>>PS
>>
>>Did Fox mention this?
>>
>>http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/money/us-jobless-rate-falls-to-6-year-low-of-59-pct/ar-BB7eEdY
>
>I don't quote Fox. I also don't quote people who don't understand how to analyze unemployment data, and this MSN article is a good example. :)
>
>Two things.
>
>First, the Federal Reserve had predicted an increase in new jobs - occurring during the period where extended unemployment benefits expired. (So you can thank some of those ugly, nasty Republicans). .
>
>Second, the labor participation rate dropped. Generally speaking, when both the unemployment rate drops and the labor participation rate drops, it's not necessarily a good thing. In this case (and for some time now), the unemployment rate dropped for some of the wrong reasons. So despite more people going out and getting jobs, there are still too few looking for jobs and too high a number of part time jobs.
>
>The labor participation rate is at the worst point in 36 years. You have a record % of people not in the labor force at all, which partly explains the decrease in the unemployment rate. Bottom line, some decomposition of the unemployment data always needs to happen.
>
>Don't get me wrong, the news isn't all bad. Certainly more jobs being filled than expected is better than less. But this isn't much reason for "spiking the football"

Here are a couple of facts:
When Clinton left office in 2000, the unemployment rate was 4%
When Obama took office in 2009 at the beginning the Great Recession the unemployment rate was 7.8.
The unemployment rate peaked in 2011 at 9.1%
The latest rate is 5.9%

http://www.multpl.com/unemployment/table

>>One doesn't need a Nobel Prize in economics to know that when unemployment runs out, it's time to look harder for a job


So.. the reason that it was 4% in 2000 was that there weren't many people on unemployment so they had to get jobs and the reason that it was 9.1% in 2011 was that there were lot of people on unemployment so they didn't have to get jobs.
OK. Thanks for clarifying that.
All this time I thought that people went on unemployment because they couldn't get jobs - not as you point out - that they get jobs because they can't get unemployment, but I was an English major and these subtle economic points elude me at times.

So yes, for sure, I don't know how to analyze unemployment data!