What is the real unemployment rate?

[pjohns]

From Investors Business Daily:

Hardly a day goes by that we don't see some release or comment from a pundit, politician or financial analyst telling us how "solid" the job market is. Well, it's not. And don't take our word for it.

Former Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Keith Hall recently was asked about the unemployment rate, which shows 7.6% of all Americans without jobs. His answer was shocking.

"Right now (the standard unemployment rate) is misleadingly low," Hall, now with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told New York Post financial reporter John Crudele.

While it barely got mentioned by the mainstream media mob, Hall says the plunging employment-to-population ratio leads him to believe the real rate of unemployment is much higher than 7.6% — perhaps 10.6%. ...

The BLS itself puts out several "alternative" measures of unemployment. One of them, the so-called U6 gauge, adds to ordinary unemployment those who are discouraged, part-time workers who want full-time jobs and those who are "marginally-attached" to the workforce.

Here is the link: Jobs Crisis Far Worse Than Official Data Show, Former OfficialSays - Investors.com

[lynn]

In Arizona, we have many empty buildings where businesses once filled and until I see them no longer empty, I will believe that the job market is solid.

[roadmaster]

In Arizona, we have many empty buildings where businesses once filled and until I see them no longer empty, I will believe that the job market is solid.

I understand, too many manufacturing jobs left NC and are now empty, just had a major layoff at IBM, and many people without jobs around me. Just had young couple move out because they both lost their jobs, couldn't sell their house. Even a lot of hospital jobs are on a hiring freeze.

[Captain Obvious]

Like anything else, it depends on who you ask.

[Peter1469]

There are 6 different unemployment rates. U1-U6. U3 is what politicians and the MSM refer to.

[waltky]

3.2M long-term jobs lost...

BLS: 3.2M Workers Lost Long-Term Jobs in 2013-15--Most Because Company Moved, Closed or Position Abolished
August 25, 2016 | In the two years from January 2013 through December 2015, 3.2 million workers age 20 or older were "displaced" from jobs they held for at least three years, because their plant or company either closed down or moved; there wasn't enough work for them to do; or their position or shift was abolished, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday.

37.4 percent of those displaced workers said they lost their job because their plant or company closed down or moved; an additional 37.1 percent said that their position or shift was abolished; and 25.6 percent cited insufficient work. Since 1984, the U.S. Department of Labor has sponsored surveys that collect information on workers, age 20 or older, who were displaced from their jobs. These surveys have been conducted every other January as supplements to the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of households that is the primary source of information on the nation's labor force.

The 3.2 million workers displaced after three or more years on the job in 2013-15 was a better showing than the 4.3 million long-tenured workers displaced in the prior survey period covering January 2011-December 2013; and the 6.1 million long-tenured workers who were displaced during the prior survey period covering January 2009 to December 2011. BLS noted that in the 2013-2015 period, an additional 4.2 million persons were displaced from jobs they had held for less than three years (referred to as short-tenured workers). Combining the short- and long-tenured groups, the number of displaced workers totaled 7.4 million in 2013-2015. In the 2011-13 survey period, this group numbered 9.5 million.

The 2013-2015 period was one of job growth and falling unemployment rates, compared with the years following the recession. In January 2016, 66 percent of long-tenured workers displaced between 2013-2015 were re-employed, up from 61 percent for the prior survey in January 2014.

Also during the 2013-15 period:

--553,000 long-tenured manufacturing workers were displaced from their jobs, which is 17 percent of all long-tenured displaced workers. Manufacturing displacements occurred mostly in durable goods.

-- Workers in wholesale and retail trade accounted for 15 percent of all long-tenured displacements; professional and business services accounted for 12 percent; and education and health services also accounted for 12 percent of displacements.

-- Workers displaced from mining were the least likely to be re-employed (41 percent).

-- In January 2016, the re-employment rate was 73 percent for workers ages 25 to 54, up from 68 percent in the prior survey. Re-employment rates were lower for older workers. In January 2016, the re-employment rates for those ages 55 to 64 and 65 years and over were 60 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

-- Forty-five percent of long-tenured displaced workers in the January 2016 survey received written advance notice that their jobs would be terminated, up from 40 percent for the January 2014 survey.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/...ecause-company

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd tells `em how dey got robots now dat wring farts outta shirt-tails...

4 Steps to Overcoming the Stigma of Long-Term Unemployment
With a volatile economy and widespread layoffs affecting every corner of the labor market, even the best and the brightest workers can get laid off and experience lengthy periods of unemployment.

Sadly, some employers and recruiters stigmatize job seekers who've been out of work for a while, assuming that something must be wrong with them and that they're not as desirable as employed candidates. Here's how to level the playing field and overcome the stigma of long-term unemployment:

1. Recognize Your Own Worth

Yes, your self-esteem probably took a beating when you were laid off. And yes, it's hard to stay upbeat when you've been unemployed awhile. But no, you absolutely, positively won't get a new job if you wear your dejection on your sleeve. "Just because you're not employed right now for another person does not make you worthless," says Rebecca K. Weingarten, a career coach and co-founder of New York City-based DLC Executive Coaching and Consulting. "You have to get into that mind-set." Job seekers who've been unemployed for a long period can "psyche themselves out" with unfounded self-doubt that is unattractive to a potential employer, adds Vicki Salemi, a former recruiter who is now a career expert and author of Big Career in the Big City. "Your insecurities will definitely shine through if you don't come in with a positive outlook," she says. "You should go into an interview thinking, 'Why wouldn't they want to hire me? I'm an amazing candidate.'"

Great Depression unemployment line

2. Fill Your Time (and Resume) with Meaningful Activities

Getting laid off is a huge blow, but the sooner you start filling your time productively, the better. If you have glaring resume gaps, employers may wonder why you're still on the market, Salemi says. "Instead, bolster your resume with things you've been doing since that time," she suggests. Did you consult? Create a Web site? Join Toastmasters? Earn a professional certification? "Anything that's professional and relevant should be included," Salemi says.

3. Look and Act the Part at the Interview

Donna Maurillo, who has been unemployed for several months a few different times, always kept her hair trimmed and nails done between jobs. "I didn't want to go to an interview looking like I was on my last dime," says Maurillo, now director of communications and special projects for Mineta Transportation Institute in San Jose, California. "It cost me, but I always wanted to look like I already had a job, not that I was floundering." Good posture and a firm handshake are important, so practice these skills with a friend if you've been out of work for a while, Salemi says. "Go in with your head held high," she says. "If your desperation shows through, it's almost like 'game over.' Visualize your unemployment as in the past and focus on the present and moving forward." Maurillo never approached an interview as if she were unemployed. "I acted as if I were also interviewing them and that I was particular about who I worked for," she says.

4. Be Ready for the Tough Interview Questions