New Jobs Paper Dispels Economic-Slump Myth
Many believe that the era of good jobs is slipping away. Especially now with the economy weakening, the popular perception is that Americans are less and less able to find jobs that will allow them to support their families. Some analysts argue that so few workers can find jobs with health insurance that
These fears are unfounded. There is a natural human tendency to look at the past with nostalgia, but the economy before the 1980s was not a golden era when every worker had a fulfilling, high-paying job. Many of the jobs of a generation ago paid low wages and offered little job security. The economy is constantly in flux, creating new jobs and destroying old ones. Computer programmers were as rare in the 1970s as typewriter repairmen are today. Some of the jobs that have disappeared were good jobs, but many were not.
The data show that job opportunities have grown the most in occupations with the highest wages while shrinking in most low-wage occupations. Employers need more workers with education and skills, and this increases the opportunities for upward mobility. Today, the typical job involves less mindless repetition or physical exertion and more mental activity than in the past. It is also safer and more comfortable than a generation ago.
Workers' benefits are not disappearing.... click to continue.
