Most Common U.S. Jobs Paying Employees Less In 2013 Than In 1999

From National Memo:

A new Washington Post report reveals how the value of full-time work in the United States has declined – a trend that has ramifications for Americans and the overall economy.

Using employment data from 1999 and 2013, the Post’s Pam Tobey demonstrates how the nation’s 10 most common jobs – 9 of which also constituted the top 10 jobs in 1999 – now offer pay significantly reduced from 14 years ago.

Despite higher numbers of employees in 9 of the top 10 occupational fields, as exhibited in the below chart, workers were paid significantly less in 2013 than in 1999.

Liber8

Liber8 is "An economic information portal for librarians and students" provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. It includes links to the International Economic Statistics (IES) Database, plus economic data and research articles. The "browse by subject" function is most useful.

Yet another article on libraries during these times

One from the NY Times makes for more interesting reading.

Quote from a women who took out a library card for herself for the first time in years (and also her first time in the library for years) and once she taken out her items "instinctively reached for her wallet to pay". "I guess it will take an adjustment period until I realize that some of the best things in life are indeed free," she said.

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Another Look at Who Is to Blame

In a recent online poll, Time magazine asked its readers who was most to blame for the current economic crisis. Readers rated the guilt of 25 different people on a scale of 1 (innocent) to 10 (guilty). On that scale, the American Consumer rated an 8--even guiltier, according to the public, than George W. Bush or Alan Greenspan.

But is the American Consumer guilty as charged? Not necessarily.

Video From ALA: Tools to Help Libraries in a Bad Economy

American Library Association Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels discusses the economy, its effect on libraries, and what ALA offers to help libraries survive in tough times. This video also serves as an introduction to a special issue of AL Direct to be sent January 20 on the economy and other issues.
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The importance of libraries in hard economic times

In case you missed it on NBC, here is a link to a great recent news store on the importance of libraries in hard economic times. The story is reported by Chris Jansing, nee Chris Kapostasy, who was the co-anchor on WNYT-TV, Channel 13 in Albany for over a decade.

The Economic Bailout

An Analysis of the Economic Emergency Stabilization Act (PDF) by CCH/Wolters Kluwer. President Bush signed EESA into law within two hours of its final passage in the House of Representatives on October 3, 2008.

Economic Freedom of the World: 2008 Annual Report

Source: Cato Institute, which promotes "public policy based on individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peaceful international relations."

From the press release:
Economic freedom around the world remains on the rise but it has declined notably in the U.S. since the year 2000, according to an authoritative study released today by the Cato Institute and Canada’s Fraser Institute.

In 2000 the U.S. was the second-freest economy listed in Economic Freedom of the World, an annual report written by James Gwartney from Florida State University and Robert Lawson from Auburn University. This year the U.S. has fallen to 8th place, behind Hong Kong (ranked in first place), Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Canada.

More significant than the U.S.’s drop in the rankings is its fall in the freedom ratings: on a scale of 0-10, the U.S. fell from 8.55 in 2000 to 8.04, according to the Economic Freedom of the World Report: 2008 Annual Report. Only five countries have experienced a greater decline over the same time period: Zimbabwe, Argentina, Niger, Venezuela, and Guyana.

NBER Economic Indicators and Releases

From the J J Hill Library:

Economics can be intimidating. First, of course, there's the math. But also, it can be hard to track the numerous things that go into the "economics equation." Unless you know about the NBER Economic Releases site.

This site pulls the latest economic reports, information, and updates from numerous government and trade sites and houses it all here. The site is updated daily, and most days see numerous postings. As of this writing some recent updates included: metro area unemployment, American time use, and construction spending.

No non-economist out there will use everything on this site, but if you take a look I bet you'll find something of interest to your line of work. And the NBER can help you keep up-to-date on it.

Quarterly Indicators, First Quarter 2008

Reflecting ongoing weakness, the U.S. economy grew 0.6 percent in first quarter 2008, mirroring the previous quarter according to the U.S. SBA’s Office of Advocacy 1st Quarter Economic Indicators. Consumer spending rose 1 percent on an annual basis, the slowest rate since second quarter 2001.Unemployment was slightly higher than in previous months at 5.1 percent in March. On the positive side, real exports benefited from a weaker dollar with annualized growth of 5.5 percent for the quarter and 9.5 percent year to year. Both the small business optimism index from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell to their lowest in March 2008.


Quarterly Indicators: The Economy and Small Business.