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    benjaminalloverHamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 10:30am

    Perhaps a not-insignificant portion of those 12% are either incarcerated or unable to find work due to previous incarceration?

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      Hamilton Nolanbenjaminallover
      6/21/16 10:35am

      This is definitely a factor, but not the only factor.

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      Mary-Gracebenjaminallover
      6/21/16 10:35am

      Whatever the case, I'm positive that the solution is BOOTSTRAPS!

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    Netflix and ShillHamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 10:31am

    There's something going on here. We should stop all work until we figure it out.

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      tsrhodesNetflix and Shill
      6/21/16 10:43am

      We may need nachos. We don’t know. Everyone is talking. There needs to be more nachos.

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      EvenBaggierTrousers4Netflix and Shill
      6/21/16 10:52am

      That’s what people are saying...

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    the johnHamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 10:37am

    I was thinking maybe about increased competition from women in the workforce, but the loss of manufacturing and labor jobs wouldn’t have been affected by increased female participation as much. Women don’t tend to fill those jobs. Lower-education and unskilled female labor still tends to go into the service industry (hospitality, etc.), where their jobs can’t be outsourced.

    Until the robots take those jobs. Then it’s time for GMI.

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      Takahashithe john
      6/21/16 10:45am

      The End of Men explained that those jobs got outsourced so they were never available to women anyway. What was needed were caregiving workers, which is traditionally women’s work. Like you said. That’s why women were hurt during the recession but not as bad as men. If men could get into traditional women’s work, they might have more luck.

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      LooseSEALTakahashi
      6/21/16 10:48am

      Men definitely can get into traditional women’s work, healthcare is a big need that workers can do well in.

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    butthaverHamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 10:38am

    Kind of a pathetic end to your article there. Your narrative is usually that you are smart enough to figure it out, or you’re at least willing to do some research to try and come to S conclusion. What you’ve done with this blog post is simply repurpose a chapter from any undergrad labor economics textbook made in the past 3 years and added little context. You could have done so much more, hell, you could have made this into a feature.

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      Petenrepeatbutthaver
      6/21/16 10:43am

      Man...glad you don't come to my work.

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      Hamilton Nolanbutthaver
      6/21/16 10:44am

      Oh sorry.

      “My personal theory is that internet commenters are to blame, as usual.”

      Thank you for reading, butthaver.

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    IAMBlastedBiggsLostBurnerHamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 10:33am

    To the Great Unemployment Office In The Sky?

    There's a song in there somewhere...a pretty crappy song that shouldn't be discovered or sang, but a song nonetheless. I expect full credit if it is, though! Unless it really is that shitty. In that case, we never had this conversation, and I don't know you people. Which I don't anyway. The End.

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      toothpetardIAMBlastedBiggsLostBurner
      6/21/16 10:54am

      To the Great Unemployment Office In The Sky?

      That’s on the way to the big rock candy mountain, they say.

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      Michael Zaitetoothpetard
      6/21/16 11:08am

      It’s funny and all, but the Hobos are returning. In the mid west we’re starting to see jungles. The bindle-sticks have been replaced with filthy enormous backpacks, and the turpentine drinking has given way to paint huffing. But they are back out there. And god help us all.

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    In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than youHamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 10:31am

    They are fading off (boomer Blue Collar/White Collar) or have given up hope and have settled in for mediocrity (Gen X) or are playing start up fantasy land thus contributing NOTHING as 75% of all new businesses fail within 5 years.

    There you go

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      ReburnsABurningReturnsIn a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
      6/21/16 10:47am

      or are playing start up fantasy land thus contributing NOTHING as 75% of all new businesses fail within 5 years.

      While most new businesses “fail” in the first 5 years, there’s a few things worth noting here.

      One is that, while many new businesses fail, the ones that succeed contribute an outsized share to our economy’s long term growth and ability to adapt to changing global conditions.

      Secondly, while 75% of businesses close down after 5 year,s that doesn’t mean that the people involved in them didn’t make some money and/or preserve their investment, or even that the business didn’t add positively to our national economy. Young businesses close for many reasons besides just “We lost all of the money”.

      Thirdly, while everyone thinks of the excesses of Silicon Valley, that’s not where the majority of new businesses are actually started. The majority of new businesses are actually started all over the place.

      Point being that taking economic risk and failing is not a zero sum result where nothing is contributed to the broader economy.

