Foreign Policy Blogs

Jobs, Anyone?

Jobs, Anyone?

According to a 2008 article by David Rothkopf, the world’s 1,100 richest people have almost twice the assets of the poorest 2.5 billion (Rothkopf, 2008). Aside from the obvious problem – that this global elite has their hands in everything from politics to financial institutions – it also shows the massive gap between the haves and the have-nots. The 2010 U.S. Census reports that 1 in 6 Americans – that’s 46.2 million – now live in poverty. That’s up 3 million from 2009.

The International Monetary Fund predicts that China’s economy will surpass that of the U.S. by 2016.  Add to that the White House budget forecast that our economy will likely not recover until a year after that, and you begin to see a significant decline in the U.S. economic leadership. In 2017, the U.S. unemployment rate should fall below 6%.  Meanwhile, more and more people are falling below the poverty line and even homeless, as they continue to live without work.

Let’s look at Tennessee as an example. In January of 2001, Tennessee’s unemployment rate was 4.1%. That means that out of 2,909,934 workers, 2,790,587 had jobs, while 119,347 did not.

As of August of 2011, the unemployment rate is 9.7%. (That’s down from a high of 10.8 in June of 2009.) That means that out of 3,119,098 workers, 2,814,279 had jobs while 303,819 did not.

Over a quarter of a million people in Tennessee this year do not have jobs.

And that doesn’t take into account those who are underemployed, meaning they work part-time or have a low-paying position in relation to their needs.

I lived in Tennessee for a few years myself. It’s gorgeous, a state with scenery that will make you feel like you stepped into a warmer version of Anne of Green Gables. In some small towns, there are more cows than people, and the hills and valleys seem to go on forever. It may take fifteen minutes to get to the closest grocery store, but Tennessee’s beauty will hold you captive. If it wasn’t for the overwhelming lack of good-paying jobs, I would have moved my own family back a few years ago.

My extended family still lives there. My brother, who has a college degree, can’t find a job that pays more than minimum wage. Without hyperbole, there are none available in his city. My mother-in-law, who lives in a different area of Tennessee, has been unemployed for two years. She lost her home to foreclosure this year.

Many factors have led to this, but one is clear in my mind. Factories have closed up shop and moved overseas. I know of one company, Carrier, near my mother-in-law’s hometown that employed around 1,500 people. In 2005, they moved to Mexico. All those workers lost their jobs.  Just a little over 13,000 people lived in that town, so the impact was tremendous. Carrier’s president, Todd Bluehorn, said in a statement to the press that “These decisions are very difficult and we understand the effect on our employees, their families and their communities, but this action is necessary for the long-term health of Carrier.”

Lou Dobbs mentioned Carrier in his book, “Exporting America.” It makes sense for the big businesses and CEOs, but destroys small towns. It’s great for India and Mexico, since it provides them with jobs they desperately need. It’s making the world a flatter economic place, which I am definitely for.  But, at whose expense? Well, my mother-in-law’s for one.  And my brother’s.

What are we going to do about our jobs? I don’t hear anyone in the political arena offering any solutions, at least no immediate ones. It’s not only the U.S., of course. It’s a truly global economic crisis.

And the gap between the high earners and the ones living in poverty is growing wider each year.

For the first time, the largest food pantry in one of the suburbs of Atlanta, (where I live), has run dry.  That’s a little alarming to me.

 

 

Sources:

Rothkopf, David. “Change is in the Air for Financial Superclass.”  May 15, 2008.

AllBusiness.  “Carrier to Shut Down TN Factory, Relocate Manufacturing.” http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-termination/745813-1.html#ixzz1YK3v4Qzb

FoxNews. “IMF Predicts Chinese Economy to Surpass U.S. in 2016.”  April, 2011.

 

Author

Crystal Huskey

Crystal Huskey is a freelance writer, musician and fair trade arts consultant. She has a B.A. in religion and will graduate with her M.A. in international relations in the spring of 2012. She is passionate about human rights and gender equality.

Growing up as the daughter of missionaries to refugee communities has given Huskey a heart for the outcasts and brokenhearted. She believes that much of the world's crime can be prevented by creating economic opportunities at every level of society.