMENT WHAT EXACTLY DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
WHO IS EMPLOYED? • Worked at least one day during the survey week. • Currently sick or on leave but will return to a job. • Unpaid family worker working at least 15 hours a week in a family enterprise. • Students working part-time after school
WHAT DOES THE UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBER MEAN? The unemployment rate measures the percentage of people, over the age of 15 who: • do not have jobs and have actively looked for work in the preceding 4 weeks • are currently available for work or waiting to be called back after a layoff.
SURVEY ON UNEMPLOYMENT BLS calls 60,000 households every month. They ask three questions of members 16 years of age and older: • Are you working? If the answer is no, • Did you work at all this month-even 1 day? You are a member of the LF if “yes” on 1 or 2. • Did you look for work during the last month? A “yes” counts you as part of the LF. A “no” means you are not counted.
WHO IS NOT COUNTED AS UNEMPLOYED? • Discouraged workers (individuals who have stopped looking) • Under 16 years old • Homemakers • Retirees • Institutionalized • Part-time who really want full-time • Undocumented immigrants • Military personnel
OTHER WAYS TO MEASURE U-1: Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force (6/14: 2.9%) U-2: Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force (6/14: 3.1%) U-3: Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (official unemployment rate, 6/14: 6.1%) U-4: Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force (6/14: 6.5%) U-5: Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other persons marginally attached to the labor force, as a percent of the civilian labor force (6/14: 7.3%)
OTHER WAYS TO MEASURE • The U-6 number takes into consideration the discouraged and part-timers (underemployed). That number is currently 12.1% (6/14) • The Employment-Population Ratio measures the percentage of Americans who are holding a job. • The Unemployment Rate surveys 60,000 households monthly. • The Payroll numbers survey 150,000 businesses and government agencies. (Considered more accurate).
OTHER WAYS TO MEASURE LABOR PARTICIPATION RATE EMPLOYMENT TO POPULATION
ARE THESE CURRENT NUMBERS DEVASTATING? • The highest unemployment level in the last recession was 10.2% which is lower than the peak of the early 80s recession, 10.8%. • At the depths of the Great Depression unemployment hit 25% • The real problem has been the duration of unemployment • As of 6/2014, 32.8% have been jobless for > 27 weeks. Green = more than 15 weeks Blue = less than 15 weeks
THE VALUE OF AN EDUCATION • The unemployment rate for workers over 25 w/o college is 10% • For those w/o a high school diploma, 12.4% • For those with a 4-year degree, 4.8% • 4-year college graduates made 47% more, on average, then people who didn’t finish college, in 2012.
NO RECESSION FOR COLLEGE GRADS Even in the depths of the recession, when the national rate of unemployment topped 10%, the economy added 200,000 jobs for workers with bachelor’s degrees. Since the recovery began, 2 million more have been created Nearly 6 million jobs requiring a high school diploma or less have been lost since the downturn began. For recent graduates trying to work with only a high school diploma, nearly 24% are unemployed.