Plants running hotter than ever but workers still left behind, companies turn demand into profits, not paychecks
The chart below shows that labor’s share and capacity utilization often move in opposite directions because higher utilization today tends to amplify capital’s pricing power rather than labor’s bargaining leverage. In the late 1990s, utilization pushed above 83% while labor’s share drifted down, as globalization and lean supply chains let businesses capture demand without raising …
