Wall Street Journal,
New York.
Dear Sir,
The article by Thu Lam Vo and Zumbrun on May 11, 2016, on the nature of jobs added to the U.S. market since recession points out some peculiar features in the USA economy regarding the amplifying income inequality. The quality of jobs available and remuneration determine the economic mobility of the citizens. The authors opined that since the recession period, the low wage companies have been increasing while the middle-wages industries shrunk. More people work part-time or for minimum wage than a decade ago. It is this problem that is amplifying income inequality.
Rakesh Kochhar and Richard Fry, researchers with the Pew Research Center in May 2016 article reporting on six findings, noted that the U.S. middle class shrunk in metropolitan areas. Out of 203 of 229 U.S. metropolitan areas, the share of lower-earning tier increased in 160 of them while that of the upper income rose in 172 regions. Further, in more than half of the sampled metropolitans, the adult share in the upper income increased more than in the low-income. As a result, the national proportion of adults in the middle class fell leading to a rise of the lower income earners and the higher income earner creating a wider income gap. It is imperative that the jobs created are not helping in economic mobility due to their erratic nature. Part-Time employment is not sustainable, and low wages tend to discourage saving and investing trapping many people in the lower ranks. It follows that focusing only on the minimum wage and disregarding the nature of jobs may not help in curbing the minimum wage or make the job market any better. Focusing on the quality of employment would go a long way in addressing many social problems.
Sincerely,
Works cited
Fry, Richard, & Kochhar, Rakesh. The shrinking middle class in U.S. metropolitan areas: 6 key findings. 2016. Accessed on May 17, 2016, from <http://www.pewresearch.org/fact- tank/2016/05/12/us-middle-class-metros-takeaways/>
Zumbrun, Josh., & Vo Thuy, L. Just How Good (or Bad) Are All the Jobs Added to the Economy Since the Recession? The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal May 11, 2016 Accessed on May 17, 2016. Available at <http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2016/05/11/just-how-good-or- bad-are-all-the-jobs- added-to-the-economy-since-the-recession/>
