Final answer:
To be considered employed, an adult must have earned income from a job, whether full-time or part-time. The U.S. unemployment rate is calculated based on whether individuals are working, actively seeking work, or out of the labor force. Students working part-time and senior citizens earning income through work are both considered employed.
Step-by-step explanation:
To consider an adult to be employed, the individual must have earned income from a job in recent times, irrespective of whether the work is full-time or part-time.
The U.S. Bureau of the Census gathers data monthly to calculate the U.S. unemployment rate, distinguishing the adult population into three categories: employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force.
To be classified as unemployed, one must be actively looking for work and ready, willing, and able to work, but not having earned income from a job in the past four weeks.
For example, construction workers, salespeople, and white-collar workers who have earned income are labeled as employed.
Regarding specific cases, if you are out of school but working part-time, you are considered employed. If you are a full-time student working 12 hours a week, you are also considered employed.
Similarly, a senior citizen collecting social security and a pension and who works as a greeter is also classified as employed.
Age, student status, or receiving benefits do not by themselves determine employment status; it is the act of performing work and earning income that does.