Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States decreased to 62.30 percent in June from 62.40 percent in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Labor Force Participation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In 2023, it was estimated that over 161 million Americans were in some form of employment, while 3.64 percent of the total workforce was unemployed. This was the lowest unemployment rate since the 1950s, although these figures are expected to rise in 2023 and beyond. 1980s-2010s Since the 1980s, the total United States labor force has generally risen as the population has grown, however, the annual average unemployment rate has fluctuated significantly, usually increasing in times of crisis, before falling more slowly during periods of recovery and economic stability. For example, unemployment peaked at 9.7 percent during the early 1980s recession, which was largely caused by the ripple effects of the Iranian Revolution on global oil prices and inflation. Other notable spikes came during the early 1990s; again, largely due to inflation caused by another oil shock, and during the early 2000s recession. The Great Recession then saw the U.S. unemployment rate soar to 9.6 percent, following the collapse of the U.S. housing market and its impact on the banking sector, and it was not until 2016 that unemployment returned to pre-recession levels. 2020s 2019 had marked a decade-long low in unemployment, before the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic saw the sharpest year-on-year increase in unemployment since the Great Depression, and the total number of workers fell by almost 10 million people. Despite the continuation of the pandemic in the years that followed, alongside the associated supply-chain issues and onset of the inflation crisis, unemployment reached just 3.67 percent in 2022 - current projections are for this figure to rise in 2023 and the years that follow, although these forecasts are subject to change if recent years are anything to go by.

Labor Market Conditions Index in the United States decreased to 1.50 Index Points in June from 3.30 Index Points in May of 2017. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Labor Market Conditions Index - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

We offer a unified analysis of the growth of low-skill service occupations between 1980 and 2005 and the concurrent polarization of US employment and wages. We hypothesize that polarization stems from the interaction between consumer preferences, which favor variety over specialization, and the falling cost of automating routine, codifiable job tasks. Applying a spatial equilibrium model, we corroborate four implications of this hypothesis. Local labor markets that specialized in routine tasks differentially adopted information technology, reallocated low-skill labor into service occupations (employment polarization), experienced earnings growth at the tails of the distribution (wage polarization), and received inflows of skilled labor.

This data package includes the underlying data and files to replicate the calculations, charts, and tables presented in Active Labor Market Policies: Lessons from Other Countries for the United States, PIIE Working paper 19-2.

If you use the data, please cite as: Bown, Chad P, and Caroline Freund. (2019). Active Labor Market Policies: Lessons from Other Countries for the United States. PIIE Working paper 19-2. Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Graph and download economic data for Change in Labor Market Conditions Index (DISCONTINUED) from Aug 1976 to Jun 2017 about labor, indexes, and USA.

LABOR MARKET ENGAGEMENT INDEXSummary

The labor market engagement index provides a summary description of the relative intensity of labor market engagement and human capital in a neighborhood. This is based upon the level of employment, labor force participation, and educational attainment in a census tract (i). Formally, the labor market index is a linear combination of three standardized vectors: unemployment rate (u), labor-force participation rate (l), and percent with a bachelor’s degree or higher (b), using the following formula:

Where means and standard errors are estimated over the national distribution. Also, the value for the standardized unemployment rate is multiplied by -1.

Interpretation

Values are percentile ranked nationally and range from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the higher the labor force participation and human capital in a neighborhood.

Data Source: American Community Survey, 2011-2015Related AFFH-T Local Government, PHA and State Tables/Maps: Table 12; Map 9.

To learn more about the Labor Market Engagement Index visit: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/affh ; https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/FHEO/documents/AFFH-T-Data-Documentation-AFFHT0006-July-2020.pdf, for questions about the spatial attribution of this dataset, please reach out to us at GISHelpdesk@hud.gov. Date of Coverage: 07/2020

This graph shows the civilian labor force in the United States from 1990 to 2024. In 2024, the number of people who had jobs or were seeking employment amounted to about 168.11 million.

