After certain holiday seasons and hiring too many associates a company will decide to let the lower end of the staff go; A company claiming bankruptcy- leaving many people out of work; Tragedies like the September 11, mishap in which buildings, companies, and factories were burnt down or the workers were killed; Disabilities such as permanent injuries from accidents on the job; Or not being able to supply enough work for workers within a town
Since it is impossible to ask every single person in America, at a given time, whether they are employed or unemployed- the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, conducts nation-wide random surveys of some 60,000 households every month. They ask several questions to find out whether those in the household are currently employed, unemployed and seeking work, or not seeking work. Part time work and discouraged workers are up for debate within the statistics. Part time work is for those who are in school, have certain medical conditions which may limit their availability, and those in-between jobs or not able to find suitable jobs to fit their skills. This classification of work is disputed because the work is not full-time, and requires less time. Discouraged workers are those who are unemployed and not looking for a job. This can be disputed because some older people may have not completed all of their schooling, in thus lacking particular demanding skills, and become discouraged after continuously seeking new jobs, finding none that require the skills in which they have. .
As of September 2001, "the total employment rose by about 800,000 to 135.2 million, seasonally adjusted. The civilian labor force rose to 142.2 million, and the labor force participation rate increased to 67.0%. The number of persons who worked part time for economic reasons rose by about 860,000 to 4.2 million, seasonally adjusted." These people indicated that they would have liked to uphold a full-time job, but only worked part-time due to hours being cut back or being unable to find a full-time job.
