http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110602/ap_on_bi_ge/us_economy_missing_workers
Here's the key........
The Obama administration is lovin' it. While employment is worsening, government numbers say everything is better.
More job seekers give up, reducing unemployment
By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer – Thu Jun 2, 6:18 am ET
WASHINGTON – Where did all the workers go?
The labor force — those who have a job or are looking for one — is getting smaller, even though the economy is growing and steadily adding jobs. That trend defies the rules of a normal economic recovery.
Nobody is sure why it's happening. Economists think some of the missing workers have retired, have entered college or are getting by on government disability checks. Others have probably just given up looking for work.
"A small work force means millions of discouraged workers, lower output in the future and a weak recovery," says Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the ranking Republican on the Congress' Joint Economic Committee. "Those are unhealthy signs."
Here's the key........
By the government's definition, if you quit looking, you're no longer counted as unemployed. And you're no longer part of the labor force.
The Obama administration is lovin' it. While employment is worsening, government numbers say everything is better.