In one year, you meet 52 people who are each unemployed for one week and eight people who are each unemployed for the whole year. What percentage of the unemployment spells you encountered was short-term, and what percentage of the unemployment you encountered in a given week was long-term?
A)52 percent and 13.3 percent
B)52 percent and 88.9 percent
C)86.7 percent and 13.3 percent
D)86.7 percent and 88.9 percent

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

There are 52 short-term unemployment spells (one for each week) and 8 long-term spells. The total number of spells is 52 + 8 = 60. The percentage of short-term spells is (52/60) * 100 = 86.7%. In any given week, there are 52 people unemployed for one week and 8 people unemployed for the whole year, totaling 52 + 8*52 = 468 weeks of unemployment. The percentage of long-term unemployment in a given week is (8*52/468) * 100 = 88.9%.

In One Year, You Meet 52 People Who Are Each