What is the civilian labor force?
The civilian labor force is comprised of all civilians 16 years
of age and older who are classified as employed or unemployed.
The civilian labor force excludes members of the armed forces
who are on active duty.
Who is counted as employed?
People 16 years of age and older are classified as employed if they worked for pay any time during the survey week (which includes the 12th day of the month), or if they worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family-owned enterprise. People also are counted as employed if they have a job at which they did not work during the survey week due to illness, bad weather, vacation, labor dispute or various personal reasons.
Who is counted as unemployed?
People 16 years of age and older are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work during the prior four weeks, and are currently available for work,
except for temporary illness.
Looking for work may consist of any of the following specific activities: registering at a public or private employment office, meeting with prospective employers, asking friends and relatives about possible job openings, placing or answering advertisements, writing letters of application, or being on a union or professional register.
Only workers waiting to be recalled from layoff do not have to
engage in a specific job seeking activity to be counted as
unemployed.
Who is counted as not in the labor force?
All civilians 16 years of age and older who are not classified as employed or unemployed are defined as “not in the labor force.” This group consists of homemakers, students, retirees and those who are unable to work because of long-term mental or physical illness. Also included in the classification are people who are voluntarily idle, seasonal workers who are off work during the survey week and discouraged workers. People doing only incidental, unpaid family work (less than 15 hours during the survey week) also are classified as not in the labor force.
Who are discouraged workers?
Discouraged workers are classified as people who do not look for work because they believe no jobs are available in the area or that no jobs are available for which they can qualify. Labor economists frequently refer to this group as the “labor force overhang” or the “labor force reserve.”
Who are underemployed workers?
People can be classified as underemployed in several different ways. Underemployment in the form of shortened hours is the easiest to measure, using an objective set of criteria. This group includes people who desire a full-time job, but are employed part-time for economic reasons. Other kinds of underemployment are not so easily quantified. For example, underemployment occurs when people take jobs that do not make use of, or pay according to their skills, training and experience. Underemployment also can occur when an individual does not have the necessary equipment to achieve maximum efficiency and output.
