Companies in the U.S. laid off over 2 million jobs in 2008, but another expense cutting measure which is less often utilized also saw a major increase. A growing number of companies are choosing to cut pay rather than cutting jobs. Layoffs are typically preferred over pay cuts because among other things firms are afraid it might lead to an exodus of top workers. However, in this job market that isn’t a big worry. The last time there were nominal pay cuts was back in the Great Depression according to Price Fishback, an economic historian at the University of Arizona, as stated in the Wall Street Journal.
Because they remove spending capital from consumers while fostering additional fear and uncertainty, pay cuts are bad for the economy just as layoffs are. By now, practically everyone knows someone who has been laid off or had a salary cut, and even if one believes that one’s job is secure, the threat of a pay cut is encouragement to spend less. That said, though pay cuts will always be painful—especially if they become more widespread—they are still preferable over layoffs for consumers and the economy. After pay cuts, workers still have a source of income and don’t need to claim unemployment, which saves taxpayer dollars.
The inauguration is tomorrow, and I’ve never before seen this amount of anticipation for a new President. The state of the economy has brought a great deal of excitement, as many Americans believe that Obama is the man to rescue us from this recession. The thinking seems to be that once Bush is out of the White House and Paulson is out of the Treasury, all will be well. It is great to get excited, and Obama just might be the man to bring us out of this economic darkness, but people should remember that these things take time. Obama isn’t a miracle man, and he isn’t going to magically fix the economy. There is a lot wrong with the economy and there is a huge amount of work that needs to be done. We can hope for a quick turn around, but don’t expect it because it is not likely to happen that way.
1 comment:
I have noticed at the California Community College I teach at that most people seem to prefer a pay cut instead of layoffs. Perhaps it’s culture and/or people are scared they might be laid off. The one opinion I keep hearing is that only a temporary pay cut is acceptable. If it’s a long-term pay cut, they would rather have layoffs. It would be an interesting study for a behavioral economist…
Post a Comment