Re:Worker pay isn’t keeping up with inflation
by PickledHotdog on Friday December 17, 2021 @09:02AM
(#29592241)
One of the key issues is around deposits for homes.
When prices are lower, so are deposits. When they're consistently increasing for long periods (with low/no wage growth to boot), deposits become impossible to achieve because price growth outstrips the ability to save.
What you end up with is a large class of renters who can clearly service a mortgage (they service their landlords) but cannot save for a deposit.
Was it a walk in the park in the 70s and 80s? No. But it was possible for a great majority of people. These days, without help for a deposit, you're screwed as an "average" worker in a population centre.
When prices are lower, so are deposits. When they're consistently increasing for long periods (with low/no wage growth to boot), deposits become impossible to achieve because price growth outstrips the ability to save.
What you end up with is a large class of renters who can clearly service a mortgage (they service their landlords) but cannot save for a deposit.
Was it a walk in the park in the 70s and 80s? No. But it was possible for a great majority of people. These days, without help for a deposit, you're screwed as an "average" worker in a population centre.