Eye On The Market Broadcast: A Deeper Look Into The Labor Force

I've again had the honor of being a guest on David O. England's Eye on the Market radio broadcast. My first segment last month focused on household incomes. A second segment explored some of the complexities of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index.

I posted a brief commentary last month highlighted some of the key data points in those two segments:Eye on the Market Broadcast: Household Incomes and Inflation.

The latest segment, which aired today, touches on some rather dramatic changes in the labor force participation rate by age groups. This is an area of interest I examine monthly in a series of updates following the BLS's release of the latest employment report:

• Monthly Employment Report
• The Part-Time Employment Ratio
• Structural Trends in Employment by Age Group
• Demographic Trends in the 50-and-Older Work Force

This month I've added a new focus to this subject area:

• Multiple Jobholders as a Percent of the Employed

A Couple of Book Recommendations

During my conversation with David, I mentioned a couple of my all-time favorite books:

• Daniel Alpert, The Age of Oversupply: Overcoming the Greatest Challenge to the Global Economy. An excellent explanation for structural changes in developed economies with the rise of emerging markets.
• Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. Do you frequently find it difficult to make choices from the range of options at your disposal? Are you prone to second thoughts about the choices you've made? If so, then this book is a must read.

Here is an excellent overview of the Paradox concept.