Bogus Unemployment Rate

The federal government needs to convert back to an accurate unemployment rate that includes discouraged applicants.  We know the labor participation rate covers working-age US citizens without jobs and it shows that 38% are not participating.  We also know that household incomes are down about $5000 a year and many of these non-participants would be working if they could find jobs. We need to know the percentage of non-participants who are disabled or staying home to raise children or take care of sick relatives.

The other category of unemployed that should be of concern to us is the teenage employment rate. We need an economy that lifts the lower paid employees to jobs that pay more.  Teenagers who have summer and part-time jobs are learning how to work.  They also need to earn their own spending money.  We used to see them working at grocery stores, fast food businesses, retail, baby-sitting and cutting grass.  The lucky ones got construction helper jobs and were exposed to skilled trades.  We heed to have that economy back where new grads could find jobs and college grads could find professional jobs.  Of course, college grads will need to pursue degrees that will help them land these professional jobs and that is not currently the case.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader