GoKawiilLISEP's True Rate of Unemployment reveals deeper US job market gaps
The Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP) has developed the True Rate of Unemployment, a metric built from Bureau of Labor Statistics data that counts people without full-time work, those earning below a living wage of roughly $26,000 a year, and those with no job at all. The measure aims to give a fuller picture of financial hardship than the official unemployment rate captures.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Standard unemployment figures often mask underemployment and low-wage work, leading policymakers to underestimate economic distress among workers. A more comprehensive metric like this could reshape how government officials design labor and social welfare policy by highlighting gaps the conventional rate ignores.
- LISEP's True Rate of Unemployment includes underemployed and low-wage workers, not just the jobless.
- The living wage threshold used is about $26,000 annually in 2025 dollars.
- The metric is intended to give policymakers a more accurate gauge of economic well-being.
Source: lisep.org, 2026-09-02
Published there as: “True Rate of Unemployment”
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