News US Economy News What Labor Shortage? Number of Workers Hits Record High Off the Charts: The Visual Says It All By Diccon Hyatt Updated on September 2, 2022 Fact checked by Hilarey Gould Photo: John Moore / Getty Images If you’ve been applying for jobs, you might have encountered more competition for those open positions than in the past. Why? Well, the workforce grew significantly in August and passed its pre-pandemic high point. The civilian labor force level—that is, the number of people working or looking for a job—grew by 786,000 in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday. That was enough job-seekers to make the unemployment rate go up despite 315,000 jobs being added to the economy, As the chart below shows, the workforce has finally gotten back to its pre-pandemic level. The labor force participation rate, that is, the workforce as a percentage of the population, also ticked up but remained below pre-pandemic levels because the population has grown since then. Still, the resurgence of workers is welcome news for employers who have blamed rampant inflation partly on the difficulty of finding enough people to fully staff their operations. Have a question, comment, or story to share? You can reach Diccon at dhyatt@thebalance.com. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "The Employment Situation, August 2022." U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “How Fixing Our Worker Shortage Can Fight Inflation.”