CABE 2019

Labour Pains

CABE Conference 2019

Kingston, Ontario

August 27, 2019

Elise Gould

Senior Institute Economist

Economic Policy Institute

go.epi.org/cabe2019

Source: https://www.epi.org/multimedia/unequal-states-of-america/ 

Average annual family income growth, by income group, 1947–2017

1947-1979 1979-2007 2007-2017
Lowest fifth 2.52% 0.02% 0.12%
Second fifth 2.22% 0.37% 0.06%
Third fifth 2.39% 0.59% 0.13%
Fourth fifth 2.43% 0.89% 0.31%
80th-95th percentile 2.36% 1.17% 0.46%
Top 5 percent 1.87% 1.99% 0.71%

 

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Note: Data are for money income. Because of a redesign in the CPS ASEC income questions in 2013, we imputed the historical series using the ratio of the old and new method in 2013.

Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement Historical Income Tables (Table F-3)

Updated from: Figure 2C in The State of Working America, 12th Edition (Mishel et al. 2012), an Economic Policy Institute book published by Cornell University Press in 2012

The gap between productivity and a typical worker's compensation has increased dramatically since 1979: Productivity growth and hourly compensation growth, 1948–2018

 

Year Hourly compensation Net productivity
1948  0.00% 0.00%
1949 6.24% 1.55%
1950 10.46% 9.34%
1951 11.74% 12.25%
1952 15.02% 15.49%
1953 20.82% 19.41%
1954 23.48% 21.44%
1955 28.70% 26.38%
1956 33.89% 26.59%
1957 37.08% 30.04%
1958 38.08% 32.72%
1959 42.46% 37.64%
1960 45.38% 40.07%
1961 47.84% 44.37%
1962 52.32% 49.81%
1963 54.86% 55.03%
1964 58.32% 59.95%
1965 62.27% 64.92%
1966 64.70% 69.96%
1967 66.68% 71.98%
1968 71.05% 77.13%
1969 74.39% 77.85%
1970 76.81% 80.35%
1971 81.66% 87.11%
1972 91.34% 92.21%
1973 90.96% 96.96%
1974 87.05% 93.83%
1975 86.86% 98.11%
1976 89.35% 103.60%
1977 92.82% 106.06%
1978 95.66% 108.27%
1979 93.25% 108.12%
1980 88.05% 106.78%
1981 87.36% 110.50%
1982 87.70% 108.38%
1983 88.49% 114.51%
1984 87.03% 120.22%
1985 86.18% 123.65%
1986 87.25% 128.28%
1987 84.67% 128.81%
1988 84.02%  132.01%
1989 83.93% 134.12%
1990 82.37% 136.96%
1991 82.02% 138.50%
1992 83.20% 147.48%
1993 83.46% 148.51%
1994 83.89% 150.54%
1995 82.76% 151.60%
1996 82.87% 156.24%
1997 84.87% 160.72%
1998 89.27% 166.22%
1999 91.98% 173.47%
2000 92.96% 179.47%  
2001 95.60% 183.72%
2002 99.49% 191.51%
2003 101.58% 201.22%
2004 100.56% 209.30%
2005 99.73% 215.31%
2006 99.88% 217.62%
2007 101.45% 219.79%
2008 101.39% 221.21%
2009 109.30% 228.49%
2010 111.00% 237.94%
2011 108.47% 237.91%
2012 106.50% 239.28%
2013 108.40% 240.69%
2014 109.08% 242.65%
2015 112.41% 245.44%
2016 114.39% 246.00%
2017 114.67% 249.34%
2018 115.62% 252.39%
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Notes: Data are for compensation (wages and benefits) of production/nonsupervisory workers in the private sector and net productivity of the total economy. “Net productivity” is the growth of output of goods and services less depreciation per hour worked.

Source: EPI analysis of unpublished Total Economy Productivity data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Labor Productivity and Costs program, wage data from the BLS Current Employment Statistics, BLS Employment Cost Trends, BLS Consumer Price Index, and Bureau of Economic Analysis National Income and Product Accounts

Updated from Figure A in Raising America’s Pay: Why It’s Our Central Economic Policy Challenge (Bivens et al. 2014)

Top 0.1 percent earnings grew fifteen times faster than bottom 90 percent earnings: Cumulative percent change in real annual earnings, by earnings group, 1979–2017

Year Bottom 90% Top 1% Top 0.1%
1979 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1980 -2.2% 3.4% 5.8%
1981 -2.6% 3.1% 7.3%
1982 -3.9% 9.5% 17.4%
1983 -3.7% 13.6% 28.7%
1984 -1.8% 20.7% 44.0%
1985 -1.0% 23.0% 45.8%
1986 1.1% 32.6% 60.9%
1987 2.1% 53.5% 106.6%
1988 2.2% 68.7% 140.2%
1989 1.8% 63.3% 123.9%
1990 1.1% 64.8% 129.8%
1991 0.0% 53.6% 104.6%
1992 1.5% 74.3% 156.0%
1993 0.9% 67.9% 140.2%
1994 2.0% 63.4% 126.9%
1995 2.8% 70.2% 137.0%
1996 4.1% 79.0% 157.3%
1997 7.0% 100.6% 225.6%
1998 11.0% 113.1% 254.9%
1999 13.2% 129.7% 300.5%
2000 15.3% 144.8% 337.6%
2001 15.7% 130.4% 300.5%
2002 15.6% 109.3% 239.5%
2003 15.7% 113.9% 250.1%
2004 15.6% 127.2% 287.6%
2005 15.0% 135.3% 306.9%
2006 15.7% 143.4% 324.9%
2007 16.7% 156.2% 362.5%
2008 16.0% 137.5% 309.0%
2009 16.0% 116.2% 241.6%
2010 15.2% 130.8% 278.0%
2011 14.5% 134.0% 279.0%
2012 14.6% 148.3% 327.9%
2013 15.1% 137.5% 289.3%
2014 16.6% 149.0% 323.7%
2015 20.5% 156.2% 337.9%
2016 21.0% 148.1% 310.3%
2017 22.2% 157.3% 343.2%
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Source: EPI analysis of Kopczuk, Saez, and Song (2010, Table A3) and Social Security Administration wage statistics

