Why Did the Unemployment Rate Go Up?

Coral Murphy-MarcosReporting on the economic recovery

The unemployment rate is commonly thought of as people who are laid off, but it also includes people who voluntarily leave jobs to look for new ones and those new to or re-entering the work force. One factor contributing to the rate’s rise was more people looking for new work.

In total, 168,000 more people were unemployed — without a job and actively looking — in June than in May.

The jobs and unemployment numbers come from different surveys and don’t always align. The margins of error could also contribute to differing statistics.