A Shrinking Workforce Is Changing the U.S. Economy as Participation Falls to a Historic Low
One of the most important changes in the U.S. economy is not just slower hiring, but the growing number of people leaving the labor force altogether. The labor-force participation rate fell to 61.9% in March 2026, the lowest level since 1977 outside the pandemic period. That measure tracks the share of Americans who are either […]
