Interesting unemployment rate comparisons:

[tblue37]

Link to tweet

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Richard Hine
@richardhine
Unemployment rate when Bush left office: 7.6%

Unemployment rate when Obama left office: 4.7%

Unemployment rate when Trump left office: 8.8%

Unemployment rate today: 4.8%

[genxlib]

1. I don't believe the unemployment rate means the same as it used to

It seems to me that the gig economy has changed everything.

In the old days, an unemployed person was unemployed until they got a new job.

Now many unemployed people just become self employed drivers, shoppers , etc.

I don’t think it is a good replacement for most but people are trying to make do

[empedocles]

2. Stats are worth an ad. TY

[GregariousGroundhog]

3. As much as I hate to defend the former guy...

It's really not fair to bash the former guy for the unemployment rate when he left office. Slowing down the spread of COVID by shutting down restaurants and bars at the cost of increased unemployment was a valid decision made by many states. Providing an extra $600 a week (later reduced to $300) in unemployment benefits on top of state benefits was an appropriate response by the federal government.