“It’s a hard-to-resist syllogism: Dirty jobs are available; Americans won’t fill them; thus, Americans are too soft for dirty jobs. Why else would so many unemployed people turn down the opportunity to work during a recession? Of course, there’s an equally compelling obverse. Why should farmers and plant owners expect people to take a backbreaking seasonal job with low pay and no benefits just because they happen to be offering it? If no one wants an available job—especially in extreme times—maybe the fault doesn’t rest entirely with the people turning it down.”
Elizabeth Dwoskin in Bloomberg Businessweek
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
See the bright lights from these 7 big-city hotelsThe Week Recommends Immerse yourself in culture, history and nightlife
-
Scientists want to regrow human limbs. Salamanders could lead the way.Under the radar Humans may already have the genetic mechanism necessary
-
Sudoku medium: June 25, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Issue of the week: Car dealers’ showdown with Teslafeature Tesla's direct-sale business model is coming under fire in New Jersey and many other states.
-
Issue of the week: Has Washington defeated Wall Street?
feature The Dodd-Frank Act forced banks to sell off “many of their classic ‘Wall Street’ businesses. How are the banks doing?
-
Issue of the week: Is 2014 the recovery year?
feature Economic forecasters generally think 2014 will “be a breakout year” for the U.S. economy.
-
Issue of the week: Signs of a true recovery
feature Could the economy finally be back on track?
-
Issue of the week: The economy’s new normal
feature Are we in “a permanent slump?”
-
Issue of the week: When is inflation just right?
feature Though it has been battled in past decades, some economists believe a little inflation is good for a weak economy.
-
Issue of the week: The rise of a part-time economy
feature The economy has created new jobs for the 34th month in a row, but most of them are low-paid and part-time.
-
Issue of the week: A disappointing jobs report
feature The economy added just 88,000 jobs in March, less than half of Wall Street’s expectations.