In a message dated 3/8/02 3:15:06 PM, dhenwood at panix.com writes:
<< The pool of available workers (the unemployed plus those not in the labor force who report wanting a job now), a measure that Greenspan watched very closely during the boom, has now fallen for two consecutive months. At 5.8% of the adult population, it's back to 1997 levels. Between 1970 and 1997, it never got below 6.0%. At the 1989/90 economic cycle peak, the pool of available workers was 6.3% of the adult population. So, we're exiting this recession with the labor market tighter than it was at the end of the last boom. Productivity and unit labor costs better behave, or Greenspan may get anxious.
Doug >>
Whew! good thing I passed up that gig cleaning the grease traps in the eighth circle.