The Shrinking American Middle Class

The United States lost one third of its factory jobs in the past decade as jobs were outsourced offshore, mostly to Asia. Jobs that require a college degree are next to go. China will award six times as many degrees this year as they did ten years ago and any job that can be digitized will be 'tradable'.

Estimates of the number of vulnerable jobs range from a low 11 million to a staggering 56 million 'middle class' jobs. The median United States household income has already dropped by seven percent since 2000 and without dramatic changes in the American workforce that trend will become a disaster for middle class Americans.

Review: The magnitude of the United States economic problems is not appreciated by most Americans. This important book provides a wealth of information that will contribute to an informed dialogue on crucial issues. - Wanda Foglia, chair, Department of Economics, Rowan University of New Jersey If you are concerned about American jobs in the next decade or two, this frightening book will increase those concerns and put the problem in perspective.

Dramatic changes are necessary to make the American workforce more attractive to global employers and Professor Davey offers some very insightful and innovative strategies for bringing about those changes and possibly saving many of the middle class jobs that are otherwise heading offshore. - A.C. Martinez, assistant dean, Harvard Kennedy School of Public Policy