Employment and Unemployment Series Volume 8-15 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 Excerpt: ...and depressional movements, it may be well to ascertain what is the total average unemployment due to all causes. The methods which are in use for measuring the extent of unemployment will first be considered, as they may affect the conclusions to be reached regarding the weight to be given to the figures in particular instances. METHODS OF MEASURING UNEMPLOYMENT. The extent of unemployment may be measured by several methods. Practically, the available records kept by responsible statistical bodies are based on two ways of measuring unemployment: (a) Fluctuations from time to time in the number of unemployed members reported by labor organizations; and (b) fluctuations from time to time in the number of persons on pay rolls of factories, considered in the aggregate for all industries, and by particular industries separately. In attempting to measure the number of unemployed over a series of years, and thus to arrive at the amount of average or normal unemployment, either of the two methods mentioned may be used. Figures arrived at by both of these methods were taken into account by the President's Conference on Unemployment. A moment's critical consideration will show the respects in which each may rightly be given weight. In order that unemployment percentages may have significance and also be comparable with otherpercentages, it is necessary to have a definite time factor in mind. This time element should "be "continuous unemployment" or its equivalent. The statement that at a certain time in a given city 200,000 workers are unemployed, or that 16.2 per cent of the wage earners of New York were out of work on February 1, 1915, is of little significance for our purposes. It does not tell us how long they were out of work it marks only the he...