American males are leaving the labor in record numbers.
Newsweek reports that this trend is driven by a purposeful desire to leave, not a lack of jobs. Only 89% of working-age men are employed or actively seeking job, according to BLS data.
Fewer males supporting themselves might have serious economic and social ramifications, say experts.
“The U.S. has a major issue of prime-age men giving up and permanently exiting the labor force,” said Brookings Institution researcher Robin Brooks, previously IIF head economist, on X, formerly Twitter.
“What’s striking about this is that it doesn’t get talked about at all, not in the mainstream media and not by economists, even though this obviously feeds political radicalization,” Brooks said.
Newsweek reports that the COVID-19 epidemic and decreased higher education enrollment may be lowering men's workforce involvement.
Recent years have seen more males become stay-at-home dads.
The drop in male employment participation has mostly affected non-college-educated males, lowering incomes.
According to Newsweek, inflation-adjusted median weekly wages for non-college-educated males fell 17% between 1980 and 2019, while those for college-educated men rose 20%.
“If the jobs don't meet people's needs, people can't work,” Salem State University professor Yvonne Vissing told Newsweek.
Not that they won't work. Given the work possibilities, locations, duties, hours, income, and settings, they can't, Vissing said.