Public policy, opportunity and outcome gaps
Examples use releases available September 5, 2026. Dates and survey coverage are stated beside the findings.
National employment data can reveal differences across sectors and population groups. Describing those differences accurately is a starting point for policy questions, not a substitute for evidence about their causes.
Government hiring conditions differ by sector
Seasonally adjusted JOLTS rates changed as follows between January 2019 and July 2026. July estimates and derived changes are preliminary.
| Measure | January 2019 | July 2026 | Change in percentage points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal government openings rate | 4.4% | 3.9% | −0.5 |
| State and local government openings rate | 2.8% | 3.3% | +0.5 |
| Federal government quits rate | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0 |
| State and local government quits rate | 1.0% | 0.9% | −0.1 |
Sources: federal openings, state and local openings, federal quits, and state and local quits.
The openings rate divides vacancies by employment plus vacancies. The quits rate divides monthly quits by employment. Openings are an end-of-month stock; quits are a monthly flow. These rates cannot identify the effect of a particular directive, budget or administration without additional policy and comparison evidence. See JOLTS definitions.
Disability and employment opportunity
In August 2026, CPS employment–population ratios for people ages 16–64 were:
| Population | With a disability | With no disability | Within-sex gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 39.5% | 80.0% | 40.5 percentage points |
| Women | 40.2% | 69.4% | 29.2 percentage points |
These are not seasonally adjusted estimates. The gap is the ratio for people with no disability minus the ratio for people with a disability. Sources: men with a disability, men with no disability, women with a disability, and women with no disability.
Each ratio uses the corresponding civilian noninstitutional population aged 16–64 as its denominator: employed people, unemployed people, and people outside the labor force. It is not restricted to those looking for work. See CPS definitions.
What an outcome gap can and cannot establish
An observed gap does not by itself identify discrimination, accommodation access, health effects or a policy mechanism. Sampling uncertainty also matters; these analyses do not establish statistical significance.
Population categories require care. Race and Hispanic ethnicity can overlap, and a published comparison by sex or disability does not automatically support an intersection such as a particular race-by-disability group. National aggregates also cannot answer a question about a particular city, workplace or individual.
A policy investigation needs the relevant geography, a clearly dated intervention, exposure information and a defensible comparison. The employment estimates can help frame that investigation without assigning causal credit or blame.
Continue with work and opportunity or inspect data availability.