[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 94 (Friday, July 9, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H5466-H5467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          ECONOMIC POLICIES OF CURRENT ADMINISTRATION WORKING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, each month the Joint Economic Committee has 
the opportunity to receive job growth data from the Labor Department's 
Bureau of Labor Statistics. This month, the JEC was pleased to receive 
good news; fortunately, good news of two kinds: First, many good paying 
jobs are being created in large numbers in the U.S. economy; and, 
second, job growth continues at a rapid rate.
  The June payroll employment increases pushed the total employment 
gains since August to 1.5 million jobs. According to the new data 
released a week ago by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth 
continues today as the payroll employment increased by 112,000 jobs in 
June.
  During the past few days, however, some have contended that most of 
the recent employment gains are in low wage jobs. Quite the contrary is 
true. Occupations that are relatively well paid accounted for over 70 
percent of the net increases in employment between June of 2003 and 
June of 2004.
  Although this does not mean that all of the jobs that were created in 
these categories were high-paying, most of them were. The jobs in these 
occupational categories are generally highly paid. It does indicate 
that most of the recent employment gains have not

[[Page H5467]]

been disproportionately in low-wage occupations, as some in this House 
have claimed.
  Specifically, according to the statistics from the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics Household Survey, between June 2003 and June 2004, 71.4 
percent of the net increase in employment was in three relatively well-
paid occupational categories: Management, professional and related 
occupations, that category comprised 23.1 percent of the job gains; 
construction and extraction occupations, that is, mining occupations, 
accounted for 36.1 percent; and installation, maintenance and repair 
occupations accounted for 12.2 percent.
  The earnings in these occupational categories are higher than the 
median and much higher than the earnings of the typical low-income 
worker. Most of the workers in well-paid occupations have earnings in 
the middle range or higher.
  These employment figures indicate that most of the new jobs are not 
at low wage levels, but at higher levels of earnings. We have been 
hearing assertions about ``hamburger flippers,'' jobs dominating 
employment for about 20 years now. Those stories have not come true. It 
just is not happening. We are not about to become a Nation of hamburger 
flippers.
  The data shows that most of the recent employment gains have been in 
relatively well paid occupations. This is good news for the American 
worker and is good news for the American family. It means that the low-
paying job problem that accompanied the economic downturn which began 
in the last half of 2000, during the Clinton administration, has been 
rectified.
  It further means that the economic policies of the current 
administration are working to bring pocketbook issues into a positive 
state.

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