When real wages are outpaced by productivity, is there a quid pro quo in the form of greater job creation or higher investment?
In many OECD countries, real wages are being outpaced by productivity, which in principle is negative for wage earners. But this trend may be acceptable if it leads to an increase in: Job creation, thanks to low labour costs; Investment, thanks to the rise in profitability. A comparison across OECD countries shows that a situation of lower growth in real wages than in productivity is associated with neither more job creation nor a higher investment rate. It therefore generates no positive knock-on effects .