The thing is that inflation is outpacing these numbers. With official inflation numbers hovering around 3% and real inflation (except in housing) being much stronger than that, Actual earnings haven't increased for the majority of the workforce in roughly 15 years.

I'd hardly call a 4.5% increase a surge either. Removing the cut for inflation puts this more at 1.5% at best, hardly an increase worth mentioning.

I think Ars Technica is just trying to drum up interest.