Nickel and Dimed is one of Barbara Ehrenreichs heralded books that goes to great length in presenting the state of employment in America with regards to the burden that a large portion of the labor market has to endure to capably live comfortably on the low-income earned. To fully comprehend the exact conditions that the low-wage workers have to endure, an analysis of research statistics or reports from government institutions does not portray the hardships faced by this income group. This presents the contextual circumstance that drove Barbara Ehrenreich to go on a real-life study on her experiences as a lowwage worker for two years (Ehrenreich, 2010).

The recollections about her coworkers reveal the need for low-income workers to work two jobs to be able to pay their monthly expenses, inability to access medical care, and lack of leave days. These deplorable conditions have coupled with the recent surge in population among the low-wage workers to increase the competition for the limited employment opportunities. This continues to force the population under this income bracket to live under unclear circumstances regarding their futures, fueling the need to be ready to move across states in search of better-paying jobs. For instance, she notes the statistics concerning employment numbers during the period she decided to undertake the project. In 1996 the number of persons holding two or more jobs averaged 7.8 million, or 6.2 percent of the workforce. (Pg. 31) This goes to show to the reader the dire situation that many citizens across the country have to contend with in the attempt to actualize the American dream.

The research offers possible avenues that can be considered by the government in resolving the epidemic in our employment sector. I believe that the authors objective was to showcase the real situation for policy formulation that can help solve the drivers of low-wage employment (Molina et.al, 2015). The hard-hitting nature that the author uses to explain the real-life situation of poor families faced with the predicament of low salaries can be considered to be representative.

References

Ehrenreich, B. (2010). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America. Metropolitan Books.

Barbara Ehrenreich. (Nov, 2010). - American Ruling Class. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVScA-l5TX8

Molina, L. M., Agee, A. M., & Zucker, E. A. (2015). Vulnerabilities of Low-Wage Workers and Some Thoughts on Improving Workplace Protections: The Experience of the Workplace Justice Project. Loy. J. Pub. Int. L., 17, 215