New study finds millions of California workers are ‘functionally unemployed’

OFFICIALLY, CALIFORNIA HAS 1.4 million unemployed residents, but a new study that takes into account people who can’t find jobs that pay above poverty level says the number of “functionally unemployed” is three times higher at 4.8 million. 

The analysis by the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity, an organization focused on studying the economic well-being of middle and lower-income Americans, found 25.7 percent of California workers are functionally unemployed, meaning they are seeking, but unable to find, full-time employment paying above the poverty level. That’s compared to the state’s 7.5 percent unemployment rate.