Obama's America: Low-paying jobs are here to stay

Stuck in a job with lousy pay? Better get used to it. Some 28% of workers are expected to hold low-wage jobs in 2020, roughly the same percentage as in 2010, according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute. The study defines low-paying jobs as those with wages at or below what full-time workers must earn to live above the poverty level for a family of four. In 2011, this was $23,005, or $11.06 an hour. The economy won't support much growth in jobs with higher salaries, said Rebecca Thiess, policy analyst at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, who crunched government data to come up with these projections. "Far too many economic pundits take for granted that the economy of the future will demand far greater skills and credentials," she wrote in a recent paper. Lower wage occupations grew by 3.2% over the year ending in the first quarter of 2011, according to the National Employment Law Project. This was fueled mainly by the expansion of retail salespeople, office clerks, cashiers, food prep workers and store clerks, whose median hourly wages ranged from $7.51 to $13.52. Four of the five occupations with the highest concentration of low-salary jobs are set to grow by 2020. These include farming, personal care, building and grounds maintenance and health care support. All have at least 45% of their employees earning at or below so-called poverty wages.