Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Great Divide


The following quote is from The Great Divide, a New York Times series about inequality. The Great Divide discusses the haves, the have-not's and everyone in between — in the United States and around the world, and the implications of the divide for economics, politics, society and culture.

Politicians across the political spectrum herald “job creation,” but frightfully few of them talk about what kinds of jobs are being created. Yet this clearly matters: According to the Census Bureau, one-third of adults who live in poverty are working but do not earn enough to support themselves and their families.

A quarter of jobs in America pay below the federal poverty line for a family of four ($23,050). Not only are many jobs low-wage, they are also temporary and insecure. Over the last three years, the temp industry added more jobs in the United States than any other, according to the American Staffing Association, the trade group representing temp recruitment agencies, outsourcing specialists and the like.

Low-wage, temporary jobs have become so widespread that they threaten to become the norm... MORE

We encourage you to read the entire article, and welcome your comments here.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I find it quite ironic that the NASW linked this article to their newsletter,when social work jobs are almost always part time and never provide any benefits. I left the field 12 years ago because I couldn't make a living wage in this field. The social work profession should take a look at it's own population when it comes to poor job opportunities.