"Have to go into town, anyway"

[moguldreamer]

Originally Posted by otterhere

The "unemployment rate" reflects only those who are actively seeking work. That's hardly everyone who's actually unemployed.

<sigh.>

There are several measures of employment tracked in the US by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Take your pick.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm

• U-1: Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force
• U-2: Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force
• U-3: Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (official unemployment rate)
• U-4: Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers
• U-5: Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other persons marginally attached to the labor force, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force
• U-6: Total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force

NOTE:
Persons marginally attached to the labor force are those who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the past 12 months.
Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently looking for work.
Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm

[Pitt Chick]

At this juncture, anyone who is unemployed is so by choice. There are a lot of jobs out there!
It may not be your dream job, but it'll pay the rent and put food on the table.
A local hospital system has over 400 openings, from dietary to nursing, escorts, lab techs, housekeeping etc. Great benefits to boot. No one to fill them...