Unemployed for nearly a year, David Becker was relieved to land a new job in information technology last summer.
The offer carried a price, though: It was a lower-rung job than the one Becker had lost. He had to uproot his family from Wisconsin to Nevada. And, like many formerly jobless people who find work these days, Becker is now paid far less than before — $25,000 less.
It's one of the bleak realities of the economic recovery: Even as more employers are starting to hire, the new jobs typically pay less than the ones that were lost.
In the government's data, a job is a job. More jobs point to a growing economy. But to people who used to earn $60,000, a new $40,000 job means they'll spend less — and contribute less to the recovery.
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Is This the End of Food as We Know It?
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Murder At 1600 -Outside The (Cardboard) Box (Satire)
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I've been telling people at work that there will come a day when we either take pay cuts, or, best case, we get no increases for years, assuming we have jobs. In the meantime, the company continues to trim back our workforce.
ReplyDeleteI should add that 15% of my company will receive 0% this February.
At this point I'd take that job. Out of work for 10 months, down to my last $500 of savings and no job prospects in sight with seventeen years experience in IT. No family to fall back on and I've already sent my son to live at his mother's house rather than the impending future of living out of my car if I don't find something in the next two weeks. At this point I'm guessing I'll need to set aside abut $100 of what I have left to make it far enough south so I don't freeze at night sleeping in my car. Starting to wish I was an illegal, at least then I'd get free healthcare in any ER in the country.
ReplyDelete2:09, I have heard IT is getting killed due to outsourcing to cheap labor in India. You were self employed I am assuming like many in that field since you arent getting unemployment. Things are getting crazy.
ReplyDeleteWe just hired a software engineer for $43,300.00 a year salary, no benefits. Four years ago he was making $177,000 at the state's largest employer.
ReplyDeleteHe is very excited about working again and now will be able to afford a nice apt on the bus line.
At first we felt bad to hiring someone with such talents and skill for that pay scale, but we are fully aware of what it is like in the job market.
The way it is right now for people like himself he may have been pushing a shopping cart in a few weeks.
Not long ago people were holding out for more pay, an office with a window and the like. Now we have people coming in offering to work for minimum wage driving soon to be repossessed BMWs.
I HOPE I get a job offer soon, all I have left is some CHANGE in my pocket.
ReplyDeletewe are eating fish we catch and deer we shoot, we have not eaten store bought food in 3 months.
ReplyDeleteI hate hunting and most hunters. Trophy getters, weekend warriors with their bows or 223s out to shoot Bambi.
ReplyDeleteThat said anyone who is hungry and is killing something for FOOD more power to you. If I'm starving (been there, done that) BLAMMMO!!!
You are way ahead of the game if you know how to feed yourself without a grocery store in the mix.
Okay, I don't mean to sound like I'm disregarding the main issue, but geez, these guys are still making pretty good money in this day and age. I used to work in a psych. treatment centre with troubled kids and it was a hard job; we never had holidays off or holiday pay; had to pay for our benefits; and the job was just incredibly stressful. We made barely $24,000.00 average a year to start if lucky. Most people made less.
ReplyDeleteThis guy making nearly $200,000.00 as a softwear engineer, whatever, that is so spoiled. No one needs to be making that much money. Most of us working with these kids had just as much education (four year degree or Masters) and did not expect that sort of pay.
This is a great post EA. Such a huge & underreported issue.
ReplyDeleteAnon 2:09, 3:35 & 3:40 - I'm in the same boat. Hang in there!
