Table 1

Decline in the labor force participation rate from 1989 to 2011 and its possible effect on the unemployment rate in 2011

Labor force participation rate Unemployment rate
Gender Age 1989 2007 2011 Counterfactual 2011 rate* 2011 Counterfactual 2011 rate**
Men 16–24 73.1% 61.5% 56.6% 59.8% 18.7% 23.1%
25–54  93.7  90.9  88.7  90.3  8.2  9.8
55+  39.6  45.2  46.3  45.9  7.0  6.1
Women 16–24 64.5% 57.2% 53.3% 56.5% 15.7% 20.5%
25–54  73.7  75.4  74.7  75.6  7.6  8.8
55+  23.0  33.2  35.1  35.8  6.2  8.1
All 66.5% 66.0% 64.1% 65.4% 8.9% 10.7%

* Had labor force participation rates within gender/age/education groups followed their long-term trends (i.e., the trends from 1989 to 2007) from 2007 to 2011. (Education breakdowns not shown.)

** If the workers making up the difference between the 2011 labor force participation rate and its long-term trend had instead been in the labor force and unemployed.

Source: Author's analysis of basic monthly Current Population Survey microdata

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