Krugman- Been Down So Long...

[n2doc]

April 1, 2011, 9:42 AM
Been Down So Long …
There has been some celebrating over the jobs report, and for sure 200,000 jobs is better than 100,000, or none at all.

But still: here’s the employment-population ratio:



We need much more than this.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/been-down-so-long/

And some folks wonder why the rest of us aren't jumping up and down for joy at the "recovery"

[ProSense]

1. That's some chart

It makes a five-point drop appear insurmountable.

EPI: Welcome momentum in the labor market—but we need more

[gratuitous]

6. Considering that an addition of 200,000 jobs barely registers

That teeny-tiny curlicue at the end of the graph? That represents the 200,000 jobs just added (before being "seasonally adjusted," which always seems to take down any gains and worsen any losses). And, considering the sustained herculean effort it took to achieve that curlicue, then yeah, five percentage points looks pretty goddam big.

[Newest Reality]

2. When I read the report,

I noticed the spectrum covered by these new jobs. That still leaves many of us who are not in those sectors sitting on ice.

Now we have a new wave of petroleum price inflation. The longer that continues, the greater it will have an impact on the economy and prices. That's a double-whammy.

I expect these stair-step price increases/decreases to be permanent. There will be waves of prices going up and down, and they will most likely settle at a higher price on the downswing. Regardless of the ME turmoil that influences speculation, the impact of Peak Oil is on our doorstep.

I consider our entire to economy to be fueled by oil and the dollar is a petro-dollar in reality. You can't grow and create the required jobs with escalating energy prices. Add to that the numbers of tapped-out "consumers" and rampant wage stagnation, (and for many a significant decrease) and the impending impact is obvious.

We are not going back to the good old days, no matter how much propaganda and hope are thrown our way.

[riderinthestorm]

3. I'll be the first to reiterate an obvious point: most of those jobs don't pay a living wage.

$8 - $10/hour isn't going to cut it.

[BobbyBoring]

5. In reality

$25.00 an hr BARELY makes it and MANY Americans think that's an outrageous wage~

[NickB79]

9. Indeed. I make $23/hr and still scratch my head at the end of every month

Wondering where the hell my money went?

[Quantess]

7. $10 an hour wage seems to be the going rate around here.

With just a little persistence, you can get a $10 hour job. Anything higher than that, the employer gets flooded with thousands of resumes. Good luck.

[lumberjack_jeff]

4. Here it is broken out by men and women.

Women



Men

Job loss is killing men.

[xchrom]

8. Recommend