Are low-paid jobs really a stepping stone to better pay? A new study suggests it’s not that simple

By Alexander Plum, Senior Research Fellow in Applied Labour Economics, Auckland University of Technology
Gail Pacheco, Professor of Economics, Director of the NZ Work Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology
Kabir Dasgupta, Senior Research Fellow, Auckland University of Technology

A job – any job – is generally thought of as better than no job at all. Consequently, low-paid work is often considered a “stepping stone” to a higher-paid job. But how easily do low-paid workers climb up the pay scale, really?

Our new research suggests past studies may have considerably overstated the chances of moving from low to higher pay. This has significant implications for understanding labour market behaviour.

Given the NZ$3.3 billion increase…

Read complete article

~	Hind’s Hall is Macklemore’s bold new pro-Palestine anthem. What might it actually achieve?

~	Technically accomplished, sonically subversive and fiercely independent, I’ll remember Steve Albini for his rare humility

~	Australia can have a future for the gas industry, or meet its climate commitments – but not both

~	Ukraine war: battlefield setbacks stir Kyiv’s European allies into taking a tougher line on Russia

~	South Africa’s public service is dysfunctional – the 5 main reasons why

~	Rains, destruction and deaths in the south of Brazil demand a new term to define a climate catastrophe

~	Israel's war on Gaza takes center stage at Eurovision 2024

~	’Sudan’s civil war could last years if nothing is done‘: An interview with Hatim Abdulaziz

~	Heatwave highlights climate vulnerabilities in Southeast Asia

~	‘We do not want to be like Russia’: a first-hand account of Georgia’s fight for democracy