More Upper-Income Workers Living Paycheck to Paycheck
Making ends meet is getting harder, even for those earning over six figures a year, according to a new survey released by employment Web site CareerBuilder.com.
“Many more people are living paycheck to paycheck compared to last year," says Richard Castellini, chief marketing officer at CareerBuilder.com. "What you’re seeing is that the problem is moving into higher income levels.”
Thirty percent of workers with salaries of $100,000 or more said they are living paycheck to paycheck, up from 21 percent last year, according to the survey of 4,400 workers nationwide.
Overall, 61 percent said they always or usually live paycheck to paycheck, up from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007.
“Companies have reduced salaries, and people are used to creating a lifestyle with what they were making a year ago or so," says Castellini.
To cope, Americans have been cutting back on how much they save.
Some 21 percent of all respondents said they have reduced their 401(k) contributions or personal savings in the last six months in order to get by, while 23 percent of the $100,000-and-over group said they had done so.
While some Americans have cut back on what they set aside, others have stopped saving all together.
Thirty-six percent said they don't contribute anything to retirement savings , like a 401(k) or a IRA.
As for short-term savings, 33 percent of those surveyed reported that they don’t put any money aside each month, up from 25 percent in 2008.