Each bubble in the chart represents an occupation group as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The horizontal position of the bubble is the median annual earnings, and the vertical position is the total change in number of jobs in the profession.
- The size of the bubble represents the total number employed, and the color corresponds to change in inflation-adjusted annual earnings.
Why it matters: Not all jobs are created equal.
- Since the 2008–09 financial crash, about 75% of new jobs have paid less than $50,000 a year, putting them just above the $45,000 annual middle-class threshold for a household.
- Professions that were once the backbone of the middle class have been vanishing, and similar professions have not been bubbling up to take their place, report the WP's Andrew Van Dam and Heather Long.
- Most wage growth since 2009 has been concentrated in the extreme lows and highs.
Original story: Most jobs created since the recession have been low-paying (9/7/2018)