December 05, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Labor force to continue to diversify

The diverse demographic groups that make up the labor force are projected to grow at different rates between 2000 and 2010. As a result, the sex, race, and ethnic origin profile of the workforce will continue to change.

Projected annual labor force growth rates, 2000-2010
[Chart data—TXT]

For women, the rate of growth in the labor force is expected to slow, but it will still increase at a faster rate than that of men. As a result, the share of women in the labor force is projected to increase from 47 percent in 2000 to 48 percent in 2010.

Among race and ethnic groups, the Asian and other labor force is projected to increase most rapidly. By 2010, the Hispanic labor force is projected to be larger than the black labor force, primarily because of faster population growth. Despite slower-than-average growth and a declining share of the total labor force, white non-Hispanics will continue to make up more than two-thirds of the work force.

These data are from the BLS Employment Projections program. For more information, see "Labor force projections to 2010: steady growth and changing composition," by Howard N Fullerton, Jr. and Mitra Toossi, Monthly Labor Review, November 2001. (The BLS employment projections for the period 2000-2010 were completed prior to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. BLS will continue to review its projections and, as the long-term consequences of September 11 become clearer, will incorporate these effects in subsequent analyses of industrial and occupational outlook.)

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