@MattHodges

> Ah, I see we're doing noun gymnastics.

LOL, no.. I am a professional Data Scientist... I am talking about these numbers in the **correct** way.

> In that case, you said "Unemployment is 10% higher" which, of course, it is not.

No, please stop talking nonsense... Literally the number of people who are unemployed has increased by 10%, exactly what I said. It would be highly inaccurate to say it any other way.

> The rate is 10% higher than itself.

Yes which is exactly what I said, that unemployment increased by 10% since before covid.

> But, again, we're doing word gymnastics to misrepresent a point.

No thats what your doing, I am using the technically correct terminology to describe a change in a population.

> Sure, fine, 3.8 is roughly 110% of 3.5.

Or more correctly "represents a 10% increase", which was what I said.

> It's also irrelevant to the question of a recession, because 3.8% unemployment is a fantastic unemployment rate.

Yes 3.8% is good, a recession however is relative, a 10% increase is certainly what you'd expect early on in a recession. In and of itself it would be nothing to stress too much over, other than indicating a recession is forming.

You are also picking out one indicator among many, an inflation rate that is 3x higher and a 20% drop in buying power all make it quite clear a recession is at hand... the increasing unemployment supplements that fact (though on its own could be dismissed).