Anon 4:36, I don't personally know any engineers making $200k. I'm sure they're out their but whatever. You seem to have a grudge against anyone making more than what you feel is appropriate. No matter. What we're really discussing is sudden, unexpected change in one's circumstances. Spoiled? An engineer? Notlikely. Why not turn your ire on a freaking banker who is making 8 figures? Or a Hedge Fund manager who is making 10 figures. Now that's spoiled. And they add nothing material to the economy. A side issue is the wholesale transfer of what remains of the economy from the private sector to the public sector. So now you have firefighters in SanFran making upwards of $200k a year. And while I honor their service, as a volunteer Firefighter and a taxpayer, I recognize the absurdity of the situation. At least they perform a valuable if mispriced service. Our legislators cost more than that. And all they've done is cornhole us. More & more of us previously productive private-sector folks will be increasingly squeezed by a run-away public sector, while folks like you focus on entirely the wrong issue.....wake up.
What is wrong with taking a pay cut? If people in India and China can work for less so can the Americans.
ReplyDeleteAmericans have been living in a dream for years and now its time to wake up. If you can't get a Job then grow your own food and hunt for a living and if that is too hard for you then you deserve to die.
As Peter Schiff states so well, they go up we go down.
ReplyDeleteHis story of the five Chinese islanders and the one Fat American on the beach who's role it is to eat and sleep is the best.
When we are gone, they won't miss us. We are disposable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vweLBpE4mso
False nationalism/patriotism makes us believe that this country will go on forever. It will not.
ReplyDeleteWe are the USSR circa 1988, but only they were in much better shape to handle a collapse.
5:09, stop trying to analyze me over your modem or high speed internet, you don't even know me or who I am.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that is WAY too much money for one person to be making and I stand by my statement. An engineer making triple digits while someone who works with seriously emotionally disturbed youth or probation populations who doesn't even make $25,000.00 to me is ABSURD. Or what about a teacher who makes $30,000.00
It's like we don't have the right values in this country. We don't value the caring professions and only value jobs that are male-dominated. The caring more feminine/nurturing professions are viewed as "worthless" or "garbage" jobs. Well, you know what, in the end if there is no money we will all have to return to being more caring and nurturing to one another, and all the engineers in the world won't make a difference.
5:14 I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteAnd a guy who designs video games shouldn't make more than a teacher or nurse. PERIOD.
Working with PEOPLE should count as a more important job than working with plastic and electronics.
We've ALL held the wrong priorities and values. Admit it. Every single one of us. How many of you are truly educated and spent your life learning as much as you can from literature. How many of you can play an instrument or two. How many of you are trained in the arts? How many of you can speak more than one or two languages? It's time to get back to improving ourselves and away from so much emphasis on things like big screen televisions and big SUVs.
With the coming change of the economy will come a change in values and how we view society and the world.
Gerald Celente says that "elegance" will be a new trend as well for this year.
Yeah I once held a job working with people like your grandma or grandpa. Had to clean them and put diapers on them, wipe up drool, and help them bathe. That job paid minimum wage.
ReplyDeleteAlso had a job where co-workers got their fingers bitten off by violent kids or punched in the face. That job paid a few dollars more.
Meanwhile, spoiled brats sit at desks designing video games.
You know what, it really is our fault; our values have been in the wrong place and it's reflected in where the money goes.
I don't know about you, but I'd hate to see that senile woman with Alzheimer's trying to overdose on Comet if she didn't have someone to watch and take care of her; or I'd hate to see what would happen if those violent kids didn't have someone to watch and take care of them and they'd break into your house for drug money.
Maybe one day you'll look in the mirror and you'll understand.
It all starts with YOU.
If you have the wrong values, YOU are a part of the problem.
@5:31 will Americans listen to you and change their priorities? NO NO NO...they will keep up with their greedy lifestyle. We may have averted the second great depression for now but it will definitely come very very quickly as we haven't learnt any leasson form what happened.
ReplyDeleteNoodles123-Not going to get into the whole: "He who gives more should get more" arguement...We already know that BUT that's never been how the world works.
ReplyDeleteSo lets approach the problem with realism:
The USA = Too many useless paper pushers and service people in a world that soon won't need them.
What the world will need is the common "Blue Collar Worker" who MAKES things, who can FIX things, who can GROW things.
