RICHMOND, VA -- (Marketwire) -- 08/30/12 -- Millions of American workers have left the labor force since the end of the recession in 2009. Who are these missing workers? What are they doing, and how are they making ends meet? The cover story in the latest issue of Region Focus magazine looks at these and other questions about the drastic drop in labor force participation.

Also in this issue:

• The value of staying put. Why are Americans becoming less mobile geographically? It's not just because of the housing crisis.
• When monetary policy is redistributional. Who wins and who loses from decisions of the Federal Open Market Committee?
• Shale gas. New drilling techniques are bringing back cheap energy. What's the risk?
• President's Message. Richmond Fed President Jeffrey M. Lacker on why Federal Reserve Banks have bankers on their boards
• Interview with John A. List of the University of Chicago on the use of field experiments in economics

Region Focus is the economics magazine of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. It covers economic issues affecting the Fifth Federal Reserve District (the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and most of West Virginia) and the nation.

For free copies of Region Focus, contact the Bank's Research Publications division at (800) 322-0565. The articles are available online at http://www.richmondfed.org/publications