4 ms·
The article is trying to give the impression of a vanishing middle class, but the data really don't seem to back it up. It defines "middle-wage jobs" as people
by hugh 19y ago
The article is trying to give the impression of a vanishing middle class, but the data really don't seem to back it up. It defines "middle-wage jobs" as people earning between $30K and $80K, and notes that the proportion of these has dropped from 52% to 46% in the last few years. But with the exception of students, there's virtually nobody in Silicon Valley earning less than $30K anyway, so I suspect what this really means is that more and more people are earning over $80K, while the number of full-time workers earning less than $30K has remained close to zero.
Good news spun as bad?
- kennon 19y agoI think the numbers encompass all jobs within the region-- not just tech ones, as you seem to be implying. If you include all employment sectors, then there are plenty of fulltime workers earning less than $30k: 27 percent, according to the article.
- hugh 19y agoHey, you're right. I totally missed that paragraph when I read it the first time -- I thought they were only reporting numbers for the "middle income" folks. I'm actually amazed that the number is that high -- I figured that even the "menial" jobs would have to pay more than that in that region. It's hard for me to imagine anyone surviving in Silicon Valley on less than $30K, but I suppose that's just a failure of my own imagination.