question: How is the USA simultaneously at it's lowest rates of unemployment in recent history and highest rates of welfare (being called welfare state)?
comment: Department of Labor is only using those that are receiving unemployment benefits as unemployed while those that use any from of government assistance (WIC, foodstamps, etc.) are a welfare recipient. This means more people are working (most likely multiple jobs) and still qualify to be poor enough for government assistance.
passages: Section::::Research Clusters.:Migration.
   Unemployment can be measured in several ways. A person is defined as unemployed in the United States if they are jobless, but have looked for work in the last four weeks and are available for work. People who are neither employed nor defined as unemployed are not included in the labor force calculation. For example, as of September 2017, the unemployment rate in the United States was 4.2% or 6.8 million people, while the government's broader U-6 unemployment rate, which includes the part-time underemployed was 8.3%. Both of these rates were below the November 2007 level that preceded the Great Recession. These figures were calculated with a civilian labor force of approximately 159.6 million people, relative to a U.S. population of approximately 326 million people. The unemployment rates (U-3 and U-6) fell steadily from 2010 to 2018.
   The US Department of Labor reported that 1.9% of total unemployment insurance (UI) payments for 2001 was attributable to fraud or abuse within the UI program. In 2012, it reported the figure as 2.67%. In 2010, less than one-quarter of new welfare applications in San Diego County had some form of discrepancy, whether error or fraud. In response to the perception of state officials' volume of fraud cases, the application process has become more strict. Some advocates have expressed concern that the stricter application process would make it more difficult for families in need to receive aid.
   Section::::Employment.:Unemployment.
  
  As of December 2017, the unemployment rate in the U.S. was 4.1% or 6.6 million people. The government's broader U-6 unemployment rate, which includes the part-time underemployed, was 8.1% or 8.2 million people. These figures were calculated with a civilian labor force of approximately 160.6 million people, relative to a U.S. population of approximately 327 million people.
   Section::::Research Clusters.:Welfare State Attitudes.
   During the 41 months from January 2010 to May 2013, there were 19 months where the unemployment rate declined. On average, 179,000 jobs were created in those months. The median job creation during those months was 166,000.
  
  Section::::Analytical perspectives.:International labor force size comparisons.
  
  The U.S. civilian labor force was approximately 155 million people during October 2012. This was the world's third largest, behind China (795.5 million) and India (487.6 million). The entire European Union employed 228.3 million.
  
  Section::::Analytical perspectives.:Effect of disability recipients on labor force participation measures.
   BULLET::::- BLS Chartbook on Employment Measures – December 2016
  
  BULLET::::- Bloomberg-Fed Chair Janet Yellen's Employment Dashboard-August 2015
  
  BULLET::::- Bureau of Labor Statistics
  
  BULLET::::- US Unemployment Data – Current and historical unemployment data by various demographics
  
  BULLET::::- Historical US Unemployment Rate Chart – interactive chart for U.S. unemployment rate data – 1948 to present including subcategories
  
  BULLET::::- BLS-Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey-October 2013
  
  BULLET::::- FRB Atlanta-Labor Force Participation Dynamics-Interactive Data
  
  BULLET::::- Other resources
  
  BULLET::::- Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis – Making Sense of Unemployment Data – February, 2016
  
  BULLET::::- Unemployment Benefits Comparison By State
   Section::::Research Clusters.
  
  Section::::Research Clusters.:Health.
   The number of people receiving Social Security disability benefits (SSDI) increased from 7.1 million in December 2007 to 8.7 million in April 2012, a 22% increase. Recipients are excluded from the labor force. Economists at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley estimated this explained as much as 0.5 of the 2.0 percentage point decline in the U.S. labor-force participation rate during the period.
  
  Section::::Analytical perspectives.:Effects on health and mortality.
   The Great Recession made a large impact on welfare spending. In a 2011 article, "Forbes" reported, "The best estimate of the cost of the 185 federal means tested welfare programs for 2010 for the federal government alone is $717 billion, up a third since 2008, according to the Heritage Foundation. Counting state spending of about $210 billion, total welfare spending for 2010 reached over $920 billion, up nearly one-fourth since 2008 (24.3%)"—and increasing fast. The previous decade had seen a 60% decrease in the number of people receiving welfare benefits, beginning with the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, but spending did not decrease proportionally during that time period. Combined annual federal and state spending is the equivalent of over $21,000 for every person living below poverty level in America.
   Section::::NORFACE Welfare State Futures Projects.
  
