September Jobs Report: Unemployment Hits New Low, but Signals Are Mixed
https://nyti.ms/2AFPCq7
Meanwhile: Unemployment numbers mean shit when most jobs aren't a livable wage.
Most jobs are well over $15/hr, if that is your "livable wage" benchmark.
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I'm inclined to say insufficient data there. How many people are considered in the average? Location? Are we letting someone like Bezos skew the data? Not saying I couldn't make $15/hr work where I am, but I wouldn't call it high living and a good medical expense or accident would fuck me. I've also been saying the MW push for 15 is both too slow and insufficient. Which is further why the UBI concept is alluring to many even without Yang's attempt to rationalize it for skeptics and haters. People are simply worn out on working so much for so little while constantly being told the economy is booming or the stock market is great.
Every full-time worker is included (so it's an appropriate companion statistic to the unemployment rate), but it's a median. Meaning half the people earn more and half less. Bezos just is a single person earning more, how much more is irrelevant to a median.
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I think other factors can skew the optics of the results tho. Mostly meaning rent costs. I know in AZ they've exploded. Studios are running upwards of 900 a month. They used to be maaaybe $600 8 yrs ago
In 2016 the real median wage was over $15/hr in every state in the US. Assuredly a little higher now than in 2016.
https://www.governing.com/gov-data/w...or-states.html
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What is a reasonable expectation of what a "living wage" should afford someone? Should that person be able to regularly afford to go on vacation? Contribute to their retirement? Buy a house reasonably easy? I think our definition of "living wage" is totally fucked and way off base. Living expenses and cost of housing, childcare, healthcare, and others are going up way faster than wages are. Also when did we reach the point where two incomes were REQUIRED for a family to exist? At some point the idea of what a living wage is changed it seems to me.
I'd say the decline started in the 80s since that's when MW really started to fail in keeping up with inflation.
This might answer some of your living wage questions.
https://livingwage.mit.edu/pages/about
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Joyous Reaganomics.
Thank you for that. It confirms my suspicions. People who think in terms of "living wage" think that it is ok for people to not be able to afford vacations, retirement, and luxury items. A living wage is literally the bare minimum you need to exist and live without relying on support from public safety nets. Essentially the living wage is what we should consider the poverty line. Ideally we should be pushing for as many people as possible to make better than a living wage enough that they can invest money, save money, contribute to retirement, buy luxury items, and go on vacation. Those are the things that contribute to a healthy economy and benefit everyone. Also a living wage is right on the edge so it is really easy for someone who is making a living wage to be plunged into financial chaos if they have an unexpected expense as the living wage leaves no room for error.
Holy fuck haha a living wage in my area for an adult with three kids is $45/hr I would love to be making that much! Also for a single adult it lists a living wage as around $14/hr which seems way way low specially considering how expensive housing is in this area.