American workers now hold the smallest slice of the economy since 1947

U.S. workers took home their smallest share of capital since at least 1947

Labor's share of U.S. economic output fell to 52.8% in the second quarter of 2026, the lowest the Bureau of Labor Statistics has recorded since it began tracking the figure in 1947. Corporate profits hit a record $2.1 trillion even as hiring stalled, prompting economists to warn of jobless growth, a widening K-shaped economy, and an immigration crackdown that is shrinking the workforce rather than expanding it.