Nevada Growing in Poverty Jobs

State officials questioned the report and said Nevada is above the national average in wages - but an advocacy group for women says the study shows many new jobs won't get people above the poverty level.

"The basic problem is, we've got too many jobs that pay at the lower end," said Lisa Appelrouth Guzman, director of the Nevada Empowered Women's Project, a nonprofit based in Reno.

According to statistics published by the National Priorities Project and Jobs with Justice, 84 percent of the fastest growing occupations in Nevada don't pay a livable wage.

The report, "Working Hard Earning Less: The Story of Job Growth in America," adds that simply getting a job isn't always the solution to ending welfare dependency and poverty.

National Priorities is a community education, research and training organization based in North Hampton, Mass. Jobs with Justice is a Washington D.C.-based advocacy coalition for workers rights composed of labor activists, community organizations and religious groups.

A livable wage for a family of four in Nevada is set at $33,262. The federally-set poverty level for a family of four is $16,450 per year, $13,650 for a family of three.

The report said the fastest-growing occupations in Nevada include janitorial, housekeeping, cashiers, food service and retail sales jobs - and such jobs pay about half of what is considered a livable wage.

The study also said unionized workers made 16 percent more than non-union workers, and company executives are increasing anti-union efforts while their own salaries have skyrocketed.

Mike Clarke, state economist with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, disputed the figures in the report, saying the state ranks 11th overall in the country in wages.

"Our wages are above the national average," he said. "The areas the report cites are adding the most jobs, but not necessarily are the fastest-growing. The accuracy is flawed. If a person takes a job as a busboy, how long does he stay with that job? What's the turnover rate?"

Clarke said Nevada ranks behind California on wages, but ahead of other bordering states such as Oregon, Idaho and Utah.

"For average income, we're tied for 18th place in the nation," he said. "We're a super-service-industry state, yet we still ranked in the top half."

Guzman said the figures were compiled from information supplied by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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