Are Opioids Responsible for Shrinking Labor Pool?

(Summer 2018) The opioid epidemic has drained over four million individuals from the U.S. workforce from 1999 to 2015. As such, the country’s economy lost more than $702 billion during this timeframe. Having these workers on the sidelines also reduced the nation’s economic growth rate by 0.2% between 1999 and 2015.

Recent research suggests that as the number of opioid prescriptions in an area increases, the amount of residents in the workforce decreases. In some regions of the country, businesses are challenged to fill empty positions, and others have problems recruiting potential hires who can pass a drug screening. As a result, some companies are revoking their drug-free workplace policies.

On the flipside, those in the workforce who are currently battling addiction pull valuable dollars away from their employers’ bottom lines. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) estimates that employers spend $81 billion annually due to theft, lowered productivity rates, increased turnover and sick days associated with drug abuse.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed labor force participation at a high of 67% in 2000; however, it recorded close to a four-decade low of 62.4% in 2015. The BLS also reports overdose deaths at the job site ballooning at least 25% each year since 2012.

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