Labor force participatio up, unemployment up

I remember when labor force was decreasing and unemployment decreasing:

Romney: More Americans not working.

Obama: More Americans have jobs if they want them.

I feel like I must be blanking here, but I genuinely don’t understand what you’re trying to say.

labor force participation is up for the old folks but not for the millenials. Dont get it twisted.

Nobody cares

new jobs up, but unemployment also up.

implying that folks previously not in search of a job and therefore NOT truly “unemployed”, have returned to look for a job, and now are counted as “unemployed”

Itera, I got that part, I didn’t get the reference with the quotes.

I don’t really have a point. I just recalled how everyone spun these numbers to tell whatever story they wanted in 2012.

i thought labour force would be decreasing because baby boomers are all retiring (or dying…)

Nana, the labor force excludes retires and people beyond certain age thresholds and criteria. So the participation rate is a proportion of the defined labor force not the total population.

To me the minor uptick in unemployment tied to increased participation would be a positive, albeit a very minor one.

Yeah, I don’t believe the 2012 numbers, or the 2015 numbers, or any future numbers out of the USA. It’s all spin.