CEOs make 312 times more than typical workers: CEO-to-worker compensation ratio, 1965–2017

Year CEO-to-worker compensation ratio based on options realized
1965 20.0 
1966 21.1
1967 22.3
1968 23.6
1969 23.3
1970 23.0
1971 22.8
1972 22.5
1973 22.2
1974 23.5
1975 25.0
1976 26.5
1977 28.1
1978 29.7
1979 31.6 
1980 33.6
1981 35.7
1982 38.0
1983 40.4
1984 42.9
1985 45.6
1986 48.5
1987 51.5
1988 54.8
1989 58.2 
1990 70.5
1991 85.3
1992 103.2
1993 106.1
1994 81.9
1995 112.3
1996 141.4
1997 207.5
1998 277.0
1999 248.1
2000 343.5 
2001 194.1
2002 176.5
2003 219.2
2004 251.6
2005 299.0
2006 318.6
2007 327.4 
2008 227.3
2009 187.8
2010 219.3
2011 225.6
2012 266.2
2013 278.6
2014 284.0
2015 271.6
2016 270.1
2017 311.7 
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Notes: CEO annual compensation is computed using the “options realized” and “options granted” compensation series for CEOs at the top 350 U.S. firms ranked by sales. The “options realized” series includes salary, bonus, restricted stock grants, options realized, and long-term incentive payouts. Projected value for 2017 is based on the change in CEO pay as measured from June 2016 to June 2017 applied to the full-year 2016 value. “Typical worker” compensation is the average annual compensation of the workers in the key industry of the firms in the sample.

Source: Authors’ analysis of data from Compustat’s ExecuComp database, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics data series, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis NIPA tables

As union membership declines, income inequality rises: Union membership and share of income going to the top 10%, 1917–2017

Year Union membership Share of income going to the top 10%
1917 11.0% 40.3%
1918 12.1% 39.9%
1919 14.3% 39.5%
1920 17.5% 38.1%
1921 17.6% 42.9%
1922 14.0% 42.9%
1923 11.7% 40.6%
1924 11.3% 43.3%
1925 11.0% 44.2%
1926 10.7% 44.1%
1927 10.6% 44.7%
1928 10.4% 46.1%
1929 10.1% 43.8%
1930 10.7% 43.1%
1931 11.2% 44.4%
1932 11.3% 46.3%
1933 9.5% 45.0%
1934 9.8% 45.2%
1935 10.8% 43.4%
1936 11.1% 44.8%
1937 18.6% 43.3%
1938 23.9% 43.0%
1939 24.8% 44.6%
1940 23.5% 44.4%
1941 25.4% 41.0%
1942 24.2% 35.5%
1943 30.1% 32.7%
1944 32.5% 31.5%
1945 33.4% 32.6%
1946 31.9% 34.6%
1947 31.1% 33.0%
1948 30.5% 33.7%
1949 29.6% 33.8%
1950 30.0% 33.9%
1951 32.4% 32.8%
1952 31.5% 32.1%
1953 33.2% 31.4%
1954 32.7% 32.1%
1955 32.9% 31.8%
1956 33.2% 31.8%
1957 32.0% 31.7%
1958 31.1% 32.1%
1959 31.6% 32.0%
1960 30.7% 31.7%
1961 28.7% 31.9%
1962 29.1% 32.0%
1963 28.5% 32.0%
1964 28.5% 31.6%
1965 28.6% 31.5%
1966 28.7% 32.0%
1967 28.6% 32.0%
1968 28.7% 32.0%
1969 28.3% 31.8%
1970 27.9% 31.5%
1971 27.4% 31.8%
1972 27.5% 31.6%
1973 27.1% 31.9%
1974 26.5% 32.4%
1975 25.7% 32.6%
1976 25.7% 32.4%
1977 25.2% 32.4%
1978 24.7% 32.4%
1979 25.4% 32.3%
1980 23.6% 32.9%
1981 22.3% 32.7%
1982 21.6% 33.2%
1983 21.4% 33.7%
1984 20.5% 33.9%
1985 19.0% 34.3%
1986 18.5% 34.6%
1987 17.9% 36.5%
1988 17.6% 38.6%
1989 17.2% 38.5%
1990 16.7% 38.8%
1991 16.2% 38.4%
1992 16.2% 39.8%
1993 16.2% 39.5%
1994 16.1% 39.6%
1995 15.3% 40.5%
1996 14.9% 41.2%
1997 14.7% 41.7%
1998 14.2% 42.1%
1999 13.9% 42.7%
2000 13.5% 43.1%
2001 13.5% 42.2%
2002 13.3% 42.4%
2003 12.9% 42.8%
2004 12.5% 43.6%
2005 12.5% 44.9%
2006 12.0% 45.5%
2007 12.1% 45.7%
2008 12.4% 46.0%
2009 12.3% 45.5%
2010 11.9% 46.4%
2011 11.8% 46.6%
2012 11.2% 47.8%
2013 11.2% 46.7%
2014 11.1% 46.9%
2015 11.1% 47.2%
2016 10.7% 47.4%
2017 10.7% 47.9%

 

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Sources: Data on union density follows the composite series found in Historical Statistics of the United States; updated to 2017 from unionstats.com. Income inequality (share of income to top 10%) data are from Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez, “Income Inequality in the United States, 1913–1998,” Quarterly Journal of Economics 118, no. 1 (2003) and updated data from the Top Income Database, updated March 2019.

