As the recruiting crisis spreads from the high-skills sectors to minimum wage jobs, more Americans are deciding to give work a chance.

That's what a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) labor force participation rate survey reveals. DOL said the labor participation rate — composed of working people and those actively looking for work — rose the tiniest bit, from 62.4 percent to 62.9 percent.

What key about that increase is that it's the first since the pre-recession days of 2008. Baby boomer retirements drove the rate down even as the economy revived. But now, so many folks are looking for jobs that the trend has been reversed.

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.