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What U.S. Unemployment really looks like

7 points by portentint 16y ago

binspace 16y ago
This infographic is pretty confusing. The numbers are much more easily explained with a bullet point list or graph.
ShabbyDoo 16y ago
"One of the five people applying for each job opening" So, if every person who somehow becomes unemployed applies for more than five jobs, these two stats would together imply an amazing market for job seekers, right? I hate stats like this because they are meaningless by themselves and, perhaps more importantly, seem chosen with intent to mislead.
- brudgers 16y ago
  Five applicants for every job is doesn't sound right, I believe that unemployed for every job opening is closer to the truth. My son's cubmaster was laid off from his surveying job in 2009 and is driving a dump truck - a skill he learned in the Air Force. He applied for a city job, and was one of seven selected for face to face interviews. There were 1200 total applications from across the country.
- zinkem 16y ago
  This statement probably means there are five times more job seekers than openings.
adamzochowski 16y ago
This is quite confusing, I might be daft. Phrase ''one of'' automatically forces me to think in the terms of ratio 1:xx or fraction 1/xx. ""One of 31million is unemployed in America"" sounds obviously to good. 1/31million, with 310million population, would mean that only 10 people are out of work. ""one of five applicants for a job opening"": so if I look at CV/resume, 20% of them are from unemployed? Quite misleading, since this doesn't look right.
fleitz 16y ago
I don't really get it. 'Creating' jobs isn't a responsibility of the gov't. I completely fail to understand political movements for 'creating' jobs. If you can't figure out how to remove over qualifications for flipping burgers I just don't know what to say. An Engineer friend of mine was in a similar position, he kept getting rejected for basic jobs because he was 'overqualified' I told him to remove the engineering jobs from his resume and his Engineering degree. After that he got the shipper/reciever job he wanted.

7 points by portentint 16y ago

This infographic is pretty confusing. The numbers are much more easily explained with a bullet point list or graph.

"One of the five people applying for each job opening" So, if every person who somehow becomes unemployed applies for more than five jobs, these two stats would together imply an amazing market for job seekers, right? I hate stats like this because they are meaningless by themselves and, perhaps more importantly, seem chosen with intent to mislead.

brudgers 16y ago
Five applicants for every job is doesn't sound right, I believe that unemployed for every job opening is closer to the truth. My son's cubmaster was laid off from his surveying job in 2009 and is driving a dump truck - a skill he learned in the Air Force. He applied for a city job, and was one of seven selected for face to face interviews. There were 1200 total applications from across the country.
zinkem 16y ago
This statement probably means there are five times more job seekers than openings.

adamzochowski 16y ago

This is quite confusing, I might be daft. Phrase ''one of'' automatically forces me to think in the terms of ratio 1:xx or fraction 1/xx. ""One of 31million is unemployed in America"" sounds obviously to good. 1/31million, with 310million population, would mean that only 10 people are out of work. ""one of five applicants for a job opening"": so if I look at CV/resume, 20% of them are from unemployed? Quite misleading, since this doesn't look right.

fleitz 16y ago

I don't really get it. 'Creating' jobs isn't a responsibility of the gov't. I completely fail to understand political movements for 'creating' jobs. If you can't figure out how to remove over qualifications for flipping burgers I just don't know what to say. An Engineer friend of mine was in a similar position, he kept getting rejected for basic jobs because he was 'overqualified' I told him to remove the engineering jobs from his resume and his Engineering degree. After that he got the shipper/reciever job he wanted.