Its about 22 percent according to shadow stats: Alternate Unemployment Charts The seasonally-adjusted SGS Alternate Unemployment Rate (Blue line) reflects current unemployment reporting methodology adjusted for SGS-estimated long-term discouraged workers, who were defined out of official existence in 1994. That estimate is added to the BLS estimate of U-6 unemployment, which includes short-term discouraged workers. The U-3 unemployment rate is the monthly headline number. The U-6 unemployment rate is the Bureau of Labor Statisticsâ (BLS) broadest unemployment measure, including short-term discouraged and other marginally-attached workers as well as those forced to work part-time because they cannot find full-time employment. http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts
3 years? Unless you are talking Mercury years you might cause the 99ers to flood the labor office looking for another year on the gravy train. Rennick Reich out
Headline from today's WSJ: "We've Become a Nation of Takers, Not Makers " "More Americans work for the government than in manufacturing, farming, fishing, forestry, mining and utilities combined."
I firmly believe that it's in the ballpark of 20%. But take it one step further...How many of the employed are "traditionally" employed vs 100% commission or a modest base but essentially living off of commissions. Basically, within the 80% employed, what percentage of those actually have jobs which can support a household? It's really no wonder at all why the public sector has grown so rapidly in the past decade. We simply never recovered from the peak employment of 99-00.
Obama will easily win a second term, but that has nothing to do with the unemployment numbers, and everything to do with a complete joke of a line up for republican presidential candidates. Once again we will choose between dumb and dumber, and the republicans have taken dumb to a whole new level of stupidity and incompetence.