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This is the opening paragraph of the BLS press release on employment from Feb. 28, 2017. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/srgune.nr0.htm https://www.bls.gov/ne

This is the opening paragraph of the BLS press release on employment from Feb. 28, 2017. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/srgune.nr0.htm https://www.bls.gov/news.release/srgune.nr0.htm For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, February 28, 2017 USDL-17-0286 Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT -- 2016 ANNUAL AVERAGES Annual average unemployment rates decreased in 38 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 9 states, and were unchanged in 3 states in 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment-population ratios increased in 36 states and the District, decreased in 12 states, and were unchanged in 2 states. The U.S. jobless rate declined by 0.4 percentage point from the prior year to 4.9 percent, and the national employment-population ratio rose by 0.4 point to 59.7 percent. Note that BLS uses the U-3 "unemployment rate" of 4.9 percent without qualifications or explanation. Yes, if you read through the fine print in BLS documentation (not the press release), you can determine that U-3 omits allegedly "discouraged workers" as in fact does the broader U-6 measure as well. The mass media is following the government/BLS lead in promoting the U-3 measure as the "jobless rate." Again, there is no qualification in the opening paragraph, no mention of the broader U-6 measure or the general issue of purportedly discouraged workers. The uncritical, almost universal repetition of the U-3 number raises the question of the independence of the major mass media, the so-called Mainstream Media or MSM, and the government, and vice versa.

dv_dt 10y ago
It's a press release, not a data digestion guide. The data you want is in the second link I provided from the BLS. We should hold government to high standards, but in this area, the methodology is printed, and data is available. There are some many areas (such as wiretaps and spying) where we could be pressing the hold the gov't to more transparency, or even discussing the actual problem of long term unemployment instead of casting aspersions on data manipulation which is straightforwardly accessible. I think the term "unemployment" simply does not mean exactly what you want it to mean. To move forward, one might need to coin a new catchier term in which to associate the problem for which you want greater awareness.

dv_dt 10y ago

It's a press release, not a data digestion guide. The data you want is in the second link I provided from the BLS. We should hold government to high standards, but in this area, the methodology is printed, and data is available. There are some many areas (such as wiretaps and spying) where we could be pressing the hold the gov't to more transparency, or even discussing the actual problem of long term unemployment instead of casting aspersions on data manipulation which is straightforwardly accessible. I think the term "unemployment" simply does not mean exactly what you want it to mean. To move forward, one might need to coin a new catchier term in which to associate the problem for which you want greater awareness.