Q&A on the News

Q: I keep reading that the Labor Department states the number of people who have stopped looking for work. How in the world do they know this? Please tell me how they derive these numbers.

—Sy Richards, Atlanta

A: The U.S. Census Bureau asks a variety of questions in monthly interviews with 60,000 households, a spokesman with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) told Q&A on the News. Some questions deal with the labor force, and those results are sent to the BLS. It uses those numbers to formulate monthly labor statistics, the spokesman said. Here is a sample of the questions:

• Do you currently want a job, either full or part time?

• Last week, did you have a job either full or part time? Include any job from which you were temporarily absent.

• What was the main reason you were absent from work last week?

• Do you want to work a full-time workweek of 35 hours or more per week?

• What is the main reason you do not want to work full time?

• Last week, could you have worked full time if the hours had been offered?

Q: After the Masters is over, do they remove the patron stands, or are they permanent? Also, how long do members wait before they can resume playing?

—Marty Smallwood, Mansfield

A: All observation stands are removed after each Masters, Steve Ethun, the Augusta National Golf Club's director of communications, told Q&A on the News in an email. Member play resumed Monday, the day after the tournament ended.