Though Americans' average incomes appear to be on the rise, there is evidence that wages of lower-level employees have not changed in years. While profits are up for many companies, soaring incomes are concentrated only at the highest levels of the workplace; the only substantial income gaines for workers have come from their taking second jobs. For all but the highest-level employees, wages remained static while profits increased 35 percent between 2002 and 2004, indicating a growing wage gap.
See "America's wage gap: Profits feed top incomes as workers take second jobs", Eduardo Porter, International Herald Tribune, July 13, 2005