Unemployment Trend Welcome! You are encouraged to register with the site and login (for free). When you register, you support the site and your question history is saved.Last year the rate of unemployment was 8.2 percent, but this year it has been 7 percent. We can conclude that unemployment is on a downward trend and the rate will be even lower next year.Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion above? The unemployment figures were computed on the basis of a representative sample of economic data rather than all of the available data. This year a temporary government spending project depressed the unemployment rate by 0.8 percent. Increases in hiring would cause companies to be more productive, netting them earnings that would allow them to hire yet further. The 8.2 percent rate of unemployment last year represented a two-year high. The unemployment rate is a measure only of those individuals without employment who are looking for jobs. Review Answer