Final answer:
If the employment rate increased to a typical nonrecession level of 61%, the number of employed adults would increase.
Step-by-step explanation:
In this question, the employment rate is given as 57% of the adult population, which is 260 million. The question asks what would happen if the employment rate increased to a typical nonrecession level of 61%. To determine the impact on the number of employed adults, we can calculate the difference between the current employment rate and the desired employment rate, and then apply that difference to the current number of employed adults.
a) The number of employed adults would decrease: Since the desired employment rate is higher than the current employment rate, increasing it would result in more people being employed. Therefore, the number of employed adults would not decrease.
b) The number of employed adults would remain the same: Since the desired employment rate is higher than the current employment rate, increasing it would result in more people being employed. Therefore, the number of employed adults would not remain the same.
c) The number of employed adults would increase: Since the desired employment rate is higher than the current employment rate, increasing it would result in more people being employed. Therefore, the number of employed adults would increase.
d) The information is not sufficient to make a prediction: The information given is sufficient to make a prediction about the impact of increasing the employment rate. Therefore, option d is not correct.