Now here's a real surprise: Companies boosted profits without hiring this spring

[sinkingfeeling]

http://economywatch.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/05/13683030-companies-boosted-profits-without-hiring-this-spring?lite


The Labor Department reported Wednesday that the productivity of the U.S. workforce rose at a much faster clip than previously thought in the second quarter. Productivity – which simply measures the volume of goods and services produced per worker per hour – jumped at a 2.2 percent annual rate. That was faster than many economists had expected.

Despite the freeze on jobs and hours worked this spring, U.S. companies squeezed more profits from their operations. Corporate profits were up 6 percent year over year in the second quarter.

And while they asked workers to produce more, a weak job market helped companies hold the line on wages. The government’s economic wage measure, known as unit labor costs, rose by just 1.5 percent the second quarter after rising 6.4 percent rate in the first quarter. Unit labor costs have barely budged since the 2007 recession ended.

[Vincardog]

1. The 2007 recession ended? Not until everyone has a job.

[goodword]

2. Work The Workers to Death

I've had and enjoyed my job for nearly 13 years...at least until recently. We are being given more and more and more to do. We're expected to keep up. We're expected to do a good job. Yet, we can't work overtime. There used to be a time when if you worked hard and demonstrated you were doing a good job you got rewarded. Not anymore. Now we have to fit 9 or 10 hours of work in an 8 hour day without so much as a thank you.

The company will not hire any more people. In fact, they won't even replace the 12 year old copy machine that keeps breaking down. You would think the place is on the verge of shutting down, but no...it's a university. It has TONS of money. They refuse to use if for workers. It's as if they don't even care about the work being done, just the money coming in.

And so...over time everyone has developed an "I don't care" attitude. When companies don't care about their employees, the same attitude will prevail among the employees. Yes, people are doing their jobs, but not with the same care and consideration as they once did. If no one cares about the job we do, why should we care about it?

[Initech]

3. I'm pretty sure the same scenario happens all over.

We don't work for us any more. We work for the wealthy and obscene profits. None of this money ever goes to the people who - you know - actually do the work. Instead it goes to either obscene CEO salaries so they can purchase their seventh house they don't live in or a huge private jet. And we the workers just don't care anymore. Do we get paid vacation or health leave? No. Do we get any additional benefits? No. It sucks.