The article discusses the obscurities that are skewing our views on American unemployment. A U.S. unemployment rate of 6.2% is currently being advertised, however this article shows that with all factors considered, the actual unemployment rate is closer to 12.6%. Saying that 6.2% of U.S. citizens are unemployed leaves out people who are considered "Marginally Attached," these are people who have not been working and have not looked for work in the past 4 weeks. This article states that there is currently 2.2 million marginally attached people who are not being accounted for in the unemployment rate. 7.5 million people who are working only few part time hours are also not being considered as unemployed, even though they have no full contributing occupation.
I think that the advertisement of a 6.2% unemployment rate is only hurting the American public. If people feel that unemployment is becoming less of an issue than it wont be battled. The lack of attention to unemployment would be a cause for it to be swept under the rug and go unnoticed yet the issue would still remain.
I know that the official unemployment rate doesn't take into account people who are unemployed and have stopped looking for work. I think that the official unemployment rate is fudged to make it look better.
ReplyDeleteUnemployment in the US is always going to be an issue. This nation is the place everyone wants to go and obviously it's gonna get clogged up. I don't know if anything can really be done about it.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that the data being publicized was skewed. I agree that we should advertise the real statistic in order to create more energy in the public that will hopefully help to lead to change.
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