Men – especially working class men – are struggling in our changing global economy

In the span of only a few decades, the U.S. labor market has been transformed. As a result of structural changes in the economy–for example offshoring and automation–fewer men are working. Many of those who are working have seen a big decline in their wages. 

Much of this is structural and related to trends in the economy and educational outcomes. Men make up the majority of the workers in many industries most affected by automation. Today, men are less likely than women to graduate high school or earn a four-year college degree. And yet despite strong evidence that vocational training has been shown to boost earnings for men without bachelor’s degrees, investments in these programs are limited.