In a recent analysis of the detailed government data, economists at the Economic Policy Institute noted that the wage boost that workers with a bachelor’s degree receive relative to less-educated workers, while still substantial, has slipped, falling to about 55% last year versus about 63% in 2015. That could be because the number of workers with college degrees keeps rising. As of March, about 42% of U.S. employees had a bachelor’s degree or higher, versus about 36% a decade earlier.
Wall Street Journal
May 26, 2026
He also argued that Medicare for All could create a surge in healthcare roles. A 2020 report from the Economic Policy Institute found that while a single-payer system could eliminate 1.8 million jobs in health insurance and billing administration, it would simultaneously generate demand for 2.3 million healthcare workers, a net gain in an industry so far resistant to AI displacement. He’s similarly optimistic about law, predicting a boom in legal jobs as companies scramble to navigate AI governance, safety, ethics, and bias.
Fortune
May 26, 2026
According to a report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), employers are required to publicly disclose only a fraction of their spending on anti-union campaigns, meaning the true total could be significantly higher than current estimates. The EPI also found that companies routinely deploy mandatory anti-union meetings, targeted messaging campaigns and outside legal advisers as part of broader efforts to discourage workers from supporting union drives.
Supply Chain Brain
May 26, 2026
Childcare costs more than public college tuition in 38 states and the nation’s capital for one infant, according to a 2025 Economic Policy Institute report.
Washington Examiner
May 26, 2026
And yet, metrics like GDP and DOW tell us the US economy is flourishing. But for who? While these metrics grow, the share attained by working people has not. The Economic Policy Institute found that between 1979 to 2025, worker productivity grew 92.4%. Meanwhile, pay only increased by 33.6%.
Fosters Daily Democrat
May 26, 2026
Only 8% of full-time salaried workers are currently eligible for overtime pay, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute.
HR Dive
May 26, 2026
Job cuts at federal agencies in 2025 hit Black workers especially hard, contributing to record-high Black unemployment in the Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland metro area, according to an Economic Policy Institute analysis.
Researchers found the Black unemployment rate nationwide reached 7.6% in the first three months of 2026. In the D.C.-area region, it was just under 10%.
Valerie Wilson, director of race, ethnicity and the economy for the institute and the study’s author, said the numbers are moving in the wrong direction.
Public News Service
May 26, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute has tracked the underlying driver: Since 1979, worker productivity has grown more than three times faster than pay.
Racine County Eye
May 26, 2026
US employers spend more than $1.5bn a year on labor union opposition efforts, according to a report published on Wednesday by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
Employers spent company money hiring consultants and law firms specializing in union avoidance and on legal counsel, representation, and litigation services during union elections and organizing campaigns.
US employers spend $442m on union-avoidance consultants annually, according to an estimate by the EPI. Amazon alone spent $26.6m in 2025 on union-avoidance consultants, based on filings with the US Department of Labor.
…
“This is millions or even billions of dollars that’s not going towards workers and investing into their workplace,” said Margaret Poydock, a co-author of the report and a senior policy analyst at the EPI.
The Guardian
May 26, 2026