[Jorge]

Care to tell me what the increase in productivity was? Try at least double what earnings were.

True. Employers have been squeezing more production out of fewer workers. But increased productivity is the driving force behind higher living standards.

And as long as unemployment is going down (5.6% is low) and hourly wages are going up, the big picture looks good.

[RaceBannon]

wages are plummeting in Connecticut, not going up.

[Paul Ross]

True. Employers have been squeezing more production out of fewer workers. But increased productivity is the driving force behind higher living standards.

Actually, free trade-guru Peter Drucker is extremely skeptical of the productivity gains being asserted. Mere substitution via outsourcing of high-cost U.S. labor with the low-cost foreign sources may be creating all of this anamolous 'productivity'...even though the foreign outsourced labor could be horrifically inefficient.