  The WSF Programme consists of 15 transnational projects.
  
  Inequalities, Insurance, Incentives and Immigration: Challenges and Solutions for the Welfare State (4Is)
  
  4Is examines how recent challenges, such as increased economic uncertainty and ethnic diversity, have affected inequality and support for the welfare state in European countries. The project was led by Prof. Eva Mörk and consisted of 35 researchers in Finland, Sweden and the UK.
  
  Exploring Comparative Effectiveness and Efficiency in Long-term Care (EXCELC)
   In a 2011 op-ed in "Forbes", Peter Ferrara stated that, "The best estimate of the cost of the 185 federal means tested Welfare programs for 2010 for the federal government alone is nearly $700 billion, up a third since 2008, according to the Heritage Foundation. Counting state spending, total Welfare spending for 2010 reached nearly $900 billion, up nearly one-fourth since 2008 (24.3%)". California, with 12% of the U.S. population, has one-third of the nation's welfare recipients.
   BULLET::::- The number of persons working part-time for economic reasons remained above the pre-crisis level as of August 2016. The number rose from 4.6 million in December 2007 (pre-crisis) to a peak of 9.7 million in March 2010, before falling to 6.0 million in August 2016. Measured as a percent of total employed in the private sector, the figures were 3.3%, 7.1%, and 4.0%, respectively. Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard cited this as an indicator of labor market slack in a September 2016 speech.
   Twice a year, the Office of Management and Budget delivers an economic assessment of the unemployment insurance program as it relates to budgetary issues. As it relates to the FY 2012 budget, the OMB reports that the insured unemployment rate (IUR) is projected to average 3.6% in both FY 2011 and in FY 2012. State unemployment regular benefit outlays are estimated at $61 billion in FY 2011 and $64.3 billion in FY 2012, down somewhat from Midsession estimates. Outlays from state trust fund accounts are projected to exceed revenues and interest income by $16.0 billion in FY 2011 and $15.1 billion in FY 2012. State trust fund account balances, net of loans, are projected to continue to fall, from -$27.4 billion at the end of FY 2010 to -$62.7 billion at the end of FY 2013, before starting to grow again.
   The Congressional Budget Office provides periodic reports on unemployment insurance programs. The unemployment insurance (UI) program provides a weekly benefit to qualified workers who lose their job and are actively seeking work. The amount of that benefit is based in part on a workers past earnings. In particular, the periods for which eligible workers can receive UI benefits have been repeatedly extended during the 2008–2009 recession and its aftermath. Regular UI benefits generally last up to 26 weeks, but extensions were legislated extending this period significantly. From 2008 to 2012, these programs provided approximately $520 billion in benefits to recipients, which allowed households to better maintain their consumption. Far more workers were laid off in 2008 and 2009 than in 2006 and 2007. The number of workers who lost their job and started receiving UI benefits peaked at 14.4 million in 2009, whereas an average of roughly 8 million laid-off workers started receiving benefits in each fiscal year from 2004 to 2007.
   BULLET::::- Government employment (federal, state and local) was 22.0 million in November 2015, similar to August 2006 levels. This contrasts with steady increases in government employment 1980–2008. Federal government employment was 2.7 million in November 2015, also similar to pre-recession (2007) levels. It had risen roughly 200,000 workers in the aftermath of the crisis then fell back again.
  
  Section::::Recent employment trends.:Labor force participation.
   BULLET::::- U-6 Total persons seeking full-time jobs, plus one-half of persons seeking part-time jobs, plus one-half of persons employed part-time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force less one-half of the part-time labor force
  
  BULLET::::- U-7 Total persons seeking full-time jobs, plus one-half of persons seeking part-time jobs, plus one-half of persons employed part-time for economic reasons, plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers less one-half of the part-time labor force
  
  CPS alternate measures of unemployment after 1994:
   Another issue with unemployment insurance relates to its effects on state budgets. During recessionary time periods, the number of unemployed rises and they begin to draw benefits from the program. The longer the recession lasts, depending on the state's starting UI program balance, the quicker the state begins to run out of funds. The recession that began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009 has significantly impacted state budgets. According to The Council of State Governments, by 18 March 2011, 32 states plus the Virgin Islands had borrowed nearly $45.7 billion. The Labor Department estimates by the fourth quarter of 2013, as many as 40 states may need to borrow more than $90 billion to fund their unemployment programs and it will take a decade or more to pay off the debt.
   BULLET::::- From 2000 to 2010, marginal income tax rates were lowered due to the Bush tax cuts and the U.S. created no net new jobs. The 7.5 million created 2000–2007 represent slow job growth by historical standards.
  
