Labour Force Underutilisation U-6

Published: July 7, 2010, 10 a.m.

The U.S. jobless rate dropped 0.2 percentage point to 9.5% in June, the lowest level since July, but the government’s broader measure of unemployment only ticked down 0.1 point to 16.5%.

The comprehensive gauge of labour underutilization, known as the “U-6? for its data classification by the Labor Department, accounts for people who have stopped looking for work or who can’t find full-time jobs.

BP's costs arising from the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have rocketed to $US3.12 billion .