June 26, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

The labor force is getting older

The median age of the labor force is rising. It will approach 41 years by 2008—a very high level by historical standards.

Median years of age of the labor force, 1978, 1988, 1998, and projected 2008
[Chart data—TXT]

Many of the changes in the age structure of the labor force reflect the aging of the baby boom.

Data on labor force participation are from the Current Population Survey. Projections are from the Employment Projections program. Find out more about labor force projections in Working in the 21st Century, (Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2001).

 

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