About 1 in 4 Americans are "functionally unemployed," researcher says

While the unemployment rate remains near a 50-year low, another measure of worker well-being indicates there may be bigger cracks in the labor market.

The low unemployment rate, which stood at 4.2% in April, has signaled to economists and investors alike that the U.S. economy remains relatively healthy. Employers are also despite headwinds like tariffs and .

But another indicator suggests those pieces of government data may be painting an overly rosy picture of the economy, with a recent report from the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP) finding the "true rate" of unemployment stood at 24.3% in April, up slightly from 24% in March, while the official Bureau of Labor Statistics rate remained unchanged at 4.2% over the same period.

LISEP's measure encompasses not only unemployed workers, but also people who are looking for work but can't find full-time employment, as well as those stuck in poverty-wage jobs. By tracking functionally unemployed workers, the measure seeks to capture labor market nuances that other economic indicators miss, such as Americans who are left behind during periods of economic expansion.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/1-4-americans-functionally-unemployed-155455918.html