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The prospect of more poor-paying jobs in the 2020s could widen the already-pointed debate over inequality in the US as Democratic presidential candidates propose varying methods to rein it in.
Here are the 10 occupations that the Labor Department projects to have the most job gains over the next decade.
As the United States heads into the next decade, six of the 10 fastest-growing jobs are expected to pay less than $27,000 a year, according to data from the Labor Department.
One in nine full-time workers in the US are currently paid wages that could still leave them in poverty, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. And the prospect of more poor-paying jobs in the 2020s could widen the already-pointed debate over inequality in the US as Democratic presidential candidates propose varying methods to rein it in.
They range from additional taxes on Wall Street to a wealth tax on the richest US taxpayers to fund sweeping progressive initiatives like universal healthcare or tuition-free college. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have been the most forceful advocates calling to tackle the problem.
Income inequality in the US has already reached its highest level since tracking started a half-century ago, the Census Bureau reported in September - while at the same time, unemployment has reached historic 50-year lows. That signals this historic period of economic expansion has failed to cut inequality.
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Here are the occupations that the Labor Department projects to have the most job gains over the next decade, organized from the lowest to highest salaries.
Food prep workers, including fast food — Median annual pay: $21,250
The Department of Labor estimates that the food preparation workforce will have 640,100 jobs added over the next decade.
It would be the second fastest growing occupation at that rate.
Waiters and waitresses — Median annual pay: $21,780
The Labor Department estimates that 170,200 waiter jobs will be added over the course of the 2020s.
Personal care aides — Median annual pay: $24,020
Personal care aides help people with chronic disabilities go about their daily activities. The Labor Department projects 881,000 jobs in this line of work will be added between 2018 and 2028.
That's the highest growth rate of any of the ten jobs, the product of an aging nation and a booming retirement population that will need attentive care.
