Actual U-6 Unemployment Figures

In this sheet you can see the actual numbers of people who are unemployed.

Unlike the propaganda unemployment numbers you hear from the press this series of numbers shows all the unemployed people looking for full time work as well as the ones who are underemployed.

U-6 Unemployment Numbers
President	Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual Average	Complete Term Average
CLINTON	1994	11.8	11.4	11.4	11.2	10.8	10.9	10.7	10.5	10.4	10.3	10.1	10.0	10.79
CLINTON	1995	10.2	9.9	9.9	10.0	10.0	10.1	10.1	10.0	10.1	9.9	10.0	10.0	10.02
CLINTON	1996	9.8	10.0	9.8	9.9	9.7	9.6	9.7	9.3	9.4	9.4	9.3	9.5	9.62
CLINTON	1997	9.4	9.4	9.1	9.2	8.8	8.8	8.6	8.6	8.7	8.4	8.3	8.4	8.81
CLINTON	1998	8.4	8.4	8.4	7.9	7.9	8.0	8.1	7.9	7.9	7.8	7.6	7.6	7.99
CLINTON	1999	7.7	7.7	7.6	7.6	7.4	7.5	7.5	7.3	7.4	7.2	7.1	7.1	7.43
CLINTON	2000	7.1	7.2	7.1	6.9	7.1	7.0	7.0	7.1	7.0	6.8	7.1	6.9	7.03	8.81%
BUSH	2001	7.3	7.4	7.3	7.4	7.5	7.9	7.8	8.1	8.7	9.3	9.4	9.6	8.14
BUSH	2002	9.5	9.5	9.4	9.7	9.5	9.5	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.7	9.8	9.58
BUSH	2003	10.0	10.2	10.0	10.2	10.1	10.3	10.3	10.1	10.4	10.2	10.0	9.8	10.13
BUSH	2004	9.9	9.7	10.0	9.6	9.6	9.5	9.5	9.4	9.4	9.7	9.4	9.2	9.58
BUSH	2005	9.3	9.3	9.1	8.9	8.9	9.0	8.8	8.9	9.0	8.7	8.7	8.6	8.93
BUSH	2006	8.4	8.4	8.2	8.1	8.2	8.4	8.5	8.4	8.0	8.2	8.1	7.9	8.23
BUSH	2007	8.4	8.2	8.0	8.2	8.2	8.3	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.8	8.34
BUSH	2008	9.2	9.0	9.1	9.2	9.7	10.1	10.5	10.8	11.1	11.8	12.7	13.5	10.56	9.19%
OBAMA	2009	14.2	15.1	15.7	15.8	16.4	16.5	16.5	16.7	16.8	17.2	17.1	17.1	16.26
OBAMA	2010	16.7	16.9	16.9	17.0	16.6	16.5	16.5	16.6	16.9	16.8	16.9	16.6	16.74
OBAMA	2011	16.1	15.9	15.7	15.9	15.8	16.2	16.1	16.2	16.4	16.0	15.6	15.2	15.93
OBAMA	2012	15.1	14.9	14.5	14.5	14.8	14.9	15.0	14.7	14.7				14.79	15.93%

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics here is how they determine who is not in the labor force?

Labor force measures are based on the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years old and over. Excluded are persons under 16 years of age, all persons confined to institutions such as nursing homes and prisons, and persons on active duty in the Armed Forces. As mentioned previously, the labor force is made up of the employed and the unemployed. The remainder—those who have no job and are not looking for one—are counted as "not in the labor force." Many who are not in the labor force are going to school or are retired. Family responsibilities keep others out of the labor force.

A series of questions is asked each month of persons not in the labor force to obtain information about their desire for work, the reasons why they had not looked for work in the last 4 weeks, their prior job search, and their availability for work. These questions include:

1. Do you currently want a job, either full or part time?
2. What is the main reason you were not looking for work during the LAST 4 WEEKS?
3. Did you look for work at any time during the last 12 months?
4. LAST WEEK, could you have started a job if one had been offered?

These questions form the basis for estimating the number of persons who are not in the labor force but who are considered to be "marginally attached to the labor force." These are persons without jobs who are not currently looking for work (and therefore are not counted as unemployed), but who nevertheless have demonstrated some degree of labor force attachment. Specifically, to be counted as "marginally attached to the labor force," individuals must indicate that they currently want a job, have looked for work in the last 12 months (or since they last worked if they worked within the last 12 months), and are available for work. "Discouraged workers" are a subset of the marginally attached. Discouraged workers report they are not currently looking for work for one of four reasons:

1. They believe no job is available to them in their line of work or area.
2. They had previously been unable to find work.
3. They lack the necessary schooling, training, skills, or experience.
4. Employers think they are too young or too old, or they face some other type of discrimination.

Additional questions about persons not in the labor force are asked during each household's last month of its 4-month tenure in the sample rotation pattern. These questions are designed to collect information about why these people left their previous jobs, when they last worked at a job or business, and whether they intend to look for work in the near future.