State loses middle wage Rhode Island jobs

Posted on October 20, 2013

Middle wage jobs have been declining for a number of years, and it’s also reported that one state has lost middle wage Rhode Island jobs.

According to a study from Careerbuilder, Wyoming leads the nation in the percentage of middle-wage jobs added in a state post-recession. Forty-five percent of new jobs that were created in Wyoming since 2010 have been middle-wage, well ahead of other high-performing states: Iowa (37%), North Dakota (36%), and Michigan (35%). Texas (25%) and California (23%) have created the largest total number of new middle-wage jobs in the nation, but they’re in the middle of the pack in terms of the share of all new jobs.

At the bottom, Rhode Island is the only state that’s lost middle-wage jobs over the last few years. Meanwhile, Mississippi (10%) and New York (13%) have the lowest share of new middle-wage jobs among states that have seen job increases.

The study from CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI) shows that there are various fields and states where these positions are thriving.

CareerBuilder and EMSI defined middle-wage jobs as those that pay between $13.84 and $21.13 per hour.

One quarter (25 percent) of all new jobs added in the U.S. since 2010 fall in the middle-wage range, trailing the share of both high-wage jobs (29 percent) and low-wage jobs (46 percent). While automation, offshoring and other factors are driving the declining share of middle-wage jobs, a variety of occupations in this segment have performed well post-recession. Most of these occupations typically require on-the-job training, work experience, or short-term certificates and degrees that community colleges specialize in.

Customer Service Representatives – added 132,690 jobs since 2010, up 6%

Median hourly earnings – $14.91

· Heavy/Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers – added 118,541 jobs since 2010, up 7%

Median hourly earnings – $18.41

· Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks – added 77,162 jobs since 2010, up 4%

Median hourly earnings – $17.02

· Construction Laborers – added 69,148 jobs since 2010, up 6%

Median hourly earnings – $14.60

· Machinists – added 49,906 jobs since 2010, up 14%

Median hourly earnings – $19.01

· Welders, Cutters, Solderers and Brazers – added 38,153 jobs since 2010, up 11%

Median hourly earnings – $17.58

· Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics – added 36,229 jobs since 2010, up 5%

Median hourly earnings – $16.47

· Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers and Weighers – added 34,424 jobs since 2010, up 8%

Median hourly earnings – $16.81

· Medical Assistants – added 29,949 jobs since 2010, up 5%

Median hourly earnings – $14.35

· Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators – added 21,307 jobs since 2010, up 17%

Median hourly earnings – $17.14

· Oil, Gas and Mining Service Unit Operators – added 16,690 jobs since 2010, up 38%

Median hourly earnings – $20.16