Jobs gap
Payroll employment and the number of jobs needed to keep up with the growth in the potential labor force, 2000–2016
| Date | Payroll employment – actual | Jobs to keep up with growth in potential labor force |
|---|---|---|
| 2000-01-01 | 131009 | |
| 2000-02-01 | 131139 | |
| 2000-03-01 | 131606 | |
| 2000-04-01 | 131893 | |
| 2000-05-01 | 132119 | |
| 2000-06-01 | 132072 | |
| 2000-07-01 | 132251 | |
| 2000-08-01 | 132236 | |
| 2000-09-01 | 132371 | |
| 2000-10-01 | 132356 | |
| 2000-11-01 | 132581 | |
| 2000-12-01 | 132723 | |
| 2001-01-01 | 132696 | |
| 2001-02-01 | 132767 | |
| 2001-03-01 | 132742 | |
| 2001-04-01 | 132460 | |
| 2001-05-01 | 132422 | |
| 2001-06-01 | 132291 | |
| 2001-07-01 | 132179 | |
| 2001-08-01 | 132019 | |
| 2001-09-01 | 131778 | |
| 2001-10-01 | 131453 | |
| 2001-11-01 | 131159 | |
| 2001-12-01 | 130988 | |
| 2002-01-01 | 130849 | |
| 2002-02-01 | 130715 | |
| 2002-03-01 | 130695 | |
| 2002-04-01 | 130615 | |
| 2002-05-01 | 130607 | |
| 2002-06-01 | 130663 | |
| 2002-07-01 | 130579 | |
| 2002-08-01 | 130563 | |
| 2002-09-01 | 130503 | |
| 2002-10-01 | 130628 | |
| 2002-11-01 | 130638 | |
| 2002-12-01 | 130481 | |
| 2003-01-01 | 130572 | |
| 2003-02-01 | 130421 | |
| 2003-03-01 | 130211 | |
| 2003-04-01 | 130167 | |
| 2003-05-01 | 130157 | |
| 2003-06-01 | 130166 | |
| 2003-07-01 | 130190 | |
| 2003-08-01 | 130147 | |
| 2003-09-01 | 130250 | |
| 2003-10-01 | 130446 | |
| 2003-11-01 | 130463 | |
| 2003-12-01 | 130586 | |
| 2004-01-01 | 130746 | |
| 2004-02-01 | 130792 | |
| 2004-03-01 | 131123 | |
| 2004-04-01 | 131371 | |
| 2004-05-01 | 131679 | |
| 2004-06-01 | 131753 | |
| 2004-07-01 | 131786 | |
| 2004-08-01 | 131918 | |
| 2004-09-01 | 132080 | |
| 2004-10-01 | 132425 | |
| 2004-11-01 | 132489 | |
| 2004-12-01 | 132618 | |
| 2005-01-01 | 132752 | |
| 2005-02-01 | 132991 | |
| 2005-03-01 | 133126 | |
| 2005-04-01 | 133489 | |
| 2005-05-01 | 133665 | |
| 2005-06-01 | 133908 | |
| 2005-07-01 | 134283 | |
| 2005-08-01 | 134479 | |
| 2005-09-01 | 134545 | |
| 2005-10-01 | 134629 | |
| 2005-11-01 | 134966 | |
| 2005-12-01 | 135124 | |
| 2006-01-01 | 135401 | |
| 2006-02-01 | 135716 | |
| 2006-03-01 | 135997 | |
| 2006-04-01 | 136179 | |
| 2006-05-01 | 136203 | |
| 2006-06-01 | 136280 | |
| 2006-07-01 | 136486 | |
| 2006-08-01 | 136671 | |
| 2006-09-01 | 136827 | |
| 2006-10-01 | 136830 | |
| 2006-11-01 | 137039 | |
| 2006-12-01 | 137211 | |
| 2007-01-01 | 137448 | |
| 2007-02-01 | 137536 | |
| 2007-03-01 | 137724 | |
| 2007-04-01 | 137802 | |
| 2007-05-01 | 137947 | |
| 2007-06-01 | 138018 | |
| 2007-07-01 | 137984 | |
| 2007-08-01 | 137967 | |
| 2007-09-01 | 138053 | |
| 2007-10-01 | 138136 | |
| 2007-11-01 | 138253 | |
| 2007-12-01 | 138350 | 138350 |
| 2008-01-01 | 138365 | 138417 |
| 2008-02-01 | 138278 | 138484 |
| 2008-03-01 | 138199 | 138551 |
| 2008-04-01 | 137986 | 138619 |
| 2008-05-01 | 137803 | 138686 |
| 2008-06-01 | 137631 | 138753 |
| 2008-07-01 | 137421 | 138821 |
| 2008-08-01 | 137162 | 138888 |
| 2008-09-01 | 136710 | 138955 |
| 2008-10-01 | 136234 | 139023 |
| 2008-11-01 | 135469 | 139090 |
| 2008-12-01 | 134773 | 139158 |
| 2009-01-01 | 133977 | 139225 |
| 2009-02-01 | 133274 | 139293 |
| 2009-03-01 | 132450 | 139360 |
| 2009-04-01 | 131766 | 139428 |
