Decline of the Work Ethic?

“We did not eat any one’s bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day,
that we might not burden any of you” (2 Thessalonians 3:8, RSV).

The U.S. labor force participation rate — the proportion of working-age citizens either working or actively looking for work — has declined from a high of 67.5% at the turn of the century to 62.3%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A 2022 article published in Forbes noted that America once had one of the strongest work ethics in the world. Americans worked 25% more hours and retired later relative to other workers in the world (The Institute of Labor Economics, 2017). However, today’s younger workforce, whose values were shaped by the digital world, and obscured by the high number of early retirements during the pandemic, indicate there has been a reversal in the strong work ethic, and that the change may have started a decade ago.

The Millennial Generation, 50 million individuals born between 1981 and 1986, and Generation X, 65 million individuals born between 1965 and 1980, now comprise the majority of the U.S. workforce. This combined group is fast replacing retiring Baby Boomers, about 73 million individuals born between 1946 and 1964. Work ethic is not nearly as important to this new workforce, according to a Pew Research study. McKinsey and Company found a similar change when it surveyed Generation Z, 68 million individuals born between 1996 and 2010.

They listed shopping, dating, and making friends online as most important. Of course, no one can tell whether priorities will change as this workforce ages and gains responsibility.

Effects of the Pandemic

The pandemic relief plans resulted in over 46 million Americans receiving $749 billion dollars in weekly payments. Many workers didn’t want to go back to the jobs they once had, according to an article published by the Associated Press in 2021. Layoffs and lockdowns, combined with enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, gave many Americans the time and the financial cushion to rethink their careers. For those who did return to work, growth in paid-time off increased.

The Atlanta Federal Reserve economists recently analyzed the weekly hours hired-to-work versus hours paid in the U.S. private sector. Hours paid has remained steady at about 34.5 weekly, while hours worked has declined to 32.8 in 2023. Employers have expanded paid benefits to retain and attract workers in a hot job market. Employees, meanwhile, are using the new benefits as they juggle work, family, and health. Much of this has been driven by an increase in paid leave, including sick leave (80% in 2023 versus 67% a decade ago) and family leave (27% in 2023 versus 12%).

According to a Labor Department report published in the Wall Street Journal, in August there were about 3.3 million more job openings than jobless people seeking work. An article from the Bureau of Labor Statistics published in April 2021 said, “Labor productivity — defined as output per labor hour — has grown at a below-average rate since 2005, representing a dramatic reversal of the above-average growth of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Many economic observers were surprised at how drastically growth rates slowed, given the recently observed high rates of growth and the continued technological innovations that were proliferating throughout the economy.”

In the United States, according to a June, 2023, report by the US Chamber of Commerce, “Understanding America’s Labor Shortage” (June 9, 2023), “workforce participation remains below pre-pandemic levels. There are 1.97 million fewer Americans working today compared to February 2020.”

A May 2022 U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey about “Why Americans are Staying Out of the Workforce” found that over half (52%) of those who lost their full-time job during the pandemic agreed that it was essential to return to full-time work, while 26% said it would never be essential. About half (49%) were not willing to take jobs that do not offer the opportunity for remote work.

Biblical Principles of Work

Idleness of all kinds is condemned throughout the Wisdom books (NIV):
● Proverbs 10:5, “He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”
● Proverbs 12:11, “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”
● Proverbs 19:15, “Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry”
● Proverbs 18:9, “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.”

In 1608, the Jamestown Colony in America was struggling to survive due to lack of food and the necessity to be constantly on the lookout for Indian attacks. Many refused to work to support the colony. Captain John Smith, leader of the colony, implemented a rule based on 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” He forced all colonists, including the so-called “gentlemen,” to work in some capacity for the betterment of the colony.

This same passage, in verses six to ten, admonishes Christians to keep away from those who replace support for others with idleness and busy bodying. “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Timothy 5:8).

Ephesians 4:28 (RSV) encourages those who previously stole from others to make a living. “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.” Idleness runs contrary to the biblical command to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:26-28). The Bible is clear that we ought to engage in constructive and diligent work. This is a mark of maturity and will ordinarily lead to blessings. The diligent should expect to receive the fruits of their labors, but the dangers of idleness are often compounded, for idleness can lead to other sins as well (James 1:14-15).

Sanctification requires work on our part. We must guard our hearts according to God’s Word (Psalm
119:9-11). Jesus was never idle or slothful. Jesus was consumed with the work He had come to do (Luke 2:49, John 4:34, 5:17, 36). Mark 6:3 refers to Jesus as a carpenter, while Matthew 13:55 refers him the son of a carpenter. It is likely that Jesus followed in his putative father’s footsteps until he began his itinerant ministry. Acts 18:3, 4 says that Paul worked as a tentmaker while founding the church at Corinth and preaching every Sabbath in the synagogue. He offered his own example to others who were engaged in the Lord’s activities.

In Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, earthly rewards will be given to those who labor. “They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. (Isaiah 65:21-23 NIV). Let us pray for that glorious time to come soon!