NYS Department of Labor - which unemployment types don't count toward official statistics?
I'm trying to understand how NYS Department of Labor calculates unemployment numbers for reporting. My economics professor mentioned that not all types of unemployment get counted in the official statistics. I know there's frictional, structural, cyclical, and seasonal unemployment, but I'm confused about which ones actually show up in the government's unemployment rate calculations. Does anyone know which forms of unemployment the NYS Department of Labor and federal agencies don't include when they report the monthly numbers? I'm working on a research paper and want to make sure I understand this correctly.
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Alina Rosenthal
The key thing to understand is that unemployment statistics measure people who are actively looking for work and available to work. So discouraged workers who have given up searching aren't counted in the official unemployment rate, even though they're technically unemployed. Also, underemployed people working part-time but wanting full-time work aren't counted as unemployed in the main statistic.
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Mohammad Khaled
•That makes sense about discouraged workers! So if someone stops filing weekly claims with NYS Department of Labor because they gave up looking, they disappear from the numbers?
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Finnegan Gunn
wait isn't seasonal unemployment counted? like construction workers who get laid off every winter and file for UI benefits?
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Miguel Harvey
Seasonal unemployment IS counted in the standard unemployment rate. When construction workers file their claims with NYS Department of Labor during winter layoffs, they're absolutely part of the official statistics. The confusion might be coming from seasonally adjusted vs. unadjusted numbers - economists often look at seasonally adjusted rates to smooth out predictable seasonal patterns, but the raw numbers definitely include seasonal unemployed workers.
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Finnegan Gunn
•oh ok that clears it up, thanks! I was thinking seasonal workers somehow didn't count
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Ashley Simian
There's also hidden unemployment that doesn't show up - people who want to work but aren't actively searching because they think no jobs are available in their area. These folks wouldn't be filing claims or showing up in NYS Department of Labor statistics even though they'd work if they thought opportunities existed.
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Mohammad Khaled
•This is really helpful for my paper. So the official rate misses a lot of people who are effectively unemployed but don't meet the technical definition.
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Oliver Cheng
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor for research data or clarification on how they categorize different unemployment types, I had luck using Claimyr recently. They helped me reach an actual agent when I couldn't get through the normal phone lines. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be useful for getting official information for your paper.
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Mohammad Khaled
•Thanks! I might need to contact them if I can't find the detailed breakdown I need for my research.
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Taylor To
just remember for your paper that the unemployment rate only counts people in the labor force. so retirees, full-time students, people on disability who aren't seeking work - none of them count as unemployed even if they don't have jobs. it's specifically about people who want to work and are available to work but can't find employment
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