Joint Economic Committee Chairman Dan Coats (R-Ind.) issued a statement regarding today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that the U.S. economy added 223,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, all added in the private sector, and the unemployment rate decreased to 5.3%. The labor force participation rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 62.6%.

“Thousands of workers dropped out of the labor force over the past month, erasing the gains seen in May, so it is not surprising the unemployment rate is down,” said Coats. “Sadly, the labor force participation rate is the lowest it has been in almost 40 years, and it takes almost twice as long to get hired today compared to even five years ago. I want to see workers finding a job, rather than abandoning the labor force in frustration. Congress should not stop working until the underemployed and the long-term unemployed can find the jobs and hours they desire to work and discouraged workers have the confidence to return to the workforce.

“Last month, the president and Congress passed Trade Promotion Authority to allow the United States to move forward on expanding our trade opportunities in new markets. We should continue this bipartisan momentum and continue to find ways we can pass pro-growth policies to create jobs and strengthen our economy.”