Since early 2020, we have experienced a labor shortage, leading to a lower labor participation rate. There have been a variety of factors that have contributed to this decline. To discuss these factors, Idaho Policy Institute Interim Director Dr. Vanessa Fry facilitated a discussion with economist Chris Chmura – Demystifying Labor Force Participation – for the Association for University Business and Economic Research. Dr. Chmura analyzed what’s happened to the labor force and explained the decreasing labor force participation rate by demographics. She also discussed some ways to bring people back to work.