(Radio Iowa) – An analysis by an Iowa-based think tank has found the percentage of working age men who have a job or are looking for work is falling faster in Iowa than in the country as a whole.
Ben Murrey — director of policy and research at the Common Sense Institute — says it’s a significant, but under-recognized challenge in Iowa’s economy. The group’s report — titled “Where are the men?” — found Iowa men between the ages 25 and 54 who do not have a college degree are 39 percent less likely to be in the workforce compared with to those with a degree.
Never-married Iowa men are 51 percent less likely to be in the labor market than married men. And working age Iowa men who live with a relative are 61 percent less likely to be employed or seeking a job compared to men live alone or are the head of their household.
