Economy Adds 163,000 Jobs, but UE ticks up to 8.3%

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Pinqy the size of the overall labor force shrunk, as you just said, which is why even though we added some new jobs the number of those considered unemployed actually went up as a percentage of the labor force.

Absolutely true. But you wrote "You could also affect the numbers by changing the size of the workforce" which is untrue. You can't change the size of the workforce, it's dependent variable. Some have implied (and I have no idea if that was your intent or not) that "the government" has artificially changed/manipulated the size of the labor force in order to lower the UE rate. That's not possible and I was trying to address the difference between "changed" and "was changed"; the latter implying someone causing it to change.

Pingy re-read that.

"you could also affect the numbers by changing the size of the workforce" I did't say that the government just arbitrarily changed the size. I said the numbers are affected with the changing of the size of the workforce.

 

[pinqy]

Pinqy the size of the overall labor force shrunk, as you just said, which is why even though we added some new jobs the number of those considered unemployed actually went up as a percentage of the labor force.

Absolutely true. But you wrote "You could also affect the numbers by changing the size of the workforce" which is untrue. You can't change the size of the workforce, it's dependent variable. Some have implied (and I have no idea if that was your intent or not) that "the government" has artificially changed/manipulated the size of the labor force in order to lower the UE rate. That's not possible and I was trying to address the difference between "changed" and "was changed"; the latter implying someone causing it to change.

Pingy re-read that.

"you could also affect the numbers by changing the size of the workforce" I did't say that the government just arbitrarily changed the size. I said the numbers are affected with the changing of the size of the workforce.

It was the "you could" that had me confused. Saying "you could" implies that someone could arbitrarily change it...and some have claimed just that. I didn't really think you were trying to say that, but the wording did seem to imply it.

Of course you're right that a change in the labor force affects the rate, but since the LF does change every month, it always has an effect.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Absolutely true. But you wrote "You could also affect the numbers by changing the size of the workforce" which is untrue. You can't change the size of the workforce, it's dependent variable. Some have implied (and I have no idea if that was your intent or not) that "the government" has artificially changed/manipulated the size of the labor force in order to lower the UE rate. That's not possible and I was trying to address the difference between "changed" and "was changed"; the latter implying someone causing it to change.

Pingy re-read that.

"you could also affect the numbers by changing the size of the workforce" I did't say that the government just arbitrarily changed the size. I said the numbers are affected with the changing of the size of the workforce.

It was the "you could" that had me confused. Saying "you could" implies that someone could arbitrarily change it...and some have claimed just that. I didn't really think you were trying to say that, but the wording did seem to imply it.

Of course you're right that a change in the labor force affects the rate, but since the LF does change every month, it always has an effect.

I understand that how I wrote the whole thing poorly leads to confusion. At least we each know of one other person you can discuss with in a civil manner