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Sunday, January 18, 2015

Recession and Recovery - Whose Recovery?

 This has been a disjointed economic recovery.  Most Americans are hearing about this Wall Street party yet look at their paychecks and wonder when the party is going arrive in their neighborhood.
  Looking back at the 2001 recession, the recovery during that time came largely by adding higher paying employment.  That is not the case with the Great Recession.  The largest segment of jobs being added are coming from lower-wage industries.
 What does that mean?  It means the bulk of jobs being found by Americans are paying $10 an hour or less with Spartan benefits.  Given that inflation is hitting and wages are stagnant, more money is being taken away once that net income hits your bank account.  Lower gas prices are a drop in the bucket when you look at the rise in home prices and rents driven by Wall Street buying.  Shelter is the biggest expense for Americans.  With this moving up and incomes stagnant, more money is flowing into the pockets of banks while working class Americans are largely living paycheck to paycheck.

See here for details of where the jobs are being added in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

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