That's patently false. The government has an array of measurements, all public. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm https://www.bls.gov/news.relea

That's patently false. The government has an array of measurements, all public. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm I would argue the number they report to press is the wrong one (U-3 vs U-5 or U-6), but a single figure is used for consistency and ease of consumption.