[libertarian27]

* U4: U3 + "discouraged workers", or those who have stopped looking for work because current economic conditions make them believe that no work is available for them.

This phraseology drives me crazy

They are assuming people just stop looking for work - and what? Sit at home and spin gold cloth for groceries and mortgage payments?

They are placing a psychological descriptive guess on a statistic...argh.

[newzjunkey]

They move in with relatives, cut costs even more, sell off personal property, raid their savings to make ends meet... they retreat and regroup.

It's not a "psychological descriptive guess" to say some stopped looking for work in futility and why. The reason, "current economic conditions make them believe that no work is available for them," isn't data they can't obtain.