So why *did* U.S. wages stagnate for 20 years?
a year ago
- #wage stagnation
- #productivity
- #globalization
- U.S. wage stagnation occurred from 1973 to 1994, predating globalization.
- NAFTA (1994) and the China Shock (post-2001) had mixed impacts on wages, with some stagnation in the 2000s.
- Productivity slowdown from the 1970s to mid-1990s aligns with wage stagnation, possibly linked to energy scarcity.
- Financialization and union decline don't fully explain the 20-year stagnation, as their trends don't match the timeline.
- Inflation in the 1970s and 1980s contributed to real wage stagnation, but nominal wages remained stable.
- Trade with Europe and Japan doesn't align well with the wage stagnation period.
- The entry of women into the workforce doesn't explain the stagnation, as their participation had been rising steadily before 1973.