Ehrenreich Bad Jobs

Barbara Ehrenreich wrote the book titled, Nickel and Dimed which describe the challenges faced by workers searching for what Arne Kalleberg calls ‘bad jobs’. These ‘bad jobs’ seen in society are jobs that not many people want, but are forced to take for survival purposes. The skills transfer to ‘bad jobs’ because protections have been lost with an individual. A majority of people in the United States society who don’t have a college education are forced to take low paying jobs. ‘Bad jobs’ include jobs in the service sector such as being a cashier or waiter and or waitress. These jobs are physically demanding and can be deteriorating to the health of an individual. Living on minimum wage is nearly impossible and an individual has to be very cognizant with their spending habits, so they don’t run out of money. Many immigrants come to the United States looking for work since we have minimum wage laws that other countries lack. Many immigrants come work in the United States since the pay is better where they are from and return to their country when they have sufficient funds. ‘Good jobs’ are jobs that require a college tuition and pay much more than ‘bad jobs’. These …show more content…
It is extremely challenging living off minimum wage salaries. This was seen in the in class activity. One can’t live off minimum wage in NYC because it’s too expensive to live there. Expenses such as rent are very expensive because it’s in a popular city. ‘Bad jobs’ are necessary to the United States economy because it provides people with a purpose to live and provides services that are necessary to the United States economy. How would our country function if there was no one to pick up trash or no cashier to checkout your order, or no waiter or waitress to take your order when you’re out to dinner with your family. ‘Bad jobs’ are unfortunate jobs but are necessary to the success of the United States