Why so many men in the US have stopped working

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the decline in the share of prime working-age US men with a job, from about 96% in the 1950s to 86% currently. It explores various factors that could explain this trend, including the effects of recessions, globalization, disabilities, education, incarceration, and the rise of stay-at-home dads.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Factors Contributing to the Decline in Male Employment

1. What are the key factors that have contributed to the decline in the share of prime working-age US men with a job?

• Recessions have had a lasting impact, as some jobs lost during recessions never fully recover or pay as well as they used to, and the longer someone is out of the workforce, the more disconnected they can become
• The rise in the number of men with disabilities, with about 1.3 million men between ages 25-54 collecting disability benefits in 2022, often due to an inability to find new employment after job losses
• The impact of the opioid epidemic, which has sidelined some men from the workforce in recent years
• Changing demand for jobs due to globalization and automation, which has hurt the job prospects of many men, particularly those without college degrees
• Declining male college enrollment, with men now accounting for less than half of college enrollees
• Incarceration rates, which can make it difficult for some men to find work upon returning to society
• Fewer military jobs available compared to the past, which was previously a common career path for men

2. How have recessions impacted the employment rate of prime-age men?

• Recessions have tended to have a longer-lasting negative impact on the employment rate of prime-age men, with the rate dropping and then not fully recovering even as the economy rebounds
• For example, during the Great Recession of 2008, the prime-age male employment rate fell from 88% to 80.6% and has not exceeded 86.7% since
• This pattern is attributed to some jobs lost during recessions never returning or paying as well as they used to, and the longer someone is out of the workforce, the more disconnected they can become

3. How have disabilities and the opioid epidemic contributed to the decline in male employment?

• The number of workers collecting Social Security disability benefits has grown from 455,000 in 1960 to over 7.6 million in 2022, including about 1.3 million men aged 25-54
• This is partly due to a challenging job market, where some people apply for disability benefits because they are unable to find employment
• The opioid epidemic has also sidelined some men from the workforce in more recent years

4. What role have education and incarceration played in the decline of male employment?

• The rising share of men attending graduate school and the declining male college enrollment (men now account for less than half of college enrollees) have contributed to the employment challenges for men without college degrees
• Incarceration rates in recent decades have also made it difficult for some men to find work upon returning to society, as incarcerated men are not counted in government labor force statistics

[02] Other Factors and Potential Solutions

1. What other factors have been proposed to explain the decline in male employment?

• The rise of stay-at-home dads and men caring for elderly parents
• Fewer military jobs available compared to the past, which was previously a common career path for men
• A stagnant minimum wage and falling unionization rates, which have contributed to lower pay for some workers and reduced motivation to take jobs

2. What potential solutions or policy decisions could help reverse the trend of declining male employment?

• The article suggests that ideally, there would be jobs available for everyone who wants one, but it is difficult to tease out which specific issues affect the number of men in the workforce the most and what kind of policy decisions could help