Question

You're reading a short newspaper article about the unemployment rate in your state. The unemployment rate is the percentage of people in the workforce (people currently employed or actively looking for work) who are classified as unemployed. The article says that the unemployment rate for the state is at an all-time low. However, the article also notes that underemployment is a major problem for the state there are a number of people in the state who are too frustrated to look for work.

From the information given in the article about unemployment and underemployment, what inference could you draw?
a) The state has the highest job satisfaction rate.
b) The state has a shortage of job opportunities.
c) The state's workforce is highly motivated.
d) The state has a low population.

Answer 1

The state likely has a shortage of job opportunities since, despite a low unemployment rate, underemployment and job search frustration indicate issues with job quality or availability.

Step-by-step explanation:

From the information given in the newspaper article about the unemployment rate and underemployment in the state, we can infer that the state has a shortage of job opportunities. This inference can be drawn because although the unemployment rate is at an all-time low, indicating that most people who are actively looking for work have jobs, the mention of underemployment and the frustration of people who have stopped looking for work suggests that the jobs available may not be adequate in terms of pay, hours, or utilization of workers' skills.