[mogarbage]

because you can say sh1t like this and still get paid

Unemployment rates rose in the District, Maryland and Virginia in January, a shift that economists called a positive sign for the economy because it suggests that discouraged jobseekers are feeling more optimistic about their prospects and have resumed looking for work.

[JayKay335i]

They are probably correct. I know a good amount of people who giggled about their unemployment checks and hit the bars every night while their resumes sat on some random job site online.

[mogarbage]

the way you get on the list is by applying for unemployment.
the way you get off the list is by not applying for your weekly/monthly check. (no idea the frequency)

who in the hell doesnt apply for unemployment upon leave, only to apply for your unemployment check once you start job hunting???

see what im getting at?

[Buegie]

You are not considered unemployed if you aren't actively seeking a job. Discouraged workers are not looking for work anymore and thus are not considered unemployed. Therefore it is possible that unemployment rates rose because these discouraged workers re-entered the job market. I guess that could be viewed as a positive thing, although they are still job-less.

The logic does make sense, though I have no idea if the claim is actually true or not.

[bosstones]

Why I want to be a meteorologist:

Monday morning forecast: "Today looks to be bright and sunny with a few scattered clouds."
Monday afternoon forecast (after it rained all morning): "A shift in fronts is sending rain our way, folks. Hope you brought your umbrellas! lol"

[GreenPlease]

You are not considered unemployed if you aren't actively seeking a job. Discouraged workers are not looking for work anymore and thus are not considered unemployed. Therefore it is possible that unemployment rates rose because these discouraged workers re-entered the job market. I guess that could be viewed as a positive thing, although they are still job-less.

Well done. The key is to watch the size of the labor force. If the labor force grows, the number of people employed stagnates or rises, but the unemployment rate rises (which means people are entering the labor force at a faster rate than people are being hired) it usually indicates a sentiment shift. People hear about their friends getting jobs or perhaps they acquire a new skill they believe is desirable and thus choose to look for work because... they think there's a good chance of finding work. This is actually a pretty common phenomenon at the tail end of recessions.

Do I think we are at the end of this recession? No, personally I believe the U.S. is in a "slow bleed" phase. We need to see much higher inflation in order to be out of the woods in the short term and we need some serious structural changes in the long term. I believe China is well out of the woods. They do have a couple asset bubbles, damn big ones, but from a structural standpoint they are in decent shape. The euro zone... probably the worst place to be. The EMU is flawed. You cannot have each country retain free reign over fiscal policy but have no control over monetary policy, at least not in practice. I like Brazil a lot, though the upcoming elections make me weary (populism is looming, never good fiscally). I like Chile over the long run. Dump Argentina, their fiscal house is made of cards, as usual. India is in great shape with the key exception that they have chronic energy shortages.

Sorry to ramble like that, I'm covertly posting this from my phone. I am an economist, btw.

[mogarbage]

Originally Posted by Buegie

You are not considered unemployed if you aren't actively seeking a job. Discouraged workers are not looking for work anymore and thus are not considered unemployed. Therefore it is possible that unemployment rates rose because these discouraged workers re-entered the job market. I guess that could be viewed as a positive thing, although they are still job-less.

The logic does make sense, though I have no idea if the claim is actually true or not.

greenplease you have bionic thumbs? that's a lot of typin

while i do not know the details on how to collect unemployment, i do know some common sense has to be factored. actively seeking a job means next to nothing. like the other guy said, his friends would get their checks then go drink it away. i do not know if you have to get hr to sign off or have the secretary say she received your c/l and resume, but i'll bet dollars to peanuts if one has the ability to collect unemployment, they will.

do you think a discouraged person has principles? F no they dont.
they need food, they need a roof, they need condoms. say you got paid to not smoke, but you've been a smoker the past 5 years. every week you have to go check in and tell the person you ahvent smoked to get paid.
that person would go, check in, say he hasnt touched a cig, get money, go buy a carton, and laugh when reports indicate smoking has decreased according the amount of checks issued has risen steadily over the previous months

what am i not grasping? while i am a pessimist by nature, i would like to figure out how it can get spun in this manner..

[GreenPlease]

Your problem is that you're living in the real world, who said economists deal with the real world?

[Buegie]

Originally Posted by mogarbage

what am i not grasping? while i am a pessimist by nature, i would like to figure out how it can get spun in this manner..

theoretically, the thing you posted makes sense. Discouraged workers don't actively seek work and thus shouldn't get a check.

In the real world though, you are right. People BS about looking for jobs and get a check anyway and the numbers are screwed up.