Global perspectives on wage stagnation

The purpose of this chapter is to place the stagnation of Australian wages in the context of developments in other rich nations from the post-war period to today. We do this using internationally comparative data. We are interested in the relationships between wages, productivity, inequality and overall economic stability. By testing theories about the causes of wage stagnation based on the available data, it is possible to point to the policy levers most likely to reverse wage stagnation in Australia.