111 Million U.S. Adults Do Not Have a Job and America Spends More Than a Trillion Dollars per Year on a Social Safety Net for Them

Liberty Daily ^ | Jul. 5, 2026 | Michael Snyder

[Pete Dovgan]

Did you know that the number of Americans that are out of work right now is far higher than it was at any point during the Great Recession? I know that sounds crazy, but I will prove it to you in this article. A whopping 111 million Americans do not have a job, and we are spending more than a trillion dollars a year on the social safety net that supports them. Of course we cannot afford to do this, because the national debt has already reached 39 trillion dollars and it is growing at an astounding rate. If we do not fix our economy, disaster is inevitable..........

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS:

[BiteYourSelf]

How many are really Americans.🙄🤔

[Vermont Lt]

There are 330,000,000 people in the country.

Are we supposed to believe that 1/3 of them don’t work…and are getting assistance?

That doesn’t pass the most basic of “smell tests”.

[Bon of Babble]

And, there's this:

H-1B Visas Skyrocket Despite Trump Admin Crackdown

"President Donald Trump's government has tried to impose a $100,000 fee on many new H-1B petitions filed for workers outside the United States, though a federal judge blocked the measure in June."

https://www.newsweek.com/h-1b-visas-skyrocket-despite-trump-admin-crackdown-12154338

[sauropod]

And retirees. Some workplaces still practice age discrimination.

[ealgeone]

IIRC the disability roles jumped during the 2008 "crisis". It's my understanding once you get on disability you rarely get off.

There needs to be a serious audit of that program.

[Pete Dovgan]

Yes, I saw that. The Democrats are the no work and no job party, that’s why they want to target the producers like Musk and Bezos.

[Bon of Babble]

They also know the no work/no job constituent is open to Marxist promises - and “punishment” of producers.

[UnwashedPeasant]

"111 Million U.S. Adults Do Not Have a Job"

Over the last 20-30 years, we've been told there are "11 million" illegal aliens in the US.

Now, it is "111 Million" nonworkers.

[SmokingJoe]

Grok:

No, this claim is misleading and conflates different concepts. It mixes people outside the labor force (not unemployed) with welfare spending figures. Here's a breakdown based on current data:
1. “111 million Americans don't have jobs”
This number is roughly accurate for people not in the labor force, but most are not unemployed or “jobless” in the way the claim implies:

The US civilian noninstitutional population (age 16+) is around 260–270 million.
Labor force participation rate is currently ~61.5% (June 2026), meaning ~38–39% of that population is not working or actively seeking work.

This totals tens of millions not in the labor force — close to the 111 million figure in some broader counts — but includes:
Retirees (especially Baby Boomers).
Students.
Homemakers/caregivers.
Disabled individuals.
Discouraged workers or those who choose not to work.
Official unemployment (U-3 rate) is much lower — typically 3.5–5% in recent non-recession years (millions, not tens of millions). Broader measures (U-6) are higher but still far below 111 million.

The “111 million” trope has circulated for years (similar to older “90+ million” claims) and often exaggerates by treating retirees/students as equivalent to the unemployed.

2. Government spending “over a Trillion dollars on them”
Unemployment benefits/insurance: This is tens of billions annually in normal times (e.g., ~$30–45 billion recently). It spiked massively during COVID but is not $1+ trillion.

Broader means-tested welfare (SNAP/food stamps, Medicaid, EITC, housing assistance, TANF, SSI, etc.): Federal spending on these programs has exceeded $1 trillion in recent years (some estimates put it at ~$1.3 trillion in 2025 when including various supports).

However, not all of this goes to “people without jobs.” Many programs support low-income working families (e.g., EITC for workers, Medicaid for children/working poor).
Major portions go to elderly/disabled (SSI, parts of Medicaid) or other groups.

Total federal spending is ~$6–7 trillion annually, with mandatory programs (Social Security, Medicare, welfare) making up a large share — but it's not a direct “trillion on the jobless.”

