Government Releases Data on Unemployment Reasons

On September 17th, the U.S. government Census Bureau released detailed data regarding the reasons for unemployment, as well as information about the characteristics of people who are not employed. The census bureau data was issued in the form of a 24-page report.

According to the report, there are 227,000,000 million people at least fifteen years of age in the United States (as of 2004), of which about seventy-nine million have not been employed in a paying job for four or more months. Of the people who are not employed, about nineteen percent are attending school, and thirty-eight percent are retired. Other reasons for unemployment include caring for children (13%), long-term illnesses or disabilities (15%), temporary illnesses or injuries (2%), and various other reasons (such as not being interested in working). It also provided data on health insurance coverage for unemployed people. Twenty-six percent of people in the 20-64 age group who are unemployed also have no health insurance. Of those who reported the "on layoff" or "unable to find work" reasons for unemployment, 50-60% do not have health insurance.

Being unable to find employment or on layoff are more common for those in the 20-64 age group of non-employed people, at a combined total of 11.4 percent. Pregnancy and childbirth constitute a relatively small percentage of unemployment reasons, at 1.5% for the 20-64 year old age group, and less than one percent for everyone older than fourteen. It also provided demographic data on people who are not employed. Among those in the 20-64 age group, African-Americans are most likely to not be able to find work or have a long-term illness/disability, and Hispanics are most likely to be taking care of children or others. People in the same age group who have taken some college courses or have a 2-year degree/certificate are less likely (6.2%) to be unable to find work than people with high school diplomas (9.8%), while those with a Bachelor's degree (6.6%) are slightly more likely to have that reason.

The CIA World Factbook indicates that the official unemployment rate in the United States is 4.8 percent. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site, only people who have looked for work in the past four weeks are counted as being unemployed. The U.S. unemployment rate compares favorably with some countries, like Germany (7.1%), Poland (14.9%), and Australia (4.9%), but poorly in comparison to others, such as Iceland (1.3%), the U.K. (2.9%), and Singapore (3.1%).

According to the Census Bureau web site, it provides data on the United States' economy and the American people. The bureau is part of the Department of Commerce. The first census was carried out in 1790.

Sources:

1. Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/employment_occupations/010621.html
2. Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/main/www/aboutus.html
3. CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2129rank.html
4. Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm