Labor Market Issues

I don't know what criteria social security uses to evaluate disability, but it probably limits mobility in and out of the system. The lack of mobility would discourage re-entry of the disabled into the labor market even in an atmosphere of increased demand.

I worked a brief tech contract last year together with a man who is recieving state disability benefits from workers comp. He is no longer able to work as a machinist due to arm tendon failure. An upturn in tech work will enable him to shift back into employment, doing work which his disability will not effect.

Note that this is an unusual case, but there is more brain and less muscle work now in general.

Both Roach and Goolsbee are fundamentally right in their analysis. Government accounting procedures are horrifically dated, and Government eases transition to Disability to ease Unemployment estimates. Goolsbee make a fundamental error in judging Disabled individuals have ease in re-entering the labor force. Employers want younger, cheaper Labor, and justify their rejection upon work experience being dated and obsolete in the new Economy. Less than five percent of the Disabled Persons can re-enter the Occupation from which they left for Disability. The drop of Payscale is over fifty percent. lgl

Fear is why we've been working our fingers to the bone. Fear of outsourcing, etc. I, personally, worry about it at least 5-10 hours a week.

Rid the country of that fear and you'll see rising incomes and rising productivity.

>>Rid the country of that fear and you'll see rising incomes and rising productivity.

Rising incomes, I agree. Rising productivity, I disagree.

I have to tell you people, I have a BAD ATTITUDE about work (which you could probably tell by my posting rate during working hours!).

My company has been screwing people for going on 4 years now. Management is just awful.

All this has done is give me a mercenary attitude. Right now I'm doing enough to get by, but when times change and the employment market improves, there will be a reckoning.

I will NOT be working any harder, that's for sure. I can't see how my productivity would be higher if I worked (even) less than I do now.

I am in the 1% minority that loves his employer. If I wasn't so worried about the Indians/Chinese/Brazilians/Russians/etc and tilting at windmills on this blog 5-10 hrs/week, I'd be the absolute hardest worker on the planet.

I'll say it again: remove the fear, and productivity will rise. Economists would call it "inexplicable" because workers who are afraid are supposed to be harder workers. Economists, again, are out of touch with reality.