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US employment appears to be one of the brightest spots in the slowing economy.

But an often underlooked measure paints a less rosy picture of the labor market.

The labor-force participation rate has hovered around 62% over the past decade, which was low by historical standards and compared with other countries.

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On the surface, US employment has remained one of the brightest spots in an economy expected to slow.

The country has added jobs for a record-setting 105 straight months. For much of the past year, the closely-watched unemployment rate held near its lowest level in nearly five decades.

But a commonly overlooked measure paints a less rosy picture of the labor market.

Representing the share of the working-age population that is employed, the labor force participation rate sheds light on the degree to which Americans have given up on looking for work.

And that figure has barely budged from around 62% over the past decade, which is low by historical standards and compared with other countries. While part of that is the result of an aging workforce, a deeper look reveals some troubling trends for economists.

"What is more concerning is labor force participation among workers in their main working years," said Martha Gimbel, the research director Indeed, a job-search site.

The number of 25- to 54-year old Americans in the labor force has fallen from peaks over recent decades. Among women, economists have found childcare policies in a country heavily influence workforce participation.

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The US lags behind countries that offer policies such as paid family leave, according to Gimbel. The prime-age women's labor force participation rate is 83% in Canada, where there is parental leave of up to 18 months and subsidized child care.

"The United States is an outlier in our refusal to provide access to paid family leave, which we know holds back women's labor force participation," Gimbel said. "It is unlikely American women will get there without more support for the caregiving burden our society places on them."

Men face challenges both directly and indirectly tied to childcare policy. While they hold a higher prime-age labor force participation rate, it has fallen below peak levels in recent years.

Gaps in educational attainment and a slow recovery in construction activity are also behind the weakening, said Ryan Sweet, an economist at Moody's Analytics. Structural issues such as the opioid crisis and incarceration haven't helped, he said, making it unlikely that the pattern will change even as the expansion endures.

"Men leaving the labor force because changing gender norms allow them to explore other ways of contributing to the household is not a concern," Sweet said. "Declining economic opportunities making labor force participation unappealing for men is definitely a concern."

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