Science, Tech, Math › Social Sciences What Is the Definition of Unemployment? Share Flipboard Email Print Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images Social Sciences Economics U.S. Economy Employment Supply & Demand Psychology Sociology Archaeology Environment Ergonomics Maritime by Mike Moffatt Mike Moffatt is an economics writer and instructor who has written hundreds of articles and taught at both the university and community college levels. Updated March 17, 2017 Conceptually, unemployment is the state of an individual looking for a paying job but not having one. As a result, unemployment does not include individuals such as full-time students, the retired, children, or those not actively looking for a paying job. It also doesn't count individuals who work part-time but would like a full-time job. Mathematically, the unemployment rate is equal to the number of unemployed people divided by the size of the labor force. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes this basic unemployment rate (known as U-3) as well as a number of related measures (U-1 through U-6) in order to give a more nuanced view of the unemployment situation in the U.S. Terms related to Unemployment: Frictional UnemploymentCyclical UnemploymentStructrual UnemploymentUnemployment Rate About.Com Resources on Unemployment: Would 0% Unemployment Be a Good Thing?Globalization, Unemployment and Recessions. What is the Link?Why Do We Use the Unemployment Rate? Writing a Term Paper? Here are a few starting points for research on Unemployment:Books on Unemployment:Search Theory and UnemploymentThe Economics of UnemploymentEnvironmental Fiscal Reform and UnemploymentJournal Articles on Unemployment:Equilibrium unemployment as a worker discipline deviceMigration, unemployment and development: a two-sector analysisUnemployment and labor market rigidities Continue Reading