Why do you want to call people not trying to work "unemployed?"

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Every month, sometimes more frequently, when the topic of unemployment comes up, someone will say "but they don't count those who gave up looking for work as unemployed...if they did, the real unemployment rate would be 1,000%!!!!!!!"

But no one ever anwers WHY you would want to count people not trying to work...or more precisely, some of the people not trying to work...as unemployed.

So which people not doing anything about work would you consider unemployed and why?

dear, there are many measures of unemployment some of which include those too discouraged to look for work and others that don't include that group.

It very very important to be aware of that too discouraged to look group since when they do start to look they add to unemployment (U3) preventing unemployment numbers from going down even when the economy is improving and many new jobs are being created.

I don't disagree at all

great so I guess my disagreement is with whoever op person is

No, you're

Every month, sometimes more frequently, when the topic of unemployment comes up, someone will say "but they don't count those who gave up looking for work as unemployed...if they did, the real unemployment rate would be 1,000%!!!!!!!"

But no one ever anwers WHY you would want to count people not trying to work...or more precisely, some of the people not trying to work...as unemployed.

So which people not doing anything about work would you consider unemployed and why?

dear, there are many measures of unemployment some of which include those too discouraged to look for work and others that don't include that group.

It very very important to be aware of that too discouraged to look group since when they do start to look they add to unemployment (U3) preventing unemployment numbers from going down even when the economy is improving and many new jobs are being created.

I don't disagree at all

great so I guess my disagreement is with whoever op person is

nope, I asked in the OP why to include those not looking. You explained your reason for wanting to look at the discouraged as an altrnate measure. So no dispute with the OP

well your op implied that those not looking for work should not be counted.

 

[pinqy]

Every month, sometimes more frequently, when the topic of unemployment comes up, someone will say "but they don't count those who gave up looking for work as unemployed...if they did, the real unemployment rate would be 1,000%!!!!!!!"

But no one ever anwers WHY you would want to count people not trying to work...or more precisely, some of the people not trying to work...as unemployed.

So which people not doing anything about work would you consider unemployed and why?

dear, there are many measures of unemployment some of which include those too discouraged to look for work and others that don't include that group.

It very very important to be aware of that too discouraged to look group since when they do start to look they add to unemployment (U3) preventing unemployment numbers from going down even when the economy is improving and many new jobs are being created.

I don't disagree at all

great so I guess my disagreement is with whoever op person is

No, you're

Every month, sometimes more frequently, when the topic of unemployment comes up, someone will say "but they don't count those who gave up looking for work as unemployed...if they did, the real unemployment rate would be 1,000%!!!!!!!"

But no one ever anwers WHY you would want to count people not trying to work...or more precisely, some of the people not trying to work...as unemployed.

So which people not doing anything about work would you consider unemployed and why?

dear, there are many measures of unemployment some of which include those too discouraged to look for work and others that don't include that group.

It very very important to be aware of that too discouraged to look group since when they do start to look they add to unemployment (U3) preventing unemployment numbers from going down even when the economy is improving and many new jobs are being created.

I don't disagree at all

great so I guess my disagreement is with whoever op person is

nope, I asked in the OP why to include those not looking. You explained your reason for wanting to look at the discouraged as an altrnate measure. So no dispute with the OP

well your op implied that those not looking for work should not be counted.

Everyone should be counted, but only those trying to work should be classified as unemployed. You didn't actually say Discouraged should be classified as unemployed: only that they should be tracked.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Everyone should be counted, but only those trying to work should be classified as unemployed. You didn't actually say Discouraged should be classified as unemployed: only that they should be tracked.

I said there are many different measures of unemployment( one of which includes discouraged and not looking) that when taken together give you much better picture of unemployment and the economy.

dear, there are many measures of unemployment some of which include those too discouraged to look for work and others that don't include that group.

It very very important to be aware of that too discouraged to look group since when they do start to look they add to unemployment (U3) preventing unemployment numbers from going down even when the economy is improving and many new jobs are being created.

I don't disagree at all

great so I guess my disagreement is with whoever op person is

No, you're

dear, there are many measures of unemployment some of which include those too discouraged to look for work and others that don't include that group.

It very very important to be aware of that too discouraged to look group since when they do start to look they add to unemployment (U3) preventing unemployment numbers from going down even when the economy is improving and many new jobs are being created.

I don't disagree at all

great so I guess my disagreement is with whoever op person is

nope, I asked in the OP why to include those not looking. You explained your reason for wanting to look at the discouraged as an altrnate measure. So no dispute with the OP

well your op implied that those not looking for work should not be counted.

Everyone should be counted, but only those trying to work should be classified as unemployed. You didn't actually say Discouraged should be classified as unemployed: only that they should be tracked.

to be precise I said there are many measures of unemployment (at least one of which includes discouraged workers) that when studied together give you a far more accurate picture of unemployment and the economy than any one studied alone.