Explain how unemployment is measured in the United States by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Provide a sociological critique of this measurement. Include a discussion of the prevalence of unemployment in a capitalist economic system.
What will be an ideal response?
Ans: Unemployed: people who are jobless, actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are available for work. Does not include those not in the labor force--when people are neither officially employed nor officially unemployed. Does not include those marginally attached to the labor force--persons who would like to work and have searched actively for a job in the past 12 months. Does not include those who search for work passively (scanning classifieds) or those who have given up looking for work. Does not include institutionalized population, such as prisoners. Does not include those who are part-timers, many of whom would like to be working more. (Part-timers are counted as employed.)
KEY: Learning Objective: 15.1: Describe the three major economic revolutions that have shaped the contemporary world.
REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Behind the Numbers: Unemployment, Employment, and Underemployment in the United States
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