I was wondering how when the US Unemployment figures come out I would be counted.
I got laid off of my job in August. August 31st was my last working day.
I found a two part time jobs in September. So I was getting unemployment but it got reduced.
I found a third part time job in October, still working under 30 hours, more reduction in unemployment.
Now one of these part time jobs ends the day before Thanksgiving, but I got another part time job for the holidays in a department store, that starts the day after Thanksgiving.
So I will still end up with three part time jobs under 30 hours all minimum wage.
Now this comes down from a job where I was making 63K a year.
So I was wondering when I read the unemployment numbers, how am I counted. I assume since I get something from unemployment, though it’s reduced a lot depending on my hours worked, I am counted right?
Or am I because I am working at some job?
And when I get laid off this part time job before Thanksgiving, will that show up anywhere? What about when I’m hired for the part time holiday help that will last till the first or second week of January?
The quick answer is that unemployment figures are calculated through the results of a monthly survey asking people for their situation as of that moment, and then sorts then into a number of categories. See Wikipedia.
You may give different answers for September, October, and November, but so would many other people. It’s that averaging of many situations for a slice of time that is being looked for.
It’s a telephone survey. If you did any work during the reference week that they ask about, then you are counted as employed. The reference week is generally the calender week that contains the 12th of the month.
So what were you doing on the week of the 12th? If you held any sort of job for even a day, you were employed. If you did not but were searching for work, you were unemployed. If you did not hunt for a job or have a job that week, then you would be tabulated as out of the labor force.
No, but they publish data on that as well. It’s a different report.
In short, the US Census Bureau does a huge monthly survey and that is where our unemployment numbers come from, after being handled by a couple of other government agencies who jiggle the numbers a little. It is a survey, they haven’t canvased all the people in America, only a sample.
Never, ever in the history of formal unemployment measures have they calculated unemployment through the number of people collecting unemployment benefits.
So, AndyLee,
You are not being counted directly. The unemployment rate is an estimate based on a survey.
If they did happen to call you and ask you, you would not count as unemployed, because you have jobs. That you don’t like them or that they don’t pay as much doesn’t matter; you’re employed.
If you are laid off and have no job, but you’re looking for work, you would count as unemployed.
If you are retired, on disability, in the military, a student, a child, or have totally given up, you’re neither employed nor unemployed.
It’s not quite as simple as I’m presenting it (if you are off work but not looking for a job you aren’t counted, unless you’re off work and not looking for a job because you’re laid off and expect to be brought back in the near future, in which case you ARE counted, unless you spent your time working for your wife’s business unpaid, in which case you aren’t counted…) but that’s the general idea.
Whether or not you are collecting benefits is irrelevant to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As others have stated, the data comes from the Current Population Survey conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unemployment Insurance is irrelevant and not asked. The reference period is the week that contains the 12th. Employed is “worked at least 1 hour for pay or 15+ hours unpaid in family business/farm.” Unemployed is “did not work but looked for work in the previous 4 weeks.”
You worked the week of August 7-13, so for August you were Employed.
If you worked at least one hour during the week of Sep 11-17 you were Employed. If you didn’t work that week, it looks like you had looked for work, so you would be Unemployed.
If you worked the week of Oct 9-15 you were Employed.
You worked last week, you were Employed. You’ll be working Dec 11-17, you’ll be employed. For January, it’ll be the 8-14th.
Now, that being said, there are alternate measures BLS uses to get a more detailed picture.
U-1 is the percent of the Labor Force that’s been unemployed >15 weeks. You would not appear in that one.
U-2 is the percent of the Labor Force that were laid off or fired.
U-3 is the official measure: unemployed as a percent of the Labor Force.
U-4 is unemployed plus discouraged (willing, able to work, looked in last 12 months but not last 4 weeks, not looking because of belief that they won’t be hired) as a percent of Labor Force plus discouraged.
U-5 is unemployed plus Marginally Attached (same definition as discouraged, but any reason for not looking…including discouragement) as percent of Labor Force plus Marginally Attached.
U-6 is unemployed plus Marginally Attached plus part time for economic reasons (hours cut or can’t find full time work defined as 35+ hours) as percent of Labor Force plus Marginally Attached.
So you would be included in the U-6 number for Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan as part time for economic reasons (16.5% for Sep, 16.1% for Oct)