It's a cycle...Time for the Beta's to move and sadly enough for the Alpha's to zoom...Until the next cycle...So learn basics quick or suffer quickly.
5:47, I don't mean to sound rude or biased, but I think much of what we see is all a product of the Dog Eat Dog patriarchal society based on traits that are not centred on caring or nurturing or the benefit of society.
ReplyDeleteI've read that Narcissistic/Sociopathic guys choose jobs that value inequality, while good guys choose jobs that promote equality. This is why typically you see more women in nursing, social services, mental health, and the like. Men tend to choose professions where inequality is the number one priority. These types of sociopathic and narcissistic scum can be seen in the finance world and Wall St. They are clearly the worst of our lot, the most selfish and uncaring of humanity.
This is also why you see lots of men in politics and involved in war and again, these things promote inequality.
As long as the status quo remains, NOTHING WILL CHANGE.
Yes, if we are to emerge from this intact, we need to change the entire way we think and view this world.
We need to emphasise empathy and equality, rather than Dog Eat Dog and being the "Alpha Dog." We need to realise that we don't all deserve to have more, and we should give more. This doesn't mean I agree with Obama's ideas about service, as I think his motives are rather sinister underneath the wording of that. What I mean is that we should all just try to change our frame of mind, our state of mind.
Life is more than just about he who has the most toys wins.
Remember, you cannot take it with you!
5:55 This is 5:58 speaking here.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I agree, there are far too many paper pushers around; however, the unions are so powerful that even The Terminator can't get anywhere trying to balance the CA budget. Every time he says he's going to do a cut of state employee pay or something, the unions start to foam at the mouth.
And the unions are in kahoots with the politicians.
Sounds to me like we need to get all these politicians out of their office. Clearly, corruption has become a very grave problem here.
The Zeitgeist Addendum movie addresses a lot of what is being said here.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with this country is that most of the people in this country are not content with what they have. If you are not content with your presecnt job and the income you are earning from it quit it. I sure hope that income is not going to be determined by what some consider more valuable workers. When you hire onto a job you agree to whatever terms they give you. You can always turn down the job if you don't like the terms. What disturbs me is the trend for people to covet what somebody else is earning. That is breaking one of the ten commandments. I have been a substitute teacher and I can tell you that many teachers are there just for the paycheck, and they do not care if the children learn or the teachers do not know how to teach. And to top that off the kids (most) do not want to learn and do not appreciate the education available to them. I have a college degree and graduated with highest honors. But I work for mininum wage and make several dollars less an hour then those with just a high school diploma. It is who you know not what you know. Wish I hadn't wasted my time and life going to college. I make less money now that I have a degree. That is a lesson I had to learn the hard way, but that is my fault for listening to people who told me I could better myself with more education. But then again I accept my situation and make the best of it.
ReplyDeleteBe content with what you have.
Naturally all software engineers are video game designers. None of them do or make anything usesful. And clearly the fact that teachers are underpaid is because of the bias against their union. In fact everyone should be paid the same because we're all hard working and that's what it's about. But don't say anything about tens of trillions going out the door in what amounts to fraud. And nody should have to pay too much for stuff they need or even stuff they just want as long as it's not consumerism.....what a dope
ReplyDeleteRose: Not sure what to say here, but, coming from someone who didn't make the right choice in life, according to your own self-opinion, I'm not sure that I can take you seriously
ReplyDeleteThose of us criticising people who work jobs that aren't important to society but make lots more money (like game designers or CEOs), aren't jealous, we know it is simply unfair and promotes inequality.
If you want to know the real enemy, take a look at yourself. Instead of agreeing that inequality is wrong, you want people to be happy with what they have. This is a sheep mentality.
I'm posting Anon because I won't post this with my identifier.
