Apr 27, 2022 - Economy & Business

Lower-income Americans still optimistic about job security

Data:  Morning Consult / Axios Inequality Index; Chart: Axios Visuals
Data: Morning Consult / Axios Inequality Index; Chart: Axios Visuals

The Federal Reserve may be on a mission to cool the economy, but Americans are still feeling pretty good about their job prospects.

The big picture: The share of adults making less than $50,000 per year who are worried about losing income over the next month hit its lowest point (12.4%) since May 2020, when Morning Consult first began surveying Americans on the topic, according to the latest data out Wednesday morning.

  • Survey respondents making $50,000-$100,000, or over $100,000, are also near record lows for job security jitters.

Yes, but: The more vulnerable lower-income group is increasingly worried about covering expenses.

  • The share saying they can’t cover a month’s worth of basic costs went up in April, to 34.2%. That’s lower than a few months ago but higher than it's been for most of the past two years.

The bottom line: “People, including low-income workers, are feeling very secure in their current jobs,” but inflation is eating up a larger share of their paychecks, says Morning Consult economic analyst Jesse Wheeler.

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