All the Statistics Fit to Print

To:--New York Times

Re:--A Report on the Unemployment Rate and other Percentages

Perhaps you could clarify what the exact % of unemployed US-Americans is? Like most news sources you report that the unemployment rate has just risen to 5.5% But further on in your article you write: "The unemployment rate does not count people who have given up looking for work. Over all, the percentage of working age Americans employed dropped to 62.6 percent in May from 63 percent a year earlier." Using normal English, that means that 38% of working age Americans are not working. Is that right? Is that an indicator of a "vibrant and productive society" ?

ROFL

Please clarify
.