American Jobs

   There was a time, in the 1940s and 1950s, when America was a land of jobs offering high pay for relatively low to moderate skills. But those days are gone, and are not likely to return.
   Now, the emphasis is on higher skills and greater productivity, aided by technology, and any attempt to return to high pay, low skill jobs is a demagogue's dream.
   Evidence? The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that more than 38 percent of American Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the value of goods and services produced in the U.S., comes from jobs related to intellectual property industries. These 45 million jobs contribute to more than $6 trillion to total U.S. GDP.
   These 45 million jobs -- roughly 30 percent of all jobs in the nation -- are in software publishing, sound recording, audio and video equipment manufacturing, performing arts, broadcasting, and similar jobs.
   Separately, the Labor Department said unemployment rates in major metropolitan areas were generally lower in August than a year earlier in 242 of the 387 metro areas surveyed, and higher in 123 areas. Moreover, payroll employment rose in 320 metro areas, and fell in only 58 areas. Nationally, the unemployment rate in August was 5 percent. When seasonally adjusted, the jobless rate was slightly below 5 percent.
   In addition, personal income rose in the second quarter of this year, according to a separate government report. Overall, personal income increased by 1.1 percent throughout the nation, with every state posting a rise.