1. HBC608
ECON203 Principles of Macroeconomics Week 5 Topic: JOBS (EMPLOYMENT) versus UNEMPLOYMENT
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Dr. Mazharul Islam
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2. After studying these topics you should be able to:
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Lesson Objectives
To learn about
After studying these topics you should be able to:
Understand about labor force, employment, unemployment, employed, unemployed, full employment, sources of unemployment, types of unemployment, potential GDP, output gap.
Calculation unemployment rate, labor force participation rate,
Understand the relationship between unemployment and output gap
Dr. Mazharul Islam
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3. Employment and Unemployment
The population is divided into two groups:
The working-age population—the number of people aged 16 years and older who are not in jail, hospital, or some other institution.
People too young to work (under 16 years of age) or in institutional care.
The working-age population is divided into two groups:
1. People in the labor force
2. People not in the labor force

4. Labor Force, Employment and Employed
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Labor Force refers all citizens 16 years of age and older who are working or looking for work.
Labor force = employed + unemployed population
Employment refers a simple term holding of a job for which a wage is paid, or the operating of one’s own business. A person in this situation is said to be employed.
Dr. Mazharul Islam
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5. Unemployment and unemployed
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Unemployment and unemployed
Unemployment refers to the number or proportion of people in an economy who are willing and able to work but are unable to get a job. A person in this situation is said to be unemployed.
Unemployment rate refers the percentage of those in the labor force who are unemployed. It is equals the number unemployed divided by the number in the labor force.
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6. Other Definitions of Unemployment
Marginally Attached Workers
A marginally attached worker is a person who currently is neither working nor looking for work but has indicated that he or she wants and is available for a job and has looked for work sometime in the recent past.
A discouraged worker is a marginally attached worker who has stopped looking for a job because of repeated failure to find one.

7. Calculating Unemployment Rate
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Calculating Unemployment Rate
Example: In Saudi Arabia, if the number of people unemployed in 2010 was 5 million and the labor force was 155 million , here :
Unemployment rate = (5/ 155) x 100 =3.2 %.
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8. Labor Force Participation Rate
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Labor Force Participation Rate
Labor Force Participation Rate refers the share of the population 16 years and older working or seeking work.
In 2008, the labor force was million and the working-age population was million.
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9. Importance of Real GDP Dr. Mazharul Islam
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Importance of Real GDP
Labor force consists of employed and unemployed persons
Those not working include 1) those not in the working force, and 2) those unemployed
The population includes the
employed
unemployed
people not in the labor force
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10. Sources of Unemployment
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Sources of Unemployment
People become unemployed if they are
Job losers
Job leavers
Entrants or reentrants
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11. Sources of Unemployment
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Sources of Unemployment
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Job losers: A job looser is someone who is laid off from a job, either permanently or temporarily.
People lose their jobs for many reasons ;
Some people are not a good match for their jobs.
Firms fail, or a new technology destroys some types of jobs.
A job looser who decided to look for a new job remains in the labor force and becomes unemployed.
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12. Sources of Unemployment
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Sources of Unemployment
Job leavers:
Few people quit their jobs because they want to spend time looking for better one , these job leavers become unemployed.
But a Job leaver is someone who voluntarily quits a job because he or she has found a better job or has decided to withdraw from labor force. Neither of these two types of job leavers becomes unemployed.
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13. Sources of Unemployment
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Sources of Unemployment
Entrants or reentrants:
An entrant is someone who has just finish school and is looking for a job. Many entrants spend time looking for first job and during this period they are unemployed.
A reentrant is someone who has previously had a job, has been quiet and left the labor force, and has now decided to look for a job again.
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14. Types of Unemployment Four types of unemployment
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Types of Unemployment
Four types of unemployment
Frictional unemployment
Structural unemployment
Seasonal unemployment
Cyclical unemployment
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15. Types of Unemployment Frictional Unemployment:
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Types of Unemployment
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Frictional Unemployment:
- It is the unemployment that arises from normal labor turnover-from people entering and leaving the labor force, from quitting jobs to find better ones.
- It is a permanent and healthy phenomenon in dynamic and growing economy.
- Firms and workers spend time searching out what they believe will be the best attainable match, while these unemployed people are searching, they are fractionally unemployed.
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16. Types of Unemployment Structural Unemployment:
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Types of Unemployment
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Structural Unemployment:
It is the unemployment that arises when there is a mismatch of skills or geographic location.
Occurs because changes in tastes, technology, or competition reduce the demand for certain skills and increase the demand for other skills.
Structural unemployment lasts longer than frictional unemployment.
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17. Types of Unemployment Seasonal Unemployment:
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Types of Unemployment
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Seasonal Unemployment:
Unemployment caused by seasonal changes in labor demand during the year.
For example, during the month of Ramadan and Eid festival, the demand for labor increases and other months may decrease.
To eliminate the impact of such changes, monthly unemployment statistics are seasonally adjusted which smoothest out these factors
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18. Types of Unemployment Cyclical Unemployment:
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Types of Unemployment
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Cyclical Unemployment:
It occurs because of business cycle fluctuations in output that occurs during recessions. Cyclical unemployment is the higher than normal unemployment at a business cycle trough and lower than normal unemployment at a business cycle peak.
Example: A worker laid off because the economy is in a recession and is then rehired when the expansion begins experiences cycle unemployment.
Government policies to stimulate aggregate demand during recessions is aimed at reducing this type of unemployment.
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Full Employment
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Full employment occurs when unemployment arises from frictions, seasons, and structural change exist but there is no cyclical unemployment. It is also called natural unemployment.
The natural unemployment rate is natural unemployment as a percentage of labor force.
Natural unemployment rate =
natural unemployment x 100
labor force
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20. Potential GDP& Output Gap
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Potential GDP& Output Gap
Potential GDP is the value of the real GDP when all the economy’s factors of production are employed i.e. Potential GDP is the quantity of real GDP produced at full employment.
The GDP gap or the output gap is the difference between Real GDP (actual output) and Potential GDP i.e. output gap = Real GDP - potential GDP.
The percentage of Output gap is the real (actual) GDP minus the potential GDP divided by the potential GDP which is always express in percentage.
[(Real GDP- Potential GDP)/Potential GDP]*100
Output Gap Definition
The output gap is a measure of the difference between actual output (Y) and potential output (Yf).
The output gap = Y- Yf
Negative Output Gap
This occurs when actual output is less than potential output gap. This is also called a deflationary (or recessionary) gap. In this situation the economy is producing less than potential. There will be unemployment, low growth and / or a fall in output. A negative output gap will typically cause low inflation or even deflation.
Positive Output Gap
This occurs when actual output is greater than potential output. This will occur when economic growth is above the long run trend rate (e.g. during an economic boom). It will involve firms asking workers to overtime.
With a positive output gap, there will be inflationary pressures. It will also tend to cause a bigger current account deficit as consumers buy more imports due to domestic supply constraints.
Dr. Mazharul Islam
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21. The Relationship Between Unemployment & the Output Gap
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The Relationship Between Unemployment & the Output Gap
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When unemployment rate exceeds full employment rate (the natural unemployment rate), the real GDP is below potential GDP and the Output Gap is negative.
When Unemployment rate is below full employment rate (the natural unemployment rate), the real GDP is above potential GDP and the Output Gap is positive.
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22. Now it’s over for today. Do you have any question?
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Now it’s over for today. Do you have any question?
Dr. Mazharul Islam
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