Massachusetts Shrinking Labor Force

The Boston Globe reports:

Massachusetts' workforce is shrinking at an alarming rate, as thousands of low-skilled men drop out of the labor force because they cannot find jobs or are too discouraged to keep looking, according to a new report.

The report, released today by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, warns that as the state expands rapidly in high-tech and life sciences industries, a significant segment of its population is being left behind.

Between 2003 and 2005, Massachusetts was the only state to lose workers for three consecutive years, according to the report. During that period, the nation's workforce grew 3.1 percent, while the state's declined by 1.7 percent.

Early indications suggest that 2006 might be Massachusetts' fourth straight year of decline. The last time the state experienced such a prolonged drop was during World War II, when men were called to fight.

The study blames the workforce decline in part on the widely discussed exodus of college-educated young people who are leaving the state because they cannot afford housing here.

Massachusetts values are: big regulations,high taxes,and artificially high real estate prices because of zoning.Sort of a mini-Europe.Big,activist government causes decline.