40% out of the labor force? (employment, 2013, average, jobs)

[johnsonkk]

Seen a few recent articles that say 40% of adults are either not employed nor seeking employment. So 40% are out and only 60% of adults are supporting the country?

Here is a summary chart, which lists data in thousands but don’t know how many adults are in U.S. out of 350 million.
https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea38.htm

[Moby Hick]

The Baby Boom is now old and still huge. That's going to boost that figure for years to come because so many adults are retired.

[Chas863]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

Seen a few recent articles that say 40% of adults are either not employed nor seeking employment. So 40% are out and only 60% of adults are supporting the country?

Here is a summary chart, which lists data in thousands but don’t know how many adults are in U.S. out of 350 million.
https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea38.htm

You don't have to be employed to pay taxes. I'm retired, but still pay considerable taxes every year. Being retired has nothing to do with whether you have to pay taxes.

[Disgustedman]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

Seen a few recent articles that say 40% of adults are either not employed nor seeking employment. So 40% are out and only 60% of adults are supporting the country?
w

You're surprised?

Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States averaged 62.85 percent from 1948 until 2021, reaching an all time high of 67.30 percent in January of 2000 and a record low of 58.10 percent in December of 1954.

It'll drop further as us boomers retire.

[Avondalist]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

Seen a few recent articles that say 40% of adults are either not employed nor seeking employment. So 40% are out and only 60% of adults are supporting the country?

Here is a summary chart, which lists data in thousands but don’t know how many adults are in U.S. out of 350 million.
https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea38.htm

Now imagine it's 1925, few women formally work, and there's tons of kids.

The entire economy was manned (deliberate choice there) by like 30% of the population.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

So 40% are out and only 60% of adults are supporting the country?

That's largely how it always was.
The Dad had a decent job and if the Mom worked it was rarely very many hours
and what $$ was earned was mostly (for most) about having "extra" things.

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by Chas863

You don't have to be employed to pay taxes. I'm retired, but still pay considerable taxes every year. Being retired has nothing to do with whether you have to pay taxes.

Great point. Should have phrased the angle differently.

[tnff]

Originally Posted by Avondalist

Now imagine it's 1925, few women formally work, and there's tons of kids.

The entire economy was manned (deliberate choice there) by like 30% of the population.

I think what's missed when discussing things like this, is that the huge percent of population, women at that time, were doing the support work at home that allowed the other 30% or so to do the work. Today we ignore/discount the work done by those at home as less valuable, but the net result is that work (everything from cooking and cleaning to yard work and minor repairs) still has to be done. So it falls on the worker to spend their non work time doing the support functions too.

Wonder why people feel so overworked and burned out today? They're carrying double duty. Both work at jobs and then return to work at home. With the added bonus of being "connected" 24/7 to work.

[Mimidae]

Originally Posted by tnff

I think what's missed when discussing things like this is that the huge percent of population, women at that time, were doing the support work at home that allowed the other 30% or so to do the work.

Exactly. People say "women didn't work" when they mean "women didn't get paid a salary to do the work they were doing." And the old adage that woman's work is never done was true. Our grandmothers didn't stop at the corner pub at 5pm or put their feet up on the ottoman and wait for dinner to be served. Their work day did not end until the kids, or the elderly people in the household, went to bed. But they worked.

[Forever Blue]

COVID really did a # on things. When people were out of work due to it & things opened up again, NUMEROUS business didn't & had closed permanently & those people haven't gotten work again since.

It's tough.