>I was always under the impression that US unemployment counted the
>rolls of those receiving
>unemployment checks while the EU counted something different. When
>you stop receiving your check you
>were no longer counted even if you still have not found work. This
>is not true? The US counts as
>unemployed people who have used up their unemployment insurance yet
>have not found work?
US unemployment figures are based on a large monthly survey of some 60,000 households conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. People are asked if they were working, looking for work, wanting work but not trying hard to look, etc., during the so-called "reference week," the week of the month containing the 12th. For more, see <http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm>.
A different agency of the Labor Department publishes an "insured unemployment rate," which is the number of people receiving unemployment insurance benefits divided by the adult population. It's now around 1.9%, or a little under half the official rate. The latest release is at <http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm>.
Doug