Annette Guerra poses for a photo at her home in San Antonio. Guerra, 33, has been looking for a full-time job for more than a year after finishing nursing school. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)by Hope YenAP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The gap in employment rates between America's highest- and lowest-income families has stretched to its widest levels since officials began tracking the data a decade ago, according to an analysis of government data conducted for The Associated Press. Rates of unemployment for the lowest-income families — those earning less than $20,000 — have topped 21 percent, nearly matching the rate for all workers during the 1930s Great Depression.
In this Aug. 1, 2013, photo, a "Now Hiring" sign hangs in front of a new McDonald's restaurant under construction in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) WASHINGTON (AP) — The 162,000 jobs the economy added in July were a disappointment. The quality of the jobs was even worse. A disproportionate number of the added jobs were part-time or low-paying — or both. Part-time work accounted for more than 65 percent of the positions employers added in July. Low-paying retailers, restaurants and bars supplied more than half July's job gain.
In this Aug. 18, 2009, aerial photo is downtown Pittsburgh located at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers on the north side of Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) Blue-collar workers poured into the cavernous auto plants of Detroit for generations, confident that a sturdy back and strong work ethic would bring them a house, a car and economic security. It was a place where the American dream came true. It came true in cities across the industrial heartland, from Chicago's meatpacking plants to the fire-belching steel mills of Cleveland and Pittsburgh. It came true for decades, as manufacturing brought prosperity to big cities in states around the Great Lakes and those who called them home. Detroit was the affluent capital, a city with its own emblematic musical sound and a storied union movement that drew Democratic presidential candidates to Cadillac Square every four years to kick off their campaigns at Labor Day rallies.
HELP WANTED-- This Friday, March 29, 2013 file photo shows a help wanted sign at a barber shop in Richmond, Va. U.S. employers added just 88,000 jobs in March, the fewest in nine months and a sharp retreat after a period of strong hiring. Many discouraged Americans are giving up the job hunt for school, retirement and disability. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) by Jesse Washington and Paul Wiseman WASHINGTON (AP) — After a full year of fruitless job hunting, Natasha Baebler just gave up.
