<P> Unemployment in the United States discusses the causes and measures of U.S. unemployment and strategies for reducing it . Job creation and unemployment are affected by factors such as economic conditions, global competition, education, automation, and demographics . These factors can affect the number of workers, the duration of unemployment, and wage levels . </P> <P> Unemployment generally falls during periods of economic prosperity and rises during recessions, creating significant pressure on public finances as tax revenue falls and social safety net costs increase . Government spending and taxation decisions (fiscal policy) and U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate adjustments (monetary policy) are important tools for managing the unemployment rate . There may be an economic trade - off between unemployment and inflation, as policies designed to reduce unemployment can create inflationary pressure, and vice versa . The U.S. Federal Reserve (the Fed) has a dual mandate to achieve full employment while maintaining a low rate of inflation . The major political parties debate appropriate solutions for improving the job creation rate, with liberals arguing for more government spending and conservatives arguing for lower taxes and less regulation . Polls indicate that Americans believe job creation is the most important government priority, with not sending jobs overseas the primary solution . </P> <P> Unemployment can be measured in several ways . A person is defined as unemployed in the United States if they are jobless, but have looked for work in the last four weeks and are available for work . People who are neither employed nor defined as unemployed are not included in the labor force calcualation . For example, as of September 2017, the unemployment rate in the United States was 4.2% or 6.8 million people, while the government's broader U-6 unemployment rate, which includes the part - time underemployed was 8.3% . Both of these rates were below the November 2007 level that preceded the Great Recession . These figures were calculated with a civilian labor force of approximately 159.6 million people, relative to a U.S. population of approximately 326 million people . </P>

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