“The meek shall inherit the earth” — that seems to be the latest message from the United Nations Development Program. Their 2013 Human Development Report chronicles the recent, rapid expansion of the middle class in the developing world. It also predicts that over the next two decades growth in the so-called “Global South” will dramatically … Continue reading
“The U.S. economy over the past decade has worked primarily to the advantage of a small sliver of winners” writes Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute. (Excepts to follow) Meanwhile, the vast majority of workers have not fared well—a trend that stretches back to the late 1970s. Contrary to some political rhetoric of late, this is … Continue reading
Rumors of a rising Chinese middle class have been touted widely. However, the evidence supporting these claims remains conflicting at best. The “middle-class” jobs outsourced from the United States have not necessarily translated to “middle-class” jobs in developing nations, especially in China. Defining the middle class has always been a difficult venture, but on several … Continue reading
On election night in Chicago two months ago, President Barack Obama triumphantly pledged to fight for a middle class he’d appealed to relentlessly — and successfully — on the 2012 campaign trail. “I believe we can build on the progress we’ve made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security … Continue reading
The middle class crisis — and its resulting income inequality — is the most important economic story of our time. There are a million ways to tell it, and here’s another: an annotated slide show, culled from the amazing 2012 edition of the State of Working America from EPI. Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor … Continue reading
. . In the past decade, the middle class in Latin America grew 50%, and now represents 30% of the population. According to the experts, this growth is due to growth and job creation To maintain these gains, the region needs to enact policy reforms within the employment, tax and social security sectors. Ful Report … Continue reading
New evidence on the relationship between offshoring and polarisation In a new working paper, Lindsay Oldenski documents an empirical link between offshoring and the polarisation of the US labour market (Oldenski 2012). This study, which will be presented in November at both the Empirical Investigations in International Trade conference in Santa Cruz and the US Department of … Continue reading
So how much does a middle class family earn in a year? Well that depends on who ya ask… If you ask Mitt Romney – “GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Is $100,000 middle income? “MITT ROMNEY: No, middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less. So number one, don’t reduce– or excuse me, don’t raise taxes on middle-income … Continue reading
Americans believe that having a secure job is by far the most important requirement for being in the middle class, easily trumping homeownership and a college education, according to a new nationwide Pew Research Center survey of 2,508 adults. Nearly nine-in-ten adults (86%) say a person needs a secure job to be considered part of … Continue reading
The geographical shift of the middle class has implications for supply chains says The Future of Manufacturing, A World Economic Forum Report in collaboration with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited The rise of demand centres in Asia, along with the typical costs that accompany more developed nations, will likely increase localization of production. Increasingly expensive logistics are leading some companies, such as … Continue reading
Americans at the top and bottom of the income scale are benefiting most from the jobs recovery while those in the middle are getting left behind. Employees making above-average wages, like doctors and energy-industry workers, and those at the other extreme, including home-health aides and restaurant staff, have seen outsized gains in hiring since the … Continue reading
We tend to separate the 99 percent into “poor,” “working class,” and “middle class.” But those categories may be becoming obsolete. According to new numbers crunched by the Census Bureau and The New York Times, many of us—17 percent, according to the Times’ measure—are one paycheck away from economic disaster, making one in three Americans … Continue reading