Enceladus
2003-09-02 15:17:57 UTC
WASHINGTON -- This Labor Day will be no picnic for millions of Americans who
are unemployed or unable to find full-time work to cover the bills.
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The recession officially ended almost two years ago, and while recent data
show sluggish yet certain improvements in the economy, they have not
trickled down to the job market.
More than 9 million people are unemployed, 700,000 more than a year ago.
Layoffs have eased somewhat, but there is little else in the economy to
cheer workers and job seekers on this holiday that honors them.
Vicky Kitzman, 34, was laid off in June 2002 from her $21.50-an-hour job as
a computer engineer at WorldCom.
She currently is working at a Colorado Springs amusement park to make ends
meet.
Kitzman is paid $7 an hour as a temporary, seasonal retail supervisor with
no benefits.
The job ends Dec. 24, when the park closes for the winter.
The pay "covers nothing, really," she said. "All it's doing is keeping me
from digging deeper into my savings account."
Her retired parents are helping pay her mortgage. At job interviews, she is
told she is either overqualified or unqualified.
"I haven't found a job in over a year, how can I be overqualified?" said
Kitzman, who has associates' degrees in commercial art and computer
programming and is taking classes at night to complete her bachelor's in
computer program management.
Twenty months after the recession ended, the economy has not created
substantial numbers of new jobs, making this the weakest recovery since
World War II. The previous record was 13 months in 1992, according to the
Economic Policy Institute, a liberal Washington think tank.
In terms of employment growth, the recovery is the worst since the Great
Depression, EPI said.
Employment has fallen by 1 million since the recovery began. Since the
recession began in March 2001, about 2.7 million jobs have been lost.
Just this year, 6.4 million new workers have qualified for unemployment
insurance.
"People have a right to feel insecure about employment right now and nervous
about their near-term prospects," said Jared Bernstein, EPI's senior
economist. "This is a different Labor Day compared to previous years.
There's fewer jobs. Wages are growing more slowly."
The weak economy is the issue the White House considers to be President
Bush's greatest vulnerability.
Mindful of the fate of Bush's father, former President George Bush, workers
dissatisfied with their employment and earnings prospects are not the voters
that Republicans want streaming to the polls in November 2004.
Analysts say the economy will continue to improve, with hiring picking up in
coming months. Hiring in health care has remained strong, and new openings
also are expected in business and social services.
Social services, particularly child care and residential care, also should
create new jobs. But manufacturing, which has been hardest hit in the
recession, will continue to decline, analysts said.
So the question remains: Is there enough time for a turnaround in the jobs
market to satisfy voters before the election?
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney does not think so.
"I travel this country constantly," he said. "People are very dissatisfied
with the way this country is going. They want jobs and the ability to make a
bread-and-butter living. They want affordable health care, and they want
their basic freedoms honored on the job."
Organized labor will unleash its largest effort ever, spending more than $40
million to educate and mobilize union members to oppose Bush in 2004.
are unemployed or unable to find full-time work to cover the bills.
ADVERTISEMENT
The recession officially ended almost two years ago, and while recent data
show sluggish yet certain improvements in the economy, they have not
trickled down to the job market.
More than 9 million people are unemployed, 700,000 more than a year ago.
Layoffs have eased somewhat, but there is little else in the economy to
cheer workers and job seekers on this holiday that honors them.
Vicky Kitzman, 34, was laid off in June 2002 from her $21.50-an-hour job as
a computer engineer at WorldCom.
She currently is working at a Colorado Springs amusement park to make ends
meet.
Kitzman is paid $7 an hour as a temporary, seasonal retail supervisor with
no benefits.
The job ends Dec. 24, when the park closes for the winter.
The pay "covers nothing, really," she said. "All it's doing is keeping me
from digging deeper into my savings account."
Her retired parents are helping pay her mortgage. At job interviews, she is
told she is either overqualified or unqualified.
"I haven't found a job in over a year, how can I be overqualified?" said
Kitzman, who has associates' degrees in commercial art and computer
programming and is taking classes at night to complete her bachelor's in
computer program management.
Twenty months after the recession ended, the economy has not created
substantial numbers of new jobs, making this the weakest recovery since
World War II. The previous record was 13 months in 1992, according to the
Economic Policy Institute, a liberal Washington think tank.
In terms of employment growth, the recovery is the worst since the Great
Depression, EPI said.
Employment has fallen by 1 million since the recovery began. Since the
recession began in March 2001, about 2.7 million jobs have been lost.
Just this year, 6.4 million new workers have qualified for unemployment
insurance.
"People have a right to feel insecure about employment right now and nervous
about their near-term prospects," said Jared Bernstein, EPI's senior
economist. "This is a different Labor Day compared to previous years.
There's fewer jobs. Wages are growing more slowly."
The weak economy is the issue the White House considers to be President
Bush's greatest vulnerability.
Mindful of the fate of Bush's father, former President George Bush, workers
dissatisfied with their employment and earnings prospects are not the voters
that Republicans want streaming to the polls in November 2004.
Analysts say the economy will continue to improve, with hiring picking up in
coming months. Hiring in health care has remained strong, and new openings
also are expected in business and social services.
Social services, particularly child care and residential care, also should
create new jobs. But manufacturing, which has been hardest hit in the
recession, will continue to decline, analysts said.
So the question remains: Is there enough time for a turnaround in the jobs
market to satisfy voters before the election?
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney does not think so.
"I travel this country constantly," he said. "People are very dissatisfied
with the way this country is going. They want jobs and the ability to make a
bread-and-butter living. They want affordable health care, and they want
their basic freedoms honored on the job."
Organized labor will unleash its largest effort ever, spending more than $40
million to educate and mobilize union members to oppose Bush in 2004.