The labor force participation rate calculator works out labor force participation rate, unemployment rate and labor force from employed population, unemployed population and working age population. Enter what you have and the relationship is applied straight away, so you get the answer without working through the algebra yourself.
What Is the Labor Force Participation Rate Calculator?
The labor force participation rate calculator takes employed population, unemployed population and working age population and turns them into labor force participation rate, unemployment rate and labor force.
It is the kind of calculation you would otherwise do on the back of an envelope: mechanical, repeatable and easy to get subtly wrong without noticing.
How the Labor Force Participation Rate Figure Is Built
Each result is calculated from the ones before it, so the working is fully visible. That matters when the answer is going to be quoted to somebody else and you need to be able to explain where it came from.
The figures are exactly as good as the assumptions underneath them. Check the rates, the periods and the tax treatment before you rely on the result.
Reading the Result Sensibly
A small change in an input can move the result by much more than you would expect, particularly where the calculation divides by one of the figures you supplied. That is worth understanding before you rely on a figure.
For anything that will be committed to, write the inputs down beside the result. A number you can reproduce is worth far more than one you cannot explain.
A Worked Example
Working through an example, with employed population set to 10, unemployed population set to 5, working age population set to 2, the calculator returns labor force of 15, and labor force participation rate of 7.5, and unemployment rate of 0.33333. Substitute your own figures and the same steps produce the same kind of answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to work out labor force participation rate?
Enter employed population, unemployed population and working age population. The calculator then works through the relationship and reports labor force participation rate, unemployment rate and labor force.
What does the labor force participation rate actually calculate?
It takes employed population, unemployed population and working age population and converts them into labor force participation rate, unemployment rate and labor force using the standard relationship for this problem. Each step is applied in turn, so every output is traceable back to the numbers you typed in.
How should I enter employed population?
Use the value you actually have, in the unit shown next to the field. Enter every value in the same unit system. The calculator assumes the figures you supply are consistent, so it cannot correct a mistake that happens before the calculation starts.
Does anything you type get stored?
No. The whole calculation runs inside your browser, and nothing you enter is uploaded, logged or sent anywhere.
Do I have to fill in every field?
Only the fields a particular result depends on. If you leave one blank, the results that need it simply show a note instead of a number, and everything else still works.