Millions of potential workers sidelined: Missing workers,* January 2006–February 2015

Date Missing workers
2006-01-01 530,000
2006-02-01 110,000
2006-03-01 110,000
2006-04-01 250,000
2006-05-01 210,000
2006-06-01 110,000
2006-07-01 60,000
2006-08-01 -120,000
2006-09-01 120,000
2006-10-01 -50,000
2006-11-01 -220,000
2006-12-01 -500,000
2007-01-01 -460,000
2007-02-01 -210,000
2007-03-01 -150,000
2007-04-01 650,000
2007-05-01 560,000
2007-06-01 360,000
2007-07-01 370,000
2007-08-01 840,000
2007-09-01 410,000
2007-10-01 800,000
2007-11-01 280,000
2007-12-01 250,000
2008-01-01 -320,000
2008-02-01 220,000
2008-03-01 50,000
2008-04-01 340,000
2008-05-01 -60,000
2008-06-01 20,000
2008-07-01 -70,000
2008-08-01 -90,000
2008-09-01 180,000
2008-10-01 60,000
2008-11-01 420,000
2008-12-01 420,000
2009-01-01 710,000
2009-02-01 620,000
2009-03-01 1,050,000
2009-04-01 750,000
2009-05-01 650,000
2009-06-01 650,000
2009-07-01 1,040,000
2009-08-01 1,320,000
2009-09-01 2,050,000
2009-10-01 2,270,000
2009-11-01 2,300,000
2009-12-01 3,120,000
2010-01-01 2,770,000
2010-02-01 2,690,000
2010-03-01 2,440,000
2010-04-01 1,940,000
2010-05-01 2,530,000
2010-06-01 2,950,000
2010-07-01 3,220,000
2010-08-01 2,830,000
2010-09-01 3,200,000
2010-10-01 3,640,000
2010-11-01 3,310,000
2010-12-01 3,800,000
2011-01-01 3,910,000
2011-02-01 4,110,000
2011-03-01 3,960,000
2011-04-01 4,000,000
2011-05-01 4,110,000
2011-06-01 4,220,000
2011-07-01 4,640,000
2011-08-01 4,100,000
2011-09-01 3,990,000
2011-10-01 4,090,000
2011-11-01 4,090,000
2011-12-01 4,150,000
2012-01-01 4,450,000
2012-02-01 4,180,000
2012-03-01 4,240,000
2012-04-01 4,630,000
2012-05-01 4,240,000
2012-06-01 4,060,000
2012-07-01 4,520,000
2012-08-01 4,630,000
2012-09-01 4,500,000
2012-10-01 3,930,000
2012-11-01 4,370,000
2012-12-01 4,070,000
2013-01-01 4,350,000
2013-02-01 4,790,000
2013-03-01 5,310,000
2013-04-01 5,060,000
2013-05-01 4,840,000
2013-06-01 4,700,000
2013-07-01 5,030,000
2013-08-01 5,150,000
2013-09-01 5,370,000
2013-10-01 6,120,000
2013-11-01 5,700,000
2013-12-01 5,950,000
2014-01-01 5,850,000
2014-02-01 5,650,000
2014-03-01 5,330,000
2014-04-01 6,210,000
2014-05-01 5,940,000
2014-06-01 5,950,000
2014-07-01 5,810,000
2014-08-01 5,890,000
2014-09-01 6,250,000
2014-10-01 5,720,000
2014-11-01 5,760,000
2014-12-01 6,100,000
2015-01-01 5,760,000
2015-02-01 5,970,000

 

* Potential workers who, due to weak job opportunities, are neither employed nor actively seeking work

Note: Volatility in the number of missing workers in 2006–2008, including cases of negative numbers of missing workers, is simply the result of month-to-month variability in the sample. The Great Recession–induced pool of missing workers began to form and grow starting in late 2008.

Source: EPI analysis of Mitra Toossi, “Labor Force Projections to 2016: More Workers in Their Golden Years,” Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Labor Review, November 2007; and Current Population Survey public data series

View the underlying data on epi.org.