There’s a Catch: Jobs by Bob Herbert

The number of Americans living in poverty has increased by three million in the past two years. The median household income has fallen for the past two years. The number of dual-income families, particularly those with children under 18, has declined sharply. The administration can spin its “recovery” any way it wants. But working families can’t pay their bills with data about the gross domestic product. They need the income from steady employment. And when it comes to employment, the Bush administration has compiled the worst record since the Great Depression.

The jobs picture is far more harrowing than it is usually presented by the media.

Gains in Wages Expected to Give Economy a Lift

Hourly wages have already surprised most economists by growing more quickly than inflation since 2001 in spite of the worst decline in employment in 20 years.

The wage gains have not been enough to overcome the economy’s problems, however. Many families still have less income than they did a year ago because companies have reduced their workers’ hours, and health care costs have risen rapidly.