Employmentweb_low

EmploymEnT, woRk, and hEalTh inEqualiTiEs - a global perspective
median weekly income was $801, compared to $622 for non-union workers
(us Department of labor, 2006a). until the minimal Wage act of 2007, the
federal minimum wage had not been increased since 1996. The tension
demonstrates the role of the prioritisation of the market over state
regulation. anti-poverty organisations support a higher minimum wage,
while small businesses and retailers wish to keep it low (almanac of policy
Issues, 2002). many organisations support the introduction of a living wage,
which more adequately and realistically matches the cost of living of families
(pew partnership for Civic Change, 2006).
yet even above the margin of the minimum wage, income is notably
unequal; much of the division is along gender and racial lines. In 2005,
about 25 per cent of female workers were part-time, compared to 11
per cent of male workers (us Department of labor, 2006b). These
female part-time workers are found among all different age groups,
compared to male part-time workers who are more commonly
younger workers. In the third quarter of 2006, full-time black male
workers earned 80 per cent of what white men earned, while black
female workers earned 84 per cent of what white women earned (us
Department of labor, 2006c). Hispanic salaries lagged behind those of
blacks, whites, and asians.
In addition to gender and racial inequality in income, the us has
divergent levels of employment based on profession or trade. from 2003
to 2005, there were 3.8 million workers age 20 and older displaced from
their jobs. of these, 49 per cent lost their jobs due to company or work
site closings, 29 per cent because their job was abolished, and 22 per cent
because of insufficient work (us Department of labor, 2006d). about 40
per cent of these displaced workers received advance written notice of
the displacement (us Department of labor, 2006d). The largest group of
displaced workers in the united states has been in the manufacturing
field (28%). another diverse group of non-traditional workers consists of
contingent and alternate arrangement workers. This group includes
workers who do not expect their job to last, or who report that their work
is temporary. However, this group is diverse in that it includes
independent contractors (7.4% of those employed in 2005; largely white
males, over age 35, with only 10% preferring a more traditional work
status), as well as on-call workers and temporary help agency workers
(0.9% of those employed in 2005; largely female, young, black, and
hispanic, with 56% preferring a more traditional work status) (us
Department of labor, 2005).
Working conditions such as high demand jobs with little control
or high effort jobs with low reward may be associated with poor
health outcomes, particularly among black men. one factor which
may provide a link between occupational segregation and health is
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