Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for October 10, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
October 10, 2017: In September, hurricanes Harvey and Irma prevented 1.5 million Americans with jobs from working during the week when government officials measured employment and unemployment.[1] That’s the highest level of weather-related disruption in more than two decades.
The official jobs data is collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from two separate surveys. Both are conducted during the full week each month that includes the 12th of the month. If someone has a job but does not work that particular week, one survey counts them as having a job while the other does not.
The Establishment Survey does not count such workers as having a job. It found a net workforce decline of 33,000 jobs during the month of September. That’s the first time in years that a net job loss has been reported. Much of this can be traced to a “sharp employment decline” at restaurants and pubs. Hourly workers holding such jobs cannot do them from another location.
The Household Survey, on the other hand, does count temporarily displaced workers as still employed. While the Establishment Survey showed a decline in the number of people with jobs, the Household Survey showed a drop of 331,000 people without a job. The overall unemployment rate fell to 4.2%.
Reviewing both sets of data, BLS officials “do not believe the hurricanes had a discernible effect on the national unemployment rate.”[1]
When data is collected amid unusual circumstances, extreme caution should be used in interpreting the results. The only way to get an accurate sense of national economic trends from the data will be to wait for the October and November results to come in.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- October 9, 2017 – 46 percent of workers know someone who lied on a resume
- October 6, 2017 – 63% of U.S. gun deaths are suicides
- October 5, 2017 – 28% of women earn more than their husband/partner
- October 4, 2017 – 78 percent of companies on U.S. stock market since 1950 have disappeared
- October 3, 2017 – 62 of 100 largest cities have Democratic mayors
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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