Simply looking at unadjusted versions of traditional statistics may not be the best way to compare the state of the current economy to previous periods. When comparing recessions, it is important to account for demographic changes.
Shimer, Robert. "Why is the U.S. Unemployment Rate So Much Lower?" NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1998, vol. 13, pp. 11-74.
Elsby, Michael, Bart Hobijn and Aysegul Sahin. "The Labor Market in the Great Recession." Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Working Paper 2010-07, March 2010. (Link revised April 2017.)
Receive an email notification when Economic Brief is posted online: