Adding Jobs Would Be a Steep Climb for Trump

Donald Trump wants to be a great jobs president. But the forces that really affect employment are beyond his control -- and they are working against him.

Over the long run, when it comes to job growth, demographics is destiny. The Reagan and Clinton presidencies, so strong economically, coincided with the baby boomer generation being in its peak years. Even the Carter presidency, remembered more for inflation and an energy crisis than for job growth, saw 10 million jobs created as young baby boomers flooded into the workforce. As baby boomers continue to age and retire, they'll represent a demographic headwind to job growth. In the 1990s, the U.S. economy needed to add about 200,000 jobs a month to maintain a stable unemployment rate. In the near future, it'll be more like 75,000.