U-6 Underemployment Rate
Broadest measure of labor underutilization
Historically follows Initial Unemployment Claims (SA) by 1 quarter — no active signal. Initial Unemployment Claims (SA) · View projections
What is the current U-6 Underemployment Rate?
The U-6 underemployment rate — the broadest official measure of labor underutilization — includes unemployed workers, discouraged workers who have stopped looking, and people working part-time for economic reasons. At approximately 8%, it captures a significantly larger share of labor market slack than the headline U-3 unemployment rate. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
U-6 Underemployment Rate at 8.0%
Tracking improving relative to recent baseline.
Explore Further
How has U-6 Underemployment Rate changed over time?
| Period | Value | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 7.9% | −0.1 pts |
| Jan 2026 | 8.1% | +0.6 pts |
| Dec 2025 | 8.4% | +0.8 pts |
| Nov 2025 | 8.7% | +1.0 pts |
| Sep 2025 | 8.1% | +0.4 pts |
| Aug 2025 | 8.1% | +0.3 pts |
| Jul 2025 | 7.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Jun 2025 | 7.7% | +0.3 pts |
| May 2025 | 7.8% | +0.4 pts |
| Apr 2025 | 7.8% | +0.4 pts |
| Mar 2025 | 7.9% | +0.6 pts |
| Feb 2025 | 8% | +0.7 pts |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the U-6 underemployment rate?
The U-6 rate is the broadest official measure of labor underutilization. It includes the officially unemployed (U-3), plus discouraged workers who have stopped looking for work, plus people working part-time because they cannot find full-time positions. It is typically 3–4 percentage points higher than U-3.
Why track U-6 instead of the headline unemployment rate?
The headline U-3 rate misses significant labor market distress. Someone working 15 hours per week at minimum wage because they cannot find full-time work is counted as employed in U-3 but captured as underemployed in U-6. For measuring household financial distress, the broader measure is more informative.
Where does U-6 data come from?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes U-6 monthly alongside the headline unemployment rate, based on the Current Population Survey. Both are part of the BLS Employment Situation report released the first Friday of each month.
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