How The Fed Spent $2 Trillion And In Exchange We Got 650,000 Temp, Leisure And Retail "Jobs"

When we looked at the changing composition in the US work force one month ago, we discovered, to our dismay, that since the start of the Depression, the US labor pool has transformed substantially from a full-time time to an increasingly more part-time dominated one. Specifically we found that "America has lost 10.5 million full time jobs, offset by a 2.8 million increase in part time jobs" and that "the US not only lost 478k seasonally adjusted full time workers in November but has lost full time jobs for 6 months in a row, for a total of 1.6 million job losses!" In an attempt to further refine this number, we present some TrimTabs data which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Fed's QE (1, Lite, and 2) efforts, when expressed in labor force "pick up" has been an abysmal failure. To wit: "In 2010, the BLS reports that the economy added 1.12 million jobs. Almost 60% of these jobs are in one of three relatively low-paying areas—temporary employment (308,000), leisure & hospitality (240,000), and retail trade (116,000)." In other words, of the 1.1 million private jobs gained in the last year, 650,000 or 60% are jobs that have absolutely no real wealth creation capacity, nor do they provide any real benefits. In fact, the retail jobs are becoming increasingly distressed, as more Americans shop online, leading to a job pickup... in Chinese warehousing and QC plants, and the irretrievable loss of even the lowest paying US jobs. Perhaps this is another question to add to the increasing list of lies to be justified by Ben Bernanke at earliest convenience. And the next time the teleprompter claims to have added millions in jobs, and that very inappropriately named Fed "Dove" Janet Yellen says the Fed's QE has been a tremendous job creation success, someone please ask them to break down the actual types of jobs "created."

From TrimTabs:

Almost 60% of Jobs Added in 2010 in Three Lower-Paying Areas: Temporary Help, Leisure & Hospitality, and Retail Trade.

Economists and market strategists spill lots of ink opining about the number of jobs the U.S. economy creates. But we think the nature of the jobs is at least as important for the economy’s long-term health as the number of jobs. On the former point, the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data is disappointing.

In 2010, the BLS reports that the economy added 1.12 million jobs. Almost 60% of these jobs are in one of three relatively low-paying areas—temporary employment (308,000), leisure & hospitality (240,000), and retail trade (116,000).

These jobs are certainly better than no jobs. But for the economy to grow sustainably—without the crutches of $1+ trillion per year in federal deficit spending, zero percent dictated interest rates, and tens of billions per month in central bank debt monetization—American companies need to start generating more higher-paying jobs at home.