C-Span Call-in Question: I'll Answer It

[ThomWV]

The caller says,'I worked for the unemployment system for years. When people's last checks roll in they fall off the rolls, they don't count any more.' Then she asks, 'what happens to them with your 4.5% unemployment rate? Where do they count?

Of course she was pointing out that the stated unemployment rate is unrealistically low.

So she wants to know where they are. Here's where they are, they are no competing with illegal immigrants for the very bottom of the wage pool. That is where they are.

[TheFarseer]

1. Has the way that they calculate unemployment changed?

recently, I mean?

[papau]

3. It is still the household survey with slow replacement of the households

called - no change at least in the setup.

Actual Questions and setup conversation I do not have access to.

Nor do I know what, if any, adjustments are made to the raw data.

We need someone inside the stats area of the Dept of Labor.

[acmejack]

4. As a matter of fact

They use the Household Survey instead of the Establishment Survey from the Current Population Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, here is a blurb explaining how it works. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.tn.htm

[Selatius]

2. Big business capitalists win over everyone

Competition leads to lower prices. If workers both citizens and illegals are pitted against each other for jobs, that means workers would accept lower wages rather than no wages if it means putting food on the table. This is the race to the bottom.

[mbee]

5. Plus I believe some pug employers have been hiring people and

then letting them go time and time again to mess up the unemployment stats. I know someone who has not had stable employment since the 2000. Does anyone else know of situations like this?