Normally, the labor force of a country (or other geographic entity) consists of everyone of working age (typically above a certain age (around 14 to 16) and below retirement (around 65) who are participating workers, that is people actively employed or seeking employment. People not counted include students, retired people, stay-at-home parents, people in prisons or similar institutions, people employed in jobs or professions with unreported income, as well as discouraged workers who cannot find work.

In the United States, the unemployment rate is estimated by a household survey called the Current Population Survey, conducted monthly by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed persons by the size of the workforce. An unemployed person is defined as a person not employed but actively seeking work. The size of the workforce is defined as those employed plus those unemployed.

The labor force participation rate is the ratio between the labor force and the overall size of their cohort (national population of the same age range). In the West during the later half of the 20th century, the labor force participation rate increased significantly, largely due to the increasing number of women entering the workplace.

Stuart Varney (born July 7, 1949) is a British-American economic journalist, and as of 2011, working for the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network. Varney joined Fox News in January, 2004 as a business contributor on many shows, such as Your World with Neil Cavuto. He also occasionally serves as guest host for Your World and the shows on the Cost of Freedom business block. Varney graduated from the London School of Economics. He began his broadcast journalism career at KEMO-TV (now KOFY-TV) in San Francisco. In 1980 he joined the Manhattan bureau of the newly founded CNN and hosted shows like Business Day and Business Asia. From 1999 to 2001, he hosted CNN’s Moneyline with Willow Bay and has also worked for CNBC. Varney is a regular panel member on the FOX business analysis and stock trade investment program Cashin' In.

Varney now hosts the show, "Varney & Co." on the Fox Business Network, which airs from 9:20 to 11 a.m. every weekday. Along with Varney, the show is also co-hosted by Charles Payne, Tracy Byrnes and Chris Cotter.

Rick Santelli is an American on-air editor for the CNBC Business News network. He joined CNBC as an on-air editor on June 14, 1999, reporting primarily from the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade. He was formerly the vice president for an institutional trading and hedge fund account for futures-related products. He is also credited with being a catalyst in the early formation of the Tea Party movement via a statement he made on February 19, 2009.

In the course of his normal production schedule at CNBC Business, Santelli appears on-air approximately 12 to 16 times a day.

The grandson of four Italian immigrants, Santelli was born near Taylor Street in Chicago's old Italian neighborhood and at age 6 moved with his family to Lombard, Illinois. After graduating from Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, Illinois, Santelli graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has been a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade. He began his career in 1979 as a trader and order filler at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in markets that included gold, lumber, CD's, T-bills, foreign currencies, and livestock. While at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Santelli joined Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.