Reasons people have left the labor force include going back to school, becoming ill or disabled, staying home to care for children or elders, taking early retirement, and becoming discouraged about one’s ability to get a job at all. Economist William Rodgers at Rutgers University’s Heldrich Center for Workforce Development said, in many cases, these people have found ways to survive and make ends meet without getting traditional employment again. And he said wage-growth will have to improve to make it worthwhile for many of these people to return to the job-hunt.
Report Release: R/ECON Forecast Winter 2026
Read Report R/ECON’s economic forecast for New Jersey at the beginning of 2026 is a mixed bag. The state, like the nation, is likely to finish the year with notably stronger GDP growth than forecast earlier in the year. At the same time, the outlook for 2026 continues...