Labor Force Growth Slows (Graph)
The growth of the U.S. labor force has slowed in recent years, and the Washington Post reports part of the reason is the trends in the proportion of American adults who are working or seeking work, known as the labor force participation rate.
While this rate has been declining for men for decades; for women, the rate rose steadily until the ‘90s and then peaked, and has declined with the recession.
Government projections also show that the makeup of the labor force will probably change — with a rise in workers older than 55 and a decline in workers younger than 24. Demographers believe this is occurring in large part because of the aging of the baby-boom generation.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Washington Post.