Did You Know? Facts about Labor Day

The first observance of Labor Day was likely on Sept. 5, 1882, when some 10,000 workers assembled in New York City for a parade. That celebration inspired similar events across the country, and by 1894 more than half the states were observing a “workingmen’s holiday” on one day or another. Later that year, with Congress passing legislation and President Grover Cleveland signing the bill on June 29, the first Monday in September was designated “Labor Day.” This national holiday is a creation of the labor movement in the late 19th century — and pays tribute to the social and economic achievements of American workers. 


Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer and the start of the back-to-school season.
Credit: United States Census Bureau, Facts for Features

Who Are We Celebrating?

157 million

Number of people 16 and over in the nation’s labor force in June 2015.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table A-1
<http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf>

Fastest Growing Jobs

53%

Projected percentage growth from 2012 to 2022 in the number of industrial-organizational psychologists (1,600 jobs in 2012), the projected fastest-growing occupation. Meanwhile, the occupation expected to add the greatest number of positions over this period is personal care aides (580,800).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
<http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf>