The Plight of the Working Poor

The Income Debasement for the Working Poor

Working Poor

The working poor are working people whose incomes fall below a given poverty line. A new report recently came out highlighting the plight of those working and still struggling to pay the bare necessities. Although the recession is showing modest growth, this class of workers is showing steady growth. Sadly, too many workers re-entry into the work place translate into low pay and less job security. That is, the employee benefits that they formerly enjoyed have shrunk since the economic downturn. Further, this is the driving force behind some state initiatives to craft policies designed to help low-income families. It was estimated that approximately seventy percent of low-income families working by 2011, had inadequate income to meet their basic needs. Brandon Roberts asserts that we are not on a good trajectory, because more people are slipping into the low-income category despite economic recovery.

Interpolating the Census Data

The data that was extracted from the 2011 census data was not encouraging. It revealed that approximately one third of families earned incomes placed them below the double poverty threshold. That threshold was around forty five thousand when the report emerged. Furthermore, the soaring growth rate of the working poor reflects the growth rate of income disparities. Additionally, the job sectors that showed the most growth are known for modest pay. At the same time, analyst empirical data affirms that jobs that demand little in terms of educational requirements, showed stagnant growth. This class of workers encompasses carpenters, painters, real estate brokers and insurance professionals. Jobs routinely filled by college graduates did better than others during the downturn. Moreover, if one is contemplating embellishing their job skills through education - that is becoming more expensive. One can not expect much relief from the federal government, such as bolstering the minimum wage, because they are crying foul. Finally, one can argue that more needs to be done to aid low-income families, but what exactly - is the sticking point.