While I’m making a few quick links you owe it to yourself to take a look at this analysis of the last 10 years for the U. S. economy in charts. Here’s a Reader’s Digest summary (if you don’t like charts or don’t have the patience to page down):
- Employment is about where it was in 2003.
- Government jobs are up 4% and private down 1% over the decade.
- The sectors that have gained the most jobs are healthcare, education, and temps (temps in the last year).
- The sectors that have lost the most jobs are construction and manufacturing.
- Population has grown 9%, jobs have flat-lined.
- Those 55 and above are holding on to their jobs longer (a prediction I’ve been making for the last 30 years)
- Those 55 and above have seen the largest pay gains.
- The highest 20% of earners take home about half of all the pay and that hasn’t changed appreciably over the last 10 years.
- The top 10% of earners have tripled their net worth, the bottom 50% are about the same.
- Investors are moving away from risk and towards safe returns.
- The Austrian True Money Supply has risen sharply.
- The dollar has declined.
Check it out.
I can’t read the document, but the 4% growth in government jobs smells funny to me. Is that just federal (I’d buy that) or combined fed/state/local (don’t buy that)?