Comments on: The Hidden Employment Problem http://www.equityblog.org/2009/01/09/the-hidden-employment-problem/ A Community of Voices. A Movement for Change. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:52:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Rafael Shimunov http://www.equityblog.org/2009/01/09/the-hidden-employment-problem/#comment-294 Rafael Shimunov Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:00:40 +0000 http://www.equityblog.org/2009/01/09/the-hidden-employment-problem/#comment-294 Here's the county graphic http://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/twmcort.gif Here’s the county graphic http://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/twmcort.gif

]]> By: Rafael Shimunov http://www.equityblog.org/2009/01/09/the-hidden-employment-problem/#comment-293 Rafael Shimunov Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:00:01 +0000 http://www.equityblog.org/2009/01/09/the-hidden-employment-problem/#comment-293 In addition to U6, there's another level of hidden impacts when you examine on a county by county basis. After all, the day to day challenges unemployment presents to an individual and their community are multiplied when you live in a county with unemployment that is already twice the national average. In addition to U6, there’s another level of hidden impacts when you examine on a county by county basis. After all, the day to day challenges unemployment presents to an individual and their community are multiplied when you live in a county with unemployment that is already twice the national average.

]]> By: Dan Lavoie http://www.equityblog.org/2009/01/09/the-hidden-employment-problem/#comment-290 Dan Lavoie Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:42:58 +0000 http://www.equityblog.org/2009/01/09/the-hidden-employment-problem/#comment-290 Great point, Katrin. The "unemployment rate" is a wildly flawed figure in its own right, for just the reasons you pointed out. 13.5 percent is nothing short of tragic. That's about one in seven working-age Americans. Just awful. Great point, Katrin. The “unemployment rate” is a wildly flawed figure in its own right, for just the reasons you pointed out. 13.5 percent is nothing short of tragic. That’s about one in seven working-age Americans. Just awful.

]]> By: Katrin Kärk http://www.equityblog.org/2009/01/09/the-hidden-employment-problem/#comment-289 Katrin Kärk Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:31:03 +0000 http://www.equityblog.org/2009/01/09/the-hidden-employment-problem/#comment-289 Excellent and much underreported point that the traditional "unemployment" rate obscures the true extent of the problem, as the unemployment rate only represents those unemployed individuals who are actively looking for work--and not the millions more who have withdrawn from the labor force entirely out of discouragement. Many workforce and antipoverty advocates prefer to cite the Bureau of Labor Statistics' U-6 measure (sometimes called "labor market slack") as a more comprehensive means of discussing the employment situation. The U-6 includes: --the official unemployment rate (that 7.2%) --"marginally attached workers" who have looked for work sometime in the recent and indicate they're available to work but are not currently looking for a job (this includes "discouraged workers" who give an job market reason for not currently looking for a job--like believing there are no jobs available or no jobs for which they qualify) --workers working part-time for economic reasons (couldn't find full-time work, reduction in hours at existing job, etc.) As of December 2008, the U-6 is 13.5%--up almost a full percentage point from November and up from 8.7% at the December 2007 start of the recession. Excellent and much underreported point that the traditional “unemployment” rate obscures the true extent of the problem, as the unemployment rate only represents those unemployed individuals who are actively looking for work–and not the millions more who have withdrawn from the labor force entirely out of discouragement.

Many workforce and antipoverty advocates prefer to cite the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ U-6 measure (sometimes called “labor market slack”) as a more comprehensive means of discussing the employment situation.

The U-6 includes:
–the official unemployment rate (that 7.2%)
–”marginally attached workers” who have looked for work sometime in the recent and indicate they’re available to work but are not currently looking for a job (this includes “discouraged workers” who give an job market reason for not currently looking for a job–like believing there are no jobs available or no jobs for which they qualify)
–workers working part-time for economic reasons (couldn’t find full-time work, reduction in hours at existing job, etc.)

As of December 2008, the U-6 is 13.5%–up almost a full percentage point from November and up from 8.7% at the December 2007 start of the recession.

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