4. Between January 2012 and January 2019, U. S. employment increased by 17.3 million workers, but the number of
unemployed workers declined by only 6.3 million. How are
these numbers consistent with each other? Why might one
expect a reduction in the number of people counted as
unemployed to be smaller than the increase in the number of
people employed?

The fact that employment increased by 12.1 million workers while unemployment declined by only 7.3 million is consistent with the growth of the labor force by 4.8 million.

Explanation:

The fact that employment increased by 12.1 million workers while unemployment declined by only 7.3 million is consistent with the growth of the labor force by 4.8 million. One might expect a reduction in the number of people counted as unemployed to be smaller than the increase in the number of people employed because the labor force constantly increases as the population grows, and as the labor-force participation rate increases, the increase in employed might exceed the reduction in the number of unemployed.

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