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Tuesday, April 02, 2013 1:41:32 AM
Wages stink at America's most common jobs
By Tami Luhby @CNNMoney April 1, 2013: 8:58 AM ET
[ Video embedded ] Fastest-growing job pays under $10/hour
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
America's most common jobs come with lousy pay.
Workers in seven of the 10 largest occupations typically earn less than $30,000 a year, according to new data published Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's a far cry from the nation's average annual pay of $45,790.
Food prep workers are the third most-common job in the U.S., but have the lowest pay, at a mere $18,720 a year for 2012. Cashiers and waiters are also popular professions, but the average pay at these jobs tallies up to less than $21,000 annually. There are 4.3 million retail sales workers out there, making them the most common job, but the position pays only $25,310 for the year.
Among the 10 most popular professions, only the nation's 2.6 million registered nurses earn a good living, bringing home nearly $68,000 a year on average. Another two of the most common jobs -- secretaries and customer service representatives -- have an average annual wage of about $33,000.
Wages have been in the spotlight this year as the debate over income inequality intensified. Middle-class Americans have been losing ground, as median household income dropped by more than $4,000 since 2000.
Part of this decline stems from a disappearance of middle-class jobs and an explosion of lower-paying ones. Some 58% of the jobs created during the recovery have been low-wage positions, according to a 2012 report by the National Employment Law Project. These low-wage jobs had a median hourly wage of $13.83 or less.
President Obama has been pushing to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour, and several states are considering increasing their minimum wages. To top of page
Employment & wages for largest U.S. occupations
Occupation ... U.S. employment ... 2012 annual mean wage
Retail salesperson ... 4,340,000 ... $25,310
Cashier ... 3,314,010 ... $20,370
Food prep worker ... 2,943,810 ... $18,720
Office clerk ... 2,808,100 ... $29,270
Registered nurse ... 2,633,980 ... $67,930
Waiter ... 2,332,020 ... $20,710
Customer service representative ... 2,299,750 ... $33,110
Laborer ... 2,143,940 ... $26,410
Janitor/cleaner ... 2,097,380 ... $24,850
Secretary/administrative assistant ... 2,085,680 ... $33,560
First Published: April 1, 2013: 5:59 AM ET
http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/01/news/economy/jobs-wages/index.html?source=yahoo_hosted
By Tami Luhby @CNNMoney April 1, 2013: 8:58 AM ET
[ Video embedded ] Fastest-growing job pays under $10/hour
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
America's most common jobs come with lousy pay.
Workers in seven of the 10 largest occupations typically earn less than $30,000 a year, according to new data published Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's a far cry from the nation's average annual pay of $45,790.
Food prep workers are the third most-common job in the U.S., but have the lowest pay, at a mere $18,720 a year for 2012. Cashiers and waiters are also popular professions, but the average pay at these jobs tallies up to less than $21,000 annually. There are 4.3 million retail sales workers out there, making them the most common job, but the position pays only $25,310 for the year.
Among the 10 most popular professions, only the nation's 2.6 million registered nurses earn a good living, bringing home nearly $68,000 a year on average. Another two of the most common jobs -- secretaries and customer service representatives -- have an average annual wage of about $33,000.
Wages have been in the spotlight this year as the debate over income inequality intensified. Middle-class Americans have been losing ground, as median household income dropped by more than $4,000 since 2000.
Part of this decline stems from a disappearance of middle-class jobs and an explosion of lower-paying ones. Some 58% of the jobs created during the recovery have been low-wage positions, according to a 2012 report by the National Employment Law Project. These low-wage jobs had a median hourly wage of $13.83 or less.
President Obama has been pushing to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour, and several states are considering increasing their minimum wages. To top of page
Employment & wages for largest U.S. occupations
Occupation ... U.S. employment ... 2012 annual mean wage
Retail salesperson ... 4,340,000 ... $25,310
Cashier ... 3,314,010 ... $20,370
Food prep worker ... 2,943,810 ... $18,720
Office clerk ... 2,808,100 ... $29,270
Registered nurse ... 2,633,980 ... $67,930
Waiter ... 2,332,020 ... $20,710
Customer service representative ... 2,299,750 ... $33,110
Laborer ... 2,143,940 ... $26,410
Janitor/cleaner ... 2,097,380 ... $24,850
Secretary/administrative assistant ... 2,085,680 ... $33,560
First Published: April 1, 2013: 5:59 AM ET
http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/01/news/economy/jobs-wages/index.html?source=yahoo_hosted
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