Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/141513 
Year of Publication: 
2016
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 9754
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
According to data from the Labor Productivity and Costs (LPC) program, average hourly real compensation in the United States has grown consistently over time and become markedly more volatile since the mid-1980s. By contrast, data from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) imply that average hourly real earnings has mostly stagnated and become substantially less volatile. We show that differences in earnings concept and differences in worker coverage account for the majority of this divergence in growth and volatility. The results have important implications for the appropriate choice of aggregate wage series for macroeconomic analysis.
Subjects: 
comparison of hourly earnings data
earnings trends
earnings volatility
JEL: 
E01
E24
E30
J30
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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