Challenges Ahead Conclusion  Chart 1  Introduction  Demographics Working-Age Population (Aged 15-64)  Total Population 2.0  y/y % chg.  2.0  y/y % chg. United States  United States 1.5  1.5  Japan  1.0  1.0  0.5  0.5  0.0  0.0  -0.5  -0.5  -1.0  -1.0  -1.5  -1.5  -2.0 CY80  85  90  95  00  05  10  15  -2.0 CY 80  Japan  85  90  95  00  05  10  15  Source: OECD.
That difference continued only until September, but this statistic does not reveal the fact that many women were leaving the workforce, and therefore not counted in unemployment. Their labor force participation fell more than the participation rate for men and at last count, there were two million fewer women in the labor force than before the pandemic.