ReplyDeleteI feel lucky to still have a job, but I feel after a year or two I might not have it. However, I feel even more blessed because my base salary is $180K. Last year, with my overtime, my gross was $244K--my best year ever. This year is starting off equally as well; I'm abusing overtime (the 'average Joe' way of looting), and my next paycheck includes 80 hours of comp time accrued last year as a payout, plus 7 hours of OT, for a weekly net of $5,500, payable on 1/15.
I use my blessed, excess fiat to prepare. At the moment, life is pretty good for me, but that can change for any of us, quickly.
Well, that is good for you Anon, and I find it interesting that you need to post every detail of your job, almost as if you are gloating about it.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting about people like you is that you consider yourself blessed, when the kid starving in Africa or the homeless man down the street isn't blessed, according to you anyway. You must think God favours or loves you more than other people, when in fact, you are where you are due to sheer luck.
There is no difference between you and the dying child or homeless guy -- we are all human and interconnected; it is just people like you who have promoted inequality too long and now the house of cards is falling.
So keep gloating, but remember, and this goes to anyone out there who is finally seeing the big picture: you are not "blessed." You just happened to be born in a certain place, date, time, and had certain parents and upbringing, etc. that got you where you are.
Fundamentally, there is nothing different between you and the homeless beggar or the third world worker or the starving child dying of AIDs in Africa. It is just your own skewed perception that makes you think there is a difference.
And, another thing to consider is your fortune means someone else must suffer misfortune.
This economic crisis is something we will all have to contend with due to those at the top who also think they are blessed and feel they deserve that they have.
It's time for change everyone. Look at yourselves and tell me who you see. Who are you? What are you? Where are we going?
I don't think the "Gloater" knew he was gloating in his mind he was making a point and I understand that part...Problem is when we in this new "Prepper Community" try to outdo each other in how we've prepped up for the SHTF days.
ReplyDeleteAnyways that's neither here nor there...Let's break it down...We're screwed...The politicians WILL NOT be kicked out since honestly I think the public has been chemically castrated to become docile...Seriously...Dumb as the day as long AND proud of it.
Some of us are well armed and prepared but HONESTLY how long could I go on before what I've saved, built or got ready ran out? A year at the longest...So I'm screwed too.
Lets pray, prep and get ready for "American Argentina 2010!"
As long as people keep paying $60 for YOUR or your childs PS3 or Wii system, that is how they are able to pay this guy so much more than a teacher. He makes them serious money and a teacher deals with your spoiled and braty kid all day. It's a circle of nonsense.
ReplyDeleteThe promotion of abusive institutionalization of the elderly, troubled youth and infirm is part of the progressive agenda. The eugenics movement didn't start in Germany it started here with the Progressives of the 19th century.
ReplyDeleteThe elite ruling class has broken the family; moved the weakest among us to institutions and made it the job of the underclasses to care for them.
Sports start make millions of dollars for amusing us and inner city teachers earn nothing. And we wonder why kids want to be athletes?
There is no such thing as Karma Pay...That the better thing you do the more you should get paid...That's FANTASY.
ReplyDeleteLet's live in the REAL WORLD...Stop your naive bellyaching...You want change?...Then make things happen even in a small way...Start with yourself and spread to your family.
It will take a LONG TIME but sooner or later the tide will turn...Stop buying crap...Buy local...Support your community...Teach your kids to sweep the streets or help the elderly...Donate time to the shelters or animal shelters...Go to church...Pick up trash you see on the ground...Help someone push a car..Etc etc.
Soooooo many ways to help...I'm lazy and even I do a lil of that so why can't we all? If we all did a lil more than we had to everytime this place would get better.
It's like we say the right things but we expect someone else to do it for us since we're all sooooooo busy.
Experts have talked about this before. How many times have you read about the importance of ‘adding value’ for your audience? How many times have you read about ‘building trust’ with your readers/prospects?
ReplyDeleteMany, many times. You know it well. Every marketing guru has spoken about this topic. I’m sick of hearing it. But it STILL bears repeating.
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