Barron’s (August 7)
2026/ 08/ 08 by jd in Global News
“America’s biggest contemporary economic problem is probably a lack of sufficient U.S. labor force growth.” Since 2000, the domestic labor force “has only risen at a 0.9% pace, and since 2020, at only a 0.35% pace.” In the previous 50 years, annualized growth average 1.7%. “U.S. labor force growth has nearly flatlined in recent years” for reasons “including aging demographics (a retiring workforce), a cultural shift toward later family formations, families having fewer children, and much slower net U.S. immigration…. Simply put, the U.S. does not now, nor will it in the coming years, likely have sufficient labor force growth to actually enjoy a real productivity boom.”
Tags: Productivity boom