Workers keep leaving the US labor force. Experts can’t agree why

rate for employees 55 and older fell to 37.1% in June, marking a 21-year low.

“On top of retirement, the stock market has boomed in 2026, and so a lot of older Americans who have 401(k)s and other retirement savings are feeling better able to step away from the workforce,” Adams said.

Evermore added that even if older employees aren’t sitting on a comfortable continue reading …