Why The Employment Situation Sucks

[FreedomAngel82]

Link: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/7/10/103040/382

Snip: <Why The Employment Situation Sucks
by bonddad --Sun Jul 10th, 2005

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics wages have barely grown
for the last 5 years.

According to the BLS, the average earnings increase from 2000-2004
was 3.86%, 3.22%, 3.12%, 1.71% and 2.39% respectively. However
wages have to be compared to inflation to determine the real rate of
wage growth. For the same years, annual inflation was 3.4%, 2.8%,
1.6%, 2.3% and 2.7% respectively. When inflation is subtracted from
wages, overall wage growth becomes .46%, .42%, 1.52%, -.59% and-.31%
respectively for 2000-2004.

Therefore, a family who started in 2000 with $36,000 now makes
$36,538.37. For those of you who are interested, that is a compound
annual growth rate of .29%. Color me a liberal traitor and a man
who hates America, but I think that growth rate sucks.

Let's look at the labor participation rate, which measures the
percentage of people working as a total of the total number of
people able to work. According to the BLS, that percentage was 67.2
in January of 2001. Last month, that percentage was 66%. Wow,
another brilliant achievement for dear leader. Less people are
working now than in 2001.

Given that there is little meaningful gain in wages, how do people
maintain their standard of living? Why they follow the Republican
lead, and incur massive amounts of debt. >

[Deja Q]

1. OR GET THE EDUCATION SO THE JOBS CAN STAY AT HOME?

Face facts: Ours is a doomed society and they are killing us to save themselves.

[FreedomAngel82]

2. Of course

Me, me, me, me mentality.

[EVDebs]

4. Why hire a US citizen when you can get an H1B or L1 visaholder

who works for less and keeps his mouth shut about lack of benefits etc. ? Besides, the DOL encourages outsourcing of US manufacturing jobs and the 'insourcing' of people on visas who are 'sponsored' by US companies. BTW, ever see this ?

NATION’S IMMIGRANTS ACCOUNT FOR BULK OF LABOR FORCE GROWTH SINCE 2000 WHILE NATIVE-BORN WORKERS EXPERIENCE HEAVY DECLINES
http://www.nupr.neu.edu/01-04/immigration_jan.html

Call center 'back office' jobs, service jobs, are now being outsourced faster than greased lightning in addition to manufacturing jobs.

Pat Buchanan, who on most subjects is an asshole, wrote a great column Suicide by Free Trade awhile back. The last paragraph should have gotten Kerry elected, but Dems didn't pay attention:

"Indeed, if the issue is jobs, Republicans ought to be thrown out. For not only are they not creating them, they have no idea how to stop exporting them. In their hearts, some of them think it a good thing. They are like the doctors of old who sincerely believed bleeding the patient was the way to get rid of the disease because that is what their textbooks and wise men told them." from
http://www.amconmag.com/2004_04_12/buchanan.html

[enid602]

3. older workers

But workers in their 40's and 50's who get laid off tend to find new jobs with salaries that are 33% less, leaving lots of room for wage increases for the younger workers

[bluecrush]

5. The big squeeze continues

as wages are stagnant but the cost of everything (especially housing) skyrockets. Yet, bluecollar GOP simply don't get it.