Category: Measuring Unemployment

(Mostly) Useful Government Numbers About Poverty, Jobs, and Unemployment, including the Latest Employment Report for February 2024    

By Frank Stricker A Failed Number             Does the Federal Government regularly publish estimates of what a reasonably comfortable living standard would be for an average household? There must be something somewhere. A government agency does publish poverty lines–aka, poverty thresholds–and its experts tell us how many people fall below… Read More (Mostly) Useful Government Numbers About Poverty, Jobs, and Unemployment, including the Latest Employment Report for February 2024    

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Getting Better All the Time? The Labor Report for January of ’24

by Frank Stricker The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report on jobs and unemployment for January was mostly positive.  It continues a string of generally upbeat reports over the last two years. Official unemployment stayed under 4% for the 23rd month in a row. It was 3.7%. The Hispanic rate was still high at 5% and… Read More Getting Better All the Time? The Labor Report for January of ’24

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The Jobs Report for October 2023: What a Mix of Goods and Bads

by Frank Stricker November 15, 2023 In the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Employment Situation for October, the official unemployment rate rose by a tenth of a percentage point to 3.9%. Many subcategories also increased by a tenth. One exception was that the unemployment rate for black teens fell from 24% to18.8%, a significant drop.… Read More The Jobs Report for October 2023: What a Mix of Goods and Bads

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More Bad Good News? The Job Situation in September 2023 

by Frank Stricker October 11, 2023 In the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics’ jobs report, The Employment Situation—September 2023, the official unemployment rate stayed at 3.8%. The National Jobs for All Network’s comprehensive rate, including more job-needers and part-timers who want full-time work, was also stable but at a very high level of 9.2%. An… Read More More Bad Good News? The Job Situation in September 2023 

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The Unemployment Numbers for July.  Is There a Worker Shortage?

by Frank Stricker Does the United States currently have a general labor shortage? Clearly there are problems in specific locations and occupations. There are shortages at 911 call-centers across the country. The U.S. Postal Service is short of staff. In Los Angeles County where I live, the government legal infrastructure is a mess; there are shortages… Read More The Unemployment Numbers for July.  Is There a Worker Shortage?

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