The Number of Young Men Not Working Has Doubled in 15 Years

Young men are working less and playing video games more, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research study published Monday.

Men ages 21 to 30 years old worked 12 percent fewer hours in 2015 than they did in 2000, the economists found. Around 15 percent of young men worked zero weeks in 2015, a rate nearly double that of 2000.

Since 2004, young men have increasingly allocated more of their free time to playing video games and other computer-related activities, according to the study. Thirty-five percent of young men are living at home with their parents or a close relative, up 12 percent since 2000.

The results of the economists’ research are interesting, considering there are 10 million American men ages 24 to 64 that have completely dropped out of the workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in June that there were nearly 6 million jobs waiting to be filled. The U.S. job market has consistently posted gains around or above 200,000 new jobs per month in 2017.

The results of Monday’s study could suggest that, instead of actively seeking work in an economy with millions of open jobs, young men are choosing to stay at home and play video games.

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