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4.7 Employment and Unemployment
4.7 Employment and Unemployment
Full Employment is the situation where the entire labour force is employed. That is, all the
people who are able and willing to work are employed – unemployment rate is 0%.
Unemployment rate = number of people unemployed / total no. of people in the labour force
Under-employment: people may be officially classed as employed but they may be working
fewer hours than they would like. For example, they may have a part-time job, but want a full-
time job. This is considered as unemployment because they may not fulfil the working hours
needed to be considered employed.
Inactivity rates: the long-term unemployed may become discouraged and leave the labour
market completely. In effect they are not working, but they are classed as economically inactive
rather than unemployed. So, the unemployment rate can be understated.