Not Working
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America's working-age men are employed at much lower rates than they used to be, and a combination of factors — from recessions to globalization to rising addiction rates — could be playing a role.
In the early 1950s, as many as 96% of prime working-age American men, who were between the ages of 25 and 54, had full-time or part-time jobs, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of March, about 86% of working-age men were employed, and this cohort's employment rate has lagged behind many developed countries in recent years
...As such, many men are struggling to support themselves financially. And mental-health experts say the longer people are out of the workforce, the higher the chances they'll experience mental-health challenges.
Here are a few factors that could explain what's happening.
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It could be about recessions Since the 1950s, whenever the US economy fell into a recession, men's employment rate tended to suffer a longer-lasting blow.the longer someone is out of the workforce, the more disconnected from the workforce they can become
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Many men with disabilities aren't working In 1960, roughly 455,000 workers collected Social Security disability benefits. In 2022, more than 7.6 million people, including about 1.3 million men between the ages of 25 and 54, collected disability benefits
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Other theories: Education, incarceration, and stay-at-home dads
While the military is actively seeking recruits, it appears to be a less attractive path nowadays for many men — the Army, Navy, and Air Force have struggled to meet recruitment goals.
More ...
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-men-working-less-recessions-employment-productivity-2024-4?IR=T
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