No jobs report, no problem: We asked Americans for theirs.

Normally about this time you’d receive a news release from AAM reacting to the monthly jobs numbers. But not today: Thanks to the shutdown, this month’s jobs report is another casualty of Washington gridlock.

We’re still working to kickstart a jobs debate, though.  So, we’ve decided to fill in for the Labor Department and compile our own national jobs report.  To do so, we canvassed America this week to find out who’s getting hired, who’s getting pink slips, who’s treading water, and who’s falling behind.

Take a look at the conversation we’re hosting this morning on Twitter, Facebook, and our blog. Here’s how we started it:

Unfortunately, it looks like Americans are working harder and earning less than before. And the budget fight in Washington obscures the real need for job creation.  Click here if you’d like to read some of the responses we’ve received from everyday Americans.

We know there’s hardly a news vacuum with the government shutdown playing out. But for Americans still looking for steady work, the jobs report is more than a bump in the news cycle. These people sometimes get an iota of attention on a day like this, but not much else. And their stories deserve to be heard.