This op-ed by Lindsay Killen of the James Madison Institute was published by the James Madison Institute on 04/09/2024.
Our nation needs a win these days, particularly at the federal level. People are exasperated, overburdened, disillusioned, and pessimistic about whether the country can advance solutions that make peoples’ lives better – not just now, but into the future.
Indeed, optimism has been on the decline in recent years. Labor force participation rates plateaued over the past decade, partially due to the rise in an aging population, the recent pandemic, and decreasing birth rates. Currently, the labor participation rate is 62.8 percent, compared to 67.3 percent in 2000. Most critically, 1.7 million more Americans have dropped out of the workforce since the start of the pandemic in 2020. These individuals represent a population of 25–54-year-old able-bodied workers that are becoming more dependent on state and federal safety-net programs.