Long-Term Unemployment, Shrinking Participation, and Future Economic Growth

Over the past nine years, U. S. hours worked per person have declined by almost 8 percent, and output per person has barely increased. This combines a drop in hours per worker, higher long-term unemployment, and declining labor-force participation. Employers limit workers to part-time schedules and discriminate against the long-term unemployed. Declining participation combines baby-boom retirement with the dropping out of adult men. To what extent are these adverse trends caused by technology, globalization, and other factors, and what can be done about them?