The U.S. unemployment rate is based on a random survey of about
60,000 households. The BLS asks the respondents a series of
questions:
1. Are you working? If yes, the person is employed. If no,
question 2.
2. Did you work at all this week - even one day? If yes, the person
is employed. If no, question 3.
3. Did you look for work in the last month? If yes, the person is
unemployed. If no, the person is not in the labor force and not
counted.
Joe
> This may have already been discussed to death on this list, but if not,
> I wonder if anyone knows the facts of the history of how "unemployment"
> is reckoned in the US.
>
> I seem to recollect that there was a major re-reckoning in the early 80s
> which resulted in a substantial reduction in the numbers of people
> officially classified as "unemployed" in the US.
>
> Anyone got the facts on this?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Joachim Knop
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.ccccd.edu/cccc/directory/faculty/jknop/jknop.htm
