Poverty Expert: To Boost Labor Force Participation Rate, Public Assistance Programs Should Promote Work

(CNSNews.com) - President Obama frequently points to the nation's 5 percent unemployment rate as a sign of economic strength, but he doesn't mention the labor force participation rate, which is hovering at lows not seen since the late 1970s.

"And the extent to which people are not working is a very significant drag on growth in the American economy," Robert Doar of the American Enterprise Institute told CSPAN's "National Journal" on Tuesday.

As CNSNews.com has reported, the labor force participation rate has steadily dropped since its record high of 67.3 percent in early 2000. In December 2015, only 62.6 percent of the civilian, non-institutional population over the age of 16 participated in the labor force by either having a job or actively seeking one. Not since 1978 has the labor force participation rate been that low.

According to Doar, "If we had the same labor force participation that we had prior to (Obama's) presidency, we'd have 8 million more people working" right now.

"My view is, is that over the last eight years, and going back into the Bush administration a little bit as well, there was more of a focus on getting people signed up (for public assistance) and not enough on employment. And I think that's a problem. Not because I want to hurt or harm people, but because I think people are better off when they're working."

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