Through 2012, the number of labor force participants among this group decreased as the impact of the decline in the overall working-age population was large. Since 2013, however, the number has started to increase as labor participation by women has accelerated further.
As for seniors, the number of labor force participants increased for a while after the mid-2000s along with a rise in the elderly population, even without a rise in their labor force participation rate. Since 2013, the number has been increasing at a faster pace, as seniors have become more active in participating in the labor market.