[ClearCase_guy]

Another side of the coin would be salary increases. A lot of people do have jobs -- and feel fortunate to have those jobs -- but have not seen any sort of raise in years.

When jobs are scarce, salaries rise. How much has your salary been rising?

[2ndDivisionVet]

When I want a “raise” I sell one or two more products.

[kearnyirish2]

Good point; wages have been stagnant or dropping for years. Anyone I know who lost a decent job and got another in the same field is making less money, as though big companies just swapped their workers to re-set wages and vacation time accrued. It seems to be the ones having the hardest time making the adjustment are women over 50; they are in denial that the 9 to 5 job with two fifteen minute breaks and an hour lunch is a thing of the past.

All this fear about Asia surpassing us was justified; it happened years ago. 1/2 of the world’s population lives between Red China, India, and southeast Asia; we’re irrelevant compared to those numbers (and I believe this plays a role in our de facto amnesty policy). Asia doesn’t have to toil as the sweatshop for the West; they have their own middle classes now.

[packrat35]

I was informed 3 years ago that I would never get another raise. I’ve been at my company for 18 years.