America's already crappy jobs have seen the biggest recent increase in crappiness

By Fusion Staff  |  September 3, 2015 | 2:38pm
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Job growth has been steady in the U.S. since the recession ended. Wage growth, however, has not. While total payrolls have increased more than 9 percent, wages have only climbed 0.5 percent.

And according to a new report from the National Employment Law Project, America’s already-crappy jobs have seen the biggest recent increase in crappiness.

That is, between 2009 and 2014, America’s lowest-paying jobs saw the greatest decreases in real median hourly wages among all quintiles. Here’s the chart:

“Taking into account cost-of-living increases since the recession officially ended in 2009, wages have actually declined for most U.S. workers,” the report says.

And here’s what those declines look like among the crappy positions themselves (along with their current median hourly wages).

The group notes the Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that five of these positions will see the fastest growth through 2022 (retail, fast food workers, personal care aides, home health aides, and janitors), “suggesting a future of continued imbalance.”

The NELP says these findings are directly applicable to the current debate over raising the minimum wage. While many cities have instituted minimum wage increases, the federal minimum wage still stands at $7.25. President Obama has repeatedly called for Congress to increase it to $10.10.

“Policymakers may want to pay particular attention to these differences as they set priorities for remedial action or determine appropriate policies and strategies to raise wages for certain kinds of jobs,” they write.

Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.

 
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