What this says about America is sad -America's Most Popular Jobs

[liberal N proud]

What are the mega-professions that employ so many people? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following jobs are America's most popular: (employ the most people)

1. Retail salespeople
Salary: $24,630*

2. Cashiers
Salary: $19,030

3. Office clerks
Salary: $27,700

4. Combined food preparation and service workers
Salary: $18,120

5. Registered nurses
Salary: $66,530

6. Waiters and waitresses
Salary: $20,380


7. Customer service representatives
Salary: $32,410

8. Material movers
Salary: $25,290

9. Janitors
Salary: $24,120

10. Stock clerks and order fillers
Salary: $23,460

11. Secretaries
Salary: $31,060

12. Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks
Salary: $34,750

13. General managers (the top executives of establishments and organizations such as restaurants, hotels, amusement parks and sports teams)
Salary: $110,550


14. Tractor-trailer truck drivers
Salary: $39,260


15. Elementary school teachers
Salary: $53,150

* Salary information is according to the BLS, and is based on average annual salary from May 2009

See more statistics and information at:
http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2416-Job-Info-and-Trends-Americas-Most-Popular-Jobs/?SiteId=cbmsnhp42416&sc_extcmp=JS_2416_home1>1=23000

Not one manufacturing job listed and only 3 salaries above $50,000 Nursing and Elementary School Teachers and managers. At least we see the importance of paying teachers (sort of).

[old mark]

1. There is at this time a teachers strike in the Philly area, and a lot of the locals

showed up at the teachers meeting to protest their strike - most workers in the area makd half of the teachers pay, and have not had raises for years, with none in sight...they say they can't afford to pay increases when they have so little money for their own families.

The rich love to play one group against the other, and this refusal to hire is, IMO, a political ploy at least in part, to blame unemployment on Democrats/Liberals...even though it all started under W's regime.


It is similar to the use of fear about Social Security being manupulated to divide people of various age groups...us old farts who already get it and fear losing it, versus the young who beliveve they won't ever see it.

It is GOP politics, pure and simple - fear, division, mistrust, based on lies.

rec.

mark

[KharmaTrain]

4. And Another Union Failure

My daughter went through a similar strike earlier this year and made a nervious wreck of her. In her case, the teachers had given back COLAs for the past two years and operated without a contract for well over a year. The school district badmouthed the union in the local media; even releasing salaries of some teachers to do exactly what you cite...piss people off by showing that SOME teachers do earn more than the average Joe...but it was portrayed that everyone was making this kind of money. In the end, the union punted the ball...took a one year deal with more givebacks (tenure and benefits) as public opinion was against them. The union did an awful job of communicating their side...and not uncommon.

Our union movement is in terrible shape...with fewer and fewer people represented by them and little solidarity aross union lines. People see no reason to join or feel they're forced into it. If this country needed a re-energized union movement, it's now.

[w8liftinglady]

5. that is exactly what is happening to Texas teachers.

my partner and his peers haven't had a cola in 3 years...and are seeing the same rate of no rehire.Unfortunately,kids aren't going into teaching here...they are just increasing the classroom size.And...also unfortunately..the AFL/CIO is impotent in Texas.....how soon people forget WHY we have unions.

[KharmaTrain]

6. I Had To Buck Up My Daughter

Even her husband, who is a teacher in another district (and union) took a side against the strike cause it may cost the football team to forfeit a game or two. Sheesh. He kept saying there were others ways to resolve this. I kept telling her to hang tough...if the union loses, her hard-earned tenure would slip away as would more benefits. This is a district that has had many problems...many of them socio-economic as the local area economy has been depressed for years and there's a high proportion of poor and lower middle income kids in her school...many at risk. They failed to reach NCLB standards a couple years ago that hurt funding and caused a massive reorganization with more pressure put on teachers to "up the scores". She loves what she does but can't deal with the politics...a reason she's in a masters program.

My family has a long and proud union tradition and I'm sad to see how its deteriorated in my lifetime. My grandfather was a union President in the 20s and 30s...fought for the 8 hour day and better working conditions in the stock yards. I could imagine his dismay at how much of his hard work has been squandered.

