America in need of jobs by Kyung Min Kim

Contents

1. Background information on the importance of decent jobs among working class (why are we in need of good jobs?)

2. The issues in the job market structure

3. The possible solutions to the job market problems

1. Why are we in need of decent jobs?Reporting the dark side in economy

• 36 million people are below the poverty line incomes (2003)• 45 million without health

insurance • The economy improves

but wages for millions of working class remain the same.• Wages are the same but

price of basic necessities increase

• Not enough jobs are available for the numbers entering the work force • Technologies are

replacing the manufacturing jobs • Most of new jobs are low

paying. • The bottom 40% of

population are in debts (urgently need decent jobs to pay the debts)

Continue…• Millions of people making

$25,000 a year still struggle paying the house or rent.

• The federal minimum wage is $7.25 while the worker need at least $15.37 an hour to pay the necessities.

• Even having double jobs do no ensure a basic standard of living: health care, housing, and education.

2. The issues about the job market structure

• Multinational corporations continue to outsource, downsize, and consolidate for better profits. • From 2001 to 2003,

three million jobs were lost; two thirds of them were in high paying manufacturing jobs.

Continue…• Multinational

corporations hire more part time jobs• The number of full

time jobs are highly low proportionally to part time jobs.

Continue…

• Problems in government policies and corporate practices

• Since 1948, 53.2 million new jobs were created during the 24 years when Democrats held the power, and 38.3 million were created during the 36 years when Republican held the power (could it be the problem?)

Continue…• The combined pay for

top 10 executives at New York City’s brokerage and financial firms was up to more than 68% in 2003

• 1996, 30 companies that discharged the most workers gave their chief officers increases in compensation averaging 67%

Continue…• More than 28 million

people, about ¼ of the work force are below the federal poverty line for a family of four. (They are making less then $18,800 a year)• The federal minimum

wage today is worth less than 40 years ago.

Continue…• Two thirds of large

companies raised the amount that workers paid toward the cost of health plans in 2003 while their salaries remained stagnant.

• Middle income families are three times more likely to lack health insurance and a low income families are 12 times more likely to be without insurance.

3. The possible solutions to the job market problems

• Government should make policies focused on workable conditions, livable wages, and benefits for workers for them to provide at least the basic necessities for families. • The federal government

must increase the minimum wage.

Continue…• Government and the

corporation companies should limit in reducing number of American workers and hiring foreign workers

Percentage of foreign born workers in industry in 2008 (2008 Current Populating Survey)

Continue… • Government and the

corporation companies should limit in reducing number of American workers and hiring foreign workers

Year of entry into the united states among foreign born Hispanic construction workers (by America Community

Survey in 2007)

Continue…• The government

should regulate or the corporation companies should balance or limit in outsourcing, downsizing, and consolidating the workers.

• Profitable companies need to hire more full-time employees without any disadvantages.

Continue…• Government and the

corporation companies must provide protection under the law for the workers’ rights including child care and health insurance (reducing the disadvantages for working people)

Continue…• The large profitable

companies, especially, must reduce the payment gab between top executives and employees

Continue…• The large companies

need to provide the job training for better productive work atmosphere and the opportunities for promotion for workers

These need to be done!(summary)

• Increasing the minimum wage• Limitation in outsourcing, downsizing, and consolidating

workers for the companies’ greatest profits only • Employing more American workers • Protecting the rights of workers • Creating more full-time jobs • Reducing the payment gap between top executives and the

employee• Providing the job training for workers for better opportunities

and productive work atmosphere • Providing better conditions including health care and child

care for workers