You Are an Employee of the Bureau of Labor Statistics

question 171

Essay

You are an employee of the Bureau of Labor Statistics involved in the monthly survey of households used to estimate the unemployment rate. In each of the following cases, classify the individual as employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force. Explain your classification.
(a) During the entire week containing the 12th of the month, Rosie the Riveter misses work simply because she didn't feel like going in to work.
(b) Jenny Wren is a volunteer 20 hours a week on a Rape Crisis telephone hotline. She feels she makes an important contribution to society and would not accept a paying job if one was offered to her.
(c) McCauley Culkin is a hugely successful film star, age 12, who has earned over
$5,000,000 each year for the past five years. Currently, McCauley is filming a new movie on location in Tenerife.
(d) Maxwell Edison, a full- time Ph.D. student, is involved in groundbreaking research in fiber optics. His dissertation advisor has already claimed that Maxwell's work will revolutionize telecommunications.
(e) Maggie Madd, 84, works 10 hours a week doing cleaning services for her son, Norman Neurotic. He pays her minimum wage.

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Definitions:

Kidnapping of Pocahontas

The abduction of Pocahontas, a Native American woman notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, by colonists in 1613, an event with significant cultural and historical implications.

Mayflower Compact

The Mayflower Compact was a foundational document for the governance of the Plymouth Colony, signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. It is often cited as a pioneering example of democratic governance and a social contract in the American colonies.

Representative Assembly

A legislative body composed of individuals elected to represent the interests of their constituents.