Unemployment rates, 1995–2019

United States

Date Unemployment Rate
Jan-1989 5.4%
Feb-1989 5.2
Mar-1989 5
Apr-1989 5.2
May-1989 5.2
Jun-1989 5.3
Jul-1989 5.2
Aug-1989 5.2
Sep-1989 5.3
Oct-1989 5.3
Nov-1989 5.4
Dec-1989 5.4
Jan-1990 5.4
Feb-1990 5.3
Mar-1990 5.2
Apr-1990 5.4
May-1990 5.4
Jun-1990 5.2
Jul-1990 5.5
Aug-1990 5.7
Sep-1990 5.9
Oct-1990 5.9
Nov-1990 6.2
Dec-1990 6.3
Jan-1991 6.4
Feb-1991 6.6
Mar-1991 6.8
Apr-1991 6.7
May-1991 6.9
Jun-1991 6.9
Jul-1991 6.8
Aug-1991 6.9
Sep-1991 6.9
Oct-1991 7
Nov-1991 7
Dec-1991 7.3
Jan-1992 7.3
Feb-1992 7.4
Mar-1992 7.4
Apr-1992 7.4
May-1992 7.6
Jun-1992 7.8
Jul-1992 7.7
Aug-1992 7.6
Sep-1992 7.6
Oct-1992 7.3
Nov-1992 7.4
Dec-1992 7.4
Jan-1993 7.3
Feb-1993 7.1
Mar-1993 7
Apr-1993 7.1
May-1993 7.1
Jun-1993 7
Jul-1993 6.9
Aug-1993 6.8
Sep-1993 6.7
Oct-1993 6.8
Nov-1993 6.6
Dec-1993 6.5
Jan-1994 6.6
Feb-1994 6.6
Mar-1994 6.5
Apr-1994 6.4
May-1994 6.1
Jun-1994 6.1
Jul-1994 6.1
Aug-1994 6
Sep-1994 5.9
Oct-1994 5.8
Nov-1994 5.6
Dec-1994 5.5
Jan-1995 5.6
Feb-1995 5.4
Mar-1995 5.4
Apr-1995 5.8
May-1995 5.6
Jun-1995 5.6
Jul-1995 5.7
Aug-1995 5.7
Sep-1995 5.6
Oct-1995 5.5
Nov-1995 5.6
Dec-1995 5.6
Jan-1996 5.6
Feb-1996 5.5
Mar-1996 5.5
Apr-1996 5.6
May-1996 5.6
Jun-1996 5.3
Jul-1996 5.5
Aug-1996 5.1
Sep-1996 5.2
Oct-1996 5.2
Nov-1996 5.4
Dec-1996 5.4
Jan-1997 5.3
Feb-1997 5.2
Mar-1997 5.2
Apr-1997 5.1
May-1997 4.9
Jun-1997 5
Jul-1997 4.9
Aug-1997 4.8
Sep-1997 4.9
Oct-1997 4.7
Nov-1997 4.6
Dec-1997 4.7
Jan-1998 4.6
Feb-1998 4.6
Mar-1998 4.7
Apr-1998 4.3
May-1998 4.4
Jun-1998 4.5
Jul-1998 4.5
Aug-1998 4.5
Sep-1998 4.6
Oct-1998 4.5
Nov-1998 4.4
Dec-1998 4.4
Jan-1999 4.3
Feb-1999 4.4
Mar-1999 4.2
Apr-1999 4.3
May-1999 4.2
Jun-1999 4.3
Jul-1999 4.3
Aug-1999 4.2
Sep-1999 4.2
Oct-1999 4.1
Nov-1999 4.1
Dec-1999 4
Jan-2000 4
Feb-2000 4.1
Mar-2000 4
Apr-2000 3.8
May-2000 4
Jun-2000 4
Jul-2000 4
Aug-2000 4.1
Sep-2000 3.9
Oct-2000 3.9
Nov-2000 3.9
Dec-2000 3.9
Jan-2001 4.2
Feb-2001 4.2
Mar-2001 4.3
Apr-2001 4.4
May-2001 4.3
Jun-2001 4.5
Jul-2001 4.6
Aug-2001 4.9
Sep-2001 5
Oct-2001 5.3
Nov-2001 5.5
Dec-2001 5.7
Jan-2002 5.7
Feb-2002 5.7
Mar-2002 5.7
Apr-2002 5.9
May-2002 5.8
Jun-2002 5.8
Jul-2002 5.8
Aug-2002 5.7
Sep-2002 5.7
Oct-2002 5.7
Nov-2002 5.9
Dec-2002 6
Jan-2003 5.8
Feb-2003 5.9
Mar-2003 5.9
Apr-2003 6
May-2003 6.1
Jun-2003 6.3
Jul-2003 6.2
Aug-2003 6.1
Sep-2003 6.1
Oct-2003 6
Nov-2003 5.8
Dec-2003 5.7
Jan-2004 5.7
Feb-2004 5.6
Mar-2004 5.8
Apr-2004 5.6
May-2004 5.6
Jun-2004 5.6
Jul-2004 5.5
Aug-2004 5.4
Sep-2004 5.4
Oct-2004 5.5
Nov-2004 5.4
Dec-2004 5.4
Jan-2005 5.3
Feb-2005 5.4
Mar-2005 5.2
Apr-2005 5.2
May-2005 5.1
Jun-2005 5
Jul-2005 5
Aug-2005 4.9
Sep-2005 5
Oct-2005 5
Nov-2005 5
Dec-2005 4.9
Jan-2006 4.7
Feb-2006 4.8
Mar-2006 4.7
Apr-2006 4.7
May-2006 4.6
Jun-2006 4.6
Jul-2006 4.7
Aug-2006 4.7
Sep-2006 4.5
Oct-2006 4.4
Nov-2006 4.5
Dec-2006 4.4
Jan-2007 4.6
Feb-2007 4.5
Mar-2007 4.4
Apr-2007 4.5
May-2007 4.4
Jun-2007 4.6
Jul-2007 4.7
Aug-2007 4.6
Sep-2007 4.7
Oct-2007 4.7
Nov-2007 4.7
Dec-2007 5
Jan-2008 5
Feb-2008 4.9
Mar-2008 5.1
Apr-2008 5
May-2008 5.4
Jun-2008 5.6
Jul-2008 5.8
Aug-2008 6.1
Sep-2008 6.1
Oct-2008 6.5
Nov-2008 6.8
Dec-2008 7.3
Jan-2009 7.8
Feb-2009 8.3
Mar-2009 8.7
Apr-2009 9
May-2009 9.4
Jun-2009 9.5
Jul-2009 9.5
Aug-2009 9.6
Sep-2009 9.8
Oct-2009 10
Nov-2009 9.9
Dec-2009 9.9
Jan-2010 9.8
Feb-2010 9.8
Mar-2010 9.9
Apr-2010 9.9
May-2010 9.6
Jun-2010 9.4
Jul-2010 9.4
Aug-2010 9.5
Sep-2010 9.5
Oct-2010 9.4
Nov-2010 9.8
Dec-2010 9.3
Jan-2011 9.1
Feb-2011 9
Mar-2011 9
Apr-2011 9.1
May-2011 9
Jun-2011 9.1
Jul-2011 9
Aug-2011 9
Sep-2011 9
Oct-2011 8.8
Nov-2011 8.6
Dec-2011 8.5
Jan-2012 8.3
Feb-2012 8.3
Mar-2012 8.2
Apr-2012 8.2
May-2012 8.2
Jun-2012 8.2
Jul-2012 8.2
Aug-2012 8.1
Sep-2012 7.8
Oct-2012 7.8
Nov-2012 7.7
Dec-2012 7.9
Jan-2013 8
Feb-2013 7.7
Mar-2013 7.5
Apr-2013 7.6
May-2013 7.5
Jun-2013 7.5
Jul-2013 7.3
Aug-2013 7.2
Sep-2013 7.2
Oct-2013 7.2
Nov-2013 6.9
Dec-2013 6.7
Jan-2014 6.6
Feb-2014 6.7
Mar-2014 6.7
Apr-2014 6.2
May-2014 6.3
Jun-2014 6.1
Jul-2014 6.2
Aug-2014 6.1
Sep-2014 5.9
Oct-2014 5.7
Nov-2014 5.8
Dec-2014 5.6
Jan-2015 5.7
Feb-2015 5.5
Mar-2015 5.4
Apr-2015 5.4
May-2015 5.6
Jun-2015 5.3
Jul-2015 5.2
Aug-2015 5.1
Sep-2015 5
Oct-2015 5
Nov-2015 5.1
Dec-2015 5
Jan-2016 4.9
Feb-2016 4.9
Mar-2016 5
Apr-2016 5
May-2016 4.8
Jun-2016 4.9
Jul-2016 4.8
Aug-2016 4.9
Sep-2016 5
Oct-2016 4.9
Nov-2016 4.7
Dec-2016 4.7
Jan-2017 4.7
Feb-2017 4.7
Mar-2017 4.4
Apr-2017 4.4
May-2017 4.4
Jun-2017 4.3
Jul-2017 4.3
Aug-2017 4.4
Sep-2017 4.2
Oct-2017 4.1
Nov-2017 4.2
Dec-2017 4.1
Jan-2018 4.1
Feb-2018 4.1
Mar-2018 4
Apr-2018 3.9
May-2018 3.8
Jun-2018 4
Jul-2018 3.9
Aug-2018 3.8
Sep-2018 3.7
Oct-2018 3.8
Nov-2018 3.7
Dec-2018 3.9
Jan-2019 4
Feb-2019 3.8
Mar-2019 3.8
Apr-2019 3.6
May-2019 3.6
Jun-2019 3.7
July-2019 3.7
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Canada

