subject: What Didn't Recede In The Recession? [print this page] Americans are working more since the recession. According to a 2011 Towers Watson survey of more than 300 companies, almost 66% of employers said employees - especially senior and middle managers - have been asked to put in more hours since 2008 and nearly 50% of employers expected the longer work hours to continue for 3 years. About 33% of employers also said workers have taken less vacation and personal time. Finally, more than 50% of employers said they knew the changes were hurting employees' work/life balance - but employees may be more concerned about their checkbook balance.
The use of salt didn't recede in the recession. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 88% of U.S. children and adults consume more salt daily than federal, dietary guidelines recommend - 2,300 milligrams. The average intake is 3,513 milligrams - 53% more than the recommendation. Unfortunately, outlawing saltshakers won't solve the problem. Seventy-five percent of our salt comes from packaged foods and restaurant meals. However, as of 2011 two dozen food manufacturers and restaurant chains have pledged to reduce salt up to 25% by 2014 - but should we take that pledge with "a grain of salt"?
In spite of the recession, there are more wireless devices in America than Americans. In 2011 there are 312.4 million Americans. According to the wireless industry association CTIA, there are 327.6 million wireless subscriptions - a 9% increase from 2010. The number of smart phones increased 57% and the number of tablets increased 17%. However, wireless habits are changing. Voice minutes increased 1% and texting increased 16%. In the next 5 years experts expect wireless use to increase by 50 times. Then there are the wireless companies. Their combined annual service revenue was $164.6 billion - up 6% from 2010. For them wireless is more.
However, the number of babies did recede. There were 4,316,233 babies born in the U.S. in 2007 - the most ever. Since then the number has dropped. In 2010 just over 4 million babies were born. According to the Pew Research Center, the decrease of babies is "closely linked to" personal income, unemployment rates and state-level foreclosures - the recession. In 2008 North Dakota was the only state that had an increase in births and North Dakota had one of the lowest unemployment rates - 3.1%. However, there were decreased births during the Great Depression and the oil-shocked 70's. It's normal. It's the red, white and "baby blues".
