“Raising the federal minimum wage to two-thirds of the national median wage would lift pay for nearly 40 million workers, about a quarter of the workforce,” writes Ben Zipperer at the Economic Policy Institute. “Two-thirds of the median—equivalent to roughly $17.70 today, a projected $20 in 2030, and a projected $25 in 2038—matches the benchmarks used in other high-income countries and tracks the direction of recent minimum wage research. Indexing to median wage growth thereafter would keep the floor from losing ground to inflation or falling behind the broader economy.”
The Pitch from Civic Ventures
June 5, 2026
Economists disagree about the cause. Some argue that AI is reducing demand for entry-level workers. Others posit that the market has become more competitive as a greater portion of the population earns bachelor’s degrees. In 2026, more than two in five workers have a bachelor’s degree, compared with just 18% in 1980, according to data analyzed by the Economic Policy Institute. Source: https://www.epi.org/blog/class-of-2026-young-college-graduates-face-a-weaker-labor-market-but-a-more-mixed-picture-than-the-headlines-suggest/
Investopedia
June 5, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, for every 100 direct utility jobs, another 858 jobs are supported throughout the broader economy.
That means thousands of Pennsylvanians — across trades, industries and communities — depend on continued utility investment.
PennLive
June 5, 2026
Josh Bivens, chief economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC is in favor of redistribution but said Schreiber’s unemployment projections are more extreme than most and that his framework seems to ignore the prospect of shrinking demand for goods and services.
“The model takes as given that output can be sustained while labor collapses,” Bivens said. “From a supply-side perspective, maybe, but I don’t see how that would work with demand.”
Bloomberg
June 5, 2026
With a return to research reading, one of the latest issues to catch my attention is an April 27 report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). The report details the real source of continuing affordability problems, and explains it’s not just prices rising — because prices have always been rising some.
The institute states the real root of affordability is continuing rising inequality — deliberately caused by big money investors and corporate managers.
The Union (California)
June 1, 2026
Employers in Colorado and across the U.S. spend $1.7 billion each year to keep workers from organizing and bargaining for better pay and working conditions, according to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute and LaborLab.
The report showed high-paid consultants and law firms have built substantial businesses over the past several decades specializing in union avoidance services. Their clients have included Amazon, Starbucks and Trader Joe’s.
Margaret Poydock, senior policy analyst for the institute and co-author of the report, said the $1.7 billion figure is likely an underestimate.
Public News Service
June 1, 2026
Oklahoma is on par with the federal minimum wage, but well below the average state minimum wage of $11.51, according to Ballotpedia. An analysis from the progressive think tank Economic Policy Institute found that enhancing the state’s minimum wage would increase wages for 357,700 Oklahoma workers — or roughly one-fifth of the state’s wage-earning workforce — by more than $783 million overall. This total includes workers who would benefit directly and indirectly from the policy. On average, affected full-time and year-round workers would gain $2,322 in annual pay, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
CNBC
June 1, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute estimates the “college wage premium” — the percentage by which having a college degree raises an individual’s wage once one …[paywall].
Paul Krugman Substack
June 1, 2026