Democrats may need to find a new line of attack against the strong labor market that has prevailed during Donald Trump’s presidency.
The share of working Americans holding multiple jobs rose to 5.1 percent in June, or 5.2 percent seasonally adjusted, but remained close the post-recession average of around 5 percent. That record was 4.7 percent and was hit in November 2013 through January 2014, April and May 2015, and October 2017.
Arguably, however, the June number is more impressive than any of those because overall employment is at a record high and unemployment much lower. The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in November 2013, for example, was 6.6 percent. Today it is 3.7 percent. So when the record lows were being set during Obama’s presidency, there were far more people unemployed alongside those holding multiple jobs. The labor market was just worse for workers.
That hurts the credibility of Democrats like Senator Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who have argued that Trump’s economy is weaker than it seems because so many Americans are forced to hold multiple jobs to make ends meet. – READ MORE