ALL
I've been wanting to ask this question. I have not seen this discussed much.
Is the unemployment numbers so low right now because we have a ton of people that are called up in the national gaurd and reserves and in Iraq and people were hired to take their place in the private sector.
I live in a semi rural area and all our local reserve units are in Iraq. As a matter of fact a local guy Nathanial Rock was killed on Monday.
I think that could be an important contributing factor. This has been my theory for the last 20 yrs or so: once you are done with collecting unemployment, you are off the unemployment rolls. Voila! One less person unemployed.
I do not want to hear the hornswaggle about these figures being derived from the unemployment office conducting phone surveys. No one is contacted after benefits run out, unless it's a post card letting you know that there is a training program free of charge opening up in your area.
Gray area employment isn't just for illegals anymore...