UnemploymentUnemployment is a controversial topic, especially in recent years. CNN reported that 91 million Americans are currently unemployed. This seems like a surprising number; however, that number includes teenagers, stay-at-home mothers, and guardians. In today's economy, unemployment is high even among teens: “Last month the employment-to-population ratio for teens was stuck at 25.8% – worse than the Great Depression.” (Coy, 2014). It is important that teenagers have the opportunities and gain experience to be successful when they become adults. It is important to help teenagers get out of long-term unemployment statistics by providing more job opportunities for that population. Furthermore, long-term unemployment has a negative effect on the economy compared to short-term unemployment. Even though the United States has a high volume of unemployment, short-term unemployment is minimal compared to Europe. Unemployment benefits offered in the United States run out in six months, while in Europe the benefits continue indefinitely. Maybe the US unemployment system isn't so bad after all. Effects on the micro and microeconomy The micro issue concerns long-term unemployed individuals who force the population to live in poverty. The long-term unemployed become less attractive to employers. Meanwhile, in the macroeconomic picture, employers suffer from job shortages despite large unemployment numbers, causing inflation to rise even when unemployment is so high. This creates a repetitive cycle, less production, fewer jobs, higher prices, less purchasing due to costs. Even teenagers are affected by this cycle. According to (Coy, 2014) unemployed teenagers are in...... middle of...... paper; I definitely want to do my part to understand what politicians want to do about unemployment. I want to make an informed decision about who to vote for to help our economy. Unemployment affects the overall economy. Individuals who don't have work can't spend money. Consequently, if the demand for products slows down, production also slows down. This causes inflation and not all buyers will be willing to pay inflated prices. It is essential to be polite when voting. The success of the next generation should be a primary goal. Teenagers need to be trained for the world of work. Our job is to have a better economy for the future of this country. If unemployment benefits were extended beyond six months, that could help the economy through people spending and it's basically an injection; it could also increase our long-term unemployment as has happened in Europe.