An Assessment of Labor Force Participation Rates and Underemployment in Appalachia

This study provides county-level measures of labor force participation and underemployment rates for the years 1993 to 1998. Underemployment and labor force participation rates both reveal better than unemployment the higher degree of labor market surplus in Appalachia compared to the United States as a whole. The report also examines how the Region's sectoral composition and economic base correlated with labor market experience. To gain further insight into how policy makers and practitioners might promote more successful economic development, the authors interviewed eight economic development practitioners from local development districts with low underemployment and unemployment.