America Works: Workforce By the Numbers

America Works: Workforce By the Numbers

Related This page captures the latest data around job openings, labor force participation, shortages by state and industry, the skills gap, and more, for a quick understanding of the state of the workforce. For more workforce content, programs, and solutions from the U.S. Chamber and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, visit the America Works Initiative. The Workforce Returns, Downward Participation Persists The labor force participation rate has trended downward for more than 20 years. In 2000, the labor force participation rate hovered around 66%. Since 2021, the labor force participation rate has stayed mainly between 62 – 63%. While the participation rate is climbing back upward, it took a hit during the pandemic as early retirements, childcare challenges, and less immigration left the nation with a severe worker deficit. Plus, boosted unemployment benefits, stimulus payments, and child tax credits offered during the pandemic padded finances and the period saw some previously employed...
Read More
Does technology help or hurt employment? | MIT News

Does technology help or hurt employment? | MIT News

This is part 2 of a two-part MIT News feature examining new job creation in the U.S. since 1940, based on new research from Ford Professor of Economics David Autor. Part 1 is available here. Ever since the Luddites were destroying machine looms, it has been obvious that new technologies can wipe out jobs. But technical innovations also create new jobs: Consider a computer programmer, or someone installing solar panels on a roof. Overall, does technology replace more jobs than it creates? What is the net balance between these two things? Until now, that has not been measured. But a new research project led by MIT economist David Autor has developed an answer, at least for U.S. history since 1940. The study uses new methods to examine how many jobs have been lost to machine automation, and how many have been generated through “augmentation,” in which technology creates new tasks. On net, the study finds, and particularly since 1980, technology has replaced more...
Read More
US-UK pact will boost advances in drug discovery, create tens of thousands of jobs and transform lives

US-UK pact will boost advances in drug discovery, create tens of thousands of jobs and transform lives

Transatlantic pact to speed up world-leading AI research to help develop new drugs, faster life-saving treatments and improved cancer care Alliance ushers in golden age of nuclear technology, delivering clean, homegrown energy and unlocking high-paying jobs for the British people North East set to become new AI Growth Zone – creating potential for more than 5,000 jobs and billions in private investment – as well as major deal struck between British firm Nscale and leading American firms NVIDIA and OpenAI to deliver a Stargate UK Comes as American tech firms back historic agreement pouring more than £31 billion into the UK AI and tech infrastructure, including Microsoft’s largest ever commitment to the UK As part of the US President’s State Visit, the UK and US have agreed the Tech Prosperity Deal, focused on developing the fastest growing technologies like AI, quantum, and nuclear. This comes as America’s top technology and AI...
Read More
The U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, stoking labor market worries

The U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, stoking labor market worries

The U.S. shed 92,000 jobs in February and previous months of job growth were not as strong as previously reported, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Friday in a report that will raise alarms about the state of the economy. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 4.4%, little changed from January’s report. Economists had expected the economy to add 50,000 jobs and the unemployment report to remain at 4.3%. Friday's report revised down January's previously stellar payrolls figure from 130,000 to 126,000. The agency also cut December’s figure from 50,000 jobs added to a contraction of 17,000. With those revisions, 2025 was the first year to record five months of labor market contractions since 2010, as the economy was recovering from the global financial crisis. "Well, that was ugly," wrote Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at the financial publishign company Bankrate, wrote in a note after Friday's data release. Hamrick noted that in addition to the job contraction and...
Read More
A Shifting Pipeline: What Indeed’s Data Reveals About Immigrants’ Role in the US Labor Force

A Shifting Pipeline: What Indeed’s Data Reveals About Immigrants’ Role in the US Labor Force

Indeed data shows that foreign job seeker interest in US jobs has dropped to its lowest levels since early 2020, with broad implications for large swaths of the labor market. Key Points: Foreign job seeker interest in US jobs has fallen sharply since 2024 and is currently at a 6-year low. Employers’ stated willingness to hire workers requiring visa sponsorship has tripled since the pandemic. International talent is an important component of the US labor market, representing a significant proportion of workers in industries including cleaning, farming, construction, tech, healthcare, production, transportation, and service. Broad changes to immigration policy since early 2025 are reshaping who contributes to the United States labor force. The United States labor market has long depended on a steady flow of immigrant workers. In recent years, as the native-born population aged and labor force growth stalled, immigration has filled critical gaps across sectors. But a new Hiring Lab analysis shows that pipeline has been disrupted, with foreign interest in US jobs...
Read More
January 2026 US Labor Market Update: Jobs Mentioning AI Are Growing Amid Broader Hiring Weakness

