The Employment-to-population ratio is a statistical ratio which measures the proportion of the country’s working-age population that is employed. In many ways it is a more accurate barometer of employment conditions than is the unemployment rate.
As the chart below shows, the U.S. employment-to-population ratio has been in decline for approximately a decade—a reflection of the economy’s weakening ability to generate jobs (even poorly paying ones). Said differently, our economic problems have a real structural basis.
Reports from the Economic Front 
