“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 8, 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 8, 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 8, 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 8, 2026
The measure, which breaks with a practice approved by Congress since 1952, “is going to have a very negative impact on the lives of truly millions of people,” said Daniel Costa, director of research on immigration law and policy at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
“It’s going to complicate the lives of many people because they’re going to have to leave their jobs. If they can’t work remotely in another country, they’re likely to lose their jobs. After losing money, they may be separated from their families for at least months and, in many cases, perhaps most, for years,” he commented.
EFE
June 5, 2026
In 2019, the Economic Policy Institute projected that by 2024 more than eighty percent of private-sector nonunion workers would be bound by arbitration. Workers tend to win more often in open court than in arbitration, which is the entire point.
Overturned Substack
June 5, 2026
Research from the Economic Policy Institute found Black women earn approximately 68 cents for every dollar earned by white men, representing one of the largest wage gaps in the American workforce. Even after adjusting for education and other factors, significant inequities remain.
Michigan Chronicle
June 5, 2026
None of this is settled. The Economic Policy Institute argues the picture is more mixed, with the college wage premium flat for years and new grads still doing no worse than young workers without degrees. The degree still opens the door. It just no longer gets you through it faster than everyone else.
Dr. Randal Olson
June 5, 2026
According to data analyzed by the Economic Policy Institute, it is common in the private sector for first union contract negotiations to take many years to reach completion – if they even result in a finished contract at all.
Cleveland.com
June 5, 2026