Employment Over Time

We all know that the unemployment rate is high at 9.7%. The recession has been tough. But until the last couple of years, the long-term picture was good. The percent of the civilian noninstitutional population that was employed was trending upward. Here are the average percentages per dedade:

1970s 57.66
1980s 60.1
1990s 62.85
2000s 62.57

The data comes from a Bureau of Labor Statistics site called A-1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and over, 1970 to date. The graph below shows the yearly changes.