ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the likely size, gender, age, and race/ethnicity characteristics of the labor force of the United States. In 1900, the US labor force was only 28.4 million; by 1990 it was 124.8 million. During this same period, the US population increased from 75.9 to 248.7 million. So while the population increased by 227 percent, the labor force increased by nearly 340 percent. This rapid growth rate was primarily caused by the increased participation of women. Increases in female participation in the labor force, the aging of the labor force, and the increasing ethnic diversity of the labor force have impacted the labor force in the past and are projected to continue to do so in the future. Growth in the labor force will be substantially dependent on immigration.
