Christian Science Monitor - It’s the decline of industries like coal and manufacturing that get the big attention, especially from politicians. That’s surprising, since ... retail, which employs about 10 percent of all working Americans, is shedding jobs at a rate that dwarfs either of those. The retail sector shed 6,100 positions in June this year alone, according to the Labor Department. Since 2001, employment at department stores like Sears and JCPenney has declined 46 percent. An estimated 89,000 employees in “general merchandise” stores were laid off between October 2016 and April 2017 – more than the entire workforce of the US coal industry. T
“I think retail has for a long time been the white noise of the economy,” says Mark Muro, the director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings. “It’s taken for granted. While they may not be glamorous, these jobs provide livelihoods for millions of people.”
1 comment:
I'd love to shop in stores, I prefer it. Unfortunately as wages have stagnated or lost ground and prices have gone up, I need to make every purchase for as cheaply as possible. This means instead of going to a local shoe store I have to buy off Amazon using my Honey coupons, Swagbucks gift cards, and Paribus to be sure I've got the best price possible, because I can't afford to shop at local stores anymore due to low wages.
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