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Fast-food workers who are seeking higher pay often face a common criticism: If you want a better paying job, just go out and find one.
But a new study sheds light on why that’s not as easy as it seems. Since the recession, new jobs are being created, but most of them are in low-wage roles such as restaurant cashiers and servers, while the number of high-paying jobs has declined, the Alliance for a Just Society finds in a December report.
Behind the criticism of minimum-wage workers is an inherit belief that they lack the motivation to hunt down a better paying job. But the figures released by the Alliance for a Just Society, an advocacy group devoted to economic and social justice, illustrates how difficult it is to find a living wage, often defined as jobs paying $15 or more per hour.
The number of low-wage jobs — those that pay less than $15 an hour — increased by more than 3.6 million from the official end of the recession through 2012, the study notes. Unfortunately, the number of jobs paying $15 an hour or more decreased by 4 million during the same time period.
“This is America’s new, low-wage economy,” the study’s authors, Ben Henry and Allyson Fredericksen, write. “A small, and shrinking, proportion of jobs pay enough for families to make ends meet.”
The study comes at a crucial time for fast-food workers, as employees at McDonald’s (MCD), Burger King (BKW) and other restaurant chains walked off their jobs earlier this month in protest of low wages. Their goal is to raise their hourly rate to $15, with the average fast-food worker now earning about $9 per hour.
To be sure, low-paying jobs are often the first to rebound in an economic recovery. Once businesses feel as they’ve found more stable footing, they typically start to add higher-paying jobs.
Recent data supports the idea that jobs may be returning to higher paying professions. In its November data on the unemployment rate, which reached a seven-year low, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that sectors from manufacturing to professional and business services are hiring.
Still, there’s fierce competition for those higher-paying jobs. Each position that pays above $15 an hour has an average of seven job-seekers, the Alliance for a Just Society found.
That might explain why Americans remain dour about the economy, with a CBS News/New York Times Poll on Tuesday finding that 69 percent of Americans say the economy is in bad condition.
Finding a better job is not an easy task. Of all those fast food workers how many of them are actively trying to find better work? I'm not talking about just flipping through Craigslist but really trying, like spending hours a day after work looking?
Also, going from a minimum wage job to $15 an hour is not likely either. but even a lateral move from a minimum wage fast food job to a minimum wage construction job, there will be more of a future in construction then there will be in fast food. Get into an industry where there is a future.
You know anybody that works in job placement for a variety of employment types?
I do so let me give you their responses as to what holds people back as they bounce around from one min-wage job to another.
1) They don't show up.
2) They fail the drug test.
3) (Re)incarceration.
4) No way to get to job.
They opened up a shipping facility near my parents house and the guy hiring there was a family friend. Jobs paid 15-20/hr. and had a heckuva time filling the positions as guys would fail drug tests (they'd be operating forklifts etc.) or would come for a week and then stop showing up etc etc.
I think that some of the posters here have little or no personal contact with a certain segment of the population. Come on, doesn't anyone here have friends that work around these types of jobs and know the score?
Finding a better job is not an easy task. Of all those fast food workers how many of them are actively trying to find better work? I'm not talking about just flipping through Craigslist but really trying, like spending hours a day after work looking?
Also, going from a minimum wage job to $15 an hour is not likely either. but even a lateral move from a minimum wage fast food job to a minimum wage construction job, there will be more of a future in construction then there will be in fast food. Get into an industry where there is a future.
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^^^Yep. My friend started making minimum...got some minor raises\promotions up to maybe $11/hour at a dead end type job and then transitioned to a more skilled "profession" a year or two ago. They just got promoted and are now close to $20/hour.
That covers a roughly 8 year span out of highschool for them.
Having worked several fast food jobs years ago, I have done my own 'study.' I was a very hard worker, and most of my co-workers were incorrigibly lazy. I worked night shift, and the GM would arrive in the morning and notice how clean the place looked--but not on my days off. Within less than a year I was offered the position of shift manager. I did that for a while, and within less than a year was asked to go for management training to become an assistant manager. I turned it down because I didn't like the company, and not much later I quit for another job. When I quit they offered me a raise if I would stay, but I didn't.
Sure there were other people there who were hard working and competent, but 9 out of 10 weren't. Anyone who was would not have to get another job. Within a couple years they could be in management and be making at least low-middle class money w/ decent benefits.
Fast-food workers who are seeking higher pay often face a common criticism: If you want a better paying job, just go out and find one.
But a new study sheds light on why that’s not as easy as it seems. Since the recession, new jobs are being created, but most of them are in low-wage roles such as restaurant cashiers and servers, while the number of high-paying jobs has declined, the Alliance for a Just Society finds in a December report.
Behind the criticism of minimum-wage workers is an inherit belief that they lack the motivation to hunt down a better paying job. But the figures released by the Alliance for a Just Society, an advocacy group devoted to economic and social justice, illustrates how difficult it is to find a living wage, often defined as jobs paying $15 or more per hour.
The number of low-wage jobs — those that pay less than $15 an hour — increased by more than 3.6 million from the official end of the recession through 2012, the study notes. Unfortunately, the number of jobs paying $15 an hour or more decreased by 4 million during the same time period.
And yet the liberals gloat and high-five each other when the unemployment number goes down by a tenth of a point.
Quote:
“This is America’s new, low-wage economy,” the study’s authors, Ben Henry and Allyson Fredericksen, write. “A small, and shrinking, proportion of jobs pay enough for families to make ends meet.”
The study comes at a crucial time for fast-food workers, as employees at McDonald’s (MCD), Burger King (BKW) and other restaurant chains walked off their jobs earlier this month in protest of low wages. Their goal is to raise their hourly rate to $15, with the average fast-food worker now earning about $9 per hour.
To be sure, low-paying jobs are often the first to rebound in an economic recovery. Once businesses feel as they’ve found more stable footing, they typically start to add higher-paying jobs.
Recent data supports the idea that jobs may be returning to higher paying professions. In its November data on the unemployment rate, which reached a seven-year low, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that sectors from manufacturing to professional and business services are hiring.
Still, there’s fierce competition for those higher-paying jobs. Each position that pays above $15 an hour has an average of seven job-seekers, the Alliance for a Just Society found.
That might explain why Americans remain dour about the economy, with a CBS News/New York Times Poll on Tuesday finding that 69 percent of Americans say the economy is in bad condition.
This is not an reason to raise minimum wage. We are recovering from a recession. Recovery is temporary, but raising the minimum wage would be permanent. We don't need a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
the figures released by the Alliance for a Just Society
Alliance for a Just Society
"Formerly Northwest Federation of Community Organizations"
From their mission statement:
Quote:
The struggle for social justice requires a strong, broad base to defend advances made toward economic justice ...
Our goal is to make the movement stronger by stimulating growth in others and promoting the collective work of our partners. No amount of individual good work will ever transform our society
Sorry, but I must dismiss their study out of hand, for they are clearly biased. I understand that everyone has an agenda, but these people are socialists, bordering on communists. You can't honestly believe that their numbers are representative of reality.
Sure there were other people there who were hard working and competent, but 9 out of 10 weren't. Anyone who was would not have to get another job. Within a couple years they could be in management and be making at least low-middle class money w/ decent benefits.
Retail managment of any kind is the worst gig I've ever had. The problem is that you're pretty much the only person in the store who actually cares whether the place is even up and running the next day. The class of people I was serving AND had working for me left me feeling so negative about the human race that I took a pay cut (this was back in the 90's) to get out. I was never more miserable than when I was doing retail management.
The industry has a 75% turnover rate with the average only staying 6 months on the job.
One has to hold a job to advance both in salary and standing with the company.
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