What's Causing the Wage Stagnation?

RCM ^ | 11/6/2014 | Robert Samuelson

[joshua c]

What’s causing the wage stagnation?

Obama

[kabar]

Surplus of workers.

[mountn man]

Can't raise wages when profits aren't rising.

Higher profits equal higher wages.

[marron]

He hasn’t heard that we’ve lost a million jobs over the last few years? Something like that has a tendency to keep wages down.

Is he from Mars?

[tbw2]

Illegal immigration and DREAMERs certainly contribute.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Wide-spread incompetence? Not working for a commission?

[mountn man]

Surplus of workers.

But...butt......unemployment is only 5.9%

(do I really need a sarcasm tag?)

[Red Badger]

Illegals.......................

[nascarnation]

Corporate profits aren’t rising?

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CP

[PROCON]

Uh...Global Warming?

[kingu]

Are benefits calculated in these ‘stagnant’ wages? Going to bet those weren't calculated. Most employees have received substantial raises, just not to their pocket. Especially with the inane requirements that ObamaCare compliant policies not only include maternity coverage, but also are forbidden from charging different based on gender.

Especially hard hit are companies which have a substantially mature workforce. Those employees generally forgo any maternity coverage in their policies.

Add in local laws mandating sick leave, holidays and even mandatory vacation time, most employee costs are skyrocketing while wages have remained flat.

[I want the USA back]

Too few job openings because this administration and democrats have done everything possible to destroy businesses.

[kabar]

The labor participation rate is the lowest since 1977.

[KC_Conspirator]

Correct.

[kabar]

Legal immigration is the biggest cause of depressed wages and the loss of jobs for native born Ameicans. We have just had the two largest decades of legal immigration in American history. Over 27 million legal permanent immigrants entered this country during the period 1990-2010.

[pierrem15]

1. Unrestricted immigration, both legal and illegal.

2. Lunatic "free" trade policies that undercut American businesses and that lead to the transfer of American technology overseas

You want to see wages rise? Create a labor shortage by restricting immigration at both the top and bottom and where businesses have an incentive to hire because they have a market that's not undercut by unfair foreign competition.

You know, the way we were from 1945 - 1965, when the average projected lifetime earnings of a high school graduate were higher than those of a college graduate.

[pierrem15]

We have a winner!

[Organic Panic]

Obviously the only solution is to import millions of unskilled uneducated workers from the third world.

[KC_Conspirator]

Yes, a totally made up, fake, and inaccurate number, as you know.