I've been paying taxes since 1983. I did construction labor FT summer, PT that school year. Posted earnings of $18,000. Adjusted for inflation and brought to 2021 that should equate to $53,000. It doesn't. My Dad earned $65 thousand that year. Adjusted to today's dollars that's on the way to $300something thousand a year. No 'lab managers” today earn half that wage.
My grandsons babysitter gets $20/hr to surf my wifi and I have to buy a pizza… This is the unskilled minimum wage.
An army PFC (skilled, apprentice level) earns about $60,000/yr, no hazard or combat. Just base pay and a regional allowance for quarters/housing.
An E-5 Sgt (blue collar supervisor) earns around $100,000/yr. Govt service workers earn a pension after 20years.
The private sector has no pensions. They need to compensate labor for such a failure. The 401K is not anywhere near a pension. So the private sector needs to bring up their base pay offers.
Wages track inflation, not GDP. That's a problem when GDP runs at a 12:1 advantage over labor.
Since I entered the workforce (1983) wages haven't yet doubled (+93%). GDP UP Over 900%.
It's not an economy it's Ponzi scheme in the musical chairs stage of circus style plate spinning.
Get back to work. (it's unsustainable)