Jobs gap
Payroll employment and the number of jobs needed to keep up with the growth in the potential labor force, 2000–2017
| Date | Payroll employment – actual | Jobs to keep up with growth in potential labor force |
|---|---|---|
| 2000-01-01 | 131009 | |
| 2000-02-01 | 131140 | |
| 2000-03-01 | 131608 | |
| 2000-04-01 | 131895 | |
| 2000-05-01 | 132121 | |
| 2000-06-01 | 132077 | |
| 2000-07-01 | 132253 | |
| 2000-08-01 | 132240 | |
| 2000-09-01 | 132375 | |
| 2000-10-01 | 132361 | |
| 2000-11-01 | 132589 | |
| 2000-12-01 | 132731 | |
| 2001-01-01 | 132706 | |
| 2001-02-01 | 132778 | |
| 2001-03-01 | 132751 | |
| 2001-04-01 | 132471 | |
| 2001-05-01 | 132432 | |
| 2001-06-01 | 132302 | |
| 2001-07-01 | 132191 | |
| 2001-08-01 | 132035 | |
| 2001-09-01 | 131794 | |
| 2001-10-01 | 131467 | |
| 2001-11-01 | 131176 | |
| 2001-12-01 | 131004 | |
| 2002-01-01 | 130869 | |
| 2002-02-01 | 130733 | |
| 2002-03-01 | 130712 | |
| 2002-04-01 | 130634 | |
| 2002-05-01 | 130629 | |
| 2002-06-01 | 130685 | |
| 2002-07-01 | 130601 | |
| 2002-08-01 | 130587 | |
| 2002-09-01 | 130527 | |
| 2002-10-01 | 130649 | |
| 2002-11-01 | 130662 | |
| 2002-12-01 | 130504 | |
| 2003-01-01 | 130596 | |
| 2003-02-01 | 130447 | |
| 2003-03-01 | 130238 | |
| 2003-04-01 | 130194 | |
| 2003-05-01 | 130187 | |
| 2003-06-01 | 130197 | |
| 2003-07-01 | 130219 | |
| 2003-08-01 | 130178 | |
| 2003-09-01 | 130282 | |
| 2003-10-01 | 130485 | |
| 2003-11-01 | 130496 | |
| 2003-12-01 | 130619 | |
| 2004-01-01 | 130778 | |
| 2004-02-01 | 130826 | |
| 2004-03-01 | 131157 | |
| 2004-04-01 | 131408 | |
| 2004-05-01 | 131715 | |
| 2004-06-01 | 131792 | |
| 2004-07-01 | 131837 | |
| 2004-08-01 | 131956 | |
| 2004-09-01 | 132118 | |
| 2004-10-01 | 132464 | |
| 2004-11-01 | 132530 | |
| 2004-12-01 | 132659 | |
| 2005-01-01 | 132795 | |
| 2005-02-01 | 133034 | |
| 2005-03-01 | 133169 | |
| 2005-04-01 | 133533 | |
| 2005-05-01 | 133710 | |
| 2005-06-01 | 133955 | |
| 2005-07-01 | 134329 | |
| 2005-08-01 | 134525 | |
| 2005-09-01 | 134592 | |
| 2005-10-01 | 134676 | |
| 2005-11-01 | 135017 | |
| 2005-12-01 | 135174 | |
| 2006-01-01 | 135452 | |
| 2006-02-01 | 135767 | |
| 2006-03-01 | 136049 | |
| 2006-04-01 | 136232 | |
| 2006-05-01 | 136257 | |
| 2006-06-01 | 136336 | |
| 2006-07-01 | 136542 | |
| 2006-08-01 | 136725 | |
| 2006-09-01 | 136878 | |
| 2006-10-01 | 136886 | |
| 2006-11-01 | 137095 | |
| 2006-12-01 | 137266 | |
| 2007-01-01 | 137506 | |
| 2007-02-01 | 137595 | |
| 2007-03-01 | 137785 | |
| 2007-04-01 | 137865 | |
| 2007-05-01 | 138008 | |
| 2007-06-01 | 138083 | |
| 2007-07-01 | 138049 | |
| 2007-08-01 | 138029 | |
| 2007-09-01 | 138117 | |
| 2007-10-01 | 138201 | |
| 2007-11-01 | 138315 | |
| 2007-12-01 | 138413 | 138413 |
| 2008-01-01 | 138430 | 138480 |
| 2008-02-01 | 138346 | 138548 |
| 2008-03-01 | 138268 | 138615 |
| 2008-04-01 | 138058 | 138683 |
| 2008-05-01 | 137872 | 138750 |
| 2008-06-01 | 137710 | 138818 |
| 2008-07-01 | 137497 | 138885 |
| 2008-08-01 | 137230 | 138953 |
| 2008-09-01 | 136780 | 139020 |
| 2008-10-01 | 136306 | 139088 |
| 2008-11-01 | 135540 | 139156 |
| 2008-12-01 | 134846 | 139223 |
| 2009-01-01 | 134053 | 139291 |
| 2009-02-01 | 133351 | 139359 |
| 2009-03-01 | 132528 | 139427 |
| 2009-04-01 | 131841 | 139495 |
| 2009-05-01 | 131492 | 139563 |
| 2009-06-01 | 131021 | 139631 |
| 2009-07-01 | 130692 | 139698 |
| 2009-08-01 | 130479 | 139766 |
| 2009-09-01 | 130259 | 139834 |
| 2009-10-01 | 130055 | 139903 |
