America may be facing a new kind of labor crisis, and it’s not about jobs disappearing.
According to Mike Rowe, an American television host and CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, the problem is that too many people just aren’t interested in working.
“The skills gap is real, but the will gap is also real,” said Rowe, in an interview with Fox Business.
“6.8 million able-bodied men are not only not working, they are not looking for work. That’s never happened in peacetime before.”
Labor Market Is Hot, But Male Participation Is Cooling Off
While women’s participation in the workforce has remained relatively stable since the early 1990s, men’s participation has steadily declined over the decades.
The U.S. economy added 353,000 jobs in January 2024, and the unemployment rate held steady at 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But underneath those strong numbers is a concerning trend: fewer men are participating in the workforce.
In 1954, 98% of prime-age men (ages 25 to 54) were working or looking for work. That number had dropped to 89% by January 2024.
Rowe pointed out that while there are hundreds of thousands of open manufacturing jobs, 586,000 at last count, they remain unfilled because of a lack of interest.
“Nobody’s really talking about the country’s relationship with the shovel,” he said.
“A conspicuous lack of enthusiasm surrounding the business of picking one up.”
Why Men Are Opting Out
Recent research by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and Artemis Strategy Group shows that the reasons for men exiting the workforce are complex.
Among prime-age men who are not looking for work:
- 57% cite physical or mental health issues as the main reason
- 47% report lack of training, education, or poor work history
- 28% say they’re not working by choice
Workplace benefits also matter. Over half of these men say health insurance is a key factor in deciding whether to return to work.
Others listed paid sick leave, mental health support, flexible schedules and disability accommodations as crucial.
“We’re the product of cookie-cutter advice that’s impacted the way we think about education and work,” Rowe said.
“The answer has to be making a more persuasive case for the jobs that currently exist.”
Rowe’s Approach: Work Ethic Over Volume
Rowe isn’t trying to help everyone; he’s focused on helping the right people.
Since 2008, his foundation has awarded more than $12 million in trade school scholarships to people who show grit and are willing to move to where the work is.
“My goal with mikeroweWORKS is not to help the maximum number of people,” Rowe said.
“It is to help a number of people who comport with our view of the world and are willing to demonstrate something that looks a lot like work ethic here in 2025.”
He’s critical of arguments suggesting the U.S. should rely on immigrant labor to fill “undesirable” jobs.
“That argument strikes me as adjacent to slavery, frankly. If we think the only way we can have the lifestyle we want is to import people illegally or pay them under the table, we’ve lost the fight.”
Solutions Are Complex—But Worth Pursuing
Addressing the decline in male workforce participation will require targeted, realistic interventions.
The BPC-Artemis survey suggests that many prime-age men face serious barriers, particularly health-related ones.
To bring more men back into the labor force, experts emphasize the importance of:
- Expanding access to health insurance and paid medical leave
- Offering workplace flexibility and disability accommodations
- Increasing opportunities for training and upskilling, especially for those with outdated or limited job histories
Nearly half of non-working men cite a lack of skills or education as a major obstacle, and more than half identify health issues as a reason for staying out of the workforce.
While caregiving is a factor for some, it is less of a priority for men compared to women.
These solutions aren’t quick fixes, but they may help reverse the long-term trend.
As Rowe put it, “It’s like turning a tanker around. But we’ve seen the needle start to move.”
The question now is whether the country is ready to take work seriously again.