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Low-Income Young Workers Hard Hit
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While all young workers face a tougher economic reality in 2009 than they did in 1999, low-income workers face particularly tough economic challenges.
The new AFL-CIO and Working America report, “Young Workers a Lost Decade,” chronicles a future of economic doubts and a present of lower-paid jobs, fewer benefits and longer hours than under-35 workers faced a decade ago.
More than half of all young workers live on the low-income end of the wage scale, earning less than $30,000 a year. Three quarters of those workers say prices are rising faster than their incomes, and seven out of 10 say they do not have enough money saved to cover just two months of living expenses.
If they get sick, not only are young workers likely to lose a day’s wages if they stay home, they’ll pay for health care out of their own pockets. Less than half have paid sick leave—compared to 70 percent of workers who earn more than $30,000 a year—and 44 percent do not have health insurance.
Further education could offer a path out the low-income world for many young workers, but the rising cost of education, coupled with their low-wages, is moving that dream further out of reach. Some 43 percent of low-income workers say they have put off education or professional development because of the cost, and 54 percent say they are worried about being able to pay for further education.
Do you have a solution? How can we make the economy work better for young workers, especially young low-income workers? Post your comments.
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2 Comments
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The healthcare debate is purely about the money. The vested interest groups and their paid politicians have increased healthcare costs by 120% in the last 10 years. every year the Healthcare lobby has said that competition will reduce cost. IT HAS NOT BECAUSE THE SUPPLIER CONTROLS THE DEMAND. We are not qualified to know what we need or given an opportunity to be able to select where we get it.
They are terrified that their total control of the industry will be restricted by some form of regulation, which is what every other major country has had the sense to do. Therefore they lie and deceive about what is really happening in other countries. I am an international HC Consultant I know what the reality is. We do not need more money in the healthcare system we already have twice as much as any other country and we are getting less for it!! Healthcare costs are resulting in job losses and offshoring and huge personal health and financial misery. Is that what you want to pass on to your loved ones?
We have a healthcare system that is designed to extract as much money from us as possible before we die. It is not designed to meet the needs of the people. As an example 700 people a year are estimated to die in Geaorgia because they do not have access to a trauma center.
We must have a healthcare vision for each state that defines the basic infrastructure that we need to meet the peoples’ needs. This is not difficult every other major country has it. We then have to have some form of regulation to ensure that the healthcare industry supports the basic infrastructure appropriately.
It is no good tinkering with the existing system and fighting over the minutia. This is exactly what the right wing wants.
The Fundamental issue are we prepared to regulate the healthcare community to ensure that it provides an infrastructure that meets the peoples’ needs in a high quality and cost effective way. EVERY OTHER MAJOR COUNTRY DOES THIS.
We can spend our lives watching the politicians, Republican and Democrat babbling nonsense to purposely confuse but the reality is simple. Define the Vision for where we are going and THEN define the plan to get there, this is basic business sense.
Right now the politicians are purely focused on self interest and the lobbyists money they all trying to look good and do as little as possible that will look like some kind of reform.
You can still have a regulated system that allows for a “for profit” sector. The object of our HC system is not however to guarantee profitability for insurance companies. HOW LONG WILL WE LET THEM HIDE THE 900LB GORILLA IN THE ROOM WITH LIES AND DECEPTIONS?
Just keep exposing those cronies who make 20 $million a year and then get a 30 $million bonus at the end of the year. Write something like this compared to these young workers on the front page of a newspaper. That will shake some people up to even the playing field.