Since the early 2000s, the participation of young men (ages 16-24)in the American workforce has dropped precipitously compared with other age and gender groups. Why is this happening, and why does it matter? There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer for every nonparticipant, but two main factors stand out: education and disability. Policies enabling even a small increase in male participation would mean millions more people entering the labor market and helping our economy flourish.
Before going further, it’s worth noting that men have always participated in the American workforce at much higher rates than women, regardless of age. Participation for men of “prime working age” (25-54) has declined slightly since the turn of the millennium (to just under 90%), but that is still much higher than among women (around 78%). The gap is almost exclusively related to women being more likely to undertake caregiving responsibilities. This barrier to working can be addressed by more funding for child care and elder caregiving programs.
Gen Z, more than previous generations, tends to treat school like a full-time job.
While that gender gap persists for older workers, it has all but disappeared among young men and women, thanks to a steeper decline in participation rates among the former. Addressing that decline is more complicated. To begin with, being “out of the labor force” doesn’t mean Generation Z men are all sitting on their parents’ couch playing video games. Many are focusing more intensely on their education than generations past. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey, young men in their early to mid-20s were most likely to cite education as their reason for not looking for work. And Gen Z, more than previous generations, tends to treat school like a full-time job. Both Gen Z men and women are more likely than their elders to pursue four-year degrees, and Gen Z men in particular were less likely to be in the labor market while enrolled in school.
Despite this trend, Gen Z men are less likely to be enrolled in school than millennial men were at the same age — though they still surpassed boomers’ and Gen X’s enrollment rates. That may seem somewhat contradictory, but Covid-19 forced many Gen Zers to make the difficult decision of delaying their education or even forgoing college altogether. Some moved into technical education and apprenticeships: Gen Z men had a large spike in postsecondary technical school enrollment in 2023. It’s unclear, however, whether this will continue or if it was a temporary result of the pandemic. The Biden administration made investments in technical education and hands-on learning, and there was steady (albeit moderate) growth in registered apprenticeships. But these grants have been exhausted, and this year, registered apprentices declined slightly for men and women alike.
To be clear, forgoing work to continue one’s education is frequently the best choice for a young person; many fields of employment require a college degree for entry. Even on this front, though, alarm bells are ringing. The gap in college enrollment rates between men and women, which was already growing since the late 1980s, ballooned during the years immediately following the pandemic. That gap began to level out in the most recent data, but the Trump administration’s attacks on our higher education system will only make attending college more difficult.
The next most common explanation for young men opting out of the labor force, though, has nothing to do with education. Among men ages 28 to 35 who weren’t in the labor force this June, nearly 40% listed disability as the reason.
Barriers to employment are huge problems for the disabled community. Subminimum wages, asset limits on Supplemental Security Income that can keep disabled people in poverty, and outright discrimination are all issues we should be addressing — and they could have a disproportionate impact on disabled young men.
The current administration has also essentially stopped enforcing the laws that were supporting disabled people in work and at school.
During the Biden presidency, some of these issues were in the process of being addressed. Subminimum wages were going to be phased out for disabled workers, but that rule has been withdrawn by the Trump administration. The current administration has also essentially stopped enforcing the laws that were supporting disabled people in work and at school. When wages are rising and working conditions are good, workers stuck on the sidelines — like disabled young men — are more likely to find opportunities to enter the labor force.
Young men’s participation in the labor market is a growing concern. Because men make up such a large portion of the workforce, if we could boost their participation by even just 5%, it would be a huge boon to the economy. And ensuring civil rights protections for people with disabilities and building a system of training and education that quickly matches younger workers with good jobs would have long-lasting effects that extend well beyond the male labor force.