labor force participation rate Archives

Disability Disincentive

By Econ70 | 09/11/2013

One reason the labor force participation rate is so low is the explosive growth in those receiving Social Security Disability Insurance. Since 1980, the percentage of 20-64 year olds on SSDI grew from 2.3% to 4.7%. Half the rise is due to an aging work force, an increase in the retirement age and women’s increased…

Work? No Thanks

By Econ70 | 03/11/2013

While the February unemployment rate eased from 7.92% to 7.74%, 40% of the fall resulted from a decline in the civilian labor force of 130,000 due to both the weak economy and retiring Boomers. As a result, the labor force participation rate hit a new cyclical low of 63.5%, a level last seen in 9/81…