What it really means to be “Unemployed”

Just because you don’t have a job doesn’t mean you’re unemployed. It’s actually a designation reserved only for those of us who are actively looking for work and immediately available to accept a job, should a good one be offered.

In fact, when our trusty Labor Department takes its monthly household survey to determine how many of us are unemployed, the survey-takers ask questions that most likely (the questions are confidential) fall along the lines of, “How many resumes have you sent out in the past four weeks?” or “When was the last time you got a paychcek?”

In order to be considered unemployed, you would have sent out a few resumes but not have earned any money. But there are other options. You may be labeled a “discouraged worker,” meaning you found the job market so rough you simply threw your hands up and stopped trying. Or perhaps you’re “under employed,” which means you have a physics degree and are today earning minimum wage from bagging groceries at the local Food Mart.

And if you’re a stay-home mom, well, you won’t be put into any of those categories. Rather, you’re simply not in the labor market, despite the very real chance you experienced labor strong enough to warrant the services of an anesthesiologist. Don’t feel bad, students are right there with you. And let’s face it: Why should policy makers worry about creating jobs for people who wouldn’t take them anyway?