Could there be one? The topic of wage stagnation, of course, is a bit of a sleight of hand. Incomes have held stagnant for hundreds of years; as far back as the

Could there be one? The topic of wage stagnation, of course, is a bit of a sleight of hand. Incomes have held stagnant for hundreds of years; as far back as the data goes. We witnessed wage growth through the period of industrialization because wages were new and starting from effectively zero. Pre industrialization, people mostly sold things rather than their time. As more time was sold, wages started to grow. Once we reached the point where most commerce was in selling time and not things incomes became maxed out by wages, leaving no additional room for growth. The only way wages can continue to grow now is for incomes to grow, and that hasn't ever happened in recorded history.