New Jobs Being Created Are Nearly All Low-Wage

by Tula Connell,AFL-CIO Blog

So, even as there are still 4.7 workers for every one job, the jobs that are being created are primarily low-wage—and the wages in those jobs have fallen disproportionately, according to a new report by the National Employment Law Project (NELP).

From the first quarter of 2010 through the first quarter of 2011, the most recent data available, lower-wage occupations grew by 3.2 percent, with retail salespersons, office clerks, cashiers, food preparation workers and stock clerks topping the list. Mid-wage occupations, including paralegals, customer service representatives and machinists, grew by only 1.2 percent, while higher-wage occupations declined by 1.2 percent, which includes occupations like engineers, registered nurses and finance workers.

While overall, wages have fallen 0.6 percent since the start of the recession, lower-wage jobs have declined by 2.3 percent since the start of the recession. In mid-range occupations, wages declined by -0.9 percent while wages in higher-wage jobs actually rose by 0.9 percent.
The trend toward low pay preceded the recession. As Holly Sklar points out:

Today’s retail clerks, health aides, child care workers, restaurant workers, security guards and other minimum wage workers have $6,500 less in annual buying power than their 1968 counterparts.

Let’s see. We have employers who won’t hire unemployed workers, an historically wide wealth gap between black and Latino workers and white workers, a 9.2 percent unemployment rate with almost no job creation and the few jobs that are created don’t pay a living wage.

All this means lawmakers on Capitol Hill are focused on America’s jobs crisis, right? Right? Hello…