Mike Horrigan

@mikehorrigan.bsky.social

President of the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, incoming Vice President of the National Association for Business Economics, and former Associate Commissioner at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Employment/Unemployment/Prices)

The number of individuals who are out of the labor force but reported currently wanting a job now and cited childcare, family responsibilities, or transportation issues as being barriers to looking for work or working rose to 1 million in the summer of 2020, staying around that level ever since.

This chart from the Current Population Survey shows a times series of the number of individuals who are currently out of the labor force, want a job now, but cite childcare, family responsibilities, or transportation issues as barriers to working or looking for work. The number of such individuals rose to 1 million in the pandemic summer of 2020 and has stayed at that level since, the latest number being 1.233 million in June 2026

Trust in the data produced by statistical agencies is fundamental to the functioning of a democratic society. Unfounded attacks on those institutions, rather than constructive dialog to identify problems and suggest solutions, causes incredible damage.