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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2511 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 24, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Is everyone unemployed these days? 2pm on a wednesday and gym, grocery store, cafes, fast food joints at the local plaza are full. There's even a small line at crumbl. I don't think it's ever been like this in my area

God I wish that were me. Being funemployed that is, not being in line at a cookie dealer.

The US unemployment rate is about 4.3%, well within the target range.

The official unemployment figures are always heavily massaged. Look at workforce participation too.

It more misinterpreted than massaged - unemployment tracks people who are currently looking for work (at least notionally) but haven't found it yet. By definition - unlike, as you correctly noted, workforce participation numbers - they do not include those who, for any reason, are not looking. There are actually 6 official measures of labor utilization: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm and plenty of unofficial ones.

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