Last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a continuing and troubling trend: The labor force of American men continues to decline. In 1948, 87% of the workforce was male. From 2000 to 2025, the share of men dropped from 75% to 68%. The long, slow descent has left analysts scratching their heads.
Digging further, young men in particular are missing in action. Those aged 16 to 24 who hold only a high school diploma have suffered the most drastic decline. Meanwhile, skilled trade jobs are abundant and remain unfilled. Worse still, they are not even looking for work. “[T]he share of young men not in school and not seeking work doubled from 4% to 8% between 1990 and 2024,” according to the American Institute for Boys and Men.
American Men — Undervalued and Under Siege
Let’s take a little detour at this juncture and explore the political affiliation of these men. As it turns out, the statistical trend mirrors what’s been happening in the political sphere. That is, the Democratic Party has been, as The Hill put it, “hemorrhaging men.” In 2024, the issue of masculinity was prominent in the run-up to Election Day. And watching the Democrats try to inject some testosterone into their ranks was amusing to those on the right. But if one believes the axiom that work provides purpose and dignity to individuals, it makes sense that disillusioned young men are no longer seeking employment.
As Democrats try to woo American men with beer ads and empty messaging showing their candidates know what to do under the hood of a car, Republicans are offering a UFC match on the White House lawn. There is no other sport in the United States today that conjures testosterone and masculinity more than the UFC. That, dear reader, is what you would call no contest. Yet surprisingly, the men who are out of work and not seeking employment tend to be affiliated with Republicans rather than Democrats. According to Pew Research Center, 12% more men identified with the GOP than the Dems.
That fact was even more pronounced in 2024, when President Donald Trump carried 12-15% more men (depending on the source).
Why Aren’t More Men Working?
As noted at the beginning, skilled labor is desperately short of manpower, but there appears to be a gap between unemployed young men and blue-collar skills. This is primarily attributed to the removal of vocational education tracks in high schools. Bipartisan Policy Center noted, “Nearly half of respondents cite a lack of necessary skills as preventing them from working.”
Another reason most often cited by men who don’t work is that they have a disability, whether it be mental or physical. Is this sector of the American population more sickly than others? There is very little data on that; however, statistics do reveal that drug overdoses, suicide, and a shorter life expectancy are factors in play for the male population. Perhaps in seeking to help the truly disabled, we have enabled many others to join the conga line of handouts – and this has not helped the self-esteem of those who might have had the tenacity to regain their health instead of being incentivized to embrace some kind of handicap.
Also contributing to the problem is the massive influx of immigrants. This isn’t a knee-jerk anti-alien rant, but there is truth to the notion that entry-level jobs that can be done by immigrants have softened the American male labor pool. Liberty Nation News author Corey Smith put it this way:
“The millions of migrants who have entered the country over the last decade have almost certainly nudged some Americans out of the workforce, though it would likely be a mistake to say every job taken by an immigrant is one lost by an American. Numerous other factors are at play.”
A healthy society must include men and women in the workforce. For one reason or another, American men in an alarming number believe they are not strong or accomplished enough to work. But this is a lie they must eschew. It would also help if the culture began to appreciate the unique contributions men make to American society.
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