The Economics Daily Home page

To celebrate Pi Day, we made some pie charts using U.S. economic data. For example, in 2025, women made up 47.1 percent of employed people age 16 and over and men accounted for 52.9 percent. By comparison, 75 years earlier, the workforce was 29.4 percent women and 70.6 percent men in 1950.

Of the more than 800 detailed occupations for which BLS develops employment projections, 178 typically require a bachelor’s degree for entry. General and operations managers is projected to have 308,700 openings each year, on average, from 2024 to 2034, more than any other occupation that typically requires a bachelor’s degree for entry. Important skills for these managers include leadership, problem-solving and decision-making, and adaptability.

Total nonfarm payroll employment edged down by 92,000 in February 2026, following an increase in January (+126,000). Employment in health care decreased in February, reflecting strike activity. Employment in information and federal government continued to trend down. Payroll employment changed little on net in 2025.

There were 30 major work stoppages beginning in 2025. The lowest annual total of major work stoppages was 5 in 2009 and the highest was 470 in 1952. Between 2016 and 2025, there were average of 20.8 work stoppages beginning in the year.