Frictional Unemployment

Frictional Unemployment

Unemployment that is always present in the economy, resulting from temporary transitions made by workers and employers or from workers and employers having inconsistent or incomplete information.

Notes:

For example, a first-time job seeker may lack the resources or efficiency for finding the company that has the job that is available and suitable for him or her. As a result this person does not take other work, temporarily holding out for the better-paying job.

Another example of when frictional employment occurs is when a company abstains from hiring because it believes there are not enough qualified individuals available for the job, when in actuality there is.

See also: Business Cycle, Cyclical Unemployment, Natural Unemployment, Structural Unemployment