July payrolls dip as workers exit the labor force, unemployment falls
TL;DR
The U.S. job count fell by about 23,000 in July, but the unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% as more Americans left the labor force, with the labor-force participation rate sinking to 61.4% (the lowest since February 2021). The share of workers aged 25–54 also declined this year, suggesting underlying weakness in the labor market despite the headline improvement in unemployment.
- Unemployment improved, because thousands of workers disappeared. Where did they go? The Washington Post
- Why the U.S. labor market is hemorrhaging workers NBC News
- A Labor-Market Combo ‘We’ve Never Seen Before’ WSJ
- The size of the American workforce has fallen by over 1 million people in the past year. Here’s what’s going on. MarketWatch
- Why people are dropping out of the workforce and not looking for new jobs: 'The market wore me down' CNBC
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