The middle-aged men missing from America's workforce

Job seekers
Job seekers sit at computers looking for jobs available at a Workforce One Employment Solutions center on Jan. 7, 2014 in North Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Men between the ages of 25 and 54 — considered to be in their "prime age" — are missing from the economy and the workforce, according to a recent White House report.

Several theories to explain the phenomenon are floating around — they're in school, they're on disability or they're in prison — but there's no one clear answer.

Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, joined MPR News with Kerri Miller to take on those assumptions and discuss the economic impact of these millions of missing men.

Career counselor Amy Lindgren joined Bernstein in the conversation, and shared concrete strategies for staying relevant in a competitive work environment.

Click on the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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