Job Market Trends Since the Late 20th Century

Because I didn't have the same opportunities as everyone else in the workplace, I was more aware of the changes that were occurring as the job market changed over the years. I would remember how my mother talked about her uncle Barney because she was jealous of the lifestyle that her cousins lived. What she didn't realize was that what she was talking about was employment trends. I would often tell that story when I talked about how the job market changed over the years.

The story goes like this: many Europeans often brought their skills with them when they came to settle in the United States in the very early part of the 20th century. Uncle Barney,worked in the building they lived in as a janitor. He wanted to work for the steel mill and offered to work for the company for free until the owner could pay his salary. When the owner of the company passed away, it was in his will that his sons could not fire uncle Barney, they had to let him work until he was ready to retire. He worked until he was in his 70s and he lived to be 99.

The first generation born in this country, wanted to get back what they had gotten and served in World War II to fight for their country. This was also a time when there was a big spurt growth in corporations. Many employees, over the years work their way up into middle management and upper management positions, After 25 years of employment with the corporation, many was given a retirement party and a gold watch to remind them of their years with the Corporation, and they expected to live comfortably off of their retirement and Social Security.

Their children were the baby boomer generation, and they follow their parents into the corporate jobs, expecting to have a job for life. During the latter part of the 1990s, when corporations were merging, they started to offer buyout packages to their employees. There were no longer any guaranteed jobs with a corporation. Where as, during the early part of the 20th century, there was loyalty between employee and employer, during the latter part of the 20th century, there was no longer any loyalty between employer and employee.

That trend has continued, now corporations use temp agencies to hire employees to work from home and customer service positions. For corporations, this means they don't have to pay for health insurance or any other benefits that employees are guaranteed. What that means to an employee who works from home, is that they can take deductions for expenses they incur while working at home. For instance, you can take your Internet service and phone service, along with utilities because you work from home.

In one way this hurts you, and in another way it benefits you!

Understanding the tax law and politics affects who you are as an employee and as an entrepreneur.