10 States With The Biggest Underemployment Problems: Report

Today, 8.2 percent of Americans are officially struggling with unemployment. Nearly double that number can be classified under a larger umbrella group: the underemployed, a classification that includes the previously mentioned, as well as part-time workers searching for full-time work and people who aren't looking because they don't think jobs are available.

Underemployment isn't just a matter of wounded pride, of course. It has a tangible effect on consumer confidence and spending too. Underemployed workers spend as much as 36 percent less than fully-employed workers, according to a 2010 Gallup poll.

Particularly at risk of underemployment are white-collar and college-educated workers, as noted by The New York Times. Indeed, 53 percent of recent college graduates fall under the the underemployment umbrella, according to The Atlantic.

Among those states struggling most with the problem are California, Nevada and Rhode Island, the Labor Department has found (h/t The Wall Street Journal).

Meanwhile, youth unemployment is high for workers under 25 years old, and many say they aren't qualified enough to have a successful career either. Nearly three-fourths of young people say more education would be necessary to fulfill what had so reasonably been a reasonable goal.

Here are the states with the biggest underemployment problems: