In December, the unemployment rate was 6.7% and the labor force participation rate was 62.8%.
Where would the two figures be if all of the discouraged workers that left the labor force since October 2007 came back, and were officially counted as unemployed?
Chart 2 shows that the participation rate would be a 0.7 percentage points higher, at 63.5%.
Chart 2: The actual labor force participation rate (blue line) versus where it would be if all of the discouraged workers that left since October 2007 came back (red line).
Chart 3 shows that the unemployment rate, meanwhile, would be a full percentage point higher, at 7.7%.
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at
Related articles










Discussion
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
Pingback: Labor force projections to 2022 for the US / The overall labor force participation rate is expected to decline writes the BLS | Job Market Monitor - January 27, 2014
Pingback: The Slow Recovery of the US Labor Market / A CBO Report | Job Market Monitor - February 5, 2014
Pingback: Labor Force Participation in US / A Chart | Job Market Monitor - February 12, 2014
Pingback: Us Older Workers Increasing Participation Rate – Why then aging is decreasing the overall rate ? | Job Market Monitor - May 5, 2014