Mike Rowe warns government enabling millions of men to quit working: 'Not letting them fail'
Seven million men have dropped out of the workforce and aren't looking for jobs
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mike Rowe is warning Americans to pay attention to a startling statistic revealing that seven million men in the prime of life have dropped out of the workforce with no plans to find another job.
That data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which also found men were spending around seven hours a day doing leisure activities such as watching television and playing games instead. While millions of men aren't working, there are currently 779,000 open jobs in manufacturing, according to the latest data from the BLS, CBS News reported.
When asked by CBS' Tony Dokoupil how these men, aged between 25-54, were surviving without jobs, the Emmy-winning host of "Dirty Jobs" suggested government handouts were to blame.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's almost as though some entity is paying them. It's almost as if somebody is not letting them fail… some giant parent," Rowe said.
Mike Rowe, host of 'Dirty Jobs,' speaks about the decline in men participating in the workforce. (CBS/screenshot/gif)
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At Dokoupil's suggestion that a certain "Uncle" was helping out, Rowe got in on the joke.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Could be a rich uncle, yes, could be a very wealthy uncle," he said, smirking to the camera.
It isn't for a lack of jobs, Jay Timmons, CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, told CBS. Timmons, who represents more than 14,000 manufacturing companies, said they have one-and-a-half jobs available for every worker.
The exec said that "99.9% of [the companies] will say their number one challenge is to try to fill those open jobs."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There are currently 779,000 open jobs in manufacturing in the U.S.
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Manufacturing jobs earn an average of $30/hour, so "pay is not the problem, but perception [is]," Dokoupil pointed out.
Rowe argued there were "stigmas and stereotypes" surrounding skilled trade work in our culture driving schools and parents away from encouraging kids to pursue these high-paying and readily available jobs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Karla Trotman, CEO of Electro Soft, said that many were dropping out of the workforce due to a cultural shift in attitudes towards work.
"I think people really want to feel as though they are appreciated. I mean, Beyoncé said, 'Release your job.' A lot of people released their jobs… it’s an overall feeling of feeling fed up and being taken for granted," she argued to CBS.
Andrea Martin, a fall protection specialist at 3M. (3M)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Rowe warned the desire to not work was a reflection of our "national identity."
"We’ve given a lot of men a lot of options, and incredibly one of those options is ‘do nothing. Do nothing.'" Rowe criticized.
"I think it's a giant issue, and by the time we realize how big of an issue it is, we're going to have a hard time turning the temperature down," he stressed.