, Columnist
Growth Is the Best Remedy for Wage Stagnation
There are lots of tweaks that could put more money in workers’ pockets. None would do as much as a stronger economy.
Why is it so hard to make progress?
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Wages for the average American aren’t rising very quickly. Apart from a brief burst of growth in late 2014 and 2015, both average hourly earnings and total compensation (which includes health care and other benefits) have barely grown at all since 2010 when adjusted for inflation.
Americans haven't failed to notice the stagnation in their paychecks. Disaffection with the economy is growing, from the socialists who call for the end of capitalism to the Trump supporters who yearn for a return to the glory days of manufacturing and coal mining.