6/10/2016
By Charles Payne, CEO & Principal Analyst

He's a hardhat, hammer swiggin', won't hear him whine
Kick some butt, wrap it up, crack a beer, high five
God fearing son of pride and strength
That's exactly what he's turned into

He'll fight tooth and nail for his family
Give the shirt right off his back for a friend in need

-American Man by Trace Adkins

These headlines have become common over the years…

The Slow Disappearance of the American Working Man 

Bloomberg, Aug 25, 2011

America's jobless men: Decline of the working man

The Economist, Apr 28, 2011

The Vanishing Male Worker: How America Fell Behind

New York Times, Dec 12, 2014

The Mysterious Rise of the Non-Working Man

The Atlantic, Dec 15, 2014

Well, the ‘Decline of the American Working Man’ has moved into hyperdrive.

Despite all the hype about women getting the short end of the stick in the economy, the fact is that the American male worker has seen his paycheck stall in the past 40 years; more and more men are giving up on being the breadwinner or working at all.

Men have earned less adjustments for inflation now than the average income in 1973, whereas women have seen a 30% increase in their average wage.

Consequently, the multi-decade trend of men dropping out of the workforce has gotten worse since the Great Recession, particularly among white men.

Decline in Participation:

• Men -5.7%
• Women – 4.5%
• White Men 6.0%

There is no doubt this trend has political ramifications, but the big question is whether this issue can even be fixed?

Moreover, I must admit that it doesn’t look great at the moment.

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Charles Payne
Wall Street Strategies

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