Why ‘Full Employment' Doesn't Mean Everyone Has a Job

``Economists, including the Fed's policy makers, are divided about how close the economy is to full employment. To discourage inflation, some think that short-term interest rates should rise again soon and that plans to reduce the central bank's holdings of bonds should be sped up. Others think that rates should be held lower, not least because inflation is still below the Fed's target. Some economists think that the official rate of unemployment can fall further -- say, to 4 percent -- before inflation concerns need to be addressed. Others say that changes in wages may be a clearer indicator of labor-market conditions than the post-crash unemployment rate. Wages are showing only hesitant signs of faster growth. The Fed's big concern: It's possible that we won't know what full employment means until inflation takes off.''