Unemployment Data

• The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates and reports labor force, employment, and unemployment data each month. Access the BLS's "Most Requested Series" and, with your partner, determine the labor force, employment and unemployment data specified in the worksheet below.

 

	January 2004	December 2004
Employment Level (Thousands)
Civilian Labor Force (Thousands)
Unemployment Level (Thousands)
Unemployment Rate - Civilian Labor Force (%)
Unemployment Rate - Civ. Labor Force 16-19 years (%)
Unemployment Rate - Civ. Labor Force 20 yr. & over Male (%)
Unemployment Rate - Civ. Labor Force 20 yr. & over Female (%)
Unemployment Rate - Civ. Labor Force - White (%)
Unemployment Rate - Civ. Labor Force - Black (%)
Unemployment Rate - Civ. Labor Force - Hispanic (%)
Discouraged Workers (Thousands)


 
• Consider the changes in the above employment and unemployment rates.
1. What happened to the number of people in the U.S. labor force between January and December of 2004? What factor(s) do you think lead to this change in the size of the labor force?

 
2. What happened to the number of people employed in the U.S. economy between January and December of 2004? What factor(s) do you think lead to this change in the number of people employed?

 
3. What happened to the number of people unemployed in the U.S. economy between January and July of 2004? What factor(s) do you think lead to this change in the number of people unemployed?

 
4. Do the changes in the unemployment rates between January and December  of 2004 correctly represent what happened to the number of people employed/unemployed in each month? Why or why not? (Hint: Think in terms of the encouraged and the discouraged worker effect.)

 
5. Why do you think the unemployment rate for teenagers is higher than the unemployment rate for adults?

 
6. Why do you think the unemployment rates for black and Hispanic workers is higher than the unemployment rate for white workers? What actions could (should) be taken to lower the unemployment rates of these groups?

 
7. What happened to the number of discouraged workers in the U.S. economy between January and July of 2004? What factor(s) do you think lead to this change in the number of discouraged workers?

 
• Unemployment rates also differ from state to state. Access the state unemployment data and find the most recent unemployment rates (percentages and please note the month these statistics are for) for the following states:
1. Illinois
2. Hawaii
3. Alaska
4. Nebraska
5. District of Columbia
6. Which of the 50 states has the highest unemployment rate at this time? Why do you think this unemployment rate is so high?

 
7. Which of the 50 states has the lowest unemployment rate at this time? Why do you think this unemployment rate is so low?

 
• Now access the Frequently Asked Questions page of the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site and answer the following questions. (This exercise is based on Web-based question number 1 from chapter 8 of the McConnell web site).
1. How does the Government collect statistics on the labor force, employment and unemployment? (i.e., Where do the statistics come from?)

 
2. Which people are counted as employed?

 
3. Which are counted as unemployed?

 
4. Which people are not in the labor force?

 

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Last updated January 24, 2005

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