Under Pressure: The Squeezed Middle Class
![image of Under Pressure: The Squeezed Middle Class image of Under Pressure: The Squeezed Middle Class](https://assets.oecdcode.org/covers/100/689afed1.jpg)
Middle-class households feel left behind and have questioned the benefits of economic globalisation. In many OECD countries, middle incomes have grown less than the average and in some they have not grown at all. Technology has automated several middle-skilled jobs that used to be carried out by middle-class workers a few decades ago. The costs of some goods and services such as housing, which are essential for a middle-class lifestyle, have risen faster than earnings and overall inflation. Faced with this, middle classes have reduced their ability to save and in some cases have fallen into debt. This report sheds light on the multiple pressures on the middle class. It analyses the trends of middle-income households through dimensions such as labour occupation, consumption, wealth and debt, as well as perceptions and social attitudes. It also discusses policy initiatives to address the concerns raised by the middle class, by protecting middle-class living standards and financial security in the face of economic challenges.
Also available in: French
The middle-income class’s share of income declined more steeply than its share of the population in most countries
Changes in shares of income and the population among middle- and upper-income households, mid‑1980s to mid‑2010s
Also available in: French
- Click to access:
-
Click to download XLSXLS