Men ‘not’ at Work. 1 in 8 American men ages 25-54, not working

More bad news for men in America.  Recent data from Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee shows a significant drop in the participation of men in the labor force, a decrease occurring during their most “productive” years of 25-54.

In more detail from the Weekly Standard:

“There are currently 61.1 million American men in their prime working years, age 25–54. A staggering 1 in 8 such men are not in the labor force at all, meaning they are neither working nor looking for work. This is an all-time high dating back to when records were first kept in 1955. An additional 2.9 million men are in the labor force but not employed (i.e., they would work if they could find a job).  A total of 10.2 million individuals in this cohort, therefore, are not holding jobs in the U.S. economy today. There are also nearly 3 million more men in this age group not working today than there were before the recession began,” the Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee claim.

The ominous chart below shows a constant uptick in the raw number of American men not working.

Defenders of the U.S. economy may be quick to attribute the above stats to the increasing pace of retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, but as Baron’s outlines in its analysis of the situation:

“The ratio of those over 55 in the workforce actually ticked up – in other words, older Americans are being forced to return to work in a poor economy to make ends meet while many younger Americans simply aren’t working at all. In short, there is an unprecedented supply of working-age Americans who do not hold jobs.”

What is happening is disturbing and a symptom of a society and economy turned upside down. Men, in their prime working years, are either not able to find employment, or simply not motivated enough to find value in the workplace.

Traditionally, men were encouraged and motivated to work and build a career in the hope that they would marry a good women, raise a family, and usher in a new generation of Americans. Divorce, alimony risks, debt, and a feminist charged ideology, have driven many men to question the value gained from joining the labor force.

References:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/1-8-american-men-between-ages-25-54-are-not-working_793938.html