libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org

The labor share of income in the US is at its lowest post-war level

loughnane · 486 points · 520 comments · 23 時間前

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legitster22 時間前

People are misreading the conclusion - the Covid related drop is normal and matches previous episodes, but the massive overall drop since 2000 is not. The situation on the ground is unchanged - the amount of labor being generated per person has not really changed, but the overall pie has grown massively around us.

clusterhacks22 時間前

FTA's conclusion: "Is this decline a distinct change from the recent behavior of the labor share in the U.S.? Along the two key dimensions we investigate, our answer is no. <later> ... and they provide little evidence that it will evolve differently from past episodes." This conclusion seems to be against "this time is different" arguments. Should we be generally encouraged by similarity to past declines pre-2000 or bearish and think that there is more drop to come like the 2000-2007 and 2007-2019 periods they graph out? I guess there is no way to predict other than check back in after time passes.

jameslk22 時間前

The submitted title is a bit sensationalist given the article’s conclusion: > Is this decline a distinct change from the recent behavior of the labor share in the U.S.? Along the two key dimensions we investigate, our answer is no. First, the labor share’s trajectory post-COVID broadly follows the cyclical patterns observed in earlier recessions, with a decline during the recovery phase that mirrors historical dynamics. Second, the decline in the labor share since COVID is driven primarily by within-industry changes rather than shifts in economic activity across sectors. Taken together, these results suggest that the post-COVID decline follows the same cyclical patterns as earlier recessions and is driven by the same within-industry forces, and they provide little evidence that it will evolve differently from past episodes. What I find more interesting is the sharp drop around the early 2000s

scrumbledober22 時間前

it feels like every share of income is at its lowest except for the ultra wealthy.

noahbp22 時間前

That most-recent spike during/post-COVID really puts into perspective just how unreasonable low-wage employers were to be so hysterical.