Moving to Sarasota with kids? Explore Sarasota’s top-rated public, private, and charter schools—plus local education insights every family should know before buying a home.Because Great
Should We Be Looking at Unemployment Numbers Differently? #SarasotaLiving
Dated: June 24 2020
Views: 9
The New York Times recently ran an article regarding unemployment titled: Don’t Cheer Too Soon. Keep an Eye on the Core Jobless Rate. The piece suggests we should look at unemployment numbers somewhat differently. The author of the article, Jed Kolko, is a well-respected economist who is currently the Chief Economist at Indeed, the world’s largest online jobs site. Previously, he was Chief Economist and VP of Analytics at Trulia, the online real estate site.
Kolko suggests “the coronavirus pandemic has broken most economic charts and models, and all the numbers we regularly watch need a closer look.” He goes on to explain that the decline in the unemployment number reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) earlier this month was driven by temporary layoffs. If we strip those out, we’re left with what Kolko calls the core unemployment rate. Many economists have struggled with how to deal with the vast number of temporary layoffs, as a complete shutdown of the economy has never happened before. As the article states, in the last unemployment report:
“73 percent of all unemployed people said they were temporarily unemployed, which means they had a return-to-work date or they expected to return to work in six months. Before the pandemic, temporary unemployment was never more than one-quarter of total unemployment.”
The core unemployment rate handles this issue and also deals with another concern economists have discussed for years: the exclusion of the marginally attached. These are people who are available and want to work, but count as out of the labor force rather than unemployed because they haven’t searched for work in the past four weeks.
Kolko’s core rate does three things:
- Takes out temporary unemployment
- Retains the rest of the standard unemployment definition: permanent job losers, job leavers, and people returning to or entering the labor force
- Adds in the marginally attached
Removing the temporarily unemployed makes sense according to the article:
“Initial pandemic relief efforts focused on money for people to manage a temporary loss of income and funds to keep businesses afloat until they could bring their workers back. The hope and the goal is for the temporarily unemployed to return to their old jobs, rather than have them lose their jobs and have to search for new ones when jobs have become scarcer.”
The Bad News and the Good News
Clearly, the adjustments Kolko makes dramatically impact the way we look at unemployment. The bad news is, using his core rate, there was an increase in unemployment from April to May. The conventional rate reported by the BLS showed a decrease in unemployment.
The good news is that the core rate compares more favorably to the last recession in 2008. Here’s the breakdown:
Bottom Line
The unemployment rate is a key indicator of how the economy is doing. Heading into a highly contested election this November, the BLS report releasing next week will be scrutinized like no other by members on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Kolko’s take is just one additional way to evaluate how unemployment is impacting American families.
#SarasotaLiving #SarasotaRealEstate #SRQ #SarasotaRealEstateAgent #SarasotaHomesForSale #LongboatKeyHomesForSale #LongboatKeyCondosForSale #SiestaKeyCondosForSale #SiestaKeyHomesForSale #SarasotaHomes #RealEstate #RealEstateAgent #SarasotaRealtor #RobertPaulRealtor #SellingSarasotaInShorts #SarasotaLife #SarasotaRealEstateForSale #SarasotaCondos #RobertPaulSarasota
Robert Paul, PA
"I'm here to empower YOU to make confident and impactful decisions." Serving both buyers and sellers, I specialize in assisting those relocating to the Sarasota area or those seeking a second home in ....
Latest Blog Posts
Sarasota’s healthcare system ranks among Florida’s best. Discover top hospitals, local specialists, senior care options, and what makes Sarasota a healthy place to call home.Healthy
Thinking about moving to Sarasota? Here’s your insider guide to getting around—commute times, traffic tips, public transit, parking, and what locals know about navigating paradise
From property taxes to insurance and HOA fees, here’s what Sarasota homeowners actually pay—and how to plan smart before buying your Gulf Coast home.Welcome to Sarasota Homeownership
Copyright © MFRMLS.com All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information on this site was last updated Last updated on September 20, 2026 9:30 PM UTC The listing information on this page last changed on Last updated on September 20, 2026 9:30 PM UTCd. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of MFR MLS.
All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Updated on September 20, 2026 9:30 PM UTC
All information regarding a property for sale, rental or financing, school information and public tax records is from sources deemed reliable; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that representations and warranties are not made about the accuracy thereof, and such information is subject to errors, omissions, updates, modifications, changes of price, rent rates, commissions, prior sales, leases or financing, changes in school boundaries, or withdrawal without notice. All information displayed on this Website should
© 2026 Florida Gulf Coast MLS (FGCMLS) Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. The IDX data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Florida Gulf Coast Multiple Listing Service. The information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
