Flat wages, spotty job market greet workers for Labor Day by LEIGH STROPE, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A spotty job market and stagnant paychecks cloud this Labor Day holiday for many workers, highlighting the importance of pocketbook issues in the presidential election.

“Working harder and enjoying it less,” said economist Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics, summing up the state of working America. …

Nearly two-thirds of 1,050 full-time workers in a Labor Day survey by Harris Interactive and Kronos Inc. said they have increased job responsibilities in the past six months. One-third said they were working longer hours and 62 percent claimed they had not received a pay raise.

In a poll conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs, a third of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the amount of stress at work. Other leading complaints included advancement opportunities and health and retirement benefits.