Bottom Line
Many Americans (tens of millions) are not working, largely due to demographics (aging population), education, disability, and personal choice.
Government support for low-income and vulnerable populations is expensive (hundreds of billions to over $1 trillion depending on definitions), but the claim oversimplifies by implying 111 million able-bodied “unemployed” people are draining a trillion in welfare. Most non-workers aren't on unemployment, and spending serves broader purposes.
For precise latest figures, check BLS (labor stats) or CBO/USASpending.gov (budget). Economic conditions fluctuate, but the US has strong employment overall compared to historical norms.

[unclebankster]

Employers are absolutely ridiculous in their demands.

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That’s what I’ve been hearing in the recent years, at family reunions from the younger people in the family. The days of showing up at an employer and wanting an application & job, is now met with “go online” or “here’s a temp agency number.”

This needs to change if capital is serious about having and training a labor force for the future.

[MinorityRepublican]

We have a totally printed, fiat money supply, courtesy of the Federal Reserve, which allows Fed.gov to run $2-3 Trillion deficits every year

We also have China, which is still willing to do much of our manufacturing work for us, in exchange for printed, green Federal Reserve notes.

It's good for China with mixed results for USA. Obviously it's good for our politicians, of course the MIC and those who collect Social Security.

Otherwise, it's a bad deal especially if you are a typical hard-working American paying your taxes.

[PeterPrinciple]

That’s what I’ve been hearing in the recent years, at family reunions from the younger people in the family. The days of showing up at an employer and wanting an application & job, is now met with “go online” or “here’s a temp agency number.”

This needs to change if capital is serious about having and training a labor force for the future.

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We used to govern and employ by relationships. Much small business. All the rules and regs just kill small business. You are better to be self employed but there is a lot of overhead for that also.

Liberty is the only answer. Liberty is freedom and responsibility.

[FrankRizzo890]

Tell me again why we need so many H1B’s? And all the other “We need to import all these illegals because we can’t find workers!” BS.

[Brian Griffin]

“H-1B Visas Skyrocket Despite Trump Admin Crackdown”

WIKI

Steel Dome (Turkish: Çelik Kubbe) is a multi-layered combined air defense system developed by Turkey using domestic technology.

Steel Dome integrates domestic air defense systems that are effective at varying altitudes. The system includes radars, electro-optical sensors, command and control centers, and air defense elements with different ranges.

Ejderha/AD 200, directed energy weapon.
EJDERHA/AD 210 HPeM, high-power microwave UAV detection & neutralization, the refined version of EJDERHA/AD 200 HPeM weapon featuring a larger antenna, coaxial IR camera, and a mast-mounted AURA 100-G radar
The ALKA directed-energy weapon (DEW) system is a Turkish dual electromagnetic/laser weapon developed by Roketsan.
İHTAR C-UAS jammer with AESA radars, and Şahin 130/40GL, Micro/Mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) interception system,
Gökberk 10, mobile laser weapon system against UAVs,
Gürz 150, superior target detection, identification, and tracking, Identification friend or foe (IFF) system, multiple engagement and sequential firing, gun turret providing 360° firing capability,
Korkut SSA, mobile single-barrel and double-barrel 35 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG). Programmable munitions that detonate on approach to the target. Effective against UAVs and cruise missiles,
PUSU, Low-cost, mobile weapon system developed by Roketsan, primarily mounted on 4x4 pickup trucks like the Toyota Hilux. Designed for high mobility and rapid deployment, serves as an anti-drone platform.
Sungur, SHORAD system developed by Roketsan.
BURÇ, Short-range air defense platform developed by Roketsan.
ATILGAN, A self-propelled surface-to-air missile system which provides mobile, short-range air defense protection for ground units against aerial threats such as cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, low-flying fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Built by Roketsan and Aselsan.
GÖKALP, autonomous kinetic drone interceptor
TOLGA, A multi-layered Short-Range Air Defence and counter-drone network.
GÖKSUR SAM-based CIWS
Hisar A and Hisar O, short and medium-range air defence systems of the Hisar missile family with ranges of 15 and 25 km (9.3 and 15.5 mi) respectively,
ILGAR 3-LT, disrupts enemy communications
MİĞFER, FPV drone interception for critical site defense
Siper, a high to medium air defense surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, of Siper-1 with 100 km (62 mi) and Siper-2 150 km (93 mi) range.
Eralp,[14] long range S-band early-warning radar system.
ALP 300-G, long range AESA radar, S-band
ALP 100-G, low altitude AESA radar
ALP 400-G, long range searching AESA radar operating at lower frequencies than ALP 300-G, VHF and S-bands
ALP 600-G, high Altitude Search and Tracking Radar capable of detecting threats from space.
ALP 150-G/P, a passive radar
ALP 500-G, larger fixed version of ALP 300-G
ALP 310-G, long range surveillance radar

