Inflation wiped out America’s pay raises
New York | August 10, 2021
Companies big and small are raising wages to attract workers and hold onto employees as the economy revs back into gear
But those fatter paychecks aren’t going as far, thanks to rising inflation.
In fact, compensation is now lower than it was in December 2019, when adjusted for inflation, according to an analysis by Jason Furman, an economics professor at Harvard University. The Employment Cost Index — which measures wages and salaries, along with health, retirement and other benefits — fell in the last quarter and is 2% below its pre-pandemic trend, when taking inflation into account. (Wages and salaries are growing at a faster pace than benefits.)”The hot economy is heating prices more than it is heating wages,” said Furman. Inflation is eroding the wage increases that employers are giving to attract and keep workers… (Excerpts from CNN)