{"id":120794,"date":"2023-01-20T00:02:35","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T05:02:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=120794"},"modified":"2023-01-19T09:52:43","modified_gmt":"2023-01-19T14:52:43","slug":"george-mason-economist-has-idea-to-create-millions-of-blue-collar-jobs-for-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/george-mason-economist-has-idea-to-create-millions-of-blue-collar-jobs-for-men\/","title":{"rendered":"George Mason economist has idea to create millions of blue-collar jobs for men"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cut red tape, create more jobs<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A college professor believes that he has a solution to put men without college degrees back to work in blue-collar jobs – particularly those who \u201cfeel out-of-place in the modern service economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor Bryan Caplan, a George Mason University economist, wants to see a deregulation of the building and construction industry, which he argues will boost job opportunities for men without college degrees without requiring massive government subsidies.<\/p>\n

He laid out his ideas in a Substack article<\/a> and provided further commentary to The College Fix <\/em>via email. Caplan regularly writes and talks<\/a> on the problems in the housing industry and how deregulation would help Americans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes me so sure that housing deregulation would be great for non-college males?\u201d Caplan wrote. “Because non-college males build almost all our housing! Over 80% of all construction jobs are non-college already – and almost 90% are male,\u201d he said, citing statistics from the Department of Labor.<\/p>\n

\u201cNon-college men do almost all construction jobs, so anything that allows more building almost automatically employs more of them,\u201d Caplan reiterated in emailed comments to The Fix<\/em>. \u201cFewer height limitations, more multi-family, lower minimum lot sizes, shorter delays,\u201d are some of the regulations that could be removed to increase construction activity.<\/p>\n

By removing government regulations that hinder construction, Caplan argues, one to two million jobs could be created and greatly grow the industry. This is because construction is not constrained by technological developments. Rather, individuals, especially men, will always be involved in construction projects<\/p>\n

\u201cEven modest relaxation of existing regs could swiftly create one or two million more well-paid working-class jobs,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe radical housing deregulation I champion could easily double the size of the construction industry for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

The increase in activity would then lead to higher wages due to increased demand for workers. \u201cThat\u2019s how businesses attract lots of new workers,\u201d Caplan told The Fix<\/em>. He predicted that removal of construction barriers would begin to have a positive impact in six to twelve months.<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Appreciate blue-collar work and trade schools, student says<\/a><\/p>\n

This idea would be more beneficial than trying to subsidize manufacturing in the Rust Belt, Caplan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause there just isn\u2019t much demand for more standard industrial products; we\u2019ve enjoyed many decades of progress and stocked up,\u201d Caplan said. \u201cIf WalMart cut the prices of manufactured products in half, you wouldn\u2019t want to double your inventory, would you? Housing, in contrast, has been so strangled that people are eager for more, especially in desirable locations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the price of housing in NYC fell in half, millions of people would want to live there \u2013 and millions of people now there would want to upgrade to bigger places,\u201d he predicted.<\/p>\n

He pointed to Texas as one state that has increased its male employment in the construction industry versus \u201cstates like California with little construction. It\u2019s basically just arithmetic.”<\/p>\n

However, there is room for California to grow. \u201cJust imagine all the honest toil required to demolish those silly two-story homes in San Francisco and replace them with skyscrapers,\u201d Caplan proposed in his essay.<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Students take advantage of corporate work programs to pay for college<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Bannafarsai_Stock\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

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