The job report for June was met with disappointment and frustration on Friday, showing only 18,000 new jobs created for the month – far below the expected number – and an unemployment rate of 9.2 percent.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics report indicates a weak job market, with about 6 million persons having been unemployed for 27 weeks or more and public sector job losses offsetting minor gains in private non-farm jobs for two consecutive months.

Unfortunately, even those with the good fortune of a steady job are suffering, with workers making less per week in June than anytime over the past 18 months, when adjusted for inflation. Weekly earnings averaged at only $788.56, and economists are estimating the trend will continue because employers are keeping wages stagnant and cutting back hours across the board.

According to Labor Department data released on Friday, the average work week for employees in the private sector fell to 34.3 hours in June, with average hourly earnings decreasing by one cent to $22.99.
“It’s a symptom of how weak hiring is,” Heidi Shierholz, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute research group, told CNN. “Employers know they don’t have to pay substantial wage increases to keep workers.”