The number of adults who are “not in the labor force” (NILF) surged to an all-time high in June to 105.8 million, according to figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
The record comes after a massive surge of 832,000 workers dropping out of the labor force in June alone. The overall number of NILFs is higher than at the height of the Great Recession or the COVID pandemic.
The definition is broad — it covers all Americans age 16 and over who aren’t currently working, including retirees and students.
Leading labor economist Nicholas Eberstadt told The Post that drilling down into the data reveals a startling pattern of dropouts, particularly among men.
“We’ve got a big problem…with the flight from work of prime-age men. And what’s been carrying the overall prime-age labor force participation has been the strong involvement of women, not men,” said Eberstadt, who holds the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute.
Some 5.3 million workers — 5% of NILFs — have dropped out because they are discouraged or they’re not even bothering to look for work.
In addition, up to 22% of America’s NILF population are on long-term illness, disability, or other forms of benefits — representing more than 23.3 million Americans.