Date Unemployment rate (R3- comparable to the United States rate)
Jan-1989 7.0%
Feb-1989 7.1
Mar-1989 7.1
Apr-1989 7.2
May-1989 7.1
Jun-1989 7.1
Jul-1989 7.0
Aug-1989 6.9
Sep-1989 6.9
Oct-1989 6.8
Nov-1989 7.0
Dec-1989 7.2
Jan-1990 7.4
Feb-1990 7.3
Mar-1990 7.0
Apr-1990 7.2
May-1990 7.3
Jun-1990 7.3
Jul-1990 7.6
Aug-1990 7.7
Sep-1990 8.0
Oct-1990 8.4
Nov-1990 8.6
Dec-1990 9.0
Jan-1991 9.2
Feb-1991 9.7
Mar-1991 10.0
Apr-1991 9.7
May-1991 9.8
Jun-1991 10.0
Jul-1991 10.0
Aug-1991 10.1
Sep-1991 9.8
Oct-1991 9.9
Nov-1991 9.7
Dec-1991 9.7
Jan-1992 9.8
Feb-1992 9.9
Mar-1992 10.4
Apr-1992 10.3
May-1992 10.6
Jun-1992 10.8
Jul-1992 10.8
Aug-1992 11.2
Sep-1992 11.1
Oct-1992 10.9
Nov-1992 11.4
Dec-1992 10.9
Jan-1993 10.5
Feb-1993 10.4
Mar-1993 10.6
Apr-1993 10.9
May-1993 11.2
Jun-1993 11.1
Jul-1993 11.0
Aug-1993 10.7
Sep-1993 10.8
Oct-1993 10.6
Nov-1993 10.5
Dec-1993 10.8
Jan-1994 10.6
Feb-1994 10.3
Mar-1994 9.9
Apr-1994 10.1
May-1994 9.8
Jun-1994 9.5
Jul-1994 9.2
Aug-1994 9.1
Sep-1994 9.2
Oct-1994 9.1
Nov-1994 8.9
Dec-1994 8.7
Jan-1995 8.8
Feb-1995 8.7
Mar-1995 8.8
Apr-1995 8.5
May-1995 8.6
Jun-1995 8.6
Jul-1995 8.8
Aug-1995 8.8
Sep-1995 8.3
Oct-1995 8.5
Nov-1995 8.4
Dec-1995 8.5
Jan-1996 8.6
Feb-1996 8.7
Mar-1996 8.6
Apr-1996 8.4
May-1996 8.5
Jun-1996 8.7
Jul-1996 8.9
Aug-1996 8.6
Sep-1996 9.1
Oct-1996 9.2
Nov-1996 9.1
Dec-1996 8.9
Jan-1997 8.8
Feb-1997 8.7
Mar-1997 8.5
Apr-1997 8.8
May-1997 8.8
Jun-1997 8.5
Jul-1997 8.3
Aug-1997 8.2
Sep-1997 8.2
Oct-1997 8.1
Nov-1997 8.1
Dec-1997 7.8
Jan-1998 8.2
Feb-1998 7.9
Mar-1998 7.7
Apr-1998 7.6
May-1998 7.7
Jun-1998 7.8
Jul-1998 7.7
Aug-1998 7.6
Sep-1998 7.6
Oct-1998 7.4
Nov-1998 7.3
Dec-1998 7.4
Jan-1999 7.3
Feb-1999 7.3
Mar-1999 7.1
Apr-1999 7.6
May-1999 7.4
Jun-1999 7.0
Jul-1999 7.0
Aug-1999 7.0
Sep-1999 6.8
Oct-1999 6.6
Nov-1999 6.3
Dec-1999 6.1
Jan-2000 6.1
Feb-2000 6.2
Mar-2000 6.2
Apr-2000 6.1
May-2000 6.0
Jun-2000 6.0
Jul-2000 6.0
Aug-2000 6.1
Sep-2000 6.0
Oct-2000 6.1
Nov-2000 6.2
Dec-2000 6.1
Jan-2001 6.2
Feb-2001 6.2
Mar-2001 6.2
Apr-2001 6.2
May-2001 6.3
Jun-2001 6.3
Jul-2001 6.4
Aug-2001 6.4
Sep-2001 6.5
Oct-2001 6.5
Nov-2001 6.8
Dec-2001 7.2
Jan-2002 7.4
Feb-2002 7.1
Mar-2002 7.1
Apr-2002 7.0
May-2002 7.0
Jun-2002 6.9
Jul-2002 6.9
Aug-2002 6.9
Sep-2002 7.1
Oct-2002 6.9
Nov-2002 6.7
Dec-2002 6.8
Jan-2003 6.7
Feb-2003 6.7
Mar-2003 6.7
Apr-2003 6.8
May-2003 6.9
Jun-2003 6.8
Jul-2003 7.0
Aug-2003 7.2
Sep-2003 7.1
Oct-2003 6.9
Nov-2003 6.7
Dec-2003 6.7
Jan-2004 6.6
Feb-2004 6.5
Mar-2004 6.6
Apr-2004 6.5
May-2004 6.4
