Human capital is a vital component in the production process, so the size of the labor force can profoundly affect the potential for economic growth. In the United States, the overall labor force participation rate (LFPR)the percent of the population supplying labor to the marketbegan to grow in...

For policymakers, identifying the factors contributing to changes in labor force participation over time is important for setting appropriate policy regarding the nation’s productivity. Although the factors contributing to such changes over the past six decades have been well documented, more...

This paper presents a simple methodology for decomposing changes in the aggregate labor force participation rate (LFPR) into demographic group changes in both participation behavior and population shares. Changes in population shares dominated behavioral changes in the historical evolution of...