What’s happening on Labor Day 2010?

 

Travel

Labor Day travel will up almost 10 percent in 2010, compared to last year, with 34.4 million Americans expected to travel more than 50 miles between Thursday and Monday.

Car travel will likely increase 10.3 percent even though gas prices are about 15 cents a gallon higher than they were in 2009, reports Triple A. Air travel will be up 4.6 percent despite a 9 percent increase in the cost of the average airline ticket.

Shopping

If you’re a shopper, retailers are offering deals to entice you to come in and spend money. See "A Guide to the Best Labor Day Sales” for ideas.

American workers

Who are America’s workers? Nearly 155 million people 16 and older were in the nation’s labor force in May 2010. Some of their jobs include:

• Teachers – 7.2 million

• Chief executives – 1.7 million

• Janitors and building cleaners – 2.1 million

• Computer software engineers – 1.0 million

• Registered nurses – 2.8 million

• Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists – 773,000

• Chefs and head cooks – 351,000

• Customer service representatives – 1.9 million

• Pharmacists – 243,000

• Musicians, singers and, related workers – 186,000

• Artists and related workers – 213,000

• Gaming services workers (gambling) – 111,000

• Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers – 751,000

• Farmers and ranchers – 751,000

Working too hard? 7.6 million workers have more than one job. Moonlighters make up 5 percent of workers.

Want to work for yourself? 10.1 million people are self-employed.

How many workers belong to unions? 16.1 million, about 12 percent of workers, with Alaska, Hawaii, and New York having the highest rate. North Carolina has one of the lowest rates with 3 percent.

What do Americans earn? The 2008 real median earnings for full-time males were $46,367 in 2008. For females working full-time, it was $35,745.

What are hot jobs these days? Network systems, data communications analysts, and registered nurses.

How long do workers commute to work? The average time is 25.5 minutes.

For other information on American workers, see the U.S. Census Bureau’s “Facts for Features – Labor Day 2010: Sept. 6.”

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison