Job Quality in the U.S. Suffers as Unemployment Remains High

Economic experts agree that the best way to rebound from the so-called Great Recession is to create more jobs and lower the unemployment rate.

The latest date from the Bureau of Labor statistics indicates there are still about 14.5 million people who are unemployed in America. That's not including the underemployed or those who've given up looking for a new job.

But are too many people who have actually found employment wishing they could say "take this job and shove it" not long after getting back to work? Are we happy asking "do you want fries with that" or "would you like paper or plastic?"

A recent article on CNNMoney.com pointed out two big problems with jobs recovery.

Employers aren't hiring enough people.The jobs that are out there suck.Higher wage jobs made up almost half of the jobs lost during the recession. But only 5% of the jobs since hiring started picking up again have been high-paying jobs.

You've probably heard quite a bit about how we need to create more jobs and not so much about how we need to create better jobs.

When I found myself unemployed and in debt, one of the hang-ups I ran into was that I was hesitant to apply for employment opportunities I knew would pay me less than my previous job. Even worse - I didn't want to apply for a job that was going to pay me less than I received on my unemployment checks.

In the end, I accepted a part-time position that paid me a smaller hourly wage than my old job, but I was still able to collect partial unemployment insurance benefits because I was only working part time.

When you first find yourself unemployed, it's tempting - and maybe even smart - to wait for a better job to come your way instead of jumping on the first thing that comes along. Nine months into my job search, I was wondering if that "better job" was really out there.

The National Employment Law Project analyzed jobs data from the first half of 2010 and found that 76% of the jobs created during that time were low to mid-range in pay. That means they paid workers somewhere between $9 and $15 an hour.

High wage jobs are considered to be between $17.50 and $31 an hour. The average hourly wage in the U.S. is $22.60 an hour, or about $47,000 a year full-time.

The question now is whether 2011 will bring an upswing in jobs that pay well, or will the low-paying jobs continue to lead the pack? CNNMoney.com senior writer Chris Isidore points out that the slow housing market is an important factor. He says that when the housing bubble burst, the construction and financial services industries lost a lot of jobs. That might need to change if we want the economy to bounce back.

"Recoveries in those sectors helped lead the economy out of earlier downturns, but they're still suffering more than a year and a half after the official end of the Great Recession."

Yet another problem with job creation is the fact that many of the new jobs have been temporary jobs.

Take all the temp jobs created by the government with the U.S. Census Bureau this spring/summer for example. All those people were back in the market for a job when the census was over.

Temporary employment accounted for about one out of every four jobs created in 2010.

That type of job creation isn't going to turn things around in this country. Once those temporary jobs disappear, those workers will be sent back into the job pool like we're recycling aluminum cans. And people who give in and accept positions for less than they were making before will not do much to boost the economic recovery either. If they're still struggling to make ends meet, those consumers won't be spending their money. They'll be using every bit of it just to keep up.

We need to find a way to not only increase the quantity of jobs in America, but also the quality!


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Kasey Steinbrinck has written in the television radio and newspaper industries. He now creates web content for Check Advantage, which offers personal checks and business checks directly to consumers.