Albert R. Hunt, Columnist

Weak Wages Only Worsen U.S. Political Volatility

On Labor Day, some Americans can celebrate the long economic expansion. Many more of them won't.

September 3, 2017 at 2:00 PM UTC

Albert R. Hunt is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal.

Good jobs in Toledo.
Photographer: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

This article is for subscribers only.

Labor Day 2017 might be a cause for celebration. This is the third-longest economic expansion in history -- almost 100 months. Unemployment is approaching a 16-year low, and employers are looking to hire.

Yet for many working- and middle-class families across America, these good tidings are overshadowed by a sobering reality: Wages and their purchasing power remain flat.