The labor force is the sum of those who are either employed or unemployed and actively seeking work. It is a term used in macroeconomics to describe the number of people who are currently working or looking for work. The labor force includes both civilian employment and the armed forces. The noninstitutional civilian population is the total population minus people that could not work, such as children, elders, soldiers, and incarcerated individuals. The labor force participation rate is the ratio of the labor force to the noninstitutional civilian population. People who are not in the labor force include those who do not want a job, such as students or those who stay home out of choice or necessity, and those who want a job but have not searched for one recently, also known as marginally attached workers. The labor force is an important metric used to evaluate employment data and gauge current labor market conditions.