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I think you're right, although I'm not sure. I think it counts as people who apply for unemployment benefits. Yeah there are a lot of people that are unemployed for a number of reasons (retired, kids, just don't want to work, disabled) but most are not counted because they are not actively seeking employment.
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My 19 year old son has been looking high and low for a job for the last 2 1/2 months. He's applied at numerous places and has called back on them. He has worked 6 months experience working as a cashier at a fast food place in CA. We moved here 3 months ago. Me and my husband have been really fortunate to have found jobs here. I just feel for the youths here that are trying to find employment here. I see older people doing the jobs that kids in the mainland would be trying for. I know my son doesn't have much experience but I truly feel that making a buck and finding a job here is so much harder.
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In economics, I learned that unemployment is a part of the labor force. If you do not have a job but you are looking for one, you are a part of the workforce, and count towards the unemployed %. If you do not have a job, and you are not looking for work, you are not unemployed, and not a part of the labor force.
*edited to supply correct information, sorry for the confusion.
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It doesn't seem that description of "unemployment" is what they are using when they report the unemployment numbers since they usually list the number of new claims as well. I think most of the non-economic majors use the term "unemployment" to mean folks who don't have a job and are getting unemployment benefits. Part of receiving unemployment requires the beneficiary to be out looking for work. At least, that's how it works around here, it might be different in other places.
I think a lot of the difficulty in finding work in Hawaii is that the employers here put a lot of emphasis on getting workers who will fit in and be part of the team. I don't think it is so much about the work history the prospective employees have so much as if they will blend in with and be part of the existing work team. We have so many different cultures that they have all blended into a unique way of doing things and skills are much easier to train than attitudes.
Things are also slowing down and even if someone's business hasn't specifically slowed down they probably also read the headlines and don't want to take on a new hire at this time until things are a little less uncertain.
Our unemployment rates are also lower than the mainland since frequently when folks quit a job here they go back to the mainland and file a claim there. We also have folks working two or three jobs and if they quit one they are still technically working, too.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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I was wrong, if you are looking for a job and don't have one, that is the UE rate, I should've said you don't count if you aren't looking. It appears to me, that according to the Department of Labor, in February, of the 650,300 people working or looking for work, somewhere around 20800 people do not have a job. Now 650k people is only about half of the state's population, so tack on the amount of the other half of the population who isn't looking for jobs plus the elderly who aren't a part of the workforce... and you can see the number is a lot higher than you would think.
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If you want to know how the Federal government comes up with their monthly unemployment rates go to this link:
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm
WARNING:
Reading this official US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPS computation explanation may lead to blindness, confusion, disorientation, insomnia, drinking, premature balding and suicide. Individuals with heart problems should consult a physician before reading. Women who are pregnant should avoid reading the official explanation as studies have linked it to serious neurological trauma to an unborn child. Do not drink coffee while reading. Do not ingest anything you don't want to see again real soon while reading. Those who claim to understand what it say's may be seized and forcibly committed to the nearest mental institution.
] Whether your a trust fund kid, a bum, or just retired. [^]