headline unemployment

(ECONOMICS) Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (official unemployment rate). Does not include discouraged workers. Also referred to as "U-3" by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The BLS regularly publishes six estimates of unemployment. The others are U-1, U-3, U-4, U-5, and U-6. Eurostat publishes one monthly estimate of unemployment for the European Union, which is approximately midway between U-3 and U-4.

The unemployment statistics for the USA are collected through a monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) (also known as the household survey) and an establishment survey.

Given the way the government's headline unemployment rate is calculated, it can never reach 14%. This is because the civilian labor force includes only people who are working or have looked for a job in the previous four weeks. When the economy gets really bad (like now), unemployed workers get discouraged and give up looking for jobs. This causes the civilian labor force to decline as fast or faster than total employment.

{Louis Woodhill, "On Track for 14% Unemployment," RealClearMarkets (12 Jan 2010)}

virtually unemployable

Is a virtual and real reality that you can't get employment for the following reasons.One,you don't have a legally provable resume that an employer would consider of value to shortlist because of huge year gaps in employment.Two,you don't have a high enough credit rating and score for an employer to consider you valuable enough to hire.Three,you don't have a social media profile that others would consider monetarily valuable enough to buy or acquire from you.Four,if you have complained enough to government or business about your employability woes and no one will go to bat for you to get yourself employed that is another sign.Five,you were not smart enough as a youth to make sure that you knew who and whom had access to your employment documentation when you sent it to companies without any conditions attached.That is always a sign that you are not in control of your career or careers in any manner.Sixth,when you have not been able to know who read your online employment documentation because you couldn't afford to spy on your employment documentation readers,that is another sign.

Bono in the Celtic Connection for November 2011 said that he was virtually unemployable without being in the U2 band,he meant that would not be employable outside of his band.