Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
The growth was about in line with the average hiring rate seen so far this year, which has been mediocre but steady. If the economy were to fill the jobs gap left by the recession within the next four years, around 300,000 jobs a month would need to be created, according to the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution.
Employment gains in the recovery have been disproportionately in lower-wage sectors like food service and retail, causing concern about not only the quantity of the new jobs but also their quality. The industries are more likely to hire part-time workers and operate on just-in-time schedules, making it difficult for employees to predict how many hours they will have from week to week.
“It’s really frustrating not knowing whether I’ll have money to pay rent and my bills,” said Charles Eden, 20, who works at a Wendy’s in St. Louis for $7.60 an hour. Last week, he had 30 hours; this week, 12. Ideally, he wants 40. “It’s really hard to find a second job not knowing whether I can work or whether I can’t work in a given week.”
The labor force participation rate remains low, partly a function of the aging work force and partly workers sitting on the sidelines as they wait for the economy to heal. Some who took shelter from the poor job market by enrolling in college and retraining programs these last few years are finally starting to cycle back into the work force, and the lucky ones are finding new opportunities.
“I have people call me all the time now wanting to give me a job, and I have to say, O.K., thank you, but I think I have enough jobs now,” said Jordan Douglas of Pampa, Tex., a single mother working 60 to 70 hours a week in three jobs as a registered nurse.
Ms. Douglas, 25, was laid off from a nursing home in February 2012 and struggled to find work. She decided to enroll in school full-time after finding a program that allowed her to continue receiving unemployment benefits while in training.
“I couldn’t have been where I am today had I not gone back to school, and I couldn’t have gone back to school if I hadn’t gotten laid off,” she said. “I didn’t know it at the time, but it worked out perfectly. I have been so blessed.”
The growth was about in line with the average hiring rate seen so far this year, which has been mediocre but steady. If the economy were to fill the jobs gap left by the recession within the next four years, around 300,000 jobs a month would need to be created, according to the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution.
Employment gains in the recovery have been disproportionately in lower-wage sectors like food service and retail, causing concern about not only the quantity of the new jobs but also their quality. The industries are more likely to hire part-time workers and operate on just-in-time schedules, making it difficult for employees to predict how many hours they will have from week to week.
“It’s really frustrating not knowing whether I’ll have money to pay rent and my bills,” said Charles Eden, 20, who works at a Wendy’s in St. Louis for $7.60 an hour. Last week, he had 30 hours; this week, 12. Ideally, he wants 40. “It’s really hard to find a second job not knowing whether I can work or whether I can’t work in a given week.”
The labor force participation rate remains low, partly a function of the aging work force and partly workers sitting on the sidelines as they wait for the economy to heal. Some who took shelter from the poor job market by enrolling in college and retraining programs these last few years are finally starting to cycle back into the work force, and the lucky ones are finding new opportunities.
“I have people call me all the time now wanting to give me a job, and I have to say, O.K., thank you, but I think I have enough jobs now,” said Jordan Douglas of Pampa, Tex., a single mother working 60 to 70 hours a week in three jobs as a registered nurse.
Ms. Douglas, 25, was laid off from a nursing home in February 2012 and struggled to find work. She decided to enroll in school full-time after finding a program that allowed her to continue receiving unemployment benefits while in training.
“I couldn’t have been where I am today had I not gone back to school, and I couldn’t have gone back to school if I hadn’t gotten laid off,” she said. “I didn’t know it at the time, but it worked out perfectly. I have been so blessed.”