This chartbook examines the current job trends in California, focusing on the industries, jobs, families, and workers affected by growing inequality and stagnant wages. The report highlights that since the late 1970s, California has experienced a significant increase in income inequality, with workers in the bottom and middle of the wage distribution seeing their earnings decline in real terms, while high-wage workers have seen their earnings rise. Despite this, California workers have become more productive, but their wages and benefits have stagnated. Between 1979 and 2013, productivity increased by 89 percent, but median hourly compensation for nonsupervisory/production workers increased by only 3 percent, adjusting for inflation.
