A quarter of a century ago, the US workforce was a wonder. Laid off in one corner of the economy, Americans quickly landed jobs elsewhere. Over the past decade, however, a profound change has come about. If US leaders understood what was at stake, their fights on taxes and spending would assume a different character.

In 2000, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, US unemployment was the lowest in the G7 group of countries. Because jobs were easy to find, Americans felt confident in seeking them: the labour force participation rate was the G7’s highest. Combining these two effects, the share of US 15 to 64-year-olds in work, at 74 per cent, stood head and shoulders above competitors. Within the G7, only the UK, with 72 per cent, came close.

Fast forward to 2012. US unemployment has gone from lowest in the G7 to third highest. Because workers have become discouraged, the labour force participation rate has slipped from the top spot to the middle of the pack. In consequence, the share of Americans in work has declined by fully 7 percentage points, a fall nearly three times more drastic than experienced in the UK. Meanwhile, in the other five G7 countries, the employment-to-population rate has actually risen.