Presents the "Overview of Report on the American Workforce 1999," published by the U.S. Department of Labor. Discusses workplace responses to global competition, the role of improved skills for all participants in the labor market, and the balance of work and family.

This is the fourth report on the American workforce issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, and like its predecessors, it addresses primary topics of vital interest to American workers and their families.

A major development in the American workforce has been the increased labor force participation of women. In 1970, only about 43 percent of women age 16 and older were in the labor force; by 1999, that figure had risen to 60 percent. From 1999 to 2004, women's labor force participation rate receded slightly to 59.2 percent, still well above the rates that prevailed throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and much of the 1990s. Along with rising labor force participation, women also made substantial inroads into higher paying occupations. In 2004, half of all management, professional, and related occupations were held by women. Women's earnings relative to men's also have risen. From 1979 to 2004, women's earnings as a percent of men's increased by 18 percentage points, from 62 to 80 percent. The movement of women into the labor force and into higher paying occupations has gone hand in hand with their pursuit of higher education. For example, in 1970, only 11 percent of women age 25 to 64 had completed 4 or more years of college; by 2004, nearly 33 percent held a college degree. This report presents historical and current labor force and earnings data for women and men from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a national monthly survey of approximately 60,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unless otherwise noted, data are annual averages from the CPS. For a detailed description of the source of the data and an explanation of concepts and definitions used, see the Technical Note at the end of this report. (Contains 38 tables.).