In the mid-1960s, only 1 in 29 prime-age male workers was a dropout. The erosion of prime-age male workers “is particularly troubling since workers at this age are at their most productive,” says the CEA. Although this doesn’t directly affect people not in the labor force — prisoners simply aren’t counted — it does so indirectly. Or should disability standards be tightened to force dropouts back into the labor force? But nearly half of male dropouts report taking pain pills every day, according to a study by Princeton University economist Alan Krueger.

Source: Washington Post November 28, 2016 00:54 UTC