Some commentators claim unemployment numbers look better because discouraged people are dropping out of the labor force. They are simply wrong.
Category: dropping out of the labor force
More on Labor Force Dropouts
A closer look at why women have accounted for a majority of workers dropping out of the labor force during the recovery.
Employed Women, Dropping Out of the Labor Force
Last month the American labor force contracted by hundreds of thousands – a decline accounted for entirely (and then some) by the departure of women.
Fewer Jobless Workers Per Opening in June
This may sound encouraging, but the improvement may primarily be because workers are giving up on looking for work.