No, its not a joke. I've always wondered how the government knew who was actively looking for work, which is one of the criteria for the Q3 unemployment figure.
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No, its not a joke. I've always wondered how the government knew who was actively looking for work, which is one of the criteria for the Q3 unemployment figure.
I suppose if you are not "actively" looking, than you can not have 99 weeks of unemployment benefits. So anything that keeps the Dept of Labor sending your check is actively looking.
Being in jail precludes one from actively looking, so does serving in Iraq.
Of course, you don't have to stop looking for work when the benefits run out. And, in fact, you'll probably lower your sights and redouble your efforts about then. So, the number is pure bull, and this is just another statistical book-cooking trick to plaster and paper over the mess they've gotten us into in the hopes that (despite being right here in the trenches) we won't notice.Quote:
Originally Posted by LibForestPaul
Unemployment figures come from telephone surveys which include many questions to determine a person's status.
According to the BLS, "Actively looking for work consists of:
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm
Quote:
Contacting:
*An employer directly or having a job interview
*A public or private employment agency
*Friends or relatives
*A school or university employment center
Sending out resumes or filling out applications
Placing or answering advertisements
Checking union or professional registers
Some other means of active job search
Passive methods of job search do not have the potential to result in a job offer and therefore do not qualify as active job search methods. Examples of passive methods include attending a job training program or course, or merely reading about job openings that are posted in newspapers or on the Internet.
Quote:
Some of the major questions that determine employment status are: (The capitalized words are emphasized when read by the interviewers.)
1.Does anyone in this household have a business or a farm?
2.LAST WEEK, did you do ANY work for (either) pay (or profit)?
If the answer to question 1 is "yes" and the answer to question 2 is "no," the next question is:
3.LAST WEEK, did you do any unpaid work in the family business or farm?
For those who reply "no" to both questions 2 and 3, the next key questions used to determine employment status are:
4.LAST WEEK, (in addition to the business,) did you have a job, either full or part time? Include any job from which you were temporarily absent.
5.LAST WEEK, were you on layoff from a job?
6.What was the main reason you were absent from work LAST WEEK?
For those who respond "yes" to question 5 about being on layoff, the following questions are asked:
7.Has your employer given you a date to return to work?
and, if "no,"
8.Have you been given any indication that you will be recalled to work within the next 6 months?
If the responses to either question 7 or 8 indicate that the person expects to be recalled from layoff, he or she is counted as unemployed. For those who were reported as having no job or business from which they were absent or on layoff, the next question is:
9.Have you been doing anything to find work during the last 4 weeks?
For those who say "yes," the next question is:
10.What are all of the things you have done to find work during the last 4 weeks?
If an active method of looking for work, such as those listed at the beginning of this section, is mentioned, the following question is asked:
11.LAST WEEK, could you have started a job if one had been offered?
If there is no reason, except temporary illness, that the person could not take a job, he or she is considered to be not only looking but also available for work and is counted as unemployed.
Anybody remember Mel Brooks' History of the World? "Did you kill last week? Did you try to kill last week? Did you...."