tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post7656875964799999482..comments2023-09-09T09:26:22.175-04:00Comments on Andrew Samwick's Blog: BLS to the RescueAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13514024573333057559noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post-81736413114469915002004-10-17T07:22:00.000-04:002004-10-17T07:22:00.000-04:00Kudos to the government worker who provided you su...Kudos to the government worker who provided you such a comprehensive and well written answer.<br><br>May her/his tribe multiply.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17206839.post-68491471536034930382004-10-18T00:04:00.000-04:002004-10-18T00:04:00.000-04:00I must admit I'm a little awed that my first e...I must admit I'm a little awed that my first ever comment on a superior's blog has been the catalyst for so much debate, and I'm glad that my little part has eventually led all of us to learn something new.<br><br>However, I'm going to again comment on my situation and say that I should not be categorized as "want a job now." I have undertaken a serious new endeavor (going back to school to get a bachelor's degree in economics with the intent to go on to graduate school) and am taking on a hardship to achieve this new goal (student loans). As such, if a new job in my previously chosen career was offered to me tomorrow I would not take it. I have committed to this new path. Thus under the BLS categorizations I am simply "Not In Labor Force."<br><br>Now whether the number of people who are in similar situations is large enough to impact the aggregate unemployment statistics I think is highly questionable. This is a very specific criteria we're looking at: unvoluntarily unemployed, looked for a set period of time, left the workforce, and would not take a job now. I think a much larger group would be people who were let go (or told that lay-offs were approaching), took a look at the tough job market, and decided to go back to school without even looking for a new job. Applications at business schools, law schools, and the like have seen a spike over the past four years, and I think this is the obvious explanation.<br><br>It would be nice to see the demographic composition of those people "Not In Labor Force" along with the corresponding changes between June '03 and September '04 to see where the additional 2.36 million people in that categorization came from. Are we seeing this spike in people "voluntarily" going back to school? An increase in women leaving the workforce to start raising families? Is this the beginning of the baby boomers retirement? Or something else I haven't thought of (or some combination)?Ryan Earlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07839505464740431952noreply@blogger.com