"A Hollowing Out of the Middle" - Mark Thoma - Economist's View

The GOP's politics of resentment are most successful among non-college educated whites. Chris Christie, Rick Perry, and Jan Brewer of Arizona are three who have thrived on their fears. Which are real - as this census data shows. Unfortunately those voters have picked the wrong horse as David Frum's devastating critique of today's GOP makes clear. - GWC

Economist's View: "A Hollowing Out of the Middle":

by Mark Thoma

"The chart below indicates the share of workers in each of the wage groups in 1980 and in 2009. In 1980, three-quarters of all workers were employed in mid-skill occupations. Among the occupations included in this group, Machine Operators accounted for 10 percent of the U.S. workforce, and Administrative Support accounted for 18 percent. By 2009, the share of jobs in the mid-skill category had shrunk to two-thirds, with Machine Operators accounting for just 4 percent of all jobs and Administrative Support for 14 percent. Over this same period, there was an increase in the share of jobs in the high and low skill groups. High skill jobs increased their share from 12 percent to 15 percent, while low skill jobs grew from 13 percent to 17 percent. As a result, the share of jobs at the upper end and lower end of the distribution increased between 1980 and 2009, while the share of jobs in the middle group fell."

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