Why is the goal not to achieve zero percent unemployment - NYS Department of Labor economics question

Great question! The concept you're thinking of is called the 'natural rate of unemployment' or NAIRU (Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment). Even in a healthy economy, there's always some unemployment due to: 1) Frictional unemployment - people transitioning between jobs, 2) Structural unemployment - skills mismatches, and 3) Seasonal unemployment. Zero unemployment would actually create dangerous inflation because employers would have to compete so aggressively for workers that wages would spiral upward uncontrollably. Most economists target around 3-5% unemployment as 'full employment.

Think of it this way - some unemployment is actually healthy job market movement. People quit bad jobs to find better ones, recent graduates search for their first position, seasonal workers transition between industries. The problem comes when unemployment gets too high (recession) or stays low for too long (inflation risk). The NYS Department of Labor tracks these trends to help inform policy. When I was job searching last year, my counselor explained that even successful economies need that flexibility.

If you're struggling to get through to NYS Department of Labor for help with your claim or job search questions, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you actually reach a real person at the unemployment office instead of sitting on hold forever. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to discuss my eligibility status.

zero unemployment would also mean no one could quit their job without having another one lined up first. imagine how much power that would give employers! they could treat workers terribly because where else would you go?? the unemployment system, even with all its flaws like waiting forever for NYS Department of Labor to process claims, at least gives workers some leverage to leave bad situations

yeah but try explaining that to my landlord when rent is due and my unemployment claim is stuck in adjudication for the 4th week lol. i get the economic theory but when you're living paycheck to paycheck the 'natural rate' feels pretty unnatural

I appreciate everyone's explanations but this whole conversation is kind of wild. We've designed an economic system that requires people to be unemployed and struggling, and then we make the process of getting help as difficult as possible through agencies like NYS Department of Labor. Something feels fundamentally broken about that.

Coming from someone who's been through the NYS Department of Labor system twice in the past three years, I think there's also a practical angle here that doesn't get discussed enough. The economists' "natural rate" theory assumes that unemployment systems actually work efficiently to help people transition between jobs. But when you're stuck waiting 8 weeks for a determination, or spending entire days trying to reach someone by phone, that "frictional unemployment" becomes a lot more friction than it should be. Maybe the real problem isn't that we need 3-5% unemployment, but that we need unemployment systems that actually facilitate quick, smooth transitions instead of creating additional barriers. The theory works better when the safety net actually functions.