Millions of workers who received the lowest wages in the country before the pandemic, have not managed to improve their living conditions two years later , even with the salary increase that many employers implemented in sectors such as services, hotels and commerce.
According to the study “Estado de América Female Worker” from the Economic Policy Institute, low-wage workers experienced faster wage growth than middle- and high-wage workers.
But even with this rapid growth, wage levels remain very unequal in the US labor market
Between 1979 and 2020, 1% of the employees who received the highest salaries experienced an increase of 179% in their salaries. However, the wages of the bottom 90% increased only by 28%, says the study.
The report also mentions that there are currently twice as many workers who are paid less than $15 dollars per hour (almost 30 million) than from employees who receive a salary of more than $50 dollars per hour (15 million workers).
Added to this dismal figure is the fact that the federal minimum wage is $7.28 per hour and has lost more than 21% of its value since it was last increased in July of 2009.
In addition, from the data rising inflation, which has reached record levels of up to 8.5% year-on-year in March, has contributed to these increases salaries reach less for basic purchases such as paying rent, fuel for the car or food in the supermarket.
Therefore, their standard of living increases little or not at all.
As if it were a loop, the increase in wages has also pushed inflation more and more.
The phenomenon in which a higher income for workers feeds inflationary pressures, not seen in the country since the decade of 1970, according to a report published by Fox Business.
You may also like:
– Families of single mothers or fathers in the US today need a minimum wage of $35.8 dollars per hour to buy the basics, according to study
– What can happen with the employment if the US enters a recession
– The 19 large US companies that paid little or no taxes in 2021