Your Custom Text Here
The US economy continues to grow at a relatively healthy pace, but American workers aren’t fully reaping the financial rewards.
In fact, American workers’ piece of the economic pie is shrinking. By one official measure, their slice is the smallest in almost 80 years. READ MORE
Americans are clear-eyed on what they want the government to do to address the affordability crisis: Step in to lower costs before trying to boost wages.
Six in 10 people say the government should prioritize bringing down the cost of everyday essentials — like groceries, electricity bills and gas prices — rather than prioritize raising household incomes, according to results from The POLITICO Poll conducted this August. READ MORE
In recent years, one of the predominant policy initiatives of the progressive left has been raising the minimum wage in locales around the country. At the same time, left-leaning politicians have sought the elimination of what's known as the tip credit, which allows employers to pay restaurant servers and other tipped employees a lower hourly base wage that they then bolster with gratuities.
Just a few years into this experiment, however, policymakers are showing signs of an about-face on the tip credit's abolition as they grapple with the unfortunate, and predictable, economic results. READ MORE
Despite consistent inflation, a $100,000 salary is actually stretching further in many U.S. cities. According to a recent SmartAsset analysis, the average large city saw a nearly 1% increase in the real value of $100,000 from 2024 to 2025 — with one metro seeing gains of almost 7%.
These shifts reflect changes in local taxes and living costs, so where you live can dramatically affect how far a paycheck really goes. READ MORE
Workers across several Democratic-led states are set to ring in 2027 with another pay bump, widening an already sizable gap between state minimum wages and the federal floor of $7.25 an hour.
Washington, California and Connecticut will all raise minimum wages that already top $17 an hour beginning Jan. 1, while New Jersey and Michigan will also hike their wage floors — widening the gap with the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. READ MORE
After trying college, Otavius Jackson followed an Instagram ad his mother spotted — and found his calling in aviation maintenance. Now at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance and nearing graduation, he says his math skills make the field a natural fit. His story reflects a broader national trend: employers across construction, electrical work and aviation are struggling to find enough trained workers as retirements accelerate and major projects expand.
A McKinsey & Company report projects a shortage of roughly 60,000 aviation technicians by 2029. The construction sector faces similar pressure, with the National Association of Home Builders estimating a need for 2.2 million new workers over the next three years. Skilled trades jobs can pay $60,000 to over $90,000 annually, according to Technicians of America. READ MORE
A higher salary can make a new job attractive, but compensation alone does not always tell candidates whether an offer is truly better. According to a recent report from NPAworldwide, recruiters can play an important role in helping candidates evaluate the complete package while also helping employers understand why a competitive base salary may not be enough to secure the person they want to hire. READ MORE
Silicon Valley may be in the middle of an Artificial Intelligence gold rush but thousands of former senior programmers and tech workers aren’t feeling it.
Those workers — until recently, used to paychecks between $310-340,000 — say the rapid advances in AI have left living on savings and their spouses’ paychecks, despite having top companies on their résumés and PhDs.
“You find a lot of people who lack empathy for the tech worker, because they’re like, oh well, they got laid off but they got these huge severance packages,” ex-Google employee Basem Istanbouli told The Post. READ MORE
Demi Moore recently reflected on her history with Hollywood’s gender pay gap nearly three decades after being named the highest-paid actress.
During Step Up’s 2026 Inspiration Awards in Los Angeles, Moore looked back on her decision to demand compensation she believed matched her work. Speaking with moderator Danielle Robay, the 63-year-old pushed back on the idea that she was waging a battle, instead framing the moment as a question of fairness. READ MORE
54% of companies have reduced or will reduce employee compensation to free up capital for AI spending in 2026, according to a survey of 866 US business leaders conducted by Resume Builder. Various forms of compensation are on the cutting board – bonuses, equity, raises, benefits, even base salaries. However, 71% of survey respondents will give performance-based raises tied to individual results.
That last finding is key: if you’re looking to make more money, you still can. What companies are doing in general or on average doesn’t necessarily apply to you as an individual. READ MORE
Once you’ve settled into a job, it’s easy to fall into the rhythm of meetings, deadlines, and regular paychecks.
You may not think much about how your income compares to others. But seeing how your salary stacks up by age—and how earnings rise and fall over time, including which group earns the most—can give you a better sense of your financial trajectory. READ MORE
New research by Byron Lutz and David Ratner of the Federal Reserve Board and Louise Sheiner of the Hutchins Center on compensation of state and local government employees goes beyond wages to put a dollar value on the benefits that standard compensation metrics mismeasure or leave out entirely: defined benefit pensions, retiree health care, and job security. They find that compensation of state and local workers has fallen substantially relative to comparable private sector workers since the Great Recession. READ MORE
An Indeed Hiring Lab report published last week quantified what software workers have felt for two years: the people still getting hired earn far more, and there are far fewer of them. Advertised pay in the most AI-exposed US occupations has climbed roughly 46% since the start of 2021, compared with 25% for the least-exposed jobs, including nursing, food prep, and cleaning. The gap started widening in 2024 and continues now. READ MORE
A paycheck can look very different depending on where you live.
Using OECD 2025 average wage data, Valerii Emelianov compares gross monthly salaries, deductions, and estimated take-home pay across 37 countries, with figures converted to U.S. dollars at market exchange rates. READ MORE
"Younger professionals are taking a proactive approach to their careers, and for many that includes exploring new roles that offer stronger earning potential, advancement opportunities and flexibility," Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half, said in a statement. "Employers should be clear about growth paths, compensation, and the support available to help retain workers and encourage them to build their skills." READ MORE
In a uniquely San Francisco case of mistaken identity that’s now stretched on for several months, I’ve continually been mistaken for an AI software engineer with a similar name. The awkward mix-up has led to inbound calls and emails from tech industry headhunters in the market for a forward deployed engineer. READ MORE
On Aug. 6, 2026, the Internal Revenue Service issued updated Frequently Asked Questions concerning the new federal income tax deduction for qualified overtime compensation under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
This deduction is only available for tax years 2025 through 2028.
The FAQs supersede the previously released FAQs and provide important clarification concerning what qualifies for the deduction and employers’ payroll and reporting obligations. READ MORE
Shareholder rebellions over executive pay eased across many of the world’s biggest stock markets this year, with opposition falling in Europe, the United States and Japan despite a handful of high-profile revolts.
The move comes as pay and perks continue to dwarf the average worker’s wage, with average CEO pay at S&P 500 companies hitting a record high even excluding a bumper pay plan for Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of SpaceX. READ MORE
A bigger salary doesn’t always mean a better financial life. Where you live can have an enormous impact on what your paycheck actually buys once housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and taxes enter the equation.
According to MERIC’s first-quarter 2026 Cost of Living Index, many of America’s least expensive states are concentrated in the South and Midwest. A score below 100 indicates costs below the national benchmark, and housing is often where the biggest savings appear. READ MORE
Once you’ve settled into a job, it’s easy to fall into the rhythm of meetings, deadlines, and regular paychecks.
You may not think much about how your income compares to others. But seeing how your salary stacks up by age—and how earnings rise and fall over time, including which group earns the most—can give you a better sense of your financial trajectory. READ MORE
Quisque iaculis facilisis lacinia. Mauris euismod pellentesque tellus sit amet mollis.