COMMITTEE on WAYS and MEANS

Chairman Dave Camp

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This Is a Recovery? Since August 2009 Average Drop in Labor Force Is 21,000 People a Month
Total Working-Age Population “Not in Labor Force” Has Grown by Over 4 Million
Thursday, October 04, 2012
If it wasn't bad enough that the Obama Administration has been unable to create a climate conducive to job creation, as the table below shows, their failed policies have resulted in massive numbers of Americans giving up their job search entirely and leaving the labor force.  Since the “recovery” began in the summer of 2009, the number of Americans ages 16 through 64 who are working or trying to find a job (i.e. “in the labor force”) has dropped by 780,000, or an average of over 21,000 per month.  Meanwhile, the number not working or trying to find a job (i.e. “not in the labor force”) has grown by over 4 million, or an average of over 117,000 per month.
 
   Working Age Population  In Labor Force Not in Labor Force
August 2009  198.028M  148.330M  49.698M
August 2012  201.484M  147.550M  53.934M
--Total Change  +3.456M  -780,000  +4.236M
--Average Monthly Change
 +96,000  -21,667  +117,667

Source: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.  “Working age” means 16 through 64; data are not seasonally adjusted.
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