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The unemployment rate is low. Are we at full employment? : The Indicator from Planet Money Unemployment is at 3.9%. Is this full employment? Some Americans aren't so sure. We look at this complex situation through the eyes of someone who has been job hunting for a long time.

The Indicator from Planet Money

The Indicator from Planet Money
NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

Why full employment doesn't mean everyone has a job

Why full employment doesn't mean everyone has a job

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MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 03: A Now Hiring sign hangs in front of a Winn-Dixie grocery store on December 03, 2021 in Miami, Florida. The Labor Department announced that payrolls increased by just 210,000 for November, which is below what economists expected, though the unemployment rate fell to 4.2% from 4.6%. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images
MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 03: A Now Hiring sign hangs in front of a Winn-Dixie grocery store on December 03, 2021 in Miami, Florida. The Labor Department announced that payrolls increased by just 210,000 for November, which is below what economists expected, though the unemployment rate fell to 4.2% from 4.6%. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

According to the latest jobs report, about 200,000 jobs were added to the economy and unemployment went down to 3.9% last month. By some measures, this means the U.S. has finally reached full employment. But the millions of Americans struggling to find jobs aren't so sure.

Today on the show, is this really as good as the economy is going to get? We look at this complex situation through the eyes of someone who has been job hunting for over a year and ask an economist what full employment actually means.

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