Originally Posted by dippin

This is false. Again, unemployment insurance has NOTHING to do with how the unemployment rate is calculated.

Unemployment in calculated using surveys. Both the "regular" unemployment figure and the U6 unemployment figure.

How is the unemployment rate related to unemployment insurance claims?

The regular unemployment figure is based on a few questions on that survey. Basically: have you worked for pay in the reference period? If not, have you looked for work? To calculate U6 unemployment, they go beyond that: if the person has not looked for work they'll ask why, and those who say that they stopped looking for work because they couldnt find anything are counted as discouraged workers. If they have a job, they'll be asked about the nature of the job, and if they are still looking for work. That is where the marginally attached figures come from.

But, again, unemployment insurance data has nothing to do with how the unemployment rate is calculated.

Your wife's ability to collect unemployment insurance is irrelevant in counting her as unemployed or not. If she is still looking for a job and is surveyed, she will be counted as unemployed. If she stopped looking for a job because she couldn't find anything, she'll still be counted as a discouraged worker and included in U6 figures.