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> ...attractive premium products that people can afford. You're totally right. But economists, policymakers and journalists have raised the alarm on stagnant w
by doctorpangloss 8y ago
> ...attractive premium products that people can afford.
You're totally right. But economists, policymakers and journalists have raised the alarm on stagnant wages for a decade. That's the real problem.
Every consumer products company is facing the same macroeconomic headwind.
If anyone is culpable, it's most of all investors and management-owners. They gave us the bean-counting world where people aren't paid enough to afford the products, despite constantly increasing productivity.
- ericd 8y agoIt seems more like it's just the inevitable result of adding a whole lot more workers to the supply side of supply and demand for workers, via advances in supply chain logistics and telecom that have made workers in China and India directly competitive with workers in the US for the same work. Their wages and standards of living have risen fantastically over the last 30 years. But the flip side of that is depressed wages for workers in the US, who have been paid much better than most other workers, historically.
- Consultant32452 8y agoImmigration policy is also a huge factor in the supply side. Lazy enforcement on illegal immigration has put the squeeze on the lower end of the income spectrum, while some visa programs were designed specifically for the purpose of keeping higher end workers wages from increasing. Then you've got NAFTA and other trade policies that have had an impact as well.