January 2026 US Labor Market Update: Jobs Mentioning AI Are Growing Amid Broader Hiring Weakness

Small pockets of growth are emerging as employers concentrate their limited hiring on roles and skills tied to AI. Key points: Hiring activity remains subdued, and job postings are flat or declining in many occupations. However, jobs with AI mentions are bucking the overall trend and are growing across many knowledge work occupations. The Indeed AI Tracker reached a high of 4.2% in December 2025. Nearly 45% of data & analytics postings now contain AI-related terms, compared with about 15% in marketing and 9% in human resources.  Our monthly Labor Market Update examines significant trends using Indeed and other labor market data. Our US Labor Market Overview chartbook provides a more comprehensive view of the US labor market. Data from our Job Postings Index — which stood 6% above its Feb 1, 2020 baseline as of December 31, 2025  — and the Indeed Wage Tracker (including sector-level data) are regularly updated and can be accessed on our data portal.  The total number of US job postings...
Read More
Hiring in the US drops to pandemic lows as job market under Trump stagnates | Business and Economy News

Hiring in the US drops to pandemic lows as job market under Trump stagnates | Business and Economy News

Job openings in the United States have dropped to their lowest level in six years, as the demand for labour stalls amid concerns about trade, immigration and the surging role of artificial intelligence (AI).Tuesday’s Job Openings and Labour Turnover Survey (JOLTS), a monthly report released by the US Labour Department, showed that job openings tumbled by 358,000 to 6.882 million in February.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThat was down from a projected 6.918 million job openings for the month, a steeper decline than experts had expected. In January, the JOLTS report had recorded 7.240 million job openings.Hiring efforts also slumped in February, with 498,000 fewer people hired, for a total of 4.8 million people. That marks the lowest hiring level since March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.Fewer people are also leaving their jobs for new ones, reflecting stagnation in the job market. Three million people quit last month, for a rate of 1.9 percent.Alongside the stagnating job market,...
Read More
U.S. payroll growth slowed sharply in June, adding only 57,000 jobs

U.S. payroll growth slowed sharply in June, adding only 57,000 jobs

U.S. jobs growth disappointed last month, with the data likely to set back market expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike as soon as this summer or early Fall.The U.S. added 57,000 jobs in June, according to the government's Nonfarm Payrolls Report released Thursday morning. That's lower than the 110,000 forecasted by economists and significantly below May's 129,000 gain (revised from an originally reported 172,000).The unemployment rate came in at 4.2% versus an expected 4.3% and May's 4.3%. The drop in the UE rate, even as hiring slowed, was due to the Labor Force Participation rate declining to 61.5% from 61.8%.Up strongly ahead of the report, bitcoin held above $61,000, higher by 4% over the past 24 hours.U.S. stocks are liking the data, Nasdaq 100 futures moving to a 0.7% gain from about flat ahead of the report. The 10-year Treasury yield has dipped four basis points to 4.46% Source link...
Read More

US stocks, bonds rally after soft jobs report; yen bounces back

By Amanda Cooper LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Global stocks headed for their strongest weekly gain since May after a weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs report eased fears of an imminent Federal Reserve rate hike, while strong earnings and AI enthusiasm outweighed concerns about the Iran war. U.S. stocks rose on Friday, led by technology and consumer discretionary shares, and Treasury yields fell, reflecting ebbing expectations that the Fed will raise rates at next month's meeting. Among major gainers around midday were SpaceX, up 12% on Friday and 19% for the week despite a large share lockup having been lifted on Thursday, and Tesla, up 3.8% for the day and 6.4% for the week. The Nasdaq rose 1.3% near midday and the dollar...
Read More
Long-term unemployment is surging in the U.S., costing workers and the economy

Long-term unemployment is surging in the U.S., costing workers and the economy

Over recent weeks, Parker Taylor reached a grim milestone in his work history.The 29-year-old had been employed consistently since he was a teen, first on a factory floor and most recently in medical sales. But the St. Petersburg, Florida, resident hasn't been able to start a new gig after losing his job shortly before the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday.Taylor has become part of a group of more than 1.8 million Americans classified as long-term unemployed — which the government defines as jobless for at least 27 weeks — in a given month this year. That figure is up about 45% from 2019 and 55% from 2023, a CNBC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data found."This can't go on much longer without some type of catastrophic change to my life," Taylor said. "That this era of my life could affect my long-term future — my family's future, my future children's future — is something that I go to sleep thinking about."Without...
Read More