∙ U.S. Unemployment: What Does It Look Like? – June 2012

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In June, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was essentially unchanged at 5.4 million. These individuals accounted for 41.9 percent of the unemployed. The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was essentially unchanged at 8.2 million. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job. In June, 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, down from 2.7 million a year earlier. (NSA.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. Among the marginally attached, there were 821,000 discouraged workers in June, a decline of 161,000 from a year earlier. (NSA.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.7 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in June had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities. Both the civilian labor force participation rate and the employment- population ratio were unchanged in June at 63.8 and 58.6 percent, respectively. Source: USDOL Alternative rate: Official unemployment rate 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. Click on chart to enlarge

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