[Politech] Why service sector jobs are better than manufacturing jobs

From: Declan McCullagh (declan@private)
Date: Wed Mar 31 2004 - 06:45:02 PST

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    -------- Original Message --------
    Subject: jobs
    Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 09:14:46 -0500
    From: Donald Boudreaux <dboudrea@private>
    
    ................
    
    31 March 2004
    
    Editor, The Wall Street Journal
    200 Liberty Street
    New York, NY  10281
    
    Dear Editor:
    
    In his letter of March 31st, William Hawkins merely assumes that
    manufacturing jobs are better than service-sector jobs.  He's mistaken.
    
    The average hourly wage in the U.S. for non-supervisory professional and
    business services workers now is 9.6% higher than is the average hourly
    wage for non-supervisory manufacturing workers.  And this difference is
    increasing.  In 1980 this difference was less than one percent; in 1990
    it was 3.3%; in 2000 it was 8.3%.  The bulk of high-paying jobs is in
    the service sector.
    
    It's time that people abandon the irrational fetish for manufacturing.
    
    Sincerely,
    Donald J. Boudreaux
    Chairman, Department of Economics
    George Mason University
    Fairfax, VA 22030
    703-993-1157 (office)
    703-993-1133 (fax)
    703-426-9299 (home)
    571-426-5751 (cell)
    dboudrea@private
    
    
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