A relatively unreported reason the unemployment rate for probationers is so high, at least as compared to the general population, is that most probation agencies require all able-bodied probationers to be gainfully employed. People who are not supervised by a probation agency, however, do not have this same requirement - they can simply opt out of the labor market and the Bureau of Labor Statistics will not include these people in their monthly unemployment numbers.
A recent article about Tennessee's employment figures illustrates the sometimes ambiguous nature of unemployment rates. While the state's unemployment rate has been gradually improving, some of the drop in unemployment can be attributed to a relatively low participation rate. Absent a drop in the employment participation rate, Tennessee's unemployment numbers would be modestly higher.
Although it's true that many of those who are leaving the job market are doing so because they are retiring, some of the decline has resulted from people who are simply giving up on their job search. It's the people who simply choose to opt out of the labor market, often frustrated with an unsuccessful job search, that add to the disparity between the overall population and probation populations (of course there are many other factors). And as such, we should interpret unemployment rates at probation agencies within the proper context: that is, low unemployment numbers among probation populations are particularly meaningful since able-bodied probationers frustrated by their job search are generally not allowed to opt out of the labor market - they are counted as unemployed.
A recent article about Tennessee's employment figures illustrates the sometimes ambiguous nature of unemployment rates. While the state's unemployment rate has been gradually improving, some of the drop in unemployment can be attributed to a relatively low participation rate. Absent a drop in the employment participation rate, Tennessee's unemployment numbers would be modestly higher.
Although it's true that many of those who are leaving the job market are doing so because they are retiring, some of the decline has resulted from people who are simply giving up on their job search. It's the people who simply choose to opt out of the labor market, often frustrated with an unsuccessful job search, that add to the disparity between the overall population and probation populations (of course there are many other factors). And as such, we should interpret unemployment rates at probation agencies within the proper context: that is, low unemployment numbers among probation populations are particularly meaningful since able-bodied probationers frustrated by their job search are generally not allowed to opt out of the labor market - they are counted as unemployed.