Economy

elleng

(130,908 posts) Mon Oct 17, 2016, 01:41 AM Oct 2016

Millions of Men Are Missing From the Job Market.

'Economists have long struggled to explain why a growing proportion of men in the prime of their lives are not employed or looking for work. A new study has found that nearly half of these men are on painkillers and many are disabled.

The working paper by Alan Krueger, a Princeton economist, casts light on this population, which grew during the recession that started in 2007. As of last month, 11.4 percent of men between the ages of 25 and 54 — or about seven million people — were not in the labor force, which means that they were not employed and were not seeking a job. This percentage has been rising for decades (it was less than 4 percent in the 1950s), but the trend accelerated in the last 20 years.

Surveys taken between 2010 and this year show that 40 percent of prime working-age men who are not in the labor force report having pain that prevents them from taking jobs for which they are qualified. More than a third of the men not in the labor force said they had difficulty walking or climbing stairs or had another disability. Forty-four percent said they took painkillers daily and two-thirds of that subset were on prescription medicines. By contrast, just 20 percent of employed men and 19 percent of unemployed men (those looking for work) in the same age group reported taking any painkillers.'>>>

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/17/opinion/millions-of-men-are-missing-from-the-job-market.html?

4 replies

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Highlight:

Millions of Men Are Missing From the Job Market. (Original Post) elleng Oct 2016 OP

Symptom of the obesity epidemic? EOM Bearware Oct 2016 #1

Working under the table Freddie Oct 2016 #2

painkillers may not kill pain pscot Oct 2016 #3

It's simply wrong to imply that most of the "fallen" InkAddict Oct 2016 #4

Bearware

(151 posts)

1. Symptom of the obesity epidemic? EOM

Reply to elleng (Original post)

Mon Oct 17, 2016, 02:47 AM

Oct 2016

Freddie

(9,265 posts)

2. Working under the table

Reply to elleng (Original post)

Mon Oct 17, 2016, 04:33 AM

Oct 2016

Is at least some of this.
My son-in-law hasn't had a "real" job in over 10 years. He works in construction and *every* job he's had is either under the table or 1099. Nature of the business although it's not right (no benefits, SS, WC or unemployment).
He's also spent a couple years as a stay-home dad.

pscot

(21,024 posts)

3. painkillers may not kill pain

Reply to elleng (Original post)

Mon Oct 17, 2016, 07:31 PM

Oct 2016

but they will get you strung out. A regular user will experience withdrawal if they try to stop.

InkAddict

(3,387 posts)

4. It's simply wrong to imply that most of the "fallen"

Reply to elleng (Original post)

Mon Oct 17, 2016, 10:42 PM

Oct 2016

men are addicts and controlled users. First off, the age range is very large; many at the younger end have found solace in their parents basement; some in the middle now care for elderly parents while the old folks "spend down," or have become Mr. Moms but will possibly return to the workforce when they cannot afford to do otherwise; older workers had better not look unhealthy in a number of cosmetic ways, i.e., obese, bad dental, hair, skin, and posture issues. Most likely none of them have the financial means to "prove" a discrimination defense for not working. It's enough to drive one "crazy." Then there's the fact that returning vets and National Guard men came back less than well and are still waiting for disability claims to be processed through our broken systems.

Why indeed are non-addicts in their prime earning years having difficulties focusing on a job hunt when the "corporate" peoples are waiting, ever so maliciously patient, until the government pays them to hire that last 4.9%? of un "entitled" but disenfranchised men? Oh wait, they're all dopers too -- NOT!

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