The Fact
For August 2026, BLS reported an official U-3 unemployment rate of 4.1%. Its broader U-6 labor-underutilization measure was 7.7%. U-6 adds people marginally attached to the labor force and people working part time for economic reasons who want and are available for full-time work.
What This Means
Both numbers are official and both are accurate; they answer different questions. Quoting “the unemployment rate” without knowing which population it includes can make labor-market conditions look simpler than they are.
Sources
- BLS Employment Situation, August 2026: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_09042026.htm
- BLS Table A-15: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm