Yes, there was an effort in 2010 and 2011 to track Americans unemployed "260 weeks or longer", but that is irrelevant to the unemployment rate, which has declined so much because so many are no longer counted in the labor force, that's all. That would include the long term "unemployed", who aren't really unemployed because those people get kicked out of the labor force according to the definitions used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
You may not like that. You may not agree with that. But that's what happens. If you haven't looked for work in 4 weeks but have in the last year, you'll still be in the labor force, but after a year you are out if you've given up looking. And presto, when millions can't find work in this shrunken economy, they drop out by not looking any longer, so the labor force shrinks, and thus fewer people get counted as unemployed. It's as simple as that.
A better way to look at it is, How many people have full time jobs?
Since 1968 the average percent of the civilian noninstitutional population employed full time at peaks has been 51.2%. At troughs it has been 48.6%. In February 2019 49.9% had full time jobs.
At 51.2% in February 2019 instead of at 49.9%, however, we'd have about 3.46 million more working full time than we actually have.
That's what is wrong with the Trump economy inherited from Obama.
There remains no economic driver for a jobs boom.
Ann is still right, however. Why on earth would you import more people to America in a situation of labor slack like this?
It's insane, and perverse. It does active harm to people already here who can't find full time work.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump hasn't got a clue about this.
Like I said, we are well and truly screwed.
