Politicians and journalists like it because it's fast moving, and tends to reflect (amplify even) recent economic changes. ...I think it does (depending on loca

Politicians and journalists like it because it's fast moving, and tends to reflect (amplify even) recent economic changes. ...I think it does (depending on local "accounting' quirks) tend to reflect how long it takes to find work. But for that, why not measure that directly, or churn directly.