The Economic Policy Institute documented recently that U.S. workers have now seen average real wage increases for 12 consecutive months. At the end of April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unionized workers in the U.S. enjoyed a 6.3% increase in (nominal) wages in the 12-month period ending March 2024, compared to 4.1% for nonunion workers.
Lehigh Valley Business
May 20, 2024
“[W]age growth is a key indicator of how well the average worker’s wage can improve their standard of living,” wrote Elise Gould, senior economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, in a Wednesday blog post. “As inflation continues to normalize, I’m optimistic more workers will experience real gains in their purchasing power.”
CBS Moneywatch
May 20, 2024
We’ve heard a lot about how students graduating from college now have an uphill battle ahead of them. However, according to a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Gen Z might actually be doing better than the generations before.
According to the Institute, despite what it may seem, the labor market for young college graduates is currently stronger than it was before the pandemic, and it’s been that way for quite a while.
While it’s certainly been tough, Gen Z has seen a faster bounce-back in the labor market than any economic recovery in recent history. The generation has also seen stronger wage growth.
Fast Company
May 20, 2024
Just over 65% of recent college graduates — workers ages 21 to 24 — are employed and not enrolled in further education as of March 2024, according to a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute. That’s above the pre-pandemic level of 64.3% in February 2020.
But not all young graduates are thriving. EPI found 1 in 10 young graduates were “idling” as of March 2024, meaning they were neither employed nor going back to school.
CNBC
May 20, 2024
According to the Economic Policy Institute, which is tracking the trend, 12 states have enacted laws in the last three years that roll back safety rules and regulations on hours and working conditions for workers under age 18.
Bloomberg
May 20, 2024
Still, low-income consumers have also seen their earnings rise over the past several years. Pay gains for the country’s lowest-paid workers outpaced those of any other group from 2019 to 2023, a recent report from the Economic Policy Institute found.
MarketWatch
May 20, 2024
Business Insider
May 20, 2024
An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute found no link between Trump-era tariffs, imposed during his presidency, and the subsequent run-up of inflation in 2021 and 2022.
The USA Today
May 20, 2024
The report also highlights research from the Economic Policy Institute that finds that nationally, teachers earn 26.4% less than similarly educated college graduates. In Michigan, teachers earn 21% less. The gap is referred to as the teacher penalty.
Chalkbeat Detroit
May 20, 2024
The Economic Policy Institute found that CEOs were paid 344 times as much as a typical worker in 2022, and the average CEO is white and identifies as a man.
Truthout
May 20, 2024