There is significant attention on the nation’s low unemployment rate. The quick impression is that there is nobody available to work.
A new report from the Brookings Institution tells a different story.
According to Brookings, there are 78.9 million Americans between 25-64 years of age. These are civilians not living in institutions, like a prison. Of that age group, 4 million are unemployed but available for work and actively seeking employment. Then, there’s an additional 16.2 million in that age bracket that is not part of the labor force. They are not working and not looking for a wide variety of reasons.
The study is worth looking at for a detailed understanding of who may be available to work and what might coax them into the workforce.