A “marginally attached worker” is someone who wants a job, has looked for work in the past year, but has not looked for work in the past four weeks

A “marginally attached worker” is someone who wants a job, has looked for work in the past year, but has not looked for work in the past four weeks.

The correct answer and explanation is:

The correct answer is: A marginally attached worker is someone who wants a job, has looked for work in the past year, but has not looked for work in the past four weeks.

A “marginally attached worker” refers to individuals who are not currently working but have shown some level of interest in finding a job. These workers have actively sought employment in the past year, but they have not participated in a formal job search within the past four weeks. The distinction here is that, although they are not actively searching for work at the moment, they are still considered part of the labor force because they have expressed a desire for employment in the recent past.

Marginally attached workers differ from “discouraged workers,” a subset of this group. Discouraged workers are those who have given up searching for employment due to their belief that there are no available jobs for them or that they are not qualified. While marginally attached workers may still be interested in finding work, they may have temporarily ceased searching due to personal reasons such as health problems, family responsibilities, or the perception that job prospects are poor.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects data on marginally attached workers to provide a more comprehensive understanding of labor market conditions. These individuals are important to track because they are a potential source of future labor force growth if job opportunities improve or their circumstances change. However, because they are not actively seeking work in the past month, they are not counted in the official unemployment rate, which only includes those actively looking for a job.

In summary, marginally attached workers represent a group of individuals who are not currently in the labor force but have expressed interest in working, highlighting the complexity of labor market participation.