By most measures, the U.S. labor market is back to its prerecession baseline, but many Americans still aren’t feeling it.
Despite remarkably steady payroll growth the past few years and a near-normal 5% unemployment rate, many workers are stuck in jobs that aren’t providing the salaries, advancement opportunities and standard of living they seek, according to a Wells Fargo/USA TODAY survey.
“People are seeing more jobs,” Wells Fargo economist Mark Vitner says. “We just aren’t creating many good jobs. They don’t pay very well, and (many) don’t have benefits.”
