14.3% of Americans Unemployed, Underemployed

14.3% of Americans Unemployed, Underemployed

The 'official' unemployment rate according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics standard measure stands at 7.3%.

They have more vivid measurements that actually include a wider range of unemployed people.

The standard measurement is called the U3, and the wider rate is U6.

U6 is closer to the actual rate because is "excludes" less people from the ratios.

The U6 is more like a genuine "distress rate".

There is also an "UNofficial" rate that stands around 23%. That measurement uses methods that were put out of service in 1994 and is possibly the "real" unemployment rate !!

The U3 - U6 rates have been on a slight decline since 2010, but the alternative rate has been rising.

Which should we really believe ?

Not looking good.

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics measure of unemployment and underemployment, known as the “job distress rate,” Americans who lack work constitute 14.3 percent of the workforce. That includes those who are unemployed plus “marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.” That’s almost double the official unemployment rate of 7.3 percent.

14.3% of Americans Unemployed, Underemployed

California has nation's second highest job distress rate

Alternate Unemployment Charts

reply to post by xuenchen


Hope it goes to 68%.


We need a catastrophic event but this time something that makes everyone run.

superluminal11
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Hope it goes to 68%.


We need a catastrophic event but this time something that makes everyone run.

Interesting comment.

What would be the end goal ?

And who would ultimately benefit the most from this major event ?

reply to post by superluminal11


I don't hope it goes to 68% but to wake up some people I think it must.

superluminal11
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Hope it goes to 68%.


We need a catastrophic event but this time something that makes everyone run.

I bet if you factor in the number of people are stuck in lousy jobs they would love to leave if they thought they could find another one, it's around 70%.

But nothing really new is happening now and it probably won't even if it increases. It's just a slow decline in wages until we are a third world country.

Not to worry, the clowns on Capitol Hill have a solution for the crumbling economy in America.

Roll out a red carpet for 11 MILLION relatively unskilled criminal immigrants, plus a minimum of another 30 MILLION distant family members under an amnesty-chain-migration-law.

Replace a middle class with an entitlement class, saturate an irreversibly decaying job market with the cheapest labor possible, say a prayer, and hope this keeps the monopolistic corporate house-of-cards standing.

seasoul
Not to worry, the clowns on Capitol Hill have a solution for the crumbling economy in America.

Roll out a red carpet for 11 MILLION relatively unskilled criminal immigrants, plus a minimum of another 30 MILLION distant family members under an amnesty-chain-migration-law.

Replace a middle class with an entitlement class, saturate an irreversibly decaying job market with the cheapest labor possible, say a prayer, and hope this keeps the monopolistic corporate house-of-cards standing.

edit on 21-11-2013 by seasoul because: (no reason given)

lol... you made me lose my coffee....lol

Nearsightedness is a medical condition, you might want to see a doctor about that .... we have new healthcare system....let me find the number for it .... oops sorry its busy (sorry couldn't resist).

reply to post by xuenchen


This is actually a much lower underemployment rate than I would have thought.

You know.. I think its higher than that . I had posted last year about the people I was introduced to who were living homeless. Our homeless shelter had closed and those that couldnt be placed elsewhere were living in parks or anywhere with shelter. I practice what I preach so I tried to get a community/individual reaction to OUR people living in such dire conditions so private folks banded together to feed, offer jobs, give blankets and look out for our fellow citizens. The amount of NEWLY homeless/jobless was shocking. Men living homeless while wives or girlfriennds with kids displaced among family members was a running theme I hadnt heard before in these numbers. Family units destroyed... it was shocking to me. These folks WANT to work but here there is very little to keep you afloat unless you work at the base: contract or are a very skilled worker. This year they asked many many civ employees and some contractors on base to take up to a 50% pay cut if they wanted to keep their position. Many HAD to.... which was financial destruction in the best case scenario. Kids go to school without appropriate winter wear. We still do it regardless of the warnings, but the "authorities" tried to block the children receiving 2nd hand coats, boots, gloves, and hats!
Our summer lunch program was a disaster this year. We didnt have enough food to go around.. by far. Our burden was added to by the adults that came and needed food as well! Its advertised for school age children that usually get only one balanced meal a day during school session.. and none over the summer. We had EVERYONE show up. We had it at the park and were overwhelmed. We had to ask one of our members who goes to a church here to get ahold of her community outreach at church to chip in. I have NO problem turning away a mooch who looks like they havent missed a meal.. I favor the needy. This was a slight problem with the church folks who did some fishing for men with hotdogs and hamburgers.. but who cares. There were too many needy to debate supply and demand with the church...

I believe in charity by choice and not compulsory charity. Problem is that we givers are not able to handle the demand out of our pockets alone now for what we have done in the past. The demand is incredible and had had a sharp uptick mostly in the last 3 years. Made me sick when I recently learned that our community park stocked ponds were fished out completely.. even the turtles. They found the shells... and traps the homeless were trapping critters with in the parks..

America... where we give billions to people that hate us and squander billions on things that dont matter.. and our own starve. People need to step up INDIVIDUALLY in any way they can. I dont even care what your reasons are anymore... selfish or altruistic.. who cares. Just do it.

reply to post by xuenchen


But..............0bama is in charge. This can't be true.

Must be Bush's fault.

reply to post by macman


Romney would have being how different from Obama how again?

reply to post by Agent_USA_Supporter


When did I say he would be better???

0bama is a rocket ship.
Romney is a steam train.

reply to post by Agent_USA_Supporter


No clue, the man was not elected. How can you say he would have been the same? We simply don't know.

As for unemployment numbers, I think it's somewhere around 30%.