From January 2009 until December 2012 labor participation rate has decreased from 65.7 percent to 63.6 percent,a loss of 8,332,000 from the nation's workforce.
In the comparable period of George W. Bush’s second term, the number of Americans choosing not to participate in the labor force went from 76,808,000 in January 2005 to 80,380,000 in December 2008—an increase of 3,572,000.
Other findings:
The rate of participation in the labor force was the same in January 2005 that it was in December 2008—65.8 percent.
In Bush’s first term, the number of Americans choosing not to participate in the labor force went from 70,088,000 in January 2001 to 76,581,000 in December 2004, an increase of 6,493,000. In January 2001, the labor force participation rate was 67.2 percent. In December 2004, it was 65.9 percent.
People can argue the reasons, the policies and the politics, but what cannot be argued is the data.
Data obtained from Bureau of Labor Statistics.