DRONDEF (Drone Defense System) is an integrated counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) developed by ASELSAN as part of the Steel Dome air defense architecture. It employs a layered architecture combining sensors, electronic warfare systems, directed-energy weapons, kinetic effectors, autonomous interceptor drones, and high-power electromagnetic (HPEM) systems to counter mini and micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) threats. According to ASELSAN, the system has a detection range of up to 10 km, with all subsystems integrated through a unified command and control (C2) center supported by artificial intelligence. The system comprises the following components:

İHTAR counter-UAV system (detection and jamming)
GÖKBERK 20 kW laser weapon systems
KORKUT 25-25 mm programmable airburst weapon system
GÖKALP autonomous interceptor drone
EJDERHA AD high-power electromagnetic (HPEM) weapon system
ŞAHİN LITE and ŞAHİN DUAL airburst weapon systems
MİĞFER counter-FPV system
Kangal anti-drone and Electronic warfare (EW) suite.
GÖKER 35mm A multi-purpose, single-barrel weapon system.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Dome

When a country like Turkey is developing first-class systems the US can no longer risk turning off the domestic production of engineers.

Young Americans will not spend $250,000 and four years of their time going to college to learn about engineering unless there will be reliable future employment for American-born engineers.

[Brellium]

It's largely youth unemployment, which is a global issue. https://cis.org/Report/WorkingAge-Not-Working-1960-2025

Figure 6 breaks it down by age and the lowest non-working is 25-64

While it has increased over time, the 16-64 is 18.4%; 20-64 is 13.0%; and 25-64 is 5.7%.

If you're under 30 the (global) economy sucks.

[Brian Griffin]

“Much small business.”

Forty years agon the vast majority of my retail spending was with small businesses.

[unclebankster]

These are stupid numbers — because they include most retirees.

If you are 85 years old and you are not living in a nursing home, you are considered an “available worker” under U.S. Department of Labor statistics — even if you’ve been retired for 20 years.

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This group is playing fast & loose with the numbers because they want cuts to certain areas of federal spending.

I’m not entirely against this.

However, we’re going into an environment with “tail end” boomers leaving the workforce in droves, which will leave a tighter labor market over the next 15 to 20 years. Companies that want to remain viable in the future will “cultivate the labor” those that don’t change with future demographics, will meander along until extinction.

[Brian Griffin]

“If the same share of U.S.-born men (16 to 64) were in the labor force in 2025 as in 1960, there would be 8.9 million more U.S.-born men in the labor force. Even if the share returned only to the 2000 level, it would still add 4.1 million U.S.-born men to the labor force.”

link given above:
https://cis.org/Report/WorkingAge-Not-Working-1960-2025

[TexasGator]

“Not really. No. They collect Social Security and we are paying for it through taxes.”

I paid into SS for fifty years. Now I am paying taxes on my returns.

[Brian Griffin]

“The share of U.S.-born men ages 20 to 64 (i.e., excluding teenagers) without a bachelor’s degree who are not in the labor force roughly doubled from 7 percent in 1960 to 13 percent in 1980, to 15.9 percent in 2000, and to 21.3 percent in April of this year.

“Of “prime-age” U.S.-born men, 25 to 54 without a bachelor’s, the share not in the labor force increased from 4.2 percent in 1960, to 10.6 percent in 2000, to 14.8 percent in April 2025.”

https://cis.org/Report/WorkingAge-Not-Working-1960-2025