"As for unemployment remaining low, that figure is based on persons filing for unemployment compensation. But when the company you work for doesn't take out unemployment compensation insurance, then there is no reason to file for what is not there. And there is no measure of the growing number of persons who are unemployed who do not report it."
You are mistaken on several counts. First, all employers are required to pay into the unemployment insurance fund for all employees. Second, there is no reason for anyone who loses his or her job not to file for unemployment benefits except, of course, for those who simply quit voluntarily or are otherwise not eligible for benefits. Third, the unemployment rate is not determined by the numbers of unemployment claims made, but rather by a national survey of households. The unemployment rate is simply the number of respondents who are not currently employed, but are actively seeking employment (the "unemployed") divided by the sum of that group and those who say they are employed. There are also breakdowns by part-time versus full-time workers as well as various measures of "labor underutilization", all published and available online from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Oh, and there is also tons of data on "real" wages, broken down by sector, as well as the various measures of inflation that are used to calculate "real" wages, "real" per capita GDP, "real" household income or any other measures of real income that may exist.
As for your theory of prices - i.e. that consumers have no market clout and must just accept whatever prices the greedy grocers, oil companies, etc. feel like charging - well, all I can say is that whoever taught you economics failed badly. Free markets are a boon to consumers and constant pressure for producers.
I'm sorry economics is a "sore subject" for you. Perhaps if you explored the vast amount of free economic information on the web instead of just claiming the data doesn't exist or is all a bunch of lies, you might not find the subject so sore any more. |
