Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1955-01-01
Who Are The
Unemployed?
By BERT SEIDMAN

Il
cent months. Perhaps no other
subject figured so largely in the
recent political campaign. But
while many people with various
political views have talked about
unemployment, information about
the unemployed has been quite
scanty.
Who are the unemployed? How
many of your neighbors in your
own community are now unef-
ployed or have suffered from I'M
employment some time during the
year? How many Of your fellow
workers in your industry or trade
have been laid off from work :?
Are the unemployed predominant
ly old, young or middle-aged? Has
unemployment hit hardest among
Negroes or whites, men or wo-
men? How long have the unem-
ployed been without jobs? How
many people are forced to work
only part-time because they scan
not find full-time jobs?
Surprisingly little attention has
been paid to these questions. Yet
we must have the answers to lust
these questions if we are going to
stop thinking about unemployment
in terms of cold statistics and be-
gin to regard the unemployed as
human beings who are suffering
great hardship through no fault of
their own.
In addition, we ought to know
as much as possible about where
the scourge of unemployment has
struck hardest in order to weigh
the full effect of unemployment
on the nations economy.
Total Unemployment
Considerably more than 1880.
600 Americans were completely
out of work in October and more
than 100000 others were par
TALLY unemployed.
The U. S. Census Bureau. using
a highly technical sample survey
technique, publishes each month
an estimate of total unemployment
for the nation as whole. In DC.
tober the Census estimated unem.
ployment at 2,741, 900.
This figure is subject to quite 8
few ifs, ands and butts. For ex-
ample, the Census statisticians in
their statistical techniques coulc
throw the unemployment figure
off by as much as 100000 ir
either direction. Much more i'm.
portant is the fact that the Cen
sus unemployment estimate com.
pletely excludes a large group
which is reported as with a jot
but not at work" In October this
group totaled 2,025,OOO.
Many in the with a job but not
at work" group, including those
off the job because they are i'll
or on vacation, should not prop.
erly be considered unemployed. Blu,
this group includes a considerable
number of individuals who are in.
voluntarily not at work, and they
should be counted as unemployed
These include, among others, work.
ers on temporary layoff or per.
sons expecting to report within
thirty days to a new job or bust.
ness.
In October there were about
100000 such persons - jobless
through no fault of their own
whom the Census did not include
as unemployed. If they are count.
ed as unemployed, as they shoulc
be, the total number of unemployed
in the nation in October was abou,
100000.
Even this figure understates the
full extent of unemployment. This
is because the Census does no,
include many persons in the un.
employment category who are not
actively looking for a job. The
Census considers many workers
who have given up looking TO,
work as mot in the labor force
Any worker who has looked TO,
a job during bad times or in 8
depressed area knows that this is
thoroughly unrealistic. People just
will not continue to look for Jobs
that do not exist. The number OF
such persons at the present time
cannot even be estimated, but oh.
vlously there must be large mum.
bers of workers who are anxious
to find employment but have no.
where to turn to look for job and
are therefore simply waiting un.
til new job opportunities develop.
Age, Sex And Race
According to the official figures
unemployment has been most Sc
we're for young people and Negroes
with not much difference in Job
lessnes between men and women
But the figures probably conceal
additional "hidden unemployment
for women and the older group as
well as for youngsters and Ne
groes.
Up to now we have been con-
sidering exclusively estimates Of
total national unemployment. AS
important as such estimates are,
they provide no answers to our
original question: Who are the un-
employed?
Let US look first at the age Of
the unemployed. As is to be ex-
pected, the unemployed, like the
employed, are mostly in the prime
working years between the ages
| of Is and IS. However. the Der-