(Florida) Too many jobs in state have low pay, meager benefits

[Herman Munster]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/business/epaper/2006/09/02/a2f_jobs_0902.html

Florida's economy ranks among the nation's strongest by some measures, yet too many workers toil for low wages and stingy benefits, says Florida International University labor expert Bruce Nissen in his State of Working Florida 2006 report.

"Florida's workers are not prospering along with the state's economy," Nissen writes. "It continues to be a low-wage state, with a disproportionate number and percentage of low-wage jobs."

Florida's median wage of $13.47 an hour remained below the national norm of $14.28, Nissen found. And he pointed to a number of other pessimistic trends:

• When adjusted for inflation, Florida's median family income fell from $50,778 in 2002 to $50,465 in 2005.

• Nearly 20 percent of Floridians had no health coverage in the period 2002-2005.

• Only 36 percent of private-sector workers were covered by an employer pension in 2003-2005, the worst of all 50 states.

• Florida is adding jobs in low-paying industries at a faster pace than in high-paying industries.

[bluestateguy]

1. Making it, in Jeb Bush's Florida

and a lot of people aren't.