Fight for $50,000-a-year careers by expanding entry-level training opportunities
To get a good job, you need a first job
Fight for $50,000-a-year careers by expanding entry-level training opportunities that provide employees with the skills to earn middle-class incomes.
In contrast, the Fight for a $15 minimum wage reduces job opportunities and cuts off the bottom rung of the career ladder that is needed for employees to quickly climb it.
Raise the wage ceiling by protecting the wage floor
There are currently more than 7 million national job openings, roughly half of which are middle-class jobs that pay approximately $50,000 a year and don’t require a bachelor’s degree.
Policies should focus on equipping Americans with the skills necessary to shift into these well-paying jobs.
The Fight for $50,000 can provide middle-class careers; the Fight for a $15 minimum wage threatens entry-level job opportunities because many low-margin small businesses cannot absorb its costs and are forced to shed jobs or close altogether.
$50,000 Careers
The Department of Labor projects tens of thousands of job openings, which don’t require a bachelor’s degree, in each of the following middle-class fields:
| Dental Hygenists | $72,500 |
| Electrical Line Installers | $61,500 |
| Police | $60,500 |
| Sales Rep | $59,000 |
| Respitory Therapist | $58,000 |
| Property Managers | $55,500 |
| Occupational Therapist | $55,000 |
| Electricians | $52,000 |
| Computer support technicians | $51,500 |
| Medical and Lab Techs | $51,000 |
| Plumbers and Pipefitters | $50,500 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | $48,810 |
| Mechanics | $48,500 |
| Truck Service Techs | $45,000 |
| HVAC Mechanics | $45,000 |
| Construction Equipment Operators | $44,000 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | $43,000 |
| Machinists | $42,000 |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | $42,000 |
| Specialty Tradespeople (Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers) | $41,000 |
| Correction Officers | $41,000 |
| Truck Drivers | $40,500 |
| Masonry Workers | $40,000 |
| Autobody Repair | $40,000 |