Shocking fact: Millennial men are less likely to work than any other age and gender demographic in America.

Today, there are 500,000 young men missing from the U.S. workforce.

Research suggests video games & improved leisure tech plays a role in the problem. 👇 Thread:

Following the 2007 to 2009 recession, 25 to 34 year old men exited high school with fewer middle-skill job opportunities than years prior.

During this time, we saw an increased number of men living with parents & choosing unemployment over lower paying jobs.
It's estimated that 24M millennials live w/ their parents.

1 in 4 living in their parents’ home neither go to school nor work.

What's more surprising? 9 in 10 who lived with their parents a year ago are still living there w/ no plans to leave.

https://t.co/iv3mNx3Wi1
Economists are calling millennial men a lost generation.

According to economist David Dorn:

“If you get to the point where you’re turning 30, you’ve never held a real job and you don’t have a college education, then it is very hard to recover at that point.”
Economists suggest this choosiness is a generational trait.

Forbes interview w/ a high school educated man:

"I’m very quick to get frustrated when people refuse to pay me what I’m worth."
“People feel that they have choice nowadays, and they do.”

https://t.co/CQwgpGrPow
Of not-working men, 32.9% claim disability, followed by 29.5% who enroll in additional school.

A large % of disability is mental health & substance abuse related.

According to the CDC: men are much more likely to overdose on drugs or die from suicide. https://t.co/7w0Gv85dBI
A study conducted by Princeton University found:

Unemployed millennial men spend 10+ hours per week on recreational computer activities.

Full report: https://t.co/T5rg7D2dt0

Researchers suggest over time videos games become a crutch & form of escapism for unemployed men.
💡 Video games are the new proxy for success.

Unlike low to middle skill jobs, video games provide:

The ability to make choices
Feeling of mastery and achievement
Visible achievement & status

Remember: "People feel that they have choice nowadays, and they do.” 🎮
While I believe we're still a couple decades away from a Ready Player One world, research suggests we may need new classes of work sooner than we think.

Imagine: the future of work = more time to play video games 🎮.
For more updates & thoughts on the future of work. Sign up for my newsletter: https://t.co/0JqGGorgAB

More from Society

You May Also Like