The American Worker: An Endangered Species
To the iconic image of a polar bear struggling onto a crumbling ice floe, or that of a condor chick peering from its man-made nest, we must add another image: that of an American worker at his trade. Endangered species are a concern to all environmentalists, and the plight of the worker should be no different.
To the iconic image of a polar bear struggling onto a crumbling ice floe, or that of a condor chick peering from its man-made nest, we must add another image: that of an American worker at his trade. Endangered species are a concern to all environmentalists, and the plight of the worker should be no different.
This is not hyperbole. The unemployment rate continues to climb, surging into double digits with no discernible impact on its speed. At 10.2 percent, the official unemployment rate is at its highest point in more than a quarter of a century. And a broader look - one that includes discouraged workers and part-time workers seeking full-time positions - puts unemployment and underemployment at 17.5 percent.
Meanwhile, the bedrock of our nation's employment, manufacturing, moves in the opposite direction. The stock image of a manufacturing worker is no longer that of a blue collar in Skokie; it is of an assembly line in Tianjin. Chinese unemployment is under 5 percent. Its manufacturing is growing at its fastest rate in five years, and is leading Asia out of this global recession.
