Letter: Jobless numbers are misleading
Long Island's unemployment rate fell to 4.5 percent in August, the lowest for the month in eight years, state Labor Department data released Tuesday show. Credit: Getty Images
A recent jobs report showed fewer new jobs created than expected, along with the lowest reading on the nation's unemployment rate in more than seven years ["U.S. jobless rate at 5.1%," Business, Sept. 5]. It also says the Federal Reserve considers the 5.1 percent unemployment rate a "normal economy." We are getting closer to the point when the United States will have a record low unemployment percentage, during a time when many people are looking for jobs!
When will this country stop publicizing this meaningless unemployment statistic and begin telling the real story concerning our job situation? A real unemployment rate would include so-called discouraged workers, who have given up looking for a job, and part-time workers who would prefer full-time employment. That statistic is about double the highly publicized unemployment rate.
I guess telling everyone the truth would be too painful, so the government continues to fill us with the false hope that things are getting better. In actuality, they are worsening every day.
John R. Volpe, East Meadow