      Regardless, I don’t know that I think the guys who wind up unemployed because of a business failure comprise a signifigant share of what is going on here. I think it’s a combination of incarceration, rising self-employment in general, more women in the workforce meaning working age men have more options, all of which are impacted by men in aggregate having human capital better suited for jobs that can be done much cheaper abroad.

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      You might be wrong.In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
      6/21/16 11:24am

      If you’re “fading off”, you’re aging out of the working age labour force. If you have a mediocre job or you’re working for a startup, you’re part of the labour force. None of these people are part of the group this article is about.

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    Armageddon T. ThunderbirdHamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 10:31am

    They can’t all be Powerball winners like me.

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      VoOnTheGoArmageddon T. Thunderbird
      6/21/16 10:34am

      I bought 5 tickets this week. I can’t lose!!

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      Armageddon T. ThunderbirdVoOnTheGo
      6/21/16 10:36am

      Fuck you that’s my jackpot you meddling jerk!

      It’s all about positive thoughts.

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    Flying Squid (I hate me more than you do.)Hamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 10:31am

    How many people are not getting counted because they’re “self-employed” as Uber drivers and the like?

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      windchillFlying Squid (I hate me more than you do.)
      6/21/16 10:34am

      “Self-employed” would be participation in the labor force, though. This likely has far more to do with mass incarceration and the decline of middle-class jobs.

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      Who the hell knows anymoreFlying Squid (I hate me more than you do.)
      6/21/16 10:36am

      All of those should be counted. You’re part of the labor force, even if you’re self-employed.

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    MtDewOnTheDeskHamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 10:35am

    Its way easier to bitch about not having a job than actually get one. We also have millions of people 35 and under who believe that they “deserve better” for some reason.

    I really don’t understand that. If you were worth better, someone would be giving it to you. So what, your entry level job sucks? Don’t want to be a burger flipper or a cashier at 27? What have you been doing for the last 10 years? Its no ones fault but your own that you can’t hold a good job.

    Basically any corporation in this country will allow you to get to a six figure income if you stay there long enough and/or are willing to move.

    Lowes, McDonalds, Publix, Krogers, hell probably even gas stations (maybe not those though) all pride themselves on promoting from within and creating careers for their employees. Virtually every manager I know at places like that started as a bagger or a cashier and stuck around for 10-15 years until they were running stuff, and then they transferred to bigger / more profitable stores to keep the climb going. Shit you even get stock at places like that.

    In retail all you have to do is hang around a year or more to get into assistant management because all the other slovenly sloths bail out because they just want money and a flexible schedule.

    So - yeah, god forbid, if you want to get a head, it takes a bit of sacrifice and a lot of consistency. Not exactly two things our idiotic millennials are used to in the age of youtube stars and millionaire twitch streamers.

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      RockYouLikeAHermanCainMtDewOnTheDesk
      6/21/16 10:42am

      It’s hilarious your best example is retail, where managers are lucky to pull $30,000 a year. I wouldn’t call that “getting ahead.” Cute about the millennials, though - I guess your bitching and sad generalizations work if you ignore the fact that the oldest millennials are 35.

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      MtDewOnTheDeskRockYouLikeAHermanCain
      6/21/16 10:46am

      Best example being retail? That’s because literally anyone can do it, without even needing to work in the hot sun or be responsible for heavy machinery (ie a trade)

      And as I pointed out, you can get assistant manager in like 2 years tops at most retail places and be making “30K” per year. Yeah your hours will suck etc, but stick with it another year or two and wait till a store opens up and move to that location (usually even in the same city!) and suddenly you’re at 50K plus store bonus (I’m only even talking about small places like Pier 1, things remembered, etc, much less larger places like World Imports, Big Lots, or god forbid Target, Walmart, etc)

      Give it another 2-3 years and you can get into regional and start making real money, or travel and open stores, whatever floats your boat. That’s like... 5-7 years of work to be making quite good middle class money with no education. But the problem is, no one wants to stick that out.

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    DirktaniusHamilton Nolan
    6/21/16 11:00am

    If my only option was to work at a job for $7/hour or be unemployed, I would probably just be unemployed. I’m going to be poor and struggling either way.

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      PeeEssAyDirktanius
      6/21/16 11:04am

      We should raise the minimum wage! I'm sure employers that don't want to hire uneducated minorities at $7/hr are just chomping at the bit to hire them at $15.

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      Austin "lash" WilliamsonDirktanius
      6/21/16 11:13am

      Truth. Odds are, that shitty minimum wage job will sack you juuuuust before the probation period ends because fuck worker rights, amiright?

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