Despite their supposed diversity, GOP candidates share a dependence on two broad-spectrum lies: First, that they’re better at producing overall growth — for example: Trump boasting, “I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created,” or Bush promising “4 percent growth as far as the eye can see” — and, second, that growth by itself will benefit everyone.

Arguably, the most important measure for the Federal Reserve as they decide whether to raise rates in September is nominal average hourly earnings. Over the year, average hourly earnings rose only 2.1 percent, in line with the same slow growth we’ve seen for the last six years. And wages for production/nonsupervisory workers rose even more slowly, at 1.8 percent over the year. The annual growth rates are slow by any measure, but are certainly far below any reasonable wage target.

I’m a single mother and I struggle to support my son on the $10.33 an hour I make at one of the most exclusive clubs in America – the US Senate. I’m a cashier employed by the British-owned contractor that runs the cafeterias in the Senate office buildings. But even though I serve some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world, I can’t afford to buy my son school supplies or clothes.

U.S. wages and benefits grew in the spring at the slowest pace in 33 years, stark evidence that stronger hiring isn't lifting paychecks much for most Americans. The slowdown also likely reflects a sharp drop-off in bonus and incentive pay for some workers. The employment cost index rose just 0.2 percent in the April-June quarter after a 0.7 increase in the first quarter, the Labor Department said Friday.

But while the on-demand economy has not appeared in government labor statistics—yet—that does not mean that it is not having an impact on people’s livelihoods. The rise of the gig economy is part of a wider trend that Yale political scientist Jacob Hacker has noted of risk being shifted from employers onto the backs of workers. New technologies have only accelerated this shift.

'we don't realize they made off with almost the whole damn cake.'

Rampant wage theft is slicing hundreds of millions of dollars out of the Pennsylvania economy each year, a new analysis suggests.

To tip or not to tip? Now, rising minimum wages and moves by high-profile chefs are putting the future of the tip line in jeopardy.

Working a full-time job is stressful enough, but sometimes you have to start thinking about ways you can make money after regular work hours.

Dunkin' Donuts' top executive says a $15 minimum wage for fast food workers is "absolutely outrageous." On Thursday, New York state's wage board recommended fast food workers make at least $15 per hour. The board said it should happen by the end of 2018 in New York City. Dunkin' Brand CEO Nigel Travis says the plan will do more harm than good.

Democratic presidential hopeful and self-described socialist Bernie Sanders introduced a bill Wednesday to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour -- the so-called living wage.

The push for a higher minimum wage gained momentum on both sides of the country Wednesday, with New York embracing an eventual $15 an hour for the state's 200,000 fast-food workers and the huge University of California system announcing the same raise for its employees. "How we support our...

“There are more net jobs in the world today than ever before, after hundreds of years of technological innovation and hundreds of years of people predicting the death of work. The logic on this topic is crystal clear. Because of that, the contrary view is necessarily religious in nature, and, as we all know, there’s no point in arguing about religion.” These are the words of tech mogul Marc Andreessen, in an e-mail exchange with me on the effect of advancing technologies on employment.

As the 5th anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Protection Act approaches, Roosevelt's Sue Holmberg explains why high CEO pay is bad for the economy.

Jobs are coming back, but pay isn’t. The median wage is still below where it was before the Great Recession. Last month, average pay actually fell. What’s going on? It used to be that as unemployment...

Rather than confront poverty by extending jobless benefits to the long-term unemployed, endorsing a higher minimum wage, or supporting jobs programs, conservative Republicans are taking a different tack.

GM is worth around $60 billion, and has over 200,000 employees. Its front-line workers earn from $19 to $28.50 an hour, with benefits. Uber is estimated to be worth some $40 billion, and has 850 employees. Uber has over 163,000 drivers, who average $17 an hour in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and $23 an hour in San Francisco and New York. But Uber doesn’t count these drivers as employees. Uber says they’re “independent contractors".

Many economists used to think of the labor market as being pretty much like the market for anything else, with the prices of different kinds of labor — that is, wage rates — fully determined by supply and demand. So if wages for many workers have stagnated or declined, it must be because demand for their services is falling.

The Earned Income Tax Credit has long been one of the wonk's favorite poverty-fighting tools. It's a tax credit available only to those who work, so it works as a powerful incentive to find employment. It also acts as a subsidy for low-paying jobs, which are often the only ones that the poor can find. And the money comes from the government, so it doesn't distort labor markets or meet resistance from employers, as the minimum wage does.

Chipotle is just the latest company in the city to claim labor costs as the reason for price hikes. It sounds logical. Wages go up 10%, prices of menu items go up 10%. It’s fair, right? But Chipotle co-CEOs Steve Ells and Monty Moran’s earnings in 2014 were $28.9m and $28.2m, respectively. Ells also brought in around $42m in stock options in 2014, yet prices must go up because the lowest paid workers received a $1 raise?