THE HIDDEN JOBLESS

Unemployment figure doesn't give full picture
YOUR ARTICLE "Missing: 5.4 million workers" (Page A1, Feb. 8) illustrates what a shell game the federal government has made of unemployment reporting. Typically, government officials and the media get their data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly economic news releases. What is generally quoted is the unemployment rate from the bureau's Table A-1. For January, that figure is 8.3 percent.
The Northeastern University study that Katie Johnston cites in her article correctly recognizes that this figure is far from disclosing the true, complete unemployment picture. Kudos to Northeastern's Center for Labor Market Studies for pointing this out.
Members of the media can easily find that data as well by looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Table A-15, also included in the monthly economic news release. In that table, there is a statistic referred to as the U-6 measure, which is defined as "total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force."

In plain English, that means the base is everyone who can and wants to work. The unemployment figure against that base for January is 16.2 percent. That's really how many people are unemployed. Isn't it about time for the media to start reporting this figure on a regular basis?
Northborough
Some will highlight data to make a political point
THE HEADLINES for Katie Johston's Feb. 8 front-page article - "Missing: 5.4 million workers; Many nationwide have simply given up looking for work, and in Mass. the number of hidden unemployed has doubled" - are ripe for misuse by right-wing pundits and politicians. The article itself usefully highlights the often unseen plight of those who've given up on the job market. It's a sad story, but some may conclude from the headlines that statistics describing this problem have been buried. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has always tracked this number as the U-6 rate of unemployment. But headlines always report the so- called official, or U-3, rate. Both rates go up and down with economic conditions, so it's most useful to report the same number, U-3, over time. Shifting to focus on the U-6 number as a measure of the direction of the recovery would be deeply misleading.
Those who wish to mislead in a political season would declare that the most recent jobs report was actually a conspiracy by the president's minions to fake the numbers. Indeed, Mitt Romney quickly responded to the news by citing the U-6 number.
Lynnfield
Accounting at last for those who are swept under the rug
FINALLY A prominently displayed expose on the plight of the underemployed and unemployed worker ("Missing: 5.4 million workers," Page A1, Feb. 8). I have been underemployed or unemployed since January 2009. I've been infuriated to see economic figures cheering a comeback based on percentages I find unsubstantiated. Not once in three years has any agency contacted me as to whether I've gone back to work yet, or worked at all. People like me have been swept under the rug.
There doesn't seem to be any incentive to hire the unemployed, nor advocacy of any kind. In fact, the very fact you don't have a job is detrimental to obtaining one. Employers seem to be shocked that you're seeking a job when you don't have one.
What's more, the circumstances associated with joblessness - bankruptcy and debt; absence of a permanent address, phone, e-mail, or transportation; need for training and skills; lack of suitable clothing - can keep you jobless.
Ageism is another factor in the equation.
I appreciate the Globe revealing this statistical sham that some might call a sign of recovery.
Plymouth
Training is pathway back to work
BY PLACING Katie Johnson's telling portrayal of the plight of the long-term unemployed squarely in the middle of the front page ("Missing: 5.4 million workers," Feb. 8), the Globe cast a sobering spotlight on the predicament of 120,000 uncounted, hopeless workers in the state. While Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, aptly points out that skills training is no guarantee of a job as long as there are no jobs to be had, I would add that, without training, these people are likely to remain jobless even when the jobs return.
For the growing population of discouraged workers, training is the only pathway back to meaningful employment. That not only means learning how to do a job, it means learning new ways to search for it in the Internet age.
The Massachusetts workforce development community is prepared to work with employers more closely than ever to identify the desired skills and train workers to meet those requirements. These training organizations are uniquely positioned to serve as a gateway to prosperity for the long-term unemployed.