| 2009-11-01 | 130053 | 139971 |
| 2009-12-01 | 129778 | 140039 |
| 2010-01-01 | 129801 | 140107 |
| 2010-02-01 | 129733 | 140175 |
| 2010-03-01 | 129897 | 140243 |
| 2010-04-01 | 130140 | 140312 |
| 2010-05-01 | 130664 | 140380 |
| 2010-06-01 | 130527 | 140448 |
| 2010-07-01 | 130459 | 140516 |
| 2010-08-01 | 130423 | 140585 |
| 2010-09-01 | 130371 | 140653 |
| 2010-10-01 | 130633 | 140722 |
| 2010-11-01 | 130752 | 140790 |
| 2010-12-01 | 130839 | 140859 |
| 2011-01-01 | 130882 | 140927 |
| 2011-02-01 | 131071 | 140996 |
| 2011-03-01 | 131296 | 141064 |
| 2011-04-01 | 131642 | 141133 |
| 2011-05-01 | 131719 | 141202 |
| 2011-06-01 | 131944 | 141271 |
| 2011-07-01 | 132013 | 141339 |
| 2011-08-01 | 132123 | 141408 |
| 2011-09-01 | 132371 | 141477 |
| 2011-10-01 | 132580 | 141546 |
| 2011-11-01 | 132721 | 141615 |
| 2011-12-01 | 132930 | 141684 |
| 2012-01-01 | 133288 | 141752 |
| 2012-02-01 | 133525 | 141821 |
| 2012-03-01 | 133758 | 141890 |
| 2012-04-01 | 133836 | 141960 |
| 2012-05-01 | 133951 | 142029 |
| 2012-06-01 | 134027 | 142098 |
| 2012-07-01 | 134170 | 142167 |
| 2012-08-01 | 134347 | 142236 |
| 2012-09-01 | 134550 | 142305 |
| 2012-10-01 | 134696 | 142375 |
| 2012-11-01 | 134828 | 142444 |
| 2012-12-01 | 135072 | 142513 |
| 2013-01-01 | 135283 | 142583 |
| 2013-02-01 | 135569 | 142652 |
| 2013-03-01 | 135699 | 142721 |
| 2013-04-01 | 135896 | 142791 |
| 2013-05-01 | 136122 | 142860 |
| 2013-06-01 | 136284 | 142930 |
| 2013-07-01 | 136406 | 142999 |
| 2013-08-01 | 136667 | 143069 |
| 2013-09-01 | 136857 | 143139 |
| 2013-10-01 | 137069 | 143208 |
| 2013-11-01 | 137327 | 143278 |
| 2013-12-01 | 137374 | 143348 |
| 2014-01-01 | 137564 | 143417 |
| 2014-02-01 | 137715 | 143501 |
| 2014-03-01 | 137987 | 143585 |
| 2014-04-01 | 138316 | 143669 |
| 2014-05-01 | 138562 | 143753 |
| 2014-06-01 | 138866 | 143837 |
| 2014-07-01 | 139068 | 143921 |
| 2014-08-01 | 139298 | 144005 |
| 2014-09-01 | 139578 | 144089 |
| 2014-10-01 | 139805 | 144173 |
| 2014-11-01 | 140117 | 144257 |
| 2014-12-01 | 140372 | 144342 |
| 2015-01-01 | 140606 | 144426 |
| 2015-02-01 | 140844 | 144518 |
| 2015-03-01 | 140930 | 144610 |
| 2015-04-01 | 141192 | 144703 |
| 2015-05-01 | 141536 | 144795 |
| 2015-06-01 | 141742 | 144888 |
| 2015-07-01 | 141996 | 144980 |
| 2015-08-01 | 142153 | 145073 |
| 2015-09-01 | 142253 | 145165 |
| 2015-10-01 | 142574 | 145258 |
| 2015-11-01 | 142846 | 145351 |
| 2015-12-01 | 143085 | 145444 |
| 2016-01-01 | 143211 | 145536 |
| 2016-02-01 | 143448 | 145565 |
| 2016-03-01 | 143673 | 145593 |
| 2016-04-01 | 143826 | 145621 |
| 2016-05-01 | 143869 | 145649 |
| 2016-06-01 | 144166 | 145677 |
| 2016-07-01 | 144457 | 145705 |
| 2016-08-01 | 144633 | 145733 |
| 2016-09-01 | 144882 | 145761 |
| 2016-10-01 | 145006 | 145790 |
| 2016-11-01 | 145170 | 145818 |
| 2016-12-01 | 145325 | 145846 |
| 2017-01-01 | 145541 | 145874 |
| 2017-02-01 | 145773 | 145926 |
| 2017-03-01 | 145823 | 145977 |
| 2017-04-01 | 145997 | 146029 |
| 2017-05-01 | 146135 | 146081 |
Note: The potential labor force is the actual labor force plus the “missing worker," potential workers who, because of weak job opportunities, are neither employed nor actively seeking a job. How EPI calculates missing workers can be found here: https://www.epi.org/publication/missing-workers/.
Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics public data series and Current population Survey public data series
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