Mike Rowe warns shortage of skilled workers is an 'enormous problem': 'We've got to do something about it'

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Mike Rowe reiterates need for blue-collar work as cost of living surges

FOX Business host Mike Rowe joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss the current state of the economy and the labor market as inflation continues to soar.

FOX Business host Mike Rowe stressed the importance of skilled work, Monday, as Americans battle rising consumer prices and a surging cost of living nationwide. 

The host of "How America Works" joined "America's Newsroom" to discuss the labor market and the need for trade workers as inflation hovers around a four-decade high. 

"There is just simply never been a need for skilled work like there is right now," Rowe told co-hosts Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer. "If you're inclined to think that way, to work that way, the world is your oyster. If you're not, sadly, and you're a man, statistically, you're probably sitting home spending 2,000 hours a year looking at your screen."

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"We have to talk about that," he continued. "We've got to do something about it, not in a scholarly lecturing way, but we've got to acknowledge it because it's enormous."

Do you want the government to lend you a hand or leave you alone? (Fox News)

Rowe said the labor participation rate is also key when evaluating economic health, but is not always honed in on the way it should be. 

He called it the "least reported" indicator with the "biggest" impact on the economy. 

"You got 7 million men right now, prime age 25 to 54, not only not working, but affirmatively not looking for work," Rowe said. "That is having an impact, I think, on the economy, and according to [economist] Nick [Eberstadt], an impact unlike anything we've ever seen before."

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A recent Fox News Poll echoes Rowe's sentiment. The survey showed a majority of Americans would prefer the government lend them a hand as they battle various economic woes, like rising consumer prices. 

A sign displays the current gas price at an Aloha gas station in Waialua, Oahu, HI. March, 28, 2022. (Fox News) (Angelica Stabile/Fox News)

"The reality is, there are a lot of people who need a hand who are well-intended and willing to work," Rowe said. "The other reality is there are millions of people who have been given a hand and as a result, have done absolutely nothing with the help they've been afforded."

"These two things happen at the same time, and why they divide us right down the middle? I don't know. It's not necessary, but it comes down to the individual," he continued. "And I'm telling you, Bill, you'll see it on tonight's show, if you're an individual who's willing to work, the path to prosperity is crystal clear."