THE GREAT RECESSION, THE GREAT DIVERGENCE, SKILLS AND INNOVATIONLaura DresserOctober 16, 2013COWS.ORG

Nobel Wisdom

The world has reacted mostly with disbelief that a superpower could fall into such dysfunction.

Robert Shiller: ‘When I look around I see a lot of foolishness, and I can’t believe it’s not important economically’

Fiscal CliffThe unthinkable approaches

recessionGreat Recession

The Worst Recession: Jobs

0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 6693%

94%

95%

96%

97%

98%

99%

100%1981 recession

1990 recession 2000 recession

2007 recession

Months since recession start

decadeLost Decade

Depressing Break from Past

Divergence

Great Divergence

Growth Now Lifts Yachts

0%

50%

100%

150%

200%

250%

300%

Hourly compensa-

tion

107.8%

Net productivity

240.9%

Fiscal CliffThe unthinkable approaches

GrindLow Wage Grind

Common Jobs, Hard Lives

Poverty wage work increasing in this recovery

Low wage sectors offer low wages, volatile hours, weak benefits

Very hard to transition to better jobs

Highest education level

Median Hourly Wage

Less than HS degree $10.35 HS degree $14.60Some College, no degree

$13.49

Associates Degree, occupational

$17.90

Associates Degree, academic

$17.79

Bachelors or more $22.91

Education Pays (WI, 2011)

Better Skills and Wages: Who Needs Stronger

Pathways? COWS and CLASP (find your state on line)

U.S. Total: 37.4% of workers earn less than national median and have little English and education short of college degree.

In Texas alone: 4,124,447 workers

Education is increasingly the gateway to family-sustaining employment and these data show who can gain from that education.

What Stands in the Way of Getting that Education?

Life/family

Low wages/work stress

Low basic skill levels

Negative experiences in the past with education system

Innovation Bridges and Pathways

What to do?

Build stronger connections from adult basic education systems into technical training.

Rethink and refine assessment systems – remember lines are blurry here.

Streamline remediation and think hard the negative impact required remediation series.

Integrate developmental and college level learning.

Provide academic support to students on both sides of “cut scores”

Fiscal CliffARGH!!!!

COWSEquity, Sustainability, Democracyand lots of data and ideas newletter, like, tweet