Subject: Re: U.S. Job Growth Slowed/Unemployment Ticked Up
That's simply incorrect. You don't have to be receiving unemployment benefits to be counted in the statistics.

https://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_ht...

Though, apparently, if you're in a labor dispute, you're considered employed.

Who is counted as employed?
People are considered employed if they did any work at all for pay or profit during the survey reference week. This includes all part-time and temporary work, as well as regular full-time, year-round employment. Individuals also are counted as employed if they have a job at which they did not work during the survey week, whether they were paid or not, because they were:

On vacation
Ill
Experiencing child care problems
On maternity or paternity leave
Taking care of some other family or personal obligation
Involved in a labor dispute
Prevented from working by bad weather
These people are counted among the employed and tabulated separately as with a job but not at work, because they have a specific job to which they will return.

The two primary categories are U3 and U6. U3s are unemployed, but still part of the work force (i.e. underemployed, or looking for work). U6s include the "discouraged" workers who aren't looking anymore. You can google the details if you're interested.