It’s hard to find a consensus of opinions, but this might come close: Workers want their wages to go up over time, ideally over and above inflation. These raises are what allow them to not just keep pace with the cost of groceries and rent but afford more—nicer neighborhoods, better computers, more berries. At an economy-wide level, this real wage growth (wage growth after adjusting for inflation) means that as society becomes richer and more productive, living standards improve in the population as a whole. It’s what allows children to grow up to be better off than their parents. READ MORE