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Economic News Release
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Table A-15. Alternative measures of labor underutilization

HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-15. Alternative measures of labor underutilization [Percent]
Measure Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted
Oct.
2019		 Sept.
2020		 Oct.
2020		 Oct.
2019		 June
2020		 July
2020		 Aug.
2020		 Sept.
2020		 Oct.
2020

U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force

 1.3 4.5 3.8 1.3 2.1 5.0 5.1 4.6 3.8

U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force

 1.4 5.5 4.5 1.6 8.9 8.1 6.4 5.7 4.8

U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (official unemployment rate)

 3.3 7.7 6.6 3.6 11.1 10.2 8.4 7.9 6.9

U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers

 3.5 8.0 6.9 3.8 11.5 10.6 8.7 8.2 7.2

U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other persons marginally attached to the labor force, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force

 4.1 8.8 7.7 4.3 12.5 11.3 9.6 8.9 8.0

U-6 Total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force

 6.5 12.4 11.6 6.9 18.0 16.5 14.2 12.8 12.1

NOTE: Persons marginally attached to the labor force are those who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the past 12 months. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently looking for work. Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.

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Last Modified Date: November 06, 2020