Since then, real wages for the typical worker have flat-lined, while productivity has continued to climb. Mishel calculates that productivity increased 80.4% from 1948 to 2011, while median real wages rose only 39% – almost none of the wage growth occurred during the last four decades.
根据标准的经济学理论，真实工资应该与生产率同步变动。经济政策研究所（Economic Policy Institute）的劳伦斯·米歇尔（Lawrence Mishel）指出，从1948年到1973年左右都是如此。接着，典型工人真实工资曲线变平，而生产率曲线依然向上。米歇尔测算，从1948年到2011年，生产率增加了80.4%，而中位真实工资只增长了39%——并且在过去四十年中几乎毫无增长。