President Trump won the 2024 election with huge margins from men. Many of them backed his return to the Oval Office due to their hope that he would improve the economy, particularly in sectors where men make up the majority of employees, industries like manufacturing and mining. But a Labor Department report released last week shows that men, when compared to women, have been disproportionately negatively impacted by the current economic climate — conditions that exist in part due to Trump’s policies.
One in three American men is not working or looking for a job, according to the report, many for reasons beyond their control, including disabilities or other health-related issues. While some have retired, many others need to find ways to bring in income. And given the areas where the economy is experiencing growth, they should consider explore pursuing a bachelor’s degree — specifically, a bachelor’s in health care.
Widespread frustration with higher education related to costs, perceived political biases, and disinterest in the subject matter have led some men to forgo pursuing academics beyond high school. Men made up 47 percent of college students ages 18 to 24 in 2011, according to the Pew Research Center. The number dropped to 44 percent in 2022. That’s one million fewer young men in college. According to the Brookings Institution, one of the reasons for this decline was rising skepticism about the value of college combined with a strong labor market for men without college degrees — which is no longer the case.
Despite these recent trends, most higher education stats remain unchanged. For example: Men with bachelor’s degrees have lower average unemployment rates than men without them, at 3 percent and 7 percent respectively in 2023, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And men with bachelor’s degrees still earn more. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, men with only a high school diploma earned a median weekly pay of $1,024 in 2024. Men with a bachelor’s degree earned $1,768.
These numbers matter, especially as many Americans are currently struggling financially. More than 7 in 10 — 73 percent — of Americans said they are “financially stressed,” according to a 2025 CNBC/SurveyMonkey poll. Trump caused a few eyebrows to raise this week when he said the financial hardships of American families are not a concern of his when navigating the ongoing war in Iran (which has driven up gas prices globally).
“Not even a little bit,” he told the press. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
For a growing number of men, a trade school is preferred over college. Enrollment of 18- to 25-year-old men in technical schools was 4.4 percent in 2023, according to the Center for American Progress. The number was 3.2 percent in 2022. Automotive repair, carpentry, welding, and electrical work still remain popular fields of study for men. But for men uninterested in careers doing manual labor, pursuing a bachelor’s degree could be worthwhile — especially in health care.
Economists note that job growth in the health care sector is one of the main reasons that the economy is doing as well as it is in terms of employment. A range of fast-growing careers — from nursing to home health aides to mental health counselors — could provide men with steady employment in a country where the health needs of the growing and aging population are expected to expand. Other growing health care jobs — including physicians, physical therapists, and nurse practitioners — require more education but provide higher salaries.
It is possible that the industries that employ men could see their fates change as we move through the year. But for men uninterested in waiting on foreign affairs and elections to change their current economic conditions, walking through the doors currently available to them — such as going to college — might be the best way to increase their odds of steady employment.
This article originally appeared on BostonGlobe.com on May 16, 2026.
