Where Have All the Male Workers Gone and How Can We Get Them Back?
In 2016, Political economist Nicholas Eberstat published Men Without Work: America’s Invisible Crisis. The statistic-laden bestseller tapped into a long-neglected subject: the stark decline of men in the workplace. Shocking in its revelation, it painted a bleak picture of males’ place—and future—in the American workforce.
As summarized by Time magazine:
“Over the past two generations, America has suffered a quiet catastrophe: the collapse of work–for men. In the half-century between 1965 and 2015, work rates for the American male spiraled relentlessly downward, and an ominous ‘flight from work’ commenced, with ever greater numbers of working-age men exiting the labor force. America is now home to a vast army of jobless men no longer even looking for work—more than 7 million between the ages of 25 and 54, the traditional prime of working life. (Work rates have fallen in recent years for women too, but the male work crisis has been under way much longer and is of greater magnitude.)”
Eberstat has just released a “Post-Pandemic Edition” of his book and while employment rates have slowly climbed back to pre-pandemic levels, some disturbing holistic trends have not changed enough to mitigate the book’s warning. Many—too many—American males are not engaged professionally. Instead, they spend their prime earning years living on their parents’ couches, playing video games, streaming TikTok videos, and largely contributing little or nothing to society.
Along these lines, a damning recent report on the economy by CBS News quoted Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), as saying, “We have more jobs than we have people for—about one and a half jobs for every worker.” In a separate but just as alarming article, the NAM forecasts that 2.1 million manufacturing jobs, an area traditionally dominated by men, could go unfilled by 2030.
So why have so many men quit working? A recent report by the Mises Institute suggests several reasons:
Declining wages for the less educated. Pay for higher skilled jobs have more-or-less kept pace with inflation, but those for low-skilled jobs have not. For people lacking degrees, the economic incentive to work is just not there.
Marriage decline. Fewer people are getting married. For men, that means less families to support.
Drug addiction and illness. Much has been written about the “culture of despair” plaguing much of the American heartland, and this often manifests in drug addiction, illness, and early death, especially among men in the lower middle class.
Lack of status for manual laborers. Traditional “men’s work”, often characterized as plumbing, carpentry, mining, welding, etc. has precious little social cache in the Information Age. Many men feel they will be “looked down upon” if they work in the primary fields for which they are qualified.
Governmental support. Federal and state welfare programs today make it possible for many men to live a subsistence existence without having to earn a weekly wage. Since the jobs for which they qualify offer a similar standard of living, why should they bother? (Or at least that’s how the thinking goes.)
The truth is, America can’t afford to let so much “manpower” go to waste. (Have you tried to hire a handyman, plumber, or builder lately? Then you know what I mean.) So, what can corporate America do to entice working-age men to return to the workforce?
To my clients facing this conundrum, I suggest the following:
Offer competitive salaries and benefits. Wages need to do more than just keep pace with inflation. They have to offer potential workers a measurable improvement in their overall standard of living—and the dignity that goes along with that.
Create a more flexible work environment. Everyone, both men and women, are seeking a better work/life balance than in previous decades. Companies must recognize workers have lives outside the company walls, and personal and family needs must be prioritized.
Invest in training and development. Men are often drawn to careers offering unique opportunities to learn and increase their marketable abilities. Skills development and professional advancement programs will make your company more attractive to ambitious individuals.
Promote a diverse and inclusive culture. Companies that openly welcome people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, and genders not only have a wider and deeper pool of talent from which to draw, but also tend to be more innovative, dynamic, and successful.
Foster a supportive office culture. An encouraging work environment, one where employees feel valued and respected, is crucial to attracting and retaining male workers. Companies that prioritize employee well-being and provide resources for stress management, mental health support, and work-life balance are more likely to attract male workers (and women too!) who have otherwise grown disillusioned with “business-as-usual.”
As the leader of a consulting organization specializing in company culture and employee compensation, I am intimately familiar with this issue and the challenges too many companies face in attracting top talent. To discuss how your company can fill the jobs it needs to succeed, please contact me today at laura@conoverconsulting.com.