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Economic Report President

Economic Report of the President - The American Presidency Project

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Chart 3-3 Hourly Wages of Low-Wage Workers Aged 16 and OverDuring the 1980s, wages declined for men and women at the 10th and 20th percentilesof the wage distribution, but significant gains have occurred since 1993.1997 dollars98Men: 20th percentile7Women: 20th percentile6Men: 10th percentile5Women: 10th percentile401979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997Note: Sample includes part-time as well as full-time workers.Source: Council of <strong>Economic</strong> Advisers tabulations of Current Population Survey data.significant, with wages for those at the 20th percentile increasing by4.7 percent since 1993.These gains have not been confined to the lower end of the wage distribution.Real hourly earnings of the median male worker haveincreased by 3.6 percent since 1993, while those of the highest earningmen and women (measured at the 90th percentile; these data are notshown in the chart) have increased by 6.4 percent and 6.2 percent,respectively.LESS EDUCATED WORKERSEducation is a key determinant of labor market success, and much ofthe decrease in real wages for low-wage workers over the past twodecades may be due to changes in the economy that have placedincreasing value on skilled labor. The shift from goods-producingindustries to services and to a more technology-intensive workplacehas increased the premium on education, and particularly on workerswho have at least a bachelor’s degree. In this new economic environmentit is important to monitor the progress of those with less education,who risk missing out on gains in the economy as a whole. Duringthe current economic expansion, however, those with less educationappear to be sharing in the benefits of the tight labor market in a numberof ways.Since 1993 the strong labor market has sharply reduced unemploymentrates for workers at all levels of educational attainment.105

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