Understanding unemployment numbers -- week nine of the collapse

The chart above 

exclude gig workers, 

self-employed, and 

contract workers,

not eligible for 

conventional 

unemployment

compensation.

But ...

the new $2 trillion

stimulus package 

created a new

 "Pandemic 

Unemployment 

Assistance",

or  PUA, for them 

-- a new type of

unemployment 

insurance.

In the week 

ended May 16, 

2.23 million people 

filed initial 

unemployment 

claims under 

the PUA program

      +850,000 

for the week ended May 9

      +1 million 

for the week ended May 2. 

Those three 

weeks of PUA

unemploymrnt

compensation

add about 

4.1 million 

unemployed, 

not included

the chart above.

Note:

The monthly jobs report

( # of unemployed workers, 

and the unemployment rate,

on the first Friday each month )

are from household phone 

surveys done in the middle 

of each month.

Those surveys do not 

count people as

unemployed if they are 

out of a job, but are not 

actively looking 

for new job.