[Pacg] Labor Day News: The State of Working Iowa 2007

[Carolina 1961]

Seeking similar information about the state of working Illinois. If anyone
knows of a good source, please let us know.


>From the Iowa Policy Project
www.iowapolicyproject.org

 Left Behind at Labor Day
*'The State of Working Iowa 2007': Trends Lag in Job Growth, Quality
*
FRIENDS:

Every two years at Labor Day, the Iowa Policy Project (IPP) produces a look
at "The State of Working Iowa." The 2007 report is our fourth installment
and is available today on our website <http://www.iowapolicyproject.org>.

While tougher times earlier in this decade are behind us, this year's report
illustrates why — by any reasonable measure — the broader benefits of
"recovery" have been scarce in Iowa. Iowa's working families face serious
challenges in job quality, wages and basic economic security, and our state
does not stack up well in the region or nationally. Among observations for
Iowa in this report:

--   Growing job sectors from 2000 to 2006 had a lower median wage ($32,537)
and were less likely to have health insurance (52 percent) than the
declining job sectors ($35,178, 66 percent).
--   Health coverage through employment is provided to fewer than 6 in 10
workers — in line with the national picture, which now includes higher
premiums, deductibles and other limits on the benefits that are provided.
--   Most job gains went to urbanized counties. The state's nine
metropolitan areas showed a net gain of 36,000 jobs, compared to a net
decline of 7,000 over the rest of the state.
--   Iowa's median wage has stagnated, and in 2006 was below both the 2000
and 2003 levels, ranking in the bottom half of the nine states in the region
compared in the report.
--   While middle-income families have treaded water, low-wage workers in
Iowa actually saw a drop in real wages as the economy recovered, and even
high-wage workers in Iowa ranked poorly (seventh of nine) in comparison to
regional peer states.


We encourage you to read this report and think about the implications as you
enjoy Labor Day 2007.

Best regards,
The IPP Staff

*The Iowa Policy Project
120 N Dubuque St. #208
Iowa City, IA 52245
(319) 338-0773
ipp at Lcom.net
<http://www.iowapolicyproject.org>
http://www.iowafiscal.org
*

**
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