Opioid Epidemic Shrinks Labor Pool

(Fall 2018) New data shows a connection between employment and the U.S. opioid prescription rate.

Although the economic crisis of the late 2000s has passed and employers are now rapidly adding jobs, the U.S. labor pool has not bounced back. Recent research published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicates that the portion of American individuals between the ages of 25 and 54 who currently have a job or are seeking one is much lower than the rate seen in other developed nations.

U.S. unemployment rates have been decreasing since the Great Recession, and the May jobs report showed the slimmest unemployment rate since 2000, at just under 4%. However, the workforce participation rate of prime-age workers only rose by approximately one percentage point.

The OECD data also shows that opioid prescription rates are generally elevated in regions where unemployment is higher.

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