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The Real Unemployment Rate? Try 24%—Welcome to the Jobless Illusion

EDITOR'S NOTES

They say the unemployment rate is 4.2%? That’s not just a lie—it’s a state-sanctioned illusion. The real number? Somewhere around 24%, if you dare count the millions the bureaucrats conveniently ignore. Gig workers, overworked part-timers, laid-off techies ghosted by HR bots… this isn’t a labor market. It’s a digital cattle pen, and we’re being herded into economic submission. AI’s replacing the workforce, government stats are gaslighting the public, and the middle class is getting steamrolled. Wake up before your paycheck disappears into the same algorithm that stole your job.

Derek Wolfe Aug 7, 25

The Great Lie: “Unemployment Is Just 4.2%”

Sure, if you believe what the bureaucrats at the Bureau of Labor Statistics spoon-feed to the press. But try walking the streets of any major U.S. city. Look past the shiny skyscrapers and count the people hunched over laptops in cafés, grinding gig work for pennies. Talk to a college grad drowning in student debt, applying for jobs that don’t exist. Scroll job boards filled with “opportunities” that are either scams or bait-and-switch traps. The numbers are cooked—and the stew’s gone rancid.

Invisible and Disposable: The Forgotten Workers

Here’s who Uncle Sam doesn’t count in those sunny stats:

Gig workers cut loose without severance or support
“Discouraged” workers who’ve stopped looking entirely
Survival hustlers juggling three part-time gigs with no benefits
Laid-off tech workers, casualties of AI and automation

Factor those people back in, and you’re staring down the barrel of a 24% unemployment rate. That’s not a labor shortage. That’s economic collapse with a PR team.

Layoffs Are Exploding—and the Media’s Mute

In the first seven months of 2025, over 86,000 job cuts were reported—a 75% increase from last year, according to TheEconomicCollapse.com. And that’s just what’s been reported. For every announced layoff, there are countless “silent firings,” job freezes, and unpaid furloughs.

The hardest-hit sectors:

Tech: CEOs blame AI; we call it premeditated cost-cutting
Retail: Self-checkout replaced your neighbor
Hospitality: Kiosks don’t need breaks—or wages

The Resume Black Hole: 900 Applications, One Interview

Meet Jennifer Smith—just one of millions. She’s fired off 900 job applications since last September. One interview. Zero offers. And she’s got a degree and a resume that used to matter. Now? She’s another casualty of the AI employment purge. Her story isn’t rare—it’s the rule.

AI: The Corporate Guillotine

Automation isn’t the future. It’s the executioner. If your job involves repetition, a smile, or a keyboard—you’re next.

Grocery stores now train you to self-checkout
Fast food joints push orders through screens
Retailers run skeleton crews with one human cashier and six bots

This isn’t “remote work.” This is no work—for anyone below the top 1%.

Gig Economy: The New Serfdom

Uber drivers with Master’s degrees. Freelancers juggling three platforms to pay rent. Contractors with zero healthcare and no stability. The state calls them “employed.” I call them digitally shackled.

They’re one step from the edge, living on hope, caffeine, and declining tips.

What You Need to Do—Now

Learn a trade or tech skill—not tomorrow. Today.
Diversify your income—side hustles aren’t optional.
Cut debt, kill expenses, stockpile savings.
Mentally prepare for longer searches, more competition, and corporate ghosting.

Final Thought: The Old Economy Is Dead

Waiting for the economy to “bounce back”? Don’t hold your breath. The world you knew is gone—and they’re replacing it with one that doesn’t need you. If you’re not building autonomy now, you’ll be begging for scraps later.

Protect yourself before the system eats you alive.

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