Jun-2004 6.5
Jul-2004 6.4
Aug-2004 6.3
Sep-2004 6.2
Oct-2004 6.3
Nov-2004 6.5
Dec-2004 6.3
Jan-2005 6.2
Feb-2005 6.2
Mar-2005 6.1
Apr-2005 6.0
May-2005 6.1
Jun-2005 5.9
Jul-2005 6.0
Aug-2005 5.9
Sep-2005 6.0
Oct-2005 5.9
Nov-2005 5.7
Dec-2005 5.7
Jan-2006 5.7
Feb-2006 5.7
Mar-2006 5.6
Apr-2006 5.6
May-2006 5.3
Jun-2006 5.3
Jul-2006 5.5
Aug-2006 5.5
Sep-2006 5.6
Oct-2006 5.4
Nov-2006 5.5
Dec-2006 5.2
Jan-2007 5.3
Feb-2007 5.3
Mar-2007 5.4
Apr-2007 5.3
May-2007 5.2
Jun-2007 5.3
Jul-2007 5.3
Aug-2007 5.2
Sep-2007 5.0
Oct-2007 5.1
Nov-2007 5.2
Dec-2007 5.2
Jan-2008 5.1
Feb-2008 5.1
Mar-2008 5.2
Apr-2008 5.2
May-2008 5.3
Jun-2008 5.3
Jul-2008 5.2
Aug-2008 5.1
Sep-2008 5.1
Oct-2008 5.2
Nov-2008 5.5
Dec-2008 5.8
Jan-2009 6.3
Feb-2009 6.7
Mar-2009 6.9
Apr-2009 7.4
May-2009 7.8
Jun-2009 7.7
Jul-2009 7.7
Aug-2009 7.8
Sep-2009 7.5
Oct-2009 7.5
Nov-2009 7.5
Dec-2009 7.5
Jan-2010 7.3
Feb-2010 7.4
Mar-2010 7.4
Apr-2010 7.2
May-2010 7.2
Jun-2010 7.1
Jul-2010 7.0
Aug-2010 7.1
Sep-2010 7.1
Oct-2010 7.0
Nov-2010 6.6
Dec-2010 6.6
Jan-2011 6.8
Feb-2011 6.7
Mar-2011 6.6
Apr-2011 6.6
May-2011 6.4
Jun-2011 6.5
Jul-2011 6.3
Aug-2011 6.3
Sep-2011 6.4
Oct-2011 6.5
Nov-2011 6.6
Dec-2011 6.6
Jan-2012 6.6
Feb-2012 6.4
Mar-2012 6.2
Apr-2012 6.4
May-2012 6.5
Jun-2012 6.3
Jul-2012 6.4
Aug-2012 6.2
Sep-2012 6.2
Oct-2012 6.5
Nov-2012 6.3
Dec-2012 6.3
Jan-2013 6.1
Feb-2013 6.1
Mar-2013 6.3
Apr-2013 6.1
May-2013 6.0
Jun-2013 6.2
Jul-2013 6.3
Aug-2013 6.0
Sep-2013 6.0
Oct-2013 6.0
Nov-2013 5.9
Dec-2013 6.1
Jan-2014 6.0
Feb-2014 6.0
Mar-2014 6.1
Apr-2014 6.0
May-2014 6.0
Jun-2014 6.0
Jul-2014 6.0
Aug-2014 6.1
Sep-2014 5.9
Oct-2014 5.6
Nov-2014 5.7
Dec-2014 5.7
Jan-2015 5.6
Feb-2015 5.9
Mar-2015 5.9
Apr-2015 6.0
May-2015 5.9
Jun-2015 5.8
Jul-2015 5.8
Aug-2015 5.9
Sep-2015 6.0
Oct-2015 5.9
Nov-2015 6.0
Dec-2015 6.2
Jan-2016 6.2
Feb-2016 6.2
Mar-2016 6.1
Apr-2016 6.2
May-2016 5.9
Jun-2016 5.8
Jul-2016 5.9
Aug-2016 5.9
Sep-2016 6.0
Oct-2016 5.9
Nov-2016 5.9
Dec-2016 5.9
Jan-2017 5.7
Feb-2017 5.5
Mar-2017 5.5
Apr-2017 5.4
May-2017 5.6
Jun-2017 5.4
Jul-2017 5.3
Aug-2017 5.3
Sep-2017 5.1
Oct-2017 5.1
Nov-2017 5.0
Dec-2017 4.8
Jan-2018 4.9
Feb-2018 4.8
Mar-2018 4.9
Apr-2018 4.9
May-2018 4.8
Jun-2018 4.9
Jul-2018 4.8
Aug-2018 4.9
Sep-2018 4.8
Oct-2018 4.7
Nov-2018 4.5
Dec-2018 4.7
Jan-2019 4.8
Feb-2019 4.8
Mar-2019 4.7
Apr-2019 4.7
May-2019 4.3
Jun-2019 4.5
Jul-2019 4.6
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Cumulative percent change in real hourly wages, by wage percentile, 2000–2016

