Many workers in Virginia are making more money. But, that's only if they can keep their jobs.
Wages are rising. But so are layoffs. That might give pause to people thinking about asking for a raise. Maurice Kugler at George Mason University says layoffs are on the rise only in certain sectors.
"So, you could simultaneously have layoffs in some sectors and in other sectors wage increases," Kulger says. "So, you have to have the pulse of what's going on in your industry to know whether you should ask for a wage rise or not."
Leslie Stratton at Virginia Commonwealth University says wages are rising more rapidly for low-income workers.
"It's harder to find people to fill what were minimum wage jobs," says Stratton. "So, their earnings are rising more rapidly, and hopefully their wages are rising enough to keep up with inflation."
The bottom line, they say, is this: if you’re in an industry that's not seeing layoffs, perhaps now is the right time to ask for a raise.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
