Press Kit

Press Resources for MY JOB

Only 34% of U.S. workers report feeling engaged at work. This statistic and others are part of a 2016 Gallup poll paint of picture of a nation that feels largely unfulfilled with their work.

In MY JOB: Real People at Work Around the World, author Suzanne Skees presents a collection of stories that explore themes of dignity, identity, economic viability and challenges of occupation. Through the voices of diverse narrators, it explores the vital question of how jobs shape our sense of identity – and our lives.

As communications and social media, technology and trade, transform our world into a global village, readers are exposed to life and work in other cultures. MY JOB makes clear the connections between us as global citizens united in the human experience of work.

Building upon the legacy of Studs Terkel’s best selling book Working and Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs TV series, MY JOB goes global, reflecting the daily struggles and successes of working storytellers in their own voices.

About the Author

Suzanne Skees is the founder and international director of the Skees Family Foundation which supports innovative self-help programs in the U.S. and 37 developing countries in education, enterprise, health, infrastructure, and peace.

Praise for MY JOB

“MY JOB is a must-read. It brings to life actual work experiences across the world, showing that we have a lot in common. MY JOB illustrates that we’re not alone.”

— CRAIG NEWMARK, FOUNDER OF CRAIG’S LIST

“MY JOB is a brilliant peephole into the makeshift destiny that so often accompanies everyday work and employment.”

— ALEXA CLAY, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE MISFIT ECONOMY

Job Statistics

One in eight people in the U.S. lives in poverty (under $24,300/year for a four-person household).
One in three people in the world lives in poverty (under $2.50/day per person).
Unemployment rates are 4.9% in the U.S. and 8% globally, with a range from 3.9% in the Czech Republic to 25.5% in South Africa.
However, in the U.S. at least 27% of workers and 44% of seniors have jobs in the “gig” economy with few or no benefits and no job security; and
Up to 75% of workers globally have jobs in the informal economy with no benefits or job security.
Okun’s Law: For every 1% decrease in unemployment, a country will experience a 3% increase in GDP.

Genre

Adult and youth narrative nonfiction: popular business, social sciences, sociology of work, anthropology, human geography, industrial and labor relations.