Posted on 09/08/2014 7:20:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
On the average day, an unemployed American is more likely to be shopping—for things other than groceries and gas---than to be looking for a new job, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Only 18.9 percent of Americans who were unemployed (in surveys conducted from 2009 through 2013) spent time in job search and interviewing activities on an average day, according to BLS. Yet 40.8 percent of the unemployed did some kind of shopping on the average day--either in a store, by telephone, or on the Internet. 22.5 percent of the unemployed, according to BLS, were shopping for items other than groceries, food and gas.
The BLS conducts a study called the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) which tracks how Americans spend their time doing various activities during a given day. “The goal of the survey is to measure how people divide their time among life’s activities,” explains the BLS. “Individuals are randomly selected from subset of households that have completed their eighth and final month of interviews for the Current Population Survey (CPS). ATUS respondents are interviewed only one time about how they spent their time on the previous day, where they were, and whom they were with.”
The “unemployed” are defined as individuals who are jobless, available for work, and actively looking for a job. But the BLS data shows that looking for a job may not be the most time-consuming activity in the unemployed Americans average day.
While only 18.9 percent of the unemployed said they spent time during the previous day in job-search and interviewing activities on an average day, the survey shows that when someone was looking for a job they spent an average of only 2.48 hours of the day doing so.
An unemployed person—on the average day—was more likely to spend time on shopping, sports and recreation, socializing and leisure, than they were searching for and interviewing for a new job, according to BLS.
According to BLS, 96.7 percent of the unemployed spent time during the average day participating in “socializing, relaxing, and leisure” activities and spent, on average, 5.93 hours on those activities—or more than twice the number of hours they spent job searching.
Only 71.9 percent of the unemployed washed, dressed and groomed themselves on the average day, according to BLS. That means that 28.1 percent of the unemployed did not wash, dress and groom themselves on the average day.
Nearly all of the unemployed--99.9 percent--reported sleeping on an average day. On average, they dedicated 9.24 hours to that activity.
2 Thess. 3:10: For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
I have several friends who are unemployed and they spend a lot of time searching jobs, preparing for interviews and engaged in interviews.
But these are previously successful people who really want to be working.
Kinda tells me that unemployment benefits are too high and last too long. Unemployment and welfare benefits should be such that, if you can fog a mirror, you show up at 8AM to clean toilets, sweep the streets, whatever needs to be done. I wonder how many of them would be shopping then instead of looking for a new job...during their lunch break.
You are aware that unemployment doesn’t last forever? While I know that there are those of every color that have found a way to get money from the government, I know a lot of unemployed that can’t find jobs and receive no money for this lifestyle that you and others libel all unemployed with.
I understand that. But you can stay angry as my tax dollars support this. The feds should not be in the business of rewarding people for not working. Sorry, my original comment stands. I have never taken a cent from the government, never will. They are very good at taking it from me and giving it—less their cut—to whomever they deem appropriate to keep their ilk in power. What a mess our country has become.
I have to wonder, who is the one person in the sample of a thousand who didn’t bother to log how long they slept.
The shopping question could be misleading. How many people make nearly daily trips to buy food, toiletries, baby stuff? Daily shopping may mean walking to the bodega for what you can carry, not buying new clothes and electronics each day.
I see you did not read past the headline ...
So you take a article about unemployment make a comment, get called on it and shift to disability? So I suppose because you have a friend that you feel is scamming disability that you don’t believe anyone should get disability? Yeah there are scammers and there also those who need to be helped by the system. If you really think your friend is not disabled than turn them in, don’t just bitch about it.
A little touchy there for no reason.
A little touchy there for no reason.
I would certainly hope not, but last I looked it was up to about two years.
Look again, the Federal program ended last december, now ask exactly where those who have not been able to find work and have dropped off the rolls are getting money to go shopping instead of job searching as this study implies.
“Til Unemployment start to fall
Im hanging out....
down to the mall’’
author unknown
Not everyone is at a point where they’re living the life of Riley; at least people are off the streets and not starving. This country isn’t in a mess because of welfare, it’s because of a wider variety of factors that the world economy is going through right now. There are near no jobs in the US right now. Whoever is at full blame is debatable, but the fact remains, there are no jobs for people. Those that do exist are not going to successfully sustain a living for people who have bills to pay and a home to maintain.
There are also those who are genuinely incapacitated. Where do you suggest they live, workhouses where they can rot because of their lack of virtue in being fully able bodied? What about the genuinely mentally ill, or those who want to get out of a bad situation but don’t have a support network? Not everyone in the world has family and friends who give a rap about them. A lot of people end up alone in the world, sometimes with nothing.
Welfare keeps people from homelessness and from starvation. It is abused and needs to be reformed, but not abolished. Each situation, each reason a person is on it is because one way or another, they’ve hit the skids and need a ‘time out’ from the work force to get their life back together.
That means that 28.1 percent of the unemployed did not wash, dress and groom themselves on the average day.
How do they know? Do they peek into their bathroom windows to get this information?
Aw, forget it. I just remembered this is the world of Obama and “Big Brother.”
Nothing to see here, move along.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.