95 Million People Out Of Work Is The Refrain Of The Uninformed
It’s true that more than 95 million Americans are not working, but it isn’t true that they all really want a job.
Here’s how it breaks down, according to the numbers for the most recent quarter from the Atlanta Federal Reserve.
95 Million Does Not Tell The Whole Story
All Americans 16 years old and up: 254.5 million
Americans in the labor force with a job: 152.2 million
Americans in the labor force without a job: 7.2 million
That leaves 95.1 million Americans not in the labor force. But a lot of them are not in the labor force for understandable reasons:
44.1 million are retired.
15.4 million are disabled.
12.9 million are taking care of a family member.
15.5 million are in college or job training.
So of the 95.1 million Americans not working, 87.9 million are retired, disabled, taking care of a loved one or in school.
That Leaves 7.2 Million People. What About Them?
5.5 million Americans have looked for a job in the past year OR want a job but have given up searching for over a year.
1.7 million Americans are in the shadows. We don’t know why they are not in the work force.
They Count Part-Time Jobs
But they’re including part-time jobs. This is true, but part-time employment is still employment. After all, you have to pay taxes on earned income, part-time or not. Furthermore, part-time jobs are a huge incentive for a lot of people. There are those who make more contracting out their labor in a part-time capacity with different employers.
People who quote this 95 million number as people out of work are not only economically illiterate, but are most likely the same people who believe the former president is a Muslim and wasn’t born in this country. It’s just another attempt to discredit President Obama and his success in cleaning up the mess he inherited. I hope these same people scrutinize President Trump in the same manner, but I won’t hold my breath.
