Low-paying jobs on the rise

With the unemployment rate over nine percent, many people are being forced to do just about any job, even if that means taking a serious cut in pay. This is part of a trend toward growth in low-skilled and low-wage jobs, according to a new study by the National Employment Law Project, which found that job expansion so far has been skewed toward industries whose median wages fall below $15 an hour. Some fear it is a trend that is likely to continue, even as the economy improves.

We speak with Annette Bernhardt, a policy co-director for the National Employment Law Project and with Chelsea Nelson, who once worked as a secretary but now works as a waitress at a truck stop to help make ends meet.