Men Without Work

Subtitled 'America's invisible crisis', this book describes the rise in the number of men in the US who are out of work and not seeking any to a figure of some 10 million. The actual work rate of men between 25 and 54 was lower in 2015 than in 1940, and between 1948 and 2015, the work rate for US men 20 and older fell from 85.8% to 68.2%. This figure is largely hidden because it does not appear in the unemployment rate. Three quarters of this change is not due to ageing effects, and this economically inactive group is now the main category of men without jobs. The author analyses the group's use of time, finding that they spend the same time on caring for household members as employed men, but of course more than double on socialising, relaxing and leisure as more immediate sources of gratification. The group draws a disproportionate amount of disability benefit, and also contains many men with prison records – the US has the highest incarceration rate per head in the world, and it is difficult for such people to re-enter the labour market. It is also symptomatic of a larger civic disengagement. As the two commentators at the end of the book argue, Eberstadt's solutions are far from comprehensive, and it is no simple matter to revitalise the job generating capacities the US economy in an international context. However, the author has highlighted an important trend for government to address, along with the huge challenges for young people - especially the unskilled - to find work.