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By Jeremy Beck
Worker power, loose borders: pick one (hat tip, Oren Cass) WORKER POWER LOOSE BORDERS Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich (on Substack): “Here’s the truth: There is no labor shortage. There is, however, a shortage of jobs paying sufficient wages to attract workers to fill job openings.” Current U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh (in Davos): “One … Continued
By Jeremy Beck
“Are you earning too much money?” Briahna Joy Gray asks on a recent episode of Rising. Real wages have been stagnant since the 1970s, but Gray notes (as we have) that the conventional wisdom among the policy elite is that “the real problem here is that workers aren’t working enough and that wages are just … Continued
By Lisa Irving
Wages Are Still Not to Blame for Inflation Earlier this year, I wrote a blog based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics February reports explaining how stagnant wages were not causing inflation, as some Democratic leaders were alleging in order to promote their immigration-increasing policies. BLS September reports further show how inflation is outpacing wages. … Continued
By Lisa Irving
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked if she discouraged Democratic members of Congress from expressing concern over the historic crisis at the border. Pelosi answered by bringing up a presumed “shortage of workers in our country,” and, as an example, said Florida agriculture needs illegal workers to “pick the crops.” Pelosi’s comments were … Continued
By Jeremy Beck
Immigration provisions in COMPETES Act are about money, not competitiveness Lisa’s blog about the House’s COMPETES Act touched a nerve with Alan Tonelson: As explained by NumbersUSA analyst Lisa Irving, this legislation “allows for an unlimited number of green cards for citizens of foreign countries seeking permanent U.S. residency who hold a U.S. doctorate degree, … Continued
By Lisa Irving
BLS February Report – Wages Stagnant The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported last week that jobs rose by 678,000 and unemployment fell to 3.8% in February. Many in the media pounced on these numbers, predicting that the labor market will return to pre-pandemic levels this summer. A troubling aspect of the report, however, is … Continued
By Jeremy Beck
Stop me if you’ve heard that immigration has no effect (or minimal effect) on wages. Yes, the last half century of mass immigration coincides with the stagnation of real wages for most workers, but you’ve no doubt read or heard that the two aren’t related. Increasing the supply of labor, we’re told, just doesn’t lower … Continued
By Jeremy Beck
A friend sent me this video from The Wall Street Journal with a note: “The scale is staggering … gives one a sense of what having a population of 330 million consumers implies.” The often-mesmerizing video does bring to mind questions about domestic production, trade policy, and personal consumption (is all of my stuff really … Continued
By Jeremy Beck
Most Americans favor policies that improve their wages, their access to meaningful work, and their ability to own a home and keep their families together. An immigration policy with these goals in mind would help. But as David Leonhardt puts it in his newsletter, “the elite’s misunderstanding of popular opinion” leads (or misleads) politicians – … Continued
