A country's statistical office publishes the following data. All figures are in thousands.
| Labour-market indicator | Period 1 | Period 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Force Survey: employed | 19,000 | 18,800 |
| Labour Force Survey: unemployed | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Economically inactive | 4,000 | 4,200 |
| Claimant Count | 850 | 780 |
Which statement best interprets the labour-market data?
The unemployment rate fell because it is measured by the Claimant Count, which fell from 850 thousand to 780 thousand.
The unemployment rate rose slightly, while higher economic inactivity shows that more people without jobs were actively seeking work.
The unemployment rate was unchanged because the number unemployed was unchanged, so the lower Claimant Count confirms an improvement.
The survey unemployment rate rose slightly and economic inactivity rose, so the lower Claimant Count does not establish an improvement.
65 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Economics 3.2 Low unemployment, covering 3.2.1 Employment and unemployment, 3.2.2 Measuring unemployment, 3.2.3 Calculate the unemployment rate, 3.2.4 Analyse unemployment figures, 3.2.5 Types of unemployment, and 3.2.6 Causes and consequences of unemployment. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.