Chapter 28 group b discussion question

Chapter 28 group b discussion question

1. The country of Zigo has collected the following information:
   Population                          240,000
   Employed                          180,000
   Unemployed                     30,000
   Calculate their...
   a. Labor force = 210,000
   b. Unemployment rate = 14.29%
   c. Labor-force participation rate = 87.5%
2. Classify each of the following individuals in one of the following categories: employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force.

a.   Steve worked 40 hours last week in a music supply store. = Employed 

b .   Last week, Elizabeth worked 10 hours as a computer programmer for the National Video Company and attended night classes at the local college. She would prefer a full-time job. = Employed
c .   Roger lost his job at the R-gone Manufacturing Company. Since then he has been trying to find a job at other local factories. = Unemployed
d .   Linda is a homemaker. Last week she was occupied with her normal household chores. She neither held a job nor looked for a job. = Not in the labor force
e .   Linda’s father is unable to work. = Unemployed
f .   Scott has a Ph.D. He worked full-time but does not like his job as a dishwasher. He has applied for jobs with three companies and five universities. As soon as he gets an offer, he will quit his current job. = Employed
g .   Mary-Helen has been out of work for a full year. She would take a job if it was offered, but no local companies are hiring. She is not actively searching for work. = Not in the labor force

3. Using the following BLS links, find the occupation that best describes your planned career path and answer the following questions.

BLS Occupational Wage Estimates May 2010 Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Frederick
BLS Occupational Wage Estimates May 2010 Maryland
BLS Occupational Wage Estimates May 2010 National
Maryland Fastest Growing Occupations 2004-2014
a. What is the job title you chose and what is the average annual salary for the position nationally? Now check the local salary for the same occupation. Keep in mind that these are by no means starting salaries!! This is what that average person with that title makes...there are many years of experience that are reflected in those wages! Are you surprised by the salary? Is it more or less than you expected? Perhaps you, like many other students, never really knew how much you could expect to make in your chosen career path. 

I chose the job title of Urban and Regional Planner. The average annual salary for the position nationally is $66,000. The local salary is $73,240. I was surprised by the salary because I expected it to be more.

b. Now take a look a look at the Maryland job growth link. Is your occupation listed there? If you cannot find your occupation in the graph try a link on this page. Did you find your occupation? If so, where?

 My occupation is listed for Maryland as having job growth rate of 140.

c. Now that you have some statistical knowledge about your chosen career, do you plan to make any changes to your career path? Why or why not?

I do not plan to make any changes to my career path because I still think I will enjoy this career, and the salary is fairly good.