During good economic times and bad, unemployment rates are published regularly and account for one measure of the country's economic health. However, the unemployment number that is published can cause controversy because some argue that it is not a true reflection of the number of unemployed workers. Conduct research on unemployment data collection, and address the following in your post:
• What is the definition of unemployed? Do different polling and statistics organizations use different definitions?
• In your opinion, how should unemployment be calculated?
• Why is the unemployment rate, such an oft-cited, measure in economics?
• How does unemployment affect other measures of the economy, like labor supply, demand, and GDP?
• What are the psychological and economic effects of high or low unemployment numbers?
• What actions should a state take when its unemployment rate is higher than the national average?