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US labor force participation continues to slide

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Re: US labor force participation continues to slide

#31

Post by cmxch »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #26
panny wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As the piece mentions, young men are "staying on the sidelines" versus engage in low wage, low status restaurant work (in this context). Why do you think young men would work at a restaurant? They don't make tips the way pretty young girls do. Restaurants certainly don't pay a living wage. Have you tried ending tip culture? If you did that, you might find more young men willing to work there and more patrons willing…

Will young men support progressive policy? Their only chance at economic success in a punishing macro? To be determined.

Not with the last 20 years in good memory.

You would have to openly make them a protected class before that would happen.

Re: US labor force participation continues to slide

#32

Post by toomuchtodo »

cmxch wrote: post #31
toomuchtodo wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Will young men support progressive policy? Their only chance at economic success in a punishing macro? To be determined.

Not with the last 20 years in good memory. You would have to openly make them a protected class before that would happen.

I suppose the lost generation Wikipedia page will write itself then.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/style/marriage-decline-de...

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/28/a-record-...

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/08/for-valen...

https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/womens-impact-on-the-eco...

Re: US labor force participation continues to slide

#33

Post by bluefirebrand »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #30
bluefirebrand wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The last 15 or so years of progressive politics are doing nothing for young men except demand they be "allies" so it's absolutely not surprising that young men have largely moved Right The Right is promising to make them great. It may be a lie, but it's a better message than what the Left has for them Edit: and before you get the wrong idea, I'm pretty progressive. I have consistently voted left my entire life. This…

Organizing and unionizing, focusing on affordability, etc are what I’m referring to. “Good manufacturing jobs” ain’t coming back. If you want a good job today, it’s only coming through collective action to push wages up to living wages. There won’t be some magic that instantiates millions of good jobs for young men needing them, and even those with degrees are facing peril and economic insecurity. The jobs that exist…

I agree with you. There's unfortunately not a lot of will for unionization among anyone I've spoken to about it, though. Besides, companies are very ruthless when it comes to union busting. Especially in software, how do you unionize when your company will just fire you all and hire overseas workers to replace you overnight?

I am with you. I want to believe we can figure this out and collectively claw back from the corpos. I'm just discouraged because I do not think it's likely to actually happen in my lifetime

Re: US labor force participation continues to slide

#34

Post by jjav »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #8
andrewclunn wrote: post #4

Question, are these stats based on the most recent census data for population and then reported employment numbers? If so changes in population (considerable deportations for example) might effect an assumed denominator that no longer holds. That said if the labor numbers rely on above board work, then perhaps that would not impact the numerator as much either. The methodology is important here.

Submitter here, I posted because I think there is a confluence of interesting macroeconomic factors at work here. Certainly, immigration policy is factoring into this, as the restaurant industry is highly dependent on such labor. At the same time, we're still seeing 55+ leave the labor force rapidly (~4M Boomers continue to retire per year, ~330k/month), leaving only younger prime working age cohort, which continues…

> At the same time, we're still seeing 55+ leave the labor force rapidly

It's about not being able to find any employment due to age discrimination, not really "retirement", which is an euphemism.

Re: US labor force participation continues to slide

#35

Post by metalliqaz »

esbranson wrote: post #17

> In November 2023, the labor force participation rate reached 62.8% In November 2023, the prime age (25-54 years old) labor force participation rate was 83.4%.[1] > At the same time, the labor force participation rate edged down from 62.0% in February to 61.9% in March, the lowest level since November 2021. The prime age LFPR was 83.9% and 83.8% in February and March 2026, and 82% in November 2021.[1] The prime age…

How about early career workers, 18-25? Are we just pulling up the ladder behind us and leaving them to toil in the mud?

Re: US labor force participation continues to slide

#36

Post by esbranson »

metalliqaz wrote: post #35
esbranson wrote: post #17

> In November 2023, the labor force participation rate reached 62.8% In November 2023, the prime age (25-54 years old) labor force participation rate was 83.4%.[1] > At the same time, the labor force participation rate edged down from 62.0% in February to 61.9% in March, the lowest level since November 2021. The prime age LFPR was 83.9% and 83.8% in February and March 2026, and 82% in November 2021.[1] The prime age…

How about early career workers, 18-25? Are we just pulling up the ladder behind us and leaving them to toil in the mud?

The biggest issue is tertiary (post-secondary) education and its effect on the LFPR in that age range, but not the prime age LFPR.

Re: US labor force participation continues to slide

#37

Post by toomuchtodo »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #33
toomuchtodo wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Organizing and unionizing, focusing on affordability, etc are what I’m referring to. “Good manufacturing jobs” ain’t coming back. If you want a good job today, it’s only coming through collective action to push wages up to living wages. There won’t be some magic that instantiates millions of good jobs for young men needing them, and even those with degrees are facing peril and economic insecurity. The jobs that exist…

I agree with you. There's unfortunately not a lot of will for unionization among anyone I've spoken to about it, though. Besides, companies are very ruthless when it comes to union busting. Especially in software, how do you unionize when your company will just fire you all and hire overseas workers to replace you overnight? I am with you. I want to believe we can figure this out and collectively claw back from the c…

If you're tired, learn to rest, not quit. Success is a long way off, and the work ahead is measured in decades. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
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