Unemployment (失业) rose from 7.5% in June, 1996 to 7.8% in July, 1996, the highest rate since January of that year , the Labor Department reported. The main mason was a large increase—nearly 700,000 in the labor force (劳动力), with a record 61.9% of the population over sixteen years of age working or actively looking for work. That growth was caused mainly by an increase in the number, of women in the labor force, an increase partly because of a continuation (持续) of long-term and economic trends (经济趋势) and partly a reflection (反映) of pressure (压力) on families to increase their incomes. It can be inferred that the labor force described in the passage is made up of ______.
A. those who account for over 60% of the total population of the whole country
B. persons who work at both permanent (永久) and full-time jobs
C. those over 16 years of age who are looking for work