Post-Recession, Even Those With Jobs Struggle

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Lost in Recession, Toll on Underemployed and Underpaid

The New York Times | June 19, 2012 | 10:42 AM EDT

Throughout the Great Recession and the not-so-great recovery, the most commonly discussed measure of misery has been unemployment.

But many middle-class and working-class people who are fortunate enough to have work are struggling as well, which is why Sherry Woods, a 59-year-old van driver from Atlanta, found herself standing in line at a jobs fair this month, with her r?sum? tucked inside a Bible.

She opened it occasionally to reread a favorite verse from Philippians: ?And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ.?

Ms. Woods?s current job has not been meeting her needs. When she began driving a passenger van last year, she earned $9 an hour and worked 40 hours a week. Then her wage was cut to $8 an hour, and her hours were drastically scaled back. Last month she earned just $233. So Ms. Woods, who said that she had been threatened with eviction for missing rent payments and had been postponing an appointment with the eye doctor because she lacks insurance, has been looking for another, better job. It has not been easy.

?I?m looking for something else, anything else,? she said. ?More hours. Better pay. Actual benefits.?

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