Cheers...

[Hannah Bell]

40. teachers need to reach out to other workers, parents, students --

they're going to lose if they just let the union leadership handle it.

one union can't stand alone.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. The union didn't publish the admin salaries in retaliation?

[KharmaTrain]

19. Hard To Do...

When the only paper in town blasted the union and also owned the radio station. They had overwhelming student support...but not too many of them vote.

[old mark]

13. Philly always was a very strong union area, and still s - relatively...but many

of the well-paid manufacturing jobs that have been here for a century are gone and many workers are finding jobs with greatly reduced pay and benefits are all that exist in their place. We know several people working 2 jobs to make a decent living where one job was enough before.

Unions seem to be content to make their money and let things slide - at least many of tehm are that way. The biggest employer in my county is government - City, County, State and Federal workers - and they ARE unionized, but do not pay well compared to the old steel mills and railroad car companies that used to be here.

mark

[KharmaTrain]

18. I've Seen The Decline...

I was in an industry that was heavily unionized at one time (back in the 30s and 40s). Technology and times led to the less of many union jobs and they went into self-preservation mode. Instead of adapting to the change they soon became obsolete and ineffective. I know about the working 2 or 3 jobs to pay the bills...been there and done that. There are so few advocates for the working folks these days or a place for those with no representation to look to. It pains me to see this as I've long admired those who made major sacrafices, including their lives, on behalf of the workers who then became the middle class. Where are these people now?

[old mark]

25. I served as an AFSCME steward for a few years, and I was quite disapointed

with the reality of that union as it was run...lots of money was spent on a modern and imressive union center used by the union big shots, while the representation was cut to the point where we didn't get regular regional reps - we had one shared with several other institutions, even after several of them had been closed down.

They never forgot to collect your dues, though...

mark

[Hannah Bell]

41. government is the biggest single employer in the country, i believe. first or second, at least.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jody]

2. Just because many people have a specific job does not imply popularity. It's just all the person

could find.

[liberal N proud]

15. Popularity was used by the article meaning numbers of people in the position

I don't think it reflected the jobs people were choosing.

[jody]

28. Understand and a better choice would have been "Only Job I Could Find". n/t

[w8liftinglady]

3. $22,000 is the official poverty level for a family of 4(just for insight)

[OHdem10]

7. The New Normal, Thank our Free Marketers in both parties.

Globalization is equalizing living standards arount the
world. Instead of Policies which lifts other countries
up, the Elites pushed policies that creates a harmonization
downward ot the First World. (US). We have known this
for years. Our Median Income will be about 20,000. Half
the country will make above 20K Half will make below 20K.
This means further drop in salaries for everyone except
the wealthiest.

[Overseas]

8. K&R ! //nt

[Recursion]

9. #13 is kind of misleading, I think

There are so many GMs because most of them are running very small businesses taking little or no salary; it's sort of like how the mean salary of an Equity actor is $50,000 because of the few stars that make millions.

[Yavin4]

11. Here's The Worst Thing

None of these jobs are building skills in the workers for possible careers in the future. Being a cashier or a retail sales person only qualifies you to be a...cashier or retail sales person.

[GA_ArmyVet]

12. Those are not the most popular jobs..

Those jobs may be the most prevalent, but I highly doubt that those are the most popular. It seems more like media construct to label these menial jobs as "popular" simply because so many people work in those fields. I suppose poverty is more popular than being wealthy, and dying must be very popular since everyone does it. Most people work those jobs because they need to put food on the table and that was what was available. That work ethic is laudable and worthy of respect but it does not in anyway suggest that the job is popular.

[liberal N proud]

16. The article was using "popular" to mean prevalent

I don't think most of the people in a majority of those jobs chose to be there.

[TwilightGardener]

14. In what universe do RN's average $66,000???

[liberal N proud]

17. Makes you want to find that job

If that is an average, which I guess it might be, just think someone out there is making a whole lot more. But where?

