Читать книгу Inequality and the Labor Market - Группа авторов - Страница 9

This book comes at a time when the American labor market is in the midst of unprecedented upheaval. Technological advances have made some occupations nearly obsolete while accelerating a shift toward gig work. The transition from the Obama administration to the Trump administration has meant, at least at the federal level, sharply diminished support for workers’ rights and weakened enforcement of labor law. And the descent into a global recession has driven a dramatic increase in the share of unemployed workers, a higher concentration of corporate power, and fading worker bargaining power all around.

These developments have heightened the need for increased attention to labor market competition. We hope that the wide-ranging set of analyses offered here will convince readers that the structural imbalance between worker and employer bargaining power is not inevitable. Indeed, diminished competition is a choice—and it is unfortunately one that policymakers increasingly embrace. The lessons from these pages reinforce the point that, once we understand these forces, we as a nation can make good decisions about what to do about them.

The main takeaway from this book is that there are options. From reducing the use of noncompete agreements to making wages more transparent, policymakers can make choices that will inject more competition in our country’s labor markets. There is no silver bullet, but a landscape free of barriers to job mobility with sufficient labor protections is sure to improve the well-being of the nation’s 160 million workers and their families. Until then, the myth of a competitive labor market will continue to depress the livelihoods of everyone who works for a living.