Authors:

  • Lawrence Katz

Excerpt

Imagining a Future of Work That Fosters Mobility for All. Lawrence Katz, February 2018, Paper, "We live in a time of rising economic polarization. Low- and high-wage jobs are growing, while those in the middle are declining or “hollowing out,” not just in the United States, but across the globe.2 Employment used to be a reliable path to economic stability and mobility for a wide range of workers, but that is no longer the case. In 2015, almost a quarter of working Americans earned poverty-level wages,3 defined as equal to or less than the hourly wage that a full-time, year-round worker must earn to sustain a family of four with two children at the official poverty threshold. Workers are confronting rapid labor market changes that are eroding key features of work once largely taken for granted. Five trends are shaping economic opportunity.." Link