July 29, 2008 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Labor force participation of seniors, 1948-2007

In recent years a larger share of people 65 and older is staying in or returning to the labor force.

Labor force participation rate of workers 65 and over, 1948-2007
[Chart data—TXT]

The labor force participation rate for older workers—the percentage of person 65 and older who are working or seeking employment—has been rising since the late 1990s. This is especially notable because the 65-and-over labor force participation rate had been at historic lows during the mid 1980s and early 1990s.

These data are from the Current Population Survey program. To learn more, see "Older Workers," BLS Spotlight on Statistics, July 2008.

 

Of interest

Spotlight on Statistics: The Recession of 2007–2009

The most recent recession in the United States began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, though many of the statistics that describe the U.S. economy have yet to return to their pre-recession values. In this Spotlight, we present BLS data that compare the recent recession to previous recessions. Read more »