Unemployment

In economics, a person who is able and willing to work yet is unable to find a paying job is considered unemployed. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed workers divided by the total civilian labor force, which includes both the unemployed and those with jobs (all those willing and able to work for pay). In practice, measuring the number of unemployed workers actually seeking work is notoriously difficult. There are several different methods for measuring the number of unemployed workers. Each method has its own biases and the different systems make comparing unemployment statistics between countries, especially those with different systems, difficult.

Aiding the Unemployed

Most developed countries have aids for the unemployed as part of the welfare state. These unemployment benefits include unemployment insurance, welfare, and subsidies to aid in retraining. To calculate the unemployment insurance benefits you might receive in the United States, see the useful page at the Economic Policy Institute.

Related Topics:
Welfare state - Unemployment insurance - Welfare

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Of course, unemployment insurance and similar programs have replaced other systems (support from community and churches, home gardening and other production) which played a similar role in the past.

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