In June 2025, 3.3% of men aged 25 to 64 were not in the labor force. Out of 65,162,760 working-age men, about 2.2 million were unemployed.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for Black or African American men aged 16 and older was 6.5% in 2025 and increased to 7.2% in 2026.
In 2025, over 24% of young Black men between 16 and 19 years old were unemployed, with this figure rising to 33.8% in 2026.
Similarly, high rates are observed among Hispanic or Latino men in the same age group, increasing from 15.5% in 2025 to 17.8% in 2026.
In 2026, unemployment among young Black men aged 16 to 17 was over 45%, compared to 16.2% for White individuals and 27.7% for Hispanic or Latino youth. Data was unavailable for Asians in this category.
A 2024 Bipartisan Policy Center survey found that 57% of prime-age men not looking for work cited physical, mental, or behavioral health reasons.
Nearly 30% chose not to work, and 9% were caregivers.
Also, 52% said better health insurance from employers would make them more likely to return to work.
According to a study by FORTUNE, labor economists and specialists have noted that healthcare, which has supported the labor market over the past three years, added only 22,000 jobs, significantly less than its usual monthly increase of 36,000.
They also observed a slowdown in hiring within sectors heavily reliant on immigrant workers, such as social assistance, daycare, and services for the elderly and disabled.
Thousands of Haitian and Venezuelan workers employed in nursing homes, hospitality, and construction are expected to lose their work permits.
An analysis of census data by the National Association of Home Builders reveals that immigrants make up one in three tradespeople.
With fewer paid caregivers available, more Americans are staying home to provide care, leading to a reduction in the labor force.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. workforce shrank by more than one million over the past year, dropping to 169.1 million from 170.4 million in July.
Most of this decline happened in recent months. In July, there were 503,000 discouraged workers, up from almost 460,000 a year ago.
These people did not look for work in the past four weeks, often because they believe no jobs are available.
Experts say the drop is due to more older workers retiring and not enough younger workers entering the job market.
Employment numbers stayed mostly the same from June to July, except for an unexpected loss of 23,000 jobs in July.
A Ramp study found that more than 21,000 U.S. companies invested in artificial intelligence and then grew their workforce.
Google researchers say AI is mainly used to help people work together, not to replace jobs.
Recently, Google announced funding for the Electrical Training Alliance to train electrical workers and for the Manufacturing Institute to provide important skills training.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, said on LinkedIn that America's digital economy depends on the country's physical infrastructure and the skilled tradespeople, such as electricians, pipefitters, welders, and manufacturing workers, who build and maintain it.
This initiative aims to help American workers get ready for careers in skilled trades.
Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer at Alphabet and Google, shared on LinkedIn that the company started this initiative more than a year ago with the Electrical Training Alliance (ETA).
It builds on the company’s existing billion-dollar investment in digital skills and training worldwide.
With this $50 million expansion, Google plans to create paths to high-paying jobs for over 300,000 American workers in more than 20 states.
The expanded program will pay for training experts who support 14 labor unions and 4 trade associations, including welders, ironworkers, pipefitters, sheet metal workers, and electricians.
The goal is to make sure workers gain the advanced skills and certifications they need to start careers in skilled trades across the country.
Porat said it has been inspiring to meet program trainees and hear how excited they are about the career opportunities available.
Solving this challenge will take teamwork between the private sector, civil society, and government.
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Engineers, technologists, and innovators in the early or middle stages of their careers are encouraged to apply for focused term jobs, usually lasting one to two years, to help solve complex problems.
NASA is also looking for people to join a hiring program created with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to bring in technical talent for important roles.
The White House recently started the Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science initiative, a national program to build a quantum computer and push scientific discovery forward.
Within 90 days of this order, the Office of Personnel Management, working with the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, the Office of Management and Budget, and other federal leaders, will create a government-wide plan to recruit and keep experts in quantum information science and technology.
On March 30, 2026, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), together with the White House, launched the Early Career Talent Network to connect new professionals with full-time federal jobs.
The network, found at EarlyCareers.gov, aims to strengthen the talent pipeline for key roles in finance, human resources, engineering, project management, and procurement.
This effort supports modernizing federal hiring and building the next generation of public servants.
The Early Career Talent Network offers internships, contract work, project management, technology, finance, and human resources opportunities, with both live and virtual sessions with federal recruiters.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has also announced a digital corps for the artificial intelligence revolution.
The US Tech Force is a two-year program for early-career professionals.
Through the White House AI Action Plan, the program will hire engineers, product managers, data scientists, and AI specialists in partnership with tech companies, and will offer an optional job fair for private sector opportunities.
According to OPM, the United States Tech Force was set up with the Office of Management and Budget, the General Services Administration, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and other agency leaders.
Tech Force is a government-wide effort to hire 1,000 top engineers, data scientists, and technology leaders to tackle the government’s toughest challenges. OPM has announced the first private sector partners for Tech Force.