United States

year  10th   30th   50th   70th  90th  95th
2000 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2001 3.1% 1.1% 1.5% 1.1% 3.4% 1.7%
2002 6.3% 3.2% 3.1% 2.5% 4.5% 5.4%
2003 5.9% 4.3% 3.1% 4.3% 4.5% 4.5%
2004 4.0% 2.1% 4.3% 3.5% 5.6% 5.5%
2005 1.5% -0.6% 2.7% 2.1% 4.9% 5.7%
2006 0.9% -2.2% 3.1% 1.3% 6.8% 6.7%
2007 2.6% 0.1% 3.3% 3.0% 7.5% 8.5%
2008 3.8% -0.1% 2.5% 3.5% 7.4% 9.1%
2009 4.7% 1.8% 4.8% 5.8% 10.9% 11.6%
2010 3.8% 0.4% 4.2% 5.2% 11.4% 11.0%
2011 1.1% -1.5% 1.6% 3.7% 9.1% 10.0%
2012 -0.6% -2.3% 0.3% 2.4% 9.8% 11.3%
2013 0.0% -1.3% 0.8% 4.2% 10.7% 13.2%
2014 0.9% -2.3% 0.9% 3.0% 9.5% 11.6%
2015 5.7% -1.5% 2.5% 6.0% 14.0% 18.8%
2016 6.6% 1.2%  4.4% 5.9% 16.1% 20.0%
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Canada

10th  30th 50th 70th 90th 95th
2000 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2001 2.7% 2.0% 1.8% 0.2% 2.3% 2.3%
2002 4.4% 0.2% -0.2% -0.4% 2.3% 1.4%
2003 3.7% 2.5% 0.3% -0.9% 3.3% 2.6%
2004 1.2% 0.1% 0.0% 0.2% 4.1% 4.1%
2005 1.2% 0.0% 1.4% 0.5% 5.4% 4.4%
2006 4.0% 3.4% 2.4% 2.2% 7.7% 7.6%
2007 7.3% 4.2% 3.8% 4.0% 8.1% 7.5%
2008 7.8% 8.1% 6.2% 6.4% 11.7% 11.5%
2009 14.4% 10.4% 8.0% 8.2% 14.3% 12.4%
2010 13.0% 9.9% 8.7% 6.8% 12.6% 11.9%
2011 12.7% 8.7% 6.3% 6.0% 12.4% 11.6%
2012 14.3% 7.7% 6.3% 8.8% 14.2% 14.9%
2013 17.1% 10.6% 9.7% 10.7% 17.4% 15.4%
2014 17.5% 12.6% 8.4% 11.9% 16.7% 15.4%
2015 17.8% 10.5% 11.4% 13.4% 18.0% 15.6%
2016 19.7% 12.8%  10.3% 13.0% 18.8% 16.9%
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Union membership has declined more dramatically in the U.S. than in Canada: Union membership rates, 1960–2015

year Canada US
1960 29.2 30.9
1961 28.5 29.5
1962 27.1 29.3
1963 26.8 28.5
1964 26.4 28.3
1965 26.7 28.2
1966 27.6 28.2
1967 29.6 27.8
1968 30.2 27.9
1969 30.1 27.3
1970 31.0 27.4
1971 30.8 26.9
1972 31.8 26.3
1973 33.1 25.8
1974 33.1 25.7
1975 34.3 25.3
1976 34.5 24.4
1977 35.1 23.6
1978 35.5 23.9
1979 34.6 22.4
1980 34.0 22.1
1981 33.9 21.0
1982 36.8 20.5
1983 35.9 19.5
1984 35.9 18.2
1985 35.3 17.4
1986 34.5 17.0
1987 33.9 16.5
1988 33.4 16.2
1989 33.5 15.9
1990 34.0 15.5
1991 35.3 15.5
1992 35.6 15.1
1993 35.7 15.1
1994 34.3 14.9
1995 33.9 14.3
1996 34.1 14.0
1997 32.4 13.6
1998 32.4 13.4
1999 31.8 13.4
2000 31.2 12.9
2001 31.0 12.9
2002 30.3 12.8
2003 30.2 12.4
2004 30.4 12.0
2005 30.4 12.0
2006 30.1 11.5
2007 30.2 11.6
2008 29.8 11.9
2009 30.7 11.8
2010 30.1 11.4
2011 29.8 11.3
2012 29.8 10.8
2013 29.2 10.8
2014 29.3 10.7
2015 29.4 10.6
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Source: Author's analysis of ICTWSS Database 2019.

