Millions of men are leaving the workforce. Most of this shortfall in labor force participation can be traced to people 55 and older, men and women alike, who retired early during COVID-19 in response to a layoff, to minimize health risks or for other reasons. But a less publicized factor is that men ages 25 to 54 have been dropping out of the workforce for decades. Economists have long put much of the blame on the offshoring of manufacturing jobs to China, a trend that picked up steam in the early 2000s after China joined the World Trade Organization, Begley and Colyar note. Another study several months ago by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston cites a less obvious reason: Non-college-educated men have left the labor force in greater numbers as the shortfall in their wages compared with those of college-educated men has increased, the study says. To read more on the study, click the link in our bio.