In 2001, the number of unemployed people in a country increased from 5.7 million to 8.3 million, while the labor force increased from 141.5 million to 142.3 million.By how much did the unemployment rate increase?

Question

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The unemployment rate is calculated as (Number of Unemployed / Labor Force) * 100. Initially, the unemployment rate was (5.7 / 141.5) * 100 = 4.03%. Later, it was (8.3 / 142.3) * 100 = 5.83%. The increase in the unemployment rate is 5.83% - 4.03% = 1.8 percentage points.

In 2001, the Number of Unemployed People in a Country