Changing wages and job ladders in the food industry

cooks? Too many in march 1996, some five years into an economic recovery, the New York Times ran a series of front-page articles entitled, “Downsizing in America.” The stories chronicled the fortunes (and misfortunes) of American workers recently downsized and restructured out of their jobs. The series fueled ongoing concern and public debate about the changing prospects for U.S. workers, particularly those with less education and low skills. In the past, large U.S. businesses provided entry-level workers with opportunities for skill development and advancement. Workers starting out with few skills had a chance to move into “good” jobs via a long-term employment relationship with on-the-job training and job ladders with the possibility of promotion and higher pay. Firms were able to offer these opportunities in part because they brought together a large and varied set of jobs under a single roof. Many observers, pointing to the Times series and other similar examples in the media, concluded that these traditional arrangements had largely been scrapped. And they often cited two distinct but related Changing wages and job ladders in the food industry By Julia Lane, Philip Moss, Harold Salzman, and Chris Tilly