Article Review 7: Counting The Workers The BLS Doesn’t Count – The 2014 Unemployment Rate Was Actually 11.4%

This week’s article, titled ‘Counting The Workers The BLS Doesn’t Count – The 2014 Unemployment Rate Was Actually 11.4%’ by Diana Furchtgott-Roth, is about the steady decline of the labor force participation rate. This happens despite the fact that over the past few years, the U.S has experienced slow but steady economic growth. The participation rate is currently at 62.7%. This contributes to why unemployment rates seem deceivingly low. Unemployment rates seem lower because more and more people are continuing to drop out of the labor force. The people who drop out vary from prime-aged men to women to young people in general. The reason for less younger people being in the labor force is not because they are in school. Enrollments in high school, college, or university have not changed by a significant amount over the past few years. Instead, what Furchtgott-Roch believes is the cause for the lower labor participation rate is because it is now better to not work than have a job. More people are eligible for government provided food stamps, health care, and there are now greater disability benefits. There are also fewer jobs since minimum wage laws have become stricter. A decreasing labor participation rate is important because it leads to slower GDP growth. The solution is to put less power in the federal government and more power into the state government. States can better decide which citizens are deserving of aid.

Overall, this article was an easy read, especially when compared to other articles we’ve been assigned. This heavily relates to what we’re currently learning in class and I agree with the author on many of her main points.