In 2009, based on concepts similar to those used to estimate U.S. employment figures, the Italian adult non- institutionalized population was 51.070 million, the labor force was 24.710 million, and the number of people employed was 22.765 million. According to these numbers, the Italian labor-force participation rate and unemployment rate were about

a.

48.4% and 3.8%.
b.

44.6% and 3.8%
c.

44.6% and 7.9%
d.

48.4% and 7.9%.

1 answer

To calculate the labor-force participation rate and the unemployment rate, we can use the following formulas:

  1. Labor-Force Participation Rate (LFPR): \[ \text{LFPR} = \left( \frac{\text{Labor Force}}{\text{Adult Non-Institutionalized Population}} \right) \times 100 \]

  2. Unemployment Rate (UR): \[ \text{UR} = \left( \frac{\text{Labor Force} - \text{Employed}}{\text{Labor Force}} \right) \times 100 \]

Now let's plug in the values:

  • Adult non-institutionalized population = 51.070 million
  • Labor force = 24.710 million
  • Employed = 22.765 million

Step 1: Calculate Labor-Force Participation Rate

\[ \text{LFPR} = \left( \frac{24.710}{51.070} \right) \times 100 \approx 48.4% \]

Step 2: Calculate Unemployment Rate

\[ \text{Unemployed} = \text{Labor Force} - \text{Employed} = 24.710 - 22.765 = 1.945 \text{ million} \] \[ \text{UR} = \left( \frac{1.945}{24.710} \right) \times 100 \approx 7.9% \]

Conclusion:

  • Labor-force participation rate ≈ 48.4%
  • Unemployment rate ≈ 7.9%

Thus, the correct answer is: d. 48.4% and 7.9%.