Graph and download economic data for KC Fed Labor Market Conditions Index, Level of Activity Indicator (FRBKCLMCILA) from Jan 1992 to Jun 2025 about labor, indexes, and USA.

In October 2024, the civilian labor force amounted to 168.48 million people in the United States. The term civilian labor force is used by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to describe the subset of Americans who have jobs or are seeking a job, are at least 16 years old, are not serving in the military, and are not institutionalized.

US Tariff Impact on the Market

The impact of US tariffs on the digital labor market is significant, particularly due to their potential to disrupt supply chains, cost structures, and international trade relationships. With the digital labor market heavily reliant on global outsourcing and technology platforms, the imposition of tariffs could lead to higher operational costs for businesses operating across borders.

Specific sectors, such as customer support and online platforms, may face a 3-5% increase in expenses due to tariffs, impacting pricing strategies and profitability. Additionally, US-based companies that rely on foreign labor could be forced to either absorb the costs or pass them on to consumers, leading to a potential decline in competitiveness.

On the other hand, tariffs could incentivize the relocation of some services back to the U.S., creating more localized digital labor opportunities, albeit at a higher cost. This dynamic may reshape market structures, requiring companies to innovate in response to changing cost pressures.

➤ Get a sample copy to discover how our research uncovers business opportunities here @ https://market.us/report/digital-labor-market/free-sample/

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Flows Employed to Unemployed (LNS17400000) from Feb 1990 to May 2025 about flow, 16 years +, labor force, labor, unemployment, employment, and USA.

Unemployment Rate in the United States decreased to 4.10 percent in June from 4.20 percent in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Market Index for Illinois (M08027US000ILM233NNBR) from Feb 1920 to Dec 1934 about IL, labor, indexes, and USA.

This paper quantifies employer market power in U.S. manufacturing and how it has changed over time. Using administrative data, we estimate plant-level markdowns—the ratio between a plant’s marginal revenue product of labor and its wage. We find most manufacturing plants operate in a monopsonistic environment, with an average markdown of 1.53, implying a worker earning only 65 cents on the marginal dollar generated. To investigate long-term trends for the entire sector, we propose a novel, theoretically grounded measure for the aggregate markdown. We find that it decreased between the late 1970s and the early 2000s, but has been sharply increasing since.

Data of the US Employment and Unemployment rates since 1940. The data is obtained from the USA Bureau of Labor Statistics and includes the employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population from 1940 to the present day. The numbers in the dataset are measured in thousands and provide important information on the labor market in the US over several decades. This dataset can be used by researchers, policymakers, and analysts to understand the trends and fluctuations in the US labor market, as well as to develop strategies for improving employment and reducing unemployment rates.

Digital Labor Market is estimated to reach USD 23.7 Billion By 2034, Riding on a Strong 17.20% CAGR throughout the forecast period.

Graph and download economic data for New Entrants as a Percent of Total Unemployed (LNS13023570) from Jan 1967 to Jun 2025 about 16 years +, new, percent, household survey, unemployment, and USA.

Abstract (en): A typical strategy for measuring the returns to international experience—comparing the earnings of returning migrants to comparable non-migrants—has been criticized for not adequately accounting for self-selection. I suggest an alternative, testing whether individuals born beyond US borders, but into US citizenship, earn more in US labor markets relative to counterparts born on US soil. Those born abroad to US citizens did not self-select an international experience. Using the ACS, I find that the US market rewards international experience, especially in occupations that value creativity and innovation. Women, in particular, are handsomely rewarded for international human capital.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program provides national estimates of rates and levels for job openings, hires, and total separations. Total separations are further broken out into quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Unadjusted counts and rates of all data elements are published by supersector and select sector based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The number of unfilled jobs—used to calculate the job openings rate—is an important measure of the unmet demand for labor. With that statistic, it is possible to paint a more complete picture of the U.S. labor market than by looking solely at the unemployment rate, a measure of the excess supply of labor. Information on labor turnover is valuable in the proper analysis and interpretation of labor market developments and as a complement to the unemployment rate. For more information and data visit: https://www.bls.gov/jlt/