Where Have All the Workers Gone?

Townhall ^ | 04/09/2013 | Pat Buchanan

[SeekAndFind]

According to the Labor Dept., 11,742,000 people are currently unemployed

See here:

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/UNEMPLOY

In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that there are 89,967,000 working age Americans that are “not in the labor force”. That is a new all-time record, and that number increased by a whopping 663,000 during the month of March alone.

See here:

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/LNS15000000

I wonder if we should add the 11 Million to the 89 Million, because if that is the correct methodology, we have nearly 100 Million who are not working in America.

That’s almost equal to the population of Spain and Italy combined.

[Wyatt's Torch]

No because many of the "not in the labor force" have no desire to work.

The 90 million not in the labor force is at an all time high because the population is at an all time high. The percentage not in the work force is nowhere near an all time low and has been trending down since the 1990's.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

How long can one-half of America carry the other?

More like, how long can the top 5% of American earners support the bottom half, especially when so many people have elected to drop out of productive work and are comfortable with living out their remaining years on the government dole?

More and more, I see government spending and tax policy as a moral issue. The top 5% should not have to pay for a large chunk of the country to live without working. Everyone should work until a reasonable retirement age. Everyone should pay some taxes and not shift the burden almost entirely to the "rich."

[Wyatt's Torch]

Here's an interesting chart from FRED. The Participation rate was driven up by women in the 60's and 70's and it is following that same trend downward. The rate for men has been declining steadily for decades:

[wally_bert]

Ping

[Wyatt's Torch]

More and more, I see government spending and tax policy as a moral issue.

"I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

[zerosix]

"How do they support themselves? What does this surging dropout rate from the workforce portend for America's future?"

That's easy, in 11 states, the "workers" are getting a minimum of $30.00 tax-free per hour on combined government (read OUR TAXES) assistance, including but not limited to disability, while the taxpayers in those states earn an average of $20.00 taxable per hour!

[waterhill]

Going to school and working several jobs. It is k
cking my butt.

[expat_panama]

In other words: Unexpected!

Exactly.  What I find 'disturbing' is how many people say they'd somehow been expecting good news.

[ozzymandus]

Welfare, food stamps, disability. Why bother to work?

[livius]

There was a very interesting article in the WSJ yesterday that said that the Obama administration, in an attempt to conceal unemployment stats, encouraged people to apply for SS Disability, often on the flimsiest of pretexts. The disability rolls have exploded, putting a huge burden on social security and of course keeping these people out of the labor force forever. This is expected to be a major drag on the economy in the future and require tens of BILLIONS of dollars in unnecessary disability spending.

[tiki]

It isn’t just disability. Just think you are a young couple on the edge of poverty with 2 kids and you were both working. One of you lost your job and stayed home with the kids and you realized that savings, then you got on food stamps, and someone referred you to HUD housing and you get Medicaid and there is no need to even look for another job. You can get by as well or better than you did when both of you worked.

[familyop]

“Where have all the workers gone?” Global political, business and academic leaders are not on the side of American workers or America in general. That much is for sure.

China Helped North Korea Target American Cities
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3005271/posts

[Pollster1]

Exactly. What I find 'disturbing' is how many people say they'd somehow been expecting good news.

I do not expect significant good economic news until January 20, 2016, at the earliest. I'm not confident that we'll get it then, but I would be amazed if it came sooner.

[cynwoody]

My neighbor is a county worker. Last year he chose early retirement and then recieved his same job back, thus collecting his salary and his retirement each pay day. My question is; given this is not a random instance, how does this affect the unemployment numbers?

It doesn't, at least not directly. Indirectly, it increases government's parasitic load on the economy, thus making it harder for employers to employ.

If he had really retired, and the county had hired one of those recent grads living in their parents' basement, that would have reduced the unemployment number. Unless, of course, the retiree had gone looking for another job unsuccessfully.

But the real question here is, how long does your neighbor have to work in his new old job before he can retire a second time?

[Elsie]

To where the work is?

[Elsie]

Yet, now more than one in seven Americans is fed by government. the ones who are STILL working.

[Elsie]

How long can one-half of America carry the other?

Wrong question...

How long WILL one-half of America carry the other?

[SeekAndFind]

RE: How long WILL one-half of America carry the other?

What will an America where one half of those working REFUSES to carry the other any longer look like?