UNEMPLOYMENT IN U.S.

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27277, 18 February 1954, Page 11

UNEMPLOYMENT IN U.S.

Total Now Put At 3,087,000’

(Rec. 6 p.m.) NEW YORK, Feb. 16. Government estimates of unemployment in the United States apparently have been too low.

By spreading its sampling over a large area, the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce has found, tentatively, that unemployment passed the 3,000,000 mark in January. The new figure was 728,000 higher than the figure originally announced for January.

The Secretary of Commerce (Mr Sinclair Weeks) announced the revised figures late today. He said they represented the first complete numeration of “improved” sampling, but were subject to further evaluation by Census Bureau experts.

The new sample was based on the same number of households as the old, but they Were distributed more widely. Tfie new estimate was 3,087,000 unemployed instead of 2,359,000. That put unemployment at nearly 5 per cent, of the civilian labour force, instead of the original estimate of 3.3 per cent. This unemployment total did not include about 275,000 persons who were on temporary lay-off from their jobs with definite instructions to return to work within 30 days of the lay-off date. The survey week for both samples was January 3 to 9.