High levels of unemployment triggering a recession. Employment levels are the best measure of economic strength Barone, 10-18, 20, Robert Barone, Ph.D. is a Georgetown educated economist. He is a financial advisor at Four Star Wealth Advisors. www.fourstarwealth.com, Forbes, The Real Recession Is Just Starting The best gauge of economic health is employment, and, on that front, the news is not good. New unemployment claims continue at well over +1.2