Labor force participation sinks to a 38-year low

The September jobs report was broadly disappointing, with very few points of optimism.

Along with non-farm payrolls and wage growth missing expectations, the civilian labor force participation rate - the percentage of the US population that is either working or looking for a job - fell by 0.2 percentage points to 62.4%.

The last time the rate was this low was in October 1977.

Business Insider/Andy Kiersz, data from Bureau of Labor Statistics