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One category of workers that often isn’t noted when talking about unemployment numbers is the underemployed. According to Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute, in May around 26 million workers were underemployed. During a press call on Tuesday Shierholz explained what it means to be underemployed:

[Shierholz]: Underemployment is a term that includes not just the unemployed, but also the so called marginally attached….

Shierholz said that because underemployed tracking numbers only go back to 1994 those numbers can’t be compared to the recession in the 80s.

[Shierholz2]: It has shot up dramatically in this recession.