Understanding Unemployment

The goal of this presentation is to help students learn key concepts related to unemployment through the use of video and audio that highlights our current economic

situation in relation to the Great Depression. The use of pictures is meant to help students develop empathy; considering the effects of unemployment on diverse

groups of people in our society. This presentation is to be used as a learning center. Students should work in cooperative groups to evaluate the content of this presentation, and then individually reflect on the

importance of being an informed citizen and understanding economic indicators.

PA Academic StandardsLanguage Arts Read Critically in All Content Areas

1.2 A – Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas.

Research 1.8 B – Locate information using appropriate sources and strategies. 1.8 C – Organize, summarize, and present the main ideas from research.

History Historical Analysis and Skills Development

8.1.12 B – Evaluate historical interpretation of events.Economics Economic Systems

6.1.12 C – Assess the strength of the regional, national and/or international economy and compare it to another time period based upon economic indicators.

6.1.12 D – Describe historical examples of expansion, recession, and depression internationally.

Imagine being unemployed…

Click Here…Unemployment during the Great Depression

Will this be Depression 2.0?Click the video recorder on the right to view a

video clip about life during the Great Depression. At that time, American faced incredibly high

unemployment. Many people were homeless, jobless, and hungry.

• As you view the video, record 3 instances from personal experience that parallel the situations highlighted in the video.

• Share your list with your group.

Activity

• Click on the paintbrush to the right to view some historical pictures from the Great Depression.

• Question: Do you think people today are facing similar hardship?

Picture Analysi

s

How many Americans is unemployment a reality for today?

Faces of the un

counted unempl

oyed

Geographical disparities in the unemployment rate

Click here to view the evolution of the unemployment rate

at the local, national and global

level…

Podcast 3-2-1

3• Things you learned

2• Things you want to know

more about

1• Thing that worries you

Our Current Situation,

explained

transcript

Review of basic concepts…

Step1

• Click on the recorder on the right to view a video about how we measure unemployment, and the limitations of the rate.

Step2

• Review the following slides to reinforce how we measure unemployment, who is considered “unemployed” and the limitations of the rate.

Measuring UnemploymentUnemployment Rate Represents the number unemployed

(jobless) as a percent of the labor force.

Calculated by a monthly survey of 50,000 households.

Number of persons unemployedCivilian Labor Force

Full Employment versus Unemployment

Full Employment “jobs for all that want them”

Not “zero” unemployment…why? Some people are always between jobs Some people just do not want to work!

Are availabl

e for work

Have made a specific effort to find a job in

the last 4 weeks

Have worked <1

hour for pay in the past week

Who is Unemployed? People 16 or older who…

OR someone who just got laid off / lost their job.

Limitations of the Rate Underestimates employment conditions

Does not count ‘discouraged’ workers

Includes those with part-time jobs who could be “Underemployed”

Someone who graduates from MIT with an engineering degree, but can only find a job as a shelf-stocker at WALMART would be considered “underemployed.”

Gaps in the Unemployment Rate

• With your group, hypothesize 3 groups of people who may be misrepresented in the overall unemployment statistics.

Group Think

• Example 1• Wall Street Journal - Video

• Example 2• New York Times – News

Article

Exploring Gaps in the

Unemployment Rate

Was your group perception of gaps in unemployment accurate?

Reflective Activity

f

Will the economy stimulate employment?

Click here to view the reaction from the White House to the August unemployment data.

When you are finished, discuss the essential question with your group members and then click here to complete a personal reflection on today’s activities.

Essential Question

Current Employment SituationBureau of Labor Statistics

Month Year

Unemployment Rate

Civilian Labor Force

Employed Not Employed

Not in the

Labor Force

Aug2009 9.7 154,57

7139,649 14,729 81,509

Jul2009 9.4 154,504 140,041 14,462 81,366

Jun2009 9.5 154,92

6140,196 14,729 80,729

6.2 6.6 6.8 7.2 7.6 8.1 8.5 8.9 9.4Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Delaware County,

June 20097.8%

Delaware County,

June 20085.1%

National Averages…

…Around the World

Austria4.5% Belgium7.3% Spain17.4% Finland7.4% Ireland10.6

%

Unemployment during the Great Depression…

Across the U.S., the unemployed stood in the streets; unable to find jobs and wondering how

they could feed their families.

Large population of unemployed, in desperate need of work and

looking for jobs.

Will This Be Depression 2.0?

Christmas Dinner during

the Great Depression…

Economic distress

affects people of all ages, including

people like you…

Homeless family during

the Great Depression…

Individual Reflection• Write a 3-5 sentence

summary detailing what you learned during today’s activity.–Why is an understanding of the

health of our nation’s economy important to you?

– After viewing the multimedia today, what questions or concerns do you have about the current economic situation?

Citations• Adams, N (Producer). (2009, September 4). August

Unemployment At 26-Year High [Audio Podcast]. All Things Considered. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112566449&ft=1&f=1006

• Benincasa , R, & Hsu N (2009). Interactive Map: The Economy Where You Live. NPR, Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111494514

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009). Employment Situation Summary. United States Department of Labor, Retrieved September 10, 2009 from http://bls.gov.

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009). Frequently Asked Questions. United States Department of Labor, Retrieved September 10, 2009 from http://bls.gov.

Citations• Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009). Glossary. United

States Department of Labor, Retrieved September 10, 2009 from http://bls.gov.

• Example 2: Percents -- Unemployment Rates. Discovery Education.(2007). Retrieved September 10, 2009, fromDiscovery Education: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/

• Hilsenrath, Jon (2009, September 4). Men Suffer in Jobless Figures [Video]. Video posted to http://online.wsj.com/video/men-suffer-in-jobless-figures/5DE39062-C744-4C37-9993-13F4CA37187F.html.

• Luo, M (2009, September 7). Faces of the Uncounted Unemployed [Multimedia Slideshow] from Out of Work and Too Down to Search On. NYTimes.com, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/09/07/us/0907WORKERS_index.html

Citations• Quality of Life Deteriorates Across the Country

While Families Fall Apart. Aims Multimedia.(1984). Retrieved September 10, 2009, fromDiscovery Education: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/

• Rampell, C (2009, September 4). Teenage Unemployment Reaches Record High. NYtimes.com, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/business/economy/05teen.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=unemployment%20rate&st=cse

• Romer, C (2009, September). White House Reacts to Jobs Report (CNBC) [Video]. Video posted to http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/09/04/business/1247464397527/white-house-reacts-to-jobs-report-cnbc.html.

• All images retrieved from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration, http://www.archives.gov/.