Where Are the Missing Gen Z Workers?
With prime-age workforce participation back to pre-pandemic levels, the lagging numbers for Americans in their 20s are standing out more and more.
More than 400,000 Americans in their 20s should be starting long careers, not fading into the sunset.
Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
In February, the labor-force participation rate for Americans ages 25 to 54 hit 83.1%, surpassing its pre-pandemic, pre-recession peak — which never happened during the past two economic expansions. This is something to celebrate: The US is back to work!
Not all of the US, though. The 25-to-54 age group is the core of the labor force, often referred to as “prime age.” But there are 58 million working Americans outside of it, 21 million younger and 37 million older. Their experience during the pandemic has been more complicated and helps explain the labor shortages, the so-called Great Resignation and other interesting phenomena of the past couple of years.