American sons of bottom-earning fathers are also more likely to have low earnings than their Canadian counterparts: Earnings decile of sons born to bottom-decile fathers

United States Canada
Bottom 22.0% 15.8%
2nd 18.0% 13.7%
3rd 10.0% 11.7%
4th 10.0% 11.0%
5th 11.0% 9.7%
6th 11.0% 8.7%
7th 5.0% 8.3%
8th 5.0% 7.4%
9th 2.0% 7.0%
Top 7.0% 6.9%
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Source: Corak (2009), figure 2, page 8; Corak and Heisz (1999), Table 6, page 520; Mazumder (2005b), Table 2.2, page 93.

Ratio of 90th percentile to 10th percentile gross earnings, 2000 and 2017

2000 2017
Canada 3.61 3.61
U.S. 4.49 5.07
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Source: Author's analysis of OECD.stat data

Minimum wage as a share of the average wage of full-time workers, 2000 and 2017

2000 2017
Canada 37.6% 40.8%
U.S. 28.5% 24.3%
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Source: Author's analysis of OECD.stat data

Real wage changes by decile and the 95th percentile, 2007–2019

Percent change 2007–2019 
 10th 8.4%
 20th 7.4%
 30th 8.4%
 40th 4.2%
 50th 3.6%
 60th 4.9%
 70th 6.8%
 80th 10.3%
 90th 13.1%
 95th 19.7%
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Note: The xth-percentile wage is the wage at which x% of wage earners earn less and (100-x)% earn more.

Sample based on all workers ages 16 and older.  Each year represents annual data, calculated using the first-half data in the listed year combined with the second-half data for the prior year.

Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey microdata

The real value of the minimum wage fell in 29 states between 2010 and 2018: States with and without a real increase in their minimum wage between 2010 and 2018

State Key Real minimum wage increase
Alabama 0 No real increase
Alaska 1 Real increase
Arizona 1 Real increase
Arkansas 1 Real increase
California 1 Real increase
Colorado 1 Real increase
Connecticut 1 Real increase
Delaware 0 No real increase
Washington D.C. 1 Real increase
Florida 0 No real increase
Georgia 0 No real increase
Hawaii 1 Real increase
Idaho 0 No real increase
Illinois 0 No real increase
Indiana 0 No real increase
Iowa 0 No real increase
Kansas 0 No real increase
Kentucky 0 No real increase
Louisiana 0 No real increase
Maine 1 Real increase
Maryland 1 Real increase
Massachusetts 1 Real increase
Michigan 1 Real increase
Minnesota 1 Real increase
Mississippi 0 No real increase
Missouri 0 No real increase
Montana 0 No real increase
Nebraska 1 Real increase
Nevada 0 No real increase
New Hampshire 0 No real increase
New Jersey 1 Real increase
New Mexico 0 No real increase
New York 1 Real increase
North Carolina 0 No real increase
North Dakota 0 No real increase
Ohio 0 No real increase
Oklahoma 0 No real increase
Oregon 1 Real increase
Pennsylvania 0 No real increase
Rhode Island 1 Real increase
South Carolina 0 No real increase
South Dakota 1 Real increase
Tennessee 0 No real increase
Texas 0 No real increase
Utah 0 No real increase
Vermont 1 Real increase
Virginia 0 No real increase
Washington 1 Real increase
West Virginia 1 Real increase
Wisconsin 0 No real increase
Wyoming 0 No real increase

Note: States in blue have positive real minimum wage increases between 2010 and 2018, after adjusting for inflation using the CPI-U-RS.

Sources: CPI-U-RS from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and minimum wage data from Kavya Vaghul and Ben Zipperer, “Historical State and Sub-State Minimum Wages,” Version 1.2.0, 2019

Wage growth at the bottom was strongest in states with minimum wage increases between 2013 and 2018: 10th-percentile wage growth from 2013 to 2018, by presence of state minimum wage increase between 2013 and 2018 and by gender

States with minimum wage increases between 2013 and 2018 States with no minimum wage increases between 2013 and 2018
Overall 13.0% 8.4%
Men 12.0% 8.6%
Women 13.0% 6.0%
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Notes: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia increased their minimum wages at some point between 2013 and 2018. Sample based on all workers ages 16 and older.

Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata from the U.S. Census Bureau

Wage growth was stronger in the late 1990s than the current expansion: Real median wage growth, 1996–2000 and 2015–2019

1996-2000 2015-2019
White men 9.9% 6.6%
Black men 10.3% 5.0%
White women 9.4% 6.4%
Black women 9.2% 4.7%

 

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Note: In order to include data from the first half of 2019, all years refer to the 12 month period ending in June.

Source: Authors' analysis of Current Population Survey basic monthly microdata from the U.S. Census Bureau

Wage growth stronger among workers with a college degree in the late 1990s than the current expansion: Real average wage growth, workers with a bachelors degree, 1996–2000 and 2015–2019

1996-2000 2015-2019
Men 10.9% 7.8%
Women 9.8% 3.0%
White 10.6% 6.6%
Black 11.5% -0.3%

 

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Note: In order to include data from the first half of 2019, all years refer to the 12 month period ending in June.

