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Changes in US Labor Force Participation Help Explain Recent Job Gains
The U.S. labor force participation rate—the number of people either employed or unemployed as a proportion of the noninstitutionalized working-age (age 16 and older) population—declined following the Great Recession to a low of 62.3 percent in 2015. Since then, the rate has stabilized at just below 63 percent. The U.S. labor market has continued to add jobs each month at a brisk pace, despite the unemployment rate approaching historically low levels. An important factor in the leveling off of the labor force participation rate and continued job creation is a recent rebound in the prime-age (25 to 54 years) ... (full story)