  BULLET::::- President Obama raised income tax rates on the top 1% via partial expiration of the Bush tax cuts in January 2013. He also raised payroll taxes on the top 5% as part of the Affordable Care Act at that time. Despite these tax increases, average monthly job creation increased from 179,000 in 2012 to 192,000 in 2013 and 250,000 in 2014.
   BULLET::::- The unemployment rate (U-3), measured as the number of persons unemployed divided by the civilian labor force, rose from 5.0% in December 2007 to peak at 10.0% in October 2009, before steadily falling to 4.7% by December 2016 and then to 3.9% by December 2018. This measure excludes those who have not looked for work in the last 4 weeks and all other persons not considered as part of the labor force, which can distort its interpretation if a large number of working-aged persons become discouraged and stop looking for work.
   Section::::Solutions for creating more U.S. jobs.:Infrastructure investment.
  
  Many experts advocate infrastructure investment, such as building roads and bridges and upgrading the electricity grid. Such investments have historically created or sustained millions of jobs, with the offset to higher state and federal budget deficits. In the wake of the 2008–2009 recession, there were over 2 million fewer employed housing construction workers. The American Society of Civil Engineers rated U.S. infrastructure a "D+" on their scorecard for 2013, identifying an estimated $3.6 trillion in investment ideas by 2020.
   Between 2009 and 2010, following the Great Recession, the emerging problem of jobless recoveries resulted in record levels of long-term unemployment with over 6 million workers looking for work for more than 6 months as of January 2010. This particularly affected older workers. A year after the recession ended in June 2009, immigrants gained 656,000 jobs in the US, while U.S.-born workers lost more than a million jobs, due in part to an aging country (relatively more white retirees) and demographic shifts. In April 2010, the official unemployment rate was 9.9%, but the government's broader U-6 unemployment rate was 17.1%. Between February 2008 and February 2010, the number of people working part-time for economic reasons (i.e., would prefer to work full-time) increased by 4 million to 8.8 million, an 83% increase in part-time workers during the two-year period.
   Unemployment benefits are determined on the state level, using a number of different methods to establish a worker's weekly compensation: 
  
  BULLET::::- High quarter method: benefits determined by quarter with highest wages
  
  BULLET::::- Annual wage method: benefits determined by percentage of annual wages
  
  BULLET::::- Multi-quarter method: benefits determined by average wages in one or more quarters
  
  BULLET::::- Average weekly wage method: benefits determined by average weekly wages
  
  In general, southern states have the lowest level of unemployment benefits (with Mississippi at $235.00), and Northeastern states have the highest benefit levels (with Massachusetts at $939.00).
   Improper payments were estimated to be 3.6% of the total payments of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in fiscal year 2003. In FY 2004, the number was 0.53% for the Social Security Administration, 5.07% for the Unemployment Insurance program of the Department of Labor, and 0.64% for their compensation program of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
  
  In the first half of the fiscal year 2012, the office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration was able to detect frauds that cost the government over $253 million.
  
  Section::::Welfare fraud in various countries.:United States.:Welfare fraud cases.
   The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes a monthly "Employment Situation Summary" with key statistics and commentary. As of June 2018, approximately 128.6 million people in the United States have found full-time work (at least 35 hours a week in total), while 27.0 million worked part-time. There were 4.7 million working part-time for economic reasons, meaning they wanted but could not find full-time work, the lowest level since January 2008.
  
presuppositions: If the USA has low unemployment it should have low welfare.
corrections: People who are working can still qualify for government assistance if their pay is low enough.
raw_presuppositions: If the USA has low unemployment it should have low welfare. If the USA has low unemployment it should have low welfare.
raw_corrections: People who are working can still qualify for government assistance if their pay is low enough. People who are working can still qualify for government assistance if their pay is low enough.