On Labor, Productivity & Wages

Check out the accompanying pdf and chart collection. Executive Summary: For a variety of reasons, there’s a severe mismatch between the demand for and supply of labor in the US. That’s created a maelstrom in the market, with extraordinary levels of turnover: One third of payroll employees have quit their jobs over the past 12 months, most for higher-paying ones. That’s driving up wage inflation and driving down productivity. … But we still expect productivity to recover this decade as businesses react by investing in productivity-boosting technologies—our “Roaring 2020s” scenario. … While the latest data show some moderation in wage inflation, it probably won’t continue to moderate sustainably until turnover subsides.