📚 Learning Guide
Unemployment and Labor Force Dynamics
hard

A country experiences a rise in discouraged workers who stop looking for employment. How would this trend affect the official unemployment rate and why?

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Choose the Best Answer

A

The unemployment rate will decrease because discouraged workers are not counted as unemployed.

B

The unemployment rate will increase because fewer people are looking for jobs.

C

The unemployment rate will remain unchanged as it only reflects those actively seeking work.

D

The unemployment rate will decrease because the number of employed workers has increased.

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

When a country has more discouraged workers, it means that people have given up looking for jobs because they feel there are no opportunities available for them. This trend affects the official unemployment rate because discouraged workers are no longer counted as part of the labor force. The unemployment rate is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed people who are actively seeking work by the total labor force, which includes both employed and unemployed individuals. For example, if a country has 100 unemployed people and 900 employed people, the unemployment rate would be 10%. However, if 50 discouraged workers stop looking for jobs, the total labor force decreases, which can make the unemployment rate appear lower, even though the overall job situation may not have improved.

Detailed Explanation

When discouraged workers stop looking for jobs, they are no longer counted as unemployed. Other options are incorrect because Some might think that fewer job seekers means more unemployment; This answer suggests that the unemployment rate stays the same.

Key Concepts

Unemployment Rate Calculation
Discouraged Workers
Labor Force Participation Rate
Topic

Unemployment and Labor Force Dynamics

Difficulty

hard level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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