hidden unemployment

Cultural  

1. The unemployment or underemployment of workers that is not reflected in official unemployment statistics because of the way they are compiled. Only those who have no work but are actively looking for work are counted as unemployed. Those who have given up looking, those who are working less than they would like, and those who work at jobs in which their skills are underutilized are not officially counted among the unemployed, though in a sense they are. These groups constitute hidden unemployment.

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Because of hidden unemployment, official statistics underestimate unemployment.

Example Sentences

Ruben Enkipolov, a professor of economics at Moscow's New Economic School, said the auto sector's struggles were being masked by "hidden unemployment", where workers were not laid off but instead placed on indefinite furlough.

From Reuters • Aug. 25, 2022

Part 1 of this commentary addressed the hidden unemployment gap.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2019

Part 1 focuses on the hidden unemployment gap, looking at the number and characteristics of people who would be likely to sign up for public-service jobs.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2019