12/19/2023

Over 7M men of working age in the US are not working right now … their choice.

The gut flinch reaction here, is that these men are not working, because they’re living off government largesse.

Or perhaps they are stay at home parenting … taking care of children.

But neither of these conclusions are accurate according the recent report from CBS news.

Some of the primary reasons for these men not working include the following:

Substance abuse challenges

Video game addiction

7+ hours of TV per day

Phone addiction

Living off inheritance

Living off of disability insurance

Depending on partners for providing support

Lack of necessary skills to find work

Lack of motivation to get trained on skills, that are needed in the market

Lack of desire to do difficult or ‘dirty’ jobs



It’s a stark change in contrast to when 98% of men worked, during the run in America where our infrastructure was built.

It’s part of the reason that unemployment numbers are so low.

It’s ‘a’ reason why the UAW romped through so ferociously and successfully in the recent labor negotiations … supply and demand.

And it’s a reason why there are over 700,000 jobs in manufacturing that are open right now … in addition to endless jobs that require manual labor that are open in society.



The US’s ability to advance our society forward with all of the things that need to happen, with infrastructure, mobility, and energy, will depend on our ability to produce goods and services needed by the macro economy.

People working, earning income, and paying taxes … societal production and tax revenue base … it’s the way the American economic model was designed to work.

But when such a large number of people choose to not contribute, it holds back progress.

It’s a challenge for society that is much bigger than the great resignation.


OK, so now what?

1. Production is needed … automation galore is in our future

2. Families, schools, counselors … society … a mentality and rewards shift is needed … we need to embrace these hard working jobs just as we do white collar ones … training, compensation, and respect for the hard gritty work that once was a part of our national identity.

3. Promote skill training programs and incentives that will grab some of these 7M people, and get them back into the world of work, contributing to society.


And … more than ever … opportunities abound for people who are willing to work.

Links to referenced articles in the comments below.


26-33, sunshine.

Make it a great day, everyone!


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