Reemphasizing Workforce Values

To the Editor,

As a County Legislator, I often encounter many different issues without an easy local-level fix. Some of the most pressing issues are things I see every day as a business owner: labor participation and trouble keeping people, especially young people, engaged in the workforce.

I recently had the opportunity to hear from the Capital Region Workforce Development Board about the good work they do (for any of my constituents or Spotlight readers looking to start a career, I recommend reaching out to them for help). We spoke about many issues surrounding young people and work. Ultimately it revealed a troubling reality that no single County can fix; that we as a society have tragically deemphasized the value of hard work, and work in general.

It used to be the case that work was the norm through which everyone could support themselves and their families. More than that, work was an essential part of living through which meaning was derived and individual character was created. It was not long ago society valued gainful employment as a prerequisite for a healthy, functioning community. Pride in work, until recently, has always been paramount.

A friend of mine told me about their son who is emblematic of this issue. This young man, in the very prime of his life, works in a non-career field with only enough hours needed to pay his share of apartment rent, far from full-time. Beyond judging this type of lifestyle, it’s a model which creates serious economic problems further down the line for all of society. It can easily lead to a situation that ultimately places an even larger burden on already struggling taxpayers, as many individuals like this will often look to the government for assistance before looking within. This path also hurts local small businesses by removing able-bodied, mentally-prepared individuals from using their energies to produce valuable goods or services.

Diving deeper into the statistics, we can confirm this sobering anecdote. The number of disconnected youth – those not in school or working – is reaching a multi-decade high in the 2020s, while the number of persons aged 16-24 in the labor force is reaching a similar low. Even prior to the pandemic, during which our governments’ policies encouraged a massive exodus from the workforce, this cohort reached a nearly 70-year-low in the mid-2010s. Young men particularly are less engaged in the workforce, working less and having less financial independence. It’s a tremendous reversal from the norms that catapulted the United States to global economic dominance in the 20th century.

A society lives and thrives by the productivity of those residing within it. As a County, and as a society, we should take more pride in daily productivity which comes through gainful employment. If we can’t turn back time before social media and other distractions, we can at least continue instituting smart economic policies, impart the right message and lionize strong role models that help future generations value going to work in the morning.

Sincerely,

Todd Drake

Albany County Legislator, District 19 (Latham)

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