| 2009-05-01 | 131411 | 139496 |
| 2009-06-01 | 130944 | 139563 |
| 2009-07-01 | 130619 | 139631 |
| 2009-08-01 | 130402 | 139699 |
| 2009-09-01 | 130175 | 139766 |
| 2009-10-01 | 129974 | 139834 |
| 2009-11-01 | 129968 | 139902 |
| 2009-12-01 | 129685 | 139970 |
| 2010-01-01 | 129717 | 140038 |
| 2010-02-01 | 129649 | 140106 |
| 2010-03-01 | 129810 | 140174 |
| 2010-04-01 | 130057 | 140242 |
| 2010-05-01 | 130575 | 140310 |
| 2010-06-01 | 130445 | 140378 |
| 2010-07-01 | 130381 | 140446 |
| 2010-08-01 | 130342 | 140514 |
| 2010-09-01 | 130293 | 140582 |
| 2010-10-01 | 130541 | 140650 |
| 2010-11-01 | 130662 | 140719 |
| 2010-12-01 | 130751 | 140787 |
| 2011-01-01 | 130826 | 140855 |
| 2011-02-01 | 130993 | 140924 |
| 2011-03-01 | 131199 | 140992 |
| 2011-04-01 | 131520 | 141060 |
| 2011-05-01 | 131623 | 141129 |
| 2011-06-01 | 131808 | 141197 |
| 2011-07-01 | 131925 | 141266 |
| 2011-08-01 | 132053 | 141334 |
| 2011-09-01 | 132276 | 141403 |
| 2011-10-01 | 132459 | 141472 |
| 2011-11-01 | 132605 | 141540 |
| 2011-12-01 | 132831 | 141609 |
| 2012-01-01 | 133211 | 141678 |
| 2012-02-01 | 133458 | 141746 |
| 2012-03-01 | 133674 | 141815 |
| 2012-04-01 | 133761 | 141884 |
| 2012-05-01 | 133874 | 141953 |
| 2012-06-01 | 133909 | 142022 |
| 2012-07-01 | 134086 | 142090 |
| 2012-08-01 | 134274 | 142159 |
| 2012-09-01 | 134418 | 142228 |
| 2012-10-01 | 134631 | 142297 |
| 2012-11-01 | 134795 | 142366 |
| 2012-12-01 | 135088 | 142435 |
| 2013-01-01 | 135293 | 142505 |
| 2013-02-01 | 135607 | 142574 |
| 2013-03-01 | 135722 | 142643 |
| 2013-04-01 | 135909 | 142712 |
| 2013-05-01 | 136128 | 142781 |
| 2013-06-01 | 136255 | 142851 |
| 2013-07-01 | 136419 | 142920 |
| 2013-08-01 | 136675 | 142989 |
| 2013-09-01 | 136825 | 143059 |
| 2013-10-01 | 137050 | 143128 |
| 2013-11-01 | 137367 | 143197 |
| 2013-12-01 | 137476 | 143267 |
| 2014-01-01 | 137574 | 143336 |
| 2014-02-01 | 137742 | 143421 |
| 2014-03-01 | 138014 | 143506 |
| 2014-04-01 | 138324 | 143591 |
| 2014-05-01 | 138537 | 143676 |
| 2014-06-01 | 138843 | 143760 |
| 2014-07-01 | 139075 | 143845 |
| 2014-08-01 | 139293 | 143930 |
| 2014-09-01 | 139579 | 144016 |
| 2014-10-01 | 139779 | 144101 |
| 2014-11-01 | 140110 | 144186 |
| 2014-12-01 | 140402 | 144271 |
| 2015-01-01 | 140623 | 144356 |
| 2015-02-01 | 140888 | 144448 |
| 2015-03-01 | 140972 | 144541 |
| 2015-04-01 | 141223 | 144633 |
| 2015-05-01 | 141496 | 144725 |
| 2015-06-01 | 141724 | 144818 |
| 2015-07-01 | 142001 | 144910 |
| 2015-08-01 | 142151 | 145003 |
| 2015-09-01 | 142300 | 145095 |
| 2015-10-01 | 142595 | 145188 |
| 2015-11-01 | 142875 | 145281 |
| 2015-12-01 | 143146 | 145373 |
| 2016-01-01 | 143314 | 145466 |
| 2016-02-01 | 143547 | 145533 |
| 2016-03-01 | 143733 | 145599 |
| 2016-04-01 | 143877 | 145666 |
| 2016-05-01 | 143901 | 145732 |
| 2016-06-01 | 144172 | 145799 |
| 2016-07-01 | 144424 | 145866 |
| 2016-08-01 | 144600 | 145932 |
| 2016-09-01 | 144791 | 145999 |
| 2016-10-01 | 144952 | 146066 |
| 2016-11-01 | 145133 | 146132 |
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
Previous chart: « Public-sector jobs gap: Government employment and the number of jobs needed to keep up with the growth in population, 2000–2016
Next chart: Labor force participation rate of workers ages 25-54, 1989–2016 »