>>Unemployment is actually higher here than official statistics reflect since
>>the prison population isn't counted, nor are people who have given up
>>looking for work, etc.
>
>Yeah, but even using harmonized statistical techniques, U.S. unemployment
>rates are well below Europe's. U.S. poverty rates are well above, though.
>
>If you counted the imprisoned as unemployed, it would have raised the U.S.
>unemployment rate from 4.3% in December 1998 to about 5.6%. The black male
>rate would have gone from 6.7% to 16.7%.
Well, that'll teach me for speaking before getting my facts. I suppose I should have consulted with you first.
In any case, this comes as a surprise to me, since I had the impression that the (unemployment) gap narrowed substantially when using the same criteria for who qualifies as umemployed. Oh well, live and learn.
Brett