Michael Pollak wrote:
That seems reasonable. But is that any different than the basis used to calculate the hourly real wage? Because if it's the same, then there shouldn't be any occasion for
upper incomes pulling up the means
since that should happen the same for both, no?
Hourly wage averages are for all private sector nonsupervisory workers, about 80% of the total private workforce (a share that's been steady for decades). The supervisory 20%, though, is paid a lot more than those 80% (which are, more or less, the working class).
Is there a stat that confirms that's what happened? That hours per worker per week have gone appreciately up in the last 30 years? I would actually have thought the opposite, because I would have thought there was a greater number of part time workers now than then for various reasons.
No - the part time share of the workforce has been steady at around 16-17% since 1970. Average hours are down from around 38/wk in 1964 to just under 34 today (and close to 35 in the late 1990s). Again, for nonsupervisory workers.
Doug
