Two million people had been unemployed for at least 27 weeks in September 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics release of October 7. Their number was essentially unchanged, and they represented 24.9 percent of unemployed people. For an ethical reading of the economy, the duration of exclusion deserves attention alongside a headline unemployment rate of 5.0 percent. [jobs2016]

Another group requires a different description. BLS counted 1.8 million people marginally attached to the labor force, using data not seasonally adjusted. They wanted work, were available and had searched within the previous year, but not during the preceding four weeks. They were therefore outside the unemployment count. The category describes search activity, not personal worth or willingness to contribute; treating it as a moral judgment would misuse the measure. [jobs2016]

Financial stewardship also needs a careful denominator. In its September 30 report, the Bureau of Economic Analysis put the August personal saving rate at 5.7 percent of disposable personal income. Saving subtracts personal outlays and personal current taxes from personal income. A national saving share does not establish whether an unemployed person has reserves, or whether any particular family can meet its next bill. [income2016]

Our editorial judgment is that assistance should respect both immediate need and the agency of people seeking work. How to divide finite resources between present support and routes back into employment is a question for religious and nonreligious readers alike, not something these statistics settle. This October 8 retrospective joins separate BLS and BEA evidence chains, not a causal account: September joblessness and August saving cover different months. BEA now marks that historical release superseded. [jobs2016][income2016]

Source documents

  1. Personal Income and Outlays, August 2016https://www.bea.gov/news/2016/personal-income-and-outlays-august-2016
  2. Employment Situation, September 2016https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_10072016.htm