The Houston Chronicle reports that while the economy is improving in the city, it isn't improving life for everyone in the city. This tells something significant about the nature of the post recession economy:
"It reminds us that macro-economic indicators used to measure general well-being are no longer reliable," said Stephen Klineberg, a Rice University
sociology professor who closely follows the city's economic and
demographic trends through his annual surveys. "It's a new kind of
economy that produces good jobs for the highly skilled and low-pay jobs,
no-benefits jobs, for the unskilled. And there are few jobs in
between."
. . . The gap . . . is driven by disparities in education and skills.
Many jobs in Houston are concentrated in the engineering, health care
and oil and gas industries that pay well and require education.
Houston's job increase helped lower the uninsured rate, but so did a
provision in the Affordable Care Act. More people ages 19 to 25 have
insurance because the law allows families to keep dependents on their
plan until age 26, experts said.
