People get discouraged and stop looking for a job and get switched from in the labor force and employed to not in the labor force so not unemployed.

FORBES: Silver Linings In Employment Data

If the answer is yes, the responder is considered in the labor force and employed.

FORBES: The Jobs Report: How It's Made, What It Means

In 1870, 53 percent of the labor force was employed in farming.

FORBES: How a Nutrient Economy Can Save Our Farmers, Our Health and Our Environment

The labor-force participation rate, which measures those employed as well as those looking for work as a portion of the population, fell 0.2 to a seasonally adjusted 63.3%, a level last seen in mid-1979.

WSJ: Economy Adds 88,000 Jobs

That got me to thinking: We still have a 9% unemployment rate, which is much, much higher when counting those persons who are involuntarily employed only part-time or who have entirely dropped out of the labor force.

FORBES: The Wealth Effect And Unintended Consequences

The BLS reported 12.1 million still unemployed in September, another 8.6 million employed part-time for economic reasons, and another 2.5 million marginally attached to the labor force.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down