Source: Authors' analysis of Current Population Survey basic monthly microdata from the U.S. Census Bureau

The 2010s recovery was weighed down by persistent fiscal austerity: Cumulative growth in real government per capita spending across business cycles, by number of quarters since recession's trough

Quarters since trough 1949Q4 1954Q2 1958Q2 1961Q1 1970Q4 1975Q1 1980Q3 1982Q4 1991Q1 2001Q4 2009Q2 
-6 92.79903
-5 94.42455 96.86089 93.1549
-4 92.97881 104.5763 97.76742 95.9536 97.26268 98.41396
-3 95.80659 103.7704 95.68662 95.6534 97.96079 96.90702 97.1442 97.21738 95.26491
-2 99.68691 103.7435 97.34544 97.21321 99.11551 97.38414 99.6841 97.67438 98.68033 98.40091 95.54005
-1 101.0297 102.2883 97.44405 97.94855 99.51544 97.9963 99.37112 98.52386 99.19218 98.76741 97.47838
0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
1 106.652 99.00479 100.6313 100.3652 99.50026 101.2492 99.24907 100.3054 100.3142 101.6368 99.52924
2 101.2557 98.62369 101.5953 101.3941 100.6452 102.1758 99.73392 100.705 99.99911 102.4237 99.4363
3 97.5566 99.12395 100.704 102.7161 100.4491 102.3636 99.28496 100.8003 99.87627 102.5812 100.3436
4 101.5171 98.39362 101.1484 103.7797 100.2865 102.6974 99.83932 99.84297 101.2984 102.879 100.2655
5 107.3538 98.55248 101.4558 103.8774 101.0244 101.4687 100.5263 101.3832 103.0006 99.54466
6 116.9505 97.05224 100.7513 105.4147 101.2774 101.4071 101.735 101.5793 103.5206 98.79907
7 125.7723 97.07004 99.66259 106.0131 100.2924 101.1465 102.2704 101.3158 103.4658 97.75721
8 129.7541 98.39858 100.6858 105.6846 102.611 101.5311 103.7657 100.9122 103.7324 97.01971
9 131.6787 97.81254 105.3738 103.2787 101.5467 104.8214 100.7311 104.192 95.85859
10 135.4297 99.366 108.5523 102.8074 102.0295 106.1938 100.6341 104.3718 95.38564
11 135.852 101.1222 108.0357 102.2027 101.8212 107.7791 100.6285 104.5238 94.67948
12 137.5306 101.243 108.6355 102.7584 101.591 108.055 100.3789 104.5423 94.15164
13 140.9415 101.7904 109.3489 102.5296 109.0963 100.6532 105.1607 93.95881
14 142.3413 109.443 103.4517 110.6795 101.4527 105.1287 93.48459
15 109.5364 103.7356 112.2495 101.0538 105.31 93.41973
16 109.9874 102.9802 112.1538 101.6724 105.408 93.28635
17 111.1166 102.9627 112.5128 101.9055 107.1431 92.95273
18 114.9528 103.8694 112.9643 101.6099 107.1671 92.41171
19 116.0413 103.9585 112.7088 100.9847 107.072 92.23086
20 117.8536 104.6344 113.646 101.6527 107.9508 92.3369
21 119.1939 113.8692 102.2766 108.5867 92.6896
22 121.8915 113.9332 102.1348 109.1526 92.86114
23 124.5182 113.7117 102.4409 109.4264 93.67068
24 128.8423 114.9939 102.4443 109.7915 94.35335
25 128.7783 115.7054 103.0859 94.55128
26 130.0413 116.6918 103.2984 94.62728
27 131.0418 117.5117 103.6022 95.08481
28 133.4422 118.2052 103.7908 94.95413
29 134.9219 119.8691 104.8758 94.9973
30 135.7141 119.8933 105.4035 94.87157
31 136.0944 119.8235 105.7598 94.9922
32 136.8323 106.5886 94.96186
33 136.9189 106.9218 94.83272
34 137.3127 107.6688 95.0302
35 136.3535 108.5848 95.41862
36 108.3443 95.74696
37 109.2122 96.37835
38 108.9711 96.77549
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Notes: For total government spending, government consumption and investment expenditures are deflated with the NIPA price deflator. Government transfer payments are deflated with the price deflator for personal consumption expenditures. This figure includes state and local government spending.

Source: EPI analysis of data from Tables 1.1.4, 3.1, and 3.9.4 from the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)

A large share of workers do not have the union representation they want and need: Share of workers who are either covered by a union contract or would vote for a union in their workplace, and share of workers who are covered by a union contract, 1977 and 2017

Share of workers either covered by a union contract or who would vote for a union Share of workers covered by a union contract
1977 59.5% 26.5%
2017 59.9% 11.9%
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Source: Author’s analysis of Thomas A. Kochan et al., “Worker Voice in America: Is There a Gap between What Workers Expect and What They Experience?” ILR Review 72, no. 1 (2019) and Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey public data series

U.S. government funds appropriated for immigration and labor standards enforcement, 2012 and 2018

Immigration enforcement Labor standards enforcement
2012 $19.6  $2.2
2018 $24.0 $2.0
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Note: Values are adjusted to 2018 dollars. 2012 immigration enforcement totals include appropriations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program (US-VISIT). 2018 immigration enforcement totals include CBP, ICE, and the Office of Biometric and Identity Management (OBIM). Totals for labor standards enforcement include appropriations for all subagencies, administrations, and offices that the U.S. Department of Labor considers for "Worker Protection" in budget documents—which include the Employee Benefits Security Administration, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, Wage and Hour Division, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Office of Labor-Management Standards, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the Office of the Solicitor—as well as appropriations for the National Labor Relations Board and the National Mediation Board.

Source: Doris Meissner, Donald Kerwin, Muzaffar Chishti, and Claire Bergeron, Immigration Enforcement in the United States: The Rise of a Formidable Machinery, Migration Policy Institute (January 2013); Doris Meissner and Julia Gelatt, Eight Key U.S. Immigration Policy Issues: State of Play and Unanswered Questions, Migration Policy Institute (May 2019); U.S. Department of Labor, FY 2020 Budget in Brief; Office of Management and Government, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2018; and National Labor Relations Board, Justification of Performance Budget for Committee on Appropriations, Fiscal Year 2020.