[TwilightGardener]

22. I had that job--my peak earnings were 38,000 per year.

I can only assume they're factoring in advance-practice nurses like nurse anesthetists and practitioners. Or maybe it's the average for nurses in California. I never came near that salary level, even with straight night pay.

[ecstatic]

45. depends on where you live nt

[hfojvt]

21. why do you expect salaries to be above $50,000?

In my last factory job the wage there topped out at $17 an hour. That was ten years ago, which would be $21.56 today. That would be $51,571.52 with the 4 hours of overtime that they got per week, but that was the TOP rate. Starting pay was only about $10, or $12.69 today. Which is a mere $26,395 a year without overtime. Not that much more than what a janitor makes.

[liberal N proud]

24. Why wouldn't I expect wages to be at a livable level?

Just because some jobs do not pay enough for people to live on is not a valid reason to expect them to do so. Expectations that people can afford to eat, pay their bills, clothe and educate their children are not unreasonable.

To say that we shouldn't expect wages to be livable, is giving in to the force that is driving America to the third world.

In 1979, I was working a factory job that paid more than $53,000/year, why shouldn't we expect that today? Because we have let the Reaganomics rule our world and have accepted it.

[hfojvt]

38. most people were not making $53,000 in 1979

I graduted from college in 1985 and only made $8.54 an hour. It's not impossible to live on $35,000 a year even today.

[KillCapitalism]

23. Someday we'll look back at those jobs as high-paying.

If the teabaggers & right wingers get their way by repealing minimum wage laws, we'll all be getting paid 75 cents an hour like Indians get paid.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

26. We're Living In The Golden Age Of Minimum Wage

That union job at the factory (the one that paid $20.00 an hour and had full health benefits and retirement) gets shipped overseas, but you're able to find a job as a shelf-stocker at your local Wal-Mart (a minimum wage job with no benefits whatsoever). To the right-wingers, that's exactly the same. A zero sum game. You LOST a job, then you GAINED a job. You're EXACTLY where you were before. Right?

[jody]

29. Could the workers in your hypothetical have accepted lower wages to avoid unemployment n/t

[Romulox]

27. Free Trade and Globalism have gutted this country. nt

[sally cat]

30. Fail. Employ the most does not = most popular.

[liberal N proud]

31. True - the article was using it to mean most prevalent

Was it intentional, to mislead the sheep? Maybe!

Maybe they are trying to convince the sheep that these are the careers to strive for. Part of dumbing down America and indoctrinating them to the third world.

[onethatcares]

32. allow me to add: Apartment Maintenance worker $26, 376.00

not enough to afford the apartments being maintained.

[lunatica]

33. Most of them are service jobs

[liberal N proud]

34. Exactly

We have reach the point where nothing is made in America but we are at or near the point where those working will no longer be able to buy the shit they are shipping here from China.

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. Of course there aren't any manufacturing jobs listed

We don't manufacture anything in this country anymore.

[liberal N proud]

36. That is why no one makes a living wage

We have service employees paying other service employees for their services and it becomes circle jerk of services provided.

Where is GDP?

[Recursion]

39. We're still the largest manufacturer in the world

By both value and tonnage. China is slated to pass us in a couple of years, but they also have 4 times as many people.

[daleo]

42. Well, you don't see much of it in stores. n/t

[Recursion]

43. You're right: and that's how many prototypes we make

We're still where stuff gets invented, and the amount of prototyping that's done here is a large part of why we still lead the world in manufacturing.

[daleo]

47. Inventing stuff for others to commercialize has obvious drawbacks

Especially for the working class. Only so many people can work on prototypes - generally highly skilled, well educated people. But what about everyone else?

[leftstreet]

37. Opportunities abound for some serious labor organizing n/t

[ecstatic]

44. Higher pay requires more education

but you can still get into nursing without a 4 yr degree. It's interesting to see this post but I've seen threads related to promoting higher education slammed around here.

[Greyhound]

46. Which is exactly what was predicted decades ago when this moronic idea of

a "new economy" was proposed. But of course, we must never listen to the people that are always right, I mean who wants stability and prosperity?
:kick: but too late to rec.

[Imagevision]

48. And those with College education will be accepted first!