Blessed are the home health aides, for they shall save our economy

[rocktivity]

Found this in the 1/25 Star Ledger (New Jersey) with an article titled "Hiring Picture Is Bright: Economic Expansion Will Provide Varied Lifts to State Employment." It's the state's fastest-growing occupations and their average salaries. Please note that only SIX of these 20 occupations have average salaries in excess of $30K, and only five are in excess of the U.S. household median income of $42K. THIS is the job creation and growth the Pretzel-Dunce has been promising? Only two of these require a bachelor's degree--oh, well, college is too expensive now, anyway! And this is only one (northeastern) state--you can bet that the overall national outlook is even bleaker.

On edit: Yep, the national outlook IS even bleaker:
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food
Customer service representatives
Registered nurses
Retail salespersons
Computer support specialists
Cashiers, except gaming
Office clerks, general
Security guards
Computer software engineers, applications
Waiters and waitresses


rocknation

[murielm99]

1. I used to work for a home health agency, as an junior administrator.

This was twenty-five years ago.

I did home visits, to see what they could pay -- to see if they had health insurance, medicare, or if they needed free care. We were a United Way agency.

I always went in after referral, after the visiting nurses had evaluated them. I felt so sorry for the health aides. They had the dirty jobs, and they got paid almost nothing. Of course, home health aides were recommended as often as possible, to save on professional care costs.

Thanks shrub! Just what we need -- more low-paying, nobody-wants-them jobs!

[asjr]

2. But it seems

like the low-paying jobs are all that are left. And now that overtime pay is being taken away from us why would immigrants want to come to the U.S.? And pardon me Mr. Shrub, who says Americans don't want these jobs? We are being ruined little by little and no one is paying attention.

[WildClarySage]

3. I've done Home Health Care too

and it was the right job for me at that time. Got me through school. Now I work for a domestic violence shelter and a lot of our clients who are in need of low-skilled employment to achieve independent living get channeled into classes for CNA's or for computer skills (mostly clerical stuff) and they are very grateful. One of the reasons they particularly enjoy that field is the ability to be useful which is incredibly therapeutic for these women. These jobs aren't the WORST out there, but yeah, CNA's and HHA's are brought in to save money and the pay absolutely sucks. I don't have a problem with the creation of these jobs, they aren't "nobody-wants-them jobs", but they should be paid better, it's horrible that the thief in chief has managed to lose more jobs than my cousin Jason and shame on him to think that Americans don't want these jobs and it's ok to bring in foreign workers who will work on the cheap and drive down those already too-low wages.

[Cleita]

6. Now that amnesty for Mexican workers is beginning

to make sense.

[POed_Ex_Repub]

4. Cross off anything with the word "computer" in it...

The "growth" isn't going to be in the US.

[rocktivity]

5. Blatantly self-serving Kick

since I wrote this at 1AM yesterday
rocknation

[catmandu57]

7. Marshmallow woman works as a homehealth person

It fits her, and it is a valuable service letting people stay independent longer in their own homes. 70% of what she does is just being there, but she has advanced nursing skills, that lifts the pay somewhat.

She and I will never be wealthy, but it wouldn't hurt having a little more cushion.