I don't really disagree. Some of it is attitude. That and what the book the Millionaire Next Door referred to as Economic Outpatient Care. It is just that in t

I don't really disagree. Some of it is attitude. That and what the book the Millionaire Next Door referred to as Economic Outpatient Care. It is just that in the past the standard of living also was raised, and the market had to bear higher costs to motivate people to work. If you examine the pay of our grandparents and parents you see they experienced very considerable wage growth in their lifetimes while the standard of living was rising, like by a factor of 10. Roofing contractors were paid a dollar a day in 1900! That impetus is missing from the labour market today. It is partly that some of the people mentioned in the study feel like they have better things to do, but a lot of it has to do with the trajectory and speed of wage growth. When you feel like your prospects are 'capped', you're bound to be less motivated. I've heard employers whining they can't find the right people in the WSJ and NYT for some time now (subtext: at subpar rates of pay) and I think this should be treated with the same reverence given to lazy bones on the coach there. None.