About This Series

This is the fourth in a series of occasional articles about the changes roiling the middle of the American workforce -- the disappearance of many jobs that pay near the national average of $17 an hour, with such benefits as health care and pensions. Future articles will look at the prospects for new types of jobs to take the place of those lost. Previous articles addressed topics such as the growth in temporary and itinerant workers. To read the stories published so far, go to www.washingtonpost.com/business. Reporter Griff Witte will be online at 2 p.m. today to discuss this article.