Press ReleaseSeptember 2, 2015
Labor Day Survey Suggests Cracks in U.S. Labor Market
Americans think businesses not governments are solution to labor market stagnation
ATLANTA – Today, the Job Creators Network (JCN) released the results of a new national survey* conducted by ORC International (the same polling firm used by CNN) of 1,008 Americans asking about their perspectives on key labor market issues. The survey finds that the real labor market is not as robust as the topline unemployment rate of 5.3 suggests.
It shows that more than half of Americans directly know someone who is out of work and who would like a job right now.
In response to the question: “Do you know someone who is unemployed and looking for a job,” 55 percent of respondents answered: “yes.”
Public policy experts and politicians have debated about whether businesses or governments have a bigger role to play in aiding the labor market in the wake of the Great Recession. The survey finds that the vast majority of Americans believe that businesses not governments are the solution to labor market stagnation.
In response to the question: “Who is more responsible for creating jobs,” 68 percent of respondents answered: “entrepreneurs and business owners.” Only 27 percent answered “the government.”
Another big public policy debate in the news is how best to solve chronic wage stagnation. Activists funded by labor unions claim part of the answer is dramatically increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. But a clear majority of Americans are skeptical of governments’ attempts to improve the labor market by increasing minimum wages.
In response to the question, “Do you agree that a $15 minimum wage will cause lost jobs and fewer hours,” 66 percent respondents said they “agree,” 49 percent of whom said they “strongly agree.”
“These survey results confirm what American job creators already know: The labor market has not recovered from the Great Recession, despite – or perhaps because of – a slew of government mandates,” said Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of the Job Creators Network, “Policymakers need to listen to the voices of real employees and employers before pushing new and unwanted regulations that further limit job creation and economic growth.”
*The survey was conducted by ORC International between August 27th and August 30th, 2015 and consisted of 1,008 adults in the U.S. The margin of error is +/-3.09% at the 95% confidence level.
