Categories
Quick Analysis

Middle Class Jobs and Manufacturing Employment in Crisis

The decline of steady, middle class jobs continues to be an unresolved crisis.

According to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,  (BLS) the “official” U-6 unemployment rate increased from 9.6 to 9.7 from September of 2015 to September of 2016.  U-6 is a more thorough indicator than the U-2 number, currently 5% (an increase from the prior figure of 4.9%) frequently quoted by the media, since it includes those who are underemployed. Almost a quarter of the unemployed have been without a job for a prolonged period of time. The disappointingly small numbers of jobs created were barely able to keep up with demand, leaving the economy to continue its stagnation.

As one digs deeper into the official statistics, more distressing news becomes evident, as the data further indicate that steady, middle class employment continues to decline. Since longevity in a position contributes to income level, that information is relevant, as well.  The BLS reports  that The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was 4.2 years in January 2016, down from 4.6 years in January 2014.

An analysis by Bloomberg outlines the dilemma: the minimal amount of jobs that are being created are in traditionally lower-paying fields, furthering a transfer of employment from middle income to lower income. Payrolls at factories fell by 13,000, after a 16,000 drop in the previous month, while retailers increased payrolls by 22,000. Employment in leisure and hospitality rose 15,000.

The replacement of middle class jobs with lower paying ones has been noted before.  The Washington Times discussed the problem in 2013, noting: “mid-wage jobs have made up just 27 percent of the jobs gained during the recovery…By contrast, low-wage occupations paying less than $13.83 per hour have utterly dominated the recovery, with 58 percent of the job gains since 2010.

Knowing a bit about the herbal ingredients that go into the details of heart ailments as this ED medicine has some viagra france positive side effects on heart. Female partner wishes more from her male counterpart to gratify levitra price check content her engulfing fire of hunger. However, if the problem persists, then a solution is required else buying viagra in canada it can affect intimacy of couples and a contributing factor in another 20% to 30%. For men who hesitate while going for ED treatment Buying online can sometimes be a tricky business. levitra soft An analysis by Pew Social Trends  finds that “The American middle class is losing ground in metropolitan areas across the country, affecting communities from Boston to Seattle and from Dallas to Milwaukee. From 2000 to 2014 the share of adults living in middle-income households fell in 203 of the 229 U.S. metropolitan areas examined in a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data. The decrease in the middle-class share was often substantial, measuring 6 percentage points or more in 53 metropolitan areas, compared with a 4-point drop nationally…Nationwide, the median income of U.S. households in 2014 stood at 8% less than in 1999…the 10 metropolitan areas with the greatest losses in economic status from 2000 to 2014 have one thing in common—a greater than average reliance on manufacturing.  Most of these areas, such as Springfield, OH, and Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, are in the so-called Rust Belt. The areas not in the Rust Belt, such as Rocky Mount, NC, and Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC, are also industrial communities…”

According to the Alliance for American Manufacturing over 63,000 factories have closed since 2001, and 5.1 million manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2000. President Bill Clinton dramatic alteration in trade relations with China bears a great deal of responsibility for the manufacturing employment exodus. His “U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000” granted permanent normal trade relations with China.

Considering the normally cordial relationship between labor organizations and a Democrat president, it is reasonable to ask why Clinton advocated a measure that clearly would harm industrial workers.

Michael Bargo, Jr., writing in the American Thinker  believes the problem began early in the Clinton presidency, on May 28, 1993, he issued Executive Order 12850, which “illegally shifted the decision-making role [about China’s trade status] to the Secretary of State… Clinton’s Executive Order was issued at a time when the U.S.-China trade deficit was only $18 billion a year. In 2015 the deficit was $367 billion.”

Bargo provides a suggested motive for the odd move: “just as the Clinton Foundation has been linked to relationships Hillary had to her speech payers and donors, Bill Clinton’s decision to send jobs to China by permanently controlling its MFN status has been linked to campaign donations. Boeing Company wanted the EO. Boeing was the parent company of the Loral Corporation, which donated $100,000 to the Democratic National Committee in June, 1994, according to a Washington Post report at the time. A nice reward to Clinton for his MFN status change. The Loral Corporation is a major developer of missile flight control software and at the time they wanted to launch satellites from China. Boeing also owned McDonnell-Douglas which in 1994 made an agreement with China to open a parts factory in Beijing. If this all seems oddly similar to the deals Hillary made with foundation campaign donors, well, that’s because it is.”