Q: The rate of unemployment has been in the news lately. Can you tell me how this rate is figured? Does it include those who are looking for a job but, for one reason or another have fallen off the unemployment compensation roles? Just who is represented in the unemployment rate?
—Jenny Galoski, Hiram
A: The U.S. Department of Labor says its official definition of unemployed is "people who are jobless, actively seeking work, and available to take a job."
Actively seeking work includes activities such as contacting employers, sending out resumes or filling out job applications, placing or inquiring about job ads and checking union or professional registers, according to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics website (www.bls.gov).
The site notes that “workers expecting to be recalled from temporary layoff are counted as unemployed whether or not they have engaged in a specific job seeking activity.”
The government does not use the number of people collecting state or federal unemployment insurance benefits since some people are jobless when their benefits end and others are ineligible or don’t apply for benefits, it notes. Unemployment insurance information “cannot be used as a source for complete information on the number of unemployed,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics site states.
The government’s monthly survey — the Current Population Survey — measures unemployment in the U.S. It uses a sample of about 60,000 eligible households, which equals about 110,000 individuals each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes.
Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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