FAQs
Yes. To be counted as unemployed in the official statistics, a person must meet the following three conditions. 1) They must have no earnings due to employment for the survey week. 2) They must have taken active steps to find a job in the prior four weeks 3) They must be currently available to accept a job if offered. Since "discouraged workers" have stopped seeking work, they are not counted as unemployed.
However the Bureau of Labor Statistics does publish six alternative "labor underutilization rates" for states on a quarterly basis, and each one includes different types of workers. The official unemployment rate is one of these measures, and is referred to as the U-3 rate, or the "headline" rate. The U-3 is equal to the number of unemployed workers divided by those in the "labor force," or all those who are employed and currently looking for work. If a worker is "discouraged" and stops looking for work, they are not included in this headline unemployment rate.
However, the five other labor underutilization rates have different definitions of the labor force, and three of these rates include discouraged workers. For example, the U-4 includes discouraged workers in the labor force, along with those currently unemployed and those working. The U-5 rate adds marginally-attached workers, while the U-6 rate adds in part-time workers who want to work full-time.
So data users have access to multiple measures of "labor utilization" according to their needs. This information is available from the BLS website. http://www.bls.gov/lau/stalt.htm
Series codes are used specifically in CES data to identify industries. They are comprised of the industry's supersector code followed by the industry's NAICS code.
You can visit our Public Sector Websites page to find a comprehensive listing of public resources for your job search or research into the labor market.