Since the summer of 2010, EPI has released several reports analyzing and comparing the compensation of public-sector workers to their private-sector peers. Evidence from these reports has shown that, on the whole, public-sector workers earn less than those in the private sector. In reverse chronological order, here is all of EPI’s work on this issue:
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A worker-centered approach to policy in the era of AI
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Voter suppression makes the racist and anti-worker Southern model possible: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Spotlight
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Federal AI legislation: An evaluation of existing proposals and a road map forward
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CEO pay declined in 2023: But it has soared 1,085% since 1978 compared with a 24% rise in typical workers’ pay
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Teacher pay rises in 2023—but not enough to shrink pay gap with other college graduates
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Summer unemployment benefits could increase K–12 support staff incomes by $1.2 billion nationwide
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Southern economic policies undermine job quality for auto workers: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Spotlight
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The workers’ think tank: A history of the Economic Policy Institute
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The public-sector pay gap is widening. Unions help shrink it.
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Testimony prepared for the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Economic Policy for a hearing titled “Banning Noncompete Agreements”
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Flexible work: What workers, especially low-wage workers, really want and how best to provide it
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Southern policymakers leave workers with lower wages and a fraying safety net: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Part Three
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The rise of the ‘union curious’: Support for unionization among America’s frontline workers
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Tipping is a racist relic and a modern tool of economic oppression in the South: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Spotlight
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Breaking down the South’s economic underperformance: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Part Two
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Testimony prepared for the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions for a hearing on ‘Big Labor Lies – Exposing Union Tactics to Undermine Free and Fair Elections’
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Understanding the impact of Alaska’s proposed $15 minimum wage
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EPI comment on DOL’s RFI regarding Schedule A modernization
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The evolution of the Southern economic development strategy: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Part One
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The Biden board: How President Biden’s NLRB appointees are restoring and supporting workers’ rights
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Economic performance is stronger when Democrats hold the White House
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Unbalanced labor market power is what makes technology—including AI—threatening to workers: The best “AI policy” to protect workers is boosting their bargaining position
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Fastest wage growth over the last four years among historically disadvantaged groups: Low-wage workers’ wages surged after decades of slow growth
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Statement for the record for U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on the retirement crisis
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Policies for states and localities to fight oppressive child labor
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Testimony regarding HB5164, an act concerning unemployment benefits in Connecticut
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Major strike activity increased by 280% in 2023: Many workers still need policies that protect their right to strike
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EPI response to the bipartisan congressional paid leave RFI
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What constitutes a living wage?: A guide to using EPI’s Family Budget Calculator
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The Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator: Technical Documentation