"Looking at the big picture, the labor market remains badly damaged by the Great Recession, and represents the most important public policy challenge facing the country today. The employed share of the working-age population has been essentially flat since the recovery officially began several years ago – it is not returning to its pre-crisis level. But there are things we can do." – Michael Strain, AEI

Tomorrow, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the May unemployment report. But as this chart of the civilian employment-population ratio shows, in the aftermath of the Great Recession something must be done to return the US labor market to pre-crisis levels.

So what can be done? In an article in National Review, AEI economist Michael Strain lays out a new jobs agenda. He explains how the government can play an active, but limited role, by promoting work-sharing, making relocation easier, incentivizing employment by offering an Unemployment Insurance lump-sum to unemployed workers who get a job, promoting skilled immigration, and more.

Michael Strain and several other AEI economists are available to comment on the jobs numbers both before and after their release. Please contact mediaservices@aei.org or 202.862.5829 for help reaching a scholar.