The Unemployment Situation in Perspective

Launch Infographic

Infographic by Ross Crooks

By any measure, the unemployment rate is on the rise. But exactly how bad is the problem and what are the implications for the broader economy? To put things in perspective, we need to consider how the unemployment rate is calculated, who is considered employed and who isn’t. Many claim the official rate is flawed and presents an optimistic picture that doesn’t truly reflect reality. Other quoted statistics measuring job loss can be deceptive if selective time periods are used. In our latest infographic we have taken a broad view of the American workforce over the last five years showing the various employment conditions and how each is categorized.

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Tags: unemployment, unemployment rate

2 Comments so far

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Tao
173 days ago

Interesting graph, but it would have been more useful if you had broken up the discouraged and displaced words and those not looking for a job from the retired workforce. It’d give a better understanding – since eventually the discouraged and displaced workers are likely to return to the workforce while those retired aren’t.
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B A
173 days ago

How can I take you seriously when you include among “EMPLOYED PERSONS” (in your infographic) “includes people who did any work for profit in the past week”. You just lumped all entrepreneurs – even those who haven’t been able to make a reasonable living in the recent past – into the “EMPLOYED PERSONS”.

Tsk!
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