Where Are The Middle-Class Jobs?

The good jobs deficit is larger now than it was in 2000. The deficit grew dramatically during the recession and, despite two years of growth, has continued to grow during the recovery.

A new report from the National Employment Law Center reveals troubling findings for the middle-class. The trend toward worse jobs and higher inequality, prevalent before the past thirty years, escalated during the Great Recession and its aftermath. Even as middle-income occupations lost the most employees during the recession, they been the slowest to grow during the recovery. On the other hand, low-wage, benefit-poor, jobs have grown the fastest during the recovery, with retail jobs (median wage $10.74), food preparation workers ($9.04), and laborers ($11.44) leading the pack. 

Welcome to the low-wage economy. Are you better off than you were ten years ago?