[HiTech RedNeck]

The "unemployment rate" is people claiming UI benefits. They fall off of that in 6 months or so.

[JasonC]

They also survey whether people are looking for work, and they aren't. There is no big pool. "Discouraged workers" is a rounding error in the employment statistics. More Americans are working now than ever before, in higher paying jobs than ever before, and all the gloom and doom from the protectionist crowd is utter nonsense made up out of whole cloth.