The BLS doesn’t have much faith in these quarterly numbers due small reporting samples, but they are the statistics used (misused?) in the media to quote the unemployment statistic by occupation. I’m only interested in employment levels at the occupational level, but there is an interesting caveat.
The occupational unemployment statistic only includes those who are seeking work and their last job was in the specific occupation.
Therefore:
- A student looking for work in his chosen path will not counted as unemployed in the chosen occupation.
- A Programmer seeking employment as a web developer would not be counted as unemployed in the chosen occupation.
- A Computer scientist who was last employed as a writer would not count as unemployed in her/his occupation.
- Foreign nationals working on temporary visas cannot be unemployed.
