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Hence the rise of enormous social discontent in this country and a gradual rise of rabble rousing authoritarian political figures with their phony promises of making things right for the average working American.
Low paying menial jobs for more and more working people is here to stay. Concentration of wealth amongst highly trained and educated elites. Years ago the lesser educated and lower middle class could get well paid union jobs. Welcome to the new world American blue collar workers. You're screwed.
Just to be clear, the taxpayer picks up less of a social welfare benefit cost than if the employee were unemployed, rather than working at a low paying job. "McJobs" reduce, rather than increase the welfare cost to society.
agreed, i have said this about wal mart jobs many times. if they were qualified for higher paying jobs they would more or less be working them.
Years ago the lesser educated and lower middle class could get well paid union jobs.
Years ago there was an abundance of no/low skilled jobs available.
Most of those jobs have been eliminated for a wide variety of mostly sensible reasons.
THE PROBLEM... is that replacement no/low skill people were created for jobs that no longer exist.
Why that was allowed (and even encouraged) to happen...
The result though is that because of the presence of slug of humanity labor rates for ALL get devalued.
Newsflash: No one earning $37,440/yr. (your $18/hr. example) has a "McJob." And no individual should be getting public assistance at that wage. Multiply that by 2 (a working couple), and that's a sustainable wage--to which a budget can be easily applied because, of course, they won't be able to acquire what those earning more can acquire.
I wouldn't want my kids to work past high school graduation for something like fast food. I don't think it teaches anything beyond being on time and following rules in a non-school environment. After that , it's settling for something demeaning and un-challenging. Unpaid internships in fields of interest are far more beneficial. Spoken from experience not from an ivory tower. I had any manner of crap jobs into my 20's before I started going in the right direction.
"Automation is splitting the American labor force into two worlds. There is a small island of highly educated professionals making good wages at corporations like Intel or Boeing, which reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit per employee. That island sits in the middle of a sea of less educated workers who are stuck at businesses like hotels, restaurants and nursing homes that generate much smaller profits per employee and stay viable primarily by keeping wages low."
To get that higher paid job such as Engineer or Executive, one must become very well educated.
Unions peaked in the 50’s, when McJob type functions were often a part of collective bargaining agreements. They paid enough and provided benefits and pensions.
Since the 70’s, technology substitution/ industrial robotics has eliminated more job functions than jobs outsourced. It has allowed for increased productivity with substantially fewer people. Middle management has been hollowed out.
Anyone remember the old guy in Vermont who left $8 million to his local library? Prior to retirement he worked as a janitor and then gas station attendant. He lived within his means.
People have a right to turn down any job that pays below their personal desired wage.
Employers can offer whatever legal wage they wish.
By the numbers, there is job growth. Wage stagnation is a different stat.
But the thing is, no one is forced to work for a low wage.
I agree, but I think families and communities need to pull together to ensure that no members of there families are put in a situation that compels them to take such jobs. This would severely disrupt the market for the better.
The individual is responsible for the job they have and also to go get the job they want. The disdain I hear in this thread for those making less than what is deemed acceptable is disgusting. Plenty of people can live a comfortable life on a "McJob" if that is satisfying to them. Who the hell is anyone else to look down on them? Someone has to do those jobs.
That said, if you make less and are unsatisfied then get off your duff and do something about it. Stop whining.
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