Final answer:
A person out of school working part-time, a student working part-time, and a senior citizen with social benefits working a job are all considered employed in U.S. labor statistics. Unemployment requires one to be jobless, looking for a job, and available for work.
Step-by-step explanation:
In U.S. labor statistics, individuals are classified as employed if they do any work for pay or profit during the survey reference week. This includes part-time work. Therefore, a person who is out of school but working part-time is considered employed. A full-time student working 12 hours a week at the college cafeteria is also considered employed regardless of their student status. If a senior citizen is collecting social security and a pension but is working as a greeter at Wal-Mart, they too are counted as employed. The key factor is their engagement in paid work, not the presence of other income sources or social benefits.
The criteria set by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to count someone as unemployed include being jobless, looking for a job, and being available to work. A retiree is usually not considered part of the labor force unless they actively seek employment. For example: A husband who stays at home with children and does not seek employment would not be counted as unemployed.