Romney’s Claim That Half of College Grads “Can’t Find Work” Is False. But What’s the Real Story? « Student Activism

Romney’s Claim That Half of College Grads “Can’t Find Work” Is False. But What’s the Real Story? « Student Activism:

Romney’s Claim That Half of College Grads “Can’t Find Work” Is False. But What’s the Real Story?

by Angus Johnston

In last night’s presidential debate, Mitt Romney made a claim that was specific, shocking, and false. “Fifty percent of college graduates this year,” he said, “can’t find work.”
There are a few ways of interpreting this statement, but none of them add up.
A study published this summer found that for college graduates under the age of 24, the unemployment rate for the twelve months ending in March of this year was 9.4%. More recent data for college grads aged 21-25 put the number at 6.8%.
So where did Romney’s 50% figure come from? An Associated Press article about a study of “underemployment” among college grads. This is going to take a little unpacking, so bear with me.
For the purposes of this AP story, a person was defined as “underemployed” if they were working in a job that