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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 693-4650
LABOR DAY MESSAGE 2000
Secretary of Labor
Alexis M. Herman
With immense satisfaction, deep pride and even a little
awe, I am delighted to report that on Labor Day 2000, the state of the American
workforce is prosperous, strong and facing the future with confidence.
We knew economies could be good - but we didn't know they
could be this good. We knew economies could break records - but we didn't know
they could rewrite the entire record book. Today, in many ways, we are living
in a "Tiger Woods" economy.
We are now in month 113 of the longest economic expansion
in American history; unemployment is the lowest in 30 years. Twenty-two million
new jobs were created in the last eight years; family incomes are climbing and
the poverty rate is falling. It is an amazingly prosperous time.
We often give too little credit to the people who really
make our economy perform: From the workers who build the jets and fix the
computers and sweep the floors to the teachers who spend their days in the
classroom with our children. These are the saints of Labor Day, who serve with
honor and dignity.
I have seen the honor and dignity of the American worker.
I've seen it in coal mines and in classrooms, in office suites and garages. On
construction sites and in factories. I've seen it in workplaces all across the
country. I've seen it so deeply, so profoundly, it will be with me the rest of
my life. It has amazed me and humbled me. These working Americans will make the
future a time of great possibilities and opportunity. I wish all of you a happy
and enjoyable Labor Day. It's your holiday; you've earned it.
Attachments:
10 Workforce Facts
Labor Day 2000
10 Workforce Facts
In 1999, a higher proportion of both men and women [16
years and over] were employed than ever before -71.6 and 57.4 percent
respectively.
The workforce expanded nearly 5-fold during the 20th
century, from 28 million people in 1900 to 139 million in 1999.
Women's participation in the labor force more than tripled
over the past century. In 1900, less than 20 percent of women were in the labor
force; by 1999, women's participation had increased to 60 percent.
84 percent of baby boomers (ages 36 to 54 in 2000)
participate in the labor market and baby boomers make up nearly 50 percent of
the workforce:
The average person in the U.S. holds 9.2 jobs from age 18
to age 34. More than half of these jobs were held between the ages of 18 and
24.
Welfare recipients make up 2.3 percent of the US
population, the lowest rate since 1965.
Education is directly tied to unemployment rates with
college graduates experiencing half the unemployment rate of high school
graduates (1.8 percent versus 3.5 percent in 1999) or a fraction of the
unemployment of high school dropouts. (1.8% vs 6.7 percent in 1999).
The proportion of prime working-age Americans with college
degrees quadrupled during the second half of the century.
- In 1950, 60 percent of Americans age 25-54 years lacked a high
school diploma; by 1999, that percentage had declined to just under 12
percent.
- In 1950, only 7 percent of 25-54 years old were college graduates; by
1999, that proportion had grown to 29 percent.
Average weekly hours in manufacturing fell from 59.0 hours
in 1900 to 40.5 hours in 1950, and has changed little since.
The workplace injury and illness incidence rate is the
lowest reported since federal data collection began in the early 1970s.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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