What is U6 unemployment and how does it affect my California EDD claim?

U6 is basically the broadest measure of unemployment that the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes. So there are actually multiple unemployment rate measurements (U1 through U6) and most news headlines use U3 which is the 'official' unemployment rate. U6 is wider - it counts not just people actively looking for work (U3) but also 'marginally attached workers' meaning people who want jobs but stopped actively searching, AND people who are working part-time but want full-time work (called underemployed). For gig workers specifically, U6 is actually a more accurate reflection of labor market stress because a lot of platform workers are technically 'employed' but only part-time or inconsistently. Now, to directly answer your California EDD question - no, EDD doesn't use U6 when processing your individual claim. Your UI eligibility is based on your base period wages, your reason for separation, and your ability/availability to work. But understanding U6 can help you contextualize why the job market might actually be harder than headline numbers suggest.

To add some practical context here - as someone who went through a California EDD claim last year after losing a part-time warehouse job, I can confirm that EDD really does NOT care about U6 or any of those BLS measures when processing your claim. What they care about is: 1) Your base period earnings (roughly the first 12 of the last 15 months before you filed), 2) Whether you were laid off vs quit vs fired, 3) Whether you're actively looking for work and documenting those job searches, and 4) Whether you're able and available for full-time work. The U6 rate is genuinely more of an academic/policy discussion thing. For gig workers though, the California EDD eligibility situation is actually more complicated because of AB5 and how gig income gets classified.

Since someone mentioned the phone situation - I was in a similar boat trying to reach EDD to sort out a question about my base period and whether some contract work counted. Spent forever getting disconnected or hitting busy signals. Someone in another thread mentioned Claimyr (claimyr.com) and I was skeptical at first but it actually got me through to an EDD agent within a couple hours. There's a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 - basically it navigates the phone system for you and calls you back when an agent is available. For something like your gig income classification question, you really do need to talk to an actual EDD rep because the answer is going to be specific to your work history.

to answer the actual U6 question more simply - think of unemployment like a spectrum. U1 is the most narrow (people unemployed 15+ weeks). U3 is what you see in news. U6 is the widest net. For 2025 California specifically, the state unemployment rate (using U3) has been elevated compared to national averages, but if you used U6 methodology for California it would capture all the underemployed gig workers, part-timers wanting full time work, etc and the number would be significantly higher. None of this affects YOUR california EDD claim processing though.

ok so I'm gonna be the person who says I literally googled this same question two months ago when I was filing my California EDD claim and spent like 45 minutes down a rabbit hole about BLS methodology when I should have just been filling out my weekly certification lol. Don't make my mistake - U6 is interesting economics stuff but has zero bearing on your EDD claim. Focus on your weekly certifications, your job search log (you need to document 3 job search activities per week unless you're on standby), and making sure your contact info in UI Online is current.

how do you get standby status?? my employer said I might be called back in a few weeks and I had no idea this was even a thing. I've been doing all my job searches for nothing potentially

Coming back to the original U6 question with a slightly different angle - U6 actually DOES matter indirectly in terms of the broader policy context for programs like California UI. When U6 is high it signals that even people who ARE employed might be vulnerable to underemployment, which is part of why California has historically had more generous UI benefits compared to many other states. The weekly benefit amount cap, the base period calculation methodology - some of this reflects legislative awareness that California's labor market has substantial hidden stress. Doesn't help you when you're waiting on adjudication obviously but it's not totally irrelevant.

I just want to say the fact that understanding your own unemployment claim requires knowing about BLS measurement methodology, AB5, Prop 22, base period calculations, AND now U6 vs U3 is genuinely insane. The system is designed to be confusing. I've been on UI twice in the last 4 years and every time I feel like I need a law degree just to understand what's happening with my own claim.

For the gig worker angle - I went through this exact situation last year. Had some Instacart income and some W2 part time work. The W2 income counted toward my base period, the Instacart income did NOT because I was classified as an independent contractor. This actually worked against me because my base period wages were lower than my actual earnings would suggest, which meant a lower weekly benefit amount. Really frustrating. If you're primarily gig economy you might be surprised by how little EDD recognizes those earnings.

Adding a practical tip - when you call California EDD to ask questions about things like base period calculations or gig income eligibility, have these specific things ready: your Social Security number, your claim start date, the names of ALL employers during your base period (including gig platforms even if they won't count), and specific dates worked. Agents have limited time per call and the more organized you are the more you'll get answered in one call. I learned this the hard way after a call where I got flustered and forgot half my questions.

slightly off topic but does anyone know if the U6 data breaks down by state? like is there a California-specific U6 equivalent?

I've been reading this whole thread and I'm realizing I've been misunderstanding what adjudication even means. I thought it just meant my claim was being reviewed normally but it sounds like it's something specific that happens when there's an issue? My claim has said 'pending' for two weeks and now I'm worried

real talk the U3 vs U6 distinction matters a lot for how people emotionally experience the job market. when the official rate is low people assume finding work should be easy and anyone unemployed is either lazy or picky. U6 captures a much more realistic picture of how hard things actually are for people with irregular work histories, part time situations, etc. edd claimants are often in the U6 population by definition

can i ask a dumb question - when you file weekly certifications with california edd do you have to report gig income? like if I do a few DoorDash deliveries in a week while collecting UI do I have to report that?

UPDATE on my claim situation that's kind of related to this thread - I finally got through to EDD (used Claimyr, it actually worked, took about 2 hours for the callback but I got a real agent) and asked specifically about my gig income and base period question. The agent confirmed that my 1099 contractor income from rideshare doesn't count toward my UI base period wages, but my part time restaurant W2 job DOES count, and that's what my claim is based on. Weekly benefit amount is lower than I expected but at least I understand why now. For anyone else confused about the gig income situation - definitely worth calling to get a specific answer for your claim.

just want to circle back to the original question one more time for anyone who finds this thread later via google - U6 unemployment is a broad labor underutilization measure from BLS that includes: officially unemployed people (U3), marginally attached workers who want jobs but stopped looking, and people working part-time who want full-time work. California EDD does NOT use U6 when determining individual unemployment insurance eligibility or benefit amounts. Your California UI claim is governed by your specific base period wages, separation reason, and ongoing eligibility requirements. U6 is useful context for understanding real labor market conditions but won't affect your individual claim processing.