http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/65-unemployment-and-climbing/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:52:44 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/65-unemployment-and-climbing/#comment-32340 Jacqueline S. Homan Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:36:32 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=4836#comment-32340 The real unemployment rate is not the official 6.5%. It's much higher. The official unemployment rate only counts those who qualify for unemployment benefits. There are millions of jobless, most whom are long-term unemployed middle-aged people, whose unemployment ran out two, three, and four years ago who have not been able to get another job. Yet they are not counted as "unemployed" even though they're jobless and poor - these "discouraged workers" have no income and have lost their homes and gone through their life savings trying to live while aggressively seeking adequate employment to no avail. There are many more poor women who were ejected from the welfare rolls pursuant to the 1996 Welfare Reform Act who have not been hired anyplace. They are not counted among the unemployed. The underclass, the homeless, who have been economically left behind long before now who are jobless, under-employed, and destitute are not counted among the unemployed. If all who want and need a job who don't have one were counted, the true unemployment rate would be upwards of about 20%, if not higher. The real unemployment rate is not the official 6.5%. It’s much higher. The official unemployment rate only counts those who qualify for unemployment benefits. There are millions of jobless, most whom are long-term unemployed middle-aged people, whose unemployment ran out two, three, and four years ago who have not been able to get another job. Yet they are not counted as “unemployed” even though they’re jobless and poor – these “discouraged workers” have no income and have lost their homes and gone through their life savings trying to live while aggressively seeking adequate employment to no avail. There are many more poor women who were ejected from the welfare rolls pursuant to the 1996 Welfare Reform Act who have not been hired anyplace. They are not counted among the unemployed. The underclass, the homeless, who have been economically left behind long before now who are jobless, under-employed, and destitute are not counted among the unemployed. If all who want and need a job who don’t have one were counted, the true unemployment rate would be upwards of about 20%, if not higher.

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