The jobs in the middle

THE JOBS IN THE MIDDLE While it's true that many of the jobs that have been added to the economy since the end of the Great Recession are ones that don't pay very well, many high-paying jobs have also been added during the same time. It's the jobs in the middle of the pay spectrum that are missing. The economy has lost more than 200,000 teaching, construction and community service jobs since 2010 -- all occupations that pay between $40,000 and $60,000. Here's a scatterplot of 22 occupation groups, charted by the number of jobs lost or gained since 2010 and the average salary paid: Number of Jobs Lost Number of Jobs Added $120,000 Management 367,570 jobs added $108,570 average salary $100,000 Computers & Mathematics 294,270 jobs added $80,180 average salary $80,000 Very High Skill, High Wage Jobs $60,000 Teachers 82,960 jobs lost $51,210 average salary Community Service 19,190 jobs lost $44,240 average salary Construction Medium Skill, Well Paying Jobs 94,240 jobs lost $44,960 average salary $40,000 Personal Care 385,530 jobs added $24,550 average salary $20,000 Food Prep 519,540 jobs added $21,380 average salary Low Skill, Low Wage Jobs -200000 -100000 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000 600000 By Lisa Mahapatra INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES Source: Based on analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by Joshua Lehner of the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Average Salary